“Water? That’s it?” Vincent raised an eyebrow, a little confused. He had clearly stated that they could get anything they wanted and yet they still went for water? It made no sense.
“We have eaten before we came here so we’re feeling pretty full. Water is sufficient.” Isla replied.
“… Sure. Get them what they want.” He said to the bartender before he turned to the two again.
“Well, I think it is safe to say that both of you know why I exactly wanted to meet you today, am I correct?”
‘Finally, he’s getting to the topic.’ Arthur thought to himself as he breathed in subtly. This was the moment they had been waiting for and it came very quickly, as they expected. Their suspicion before coming there was that this particular royalty was perhaps trying to quickly establish a connection with the first gifted players to arrive before the rest of the royal family contacted them.
This wasn’t a fact but a mere possibility coming from the fact this royalty seemed very eager to meet them as soon as possible. There was really no reason to hurry unless he wanted to precede someone to that opportunity.
That key piece of information, if proven to be true, gives Arthur and Isla a very huge chance. After all, the best opponent to negotiate with is someone who’s in a hurry to find a deal before someone else steals it from them which makes him opt to accept conditions he would’ve not wanted usually.
“We have had our suspicions. But, we think that you want to help us establish our presence in the city safely and effectively, correct?” Isla asked.
“Yes, precisely. As I said before, we have been awaiting your arrival for a long time now. The empire is ready to take you all in with open arms and help you flourish and prosper. It is a task we are willing to take on for the sake of the future of the Divine Realm.” Vincent nodded his head.
“Well, we do need help to kickstart our project in the capital and your offer is very much welcomed.”
“What kind of project may I ask?”
“We wish to create a guild in the capital for all the gifted people. At this point, all the gifted people are separated and lost and our goal is to take them in and provide the best environment for them to become strong.” Isla replied.
Vincent listened quietly to Isla as he seemed to be pondering about what she said. A few seconds of silence passed before he finally opened his mouth. “A guild, you say? That is quite the ambitious project.”
“We are indeed ambitious.” Isla nodded her head without hesitation. “But more importantly, we have the ability to be ambitious.”
The prince closed his eyes for a moment as he took a small breath. He looked like he had heard something unpleasant. “Well, do you want me to be frank with you two?”
“Sure.”
“Creating a guild in the capital is going to be a very hard task. I would say damn near impossible if I didn’t already hear about your achievements and true strength.” The man replied.
‘Hm?’ Arthur raised an eyebrow.
“Why is that?”
“Well, there is something you might not be aware of. In the empire, there are two different types of people. Those who consider you gifted people a blessing from the Divine One upon all of us. Those are the ones who have awaited your arrival and wish for your success.” Vincent lifted one finger as he explained casually. Then, he lifted a second finger.
“Then, there are those who oppose your existence completely.”
“Oppose our existence?” Arthur frowned. ‘This is news to me.’
“Yes, there is no shortage of people who consider you to be a threat to the Divine Realm that should be exterminated. These people have been waiting for your arrival too but for completely different reasons. I dare say they are your biggest threat in the capital.”
“… Why do they think we’re a threat? We didn’t do anything.” Arthur asked confusedly. ‘I can understand if such a type of people would exist, but we still didn’t do anything worth hating. Did they just hate us before we even arrived in the Divine Realm?’
“It is very simple. Some of the prophecies we received about your arrival haven’t been very… Positive.” Thinking for a moment, Vincent said calmly.
“Not positive in what way?”
“I cannot really say for the certainty of such events, but we have heard that the fall of the empire, our home, is soon to begin with the arrival of the gifted ones. Prophecies about the end of the human race and the beginning of a whole new era of wars and death. We have heard many bad things, things that we do not want to see.” At the very end, Vincent’s tone grew colder and more menacing.
“…”
Arthur and Isla blinked in confusion. All of the stuff they were hearing here was completely new to them. ‘End of the empire? We’re going to cause that?’
Arthur felt completely off hearing that. His mind wandered to the time when he met Nina and what she told him about the prophecy of the chosen hero. She had told him that someone from the gifted ones would save the beastmen and help them exact their revenge on humans.
‘Could it be that it has something to do with that? It can’t be, right? I mean, that’s simply too ridiculous.’ Arthur tried to get those ideas out of his head, but the more he tried, the more it settled in his head. He felt completely off. A cold, dreadful feeling filled his heart.
“I know that I’m the first one to break the bad news for you. But, this opposing party might create some trouble and even cause a threat. That is why, the royal family is ready to provide protection for you. We will stop those people from hindering your project.”
“…” Isla squinted her eyes coldly as she noticed the hidden meaning in the last sentence. She wasn’t stupid not to understand what Vincent wanted to say. “Oh, is the royal family ready to antagonize a huge number of people?” Your next chapter is on empire
“For the greater cause? We have taken way tougher decisions. Maintaining the empire’s well-being is no easy task. So, even if this is going to antagonize them, we are very much ready for it.”
“And what can we do in return for such a huge favor?” Isla asked quickly.
For a split second, the light in Vincent’s eyes changed before it quickly returned to normal as if nothing happened. However, Isla saw that look and she could easily recognize it. ‘He thinks we fell into his trap…’
That entire monologue the fifth prince spouted and all of that setup was all for that one simple question Isla asked. Isla knew exactly that he wanted to make it sound as if the royal family was giving them a huge favor by protecting them from the opposing party even though it might cost them a lot.
But, unlike what Vincent assumed, Isla was very much prepared for this exact moment. She had read her opponent like an open book. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com
A//N: Don’t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3