"CEASE FIRE!" The commander on the side of the assailants roared as he raised his hand, his face locked in an expression of deep apprehension as he gazed at the trio.
From the three of them, he could sense a multitude of abilities at the Adept grade and one at the Master rank. These three were undoubtedly powerful geniuses of some top-tier empire, and his party would do well to not offend them.
The lay soldiers couldn't understand why they had to halt their attack just because of three youngsters, but the Amateurs and above were filled with trepidation as sweat formed on their brows.
The same also went for those on the side of Listo, as they stood there flummoxed. None could recognize Darius and Xela, yet Gunner was too memorable with his size and crazy hairdo.
While they were initially shocked, they eventually displayed ecstatic expressions and began cheering jubilantly, hugging each other, and crying. This scene made the face of the opposing commander darken, but he decided to be tactful.
He stepped forward, medium armor clanking slightly as he approached where Darius and co. stood with a stern expression. This gave Darius the chance to single him out and observe the fellow well.
He was quite a handsome fellow, looking to be in his early thirties by Darius' measure. He had short-cropped black hair and dark blue eyes, with an angular face possessing a thin mustache.
He had the insignia of a lion biting a snake on the head embossed onto the chestplate of his armor, also possessing a long sword tucked into its scabbard at his hip, his right hand placed on the hilt casually as he walked forward.
He greeted Darius with a knight's bow before speaking in a mature tone: "Greetings, fellow friends. My name is Darkus Husain, Commander of the Leo Legion of Riaslin Kingdom."
Darius smiled. "The Elven beauty to my right is Xela Stone, princess of the Elven race, one of their Divine Maidens as well as my ward."
Xela curtsied cutely in response to the introduction, her smile making the heart of the commander skip a beat. Darius then gestured to Gunner.
"This is Gunner Stone, Royal Giant, and another ward of mine." Darius introduced simply.
Gunner didn't bow, but folded his arms and gazed at Darkus with disdain, like a powerful person gazing upon a weak one. Darkus was not slighted by this - or more correctly didn't dare to be slighted - given Gunner's power.
Then Darius pressed a hand to his chest as his eyes glinted. "And I, am Darius Stone. Master Magus and Lord of a territory to the far north."
Darius then tapped his lip. "Also, about 5 years ago I was granted the title of a Baron of Andrato, specifically Listo."
Darkus had maintained some hope up until this point, but his heart turned to ashes once he listened up to here. He now knew that things would not end easily, as Darius would not have needed to remind him of this fact if he wanted to stay neutral.
It should be known, the highest power in their army was also a Master, but that was a single warrior who was their trump card. Against three young masters like them, what chance did he stand?
At this time, the barrier surrounding Listo was taken down while the gates opened. From within, an entourage of 10 riders came forth on warhorses, three knights, two mages, four warriors, and a familiar face, the City Lord of Listo.
After not seeing each other for a few months, Spencely seemed to have aged a few years in this short period of time. His oiled, parted brown hair had strands of grey and his powerful blue eyes were duller due to fatigue.
He no longer wore his tophat given the occasional, and his monocle was placed in his coat pocket. He still wore a gentleman's attire of a black suit jacket, a tucked white shirt with a bowtie, and black pants.
When the group approached, they stepped close to Darius. On Nicholas' face was a look of great relief.
While the others looked curious and wary, they had long heard about Andrato's genius, but he had disappeared for 5 years and hadn't bothered himself with the kingdom, leaving many parties miffed.
Nicholas though, knew better than to dare expect things from Darius, especially since it was only really who had personally tried to help Darius and not the kingdom.
Darius had already paid him back by promising to train up some youths from Listo including his beloved son, Ash.
"Greetings, Lord Stone. How goes things?" Nicholas asked with a genuine smile as he dismounted, before bowing respectfully, despite his advanced age.
Darius walked over, helped him up, and hugged the Baron. "Just came back to recruit you. I need a skilled person to manage the territory I'm setting up to the far north, and you were the best candidate I could select."
Nicholas' eyes lit up. "Why don't you tell me more about this in a comfortable place?"
Darius nodded in agreement, snapping his finger to teleport himself and Nicholas into the office of the City Lord. The fellow was naturally shocked by the sudden change, but felt no physical discomfort from the teleportation and so settled down.
Darius sat down on the receiver's seat while Nicholas sat down at his desk. The City Lord wiped his monocle and placed it on his right eye before gazing at Darius earnestly.
"First of all, allow me to thank you in Listo's name for arriving at such an opportune time. Were it not for you, we likely would not have held out much longer. So my good friend, what do you have in mind?"
Darius then elaborated the details of the budding territory, the quality of materials used, the wealth of knowledge in his possession, the general layout of the entire city, how it would be governed, and the dungeon's characteristics.
After listening, Nicholas' face was so red that he looked like a table. He slapped his desk and bellow with glee.
"GENIUS! ABSOLUTELY GENIUS MY FRIEND!"
He took a deep breath to calm himself down and wiped his brow. He then made eye contact with Darius and spoke with utter solemnity.
"It would be my honor to help you manage your territory, Lord Darius."
