In the summer of the 418th year of the Armored Dragon King, the King of Asura passed away.
The announced cause of death was a sudden heart attack.
The entire kingdom, not yet recovered from the pain of the Fittoa mana calamity, now entered a traditional half-year of national mourning.
All trading activities across the streets of the Royal Capital were banned until past noon. Every noble entering the Silver Palace had to wear a white rose on their left chest if they were men, or a headband if they were women. All entertainment and partying were prohibited during this time. Anyone laughing loudly in public could be charged with treason. Additionally, there were many other strict regulations, with punishments determined by the severity of the violation.
For that reason, it seemed the entire Royal Capital was submerged in silence and gloom. Even at the Second Prince's mansion. Inside the three-story mansion, with an area large enough to make many short of breath just walking around it, was a room filled with magnificence, housing dozens of glass and ceramic items originating from the Begaritt Continent. The furniture was made from the finest wood from the Great Forest. At the end of the room, there was even a famous Magic Sword crafted by the renowned artisan Yulian Jalisco himself, along with a series of other treasures that could not be found anywhere else.
One could say this room was a work of art in itself.
Because the owner of this place, Prince Halfaus, was a connoisseur of treasures. Everyone knew how passionate the Second Prince was about history. Rumor had it that this man, just over twenty, even had a Superd trident hidden somewhere.
That alone showed how much Halfaus respected ancient artifacts.
And amidst that wealth and solemnity, ignoring all regulations, a man with shining gold teeth sat on an expensive animal-hide chair, his legs propped straight up on the table. That man was Klaus Zephyrus Greyrat, the notorious former pirate known as Goldtooth, but now the current head of the Zephyrus family in the south of the Asura Kingdom. Although he was now wearing the noble attire of a high aristocrat, his inherent slovenliness only made Klaus look like a massive stain in the middle of a room as luxurious as the Second Prince's parlor.
Witnessing that scene, even someone who knew nothing about antiques like Samir had to sigh.
"I don't think putting your feet up on a table worth a fortune is a good idea." The young man reminded him.
"It's only worth a few hundred Asura gold coins." Klaus smirked. "Besides, tools are born to be used, not to be displayed. Get it?"
But a tea table isn't for resting feet, is it? Samir rubbed his forehead, deciding not to say anything more in this instance.
"You should loosen up a bit, Samir." Now not just one, but both of Klaus's legs were on the table, and he leaned back comfortably. His head tilted back, looking straight up at the brown-skinned young man standing behind him. "Don't be stiff as a rock all day."
"I am in the mansion of a powerful prince of the richest nation in this world. And you tell me to be as comfortable as you?"
"Aren't you North God Style practitioners just a bunch of gutter rats anyway?" The gold-toothed man raised a hand to tap Samir's chest. "Did the North Emperor who looked down on everyone die the moment he stepped ashore? Act according to your title!"
"The only North Emperor I know is even more polite than I am-" Samir paused slightly as he suddenly remembered the face of that man with the strange hair. "Except when fighting, of course."
"That guy we met in Millis a while back, huh?" Klaus raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah." Samir nodded.
As their idle chatter continued, the door to the other room slowly opened. Both former pirates immediately looked in that direction.
Stepping into the room was a young man. His figure was slim, neat, and slightly shorter than average; his face looked quite childish even though he was past adolescence. But the outfit he wore was both elaborate and neat, perfect in every fold and stitch, making his appearance seem more mature. The white shirt, white trousers, and the outer cloak bearing the color of lilies looked truly radiant. Because of this, his long, loose blonde hair stood out even more; it was so smooth and glistening that it seemed to shine under the sunlight streaming through the window.
That was the Second Prince Halfaus, one of the brightest candidates in the race for the throne of Asura.
He looked truly beautiful; sometimes people even mistook him for a girl with that face and long hair.
However, accompanying that youthful beauty, Samir couldn't help but frown when he looked at the two maids accompanying the prince.
Old hag?
They were two women well into their years, probably at least fifty. Their skin was wrinkled, and their hair had turned silver. Samir had met a few other maids when he was led here; they were all elderly women. He had thought it was just a trick when hiring servants or something. Like, maybe old people would be more careful and meticulous? That way the house would be tidier and nicer.
But aren't the maids accompanying the master usually their lovers? And that was exactly what gave the young North Emperor a headache.
Samir knew that Asuran nobles, especially the Royal family and the Greyrat houses, were people with weird sexual fetishes. But sometimes there were cases that still baffled him.
Take this guy Klaus he had to protect, for example; this man nicknamed Goldtooth had a fetish for 'butts'. Sounds easy to understand, right? Just a beautiful girl with a round butt, and Klaus would love it and be ready to drag her to his bed.
But aside from that, this former pirate also liked to spank it until it was swollen. "That way it gets even bigger." That's what he said. And every time a girl spent the night with Klaus, she would have to spend some money seeing a healing mage to recover her butt.
That much Samir could accept. Because with pirates addicted to violence, living today and dying tomorrow, they were always stressed. Not everyone was absurdly strong like him.
But since coming to Asura and interacting with the nobility here, his eyes were clearly 'opened'. Too many new and bizarre things. And now this, a handsome and elegant prince, whose sexual preference is old ladies old enough to be his grandmother.
Samir now understood why the First Prince, who was only a few years older than Halfaus, already had eight children while the Second Prince still didn't have any.
Because how is an old lady over fifty supposed to give birth!
Although shocked inside, on the outside, he appeared as calm as a jar. His brown eyes just stared at that 'Prince Charming' approaching Klaus. The North Emperor watched every move and reaction of the host. He could see some dissatisfaction at the rudeness of the Zephyrus head.
Even so, like any other royal member of Asura, Halfaus concealed that emotion perfectly. Still with a smile on his lips, he nodded slightly as Klaus also began to stand up.
"Hello Uncle Klaus, I'm glad you took the time to visit me."
"I should be the one saying that, Your Highness."
The head of the Zephyrus house performed the Asuran greeting etiquette perfectly. Seeing that scene, Halfaus couldn't help but raise an eyebrow slightly for a split second. But then he quickly regained his usual friendly expression.
"No need for formalities, Uncle." The prince said, gesturing to the chair. "Let's sit."
"Thank you, my Prince." This time Klaus sat down more politely. And as soon as he was settled, Goldtooth suddenly became unusually serious. "Before we get down to business, I have something extremely serious to say."
"Oh, is something wrong?" Halfaus asked in surprise.
"Yes, this is an urgent matter." Klaus lifted his cold cup of tea. Then, he grinned broadly, revealing his blinding metal teeth. "The Prince's tea is unbelievably delicious! Ha ha ha!"
"Ha ha." Halfaus laughed along. "You really know how to joke, Uncle."
What a lame joke... Samir rolled his eyes. He didn't understand what was funny about that stunt. Or rather, he just didn't understand these nobles.
"But Uncle Klaus is right, this tea is actually quite nice and rare." Halfaus clasped his hands together while looking at the hot teapot on the table. "They are grown in the sunniest places possible in the Biheiril Kingdom in the northern part of the Central Continent. The cold of the north, the special soil of that kingdom, and the rare sunlight there created this elegant flavor."
"I see. The harsher the place, the better the quality it creates."
"Just like how the most beautiful pearls come from the very bottom of the ocean, right?" Halfaus tilted his head and smiled softly, closing his eyes as he said that. The prince's beautiful face looked truly serene.
"Exactly." Klaus nodded and adjusted his collar. "Well? Perhaps we should get to the main business?"
"Yes." Halfaus opened his eyes and directed his blue gaze at the person opposite him. "Given the current situation, I think you know that our position isn't too good, right?"
"Right, if nothing changes, in five months your older brother will ascend to the throne." Klaus scratched his stubbly chin as he said that. "He has four Electoral votes; that's already the majority."
Samir didn't care much for politics. To him, these things were too complicated for a swordsman. Usually, if there was a problem, he'd just grab his sword and let violence do the talk.
But for the goal he was aiming for, he really had to learn. And knowing more, he realized a few quite interesting things. Like how the throne of Asura is decided, which is through an election.
Unlike the republican nations in the Northern Central Continent or the city-states in the Begaritt Continent, elections in Asura are quite different.
Instead of through the people, the next king is decided by the Electors. It is a title given to the heads of the great noble houses and politicians with major roles in the Asuran government machinery.
Specifically, they have seven Electoral votes. Among them are the four heads of the Greyrat houses: Euros, Boreas, Notos, and Zephyrus. And to keep the decision of the kingdom's future completely in the hands of the Four Great Noble Families, the remaining three votes belong to the persons holding the roles of Prime Minister, Regent, and Chairman of the King's Council; they are the ones holding the clearest will of the contemporary nobility.
To some, that is a fair system. But to Samir's master, who constantly cursed the fact that a monarch is decided by vassals, it was truly a stupid thing.
And specifically with the current situation, where did Prince Grabell get four votes? That's one vote from the head of the Boreas house, Lord Sauros. One vote from the Chairman of the King's Council, Lord Darius. And two votes from the person who is both Prime Minister and Regent, Lord James. That is already a majority.
Meanwhile, on Halfaus's side, despite being supported by two great families, Zephyrus and Euros, he only got two votes. With such a situation, after the mourning period, Grabell would certainly take the throne.
"What about the Notos house?" Klaus asked. "I haven't had a chance to meet their current head so I don't know what he's like. But if he's Amarant's son, he must be a sensible person, right?"
"He he." Halfaus chuckled. "Are you joking, Uncle Klaus?"
"Ha ha ha! Do you even have to ask?"
Truly, noble jokes never failed to make Samir shake his head in weariness.
Anyway, even Samir didn't know what Halfaus's faction could do to change the situation now. According to speculation, the King should have lived a few more years. By then, with the plan Klaus had set out, they would have been able to gradually regain the position for the Second Prince. But now the King had passed away, too suddenly, and the entire plan that should have lasted for years now had less than five months to be executed.
Thinking of that, Samir could only sigh in his heart. It seemed his dream would not come true.
But somehow, every time he looked back at Klaus sitting there laughing nonchalantly, Samir felt that things might not be as simple as he was seeing.
And just as he predicted, Klaus, known as the demon of the sea, suddenly flashed a truly ghostly smile.
"Anyway, I didn't come here today to tell you the bad news." His thumb scratched his nose as he said that. Sometimes this weird comfortableness appeared, and that was exactly when Samir knew Klaus was being his most serious. "I came to tell you that I have found a way to change the situation at hand."
"Oh?" Halfaus raised an eyebrow, his smile widening a bit. "But I can't say I'm surprised, because you always have plans, Uncle. It's not for nothing that I have so many treasures like this."
The Second Prince cast his eyes toward the magic sword hanging at the end of the room. Its exquisite lines were truly respectable. It was hard to believe that it had been hidden in Milishion, kept away from the world just because it was created by a Demon Race. But thanks to Klaus, it was now right in Halfaus's guest room.
It was also thanks to that that the Second Prince himself had intervened in the internal affairs of the Zephyrus house, persuading the elders to invite a criminal like Klaus back. It could be said that besides being distant relatives and having dissimilar goals, they shared a common ideology on how to operate.
The truth is, most of Halfaus's treasure is from robbing, stealing and many other methods of foul play. As long as he can get what he wants, he doesn't mind letting his hand get dirty sometimes.
That was also why a prince as pretty as a girl was a natural ally to the rugged man sitting in front of him.
Thinking of that, Halfaus couldn't help but smile brightly.
"So what are we going to rob this time, Uncle?"
On the other side, opposite him, Klaus bared his shining gold teeth before declaring eloquently:
"We are going to steal Fittoa."