Chapter 4

Disclaimer (a little late though): I do not own any of TKA's characters. I'll try to keep their original personalities in this story, but since the setting is very different, there are definitely some inconsistencies.

Thanks for reading!

He should have felt fear, or at least a flicker of anxiety, but all that he was capable of feeling was a sense of resignation, of utter hopelessness. These long years of peace had been a charade, lulling everyone into a false sense of security. As those involved in the crusade against the last Demon King aged and died, the veterans and the experienced had been taken away, replaced by fresh recruits who had never seen a battlefield littered with corpses or rivers washed in blood. He did not want to restart the process of subjecting them to the pain and misery of war in order to turn them into battle-hardened warriors now. Such a staggering amount of misery should be witnessed no more than once in a lifetime.

This rise of another Demon King was far too quick, not leaving them any time to prepare. It should have happened in another hundred years, maybe even two hundred. It should have happened to another top warlock.

But it did, and the responsibility was his.

On the verge of sighing, Yu Wenzhou quickly scattered the urge and faced the first prince again without revealing his thoughts.

"Hanwen, as we've discussed, do not reveal this information to the masses yet. We don't need any more chaos than what the rumours have caused."

Lu Hanwen smiled bitterly. "They already know. Even without confirmation from the crown." He then nodded. "Of course I won't. The market is barely under control now, and soon enough there will be shortages of everything and prices will skyrocket once demonic beasts appear in larger quantities."

"And the nobles?"

The prince shrugged. "They are doing what they have always been doing: stockpiling. It'll be handled by the financial department, though."

Inwardly, Yu Wenzhou chuckled wryly. Aside from being the top warlock, I am also the top advisor to the crown. It sure is a difficult job – it's a miracle none of my predecessors die of exhaustion.

Suddenly, he was feeling rather sceptical. Don't tell me the deities above really have been intervening in this matter by protecting my predecessors so as to prevent the kingdom from descending into chaos?

A light, comfortable breeze float through his body, as if agreeing with him.

…Maybe I guessed correctly.

In any case, there was no other option. The king was incapable, and a fourteen-year-old prince and his mother were basically ruling this nation. Why else would he have held this conversation with Lu Hanwen who had not yet reached the age of maturity?

"Have you visited your mother?"

The first prince shook his head. "I went here directly."

"Why didn't Shaotian accompany you here?"

Lu Hanwen curled his lips in distaste. "If I have to listen to his chatter a second longer, I'll be the first royal in our entire history to die of excess anger."

A burst of regret boiled in his heart. Lu Hanwen was originally quite an energetic boy, so he should have gotten along well with Huang Shaotian. Alas, he had to grow up too quickly, and buried that carefree side of his too deeply but for a few special exceptions.

The warlock looked at the prince who was donning a faint aura of elegance and regality around him, yet was unable to hide the youthfulness of his features. Nonetheless, even though he was grumbling about his personal knight, Lu Hanwen's sapphire blue eyes had some sparkles in them.

Yu Wenzhou smiled. Perhaps this is also fine. Even if he doesn't state his obvious affection for Shaotian aloud.

Truly though, if Lu Hanwen did not carry the burden of a kingdom on his shoulder and became a carefree prince, the warlock wasn't sure he could handle both his chatterbox friend and a talkative Lu Hanwen together.

"Still, you should've stick with him for safety reasons."

At this moment, rapid footsteps sounded on the corridor outside. The door opened with a not-so-subtle push, revealing a figure with dazzling golden hair and stunning blue-green eyes.

Speaking of the devil.

Looking quite irritated, Huang Shaotian, the most talented swordsman in the world and personal knight to the first prince, walked bristly to the lounge where the two of them were glancing at him and threw himself down carelessly next to Yu Wenzhou. He then proceeded to invite himself to the barely touched dishes of pastry on the table.

Two people, one old (even if he didn't look the case) and one young quietly looked at the knight passionately stuffing himself in an unintended synchronisation.

Ten seconds passed. The plate of butter cookies had been reduced by a third.

Yu Wenzhou, being the good friend that he was, silently offered Huang Shaotian a cup of tea, which was similarly gulped down in a fervent manner as the food had been.

"Thank goodness, I almost starved to death just now! This is all because of you," the knight glared at Lu Hanwen, who rolled his eyes. "Going somewhere without me! Don't you know that I'm your personal knight? Your personal bodyguard? Damn it, you're such an ungrateful brat, not appreciating this valuable chance at getting protected by the most skilful warrior on the continent at all. Besides, even if you don't want me to follow you, it's still my job to! Do you want this great Sword Saint to get fired? Even if you don't like the sight of me – such a waste of luck, all people in the world dream of meeting my handsome self, ya should know how blessed you are now – you still need to tell Louis, or any of the others! We've been searching the entire palace for hours!"

Lu Hanwen replied nonchalantly. "So?"

Huang Shaotian glared at him. "Insolent brat, wasting my time all day long."

He took a deep breath, and started another flurry of words. "Worst thing is that you even visited my bro Yu Wenzhou before me!" He turned to Yu Wenzhou, who was sitting relaxed with a slightly amused expression. "Hey, Wenzhou, you still like me more than this brat right? Right, bro? Oh yeah, you should give me some justice. I've only ever seen two people whom this brat actually listen to, one is his mother, the other is you, so give him a beating for me, will ya?"

Huang Shaotian continued his lengthy speech, stressing explicitly on how powerful he was and how ungrateful Lu Hanwen was being for denying such an exquisite opportunity. Meanwhile, the warlock was the image of tranquillity, calmly sipping his chrysanthemums tea as if a human radio was not playing right beside him. From time to time, he would glance at the ancient clock decorated with glittering diamonds hanging on the wall, a gift from the founder of the kingdom to his loyal friend. When the hour tip pointed at the second hour, Yu Wenzhou gestured for the knight to stop.

"Shaotian, I'm about to receive a guest. Why don't you accompany the prince back to the palace to rest?"

The gold-haired knight glanced at Lu Hanwen disdainfully and stood up. "Fine, but it's because you're the one who asked."

"No worries. I don't need a monkey to protect me," replied Lu Hanwen in a smooth tone.

"Stinking brat, who're you calling a monkey?"

They continued to bicker back and forth even as they exited the room, leaving a helpless warlock behind.

Fifteen minutes later, a figure draped in a mottled brown cloak appeared at the doorway.

His first impression of the man was of the lack of changes in his appearance. With long dark hair styled in a braid which hang carelessly over his shoulder and green, serious eyes with a hint of gentleness, the witch was a split image of his younger self thirty years ago. The only adjustment was perhaps his aura, in which the sharp edge of purpose and determination had vanished, leaving behind a sense of resignation.

Sorrowful he was indeed, witnessing how a man born for battles had lost his taste for war. Not war as in mindless killing, but war as an art of beautiful manoeuvres and brilliant tactics, as a place whereby intelligence and strength were showcased in their purest form.

"Hello, Wenzhou. We meet again."

As he looked into those familiar eyes, a memory resurfaced.

The sky was clear blue with a tint of gold. Sunlight poured through the gaps between leaves, wrapping them in a honeyed glow. The crystalline sounds of birds chirping filled the air with warmth and ease.

It was the day of the first meeting between the major powers on the continent, with Kingdom of Blue Rain as the host. The goal of the meeting had been to form an alliance in response to the threat of the rising Demon King, and as the newly instated top warlock, Yu Wenzhou had spent four hours listening to the bickering between the various parties. Extreme distrust between nations was the norm, and a mere four hours of yelling came nowhere to resolving it.

Feeling disheartened and utterly exhausted, he had decided to mull over things at the imperial garden, a place of quietude and peace.

He silently counted. Currently, the four powers most likely to agree to the alliance were the Kingdom of Blue Rain, the Kingdom of Samsara and the Empire of Tyranny, the three nations which bordered the Demonic Mountains within which the rumoured demon race occupied, as well as the Witch Association, whose turf was located in the Dark Forest, the area nearest to the mountain range.

As for the other major powers… Yu Wenzhou frowned slightly. The home base of the mercenary group Excellent Era was far to the north, while the tribal states were down south. While Hundred Blossoms, an independent state made up of hundreds of islands on the eastern sea, was positioned close to the Demonic Mountains as well, there had never been a record of the demon race invading an island since 800 years ago. These powers would be tough nuts to crack.

Lost in thoughts, he didn't notice the sight of another person entering the garden as well. Unintentionally, he voiced his opinion out loud.

"If only we invade the Demonic Lands before they invade us."

"If the powers neighbouring the Demonic Mountains invade the Demonic Lands, Excellent Era mercenaries will take a few border cities from Tyranny, Hundred Blossoms merchants will triple their wealth from trade, and the tribal states will pass through the Dark Forest unharmed and attack Blue Rain."

He raised his head in astonishment at the shocking reply, only to see a young man of twenty smiling politely.

A few seconds passed in silence.

"Not if the alliance is successful," the warlock answered. "By threatening to stop the streams leading to Excellent Era's territory, Blue Rain can keep that group in line. Position an alliance force near Hundred Blossoms, using the excuse of making the islands a base supply, to attack the coast adjacent to the Demonic Mountains is also possible. As for the tribal states, it is enough to sow the seed of infighting."

The man's eyes widened, albeit marginally. He seemed more interested now. "If they do capture a few cities of Tyranny, they can store enough water until the rain season comes."

"Perhaps enough for their personal usage, but neither enough to march deeper into Tyranny's land nor to maintain their crops if Tyranny cuts off the water supply to those cities beforehand. After the rain season, won't Excellent Era be in deep trouble? The risk is not worth it."

"What about Hundred Blossoms? They would never allow a military force on their land."

Yu Wenzhou replied with ease. "Not a single nation, maybe. But if it's an allied force, and we only occupy the unclaimed part of the archipelago as a warning only, it might work. They use their economic power to keep us in check, and we counter with a tangible military threat."

"Infighting among the tribal states?"

"Probably the easiest task out there."

The young man chuckled. "That is all based on the case whereupon the alliance works, however." He said in good humour and introduced himself. "Wang Jiexi, vice-head of the Witch Association. Nice to meet you." The man offered his hand courteously.

The alleged genius witch who invented the truth potion?

Yu Wenzhou shook his hand in a trance. "Yu Wenzhou, top warlock of Blue Rain."

It was rather strange to see somebody of his own age here, where old and cunning politicians took the stage. He had heard about Wang Jiexi before – a prodigy in witchcraft, an extraordinary fighter and the destined future leader of the association. However, he detected none of the usual arrogance and hot-blooded attitude common among his peers in this polite youth. Instead, the witch possessed a calmness honed from years of experiences dealing with problems.

As a matter of fact, he seemed quite similar to Yu Wenzhou himself.

"You can call me Wenzhou," the warlock said, surprising even himself.

"Then, hello, Wenzhou." His smile was a shade brighter, and the green of his eyes softened.

The warlock sighed in nostalgia. Their first meeting might not have been as exciting as his with Ye Xiu, as heated as with Han Wuqing, or as memorable as with Huang Shaotian, but their friendship was deep and lasting.

"Thirty years, and you're still as polite as ever, Jiexi."

For the first time in decades, they were reunited.