YM778.TV Chapter 464 - The Retaliation
Chapter 464: The Retaliation
In the garden of the royal palace in the royal city.
King Landhar III was strolling in the garden with his brows furrowed. His eyes were twinkling, and no one knew what he was thinking about.
“Your Majesty, looking at your furrowed brows, what makes you so worried?”
At that moment, a pair of gentle hands were placed on King Landhar III’s shoulders, and a soft female voice sounded. King Landhar III turned his head and saw the face of a woman who looked to be in her twenties. The woman’s face was well-maintained without a single wrinkle. Her hair was tied up high, and two strands of curly hair stuck to the sides of her cheeks, making her look a little charming.
Coupled with her almond-shaped eyes and long eyelashes, her every move moved people’s hearts.
The woman was wearing a luxurious long dress with fine pearls hanging from the hem and cuffs. They swayed as she walked, revealing her curvy figure at a glance.
“Isabella, you know what I’m worried about? It’s Watson.” King Landhar III sighed.
The woman beside him was none other than his queen, Isabella.
As the queen of the kingdom, Isabella gave birth to three princes and a princess. She was only in her early 30s and could give birth to more children. No matter who became the king in the future, she would be the king’s mother.
Well, that was in the past. The situation had changed. When King Landhar III organized the competition at the Royal Academy and announced that the victor would inherit the right to the throne, some people made noise about it. Would Watson be the one to inherit the throne?
Such voices were still relatively low in the kingdom, but Isabella could not turn a blind eye to them. She had already sent people to investigate Watson, ready to find out if Watson had violated the rules. It would be best to find that so Watson could be deprived of his right to inherit the throne. So, it was a good thing that King Landhar III sent Watson to prison.
Isabella rolled her eyes and said, “Your Majesty, even though Watson is the strongest genius in the kingdom, it would not be good if he doesn’t listen to us. I think he is too proud. If he did something that made you angry, you should punish him severely! A jade would need to be polished. Watson would only grow if he removed his pride.”
“That makes sense.”
King Landhar III glanced at Isabella, and a profound look flashed in his eyes. “I wonder if you have any good ideas on how to punish Watson.”
Isabella’s face lit up, and she subconsciously wanted to tell the King to remove Watson’s right to inherit the throne. However, she knew the King well. He would not like anyone manipulating him, so she changed her words. “Well, Your Majesty, that is up to you. I wouldn’t dare to suggest so recklessly.”
“Isabella, you are the person I love the most in this world. It’s okay to make suggestions. Your advice is how I can become a better king.”
King Landhar III reached out and poked Isabella’s nose. The coldness in his eyes disappeared.
“Your Majesty, you sure can joke.” Isabella smiled and took King Landhar III’s hand. She began to talk about other things as if nothing had happened. Soon, the two of them passed by a flowerbed in the garden. That flowerbed was different from other places because there was a huge tombstone in front of it.
When they arrived at the tombstone, King Landhar III stopped in his tracks with a nostalgic look on his face. “Isabella, do you still remember?” This is my eldest brother Lagrand’s tombstone. If it weren’t for him, I would not have been able to break through the palace and replace my father as the new king. It’s a pity that my eldest brother was injured by my father’s subordinates. Even if I hired the best healer in the kingdom, he wasn’t able to cure him. What a pity! Isabella, since we’re here, let’s bow to our eldest brother. Sometimes I think how good it would have been if I was the one who died.”
“Your Majesty, Prince Lagrand was the person who loved you the most. I can understand the pain in your heart, but he can’t come back now. He is already dead. Your Majesty, don’t be overly sad. I think Prince Lagrand would not be happy to know that you’re sad because of him.”
“I understand the logic, but I still can’t help but be sad! Isabella, you should head back first. I want to stay here and be quiet. ”
“Very well, Your Majesty.”
Isabella looked like she wanted to say something, but she hesitated. After seeing the sorrowful expression on the face of King Landhar III, she held back what she wanted to say. She bowed and turned to leave.
After she left, the sadness on the face of King Landhar III suddenly disappeared. He became cold and reached out to touch the tombstone, muttering to himself, “I’m sorry, Eldest Brother. You helped me back then. I should have let you live. Unfortunately, you saw something that you should not have seen, so I could not let you live, no matter what! After all, what you saw—Father has been replaced by me. No one can know about it.”
Whoosh.
While he was muttering, a sound came from behind King Landhar III. A man covered in wounds and muscles slowly walked out.
“The work of the Dragon Knights has been completed?”
Without turning his head, King Landhar III knew who the person was.
“It’s all done. By the way, King Landhar III, you really know how to order people around. Don’t forget that my true identity is Baldur, the God of Light, one of the kingdom’s seven gods. I’ve only occupied the body of the person named Julius. You can’t treat me as one of the Dragon Knights!”
“I know, but I can’t do anything about it. It’s your fault for possessing a body that requires a certain level of strength. Those with strength will naturally have a high status in my kingdom. If you don’t put in some effort to play their identity, it will arouse the suspicion of others. You don’t want that either, right?”
“Very well.”
“The progress of the Dragon Knights is faster than I expected. Is the quality this year that good?”
“No, King Landhar III, you are overthinking it. The performance of the Dragon Knights was not bad, but that was only about 10 percent of all the Dragon Knights. There is still a lot of room for training. The reason I can come back here so quickly is that there are many such people. I have already given the task to the others. Under their supervision, the Dragon Knights can train slowly.”
“What about Watson’s mount, Sebastian?” King Landhar III turned around and looked directly at the man in front of him, who looked exactly like Julius, but his eyes were filled with light. He was a man full of dignity and reverence.
“That dragon is very powerful. It’s not strange that Watson has that thing. If I’m not wrong, that dragon is at the peak of the diamond tier, no weaker than an ordinary Dragon King, and has the strength to rival a starlight-tier existence. If I can’t use this body to exert my full combat strength, I may not be able to defeat him.”
“So powerful? Does that mean that even if I wish for you to possess the body of that dragon, you might not be able to do it?” King Landhar III stroked his chin and frowned.
“At first, I intended to use that dragon as a vessel for you. After all, there is nothing in this world that is more powerful than the body of a dragon and can withstand the power of the gods! If we could have a dragon’s body, it would be much easier to subdue Watson.”
“King Landhar III, are you serious? According to my observation, you don’t seem to be very concerned about capturing Watson. Other than Sidi, the other two gods could not even cross over for a short period due to the damage to their bodies. At that time, I was the only one who had descended. Before the other gods descend, I can’t make a move against Watson. Are you planning to stall for time until we are no match for Watson?”
“Of course not, Baldur. You’ve misunderstood! The reason I did not attack Watson is that I don’t have a suitable body for you. The fact that I threw Watson into prison is the best proof. Don’t worry. I will prepare a body for you on time. In fact, we already have a second body. We are just waiting to take you there for inspection.”
“Is that so? I don’t know where that body is, but one of our companions is already waiting impatiently.”
“It’s in the Campbell family. I’ll take you there in a moment. But before that, I have one more thing to tell you, and that is about the underground prison where Watson is. If you have the time, please keep watch over it. Don’t let Watson run out at will. Even if Watson runs out, you have to tell me wherever he goes.”
“Don’t worry, King Landhar III. We are more concerned about Watson than you are. Even if you don’t say so, I will still keep an eye on Watson! Since he is already in prison, it will be very difficult for Watson to come out now. It will be a good opportunity for him to expend more energy in the prison, and it will be easier for us to capture him.”
…
In prison…
“Young Master Watson, do you feel that this strength is okay?”
The warden stood in the prison cell and gently massaged Watson’s shoulders. Behind the warden stood a few guards who were also looking at Watson with eager eyes. They looked like they wanted to give Watson a massage, but they were not on the top of the list.
“I feel okay.”
Watson sat on the soft sofa and enjoyed the warden’s service. Other than the warden massaging his shoulders, there were two other people standing in the distance, fanning him. At that moment, he changed his posture. Immediately, someone walked to his side and placed a pillow under him.
Half an hour ago, those people were still quite arrogant. In a short period, their attitudes had utterly changed. The reason was very simple. It was not because Watson had given them a bribe; it was because of the additional shackles on their necks.
“Young Master Watson, if you are satisfied, can you remove the shackles from our necks?”
The warden was drenched in sweat as he asked Watson fawningly.
There was a thin layer of shackle around his neck, sticking close to his skin. It was very similar to the restraint made from the anti-magic materials that had secured Watson previously. The shackles on his neck were different from the traditional anti-magic materials. The shackles were slowly wriggling as if they were alive. They kept contracting and expanding. Every time they contracted, the warden would break out in a cold sweat and find it difficult to breathe.
As prison staff, they were more or less wearing shackles. Those things had just been given life by Watson, turning into magical beasts that covered their bodies. If Watson willed it, they would die, so they had no choice but to obey Watson’s orders.
“When I leave the prison, I will remove them for you.”
“Young Master Watson, that is too long!” the warden exclaimed.
“Why? Do you have a problem with it?”
“No, no.”
They had no choice but to lower their heads. Even if the warden felt aggrieved, he could only endure it. He did not know when King Landhar III would release Watson. If the young man were locked up there for decades, would it not mean that they would have to live in fear for decades?
“Don’t worry. I’m a man of my word. Since I said that I would help you untie your shackles when I leave the prison, I will definitely do it! By the way, let me remind you that the shackles I created are of magic. Even if you want to go out and ask others for help, you won’t be able to unlock them. I’m the only one who can unlock them.”
Watson’s words dispelled many of their thoughts.
“Next, I’ll continue chatting with that old gentleman. If you have nothing else to do, then leave. Don’t forget to prepare fruits and steaks for tonight. Oh, right! I’ll also drink the sun and moon fruit wine from the Holy Dragon Tavern.”
“Yes, Young Master Watson. We’ll definitely do as you say.”
The warden even had the heart to curse him. The sun and moon fruit wine from the Holy Dragon Tavern was worth 1,000 gold coins. His annual salary was only a few hundred gold coins. That was killing him. Unfortunately, his life was in the hands of others, and he could not resist. He could only respectfully agree and leave Watson’s cell with his subordinates.
Paul and another guard followed him out. Before they left, the two guards nodded gratefully at Watson. They had been found out about the bribery, and the warden had almost killed them. Fortunately, with Watson’s help, not only were they safe, but they were the only two guards who were not shackled.
After all the prison staff left, Watson turned to look at the man who called himself King Landhar II and who was sitting not far from him.
“Sir, you look a little dirty. Do you mind if I help you clean your body? ”
“Of course not.”
The old king nodded. Watson immediately stretched out his right hand and cast a water-elemental spell. The water washed over the old king’s body, disintegrating the sludge on his body; soon, his clothes became clean, and even his brown hair became pure white.
It seemed like the old king’s hair was brown because there was too much dirt on it.
Then Watson moved his finger again, and a sharp wind blade appeared in the air. In an instant, it whistled across the old king’s face, cutting off his thick hair and beard, revealing his deep and ancient face.
Raising his hand to touch his face, the old king smacked his lips. “Little Brother, are you a mage? To be able to control your magic to such an extent means that you don’t look like an ordinary mage. May I know who your master is?”
“I have two masters. The one responsible for teaching me magic is Master Antonio.
“The Astrologer? It’s no wonder you are so skilled. It turns out that you have a master who has taught you well. What about your other master? You said that you have two masters. I want to know who is qualified to be your master besides Antonio.
“My second master is Reid.”
“Reid? Sword Saint Reid?”
The old king’s eyes could not help but widen. After receiving Watson’s affirmative answer, he sighed. “I should have thought of it. Only he has the qualifications to be on the same level as Antonio! I can’t believe that in the blink of an eye, 20 years have passed, and they have nurtured the kingdom’s strongest genius. I also don’t know what had happened in the outside world during those 20 years. What has the kingdom become?”
“If you want to know that, won’t you know when you have the opportunity to leave the prison and take a look?” Watson said with a sigh of relief.
“Little Brother, do you think that we still have a chance to leave this place? Well, you might have a chance, but I’m not so sure about me.” The old king sighed and revealed a sorrowful expression, looking pitiful.
Unfortunately, Watson was unmoved by that. Instead, he curled his lips and said, “As long as you can give me enough information, I can get you out and give you the power to take your revenge on King Landhar III. However, your information should satisfy me. You said that King Landhar III had an elder brother. How did he disappear?”
Watson did not let down his guard. He had already determined that the old king was a ruthless person. He was probably no less ruthless than King Landhar III, but at that moment, the old king looked like a miserable old man. Perhaps he was just putting on an act. No matter what the other party’s intentions were, he just had to carry out his plan.
After hearing Watson’s words, the miserable expression on the old king’s face disappeared, and he laughed. “You’re right. There is no free lunch in this world. Before asking for help from others, we have to pay the price. That is the rule.”
Just as Watson had guessed, the series of actions that King Landhar II had done before was to seek Watson’s help. His original plan was to dig a hole to connect to the next cell and escape.
He had prepared that plan for a long time. King Landhar III made a rule that no one should open the door to see him. There were even rumors outside that he was a demon, and that was the cage that bound him and also facilitated his escape. Since no one entered his cell, no one would find the hole he dug.
He would have been able to leave the room in a few more years. At that time, he heard the voice of the new prisoner in the next cell—Watson. That made him decide to talk to Watson and see if he could get information from the outside world; he told Watson that he was the second prisoner to move into the next cell. It was not true. In fact, there were many prisoners in the cell before Watson.
Some of those prisoners were sent by King Landhar III to test whether he was still alive, and some were criminals who had committed heinous crimes. They were deliberately sent to that cell to be put to death to stimulate his mind.
No matter what kind of prisoners they were, the old king did not try to deal with them. At that time, it was the first time in more than 20 years that he had taken the initiative to talk to Watson. It was not because Watson had a natural affinity; it was because he could take advantage of him. A 12 or 13-year-old child genius had been thrown into prison by King Landhar III. The old man was not convinced that he could use his power to escape.
That was what he had originally thought. However, after King Landhar III went there to interrogate Watson, his thoughts had changed. The old man knew his son better than anyone else. King Landhar III had been so angry at Watson that he almost vomited blood. Then, King Landhar III left with just one harsh word. If Watson had not been of great use, King Landhar III could not have done that.
Watson’s use was so great that even the King had to give in to him. Such a genius far exceeded the old king’s expectations, forcing him to change his plan. The plan to use Watson to escape from prison was changed to make Watson sympathize with him and become his companion.
Unfortunately, after Watson said those words, he felt like it was unlikely to be realized. Watson’s strength was far beyond his expectations; even his intelligence was like that of an intelligent adult. Watson was like an old fox.
“Let’s continue with the story about Lagrand. In fact, Lagrand’s story is very simple! At that point, Lagrand helped Frier because he thought Frier had already taken control of the situation. Even if he resisted, he would not have a chance. Furthermore, he had a good relationship with Frier. It would be better to help him. If Frier won the throne, he might spare Legrand because of their relationship. Unfortunately, there was a problem with his idea.”
“That was a good idea. What was wrong with it?”
Watson was a little puzzled. If he could survive, surrendering to the enemy to accumulate strength was a good method. Was King Landhar III too suspicious and did not want to believe his brother?
“The problem with that idea was that he thought that after he helped Frier, Frier would let him go, and he did not use that as a condition to make a deal with Frier! In fact, when Frier besieged the palace, he had already sent assassins to capture me. He had replaced me with a substitute on the throne. From the beginning, his siege of the palace was an act. He wanted to see who was on my side and who was on his.”
Hiss.
Watson could not help but suck in a breath of cold air. After fighting with King Landhar III for so long, he had always felt like that king was an unfathomable and capable person. However, after hearing about King Landhar III’s past, he understood that he had underestimated him.
He had used a fake king for an act, pretended that they could not attack the palace, and forced the King’s men to come to their rescue—that plan was not something that an ordinary person could imagine.
“Lagrand died because he thought that Frier needed his help, so he led his troops to attack the palace. In the end, he discovered that the palace was not what he had imagined. It was all Frier’s men, and the King was also a fake! Because he found out Frier’s secret, he was silenced. Am I right?” Watson said after he collected his thoughts.
The old king looked at him in surprise and nodded. “You’re right. It seems like you have a talent in power and tactics! The most important thing for a king is to always hold on to other people’s secrets and not show his trump card to others. That is just like a sword master always pointing his sword at the outside. After Frier succeeded in usurping the throne, he pushed all the blame onto Lagrand. He said that Lagrand wanted to usurp the throne, Lagrand wanted to kill me, and he did not stop all of that because he was late.”
“What a wicked person.” Watson sighed. He could think of that scene and even imagine that Frier must have prepared a scapegoat before Lagrand. Lagrand had only accidentally barged into his plans, and he was a better tool.
He felt cold when he thought about King Landhar III’s plans that he had seen through the Book of Wisdom.
“Little Brother, I’ve already told you my story. That should be enough to pay you for saving me! Next is my personal request. You’ve just heard my story, but I know nothing about the current kingdom. I wonder if you can tell me about it. ”
“I’m sorry, I can’t.”
Watson shook his head. His words made the old king’s eyes dim. At that moment, he said, “King Landhar II, I just said you should go out and take a look yourself. I wonder if you have any thoughts of leaving the prison?”
“You want to take me out?” The old king’s eyes lit up. He saw with his own eyes that Watson had made everyone in prison, from the warden to the ordinary guards, submit to him with just a single move. He did not doubt that Watson would be able to take him away.
“I won’t be the one to take you away, but you will be the one to leave. I won’t leave, and I don’t think I will be able to leave either. King Landhar III must have set up an inescapable net outside the prison. As soon as I leave, he will know! King Landhar III replaced his father and performed a grand play. I wonder what effect it will have on him if I perform the same play now?”
“What do you mean?” The old king’s eyes lit up.
“I want to get you out and create a fake person in the next cell.”
Watson waved his hand, and the mural on the wall fell off again, squirming and turning into a person like the old king. Whether it was his frail appearance or the deep wrinkles on his face, they were all exactly the same.
“Why would you do that? King Landhar III will not let you off so easily if your actions are discovered.”
If Watson was a simple genius with a mind like a child, he might have done that because he was moved by his previous words and pitied him. However, he was not sure.
“You will know why I let you go when you leave this place. After you leave, you should go to the Sword Saint’s courtyard to find my two masters. They will tell you everything!” Watson crossed his arms behind his head. He got up from the sofa and came before the old king. He whispered into his ear. “As a reward for the secrets you have just told me, I will tell you one thing. This is the reason I must go against King Landhar III! I once eavesdropped on King Landhar III’s plan. His plan is…”
After telling the old king what he knew about King Landhar III’s plan, the old king’s mouth subconsciously opened wide. Then, he said, “As expected of Frier. After so many years, he is still the same. He hasn’t changed at all! Little brother, no, I should call you Watson now. Since we have the same goal, as long as you get me out, I’m willing to go to the Sword Saint’s courtyard to meet your two masters and help you.”
“Then it’s a deal.”
Watson reached out and held the old king’s hand. The moment his hand touched the old king’s, a huge teleportation magical array suddenly appeared under the old king’s feet and instantly teleported him away.
There were many anti-magic materials in the underground prison. It was not easy to release magic there, let alone long-distance teleportation magic. However, those were not a problem for Watson. After teleporting the old king Away, he returned to the sofa and sat down. He looked at the fake old king and pretended to talk to him.
“I did not expect that the person who lives next to me is King Landhar II? Originally, I had prepared a lot to deal with King Landhar III. However, with the addition of the old king, I have greater confidence in overthrowing King Landhar III. If the previous king can stand up and denounce King Landhar III for his crimes, with my power, perhaps I can replace King Landhar III in a legitimate manner. It is time for me to start a formal counterattack.”
Outside the prison, a beam of light from a teleportation spell lit up. The old king’s body appeared in an alley.
Taking a deep breath of the air outside, the old king looked at the familiar yet unfamiliar streets around him and revealed a cold expression. “I’m finally out. That young man just told me something incredible. Should I tell Frier about it? That young man seemed to have misunderstood something. Even though Frier locked me in prison and deprived me of my rights, treating me like I’m not a human, I did not blame him. Rather, it’s more like the opposite. As a king, I’m very satisfied that I can do that.”
He had tried to dig a tunnel for twenty years. No matter who found out about that for the first time, they would probably think he was running away to take revenge on his son, but he did not think so. He wanted to go out because he wanted to see what kind of kingdom his son, who had won the throne, had created after locking him up.
“No matter what my son has done, the kingdom belongs to the royal bloodline. In the future, it will also belong to another King Landhar. I won’t allow that to change! Forget about that young man. I did not expect that Antonio and Reid, who have always protected the kingdom, would betray us. Perhaps more people will betray the kingdom. I will go to the Sword Saint’s courtyard to see how many people have betrayed the kingdom. Then, I will tell Frier about this matter.”
After making up his mind, the old king walked toward the direction of the Sword Saint’s courtyard.
What he did not know was that a pair of eyes in the sky was staring at him while he was making his move. It was Baldur, who looked like Julius, and he was on his dragon.
“Baldur, you have to be focused when you fly the dragon. I feel that you are absent-minded. Did you find anything? As the leader of the Dragon Knights, it’s easy for others to find flaws in your absent-mindedness. Others will also criticize my decision to appoint you as the leader.”
“I understand,” Baldur replied.
He was preparing to go to the Campbell family to receive another body suitable for another god. In the end, he saw an aura of magic from the prison. An old man had left the prison. It did not look like Watson, so he did not report it to King Landhar III since it had nothing to do with Watson.
As the two of them conversed, the Purple Lightning Dragon quickly landed in the courtyard where the Campbell family was located.
“Is that a Dragon Knight’s dragon, and is that His Majesty on the dragon’s back?”
“Quick! Inform the family head!”
A few maids were cleaning the courtyard. When they felt the strong wind pressure from the sky and a huge shadow, they could not help but raise their heads and see a dragon with two people on its back. The maids were surprised. One of them rushed to the mansion to call Armand.
“Your Majesty, I did not know you’re coming here. I’m sorry that I was not here to welcome you.” In a short while, Armand rushed out with his family members. He hurried to the front of King Landhar III, knelt on one knee, and bowed his head.
“It’s okay. I did not inform you in advance. It’s my fault. I came here today to see how Augustus is doing. I haven’t seen him for two days since the Dragon Knight recruitment process! Although he could not participate because of an accident, and I sent people to treat him afterward, I still feel uneasy because I don’t know if he has recovered or not.”
“Your Majesty is too kind. My grandson, Augustus, has been staying in his room for the past few days. He wouldn’t see anyone; even his parents and I have been refused entry. I wonder if he would want to see Your Majesty?”
“It doesn’t matter. We’ll have to try then.”
“Your Majesty, you are right. I’ll lead the way.”
Armand nodded, stood up, and then led King Landhar III into the mansion. During that process, his face had darkened. It was all Watson’s fault that Augustus had become like that. Augustus could have become a member of the Dragon Knights, but because of Watson, he had lost his qualification. Furthermore, after laying eggs for an entire day, he became the laughingstock of many noblemen in the kingdom.
Augustus and Nia used to be known as the Twin Prides of Ice and Fire in the royal city and had the great name of the Flame Consul. However, his nickname had become the idiot who laid eggs. Perhaps because of that nickname, he locked himself in the room after he returned to his room. According to the maid, there was a faint sound of hysteria coming from the room.
‘It’s all Watson’s fault that my grandson became like this. Why didn’t Watson die? I heard that he stayed in the Dragon Clan for a period of time and was sent to prison by His Majesty after he returned. I really hope that His Majesty can find out that he colluded with the Dragon Clan and send him to the guillotine.’
Armand thought maliciously in his heart. Augustus had made a fool of himself in the Dragon Knight recruitment process, and Watson had created a potion that satisfied the Dragon Clan. In addition, the Abedor family, which had obtained Watson’s platinum-tier formula, had become famous in the capital. They had even begun to develop the Blessings of the Gods and Demons after His Majesty had given them some water from the Spring of Life. That had allowed the potion-making trade to flourish in the capital. On the other hand, the Campbell family, which produced magical tools, had been suppressed.
Many worries flashed through his mind. Armand had not had a good time in the past few days. He raised his head casually and found himself in front of Augustus’ room in the mansion.
“Your Majesty, this is Augustus’ room.”
“I understand.” King Landhar III nodded. He came to the door and knocked. “Augustus? I’ve come to see you.”
After a short silence, the door opened under the surprised gazes of Armand and many members of the Campbell family. King Landhar III walked in; Armand and the others wanted to enter as well, but someone said, “Only His Majesty can come in; no one else is allowed to enter.”.
King Landhar III walked into the room and looked around. Then, his gaze fell on Augustus, who was sitting on a pile of tables, chairs, and ruins of a bed. At that moment, Augustus still had a big hole in his chest that connected to his lower abdomen, but he did not seem to care at all. He waved at King Landhar III and spoke in a feminine voice.
“Mortal King, you came in time. I just entered this body, and you came.”
“It’s what I should do. I wonder how you feel about this body?” After the door behind him closed, King Landhar III stood in the shadow and smiled. Then he raised his head, and his voice became low.
“Lady Gaia, goddess of the earth, protector of my kingdom!”