Rampage and Furnace stood to her left, and she smiled at them before addressing the crowd. “I wish to congratulate the new students of the Academy of Adventurers. For centuries, this Academy has been a beacon to the World as the major starting point in the career of an Adventurer. People from all over the World have come here to study and learn for an entire year, and after each graduation, new legends were born. I have great expectations of you all, but today, I shall name a few and explain why I chose to talk about them.”
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The new students looked at each other, wondering whom she was referring to. The Principal wondered why she decided to change her usual speech because, until that day, she never did that.
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The Princess made a slight smile and explained, “Tomiga Yurao, a Lion-kind. In the long list of students this Academy has, there were only two Lion-kind that graduated from here. Both of them were from neighbouring countries, and they became Nobles thanks to services to their countries. Tomiga is from this country, so he has much to prove, even if he doesn’t know it yet. Another surprise that never happened: a Gailie applied this year. Her name is Tresuria. As for sure everyone is aware, Gailies don’t like violence and they avoid it at all costs, so having one here is unheard of. And from what I had been told, she is not your usual Gailie, because she is also the daughter of Paavo Sokk, a former Adventurer and one of the greatest swordsmen that our country ever had.”
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The Princess waited for the whispers to end, and she smiled at Tresuria, who was grabbing Taisetsuna’s arm and trying to hide behind her and Nozomu.
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She then raised her open hand to call for attention and continued. “As some of you are aware, I recently granted Knighthood to Nozomu Shinchaku and Taisetsuna Kawa for services to this country. Before coming here, they saved two young girls from a horde of Goblins that were hiding in the mountain range near the city of Ourelona. That horde was so immense that if they attacked the City by surprise at night, many people would surely die. Yesterday, they did something similar during one try-out to apply for this Academy. They, and their Party, not only killed another immense horde of Goblins, but they also killed two Drakes that were causing havoc in the villages around us. For that, I shall grant Knighthood to every member of their Party, and to them, the titles of Baronet and Baronetess, together with some of my lands. I already discussed this with my court, and they all agreed it was well deserved.”
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The Princess gave time for the excited voices to finish speaking, and she then continued by pointing with her open palm at the two Dragons at her side. “I also need to remind everyone that they gained the friendship of the King and the Queen of the Dragons. Although we can’t count on them to defend our country because Dragons don’t mess with disputes between other races, the fact that they are here is a deterrent to some mean people in some countries that are always looking for an excuse to impose their power on us. I am not saying that I am counting on them to help us in case of a battle or a war, but I have to point out that having them here gives me peace of mind. That is something I need because the Empire has been worrying me ever since I ascended the throne. Dealing with them is never easy, but at least with Hinotsume and Mizukonta around, they won’t pressure me as much, because they will worry that I ask for their help. Even if that is something I have vowed never to do since the first time I met them here, on my first day at this Academy.”
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Hinotsume nodded and completed, “And for that, you gained our friendship and respect. Something that we don’t grant to many Humans or Beast-kind.”
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Princess Mere smiled at the enormous red Dragon, and she then faced the excited students again, while a servant was bringing her sword. “Now, we shall begin the Knighthood ceremony of Hinen Sukemoru, Chujitsuna Hito, and Tresuria.”
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Chujitsuna muffled a scream with her hands and asked, in a trembling voice, “I-I will be... a Knight? For real? Me, a Knight?”
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Seeing the Princess nodding with a gentle smile was enough for Chujitsuna to jump, using her lower half as a spring. She couldn’t stay still, so much was her excitement.
Meanwhile, at the Castle of the ‘Ifranluan Empire’, the Emperor was on his throne, frowning at a message that he had just received. The Nobles of his court were near, waiting for him to finish reading.
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He then raised his gaze to the Noble that gave him the message. “Are you sure this is true?”
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“Yes, my Emperor. Our spy in the Academy of Adventurers of the ‘Principality of Khiz’ sent that message yesterday and a messenger brought it minutes ago.”
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The Emperor punched the arm of his chair, startling everyone. “Are you saying that a group of new students not only killed a horde of Goblins and two Drakes during one of the tests to enter the Academy, but among them there are also two students that know how to make High-Grade Healing Potions? And those two students arrived at the Academy with two Unicorns? And if all that was not already too unbelievable to be true, they made a Party with four other students and defeated the two Dragons that were always visiting the Academy?”
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“That is correct. As my Emperor is aware, our spy has never failed us so far. Every message he sent before was confirmed to be true and the contents of that message, even if they seem impossible, we must assume it is all true. That will for sure change all of our plans because, with two Dragons on their side, an invasion will be fruitless. Our entire army would die the moment they crossed the border.”
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“What about all the preparations over the last few months? For God Raluth’s boots, I ordered the construction of four villages near the border to disguise the arrival of my army! Will all my plans go to waste? All those sleepless nights spent plotting, all the taxes levied on the people to fund weapons and armour, all the money spent on trades with other countries to acquire more horses... All that for nothing? Is that what you are saying?”
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The Noble trembled because it was never a good idea to upset the Emperor that much. Before he could mutter a single excuse, at a signal from the Emperor, a Mage threw a Frozen Spear at his chest, piercing the Noble from one side to the other, and he died instantly.
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As he was falling on the ground, the Emperor looked at the other Nobles and shouted, “I don’t want to hear excuses or more problems! I want results! I have spent way too much of my Empire’s resources to let everything go to waste! I need options! You either think of a way to get rid of those students, a way to deal with the Dragons, or you are all going to die! I will give you three days to think of a plan! Not one more hour! Three days!”
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The Nobles gulped, and as the Emperor was retiring to his quarters and kicking the servants and soldiers on his way, one Noble whispered to the ones near him, “How are we going to…”
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His question was interrupted by an older Noble who said, “We don’t need more questions, we need a plan. We need to think about all the outcomes to reach a plan, or we won’t see what will happen next.”
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The Nobles nodded, fully aware that the Emperor never threw an empty threat into the air. They had three days to solve that problem so that the invasion could continue. They had agents in the Principality for months, gathering information. Resources and money were spent over one year to get to that point. They couldn’t fail. Because if they did, they would all die.
Almost at the same time, in the ‘Kingdom of Garam’, the ‘Kingdom of Gulvanbo’, and the ‘Kingdom of Fyg’, their Kings were also receiving a message. But instead of a spy, it was Princess Mere that sent it.
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The King of Garam had a slight frown as he was reading the message for the second time. He then sighed and asked one of his Ministers, “Any news about the troops of the Empire? Did they move at all since the last reports or anything that showed they were worried about this?”
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“So far, our scouts have found nothing, my King. The Empire’s army is near the Capital, and a few scattered platoons are near the border of the Principality, like they were last week, overseeing the construction of more houses in their new villages.”
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“Still, we need to be vigilant. At the minimum suspicion, I will order our army to go to the Principality, because if they fall into the hands of the Empire, we will be next. The ‘Kingdom of Gulvanbo’ has the ‘Imammah of Gulginstan’ to cover their backs, and the ‘Kingdom of Fyg’ has the ‘Republic of Wrog’. For all these years, our alliance with the ‘Principality of Khiz’ has kept the Empire contained within their borders, and the other alliances have been doing the same.
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The Minister bit his lower lip, and asked, sounding somewhat nervous, “It’s just… My King, with the Dragons... Can we still trust Princess Mere?”
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“I believe we can. They visit the Academy every year to scare the new students, but they return in the morning to see the Princess. Do you know or did you ever hear about a Dragon visiting another Royal of any other country?”
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The Minister shook his head, and the King continued while looking again at the message, “Some years ago, the Princess told me what happened with one of those Dragons and her when she applied to the Academy. She fought together with her Party against the Fire Dragon Hinotsume, the King of the Dragons. She didn’t win, but her tenacity and the way she bravely fought alone against him to gain time for their Party members to heal their wounds earned his respect. In the end, they made a pact. She would never ask for their help, and the next time they fought against a group of students, they would never cause a death. That care for others has always set her apart ever since she was young, and the Dragons appreciate that.”
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“But… the Dragons don’t care about Humans or Beast-kinds if I am not mistaken. They are well known for causing hundreds of deaths if they are messed with, as revenge.”
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“Yes, but that was never the Dragons’ fault. Some Humans and Beast-kind think they are powerful, or in the case of a certain long-deceased Emperor, think their army is a match for a Dragon. And then, they all die. The Princess sent this message to other countries, and I am sure that the ones that received it also understand one thing. Even if the Princess doesn’t ask the Dragons to help her in case the Empire tries to invade the Principality, they will. Those two Dragons, Hinotsume and Mizukonta, visit the Academy of Adventurers every year. There is not another Academy or Castle in the entire World that gets a visit from them. That only happens because they like it. They won’t allow another country to invade the Principality and destroy that Academy.”
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The Ministers that were in the King’s office nodded. They could easily understand the King’s hidden meaning. The Dragons were not only a deterrent to the Empire, but to any other country that tried to invade the Principality. Even if that country was an ally, like them.
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*I reached the chapters that I had written previously. I will now upload every two or three days, to have time to write and edit. Thanks for reading.*52Please respect copyright.PENANAO7p8RxeJMG