Welcome to the Party

CG Chapter 74: Welcome to the Party

The kingdom of Danloor, where trees rose high above the clouds, boasting of the largest forest among the seven kingdoms; a forest so large that only a few people would dare to venture into it.

Adventurers feared what might happen if they angered the animals that lived there, but what they feared, even more, was the wrath of the shaman, who was known for her eccentric nature.

This kingdom currently hosted one of the most important events on the continent: the ascension ceremony and the coronation of the next grand knight and king.

People from all around the world were coming together to honor the invitation of the Attrio family.

After their long journey, Tom finally arrived at the front gates of Attrio's royal mansion. The Attrio family welcomed its guests with open arms; after all, those who were invited were people of the highest status: princes from royal families, holy people of the churches, and powerful knights.

Words wouldn't do the mansion justice. The mansion was extremely large, with high ceilings. Most things inside of it were made from Danloorian wood and crafted by the greatest architects of Valoria.

From miles away, you could see the top of a tree. This tree was the Attrio ancestral tree, with roots deep underground and reaching above the mansion.

…

"The people of Danloor are usually friendly, but you should be careful not to enter any restricted areas, especially during this time, as any small incident would turn into a serious issue that even I can't save you from."

"You will find a lot of interesting people around here; make sure to enjoy yourself. I will meet you at the after-party once I and the other princes pass the crown."

Alexander warned Tom in a half-joking manner before leaving for an unknown place.

Hearing Alexander's words, Tom held back his laugh.

Unfortunately for him, Tom had other plans that would require him to sneak into said restricted areas, but first, he needed to find Alfred, and from there, he wanted to see what was so secretive about the ascension ceremony.

Walking through the crowds of guests on the first floor, Tom was looking for the familiar figure of his butler.

As he searched, his senses suddenly went off; he felt the subtle movements of a woman who was approaching him. In a normal situation, Tom would have evaded the woman, but as he sensed no ill will from her, and not noticing any hidden weapons, Tom decided to play along.

Once their bodies neared each other, the woman only said one sentence before leaving; it felt as if she didn't want anyone to notice their interaction.

"The shaman sends her greetings; she asks you to be careful of who to trust."

If anyone other than Tom had heard those words, they wouldn't have been able to move from shock; they might even have stopped in their place. However, knowing that if he did that, he would become the spotlight of the crowd, Tom kept moving as if nothing had just happened, while he examined the woman with a side-eye.

The woman wore a red dress with iron roots covering her body. Upon closer examination, he noticed that those roots had thorns coming out of them. Finally, his eyes fell on the hairpiece that completed her attire; she had a dagger that was engraved with two characters.

Fortunately for him, Tom had stumbled upon some books in the library that explained some of these characters. As he compared these two characters with his understanding, Tom found out that the first character was that for 'Third'. But even after giving it his all, he couldn't decipher the second one, no matter how hard he tried.

'She must have been a member of the Thorn Sisterhood. Although, I would have to say, they didn't need to warn me since I don't trust anyone in the first place. For now, I need to know why and how the shaman knew of my existence.'

'Hmm, it seems that I need to make a visit to the Horror of the Forest once I finish my job here.' After a while of thinking, he added a new destination to his journey.

Tom knew that he was currently inside a tiger's den, yet his emotions were far from fear. Instead, he felt excited, and more than that, he felt bloodthirsty. He wanted to start a bloodbath; he wanted to make the grand wooden walls of the mansion get covered in royal blood.

However, he told himself one thing: it wasn't the right time just yet. Those of the royal families wanted to play games against him, but who knows who will devour whom once everything is set.

For Tom, everything could wait, as long as that meant that his final plan for this world succeeds.

'The gears are moving, and the chess piece will soon become a player, my friends.'

Just when he was smiling to himself while thinking that, he saw the figure of the person he had been searching for.

"Alfred," he called out.

Hearing this voice, Alfred's head turned quickly. "Ma… Master, you look good." Those were the only words Alfred could speak. Alfred smiled while his eyes became watery, and his heart began to beat quickly at the sight of his lord. He saw this person grow from a little bratty child into a man who could attend the most important gatherings while holding his head high.

As Alfred walked to his lord's side, he was surprised to hear Tom speak in a serious tone.

He held Alfred's hands, examining his body as he said while smiling, "Everything will depend on you from here on out, the meal you are going to make is the most important one in your life. You should prepare yourself."

With that, the trend set itself: the princes and the kings on one side; Tom and Alfred on the other.