An Era of Peace

"Someone's been missing from the throne room for several weeks..." Faust remarked as he closed the door of the Kasai mini library. He found the new king, Hao Asakura poring over some scrolls by his desk. His brows were furrowed as he read through the papers.

"Well, nobody's seeking audience with the king and there's no table there." He dipped his quill into the ink and affixed his signature in each page.

"Are those what I think they are?" The blond medicine man asked with great interest.

"Yes," the king softly blew on the wet ink so it could dry faster.

"So we are finally doing it, huh? It took more than a hundred years before we could abolish the peace treaty."

"Yes, people can cross borders, live and work wherever, and marry whoever they want in this land. All thanks to my father's efforts and the failed plan of some lunatic king-wannabe." King Hao rolled up the scrolls as soon as the ink had dried up.

"That's some good news especially for your twin brother."

"Yoh has to contend with the King of Kaminari first. A marriage promise is a contract with the Great Spirit."

"And there's Tamao..." Faust reminded him.

"Tamao was bethroted to the heir of Kasai. Apparently, my twin brother is not heir anymore. I'm the king now and I have no heir until my child is born which is highly unlikely cause I hate babies. Anyway, if the Kaminari and Kouku royals decided not to honor their fathers' agreement and break their engagement off, good for Yoh but Anna has to pay for the wedding. The war left us broke..."

King Hao took out the Douji heirloom from a drawer. "How much do you think this jewelry would cost in the black market?"

"I would advise against selling that. It's one of the oldest artifact in Kasai."

"Shame. It's pretty useless now." The king placed the heirloom back in its place. "So are you back to giving the ruler some unsolicited advice?"

"That is what I'm actually here for... As I'm really a citizen of Kouku, I'm planning to return to my birth place and offer my services to the new queen."

King Hao chuckled. "Anna doesn't listen to anyone, you know."

"Still someone needs to protect her. She's alone there."

"I had arranged for that. We don't need spies anymore so there are a few names in the roster that have lost their jobs and have no other livelihood to go back to. I recommended someone to be Anna's bodyguard as General Tori may have sympathizers within the Kouku army."

"Are you referring to Ryuu? I saw him left in a horse earlier... "

"I'm always one step ahead of you." The king smirked at him.

"Well, it makes sense. He also liked drinking there. He has probably grown accustomed to Kouku with the numerous missions he had carried out in that part of the land. "

"Nah.. I just want his ugly face out of Kasai."

"How very charming of you, Your Highness." Faust chuckled.

"They say that the general never married and had no child. For someone who's trying to regain his clan's power, isn't that a bit odd? There would be no continuity of his lineage after his death."

"The Asakuras had beat him to that as well. Your clan will live on through you and your brother."

The new ruler stood up from his seat and stared out of the window. "Why did you give the crown to me, Faust? My father is dead. He's not there to oppose if you appointed Yoh to be the next king."

"Your father wanted you to succeed him from the very start. I just honored his wish."

"And why did he want me? I've done terrible things..."

"Because he believed that you can change..."

The Kasai monarch grew silent. "On their march towards the palace, the Kouku and Kaminari armies had laid waste to a number of towns. Our remaining funds were allocated to rebuilding the damaged homes but a lot of people were left without any livelihood. The war drove away affluent families whose businesses provided income to our citizens for a long time. I know those rich folks were friends with my father even before he became king. I was hoping they would come back to a more peaceful Kasai."

King Hao turned around to face him. "I have asked Yoh to help me convince them as I cannot leave the kingdom in this state and woo them myself."

"And he agreed?" Faust eyed him.

"Of course. Our father had instructed us to help each other out."

"I'm positive your brother would do it even without Mikihisa's request."

"I know... But he can't do it alone. He needed someone to accompany him, someone whom my father and his circle trust, someone who can protect him... "

"Someone like me?" Faust pointed at himself.

The king shrugged. "Yes, why not? If you're willing to accept your first mission under my rule..." He waited for his reply.

The medicine man thought for a while. "As you wish, Your Grace." Faust bowed down at him and left his presence.