Kapitel 42: Ch. 42: Full Report
Three Months Later . . . .
- Baymun -
The sun peeked over the mountains far in the distance as me and a small entourage kept riding along. The wind whipped at my cape, the air smelled of fresh grass, and my ever trusty steed carried me on without fail. We'd been riding for nearly three weeks in an attempt to meet up with the Bodach army before they reached Zantark palace.
Typically I wouldn't even be traveling outside of the Bodach palace since I know Kovin would make sure that all was well with the army, but it was highly suspicious of the Zantark forces to request an audience with the Bodach Empire. They never seemed bothered with the Empire before . . .
Until Ezran became Champion and gained excessive fame, that is.
Hmm . . She's a rarity, that's for certain. I had chosen her on somewhat of a whim, however she was rising to the occasion more than I had bargained for. Her fame was spreading throughout the lands, almost as quickly as mine had when I first became Champion. Hearing of her victories against Gorvant's famed Champion, her passing the trials of Silvantia, leading the battle of Bargona, and more recently her being the key component in the slaughter of Tyslantavia had caused an enormous uproar within the palace walls.
'Good . . . It's time the Bodach Empire realized that things were going to change.'
She was doing so well, it didn't come as a surprise that Zantark was trying to poach her. Of course, they wouldn't outright say that, but I knew what was going on. My spies were everywhere; Did they honestly think that I would have no awareness of the situation? Clearly they were underestimating my capabilities. Zantark was known for worshipping women - they placed them on the highest pedestal. Obviously Ezran would be a complete gem in their eyes, and with them inviting her out of the blue it was all too clear.
Once they actually had a good look at her it'd be just a matter of time before they convinced her to stay and abandon her position as Champion. Their army was pretty good; it's possible they could keep our forces at bay for a while. They would promise her with riches, prosperity and young lads worshipping her daily . . .
She'd seem a fool not to take the offer - except all offers come with a price . . .
I rolled my eyes at the mere thought. I wouldn't even have to come out here if she would have just refused the offer to 'assist' them in need. Bloody liars. What needs do they have, pray tell? The need to take my pawn? I would make them taste hell for their insolence. Well if this is the game that they wanted to play, so be it. I would allow them to dangle fortune in my Champion's face . . . and see what kind of lady she truly is.
"Sire! We seem to be approaching the palace. I believe we made it just in time! The Bodach army is just settling in."
"Perfect."
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"Greetings m'lord. It's good to see you once more." Kovin knelt, killing me with his properness. I gestured nonchalantly for him to rise. It was good to see my friend again - he was the only one I could completely trust to not let me down.
We were standing in an elaborate tent on the outskirts of the palace walls. The Bodach forces were never allowed to set up camp within the walls. It was okay to visit and attend banquets - it was a whole different story to allow your guard down by sleeping within another territory. Far too many assassination attempts have been made upon various officers when we failed to keep our guard up in the past, therefore I made sure my subordinates followed this rule in all aspects of our campaigns. Besides, meeting within a guarded tent amongst my army allowed far less chances of spies eavesdropping on important intel.
"You've done an excellent job keeping the army from falling apart Kovin. How's the campaign been fairing?" It was just Kovin and I in the tent, so I didn't hesitate to leisurely stroll over to a chair and relax. I'd been riding for three weeks - I needed to lean back a little. I gestured to the wine glass on the table, to which Kovin instantly obliged. After taste testing it, he poured me a full goblet.
'Ah, how I missed this.' Since Kovin has been away, I had to resort to decontaminating all of my food and beverages by myself. Kovin was the only one I trusted to taste test for poisoning since he was completely resistant to all poisons (alcohol included) and could verify if there was a contaminant. I drank leisurely while listening to Kovin's reply.
"Far better than was expected m'lord. As you are probably aware, Lady Ezran has been victorious in every battle we have encountered so far. She's also obtained loyalty within the ranks - even Sir Toval seems bewitched by her."
Toval huh? That was indeed very surprising. Toval hated women more than most, though I wasn't quite sure why. Perhaps he only saw Ezran as if she were just merely another male?
"Give me a full report on the Champion."
Kovin bowed his head, "Certainly m'lord. As you previously saw in the arena, Lady Ezran is highly skilled in one-on-one combat. She seems to have a knack for stealth and small weaponry. From her single combat in Gorvantia, she shows great mercy and caring for others. The Gorvantian Champion, Lord Rodair, is now completely subservient to her. He follows her everywhere she goes, claiming that he must repay back his life debt."
I narrowed my eyes, "Interesting."
Kovin continued, "She seems to not enjoy being manipulated, as per the incident after the trails of Silvantia. She was highly upset after I told her we could have went around." Kovin smiled a little, and I gestured for him to proceed.
"She seems to care greatly for her lackey, Richie, although she seems to have no problem knocking him out when necessary. It should be noted that he unnerves her when he puts himself in a dangerous and/or difficult situation. Apparently they are somehow related - he called her Sister once when they thought I was inebriated."
I cocked an eyebrow, "Inebriated?"
Kovin bowed his head slightly, "I had to resort to a more unsober-like appearance to finally get information out of the woman. She is very guarded with her words, therefore I made it appear that I was quite drunk after our battle with Bargona. The results were fruitful to say the least. She seems to respect me a great deal . . . on the other hand she adamantly hates your guts and calls you a demon."
I smiled slightly, "Not surprising."
Nodding his head in agreeance, Kovin continued, "She apparently has a high tolerance for pain . . . her lackey said she had a hole in her side yet she still assisted carrying me back to my tent. She doesn't seem to trust people at all, Richie being the exception, and she hates what happened to her race. Surprisingly though, Richie doesn't seem to share her views as much. Overall, she has proved very handy in strategizing, shows loyalty to the men, and seems humble. Here lately she seems to be struggling with the aspect of life and death . . . She was quite effective against the Tyslantavia army - but I've noticed her mercy seeming to fade a little. She was completely barbaric but it's obvious she's not used to mindless war."
I tapped my fingers along the goblet in my hand, "Very interesting indeed. Is there anything else I should know?"
"She seemed very suspicious of the Zantark army before coming. We were going to avoid them altogether, but after the third request for our appearance, the Zantarkans sent an urgent message that they are in dire need of our assistance. Since we had claimed Tyslantavia as an ally, she decided to head this way - she stated she figured it was a trap, but since they are allies we might as well see what they had to say unless they decided to rebel due to being constantly ignored."
"I figured as much. Does she know of my presence here?" I asked.
"Not yet m'lord."
"Good."
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein