Part 1
Oho! Ho ho!!”
The elder priest laughed ecstatically.
“Even his laugh is weird.”
The youngest prince thought reservedly.
After being asked about his journey, San Nikolas could not help but oblige.
He recounted heroic tales of freeing young women from being sold off for the tenth time in a row according to him.
He recounted exorcising great demons from the nomad tribes in the Northern Deserts.
He recalled slapping an exalted chief for the grave crime of slapping his wife and also not salting his chicken.
While riding on the carriage, he managed to mention all of this in just a few short minutes after Vuma had asked the question.
It seems his pilgrimage was quite the storied adventure.
Vuma expressed genuine amazement at these exploits. This was only natural for one so well trained in entertaining guests.
Great Mekari was equally intrigued as he rode alongside the carriage on his steed. Except in his case, it was admiration for a fellow practitioner of heroic escapades.
No doubt, he had equally as varied a list to share.
“Why so quiet, young man? I hope my talk of demons didn’t scare you.”
San Nikolas said this while ruffling Ranga’s hair.
“You’re a big man. Pretty soon, you’ll be fighting some!! Ohohoho!”
“I’m 11.”
Ranga astutely replied.
“Our Lord was just 12 years old when he schooled a bunch of ‘honored’ priests on sacred scripture. Be more confident!!”
“…”
That was obviously different and Ranga held back on saying it.
“Well. In any case. You must be tired after all of those mishaps.”
Vuma’s change in subject was well appreciated.
“Nonsense. If anything, I’m ready for more fun.”
Hearing that, the other priests couldn’t help but furrow their brows in exhaustion.
Ignoring them, San Nikolas continued.
“I hear there’s plenty of quests to subjugate demonic beasts. Maybe the good General would like to guide me on one.”
He looked towards Mekari riding alongside them with an eager gaze.
“Me?”
“Indeed. The Great Mekari’s exploits are hailed even at Lamu port. I would love to see you wield the legendary blade you’re known for.”
Mekari glanced at the hilt of said blade. The shining ruby gem at the hilt’s end glittered in the sunlight.
With a smile, he answered the honored Bishop.
“If time allo-,” He suddenly trailed off for he sensed something rapidly approaching.
Looking up, he saw the cause of his roused instincts.
His face shifted from a serious glare to one that greatly resembled the stupid face of the figure descending towards him.
“Oraki ?!!”
He didn’t know if he was shocked or just embarrassed as he wondered how his son had even found himself falling from over a dozen meters above him.
“Father!!! Help me!!!”
Oraki cried out with tears in his eyes.
“Ahahahaha!!!”
Meanwhile, Aisha seemed unbothered.
Mekari quickly drew out his blade as mysterious white flames ignited around it.
With a focused gaze and an unmatched grace, he launched the flames at the falling children.
They were engulfed in their fiery embrace and erased from view.
Suddenly, equally vibrant flames emerged on the ground right next to Mekari.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
The two children rose from the flames and rapidly ascended to over 3m into the air before finally descending.
Aisha landed squarely in Mekari’s arms.
Oraki greeted the warm stone ground.
“Ow!! I think I scraped my knees.”
“You should be glad that’s the only thing you did!!!”
His father’s words cut too deep.
“What were you thinking!? Do you have any idea how dangerous that was!?”
“Sorry…”
Oraki replied.
“We just wanted to meet the jolly ambassador…”
Aisha added.
“HOLY Ambassador. That’s still no excuse!! You could’ve broken your legs!! If your mother found out, she’d have all our heads.”
“Now. Now. No harm done. It can’t be helped that they were excited to meet me. Do forgive them.”
“This isn’t a joke, Honored Bishop!!”
Mekari’s upset face shocked the jolly Bishop.
“That woman’s not above disciplining Royalty and Holy Men when it comes to her children!!!”
Mekari’s declaration led to the holy men looking at the honored princes for confirmation. All they could see were the resigned faces of despair on Ranga and even Vuma.
Just what manner of creature did Great Mekari call a wife!?
In the great city of Momba, a magnificent palace stands proud. It was 20 meters tall and just as wide. Over 100 meters long with an even grander field surrounding it.
This was the Royal Palace of Vutenia’s capital.
A stoic figure held their hand in front of a large pool of water near this palace.
Thick clouds formed in the heavens above as he did so. Divine aura flowed through his entire being.
He wore an impressive headdress. It had the the crests of the Nine Houses embedded into it.
Each having a gray waxed feather fixed into them.
Three larger, white waxed feathers were embedded into a slot for the Royal Family’s crest.
Each white feather symbolized the blessing of the Chief Gods of Vutenia.
The one who wore this headdress was burdened with the title of sovereign ruler.
He was High King Zai.
His solemn aura and piercing gaze gave no room for doubt as he tightly clenched his fist.
Suddenly, a flash of thunderous lightning descended upon the pool of water.
Its intense, explosive heat left behind a thick cloud of mist that engulfed the entire Royal Palace.
The Royal Guard observing this sudden shift in weather could not help but gasp in awe.
Zai opened his hand and the thick cloud of mist began spiraling into it as if carried by a great howling wind.
The large mist coalesced into a rotating mass that glowed with a brilliant blue-white color.
It made a strange hissing sound in the king’s hand. High King Zai poured even more of his aura into it. This made it spin more rapidly with electric sparks that occasionally shot out.
The king then raised his hand and projected the spiraling sphere of light into the heavens.
In a brilliant flash, it discharged its immense power with a thunderous burst. It resonated with the rumbling of a thousand thunderbolts.
This completely unraveled the heavy clouds above them leaving a clear blue sky.
The nearby soldiers bearing witness to this occurrence were left in awe of this immense display of power.
They couldn’t help but clap in acknowledgment.
The thought that this was merely a warm-up was even more terrifying.
“Hmm. Yes. Very impressive stretch, Your Majesty.”
“…? ”
A short, blonde-haired man was squatting a few dozen feet away. He had a uniquely light complexion that was more common in the Northern Continent than in Vutenia.
None of the guards nor High King Zai himself had noticed the intruder until he revealed himself.
Immediately, a flash of lightning tore up the location where the stranger stood.
The less astute would have thought the stranger was turned to ash along with the foliage but High King Zai knew better.
His eyes could not be deceived as they were already looking at a completely different location.
“Please do not be alarmed. I am no enemy assassin but a peaceful messenger.”
“Messenger?”
“Indeed. I am Stefan. A vessel of Swift Hermas, messenger god of merchants and sailors.”
“And what message do you bring, Stefan? Be quick with it.”
High King Zai flashed lightning sparks from his hand to signal his impatience.
“In a few days, your people will have welcomed a certain jolly guest to these waters. This guest is of interest to us and we would like to retrieve him without any trouble.”
“Retrieve or Capture?”
“…Is that going to be a problem? I trust the good king would not wish to wage war against an entire pantheon.”
“Depends on your reasons.”
“He is an enemy of Mighty Deus. Chief God of our pantheon. His blasphemous pilgrimage is a ploy to gather support for overthrowing our great God.”
“And you believe that’s his purpose for coming here? Support? I have no interest in the wars of the Northern Continent.”
“I fear your interest in the matter is irrelevant.”
“What?”
“Priests of the so-called ‘Most High’ tend to have a way with words.”
“It takes more than mere words to sway me.”
“Regardless, as a sign of good-will between our respective pantheons I have been sent to inform you of our intent and request you not interfere.”
“Unfortunately, I’m obligated to protect him as a guest. Even if I were to choose to leave him on his own. The person assigned to him would give me more problems than any of you ever could.”
“Then am I to understand this a declaration of war?”
“You’re being too hasty, Vessel of Hermas. I cannot completely pull back the security I’ve already given but I can leave but one squad with them. No other reinforcements will be given.”
“I see…A lack of interference in our matters while providing the bare minimum protection on your end.”
“Exactly. Bare minimum.” The king gave a slight smile as he said this. The nearby guards did their best to hide their own.
For them, the thought of Great Mekari and Prince Vuma as a bare minimum was beyond ridiculous.
“However, if what you wish to do is not simply capture him but assassinate him then any consequences on your part are your own. As a merchant god’s vessel, would you and your pantheon be willing to form an agreement on such terms? The alternative would be a lot more troublesome; don’t you think?”
“…I shall commune with the rest of the pantheon. Our response should come promptly. Thank you for your accommodation, honored king of Vutenia.”
As he said this, his conspicuous form flashed with a divine aura before disappearing with no trace to be seen.
High King Zai used Vurai’s clairvoyance to view the messenger’s location from up above. He could see his blurry streak as it zipped through Momba city and was already on its way to the ocean waters.
It was an inhuman speed that impressed even a seasoned warrior like himself.
“If this is what a mere messenger can do then what would the rest of them be like?”
And yet he had left Mekari to deal with the brunt of it. He couldn’t help but feel guilty about it but the alternative would be worse.
The fact of the matter was that he’d have no choice but to rely on his friend’s strength once again. It was the one thing about Mekari that he had faith in.
High King Zai may have been Vutenia’s most powerful but Great Mekari was Vutenia’s strongest. A concept that made them the Twin Pillars of Peace for their people.
“Knowing that idiot. He’ll be fine.”
These words astutely described his feelings on the matter.
This encounter was a few days before the Jolly Saint had set foot on Geddi Port.
High King Zai would soon come to regret his decision.
His faith in his friend would cause quite a bit of trouble.
