Monarch's Rebirth: Chapter 4

I was awoken by loud knocks on my door. My head felt heavy and my eyes were blurry. Scratching my eyes and clearing my vision I answered the knocks.

"Young master, Sir Alexander is leaving soon. You may want to join him for breakfast." Felix told me from behind the door.

"I'll be there in a minute," I reply while wearing my shirt

I quickly splash water onto my face and open my door to find Felix inches away from my face, something that has become quite routine now.

"Breakfast hasn't been served yet. Sir Alexander is just downstairs."

"A-alright, let's go then…"

I went to the dining room with Felix tailing behind me. I greet Alexander and take my seat and wait for food to arrive.

"Is everything alright? You seem to be quite fatigued." Alexander asks in concern.

"I'm fine. I just had a drink last night before going to bed."

"Seems like more than just a drink." Alexander teases

I chuckled in embarrassment. "I won't lie, I forgot how many glasses I drank,"

Breakfast was served as Alexander and I chat about arbitrary topics while eating. He seemed to be in a rush, expected as he would be leaving soon but he did have time before leaving.

We both ate at a rapid pace, or time just passed by quickly. Soon enough, we were standing in the foyer where Alexander would say goodbye for now.

"Your palace is such a lavish and comfortable living space! As expected from a king of course,"

"You may come as many times as you like!" I go in for a handshake. "We're allies now- or wait, we are partners."

"Allies or partners… At the end of the day, we are working together for the greater good of the empires."

Alexander and I shake hands firmly. We both laugh at what he said before letting go of each other's hands.

"Indeed we are! Very well then, it is time for you to leave now,"

"Of course, let us meet again at my estate! But for now, I'll give you my gratitude for housing me at your palace."

I watched as he entered his carriage and his entourage of butlers and other carriages followed behind, leaving the premise of my palace and disappearing into the bustling city.

"Young master, it is time for your training." Felix notifies me.

"Oh right. Let's get started then."

***

"Impressive… This training is even harder and yet, you did it while barely breaking a sweat."

Training has been easy for me. No matter what is thrown at me, I can take it on easily.

Felix halted the training and stepped forward. "These sessions will not help you progress anymore. We really underestimated your power."

"But what can I do to get stronger? What other training can I do that won't take up too much of my time."

"The only way to get stronger is to fight monsters as strong as you are. Finding such a monster daily can be quite the task."

"Weekly?" I squinted and asked, hoping that would be the least.

"Perhaps we can manage."

"Perfect!" I raised my voice. "Find me monsters every week then!"

Felix flinched back in surprise. "A-are you sure about this?"

"Yeah? Is anything wrong?"

He sighs and shakes his head. "Nothing…"

I leave my training gear on the ground–my sword and its sheathe–before leaving the grounds altogether to take a bath.

Felix prepared the bath for me while I walked around the palace, trying to get used to it. The palace was like a massive labyrinth that led to many different sections and areas.

The second floor was completely made of housing and offices. There were 20 bedrooms and six master bedrooms, all with bathrooms equal to the size of a small house.

There are around five offices and a meeting room a few meters away from my office.

Felix called me back to my room after I wandered around for a few minutes. I sink into the bath and relax.

I finish the bath quickly and head back to my office. There was a lot of work left to do.

There's a lot of paperwork left for me to complete. Most of it is for repair and finances.

Since my "father's" passing, the finance has been in shambles. Everything is going towards me, not the kingdom.

***

Felix bursts into my room without a warning, making me jump from my seat.

"The meeting is in 30 minutes," He announces in a soft voice.

"Ah! What time is it!?" I shouted as I turned around to look outside the window

I turned around to see the sun was already going down. The sky was a pinkish-orange colour that slowly faded into a deep blue. I became surprised and seeing my bewildered expression Felix let out a grin.

"Seems like you lost yourself at work."

"Never knew how much work there was."

I remembered that I still had to write a contract for Wilkins to allow him to partner up with me and start his business. I also had to give him a carriage and more access around the capital.

"I will be there in a minute."

"Take your time."

Felix leaves the room and closes the door behind him. I stand up after hours of work which felt like a mere hour had passed. I thought I only spent over an hour, not realising I had finished all the work I had for the day.

The sky was slowly glittering with stars as the sun sank. The sky got darker and the weather got cooler. I finish my tea and pick up my coat from the back of my chair. I walked outside and just down the hallway was the meeting room where I found three people entering the room.

The meeting room was only made for domestic meetings for the kingdom. It was time for the seasonal meeting which happens after a season ends. It was the beginning of spring and the reports for last season had come in.

I entered the meeting room to find three people sitting down around a big round table. The room had no windows and just a round table with a few lights in the corners of the room.

The men all stood and bowed down as I entered the room. I knew no one in the room except Felix who stood right by my seat. One man was dressed in an attire similar to a military general while the others were dressed in black suits, similar to businessmen.

"Greetings, young master. Let's begin the meeting then, shall we?" The old man dressed in a military uniform greeted me.

"Good evening," I greeted as I walked to my seat. "Let's begin."

I take my seat and look down at the table. There were a few reports in front of me which I began reading.

"As expected..." I sigh from reading the reports. "Finance has not done well last season, has it?"

The room stayed silent as I kept reading through the report and thinking about what to do.

"Firstly I would begin by putting most of my spending on infrastructure. I already passed a few contracts to the construction company on fixing certain places like roads and walls. Funding small businesses should also be a priority of ours as it will help our economy."

"What about the military?" Said the man wearing the military uniform

"You have a good point. The Aberdeen kingdom seems to be strengthening their military."

Maybe I'm acting on impulse but the Aberdeen kingdom has not been sitting right with me since I came here. The longer the Aberdeen kingdom exists, the more threatened I feel.

"I suggest it will be good for us to fund more on defending the smaller villages that are under our control. The small village of Millstone has little to no military personnel or even a wall for defense!" Exclaimed the advisor after he finished his fiery explanation.

"Is that so?" I raised a brow. "Are we that far behind in terms of defense?"

"Norfolk is suffering from harsh weather. My advice is to send some supplies their way as the report says they are running low on food and cattle fodder." Said the other man who was dressed in a black suit.

"Indeed that was stated here. Send supplies their way tomorrow then."

The man who I assume is a general seemed agitated. He had sweat breaking from his face even though the room's temperature was set pretty cold.

"We must do something about the Aberdeen kingdom!" He exclaimed. "We cannot let them have free will for too long!"

Seeing him speak anxiously made me curious. "What do you advise then?"

"As the Chief Commander of the army, I would suggest militarising the villages so they can have some resistance if the worst-case scenario would break out."

So he was the Chief commander. I figured out one of their identities but not the other two. But at this point I want the meeting to be over with and I could go to sleep.

"Hmm, alright," I approved of his advice. "Do as you said."

"I can do that tomorrow. Please allow me to move some of the troops from the city to the villages as it can help, my lord."

"I will write a declaration and give it to you," I assured the commander.

"That should be it for the meeting. There seem to be no other issues on the agenda." Said the advisor from my left.

"Alright then, dismissed."

I dismiss the meeting and everyone leaves. I hand over the papers to Felix who puts them inside one of the shelves inside the room which was filled up with other files and papers, all of which I assumed were past reports of the kingdom.

I left the meeting room and quietly walked to my room. The sun was down and I hadn't realised how much time had passed in the meeting.

Luckily these meetings happen every season. The stress of sitting in a room with a few official people who are full of ideas to improve the kingdom makes me feel weak and small.

ALEXANDER'S POV

I managed to get into the Aberdeen Kingdom and infiltrate the palace. The night was pitch black as the clouds covered the sky as a whole. There were a lot of guards but they were easy to get past. The hard part was finding Lukas' office.

After climbing onto a few windows and jumping across from one to another I finally found his office room. I climbed over to enter his room and find some information

I rummaged through Lukas' drawers and desk to find anything. Letters, messages, notes, anything that I can get my hand on.

Suddenly, the doorknob turned. It made me stop in my track. Without thinking twice, I jumped from the window and grabbed onto a branch before climbing onto it.

The door flung open as I caught my breath and Lukas entered his office. Luckily I barely touched his desk before he could enter. I wait for him to leave but then someone else enters his room.

A well-dressed man had entered Lukas' room and they both started to talk. This was a perfect time to get information on Lukas so I tried to get closer to eavesdrop on them.

I tried to get closer but I could barely make sense of what they were saying. It was still too inaudible. I was on the edge of the branch, any further and I would fall.

I found a branch that hung lower than the one I was on and it was closer. I landed on it and tried to get closer and I could finally hear what they were talking about.

"The assassins have been sent, my lord." Said someone who I assumed was the other person in the room.

"What is the possibility of them succeeding?" Said an elderly and raspy voice.

"They will certainly succeed! They are highly skilled assassins who are also provided with our best short blades from the armoury."

"Good, good. What are the reports from the army?"

"They are all being trained daily. They have shown a lot of progress and are motivated to defend or attack at a moment's notice."

"This pleases me, Vincent. I cannot wait to end this lifelong feud with the Faunus Kingdom."

"It may end today, my lord. If the assassins succeed then the first part of our plan is done."

"Indeed. That was all the news I wanted to hear. Dismissed."

"Have a good night, your majesty,"

I hear footsteps which are then followed by the door opening and closing. They are planning to assassinate Artorius and then take over his kingdom due to their not having a leader.

In the rulebooks, it is written that if a king is to die suddenly in an empire. The other kingdom's king may take over.

A few minutes later the lights turn off and Lukas exits the room. I quickly jump and grab onto his window. I climb back in and quietly rummage through his papers and also remember where everything was. I found multiple maps for strategies and reports on his army.

There was a paper that had the contract for his assassination. It had more details such as the amount paid and the terms. It was signed by ten people who were the assassins. The date and timing were today and the time was soon.

I can only hope that it fails.

ARTORIUS' POV

Clouds engulfed the night sky and made it pitch black, barely able to see. The streets were quiet and dark. I could barely see in front of me. Soon enough I come across light coming from Wilkins' pub. It was cold outside but the warm atmosphere inside the pub awakened me.

"Welcome back, young master. The usual?"

"The usual, yes."

I take my usual seat and wait for Wilkins to bring my drink. He seems to constantly be renovating his place one way or another. This time he decorated the walls with paintings and unique showpieces.

"The place is coming along quite well. I like what you're doing with the place!"

"Thank you! Without you, this wouldn't be possible."

"When are you leaving?"

"Day after tomorrow. My family is quite excited about it too."

"Here take this. This will help you get special access."

I slide the letter on top of the bar's counter and let him take it. He carefully opens the letter and becomes ecstatic as it will allow him to have a more comfortable trip.

"Thank you so much! The carriage was enough though."

"I want you to have a nice trip to the capital with your family. It's spring which means new life is growing everywhere in the capital. Just like our new business deals."

I finished the third glass of whiskey that Wilkins poured. I felt a bit drunk but thought nothing of it.

Wilkins and I continued to talk a bit more till it was past midnight. He talked about stories of drunk customers that came in and told me more about the recipe he had in mind for wine and whiskey.

"It's quite late now. I suppose I will take my leave now."

"Don't worry about the payment," Wilkins gave a thumbs-up and smiled. "It's on the house today."

A hiccup escapes my mouth before I could answer. "S-sure thing,"

I quietly leave the pub and start to head back to my palace.

It became darker than before as Wilkins turned off the lights in his pub so I had to make light and make my way back.

It was cold and the streets were quiet, except for the usual dogs barking and cats fighting. I spotted a few guards patrolling the area but they did not bat an eye towards me.

I found a person that was sleeping underneath the shade of a shop. He was homeless and just had a blanket and a bowl.

My heart ached for such people since I was one of them at one point in my past life. I decided to leave a pouch full of gold coins, enough to kickstart his life or at least keep him going for a month.

A thick fog had set in and I could barely see in front of me. Was this really spring? It was quite cold and foggy, similar to winter. Something felt off.

Soon I found myself lost in the city. The fog made it too difficult to navigate. I'll have to figure out where I'm going somehow now.

I felt the presence of mana getting closer. It was not one or two but more than seven. I tried to pay no attention but when it came closer I couldn't handle it anymore.

I take a short dagger out of my pocket just for safety but I am not sure how much this small blade can help me fight off multiple enemies. The visibility was poor and I could only see six to seven feet in front of me.

I became alert and stayed on edge while walking around. I realised that I went off track after finding a florist shop next to me instead. I knew where I was now but I went opposite of the path I was supposed to go on.

The presence of mana became heavier and heavier. I felt eyes staring at me and the presence of ten or more people this time. This can't just be me being paranoid. Something is definitely off.

I found my way back and was heading in the right direction this time. Soon enough I should reach my palace and I should be safe.

Just as I got to the inclined road that led up to the palace I heard the creation of an element take place from behind me. I try to dodge the unknown element which I luckily did.

I turned around to look for who it was in this poor visibility but there was no way to know. It was too dark and foggy.

Just then another two ice spikes came my way from two opposite directions. There were more than two that meant. If the presence I felt from before were to be true that meant there were at least ten people here.

I got caught off-guard while thinking and nearly got hit by a fireball that came from behind me. I barely dodge but still have no clue how to retaliate against their barrage of elements.

"Come and fight me like a man! Stop hiding!" I shouted in anger.

They showed no sign of fighting me head-on. This means they are weaker than me. They know they can't take me on head on but they can outnumber me.

They started shooting faster. Fireballs, electricity bolts, wind blades and ice spikes came all so close to me but I dodged them even if they grazed past my skin leaving only inches of space in between.

The sound of all the chaos should have alerted the guards by now and the assassins know as well. I decide to taunt them to unhinge them and end this quickly.

"Even a group of you weaklings can't land a blow on me! The guards are on their way from the commotion you've made!"

I knew they would panic now and try to end the fight quickly. It was all coming together slowly.

"Come on now! There is no other way for you to beat me other than fighting me head-on!"

My mocking got to their head and they all jumped down from the top of rooftops revealing shadow figures in the mist. They all had cloaks that covered their entire body down to their legs. They surrounded me on all sides and as I suspected, there were ten people.

"Seems like you all had guts after all. Tell me who sent you and we can be done with this."

"Beat us and then find out." A brooding voice said from behind me.

"Come on, let's not start this," I laughed while loosening my grip. "Your families would not like a close casket funeral."

"Enough talk!" A young and squeaky voice shouted out. "Let's finish you here!"

I drop into my stance and conjure up an ice sword. "Bring it on then."