Intermission 12: King of Poutis

In a room full of luxurious decorations, such as delicate paintings and gold objects, the King of Poutis had gathered with some people of his confidence.

Although it was night, the place was well lit because of the crystal chandelier that used luminescent stones instead of ordinary candles.

On a dais of five steps, the king was seated on a luxurious throne.

Instead of a throne, considering that this was not the audience hall, but just a small room, calling it a majestic armchair was more accurate.

Next to the king, there were two guards, one on each side. To show the greatness of their sovereign, the armor they wore was as shiny as gold.

As for the king, despite wearing a crown and full, flashy clothes, his appearance could only be described as ordinary. He looked like an ordinary middle-aged man with a few locks of white hair on his head and beard.

Finally, the fourth and last person in the room, the Prime Minister, he was the only one kneeling with his head down in front of the dais.

He was an old man whose hair had mostly fallen out. Although he was wearing a long silver robe with gold embroidery, you could see that he had an overweight physique.

Looking down, the king gave a slight nod and spoke in an arrogant tone.

"I allow you to stand."

"I thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty," the Prime Minister spoke respectfully as he bowed in appreciation.

The king was always a haughty and superb person, so no matter who it was, whenever they went to meet him, they had to remain on their knees the whole time. The only time they could stand up was when he allowed them to. The only exceptions to this rule were his personal guards and his three wives.

Because he suffered from a rare disease that prevented him from possessing magic, he was afraid that someone would take advantage of it to make an attempt on his life. For this reason, his guards were allowed to maintain an upright posture in his presence.

"How is the development of my city?" The king asked.

"It's going much better than we expected, Your Majesty. According to the forecasts, if nothing goes wrong, that little city may end up exceeding the size of the royal capital."

"All this because of that insignificant one?" Clearly dissatisfied, the king squeezed his eyes shut.

"It's not that, Your Majesty." Swallowing dryly, the minister said quickly, "It's all thanks to the Marquis Rotherham's daughter. In addition to her father's influence, she is a shrewd young woman. She took advantage of the presence of the Sage's disciple and made the situation favorable for herself."

"Humph," the king snorted in contempt. "Her mother grew up a splendid woman, and yet how can her daughter be that way. That must be the influence of that mediocre father of hers."

Since Poutis followed the system of patriarchy, for the king, it was unthinkable that a woman was acting in leadership. He believed that women's only function was to marry and have children. That said, having Charlotte leading something as big as the development of Solaris was a slap in the face to his pride.

There have been many times when the king wanted to reprimand Charlotte's actions, but he never did. This is because the king grew up with her mother, who was his first-degree cousin and someone he had a good relationship with.

"Speaking of her, the Marquis' daughter is one of the candidates for the crown prince's second wife," the prime minister said.

"I wish my son would not choose someone as uncultured as her." Stroking his beard, the king continued, "But in case that comes to happen, she will need to be re-educated, you understand?"

"As you wish, Your Majesty," the minister said respectfully before continuing with a worried look. "Regarding the Sage's disciple..."

Even though he tried to keep a calm expression, the minister could not hide his apprehension.

"What's the matter with that insignificant one?"

"For all we know, he never settles in one place and while his presence is beneficial, it can also become dangerous in the long run..."

Taking a brief pause while watching the king's expression, the minister recounted the information they had gathered.

"Normally, after so long, he would have already caused a big mess, killed a bunch of people and left as if nothing had happened. However, that hasn't happened yet, and according to the spies, this is related to a dogkin woman."

"One of those filthy animals that live in my kingdom?" The king said dismissively. "What does she have to do with it?"

Being questioned by the king, the minister began to recount all the information they had gathered.

Initially, they thought that Sian had been hiding a wife and daughter for a long time, but this is not quite the case. After digging deeper, they quickly discovered the truth.

Although they still cannot say with complete conviction, the information they have gathered says that she was a prostitute that he bought. As for the person who sold her, they have not found him. Apparently he went to Hosnein, but the spies lost track of him.

Although they have not been able to get any more information about the dogkin woman, they are certain that the little girl is not Sian's daughter. She was simply a child who was adopted into the orphanage of the Marquis Rotherham's daughter. This fact has been confirmed by Charlotte herself.

"Although we can't say for sure, the pair of dogkins seem to be important to the Sage's disciple."

"If that is the case, then capture them and make him obey."

"This humble one believes it is better not to risk it, Your Majesty." Afraid of being reprimanded, the minister continued cautiously. "If the plan fails and he finds out, his fury could be problematic."

"How dare you!" The king punched hard on the soft arm of the armchair. "Everyone in my kingdom is here to serve me, but still, some random guy from another kingdom dares to step onto my land and act like a king. Do you think I will tolerate this? I will show him that my kingdom is different from those tiny ones he played in."

From the moment he discovered Sian's intention in Solaris, the king intended to stand in his way. He didn't want a high-ranking nobleman from another kingdom poking around his lands.

But despite his intention, nothing turned out the way he wanted. Apparently, even without contacting any merchants, he got all the materials he needed and still built at breakneck speed.

In the end, the only thing they managed to hinder was in the hiring of the staff. By doing their best not to be discovered, they inhibited the hiring of any qualified people who could occupy a relevant position.

The king wanted to cut the number of employees going to work for Sian to zero, but the minister managed to convince him otherwise.

The minister was against any approach that was antagonistic toward Sian, however, he could not disobey the king's orders. In the end, all he could do was try to make the king change his mind.

"I know this is bold of me, Your Majesty," Falling to his knees on the ground, he continued, "But I urge you to exercise caution."

"Bastard!"

Projecting his body forward, the king shouted in fury, causing several splashes of saliva to fly from his mouth.

"Are you questioning my decision?! Even if he was ten thousand times stronger, do you think he could defeat my warriors?! Don't be foolish!"

"Please forgive me, Your Majesty!" The minister put his forehead to the ground.

"This humble one does not dare to question yours decisions. This humble one fears that because we have never seen how strong he really is, this could be a problem. There is also the fact that if we mess with her disciple, the Sage may show herself. In that case, it is certain that the kingdom that Your Majesty has spent so much effort on will be destroyed."

"Don't take me for a fool! Although many have collided with him, she has never moved a muscle."

"The possibility is never zero, your majesty. As you said yourself, we are on a different level than the other kingdoms, and that might get his master's attention."

"Humph, filthy lizards. They shouldn't even exist." The king said in a tone of mockery and irritation. "Since you went against my idea, you better have a good one."

Since he had not received permission from the king to stand up, the minister explained his plan with his forehead glued to the floor.

Since Sian had done nothing harmful since he had arrived and had settled into the kingdom, the minister considered pulling him to the king's side peacefully. Intending to convince the king of his point, the minister reminded him of the fact that Edrorian had backed down and asked for a truce because of his presence.

The minister's initial idea was simple, they would send a representative of the king to the inauguration of the hotel. In addition to showing the good will of the kingdom, this would also be the moment to try to convince Sian to go over to the king's side.

Since this was something he had in his mind for some time, the minister had done enough research into Sian's tastes. Women, food, and fine metals, according to the intelligence of the kingdom, these were the things that most caught his attention.

There was also a strong rumor about him liking married women, his main target being women of noblemen. Even the women of the king of the kingdom to which he belongs have not escaped his clutches. But so far, nothing had been confirmed.

"Very well!" The king said as he settled into his armchair and continued with an arrogant tone. "I will personally go to see him with my own eyes. If he is of any value, I will take him as one of my subordinates."

"Your Majesty..." the minister, obviously, was against the king going in person, but for fear of being reprimanded, he eventually restrained himself.

"There is no need to worry." Jerome, one of the king's personal guards, seemed to have understood the minister's concerns. "Even if a dragon appears, it cannot stop my divine skill."

Feeling more relieved, the Prime Minister relaxed his old body as he remained prostrate on the floor.

As he prepared to continue reporting on the important matters, the king said.

"Enough. I'm tired of talking about this subject. Have you gotten any information about my nephew?"

"Not yet, Your Majesty," the minister replied apprehensively. "Although our spies have tracked them to the border at Solaris, they have gotten nothing more. It's as if Your Majesty's nephew and all the silver moon mercenaries have simply disappeared."

Squeezing his eyes shut, the king said, "Do you think that fool dared to kill my nephew?"

"I believe not, Your Majesty. The way he always acts is flashy, if it was him, then we would know immediately. But I can't say for sure, the spies we sent together with the servants to investigate seem to have been discovered."

"Why do you think it's not him?"

"Even before the Sage disciple arrived, our spies were having skirmishes with Edrorian spies. Even if we are in a temporary truce, it doesn't mean that their spies are back, after all, ours are still working.

Moreover, the difficulties in tracking, getting information, and the disappearance of some of our spies makes us believe it's counterintelligence."

"Those filthy animals." Murmuring, the king continued, "Sooner or later they will get what they deserve."

Just as the minister was about to report on more matters, he was interrupted.

"That's enough. I don't want to hear any more for today," King said as he stood up. "I need to take the stress off."

Going a few steps forward, the king stood in the center of a red carpet embroidered with gold threads.

"Take me to my quarters," he said as he placed his hands behind his back.

Carrying out the king's orders, Morris, the other guard, held up a small, slightly bluish sphere and put magic into it, making it glow lightly.

In the next instant, the red carpet on which the king was standing levitated a few inches off the ground and went toward the door.

This floating carpet was a product that the king had recently obtained from a kingdom to which he provided protection. However, since he could not operate it due to lack of mana, one of his guards always operated it for him.

"Although that woman is impure and uncultured, her kingdom manages to create some good things." The king said as he admired the carpet. "It is a pity that it is so small, otherwise I could put my throne here."

As he passed through the door, followed by his guards, the king said, "Send the seventeenth to my chambers."

As a king, he felt that he did not need to call those lesser than himself by their names. So even his women, with the exception of his three wives, were called by numbers to which they referred their entrance into the royal harem.

Leaving these words behind, the king did not even look at the minister who was still kneeling and proceeded to his royal chambers.