Arcane Era-Chapter 88: The Banquet (Part 2)

Theo’s hardened gaze slowly began to soften.

It wasn’t because he had found some kind of catharsis, or he had let go of his hatred for the Sarvos Royal Family. Instead, it was because the faces of his old friends began to surface in his mind once again.

It was painful to think about them, but just remembering them also gave him an indescribably warm feeling inside.

’From this point, everything out there looks so dark, dirty, and insignificant...’ Theo mumbled, staring at the city of Sarvos from his elevated height. "But, we were all happy, even in our suffering..."

Yet—

’If not for my mistake... we would have remained happy.’

At that moment, Theo couldn’t help but think back to that night when everything changed. There were a few vague details, but those usually came to him in the form of nightmares.

Clearly, these were things he didn’t want to remember.

’Just how many more lives... how many people... are currently out there suffering and starving while everyone inside has full bellies and warm, luxurious clothing?’ Theo swiftly changed his thoughts and reverted to anger.

The King made the feast an grand banquet, inviting people from all over the Capital. These included merchants, who were supposed to be affected by the recession, and rather high-ranking members of government.

All of them had fancy outfits, having clear and pampered skin. It was evident that they had never experienced hardship for even one day of their lives.

It vexed Theo greatly.

’If only I had enough power, then I would...’ Once again, he stopped himself and chose to think about something else.

’Miss Kamara is speaking to the King and Head Chancellor at the moment, while the rest of the team are being engaged by the princes and princess...’ He sighed, recognizing fully well that he was supposed to be a part of the conversation.

Small talk was a nice way to glean information from another party, especially if one played their cards right. Theo wasn’t the most eloquent person, but he was an excellent swindler and he was confident in obtaining some important information from the rather sheltered children of the Royal Family if he tried hard enough.

He was just so upset by the atmosphere that when they approached his team’s table, he excused himself and stepped out for fresh air.

’I didn’t feel too bad about it, since Arlet is more than capable of engaging them. After all, he is well within his element as someone affluent...’ Theo could only imagine how many of this kind of banquet Arlet had attended throughout his whole life, while for him this was the first.

It certainly wasn’t going to be the last, but Theo dreaded his future experiences.

He was not comfortable here at all.

At the moment, he was putting on rather formal wear—a grayish white suit, with his hair combed until it was smooth and glossy. His shoes glimmered brightly, and his entire appearance resembled that of a gentleman.

’This isn’t me...’ He sighed and shook his head. ’But all of this is necessary...’

Just as it was necessary for him to return to the party.

’If I stay out for too long, I might worry everyone—especially Liyah.’ Slowly, his anger dissipated and a soft smile formed on his face. These days, he had been able to experience another side of his friends.

... Especially Liyah.

’She’s normally nagging, but who knew it could be to this extent?’ He pondered, remembering how she practically took charge of every outfit he would be bringing to Sarvos, and how she made sure he was properly dressed for the banquet.

Now that he thought about it, Liyah must have also attended her fair share of these things.

And despite her also being pampered and enjoying the niceties of life throughout most of her years while he experienced mostly hardship, Theo didn’t despise her like he did for the rest of the people in the room.

Even after everything... he still considered her his friend.

’I should head back inside now.’ He walked away from the rails and stepped back inside the banquet hall, the music and chattering noise growing louder in his ears.

He was able to spot his seat rather quickly and hurriedly approached it. Unfortunately, the princes and princess were still present, and just as Theo expected, the most engaging discussion was between Arlet and the two oldest princes.

Liyah was speaking with the princess, while Kaycee and the third prince were mostly quiet. Theo silently groaned with dread as he approached the table, bracing himself for what was about to unfold.

Then, he heard something.

"... It’s gotten so intense that we’ve had to draft most of our prisoners to the battlefield. At the very least, even as criminals, they can fight and protect their Nation." The first prince smirked arrogantly as he spoke.

The second prince nodded. "The army is in desperate need of reinforcement. It was an inevitable action that could only be taken. One can only hope this is sufficient and more aren’t drafted... especially from our civilians."

"It’s so awful..." The princess slightly sobbed.

"...." The third prince said nothing.

As Theo listened to this brief exchange, a million thoughts ran through his mind at the same time.

However, the most prominent one was so overwhelming that his lips parted and words proceeded out of them without his knowledge. "My friends... were they among those dispatched as well?"

Before he realized it, his steps became faster and he appeared at the table within a breath of time.

Liyah’s face brightened the moment she saw him, and Kaycee also expressed relief, but Theo’s gaze wasn’t on them. Instead, he looked at the two princes—both of whom appeared older than him—and blurted out without thinking.

"How long ago was this draft?"

"Huh? How am I supposed to know?" The first prince muttered, clearly ignorant, but the second prince—who seemed to only be about two years older than Theo—placed a hand on his chin and thought for a moment.

"I believe it was done in batches, but the earliest one happened about two months ago."

"Ahh..." Theo’s eyes widened even further. ’Their sentences weren’t over at that point! It’s possible that they were enlisted.’

Without showing any restraint or tact, Theo moved closer to the second prince and asked him with clear, sincere eyes:

"Please tell me more."

**********

Kamara sat face-to-face with the King and High Chancellor, all three of them staring at each other as they enjoyed the serene isolation of their private banquet. Fruits and all sorts of delicious foods decorated the table, but none of them took a bite.

They were all seated in silence, their expressions grave to display the severity of the situation.

"So it was like that..." She finally broke the silent, her dark eyes glinting in understanding. "The first princess defected to the Revolutionary Army and is now against the Sarvos Nation."

Both the King and Head Chancellor nodded at this point.

So far, while the general banquet was going on, these three had been discussing the specifics of the assignment. These were hidden details that couldn’t be mentioned in the request, so Kamara was just finding out about them.

’They want me to handle the matter quietly without revealing the choice of the princess...’ She mentally noted.

Throughout the discussion, she had noticed many problems with the Sarvos Nation—including the overall scope of the mission. It contained a lot more than they were willing to disclose in the request.

This did not sit well with her, so she had to point them out.

"The Guild will have to increase the fee if you wish to add these additional requests. As long as you’re fine with that, we can work on it." Compromise was the core of business, so Kamara ended up negotiating with the King and Head Chancellor.

Before long, they reached an agreement.

"Fair enough. I will personally ensure that the first princess is quietly killed and the Revolutionary Army leaves the Northern Border before they are utterly annihilated."