Sylvester found a chance and returned to the royal castle before the first rays of the sun fell on the Southern city. Sadly, although he wanted to, he could not remain behind to see the fruits of his labor in the morning.
So, while he stood in his armor outside the princess' room and silently waited for the Princess to wake up, havoc wrecked the Southern City.
…
The people of the poverty-stricken city woke up as usual and followed their usual routines. But there was a significant difference between the houses Sylvester marked with crosses and those he informed. The marked houses belonged to spies who amassed wealth through spying, and for that reason, the working men of the house did not need to wake up early and go to work.
Meanwhile, the ones Sylvester passed the riddles to were all low-income families who had to get to work at the earliest. Due to that, they saw the leaves with riddles first. At first, they were confused, but once they headed out and noticed some houses having red marks, it all made sense.
In a matter of minutes, the same thing happened all around, and large mobs formed. Jealousy and hatred reigned over the minds of all as they hurried to find each marked house and investigate.
In a few cases, the neighbors themselves took action as they knew about the sudden increasing wealth of the supposed spies. Without asking questions, the neighbors set the houses on fire and burned everyone inside.
In other cases, the people were dragged out and then killed. Sadly, avoiding collateral damage was impossible, and most of the spies had their families killed too, regardless of age or gender. It didn't take much time for utter chaos to spread all around in the narrow streets.
Fires spread, and some riots took place. With the absence of spies, the soldiers had no information on where to go or if someone was planning a riot in a particular location. Miscommunication occurred, and things got out of hand.
The people took to the streets in an instant. Why? For no reason!
They had no demands to make and just wanted to release the fury they had kept suppressed within. Seeing that, eventually, even the soldiers were ordered to step back and let the fools burn themselves.
Thankfully, in that precise moment of freedom, hidden hands moved. Moonwatcher Hozin was a man with many talents and had mastered the art of hunting or plain killing. While remaining safe and hidden, he targeted ten city administrators' homes and burned them as well.
With that, step one of spreading chaos was finally completed, and as an aftermath, all that remained were ashes—visible so clearly as if deep, painful gashes.
…
The day came to pass, and Sylvester had nothing to do but follow the Princess around. Watch her meet her noble friends, eat, and guard her at all times. Many times, she'd try inviting him to activities, and every single time he'd refuse firmly.
"You're not fun," Princess Fernis complained. "I thought you'd be entertaining to be around."
'What made her think that?' Sylvester wondered and walked a step behind, by her side.
"I'm sorry to disappoint you, Princess. I am merely your bodyguard, and I can't indulge in intimate activities." He gave an excuse in a very gentlemanly and proper manner.
"Wait!" She abruptly stopped and looked at him with her big, innocent eyes. "Then, would you treat me differently if you were not my bodyguard?"
Sylvester felt as if he dropped an ax on his foot. "Maybe. But no matter what, the social difference between us remains. I do not see myself sharing the same table with you no matter what profession I take."
She rubbed her chin as if some wise old elder and thought about her options. With narrowed eyes, she also stared at Sylvester's faceplate.
"Hmmm…" She mumbled. "Hmmmmmmm…YES! I'll make you my royal advisor. Then you will be a civil servant and hence, allowed to sit beside me."
"..."
'But why?' Sylvester asked himself. 'I smell nothing but love, lust, and happiness from her. What the hell is her true agenda?'
"Princess, in all honesty. I only arrived in this castle four days ago. I don't believe anyone will allow you to do that. Nobody knows me, and I don't look like the majority of the people either. With this mask, at least I am treated the same as anyone. Without it, I'll be standing out like a sore thumb." Sylvester honestly answered her. "This is the truth of the world we live in. People are not born equal."
She looked down as if sad. "But…I want you to show your face around. You're pretty."
He chuckled, a rare sight for people. "All the more reason to hide myself. You don't want your bodyguard to be stolen by some other noble now, do you, princess?"
"Heh." She giggled. "I guess it's impossible to join the two worlds. But I don't like this. Why do I get to enjoy all this luxury? Just because I lucked out and was born in this castle? Then what did the kids born in poverty do to deserve their misery? We're all born the same, aren't we? We made this divide, not god."
Sylvester honestly never thought she was such a profound thinker. But, somewhere in his heart, he appreciated what she said as it aligned with his beliefs. It at least indicated that the princess' mind was in the right place.
"You're being too wise, Princess. I think you're sleepy." He decided to get closer to her and joked.
Evident from her astonished eyes, she wasn't anticipating it from him. "W-Wait... Did you joke? And was that an insult?"
Sylvester silently moved forward and opened the door to the Princess's chamber to let her in. "If you require anything, please notify me."
She entered her chamber in disbelief, never having seen Sylvester behave so casually before. It almost made her pause, desiring more of such informal conversation.
"Just call me Fernis from now on—when in private. That will make me very happy." She requested. "And remove your faceplate when it's just the two of us. Yes, I'm afraid other women will try and snatch you, but don't you ever worry…"
She growled and pretended her hands were claws while waving them at Sylvester. "I'll protect what's mine like the fierce lioness I am!"
Thud!
Sylvester closed the door and proceeded toward his room just a few meters away.
'What's 'mine'? So she regards me as her possession or individual?' Sylvester pondered over what the Princess had said. 'She speaks so wisely and acts so naively...She's an enigma.'
Eventually, Sylvester firmly closed his door and removed the helmet. He noticed Miraj soundly sleeping on the bed with his bloated belly, most likely from consuming bananas.
"Better talk with Sir Dolorem about the situation." He muttered and sat down crosslegged by the window.
In no time, he accessed the Solarium in his surroundings and made his way to the East. Despite the considerable distance, it only took several minutes. Having done it a few times before, he easily reached his most loyal knight.
"Sir Dolorem, it's me. I heard Beastaria has attacked." Sylvester straightaway got to the point.
Sir Dolorem promptly responded, "Lord Bard?! I was awaiting your communication. Yes, Beastaria has attacked all our coastlines. The Elves and Dragons are leading their assault, but it doesn't seem as formidable as we expected. Furthermore, we didn't observe any unity among their forces. Dragons and Elves fight as if they are two distinct armies."
Sylvester hummed in agreement and wondered why they even initiated the war if that was the case. However, he then remembered a more urgent matter.
"Sir Dolorem, Masan has commenced recruiting soldiers from the masses. They will likely amass a standing army of over a million soon. Did the Holy Land command them to do so?" He inquired.
Sir Dolorem fell silent for a good while before responding. "T-That's unusual. No such order was issued, nor do we require Masan to take any action. The Beastaria army is too feeble, and we consider Masan the final line of defense. If the Holy Land falls, our plan is to retreat to Masan!"
Sylvester frowned upon hearing that information. Both of them understood what Masan desired if their recruitment wasn't related to combating Beastaria.
"It seems they wish to strike while the iron is hot," Sylvester added. "They aim to catch the East off guard and seize control."
"That will be a tragedy if it happens," Sir Dolorem warned. "We are currently fighting well against Beastaria and aspire to push the war into Beastaria directly this time. The Pope is busy devising a strategy as we speak. However, all this will be wasted if Masan acts against us."
Sylvester mumbled to himself the whole time, formulating a plan on the go to help safeguard East Sol, as it was supposed to be his stronghold. He couldn't afford to lose it and, with that, lose all the influence he had acquired.
"Sir Dolorem, I have a plan. I will do something significant in Masan. Be on standby, and when you learn about it, swiftly dispatch Lady Aurora as an investigator alongside a few formidable, loyal clergymen. Don't disclose my involvement—I have a suspicion that the Church is compromised in Masan. They serve the royals, not the lord," Sylvester ordered sternly.
"Understood, Lord Bard," Sir Dolorem immediately agreed. "I shall locate Lady Aurora promptly. When should I expect the news?"
Sylvester remembered the position of the moon before communicating with Sir Dolorem and guessed how much time there was to sunrise.
"Expect the word to reach the Holy Land by tomorrow night."
With that, Sylvester terminated the communication and promptly rose to his feet. He wasted no time removing his entire suit of armor and went to awaken Miraj.
"Chonky! It's time for the hunt."
Woosh!
Miraj sprang up on his paws instantly. "I'm ready! Who shall I devour today?"
Sylvester quickly changed into peasant clothing with a turban on the head and a disguised face.
"Saint Cardinal of the West."
Thank you for reading. GT votes are much appreciated.
