17/A royal dinner

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The meeting had come to an end. Only the king, the prince, the princess, and Moses remained in the throne room, still discussing a few minor topics.

"It was a mission well-executed, my children. However, I expected the Kingdom of Ria to be more receptive given the threat posed by the dungeons." said the king, thoughtfully.

"My king, they too must have summoned heroes." suggested Moses.

"That is quite probable, which further strengthens their forces. Did you notice anything there, Raphael?" asked the king.

"Apart from the queen's stunning daughter, I noticed nothing. They clearly made it known that they wouldn't share anything with us." replied Raphael, a desirous smile on his lips.

"Moses, what does the Church think of the Kingdom of Ria?" asked the king, his gaze piercing.

"The Church despises them to the highest degree. They dream of exterminating them all and reducing their kingdom to ashes. But for now, they refrain from acting." replied Moses.

"And the goddess?" asked the king, worry evident in his voice.

"The pope says the goddess is very busy at the moment." explained Moses.

"Even more than when the dungeons first appeared?" the king wondered.

"Yes, my king." replied Moses.

"It must be due to the increase in dungeons." concluded the king.

"I see no other possibility." agreed Moses.

"Well, our meeting is adjourned for today. My children, you have free time. Don't forget to prepare well for tonight's dinner." declared the king as he stood up.

"Yes, father." replied Sarah and Raphael in unison.

Thus, the meeting was completely over, and everyone returned to their quarters. The servants, meanwhile, were already bustling about preparing for the evening's dinner. Meanwhile, Maïli had just destroyed another mannequin, still unsatisfied with the result.

"Damn, this is harder than I thought!" exclaimed Maïli, frustrated.

"You'll never succeed like that, because you're doing it wrong." came a voice from behind her.

She turned around and saw Princess Sarah behind her.

"Let me introduce myself briefly, I am the princess of the Kingdom of Sigma, my name is Sarah." said the princess with a smile.

"Nice to meet you, princess." replied Maïli politely and courteously.

"You can drop the titles and formalities with me. What's your name?" asked Sarah.

"Alright, my name is Maïli."

"What a lovely name." complimented Sarah.

"Thank you, yours isn't bad either." replied Maïli with a shy smile.

"Good, let's continue. You're doing it wrong. I suppose your goal is to create a cutting whirlwind. But the problem is that you don't yet control your mana well." explained Sarah.

"Can you explain?" asked Maïli, intrigued.

"Of course, that's why I'm here. Since you haven't started your training yet, you don't know much about the basics, but you're already very talented. Because even though it's very slight, you can direct your inner mana flow." replied Sarah.

Sarah raised her hands and created two whirlwinds of wind, one in each hand. The whirlwinds were precise and controlled, their edges sharp and clear.

"Watch closely. The secret lies in the concentration and control of mana flow. You must feel it circulating within you, then guide it precisely." explained Sarah, her eyes shining with determination.

Maïli observed intently, fascinated by the demonstration.

"Mana is an energy that must be mastered and bent to your will. That's why it's first necessary to learn how to control your mana flow: the quantity, the power, and the way it is released. There are infinite possibilities. But you, you've just arrived here, so you only know how to release your mana." taught Sarah.

In Sarah's right hand, the wind changed shape, successively forming a sphere, then a square, and finally a triangle. Meanwhile, in her left hand, the wind merely flowed out and dispersed in all directions.

"You must first learn to tame the mana. Then, imagine you want to transform the wind into a blade." continued Sarah.

She then immediately launched an attack on one of the mannequins, which was sliced in half before falling to the ground.

"It's also important to visualize exactly what you want to do." added Sarah.

"Alright." replied Maïli with determination.

Maïli concentrated, letting the wind escape from her hands. The wind attempted to change shape multiple times under the princess's attentive gaze. Finally, determined, Maïli launched her attack on one of the mannequins. However, on the way, the wind dissipated before reaching its target.

"Damn it!" exclaimed Maïli, frustrated.

Sarah approached her calmly:

"For a start, that wasn't bad." she said with a small smile.

"What do you mean? I completely failed," replied Maïli, disappointed.

"I wouldn't say it was a total failure. Look, you still managed to slightly nick the mannequin." explained Sarah.

Maïli looked at the mannequin and saw several tiny cuts. Encouraged, she agreed to try again.

"Can you try again, but this time, don't attempt the impossible. Just focus on cutting the mannequin." suggested Sarah.

Maïli concentrated once more, and this time, a small wind blade visibly cut the mannequin. She had already improved compared to the time when she had made a small cut on Shawn's cheek.

"Thank you, that was really instructive." said Maïli gratefully.

"You're welcome. We'll see each other at dinner tonight, Maïli." replied Sarah with an encouraging smile.

The day continued until night finally fell. Everyone dressed elegantly for the occasion. The king, the prince, and the princess were already seated around a beautifully arranged table. The cutlery, of rare finish, was entirely gold, and the glasses were adorned with precious stones. All was presented on a sumptuous black and gold tablecloth. On the table were bottles of wine accompanied by delicious dishes.

As the guests waited at the entrance, the king invited them in.

"Come now, don't be shy. Enter, this feast is organized for you." declared the king with inviting warmth.

Everyone took their places in the grand and magnificent chairs before the servants filled their wine glasses.

"If I also wanted to organize this feast, it's to introduce you to my son and daughter. Here is Raphael, destined to succeed me, and here is my daughter Sarah, who will support him in his task." announced the king proudly.

"Nice to meet you, heroes." greeted Raphael with a courteous smile.

"I hope your arrival in our world wasn't too hard." added Sarah gently.

"No, we thank you for the wonderful welcome you have given us." replied Shawn, captivated by the princess's beauty.

"Yes, we couldn't have dreamed of better." added Maël.

"Moreover, you're inviting us all to an excellent meal." said Méverick enthusiastically.

"Very well, you please me." replied Sarah with a smile.

"I also failed in my duties by not properly introducing myself. I am Philippe, king of the kingdom of Sigma. Well, now that introductions are made, let's eat." said the king, raising his glass.

They then began to eat quietly.

"Yum, this is really excellent. What is it?" asked Emma, curious.

"It's a stew made from Noras meat, a monster known for its very tender flesh." replied the king.

Everyone delighted, savoring the exquisite dishes prepared with care. The lively conversations testified to the general appreciation for the delicate and varied flavors of the dishes, while the wine, of exceptional quality, further enhanced the gastronomic experience. The guests, satisfied, exchanged compliments on the finesse of the aromas and the perfection of the food and wine pairings, creating an atmosphere of shared satisfaction and conviviality.

"Why weren't you there, Sarah, at our summoning?" suddenly asked Maïli.

A heavy silence of surprise fell in the room, provoked by Maïli's familiar attitude towards the princess. The guests, perplexed, exchanged puzzled looks. Some had barely touched their meals, their plates remaining almost untouched before them.

"Don't be so familiar with the princess." said Maël, outraged by Maïli's behavior.

"I allowed her to speak to me without honorific titles." Sarah immediately corrected.

"Oh, very well then." Maël conceded.

"To answer you, Maïli, we were on a diplomatic mission for a few days." explained Sarah.

"You seem to have many responsibilities." said Emma then.

"Well, we were born with responsibilities that we must assume." replied Sarah.

"You too now have responsibilities as heroes." added Raphael.

"Responsibilities we didn't choose." cut in Eva.

"We didn't choose our responsibilities either, my sister and I. It was determined from birth." retorted Raphael.

"Yes, but you had the choice not to summon us here." insisted Eva.

"We had no choice, and if you want to blame someone, blame chance." replied Raphael.

"Chance has nothing to do with it." retorted Eva.

"We apologize again; we knew you had families and friends back there." added the king.

"It's true, they had no choice." supported Méverick.

"There's always a choice." growled Eva.

Silence fell in the room for a long moment before the king tried to revive the conversation.

"How do you find the wine? Is it to your taste?" asked the king.

"I think for most of us, it's the first time we're drinking it." replied Emma.

"Oh, can you tell me a bit more?" asked the king with interest.

"Of course. In our world, you have to be a certain age to drink alcohol." explained Emma.

"Your world sounds quite dull." commented Prince Raphael, eliciting looks of disdain from some guests.

The prince merely gave them a charming smile, clearly an act of provocation.

"And so, what do you think of your first glasses of wine?" asked the king.

"Well, since I've never had alcohol until now, I can't say if it's of good quality. But it has a pleasant, slightly sweet taste." replied Emma.

"You have good taste buds, holy priestess. Well, from now on, you no longer have to worry about that. Here, you can do whatever you want. Isn't that wonderful?" said the king with a smile.

"Yes, let's drink to celebrate our arrival here." declared Shawn, raising his glass.

"Wonderful? That depends on who." murmured Eva.

"Don't start with that again." snapped Shawn.

"You know what? Go to hell, Shawn!" retorted Eva angrily.

"What's your problem? At least try to pretend to be happy to be here in front of the king and his family." retorted Shawn.

"Come on, come on, let's calm down, we are in the presence of royalty." intervened Karine, trying to calm the situation.

"You know what? Go to hell, all of you, I'm out of here!" exclaimed Eva.

Silence fell heavily in the room, a palpable tension spreading among the guests. Maïli, sensing the danger, grabbed Eva's hand and gave her a discreet nod to stay.

She had noticed the subtle changes in the atmosphere, particularly the king's expression. His face reflected the same ruthless look he had when he had expelled Logan without pity. But this time, a sinister gleam and bloodlust also shone in his eyes.

Eva sat down quietly thanks to Maïli's intervention. Taking the floor, Maïli addressed the king directly.

"We thank you for the splendid welcome you have given us, Your Majesty. But without wanting to offend, isn't it the least you could do? And you even apologize for summoning us here. It would have been wise of you not to expel Logan from the castle and to house him at your expense for the rest of his life as compensation, wouldn't it?" said Maïli calmly but firmly.

She was confronting the king with his contradictions and hypocrisy, showing that the welcome, his apologies, and this feast were just a means to coax them into serving the kingdom and the king by risking their lives.

"Why should I house someone who would be of no use to me?" replied the king coldly.

A murmur of consternation spread through the room, some gritting their teeth silently, their faces marked by anger and restrained rage. The king had just admitted bluntly that he saw them only as tools to exploit. By promising them fortune and glory, he hoped to push them to risk their lives and abandon their former lives. But behind this facade of generosity lay a brutal reality: those who did not prove useful to the kingdom were left to fend for themselves, forced to manage on their own.

"And then, I heard that story. My father had given him a nice sum of money. He could have lived quietly for a long time or started a business. That Logan, right, he just had to accept the money." added Raphael with a mocking smile.

"As long as you serve the kingdom of Sigma faithfully, you will have a life of luxury you could never have had in your world. Otherwise, you are free to leave. After all, no one is holding you here. If you please, let's continue this dinner together." he said, smiling graciously.

Eva then felt something trickling from her nose. She discreetly brought her hand to her face to check and discovered blood on her fingers. A small trickle of blood had escaped her nostrils and was slowly running down her face. She then met Maïli's gaze and understood why she had stopped her.

The dinner continued in tense silence, everyone realizing that their situation was much more complicated and dangerous than they had imagined.

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Special thanks to Rebecca/Amari/Zezima/Crowny_66/Bored dragon/ Sky_Shay/A_F_D/Fidelissama/Morgan/Arjunn/TheGreatSucc/Jared/ Grimjaw/Damion/ for her power stones.

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