After Gloria left the capital of the Kingdom of the Waves to go to Dry City, several things happened in Athela.
First of all, the strongest subordinates of the Walker family and the members of the royalty who were on the Black Plain had returned to headquarters.
That was not only the farewell opportunity these people would have to the last two great leaders of this organization but also a necessity. After all, the family had been significantly weakened by Minos' actions, and more than ever, they needed to be united in the face of the present threat.
And unfortunately for them, this threat was not only Minos!
The region was large, and many powers were just waiting for a chance to rebel or to start plotting all kinds of dishonest acts behind the curtains.
And, having just lost the only two people capable of genuinely suppressing these unscrupulous organizations, there was a need for this royal family to be united at this difficult time.
Secondly, Minos had left this organization in chaos since the entire command, consisting of high-level cultivators, had been killed in that incident. Because of this, in the weeks since then, the survivors had to reassemble the power structure of the Walker family.
That had not been easy, as there would always be greedy people seeking power at a time like this. But because of the immediate threat they were facing, Minos, they had managed to re-establish order in that organization after much trouble and nightly plotting.
As a result, both Blake and Wilfred had risen considerably in their positions. The first one had received the title under his younger brother, Charles.
On the other hand, Wilfred was still too weak to carry out specific responsibilities. Still, thanks to his outstanding education, which only princes could obtain, he had gained an influential position within the family.
And with that, both had already begun to deal with those who might stand against them in the future, particularly those followers of Charles.
Blake had not yet been crowned the king of that state, as such a thing had a time and place to happen, which would not work out in the present situation that this state was in.
Because of this, he and his brother needed to take some precautions before withdrawing the troops of this state from young Stuart's territory.
For example, they could not tell their fellow royalty that Minos had threatened them to withdraw this state's troops from the Black Plain.
If they did that, they would most likely lose their right to the throne, as their interests would be compromised, and neither of them could make the best choices for the family.
So, they and those bodyguards of Blake had kept their agreement with Minos a secret and intended to use some excuse to withdraw the troops from this state of the Black Plain.
And after weeks of thinking about it, they realized that it was not that difficult to convince the rest of their family members about this. They only needed them to realize that getting their troops out of the Black Plain was the best thing to do for the family.
After all, disturbing news about what was happening around this region had already reached the ears of the regional nobility and royalty. Consequently, the problem related to the neglect of other historical enemies or minor powers in search of growth was already remarkable, something that served as a reasonable justification for their purpose!
And that was what they were trying to use to solve the first part of the deal proposed by Minos.
The Walker family was weakened as never before, and parasitic worms were spreading everywhere. So, pulling back and organizing their own 'house' did not seem such a bad idea at this point...
As for Minos, well, this young man at least was still the enemy of every other state in this region. So, even the justification of retreating might not be so bad for those other members of House Walker!
With all this in mind, Blake and Wilfred were working hard to carry out young Stuart's demands, both to ensure their survival and that of their mothers.
...
In the king's study office in the Kingdom of the Waves palace...
Blake and Wilfred were sitting face to face around a table, while the four subordinates of the new crown prince were on the outskirts of that place, watching and protecting them.
Meanwhile, cups of hot tea on the table between the two young men released a delicious fragrance into the room through the steam coming off them.
But Blake and Wilfred were not so intent on their drinks at this moment. Instead, the two had resolute looks on their faces, typical of those individuals pursuing a goal they could not abandon.
Previously they wanted the throne of this state, but that was more to please the ego than a genuine desire, like those focused on becoming the best or even making their state the best.
Neither of them was like that. Instead, both just wanted to sit on the throne of this kingdom to fulfill the duty their father would leave them when he left while accepting the honor of the royal title.
However, with the sudden change, they had gone through, now Blake sitting on the local throne was the way they had to stay alive and ensure the safety of their mothers.
And that, yes, was a real goal, one that they were both pursuing as if they were addicted, as if they had an obligation to themselves to do their best and accomplish such a feat.
Therefore, they had a look on their faces different from that of years ago.
"I have already talked to the high-ranking members of my mother's family about what needs to be done for the kingdom to continue to exist in the future." Blake said this in a low, serious voice.
"I am sure they will support us when I give the order to the withdraw."
"Hmm, that's good."
"I have also been working with my mother's contacts, using her financial position to add support to our cause."
"I believe we may have enough strength to suppress the unhappy in the next few days," Wilfred said to his younger brother.
"OK." Blake then looked at one of those four individuals and asked. "What about you guys? Any progress?"
"Yes, Your Highness."
"We have managed to get in touch with some of Charles' former supporters, and several of them are willing to switch to our side."
"Not only that, some families are concerned that Your Highness wishes revenge for the previous assassination attempts, so they are willing to do more for us at this time."
Another of them then said. "As for the Walker family, we already have more than half of the high-ranking subordinates with promises to stand by our side if any member of the royalty decides to rebel."
"We can act in a few days once all these variables are synch!"
Upon hearing this, Blake sighed in relief, feeling that he might have enough time to give the order to withdraw his vassals and subordinates from Minos' territory.
"Good!"
Wilfred nodded in agreement and said. "From what I've heard recently, Minos seems to be in the Kingdom of the End. So, we should not have any problems meeting those demands before he returns to the Black Plain."
"Hmmm."
"That's true..."
"At least not only do we suffer from his actions..."
"I hope he visits the other regional families." One of those four individuals said that unconsciously.
If they had to suffer the humiliation of being subordinate to Black Plain and having their power and lives threatened, it would be much better if the other major regional organizations faced the same or worse!
So, that person wished that Minos would be even more cruel to the other royal families, even though that might not be the best to have.
And every one of those people there realized this, looking at such a person with different looks.
Unfortunately, none of them could refute such a comment since they had similar ideas in their minds.
Beating Minos would be incredible, but the path ahead of them was already set, as there was no way this young man could be stopped in the short term.
Consequently, they wished the worst for their dear regional colleagues!
