Kapitel 29: KING

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📌 EAST CASTLE, SHARANG LAKE

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Twenty minutes later, all Titan Family has a little reunion at East Castle.

Kyra lays in the long bed in her room. She is still not awake. Her condition is very severe. Her appearance looks pitiful, so that makes all East Castle inhabitant very worry.

Astera and her friends are busy helping Kyra to recover. Some of them try to heal her in away flowing their magical power into Kyra's body. The others try using their herb or alchemist skill.

Various magical vibe fills the air in her room. The place feels so tense and gloomy. All the worries become their energy to seriously put their effort in an attempt to bring Kyra back into her normal state.

Granny Nindya, Meyrlion, Jack, Tyas, Miss Folkink and Steijn are gathering in the room next to Kyra's. The room was quite spacious with some furniture that made it possible to hold meetings.

Tyas' recovery is much faster than Kyra. Her injuries are not as severe as Kyra's. It only takes a while for Granny Nindya to heal her completely.

Tyas lean her small body into Granny Nindya, implicitly asking for being pampered. Granny responds to her spoiled act by stroking Tyas' hair.

She smiles satisfied, hugging Grannys hand and close her eyes. Her mental capacity is not ready yet for facing against bloodshed. She feels tired and thirsty of parent's affections.

Jack also has already changed clothes. He wears Merlion old clothes which is still looks new and clean. His wound already closed. His near depleted stamina has also fully recovered. He looks fresh and spirits.

𝘊𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩!

Granny Nindya tries to ask everyone's attention.

"Miss Folkink and Miss Steijn, I heard from Tyas, that you had surrendered to us without any term, correct ?" Granny Nindya asks.

"Yes, madam, we are"

"Both of you must be aware of the consequences. Do you know what I mean ?"

"Yes, madam, we only have one life. If you spare our lives, we are very grateful to you."

"We are noncombatant madam. We are only healing support for our team. We do not possess the skill to defend our self, moreover offensive ones."

Granny Nindya exhales long breath. "I hear your leader' plan to toward us from my Grandchild. Could you care to explain ?"

"Yes, Ma'am. I am her vice leader of healer mage troops, To Folkink. Our mission today was to assassinate King of Magelang which on his vacation here.

Once he dies, we should raise both of his sons into the throne and divide this country into two. Those will lead to the reduction of countries power, so our main force will quickly take over this country.

According to our plan, This middle of the night the assassination force will execute that command."

Everyone's face turns into grim.

"How many?" Merlion asks.

"Two company of Marcog Forces estimated a total of 512 persons."

Everyone's face turns dark.

"This is a frontal raid, not just an assassination attempt." Jack comments.

"We do not have much time. We should work parallelly. I'll meet the King, and you, Boys prepare for the `party.`"

Once Granny Nindya has done, she disappears into her magical circle alone.

𝐒𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐒𝐇! SPLASH!

After his mother left, Myerlion summons one his subordinate. He is chief of private combat mage of Titan Family, supervise a platoon consist of thirty knights specialized in combat, Rhys Grebella.

"There's going to be a raid. I want your troops to guard this place. But, treat it as an offensive one. Our enemies are around five hundred men. Pick any of the troops in our military force that you need. Stealthily eliminate every dangerous person found around this castle. I want an area of five thousand footsteps around our place is clear and safe."

"Consider it has done, My Lord." He bows full of respect.

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📌 𝚆𝙴𝚂𝚃 𝚁𝙾𝚈𝙰𝙻 𝙲𝙰𝚂𝚃𝙻𝙴

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King Magelang, Ranu Yudha has just finished his meditation. He was just about to start his dinner, when an aide reported the presence of the Duchess Nindya, Lord of the East Castle. Supposedly, according to the royal protocol, the Duchess Nindya had to wait until the king's dinner was over.

But that did not apply to the Titan family, especially the Duchess Nindya who was the King's childhood friend.

"Your Majesty, I believe, the royal protocol state that King's dinner has higher priority than anyone's arrival. Duchess Nindya should wait until you finish. We should respect the protocol." His aide, Ciha, state her objection.

She is a female officer in her mid 20 years old, daughter of his first general. She has a beautiful cold face, pleasant manner, looks smart, has sharp eyes, and also a sharp tongue.

"Is she Duchess Nindya, correct ?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Then I must hurry."

"But... "

The King exhales a long deep breath. "Listen, she is not the type person who will come to me to sweet-talk and bootlick me. You'll be surprised about how urgent matters the news she brings."

"But.. you are still on your sort leave. You should not work now."

The King exhales a long deep breath again "I don't like being questioned about protocol comply.

Listen, child; I live long enough to see every odd thing in this world. I'm already near 80 years old now. My sixth sense is well-trained to foresight something. I believe your parents have those sharp sense too, trained by the harsh life, just like me.

Without this, I should have been die, long before you know me.

I know her very well. She will not bother to interrupt my time to sweet-talk and bootlick me. Come, follow me to the hall while we talk. "

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Both of them leave that royal meditation room, walking side by side while chatting happily.

"Would you like to listen to my story, child ?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Unlike you, my childhood was very unpleasant, even though I'm a royal child. My childhood was full of betrayal, intrigue, assassination attempts and politics regarding the struggle for the status of the throne. All my brothers and sisters are all hunt each other's throat.

I've often seen humans that are more depraved than animals. Maybe the demons themselves were disgusted by their actions. I was raised in such a life. Can you imagine those hellish situations?"

"I beg your pardon, Your Majesty."

"That little me, as the youngest child, I never had an idea to compete in the power struggle. I was not part of their game of throne. But reality says otherwise. My siblings and even distant relatives are even bullying me just because of the throne.

At those dark times, I found the warmth of friendship from the Titan family. Old Duke Ferlon and his daughter, Nindya was kind to me, regardless of my real status. They received me without any ulterior motives. We had a good friendship.

Even unconsciously, I preferred to be considered a member of the Titan family compared to my own family!

Nindya was a big sister figure for me. She played her role as a perfect ally when I was being bullied. No one could stand a chance before her eyes, the ferocious Nindya, the angry tigress."

The King chuckles. His gaze seemed to be staring at his youth.

"I beg your pardon, Your Majesty. I didn't become aware of this matter before."

The King nods. He continues, "The unity of the Titan Family was very scary. No one counts them as a threat before. Because of them, all the forces that become a backing in the throne rivalry can be tame.

In the end, I am the one who won the battle for the throne. Until now there is still much dissatisfaction and envy for my victory and the closeness of the Titan nobility."

The King chuckles.

Ciha nods, "Thanks for letting me know your story, Your Majesty. Now we have arrived in the hall."

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Before Ciha eyes standing up a figure who suddenly crush her previous imagination about a ferocious old woman. This figure has been confirmed as Duchess Nindya; her magical family symbol is solid proof.

In front, her eyes, there is a beautiful mature woman in the age of her mid 30 years. There is no wrinkle in her face. Her upper lips are slightly V-shaped. Her fairly wide form mouth tells her outgoing personality. The curve of her forehead hairline, her eyebrows, her almond-shaped eyes, everything seems to put in a very harmony arrangement.

Deep inside her heart, Ciha feels so envy. "Will I still be as beautiful as she is when I reach her age?" She says inwardly.

"Good evening, Your Majesty. I come to you for very urgent matters." Nindya speaks, her voice breaks the silence. She is proactively seeking an audience.

"Cut out the formalities, Nindya. Just straight to the point." The King massage his forehead.

"I have solid proof about foreign infiltration into our Kingdom. My Family has involved in fights with their forces. "

"How come? How do they conduct those actions against royal law?"

"Then it should be done by peoples who don't feel chained by our law; for example is people who held a grudge against our system or higher position or worst come to worst, other's nation spies."

"Spies? I do not remember ever receiving any report about spies infiltrated our country."

"That makes things even harder. Do you believe that our security protocol is suitable enough? Do you all do right? Have your personnel be checked? Are you sure that all of your personnel are clean? Do you believe that your current protocol has not had any flaw ?"

"I believe those jobs have done by Minister of Defence, Earl Franc Zonk."

"Have you ever check his works? Have you ever cross check his words? Is he ever deliver you his formal report ?"

"I never did."

"Then this is the biggest flaw."

"But he is our most trusted noble."

"Alright, what base do you trust him?"

The King could not answer her.

"Who told you to believe him ?"

"Head of Royal Advisory Council, Earl Fritz Hayes."

"Now, what base do you trust this so-called Earl Fritz Hayes?

"My Father, the old King trusts his family to serve us as Royal Advisory Council."

"Do you have the accurate document about a track record of his carrier, his work, his friends, his social circles, his attitude, his ideal, or his loyalty? Do you ever check him thoroughly ?"

"I never did." The King closes his face with his palms.

Duchess Nindya sneered. "Looks, this is, how many flaws you have ignored?"

The king is silent. He looks sweaty and nervous.

"Please, continue.." King says with a weak voice. His mind is down a bit.

"First, they, these spies, these intruders, try to kill my grandchild with fifteen men forces; then they try to kill my disciple along with my families with fifty men forces. In the middle of the night, they had five hundred men will raid this place. They carry their King's command to kill you, Ranu."

King's eyes widened, give an expression like powerless old men in his eighty years old. His wrinkle faces turn into a gloom. His thin body seems wrinkled than before. His bald head looks more pitiful than before. His hair was seen falling more until bald on the head was visible.

"I do not remember ever provoke any king before. I am a man full of peace."

"It does not need a specific reason such as revenge. But you are the King from the kingdom full of natural resources. They thought you are rich, and that's a valid reason to kill you, to rob you and to take over your wealth."

"What is their goal ?"

"Their motives are simply clear, our land, our rich resources. Their goal is to replace the old king with one of their puppets. They are then triggering some disputes between royal blood to weaken our power. If this continues, some cornered prince or princess will seek some help from them. Those are a sequence of the devilish trap; once one of your offspring stuck in their debt, they will ask our land as payment and our people as free labor, or slaves."

"That is multilayer traps. How deceitful they are."

"Cursing and self-righteous will get you nowhere. We are now in the stage of the war, not the stage of shitty political debate just like the royal council did. The conspiracy had pushed you this far, into the point you should decide who you have to get rid. You will regret your decision if you pick the wrong choice."

The King shudder.

"You know, Our family has sworn loyalty to you as the king of Magelang Kingdom. We have three point contract of loyalty, that is to protect you, to protect the King and to protect Peoples of this Kingdom. You should understand what it means right ?"

The King nods.

"Are you try to telling me that some of my relatives are getting involved with this mess ?"

"Ranu, I will answer yes. But this is not simply messed. It has escalated into another level. That level has many names; we can say it is betrayal, a king assassination attempt, frontal rebellion against state sovereignty or coup d'etat."

King's face turns into pale.

"I will refrain from asking furthermore. Now your safety is the highest priority. You should evacuate right now. Inform commander in chief. Told him to follow the emergency procedures. He only got an hour to prepare. Told your king's escort force to split into two groups. One group should be willing to become a decoy. Soon this castle will become a bloody battlefield."