Chapter 13: Whispers of Betrayal

Two men wandered through the bustling streets of Terrania, a neighboring city to Veloria where Arthur lived.

"Come on, why are you taking so much time collecting a mere fee from our client?" an enthusiastic voice piped up. The speaker was Sicotes.

"You know very well why it's taking time," a calm and heavy voice responded. "Someone threw away an introduction letter from our clan." The speaker was Neraxis.

A sudden embarrassment struck Sicotes. He made a funny face and said, "Come on, I thought it was a tissue paper, so I used it as a towel. What's wrong with that?"

Neraxis gave Sicotes a deathly glare. Sicotes understood the signal, turned his head, and started acting as if nothing had happened.

Neraxis sighed and said, "You don't have to be here. You can wander around the city if you want."

"Really?!" Sicotes asked with puppy dog eyes.

Neraxis sighed again and said, "Yes, you can go."

Sicotes didn't waste any time and flew off, while Neraxis continued his work.

The scene shifted to Sicotes wandering down the road, his hands behind his head as he gazed up at the sky. "What should I do now that I'm free?" he mused aloud.

"Oh, did you hear? Prince August of Veloria is hiring mercenaries to protect him against King Ashvasthama of Terrania," a passerby said to another.

"Yes, I heard. It's because they don't have a strong companion since their strongest Mahamatya is now dead," the other replied.

"Yes, and I heard their warrior families are destroyed too," another added.

Overhearing this conversation, Sicotes grinned and said out loud, "Prince August, huh? This sounds interesting."

The scene shifted to Prince August, who was sitting on a couch looking worried in a guesthouse in Terrania. He mumbled to himself, "What should I do? Our losses were too great in the attack that happened five years ago. Neighboring countries are trying to take over Veloria, and war has started in every corner. This is not good. We don't have any defenses either. I hope our treaty with King Ashvashthama goes well." He sighed out loud.

Suddenly, a knock sounded at the door—thup thup. A voice followed, "Sir, may I come in? I am your butler, sir."

"Oh, yes, come in," Prince August said.

A young butler entered the room and addressed August politely, "Sir, there is someone who has accepted your request to escort us to the king's castle."

"Really?" August's face lit up. "Tell me, who is it?"

"His name is Sicotes. He's waiting outside and claims to possess the power of an 'S' rank mercenary," the butler replied.

"He's claiming? So, he has no proof of his power, right?"

"Yes, sir. What should I do?"

"Tell him to meet me at the training ground. He really should prove his skills before we consider hiring him."

"Yes, sir," the butler nodded and left to convey the message.

The scene shifted to the training ground where Sicotes and another man stood. The other man had been appointed the new Mahamatya of Veloria. From afar, August called out to Sicotes, "Sicotes, if you manage to land a single blow on our Mahamatya, you will be appointed as my escort."

Sicotes smiled confidently and replied, "Oh, an exam? This should be fun." His expression was lighthearted at first, but then it turned serious. "Shall we start?" he asked.

The new Mahamatya looked visibly intimidated, and reluctantly nodded. August gave the signal, "Begin."

In the blink of an eye, Sicotes was suddenly behind the Mahamatya, a knife pointed at his neck. Sicotes whispered into the Mahamatya's ear with a serious and menacing tone, "I've won. Admit your defeat, or I shall kill you."

The Mahamatya surrendered immediately. Everyone watching was left bewildered; what had just transpired? It hadn't even been a full second, yet he had admitted defeat. This confusing turn of events took place on the training ground.

Later, August summoned Sicotes to his room.

"I can't say I understand what you did on the training grounds," August admitted, still puzzled. "But I acknowledge that you're incredibly strong. Why are you applying for this kind of job at your level?" he asked, confused.

Sicotes smiled and replied, "I just thought it would be fun to protect a prince," his face lighting up with amusement.

August was initially shocked, but then he laughed. "Alright, I shall appoint you as my new escort," he said with a grin.

Sicotes escorted August to the king's castle. The journey was filled with lighthearted banter and occasional laughter, easing the tension that had initially surrounded them. As they approached the grand entrance of the castle, the new Mahamatya, who was visibly jealous of Sicotes, glared at them.

Upon reaching the castle, a servant guided August, Sicotes, Mahamatya, and some other advisers to a meeting room. Inside, King Ashvashthama and his advisers awaited them. The king had an air of cunning about him, with a face that seemed to embody a typical villain. Rising from his chair, the king greeted them and gestured for them to take their seats.

"I thought this conversation was important," King Ashvashthama began, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "Why is the King of Veloria himself not here? Does he not take this meeting seriously?"

"Please don't misunderstand my father," August replied confidently, a smile on his face. "He is bedridden with illness and could not attend, so he sent me, his direct heir, to discuss this matter with you."

The king frowned, clearly displeased with August's attitude. He sighed and said, "Very well, let's begin. Read the treaty in front of everyone," he ordered a servant.

As the servant read the treaty, the room was tense with anticipation. The terms were clear: Veloria sought an alliance and mutual protection against their enemies.

King Ashvasthama asked, "And how will this treaty benefit us?"

Augst replied, "We will decrease all our export rates by 30% to the Terrania Kingdom. Additionally, we will establish Terrania as a trading center, allowing you to apply taxes according to your market conditions. The profits from trades will be divided in a 3:7 ratio, with you receiving 30% of the profits. Furthermore, we will remove all taxes on your trades with our country."

No matter how rude King Ashvasthama was, he could not deny a one-sided favor for his country. He will surely accept, Augst thought to himself.

"No, I don't approve," the king said in a rude tone.

"What? But why? The treaty is clearly in your favor. It's as if we are becoming your vassal state, so why decline?" Augst said in panic.

"Look, kid, I'm not a fool. If I were to accept your proposal, it would mean inviting other nations to attack me. I don't have that kind of courage. Sorry," King Ashvasthama said.

Augst, angered, replied, "First of all, it's Prince Augst to you, not 'kid.' Second, you are clearly lying. You are the largest nation of all, with enough manpower to protect us from any kingdom. If you want to say no, just say it directly. Don't give lame excuses like that."

"Your tongue is too sharp for your age. Perhaps I should teach you a lesson, boy," King Ashvasthama said. After speaking, he glanced at a nearby soldier. Understanding the signal, the soldier drew his sword. As he was pulling it out, the sword was suddenly cut in half. Sicotes appeared behind the king, his hand pointing a blade at the king's neck.

In a terrifying tone, Sicotes said, "King Ashvasthama, I respect you, but you have disrespected Prince Augst twice now—first by calling him a kid, and now by signaling a soldier to harm him." He then looked at Augst and asked, "Sir, do you want me to kill this bastard? Just say the word and it will be done."

The king, crying in fear, could feel the blade barely an inch from his throat.

"Leave it. I don't want to cause any more trouble for my father," Augst said as he stood up from his chair. "Let's go." Everyone followed Augst to leave. As they were going, Ashvasthama, crying in anger, shouted, "You have made a mistake! I will kill you! I will destroy your country..." Before he could say more, Sicotes glared at him, silencing the king, and Augst continued out of the meeting room.

After getting outside, Sicotes said to Augst, "Sorry, Prince, if I caused you unnecessary trouble."

"No, it's fine. If you hadn't stood up, I would be scarred right now. So, thank you," Augst replied with a sad smile.

After that, Augst asked Sicotes, "What do you think about joining the royal capital's army? I will make sure you are positioned pretty high."

"Nah, I'm okay as a mercenary," Sicotes declined casually.

"Huh, is that so? Okay, well, if you ever change your mind, let me know. You will always be welcome in my country," Augst said with a smile.

"Okay," Sicotes replied and got going. Augst and the others left the city as well.

Neraxis was waiting for Sicotes at the city gate. Suddenly, he saw Sicotes approaching and exclaimed, "WTF! What did I tell you about getting here before sunset?"

"Yeah, I know I'm late. I was just busy with some other stuff," Sicotes said.

"If our Malvani clan head finds out you were off mission the whole day, they would kill you. You know that, right?" Neraxis said.

"Yeah, yeah. Can you stop lecturing now? Let's go," Sicotes responded.

With that, Sicotes and Neraxis returned to the Malvani clan.

To be continued....