《King 67》 Prologue: Evil King In a land far to the east, and a land far to the west. In a land far to the south, and a land far to the north. There lived a good and kind king. He provided his people with food, houses and prosperity. He kept other kingdoms from invading his. This was the 67th king of the kingdom. Let us call him king 67. King 67 always looked out for his servants and respected his wives. His people hailed him as a hero, as a saint, as a god. He never showed off, and was humble and polite towards his elders. There would always be a smile on that handsome face of his, wooing the women in the kingdom. He had everything and was everything. Yet he has never truly smiled in his life. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. What causes people to laugh, to cry, to rage, and to fear? King 67 never understood emotions. Is the urge in your privates, telling you to rush to the toilet an emotion? No. Is the pain you feel when you bite your tongues an emotion? Probably not. All he feels is ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- He always smiles. Just arrange your face this way, and others will forgive you. Arrange your face that way, and she will fall in love with you. In this world, there is no need for emotions, as long as you are smart enough. The seas do not move him, the volcanoes do not trigger him, the wind does not sway him. He controls them. Only when a king does not feel emotions, can he be a good king. But in that case, is he a king? Only when the kingdom is burned to the ground, when his wives abandon him, when children cry, when the dead rise, when the demons laugh, when the grass die, when the clouds weep, when the sun dims, when the blades dance, when the blood stabs, when the war reaches his kingdom, does he become a true king. And he laughs. Ah, what an evil king. Chapter 1: Stitching of the Soul The harsh sun beat down hardly on the stone pavement. King 67 walked into the bustling streets of a town. The houses were weirdly shaped: they were extremely short, so short that even the king, who was not particularly tall (171cm) could hit his head on the ceiling when he stood upright. The people there were extremely short as well: the tallest person there was approximately 160cm. King 67 towered over everyone, just as he had in his own kingdom. I haven¡¯t been to this part of the region in a while, the watermelons here were quite good. It would be good for me to fill my stomach as well. Indeed, the soil was fertile here, which made it good for growing plants. He looked up, and right in front of him was a fruit stand, filled with fruits of all sorts¡ªincluding juicy, luscious watermelons. He picked one up with a single hand. ¡°Y- Yes sir¡­what would you like to buy?¡± King 67 looked up at the storholder, a man who could hardly reach his chest. He casted furtive glances around, and was sweating buckets. Ah I see. He¡¯s scared of me. Ok, put down the watermelon, lift up your eyebrows, close your eyes as you smile¡­ ¡°Ah, I just wanted to buy a watermelon. How much is¡­ ah!¡± He was lifted up in the air. ¡°Where you come from?¡± he heard a voice boom behind him. That broken English, that accent¡­sigh¡­ It was one of Osworl, the tribe that had conquered King 67¡¯s kingdom. This land, knowing that they were no match for them, quickly surrendered themselves, and were now a colony of them. King 67 had tried his best not to make himself noticeable, but that was quite impossible with his height. In any case, the Osworl was much larger than him, standing at a height of 189cm, with thick muscles all around his body. They were physically stronger than all the tribes combined, so of course King 67¡¯s kingdom was defeated by him. Oh yeah, King 67 was basically in enemy territory. ¡°I asked you question! Can you answer? You idiot!¡± ¡°Wait! He¡¯s my son!¡± A feeble old voice sounded out. ¡°What?¡± What? An old woman wobbled out of the crowd and tried to pull the king down. ¡°You sure?¡± The Osworl asked, dumbfoundedly. ¡°He too tall.¡± ¡°Shut up! Put him down!¡± The Osworl reluctantly put king 67 down. The old woman, seeming satisfied, held out her hand. Wait, does she really think I''m her son? ¡°Come on now, my baby, hold my hand, let¡¯s go home.¡± Two hands, old and young, clasped together. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ What a stark contrast to the rest of the town. The old woman¡¯s house was much higher than the rest of the hut houses and was made of bricks. King 67 had been brought to her house after the harrowing experience with the Osworl, where there were many guards stationed around. So she¡¯s the village chief, no wonder that Osworl had to listen to her. I¡¯ll have to leave as soon as possible though. Just as he was about to leave, a guard seized him with a firm grip. Before he could resist, he was forcibly escorted to the shower room. There, they swiftly drenched him with water, lathered him with soap, and then dried him with a soft towel. When he emerged, he felt cleaner than he had in days. ¡°My, my baby looks so handsome! Come on over, it¡¯s time for your violin lesson!¡± the old woman chuckled as she pulled King 67 towards the music room. The old woman¡¯s grip was unusually strong, and before he realised what was happening, he was quickly dragged into another room. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. The music room, dimly lit by flickering torches, was filled with the rich scent of aged wood. Rows of violins hung on the stone walls, with a grand violin hung in the middle of the room, its strings waiting for the touch of a skilled hand. The old woman promptly sat him down and asked him to play a piece for her. King 67 lowered an eyebrow, flashed an apologetic smile and said, ¡°Sorry, I don¡¯t know how to play the violin.¡± As a prince, he had been taught to play numerous instruments, yet his kingdom had never possessed a violin. Though a quick learner, he had never even acquainted himself with the notes on a violin¡¯s strings, nor the keys that produced each sound. ¡°Nonsense! You recently learnt how to play ¡°Rhapsody of the Witches¡± did you not? It¡¯s our favourite song!¡± the old woman refuted with a smile plastered on her face. ¡°The score is right in front of you! Come, I¡¯ll play with you!¡± Indeed, the score was right in front of him, the only problem was¡­ I don¡¯t get it. What should I do? For the first time since the Osworl conquered his kingdom, King 67 was at a loss for what to do. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a child''s drawing on the wall. It depicted which note corresponded to which sound. Taking a deep breath, King 67 began right reading. The information from the drawing and score computed in his brain, intertwined and combined seamlessly, flowing into a melody. The melody drifted into the elderly woman¡¯s ears as she played, the tune lifting the corners of her mouth into a rare smile. But suddenly, she faltered, her brow furrowing in frustration. ¡°I keep forgetting how to play this part. Could you show me the sco¡ª¡± Before she could finish, a maid¡¯s voice rang out from the doorway. ¡°Chief, it¡¯s time for your bath!¡± The woman¡¯s expression twisted in displeasure, but she slowly shuffled out, begrudgingly complying. What a miracle, luckily, I somehow managed to play the song. The maid turned to King 67 with a respectful bow. ¡°Sir, may I escort you to your room?¡± King 67 rose and followed her in silence. Halfway down the corridor, the maid suddenly halted, her voice urgent. ¡°Sir, please, you must leave as quickly as possible. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The raindrops cascaded from the sky. Sewing, sewing, sewing. Stitching, stitching, stitching. Mending the gap between heaven and earth. King 67 packed the last of his belongings into his bag, the conversation with the maid still fresh in his mind: ¡°Sir, you must leave immediately.¡± King 67 stared at her, stunned. The maid¡¯s face was etched with concern as she continued, talking at a fast pace,¡°The chief¡¯s son died a year ago from an allergic reaction. He had always been allergic to peanuts, but the chef didn¡¯t notice that one had fallen into his meal er...her eyesight isn¡¯t what it used to be. It was a terrible accident, and she hasn¡¯t forgiven herself. Grief and guilt have been eating at her ever since. She¡¯s not sleeping well, and she refuses to let our guards stand outside her room¡ªshe says they¡¯ll block her son from coming in. She¡¯s becoming forgetful, and lately¡­ she¡¯s even started mistaking others for hil. We¡¯re secretly searching for a new chief. Please, you must leave before she gets worse.¡± I see. ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll leave as soon as possible.¡± Creak¡­ King 67 eased the door open, moving as quietly as he could. His footsteps barely made a sound as he tiptoed down the hallway. But then, amid the sound of raindrops, he heard a groan from another room. Though he wanted to leave quickly, something in him¡ªhis gut, perhaps¡ªurged him toward that sound. Creak¡­ He couldn''t ignore it. He stepped into the room. There, the chief was tossing and turning in her sleep, murmuring words he couldn¡¯t quite make out. King 67 leaned in closer, trying to catch them. Suddenly, her eyes snapped open, and King 67 nearly stumbled backward in shock. She sat up, hot tears streaming down her face. ¡°Oh, my baby. Have you come to take me with you?¡± she sobbed, clutching his hand. Time seemed to stop. King 67¡¯s heart throbbed in his chest harder than ever. His instincts pressed at him, urging him to say one thing, one line, one sentence. ¡°No. I¡¯ve come to forgive you.¡± Sewing, sewing, sewing. Stitching, stitching, stitching. Let me stitch up that heart of yours. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª The rain had stopped, and sunlight streamed into the house. King 67 rose, gathered his things, and started downstairs. Just as he reached the door, the chief called out to him. ¡°Baby, why don¡¯t you listen to me play the violin before you eat breakfast? I finally remembered how to play that part!¡± Before he could protest, she picked up her violin and began playing. The music floated through the air, but all he could focus on was her smile. It wasn¡¯t fake anymore. When the music ended, the room filled with applause. The chief smiled again. ¡°Baby, why don¡¯t you play with me this time?¡± King 67 smiled politely, his voice steady. ¡°No. I quit violin lessons. Thanks for the stay.¡± Without another word, he closed the door behind him and stepped out. What a disappointment. I still haven¡¯t figured out why I laughed that day. Oh and... Why did I fall asleep next to the chief last night? And so, King 67 carried on his journey, still searching for the reason behind his laughter on that fiery night. Chapter 2: A Turbulent Journey A lone man in humble black attire walked through the grassy fields. Before him laid a road. This man was about to die. He held tightly to a bag of gold, trudging ever so slowly towards a seemingly unreachable destination. ¡°Wat¡­er.¡± The man trudged forward, in the barren land, mumbling under his breath his greatest desire. And there it was, in front of him, a large glass capsule encompassing water and food inside. The man scrambled forward like a mouse attracted to cheese, and held the capsule as though it were an ancient treasure. Suddenly, the capsule opened. He hastily grabbed the many bottles of water and chunks of food, and started chugging them down. Never have they tasted so good in his life. The water was placed in weird plastic squares, yet could be easily drunk, and the food, which seemed to be put in cylinder pieces of steel, could easily be opened after some fidgeting with it. Could this have been a gift from the heavens? A little thing caught his attention. Such a serene face, long eyelashes, black hair¡­ Inside the capsule lay a boy. The man picked him up carefully. Heaven''s message had been conveyed to him. He, King 66, would raise this child. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A single man in a long light blue robe walked through the barren path. Before him laid a road. This man was King 67. After exiting the previous village, he had sold his jewellery for some coins, which he kept in a small bag by his side, and had changed into an ordinary blue robe. His goal right now? Exit the territory of the Osworl. When he had been escaping his kingdom, the entrance to the road beyond the Osworl¡¯s territory was blocked off, so he had to use a special escape route that led him into enemy territory. Now, he had to circle back by sea. Reaching the pier, he carefully evaded every Osworl in sight and went towards the boats. Ah¡­ ¡°Only for Osworl.¡± ¡°Only for Osworl.¡± ¡°Only for Osworl.¡± He was basically ineligible to get on any ship. Except¡­ ¡°Hello.¡± ¡°Screw off, we don¡¯t ferry people.¡± The girl shooed him off. In the corner of the pier was a small peculiar boat that did not have any sign attached to it. It had worn out ornaments and looked like it could have been used to carry royalty in the past. However, it is now worn out and looks as if it could collapse. However, something¨Chis gut maybe, told King 67 that this ship would not sink. A girl was outside getting it ready. ¡°I have money. 3 gold coins to Malon.¡± King 67 held up his bag of gold coins. 3 gold coins was a hefty price, worthy of a decent house. The girl''s eyes shone, but she composed herself and¡­ ¡°Humph! No way, we¡¯re in a rush!¡± Rejected again¡­ The woman in front of him had rejected him not once but twice. Being a previous king, King 67 was obviously not used to this. Just as King 67 was about to make the next step in his plan, a voice came from inside the ship: ¡°Why not let him come with us? We¡¯re going in the same direction anyway.¡± He was a tall young man, around the same age as King 67, with eyes that sparkled like the blue sea despite being black, and hair that radiated like the sun aspire being brown. Extending his hand, he smiled dazzlingly and introduced himself, ¡°Welcome, I am Edward Whilk.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª The woman whom King 67 had first met, Selene, was a young teenage woman with brown hair standing at a height of 161 cm tall and was 50 kg. She sat beside King 67. The man standing beside Edward was Conradin, a much older yet muscular man standing at a height of 177 cm tall and was 64kg. He carried a sword Lastly, Edward, the man who had invited King 67 up the ship was a tall man with a regal face standing at 180cm tall and was 79kg. King 67 had a good eye for discerning people¡¯s physical traits. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Who are you people?¡± King 67 asked the most obvious question. ¡°I do not ask you your business for travelling to Malon, why you are taller than the average person here but shorter than the Osworl, nor why you have such an enormous sum of money. Is it not appropriate for you not to pry into our business as well?¡± King 67 sighed. Didn''t those conditions pertain to the curious crew before him too? It had been thirty minutes since the ship set off. They sat there in awkward silence while Edward flipped through his book. Such a journey would take days, yet there was not a single bedroom in sight. The interior was ornamented with lavish red carpets and beautiful furniture. Truly fit for the royal. That unsettled King 67. Edward is of royal blood for sure, but of which Kingdom? But that was none of his concern. Well after I land in Malon, I should head straight to Sinhala, where I can settle peacefully, maybe even start a family. Sinhala also seems unlikely to get conquered by the Osworl... At this point, King 67 realised something. The journey to Malon would take days, yet there was not a single bedroom in sight. King 67 finally asked, ¡°Where are the be-¡° ¡°We have arrived,¡± Conradin announced. What? It¡¯s been two hours since we set sail. Yet without a mistake, they were at the port of Malon. Unable to ask a single question before he was pushed off, King 67 left in a daze. Never mind¡­what¡¯s important right now is that I buy something to eat¡­come to think of it, they sort of ripped me off that ride¡­ Reaching for his wallet, he realised that 3 gold coins were not all he had lost. Ahh¡­ My bag of coins are gone. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ¡°They¡¯re gone¡­¡± King 67 was, visibly, somewhat bothered. That money could have lasted me an entire lifetime. How do I get it back? Think¡­ They said they were going in the same direction as I was¡­ meaning that it has to be somewhere in the north. If it¡¯s in the North¡­ Babylaind? If they want to repair that worn out ship, that¡¯d be the place to go. Malon, despite being a marine base, lacked good engineers and repairers. They got a nearby village, Babylaind, to help them maintain their fleet. This was largely because of¡­ The Third Great War that took place five years ago. Being a large marine base, Malon was an important area for enemies to attack¡­and it had not recovered from the attacks since then. Lacking financial stability, the land fell into much debt, with its only source of hope being its great geographical location and their fleet of ships. The problem is how I¡¯m going to get a ship¡­I can¡¯t do so without money. Getting a job would take too long. In that case, there¡¯s only one way: rob. ¡­and there¡¯s my target. A boatman was securing his boat to the land with his two assistants, and quickly got off. King 67 follows him all the way back to his house. There, the boatman ate his dinner with his wife and infant son, then retreated to his room. He has a family¡­ good. I was worried I¡¯d have to hurt someone. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C The morning light illuminated the dark alleyway by just a little. King 67 stood in front of the man menacingly. Widen your posture¡­ block the light from outside as much as possible¡­ look down on him. Chin up. Now lower your chin. Relax your face. Now glare. ¡°Give me a ride on your boat.¡± The man, who was on his knees, was still trying to keep some of his dignity as a boatman. ¡°Hahah¡­ just kill me¡­ I don¡¯t give beggars a ride. That¡¯s my pride as a boat¡­¡± King 67 waved the short sword he had had when he escaped the kingdom in his hand. ¡­ ¡°I won¡¯t kill you. I will tear down your house. I will kill your wife. I will kill your infant son.¡± King 67 hated doing this. It definitely was not morally right. But he had to. ¡°Y¡­yes.¡± King 67 had earned himself a ride. Looking at the boatman cowering in fear, King 67 felt no sense of superiority. I will have to punish myself for this later on. Ah¡­I forgot to answer him. ¡°P-please¡­ let me guide you to the boat.¡± The boatman cowered, avoiding King 67¡¯s gaze. After all, King 67¡¯s eyes were his strongest spears, and the boatman¡¯s eyes were his biggest shield. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The seawater waved, dancing with the wind, rocking the boat back and forth. The boatman sat there in silence, eyes wide, heavily. Standing at the deck was King 67, twirling around his short sword in his hands. It had been two days since they set sail. Surprisingly, there had not been any problems during their voyage. Managing the matters around the boat were two young twin assistants, one with red hair and one with green hair, who were scurrying back and forth on the little boat. The wind was deafening, yet the silence on the boat was even more so. Finally¡­ ¡°W-we¡¯re here.¡± They reached Babylaind. King 67 walked off the boat quietly, while the boatman almost stumbled out of it. ¡°If you tell anyone about our adventure¡­¡± With a knife, King 67 threatened the boatman. Unable to take it any longer, the boatman fell to the ground, drool dripping from his mouth. The two apprentices supported him carefully, while simultaneously glaring at King 67. King 67 had, over the course of two days, used a wide range of psychological tactics to make sure that the boatman would not tell anyone. The two assistants were not a problem. At this point, the boatman would do anything in his power to stop the two assistants from reporting this incident. Even if they did somehow report to the authorities, the authorities would not be able to cross the borders of Malon to chase King 67 anyway. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª The boat sailed off into the distance. Finally, King 67 sat down, looked at his only weapon one last time, and threw it into the ocean. He needed to punish himself. After all, a king, even a former one, has to be strict with himself. It''s time to enter Babylaind. Chapter 3: VS Edward Babylaind was confusing, to say the least. Roads stretched into other roads, and buildings linked to other buildings. It was messy yet orderly, chaotic yet well planned. The whole city seemed to contradict itself. There were skyscrapers in one area, and workshops in the next. Yet, everything seemed to come together so seamlessly and effortlessly to bring about more convenience for the residents there. The transportation system was nothing short of amazing as well. They had beautifully paved roads for carriages powered by coal, which went into tunnel after tunnel. These tunnels allowed the carriages to pass through mountains and rivers. The genius architect of the city had propelled it from a rural town to a town with the highest form of technology in a mere 40 years. Trying to find the group of travellers was a nearly impossible task. ¡°50 boat repairmen¡­only 20 available¡­guess I have to track them down one by one.¡± Looking at the billboard, King 67 sighed. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª The group of travellers were in neither of the workshops. Where could they be¡­could it be that they were never here in the first place? The sun was setting, and King 67 reluctantly decided to retire for the day. Without any money, King 67 could only eat the rations he had gotten from the boat and sat down in the corner of the street. ¡°You¡¯re a new one?¡± An old beggar crawled up to him and asked. He had a long, smelly beard, and eyes small as beads. His clothes looked like rags, and he had a large conspicuous smile plastered on his face. ¡°What happened? Wife left you with your child? Business failed? Invested in the wrong stocks?¡± The old man seemed very interested in King 67. ¡°I¡¯m not a beggar. I¡¯m just staying here¡­for the night.¡± ¡°I see. Well, remember to get food from the architect tomorrow morning!¡± The old man cast him a knowing glance. Food, huh? That would be good. And King 67 slept on the hard, wet ground, with only his light blue coat as a cushion. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A new day had arrived. King 67 was awoken by the noisy footsteps of the various beggars. Their crazed eyes yearned for food, and food they shall get, as they clambered towards the castle. ¡°Wake up young man! Or else the food will run out! Not that that has ever happened.¡± The old man shook King 67. King 67, who was accustomed to waking up quickly, got ready in less than a minute, and walked towards the castle. The castle was pure white, its walls glistening with gold. It had a unique round structure, and had guards stationed in every corner of the castle. In the middle of the yard, there stood a robed man, giving out food to the beggars. Surprisingly, the previously chaotic crowd of beggars had formed a neat queue of a hundred or so people. The queue moved with great efficiency, and before he knew it, King 67 was already halfway to the front of the line. And there he saw her. Selene, sitting on the ground eyeing the beggars, her long brown hair dancing with the wind. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A slash, and King 67 ducked. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª ¡°Give me my money back.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Aiming for Edward¡¯s legs, King 67 charged forward. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª ¡°Oh, what is this? You¡¯re here again?¡± Edward greeted with an amiable smile. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Edward simply kicked King 67¡¯s dagger away, and with a flip of his hand, swung his sword down on King 67. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª ¡°Then why not settle this with an honourable duel? If you win, I¡¯ll give you your money back.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Rolling out of harm¡¯s way, King 67 took up his dagger, which had lodged itself in the ground. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª ¡°If you lose, there is no penalty. Deal?¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Giving King 67 no chance to attack, Edward charged forward with his sword. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª ¡°If you do not accept this duel, you simply will not get your money back. You cannot attack me anyway, if you do, the guards will see this as a fight without honour, and will stop it immediately. They do not tolerate any violence that isn¡¯t a duel.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª King 67 barely managed to dodge the long blow, and aimed for Edward¡¯s stomach. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª ¡°Choose your weapon. I recommend a short sword.¡± Edward pointed towards the rack of weapons. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Edward dodged the blow and swung his sword down once again on King 67. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª ¡°A dagger? A short sword would be better, but I shall respect your decision. I shall use my own sword, since swords are of course, only meant for the noble.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Doing a quick spin, King 67 just barely changed the sword¡¯s trajectory with his dagger in time. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª ¡°Shall we start?¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª However, King 67 also lost his grip on his dagger. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª ¡°Absolutely, you fake prince,¡± King 67 said calmly. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Edward used this prime opportunity to pin King 67 down with his foot and pointed his sword''s tip down King 67¡¯s throat. ¡°What did you mean when you called me a fake prince?¡± Edward asked, his voice menacing. ¡°Your language. It¡¯s all wrong. You try to imitate a prince¡¯s way of speaking. That is not how royalty speaks.¡± King 67 replied, unfazed. ¡°And you claim to know how royalty speak?¡± Conradin and Selene watched the fight with bated breath. ¡°Yes.¡± Edward scrunched up his face and retracted his sword. ¡°I cannot allow such dishonour. I will defeat you with my full force.¡± ¡°Glitch: Sword of God.¡± ¡­ No way. This is bad. This is unimaginably bad. This is crazily bad. This is absurdly bad. This is unreasonably bad. This is astronomically bad. This is unbelievably bad. This is incomprehensibly bad. This is catastrophically bad. This is mind-bogglingly bad. This is ridiculously bad. This is horrendously bad. This is outrageously bad. This is unfathomably bad. As though reacting to the glitch, King 67 stood up with his dagger. Edward swung a perfect blow. King 67, who was overcome with instinct, overcome with the feeling in his gut, overcome with everything in the world, swung his dagger. And blood flew. King 67 tumbled to the ground, a sword cut on his nose. Conradin stood in front of Edward with a cracked short sword. ¡°Why did you interfere?¡± Edward asked. ¡°You would have died.¡± Conradin replied, out of breath. ¡°In any case,¡± the edges of Edward¡¯s lips curled upwards. ¡°I desire this man." Interlude: Im Coming A red haired boy stood on the boat deck, the wind caressing his hair. His twin brother, with green hair, sat on the seat, gripping a bag of coins firmly, looking at the land they were leaving. ¡°Ruicheng, don¡¯t you think this is a bit too serious?¡± He asked. ¡°Mister Kang may be in recovery¡­but the doctor says he¡¯ll be ok soon!¡± ¡°That¡¯s certainly good news, Ruixin. However¡­¡± the red haired boy said, still looking at the vast sea in front of him. ¡°A boatman never ferries a criminal. It¡¯s our pride! Mister Kang has broken that rule, and he¡¯s not well right now, so it¡¯s up to us to take revenge!¡± Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. The green haired boy, Ruixin, was stunned into silence and turned to look at the sea waves worriedly. ¡°Sssshhhhhh¡­.¡± The sea seemed to be silencing the boys. ¡°Sssshhhhhh¡­¡± ¡°Sssshhhhhh¡­¡± ¡°Glitch: Godspeed.¡± The red haired boy, Ruicheng, had a steely gaze in his eyes. For honour. Chapter 4: Questions The ceiling was made of wood. There was one bright candle shining on the bedside table. King 67 sat up groggily and was instantly attacked by a headache. Waves of pain fired through his head, increasing with intensity but easing a few seconds after, over and over again. With much difficulty, King 67 sat up, his back against the pillows. His vision started to clear as his headache eased, and in front of him sat¡­ ¡°I see that you are awake. You have been sleeping for two days, in case you have not noticed. You are inside a hotel within the kingd-Ah, is that headache of yours gone?¡± It was Edward, the man who had knocked King 67 down in the first place. Edward sat on a wooden chair, facing King 67 with a smile on his face. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you were staring at me while I was asleep.¡± ¡°Ha, of course not! Rest assured that I was just reading my book!¡± Edward assured King 67, pointing towards his book on the bedside table. ¡°Now that you have awoken though¡­I am sure you have many questions! Feel free to ask me anything!¡± Of course King 67 had questions. In fact, King 67 had already organised his thoughts into four questions. ¡°Alright then. Who are you? You seem to be clearly a prince, yet when I get to know you, you seem less and less like one.¡± King 67 asked his most pressing question. Edward¡¯s smile faded off his face. ¡°I am of royal blood. I can guarantee that. However, I am an illegitimate child.¡± ¡°An illegitimate child of whom?¡± ¡°Of the king of the Osworl, of course!¡± Of course? ¡°If so, then who do you have brown hair and black eyes? Osworls are supposed to have orange hair.¡± ¡°I used dye for my hair. They were quite difficult to get, but I had to blend in as much as I could, didn¡¯t I?¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Pardon my rudeness, but you seem a bit short for an Osworl, no?¡± King 67 pressed. The average height for an Osworl is 190cm, but Edward is only around 180cm. ¡°I was malnourished as a child.¡± ¡­ ¡­ ¡°Allow me to move on to my second question then. Where is my money?¡± King 67 broke the silence. ¡°In my room.¡± ¡°I suppose you will not give it back to me, then?¡± ¡°Of course not. You lost the duel remember? No one would dare disobey the rules of a duel.¡± Oh yes¡­ the duel¡­ ¡°That brings me to my third question.¡± King 67 said seriously. Eagerly, Edward leaned forward. ¡°Why can you use glitch? You are not one of the nine jokers right?¡± ¡°Well, forgive me for answering a question with a question, but how much do you know about glitch?¡± King 67 shrugged. ¡°Not much, just that they can use magic at their own free will, but they would need to say the name for their glitch to activate it.¡± ¡°I see. Allow me to explain.¡± Edward leaned back in his seat. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°Magic is not the right term to describe glitch, more like...a special ability. Me, the nine jokers, we have all attained the power of glitch by coming to terms with ourselves?¡± ¡°Coming to terms with¡­?¡± ¡°It means accepting yourself and finding out what you stand for. It is much harder than people think.¡± Edward explained. ¡°Once you have completed this criteria, a voice will explain the glitch to you and how it works. Let¡¯s call the owner of this voice X, since I have no idea who he is. Mine is ¡°Sword of God¡± which allows my skill with a sword to go up by 200 percent. You see¡­¡± Edward leaned in close to King 67 again, pointing at his nose. ¡°The only reason you survived is because I let you.¡± King 67 flinched instinctively and grabbed his nose. It was then that he realised Edward had inflicted a scar upon his nose. It was a straight line from his left cheek to his right, passing through his nose bridge. ¡°Technically there are only nine registered glitch users, called the nine jokers. I am not one of them. But I am sure you are well aware of that.¡± Edward continued with a smile on his face. ¡°Oh, and Sword of God has a weakness, it can only be activated for five minutes.¡± King 67 was surprised at the amount of information Edward was providing him. ¡°Would it not be unfavourable to you that you showed your glitch in front of so many people in your duel against me?¡± King 67 refuted. ¡°It matters not. Should they want to add me as the tenth joker, by all means, let them.¡± Silence filled the room again. ¡°Alright, here is my fourth question-¡± ¡°Allow me to interrupt,¡± Edward stopped King 67. ¡°First¡­what is your name?¡± Fortunately, King 67 already had an alias ready. ¡°My name is Tom.¡± ¡°What an ordinary name.¡± An ordinary name indeed-just what King 67 needed. ¡°Now,¡± King 67 continued, ¡°What is your goal? It must be important considering the fact that you had to steal my lifetime¡¯s worth of money.¡± ¡°Ah, a good question indeed. My goal¡­¡± Edward paused for dramatic effect, pointing his index finger at his face. ¡°Is to kill the King of the Osworl. And you¡­¡± Edward pointed at King 67. ¡°Shall help me in this goal if you want your money back.¡± King 67 was stunned for a moment. ¡°Did you perhaps give up on getting the money back?¡± Edward asked. ¡°As long as you aid me in this journey, I will return your money back to you by the end of it. I swear upon my honour as a prince.¡± ¡°Why do you even need my assistance? I would not be of much help.¡± Upon hearing this, Edward chuckled, ¡°That is because you are special.¡± Special? I was careful not to let slip anything about me, and I should have just looked like a confused person. I am quite sure I copied the facial expressions and even the body language correctly. Wait¡­no, I am being too hung up on this. There is nothing that could have led him to realise I am a king. ¡°We will be travelling to each of the three Kingdoms to prepare to overthrow the Osworl.¡± Edward pressed. ¡­ ¡°Fine, I accept.¡± ¡°That is simply wonderful!¡± Edward beamed. ¡°I will explain my plan to you, but before that, there is one thing you have to do.¡± ¡°I am sure you know that we need to fix our transportation, which is quite worn out. However, only the architect can fix this as we use a very complicated system called an ¡°engine¡±.¡± ¡°E¡­gin?¡± ¡°No, engine. E-N-G-I-N-E.¡± ¡°And you see, the architect charges quite a lot for his services. So we might have to use your money.¡± King 67¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Listen. There is something you can do. There is one rule the architect will never break¡ªhis motto, and everyone in this city knows it: Defeat the architect in a duel, and he will do anything for you, for free!¡± ¡°And so¡­ fight him with me, if you want your money back.¡± This¡­ is really bad. After all, the architect is one of the nine jokers. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª ¡°So what did you think of him?¡± Selene asked Edward as she handed him his coat. ¡°I like him! He is extremely interesting.¡± ¡°Really? I don¡¯t see anything special in him though.¡± ¡°No, no, no, that is where you are wrong, Selene. He is quite suspicious.¡± ¡°Well of course he¡¯s suspicious, isn¡¯t he? We don¡¯t even know where he came from!¡± ¡°That is not what I mean.¡± Edward walked towards his room. ¡°Throughout my whole interaction with him, his voice, body language, facial expressions, they were all of a confused and worried person. However, his eyes....they were never of a confused, worried or even scared person. It seemed¡­blank. I have yet to meet another human being like that. Furthermore, when I mentioned that he was ¡°special¡±, he tensed up. Most importantly¡­¡± ¡°He has the same voice as the person who explained Sword of God to me¡­X.¡± Chapter 5: The Fear of an Ant Babylaind was a majestic city, but its stadium was twice as magnificent. It was half black, and half white, with an astounding number of seats for the audience, seated around the battlefield ten meters above the ground. Outside the stadium there were food stalls and food courts for dining, and even a small amusement park for children. This was where King 67 and Edward¡¯s duel with the Architect was supposed to take place. It had been five days of resting for King 67 since he woke up, yet all preparations were complete. A duel between the architect was a must-see for many of its citizens, and as King 67 and Edward stood outside the stadium, many citizens were already inside the venue, clambering for their seats. A duel of this magnitude should take at least seven days to prepare, so Edward had already signed up for this duel before I had even woken up?Was he that sure that I would agree to his conditions? That bold fake prince¡­ At the entrance of the stadium, there was a large banner, painted just days before the event. ¡°WITNESS THE MIGHT OF THE ARCHITECT: ARCHITECT FACES OFF AGAINST EDWARD It said. ¡°Well, are you ready? Or are you still silently shivering with fear. Worry not, you only need to provide backup for me.¡± Edward laughed. Disgruntled, King 67 held caressed the dagger at his waist and nodded. The dagger was the one he had used for his duel with Edward. It had fitted him quite well, so King 67 decided to keep it. In the days leading up to the duel, King 67 had noticed something. Edward could have just used the money he stole to pay the Architect straight away, eliminating the need to have a duel, meaning that Edward wanted to use the money against him. In other words, Edward wanted to use it to pressure King 67 to join him. That meant that no matter what, Edward would protect him and try to win the duel himself. Yet to cover up this goal, he decided to let me join the duel. Or maybe it was just for backup. In any case, I do not have any reason to worry. Just as King 67 and Edward were about to enter the stadium, they heard a shout behind them. ¡°Brother!¡± A short old beggar ran up to them. It was the beggar King 67 had met on his first day in Babylaind. He wheezed as he stopped in front of King 67. ¡°Huff¡­Brother¡­I finally found you. What the hell are you thinking!¡± Agitated, the old beggar shouted. Edward was about to intervene when King 67 held him back. ¡°What is the matter?¡± ¡°You¡­you went and challenged that guy next to you just a week before, fainted, then now you¡¯re here with him to challenge the architect? Are you stupid? I almost fainted when I saw the competitor¡¯s list!¡± King 67 immediately tried to explain, but the beggar cut him off. ¡°The architect is impossible to defeat! Do you not see the scale of this duel? Hundreds- no thousands of people gather here to see him fight? Why do you think so? Cuz no one dares to challenge him, and so no one has witnessed his powers for the last five years!¡± ¡°But I¡¯ve seen him fight back when I was young. Be careful! His glitch is basically to control anything he can understand. Do you understand how¡­ how incredible that is? He¡¯s crazy! He can use floor tiles to attack¡­ or, or to take water from a cup to pierce you! Even if dueling forbids killing¡­yall are still sure to¡­¡± ¡°Based on what I know, the only way to beat him is to attack first, but you would have to be fast and your weapon would have to be powerful as well! You¡¯d need the power of a god! Edward smirked. ¡°Thank you, your information has been quite valuable.¡± Edward bowed to the beggar. Well that was convenient. ¡°Come let¡¯s go.¡± Edward urged, and King 67 followed him inside the stadium. ¡°No¡­don¡¯t go¡­¡± the beggar cried. And then, while casually striking his bag of gold, a cheekily grin formed on his face, below that thick moustache of his. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. ¡°You are planning to attack the Architect first using Sword of God, right? But what if he activates his God¡¯s plan first?¡± King 67 inquired while Edward put on his brass armor. They were in the preparation shed, getting ready for the duel that was to start in a few minutes. The shed was not very large, but it had fine furnishing and a comfortable sofa, and had clearly been cleaned beforehand. ¡°I will simply swing my sword before the Architect can even finish saying ¡°God¡¯s plan¡±. It all comes down to a matter of speed. I'' shall slash his leg before he can even begin to react. You have no idea¡­¡± Edward explained with a steely gaze in his eyes, ¡°The sheer number of hours I have practiced for a moment such as this.¡± King 67 could see within Edward¡¯s determined eyes that he was not lying. He meant to finish the duel in less than a second. ¡°On the other hand, if my plan fails, you will strike him with your dagger. If he is distracted with me, you should be able to succeed.. Yes¡­¡± the image of King 67 striking him with his dagger a mere week ago surfaced in Edward¡¯s mind. ¡°LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! THE EVENT WILL BE STARTING NOW!¡± ¡°We should get up,¡± said King 67 as he caressed his dagger. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡ª----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "LET US ALL RISE AND SING THE NATIONAL ANTHEM OF BABYLAIND!" The voice boomed, its power echoing through the stadium, as thousands of people shuffled to their feet, filling the air with anticipation. ¡°From the sky to the land to the forest to the seas¡­¡± ¡°We march onwards¡­towards glory¡­¡± ¡°With this song we pledge to fight for our land, with courage and pride in our hearts¡­¡± ¡°We are one¡­¡± And claps filled the tense air of the stadium. ¡°AND WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, LET US INTRODUCE¡­FROM THE WHITE GATE¡­OUR CHALLENGERS!¡± A barrage of boos were hurled against King 67 and Edward as they stepped out of the white gate. Edward was covered from top to bottom in brass armor, his hair swaying in the wind. King 67 had his simple light blue coat on, holding his dagger with his right hand and donning an apathetic look on his face. ¡°NOW! THE MAN YOU HAVE ALL COME HERE TO SEE! THE MAN WHO ELEVATED OUR KINGDOM TO GREATNESS IN A SPAN OF A MERE FORTY YEARS, OUR SAVIOUR! LET US WELCOME¡­FROM THE BLACK GATE¡­THE ARCHITECT!¡± The crowd erupted in cheers, screaming even louder than when King 67 and Edward entered the stadium. The architect, a man clad in a golden robe, entered the stadium from the white gate. He took off his hood, and revealed a regal face partially covered by a great white moustache. He had a bloated stomach, but had an otherwise average build. His bald head reelected the light from the sun above, making him seem somewhat godly, yet oddly clownish as well. ¡°FIGHTERS, MOVE TO THE CENTRE OF THE BATTLEFIELD AND SHAKE YOUR HANDS AS A SIGN OF RESPECT!¡± Moving to the centre of the stage, Edward shook the hand of the architect, followed by King 67. The Architect¡¯s fingers are a little swollen¡­ ¡°THE CHALLENGERS'' GOAL IS CLEAR: TO GET THE ARCHITECT TO FIX THEIR TRANSPORTATION! WHEN EDWARD REALIZED HE COULDN''T AFFORD THE PRICE, HE ISSUED A CHALLENGE TO THE ARCHITECT IN THE CASTLE¡ªA DUEL TO SETTLE THIS MATTER! THIS WILL BE A TWO-ON-ONE BATTLE, WITH EDWARD AND HIS SUBORDINATE, TOM, FACING OFF AGAINST THE ARCHITECT!¡± The crowd jeered. Among the jeers, King 67 could make out the words ¡°stingy¡± ¡°fools¡± and perhaps some profanities as well. ¡°THE CONDITION FOR WINNING IS TO GET YOUR OPPONENT TO SURRENDER OR TO FAINT. KILLING IS NOT ALLOWED!¡± ¡°NOW!¡± ¡°MAY THE FIGHTERS TURN AND FACE AWAY, SUCH THAT THEIR BACKS ARE TO THEIR OPPONENT!¡± King 67 and Edward turned around, followed by the Architect. ¡°LET THE BATTLE¡­COMMENCE!¡± In a moment, a moment less than a second, all three fighters moved. King 67 brandished his dagger. ¡°Sword of God!¡± In a flash, Edward sped forward, so fast that King 67 could feel the wind rushing beside his ear. The Architect simply turned around. Reaching the Architect, Edward gritted his teeth and slashed straight at his legs, and blood spurted out of the Architect¡¯s leg. Wait¡­isn''t that what¡¯s supposed to happen? So for what reason, with what purpose, was Edward crumbling on the floor? Is he acting to lower the Architect¡¯s guard? No. A pile of rubble lay next to Edward, as he squirmed in pain. The architect had controlled a part of the ground to rise up and strike Edward straight in the stomach. King 67 digested this fact in less than a second and instantly switched to problem solving mode. Should I go help Edward? No, I¡¯ll get hit. Quick! Before the Architect takes his gaze off Edward, before he focuses on me, I must act! NOW! King 67 practically flew forward in desperation, his feet moving instinctively. The Architect had not yet reacted! He would make it in time! King 67 swung his dagger down towards the Architect¡¯s shoulder- ¡°Clank!¡± His dagger fell to the ground. The architect had not attacked King 67. If King 67 had swung his dagger down upon the Architect in that moment, he would have won. The pain from the wound would be too great and the Architect would have to surrender. But his sword had not reached the Architect. It had simply¡­fallen out of his hand. His leg shaking, King 67 crumbled to the ground. Large amounts of cold sweat trickled slowly down his forehead, as if they were terrified of the man before King 67. The architect turned his head slowly, almost in slow motion. King 67¡¯s heart beat profusely over and over. The Architect¡¯s bald head reflected a godly light onto King 67. I see. The architect smiled. He smiled, showing his yellow teeth. He smiled so happily, so widely, that his eyes could barely be seen through his eyelids. He seemed to be mocking Edward, who had fallen for his plan from the very beginning, and King 67, whose spirit gave out before he could land the decisive hit. I see now. I am an ant, so don¡¯t hurt me. I am an ant, so don¡¯t look at me. I am an ant, so don¡¯t notice me. And at that moment, the emotionless King 67 felt true fear for the first time. Chapter 6: The Architect The Architect¡¯s POV: Fools¡­ All of you are fools. I hold you all in the palm of my hand. Everyone who lives on this land. I am¡­a god. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ¡°AMAZING! THE ARCHITECT HAS FORCED HIS CHALLENGERS TO THEIR KNEES! AS EXPECTED OF THE SAVIOUR OF OUR LAND!¡± The crowd roared as I walked towards my opponents. Two small insects: one with the power of glitch, the other with a simple dagger. Did they really believe they could defeat me, the saviour of this land? ¡°Finish them!¡± ¡°I love you!¡± The crowd screamed for me. "Hahahahaha¡­hehehehehe." I couldn¡¯t help but laugh. The man in the light blue coat¡­what was his name? John? Thomas? Ah, Tom. Look at him! He¡¯s shivering! You see that drool flowing from his mouth? He¡¯s scared of me! After all, I¡¯m a superior existence! Tremble in fear! For you are all my subjects. The man with the large sword¡­Edward. What a presumptuous name. You think just because you have such a grandiose name, you are a prince? Don¡¯t make me laugh. With your weak attack based glitch you think you can beat me? My glitch allows me to control anything as long as I understand it! If I know what materials it¡¯s made of, I can use it! Not only is your glitch too straightforward and useless, you have no brains! Choosing to trust a money-hungry beggar? What a halfwit! You have the brain of an infant. Thinking you can just charge at me like that and catch me by surprise? I¡¯ve been ready from the start you idiot! It was all part of my plan! I paid him to feed you that information, to do you in! You don¡¯t even deserve the honour of knowing about my plan. I walked up to Edward, and placed my feet on his face. ¡°You lose. Surrender.¡± ¡°H¡­how? You didn¡¯t even activate your glitch. How¡­did you¡­¡± That fool still didn¡¯t understand. ¡°Wait. Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Don¡¯t tell me you thought I had to activate my glitch the moment the battle starts?¡± I leaned in close to his face, happier than ever. ¡°My glitch has a ten hour time limit! I activated it an hour before the match!¡± The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. How desperate you must look right now. Do you taste in, Edward? The metallic taste of fear? It¡¯s so wonderful isn¡¯t it? But why did Edward have to activate it just as the duel starts? A glitch¡¯s time limit is at least five minutes long. The voice told me that before. Especially if he had intended to defeat me in an instant. ¡­ Oh¡­ I get it! Hahahah¡­what a weak glitch you have. ¡°You¡­your glitch has a condition doesn¡¯t it?¡± I whispered in his ears. ¡°Like for example¡­needing to swing your sword within the first few seconds of activating your glitch? ¡°Umpf!¡± Bingo. That¡¯s his fatal flaw. ¡°Hey! Did you hear that? His fatal flaw is that he must swing his sword in the first few seconds of activating his glitch! How lame!¡± I shouted at his companion, Tom. Tom simply looked at me with indescribable fear in his eyes. Can¡¯t blame him. ¡°Come on!¡± I stomped on Edward. ¡°Surrender already¡­¡± He kept his mouth shut. How obstinate. ¡°Surrender!¡± I stomped on him. ¡°Surrender! Surrender!¡± I kept stomping on him, again and again. Curling up into a ball, Edward continued to take my stomps. ¡°Surrender! Surrender!¡± Why wouldn¡¯t this guy just surrender? The only thing keeping him from fainting was that thick brass armor. ¡°Come on! That armor¡¯s just something to protect your fragile pride right? To hide your insecurity!¡± I continued stomping on him. ¡°Su-rren-der!¡± ¡°Su-rren-der!¡± What a pitiful sight. The whole crowd is cheering for me despite how much pain I¡¯m causing Edward. Hey, do you see this? Do you see this, Aurelius? This is the difference between a god and a human, between a human and an ant! What¡¯s the point of feeding a grain of rice to an ant when you can just crush them under your feet! Everyone is too soft! Tsk. I¡¯m bored of playing. I kicked away the battered Edward. ¡°Last chance,¡± I pointed my index finger at him. ¡°Surrender.¡± There was no response. Truly, what a fool. ¡°Hey, do you see this? Your friend is getting beaten up, wanna go help him?¡± I asked Tom. ¡°Ahhh¡­ahhhhhhh!¡± All he could do was wail like a child. His spirit broke so soon? How disappointing. Wait¡­could it be that Edward¡¯s also lost it too? Is that why he isn¡¯t responding to me? ¡°Hey! Can you hear me? If you can, respond! Have you gone insane?¡± I called out to him. Still no response. ¡°Oi¡­hey! Hey!¡± I snapped my fingers repeatedly, getting annoyed. Sigh¡­ I walked towards him slowly. ¡°Hey! Are you awake? I don''t think I stomped on your vocal cord so you should still be able to speak right? I know you didn¡¯t faint because you¡¯re still tensed up¡­oh?¡± Edward slowly got up. Blood trickled out of his mouth and nose, and he could barely stand, but he got up anyway. ¡°Good! I respect you! Come here!¡± I clapped. This is a good ant. ¡°I am¡­¡± Hmm? ¡°I am¡­¡± Edward seemed to be trying to say something. ¡°I am going to defeat you!¡± Chapter 7: Not a God The Architect¡¯s POV: The ant, struggling to get up, threatened me. An ant, threatening me? How hilarious. One slap-no-one flick of my finger-would send him crumbling down. I walked towards Edward, cackling. He looked at me with such fierce eyes, filled with contempt. Why do you hate me so? This is simply the order of the world, of nature. The weak tremble before the strong, the stupid crumble before the smart. There is nothing to be mad at. So come, accept your fate, little ant, and be grateful you ever got the chance to meet a god such as me. There is nothing to be mad at. You are simply an insect for me to prey on. There is nothing to be mad at. There is nothing to be mad at. So why am I so mad at you? Is it your face, your body, or your words that pisses me off? What is it that¨C Ah, I see. ¡°You insect. Who taught you that form?¡± Edward stood sideways, his right foot back, and had his sword held low behind him, angled upwards. ¡°You¡­know this form?¡± he said, a drop of blood trickling down his head. ¡°Of course I know this form¡­¡± my eyebrows furrowed together. Whoo¡­I must compose myself. It doesn¡¯t matter how he knows the form my brother invented. ¡°Do you really think I¡¯d fall for that?!¡± I mocked him. ¡°I know full well that it¡¯s a trick-making yourself look open just so I¡¯ll move in! Like that¡¯ll work!¡± Edward, visibly shocked that I figured out his trick, clicked his tongue. Haha¡­ checkmate. The more important question was how did he even manage to get to that form? How is he even managing to get up? Had he been trained to take attacks and get up quickly? Like my brother? ¡°You¡­ seriously piss me off.¡± I growled. ¡°I¡¯ll just wait here until you get tired and eventually collapse.¡± ¡°Ha¡­shouldn¡¯t you finish off my teammate first?¡± He made a desperate attempt to distract me from him. ¡°And have you sneak up on me? I¡¯m not a halfwit. I won¡¯t take any chances.¡± ¡°How¡­annoying¡­¡± blood splattered out of his mouth. We stood there, face to face for a while. The crowd continued shouting, but I could no longer discern what they were saying. Yet I waited. I did not move my eyes from this man. ¡­ You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. I despised him. ¡°You have swollen fingers.¡± He finally said. ¡°So?¡± ¡°Do you have a cardiac condition?¡± ¡°How smart. And what if I do?¡± ¡°The architect¡­the architect of this land, the saviour of this land, has a heart problem! Looks like you are not so godly anymore!¡± ¡°What do you mean to say?¡± I narrowed my eyes dangerously. ¡°I said, you are not godly! Just by¡­by looking at you, I can tell that you have a severe god complex¡­What even is that hairstyle? It looks ridiculous-cough! You are¡­the one¡­that is insecure-cough.¡± I tried my best to hold back the urge to hit him out cold with the floor. I needed to make him suffer in that stance my brother came up with for as long as possible. ¡°And you think you¡¯re such a great person? You¡¯re reduced to a tottering failure, yet you still talk big while you¡¯re bleeding out!¡± I retorted. I am the god of this land. ¡°Would¡­would a god have a heart¡­disease?¡± No, I am a god. I gritted my teeth. ¡°You, you still talk big¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m not talking about myself, cough! I¡¯m talking about cough you!¡± ¡°Shut up!" ¡°No! Cough! You fake god!¡± How childish. What childish taunting. ¡°Would a god get mad¡­over some¡­little taunting?¡± The kid looked like he was about to faint. He was coughing out copious amounts of blood. So just shut up. Just shut up and faint. Oh¡­I see. ¡°You¡¯re trying to bait me, aren¡¯t you? I¡¯m not gonna go attack you! You¡¯re just waiting to surprise me! I know that form depends on your opponent coming to you! I¡¯m not stupid!¡± My mind went blank. He had to hear me. After all, I am a god. ¡°You don¡¯t even know how I tricked you! I got the beggar on my side once he told me he had had contact with Tom! I paid him to trick you! To let you attack first! You¡¯re stupid! What right do you have to criticise me?!¡± My face went red. ¡°As I said¡­I¡¯m not talking about me¡­but you¡¯re more foolish¡­cough.¡± What is he talking about? What does he mean? I am a god, I don¡¯t need to listen to him. I am a god after all. He¡¯s not a god, I am. ¡°You are more foolish than me¡­because¡­¡± Shut up, I¡¯m a god and you¡¯re not, so you have no right to talk to me. ¡°You fell for our trick." I heard a bloodcurdling roar, and a sharp, icy sting cut across my shoulder. What? What? What? What? What? What? What? What? What? What? Who cut me? I slowly turned my head and caught a glimpse of a light blue coat. No¡­ dammit. I looked towards where Tom was sitting, indulging in his madness. Except, he wasn¡¯t there. ¡°Check¡­mate.¡± I could barely hear Edward¡¯s voice over the ringing in my ears. Or was it Tom¡¯s voice? Stop it. Stop ringing. A god shouldn¡¯t hear ringing in his ears. Stop it. Stop bleeding. A god shouldn¡¯t bleed. Come on, it¡¯s just a wound! Don¡¯t faint, it¡¯s just a wound! Why does my chest hurt so much? Argh¡­ The world seemed to spin around me. Stop spinning! I beg of you, stop spinning! I am a god. I am a god. I am a god. I am a god. I am a god. I am a god. I am a god. I am a god. I am a god. I am a god. I am a god. I am a god. I am a god. I am a god. I am a god. I am a god. I am a god. I am a god. I am a god. I am a god. I am a god. I am a god. I am a god. I am a god. I am a god. I am a god. I am a god. I am a god. I am a god. I am a god. I am a god. I am a god. I am a god. I am a god. I am a god. I am a god. I am a god. I am a god! I am a god! I am a god! I am a god! I am a god! I am a god! I am a god! I am a god! I am a god! I am a god! I am a god! I am a god! I am a god! I am a god! I am a god! I am a god! I am a god! I am a god! I am a god! I am a god! I am a god! I am a god! I am a god! I am a god! I am a god! I am a god! I am a god! I am a god! I am a god! Argh¡­ And as I finally caught sight of Edward¡¯s sword, I saw a face, his face, with those thick eyebrows, and familiar golden eyes. I saw my brother¡¯s face. He¡¯s whispering something to me. What is it? Brother, what do you want to say to me? He opened his mouth, with that relaxed expression on his face. His manly, soothing voice-I anticipated hearing it. ¡°You are not a god.¡± And then, everything dissolved into darkness. Chapter 8: Artorius, the Self-Proclaimed God The Architect¡¯s POV: My real name is Artorius, named after my older brother, Aurelius. My parents gave him such a masculine name as a sign of respect. Born with golden eyes, my brother was believed to be a divine being by the villagers, and more importantly-my parents. They gave him the best clothes to wear, the best food to eat, and even the position of village chief. He did not disappoint them either. Skilled with the sword, he cut down many bandits and became champion in the annual tournament of strength at the young age of sixteen. Furthermore, he had a heart of gold and beautiful facial features to complement his golden eyes. His wonderful voice put many of the villagers under a trance as he sang. His charisma and humorous personality charmed many of the women and his eccentricities entertained the men. His list of achievements and amazing traits went on and on, so he was revered as a god by the villagers. I, on the other hand, was born without my brother¡¯s golden eyes. I had average features and average strength, but if there was one thing I was better at than my brother, it was craftsmanship. I was, simply put, a genius at the art of crafting. I could understand blueprints easily, and spent most of my time in the workshop, planning and crafting weapons and boats. I was also quite intelligent, and had excellent grades, which were often better than my brother¡¯s. The two of us worked hand in hand to bring the village peace. ¡°Aurelius and Artorius- Aurelius the god, and Artorius the god¡¯s right hand man!¡± The elderly always seemed to say that phrase in our presence, but it did not bother me in the slightest. Being the right hand man of a god! What honour that would be! Despite his positive traits, I, being the brother, knew of Aurelius¡¯s negative traits as well. He often slept in, was loud, and liked to pick his nose when we were alone. But like many of the villagers, I turned a blind eye to them. There is one conversation with him I remember vividly. When we were six or seven, Aurelius asked me one day, ¡°Am I a god?¡± Confused, I asked, ¡°What is a god?¡± Aurelius scratched his chin, and after a few seconds answered thoughtfully, ¡°I think¡­it¡¯s like a really great guy that is super kind to you and will help you!¡± Ah, that did in fact sound like Aurelius. ¡°Then that¡¯s you, isn¡¯t it?¡± I replied. ¡°No¡­ they say you must ¡°love god¡±. But if I¡¯m god like the old grannies say, then how do I love god?¡± ¡°Love yourself? I think¡­¡± I scrunched up my eyebrows and answered. ¡°But isn¡¯t that like that word¡­narcis, narcicostic¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s narcissistic. We learned it in class yesterday.¡± I said, ready to show off my knowledge. ¡°Yeah! Narssisisistic!¡± I decided not to correct him and continued, ¡°So¡­who do you think god is?¡± ¡°If I need to ¡°love god¡±, then¡­erm that¡¯d be you¡­I guess, you¡¯d be god¡­¡± he said softly. ¡°Are you shy?¡± ¡°No!¡± ¡°Then what were you saying!¡± ¡°I was, was¡­I was talking about mummy!¡± But I had heard him. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª When Aurelius was seventeen, he was given the title of village chief. I was doing pretty well too. I was regarded as the best craftsman in the village, and had a loving relationship with a beautiful girl, although we had not announced it. I had a great relationship with Aurelius, and we often talked and ate together. He showed me his swords skills often and even invented a new stance that baited the opponent in, and then with a powerful slash, would kill him. I marvelled at his skill. Yet everything changed when Aurelius turned eighteen. He was legally old enough to be married, and many fathers went to him to offer their daughters¡¯ hand in marriage. My girlfriend was chosen to marry him. It couldn¡¯t be helped, I thought. My brother¡¯s status is far higher than me anyways, I thought. I numbed all feelings I had. On their wedding day, I refused to go to the ceremony, instead locking myself up in my workshop. Knock! Knock! Someone kept knocking at my door incessantly. ¡°Knocking once is enough,¡± I grumbled as I got off my seat. ¡°Open up and surrender!¡± A gruff voice shouted before I could open the door. ¡°Who is it?¡± I instantly thought. ¡°He sounded hostile.¡± I had not noticed it before, but there were silhouettes of people running as I looked through the curtains. My workshop¡¯s walls were partially soundproof to prevent the loud noises produced while I was working to disturb the others, and so I could not make out the screams of the many people outside my house. I had thought the noise was from the wedding. ¡°Open up!¡± Dammit! Has the war spread here? ¡°Open up! Or I¡¯ll break this door down!¡± The gruff man threatened. My assistants were not with me as they were at the wedding and I was not good at fighting. Desperately, I took up a hammer and prepared myself beside the door. Impatiently, the man kicked down the door, and moved in, brandishing his sword. With my hammer, I quickly hit him in the stomach and he tumbled to the ground, moaning in pain. I didn¡¯t even bother to grab his sword, which had fallen to the ground, and ran out of the workshop. I ran and ran and ran, avoiding the fire and the screams. I ran and ran and ran, not even thinking about Aurelius or my previous girlfriend. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. I ran into the forest, adrenaline coursing through my veins. I ran for hours, and just as the morning sun rose, I tripped over a road and fell. My feet hurt so much, but the sun was so warm. It enveloped and embraced me so gently. Slowly, I stood up, and walked onwards. Coming out of the forest, there was a cliff. Standing on top of it, I could see miles away. On that cliff I realised something. My brother was gone from my life. On that cliff, in that moment, I realised what I was. I couldn¡¯t stop laughing. I couldn¡¯t explain it. I gazed at the sunrise, laughing maniacally. All my numbed feelings of inferiority, of pain, of envy towards my brother gushed out of my heart I had survived when my brother could not. What does that make me? That makes me what you said I am, brother. I am a god! ¡°Artorius,¡± A voice inside my head spoke. ¡°Congratulations on attaining the power of glitch.¡± ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A few days later, I arrived at a city called Babylaind. The city faced constant attacks from invaders, the governors were on edge about the war. This place is perfect! I thought. After getting an audience with the governors. I promised them that I would protect the city and showed them by glitch-God¡¯s plan. Over the next few years, I drove off all invaders using my glitch. Using a single dagger, I could control it from afar to cut off an army of invaders'' necks in an instantAs a result, the news spread that a legendary warrior was protecting Babylaind, and perhaps because of that, the war did not spread to this city. Over the next few decades, I worked tirelessly to improve this city, and in turn, I gained respect and power. One day, when I had just driven out the last of the invaders, a man who looked to be in his fifties in a black hooded coat came up to me while I was punishing some criminals. He was fairly short, around 165cm, and had a large grin on his face. ¡°Ohh, what a terrifying glitch,¡± he said, as he looked at me squeeze the criminals with their clothes using my glitch. ¡°Say, how would you like to join the ¡°Jokers¡±? And so, at the age of 31, I became the fifth joker. I was still exceptional at craftsmanship, and my glitch only helped to further my talent. In the span of forty years, I had become the saviour of Babylaind, and everyone dubbed me ¡°The Architect¡±. The Architect always gave food to the beggars. The Architect donated fortunes to the poor. I gained the public¡¯s support quickly through my acts of kindness. I truly had become a god. Yet¡­ ¡°You are not a god.¡± Why would you say that? Why would you discredit all my work? ¡°You are not a god." Why, brother? My brother, with his golden eyes, stood before me. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ¡°Hello, Artorius.¡± He beamed. He had the same striking facial features, the same golden eyes, the same stature of the Aurelius on his wedding day-on the day I abandoned him. I looked around. Aurelius stood in front of me, and everything else was pure white. I was dressed in my grey clothes, the clothes I used to wear in the village. My body had also reverted to that of a young man. ¡°Are you¡­his ghost?¡± I asked, my voice quivering. Ah, my voice was also lighter. ¡°No, I¡¯m just an illusion of him, a trick of your mind.¡± Aurelius said, yet his smile did not falter. ¡°Then¡­there¡¯s no point talking to you.¡± I got up on my feet. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t be like that,¡± Aurelius cried dramatically. ¡°You¡¯re hurting my precious feelings!¡± ¡°Tsk. How do I get out of here?¡± I asked impatiently, walking away from Aurelius. ¡°You can¡¯t get out, you know!¡± he cried, his voice echoing. ¡°It''s endless.¡± ¡°Well that can¡¯t be true, since your voice echoes.¡± I refuted, quite satisfied with my logical argument. "If it were endless, there wouldn''t be anything to reflect your voice." ¡°You¡¯re a smart one, aren¡¯t you? It echoes because you think it echoes, and it will not echo if you don¡¯t think it¡¯ll echo.¡± Aurelius teased. I continued walking, not bothering to refute his illogical statement. I had been walking for a few minutes, yet Aurelius was still behind me. ¡°Get off my back, would you?¡± I shouted. ¡°Would you, would you, would you, would you¡­¡± Aurelius mockingly imitated an echo, with a clownish look on his face, his eyes open wide. ¡°Seriously, what¡¯s wrong with you?! I lashed out, unable to control my temper. Aurelius, acting shock, squealed. ¡°Whatever,¡± I continued walking on. ¡°Artorius,¡± Aurelius called out this time seriously. I stopped in my tracks and turned around apprehensively. ¡°See, you respond when I call you Artorius. So why do you keep calling yourself a god?¡± he inquired. ¡°Can¡¯t I be Artorius the god?¡± ¡°No, Artorius is Artorius, god is god. Honestly, you have so many names that it¡¯s confusing! Saviour? That name doesn¡¯t suit you at all!¡± he answered, shaking his head. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°NO, I AM A GOD! I¡¯M A BETTER GOD THAN YOU WILL EVER BE!¡± I bellowed. ¡°SHUT UP ABOUT ARTORIUS, I DON¡¯T GO BY THAT NAME ANYMORE!¡± ¡°I ACHIEVED SO MUCH MORE THAN YOU! I SPENT MY ENTIRE LIVE SURPASSING YOU! DON¡¯T ACT LIKE YOU¡¯RE BETTER!¡± Tears streamed down my cheeks. ¡°I AM A GOD! THEY SAID THAT THEMSELVES! I AM A GOD!¡± ¡°Who said that you were a god?¡± Aurelius asked, tilting his head to one side. ¡°The people¡­of Babylaind¡­¡± I answered, my voice getting softer. Why should I be scared? I''m correct! ¡°I remember their nickname for you was "Saviour " or "The Architect¡± right? When did they ever call you ¡°god¡±?¡± Aurelius asked. ¡°I¡­But, based on what I¡¯ve done¡­¡± ¡°With a power bestowed upon you by some mysterious person? Maybe that person is a god, but you probably aren¡¯t.¡± ¡°No¡­you¡¯re wrong,¡± I denied. ¡°No, I¡¯m not wrong,¡± he denied. ¡°Why¡­¡± I gritted my teeth. ¡°Why, why, why, why, why¡­¡± ¡°WHY DO YOU KEEP DOING THIS TO ME? WHY DO YOU KEEP DENYING ME? I SURPASSED YOU! WHY ARE YOU STILL HERE?¡± I sat down on my butt, looking straight at Aurelius. ¡®LOOK! I¡¯M SO¡­ SORRY FOR ABANDONING YOU! BUT I WAS SCARED! I DIDN¡¯T WANT TO DIE! I¡¯M SORRY, I¡¯M SORRY, I¡¯M SORRY, I¡¯M SORRY!¡± I covered my ears and shook my head. Then I felt a pair of warm arms embrace me. ¡°No¡­I¡¯m sorry for abandoning you,¡± he said softly into my ears. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry¡­¡± His voice started to break. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for outshining you, and I¡¯m so sorry for taking your girlfriend. They let me choose a wife, but I chose her, despite knowing that she was your girlfriend!¡± Why was he crying? Why was he ranting? ¡°I saw you two together, but I liked her too, and so I was so jealous, so I chose her. It¡¯s probably my karma that caused the invasion! It¡¯s my stupid fault!¡± I don¡¯t care anymore. I should be the one apologising. I slowly brought my arms up to comfort him and hug him. ¡°You aren¡¯t, just an illusion, are you?¡± I asked. ¡°No¡­I¡¯m an illusion¡­¡± he protested, sniffling. ¡­ ¡°Brother, I¡¯m sorry for being the god you were supposed to be.¡± I tried to say something mature, but it came out wrong. Thus, there was no reply from Aurelius. Suddenly, I noticed that I had grown to my older self, ¡°The Architect¡±. Looks like our time was almost up. If I wanted to say something, it had to be now. ¡­ Aurelius is my brother. ¡°Brother, I love you!¡± In the end, I said something cheesy. ¡°I love you too!¡± Aurelius replied, with large drops of tears streaming down his face I forgot that he used to be obsessed with cheesy dramas. But now, I understand. I am¡­not a god. Chapter 9: The End of the Duel ¡°Su-rren-der! Su-rren-der!¡± The crowd shouted wildly as the Architect stomped on Edward repeatedly. Why? How could they be so cruel? King 67 held his chest, shivering. The sudden fear that attacked him immobilised him completely, rendering him useless in the duel. He closed his eyes, unable to bear the sight of Edward being tortured anymore. I had never felt this before. Is this what it means to be truly afraid? Is this what I had been inflicting upon my enemies, and even the boatman? King 67 went from terrified to pitying Edward to feeling immense guilt. Of course, King 67 had no way of knowing that, and so he sat there idly, his brain unable to process all the emotions. ¡°Hey, do you see this? Your friend is getting beaten up, wanna go help him?¡± The Architect asked. King 67 opened his eyes and saw Edward beaten to a pulp. Ahhh¡­ahhhhh! He tried begging the Architect not to hurt Edward, but it came out as a string of incoherent sounds. King 67¡¯s eyes were bulging and his brain wasn¡¯t working anymore. It felt like he was sane, but his body would not follow his commands. His heart beat like it was running a marathon, and his chest started to hurt. It was at that moment of absolute despair, that King 67 saw a small glimmer of hope. Edward¡¯s hands moved with practiced precision. They moved quickly and fluidly, yet Edward was able to hide them from the architect. As a king, King 67 had learned it to communicate with the deaf. It was part of his role as a king, after all. He never imagined this skill would become essential in a moment like this. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. Not... insane... are... you? No, I can still understand your signs. Get... up... You are bleeding so much, yet¡­ attack... How can I¡­sit still¡­like this? him... I¡­ with... dagger. I got it, Edward. King 67¡¯s body trembled as he stood, his fear beginning to fade just enough for him to move in the presence of Edward''s commanding charisma which encouraged him greatly. I... distract. Edward formed the final sign, then slowly rose to his feet, blood trailing from his nose and mouth. ¡°Good! I respect you! Come here!¡± The architect clapped. King 67 had also gotten to his feet, and inched slowly towards the Architect. ¡°Behind you!¡± The crowd shouted, warning the Architect. ¡°Look behind you!¡± His almost immobile feet inched ever closer to the Architect. Perhaps because of Edward¡¯s provocations, the Architect paid no heed to the warnings of the crowd. It was as if he did not hear them at all. Finally, King 67 got right behind him- ¡°You fell for our trick.¡± Normally King 67 would have just surrendered, but something, his gut maybe, forced him to fight back. Was it bravery? Was it desperation? No, what caused him to stand up was the hope that Edward gave him, but the reason why he had decided to attack the Architect in that crucial moment, was instinct. With a face like a wild beast, and a roar like a dragon, king 67 used his dagger and cut the Architect¡¯s shoulder¡­and blood splattered out of it. The attack by the Architect, while careless, did the trick, and the Architect screamed in pain before clutching his chest and falling over, fainting as his head hit the ground. Outrage ensued. The spectators went mad, cursing and swearing at King 67 and Edward. Even the announcer was stunned into silence. The local police had to run to stop the spectators from clambering towards the stadium in anger. ¡°Check¡­mate.¡± Edward said, smiling before he fainted too. Tom, or rather King 67, was the last man standing on the stadium. Chapter 10: The Aftermath of the Duel - 1 ¡°How is he?¡± King 67 asked, with no emotion in his voice. ¡°He¡¯s okay,¡± Selene answered as she finished treating Edward¡¯s wounds. Her tone was icy and sharp. In the days leading up to the duel, she had barely spoken a word to King 67, mostly choosing to ignore his presence. Sighing, King 67 sat down on a wooden stool next to Conradin. The smell of makeup filled his nose, causing him to instinctively scrunch it up. Choosing to be sensitive, he got up from the stool and moved to the side of the room. Conradin chose to remain silent instead. Unlike Selene, Conradin had not even spoken a single word¡ªnot just to King 67, but to everyone else too. He seemed to be mute, so he communicated through hand signs. King 67 turned to look at Edward once more. He seemed to be in severe condition, with many wounds and broken bones. However, King 67 wasn''t particularly worried about him. Edward was an Osworl after all, so he had an incredibly strong body. At this rate, Edward would probably be able to walk in two or three days. After the duel, the guards had quickly escorted King 67 away for a medical check, while the medical team got Edward and the Architect on stretchers to treat them right away. As King 67 left the stadium, he could hear the angered screams of the audience, and the local police desperately trying to keep them in check. After that, King 67 passed the medical check, which was only conducted by one person. Meanwhile, the more critically injured Edward was quickly rushed to a surgery room, and his life was saved. After a few hours, he was brought to a normal patient¡¯s room in the local hospital. Compared to Edward, who only had about four intern doctors saving him, a whole team of specialised doctors was assigned to save the Architect¡¯s life. He seemed to have had a cardiac arrest during the fight. More importantly, what was that feeling I felt during the duel? It felt like a beast was eating me through my stomach. If Edward had not been there, I most certainly would not have recovered from that feeling. Is it connected to the reason I laughed that day? Was it fear? There was also guilt, right? King 67¡¯s mind was full of questions. Trying to reawaken his emotions, he kept thinking about how he inflicted fear upon many of his enemies, but he could not feel the guilt he had felt. Suddenly, a doctor opened the door. ¡°The Architect has woken up and wishes to meet you, Tom,¡± he said. Intrigued, King 67 followed the doctor out, catching a sharp click of frustration as he passed Selene. The doctor, with a stoic face, led King 67 to the Architect¡¯s room. Walking inside, King 67 noticed that it was much bigger than Edward¡¯s room, and the Architect had several nurses watching him. ¡°Ah¡­ you¡¯re here,¡± the Architect said upon seeing King 67. He was lying on a comfortable hospital bed with many herbal remedies on the table next to him and seemed much weaker than before. ¡°Nurses, you may leave,¡± the Architect politely told the nurses. ¡°But, sir¡­¡± ¡°You may leave,¡± the Architect said again, this time more sternly. Reluctantly, the nurses left the room one by one, casting King 67 hostile glances as they left. After the door closed, King 67 spoke up, ¡°Sir¡­¡± ¡°Please, call me Artorius,¡± the Architect, or rather, Artorius requested. King 67 recovered from his initial surprise rather quickly and continued, ¡°Artorius, why have you called me here?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Artorius¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. ¡°Did you¡­ give me my glitch?¡± ¡°What do you mean? Of course, I have not,¡± King 67 was rather confused. ¡°Yes¡­ of course, you haven¡¯t. Your voice¡­ it¡¯s¡­ no, my memory¡¯s probably messing with me¡­¡± ¡°Artorius¡­?¡± ¡°Ah, first, I¡¯ll show you something,¡± Artorius said, snapping back to reality. He looked straight at the floor and asked King 67, ¡°Do you know what material this floor is made of?¡± ¡°It is made of wood,¡± King 67 answered. ¡°You are absolutely correct,¡± Artorius remarked. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. At that moment, King 67 realised what Artorius was going to do. He let out a gasp as he jumped backwards to avoid the block of wood that would shoot up, but nothing happened. ¡°As I thought, I¡¯ve lost my glitch,¡± Artorius revealed the shocking news. Can you lose a glitch? ¡°Turns out you can lose your glitch, ha¡­¡± Artorius said, as though responding to King 67¡¯s earlier thought. ¡°It seems I have lost myself, no¡­ I have lost my identity as a god.¡± This confused King 67, but he continued to ask, ¡°So what is your reason for calling me here today?¡± "You''re not wasting any time, are you?" Artorius chuckled softly, though there was an unmistakable hint of sadness in his voice. "I suppose I just wanted to see the face of the man who finally defeated me." ¡°...I did not defeat you, Edward did. He communicated with me through sign language and told me to sneak up on you while he distracted you,¡± King 67 explained. Artorius at least deserved to know the truth. ¡°Well¡­ that¡¯s pretty smart,¡± Artorius smiled. ¡°I never would have thought of that. It seems¡­ I really am not a¡­¡± Artorius¡¯s voice trailed off, as did his thoughts, but he was quickly snapped back to reality when he noticed King 67 looking at him, confused. Smiling sadly, he continued, ¡°Tom¡­ have you realised? I could¡¯ve ended it in an instant if I wanted to. Your shirts¡ªjust a twist, a pull with my glitch, and you both would¡¯ve fainted. But I didn¡¯t. Instead, I chose to hit Edward in the stomach with the ground, to make him suffer. And I¡­ I think it¡¯s because I enjoyed it. ¡­What does that make me?¡± That last line was filled with so many emotions that even King 67 could not discern all of them. Yet, it was that feeling again, that instinct, his gut, that compelled King 67 to speak up. ¡°Don¡¯t you think that maybe¡­ you¡¯re being too hard on yourself?¡± King 67 asked. Surprised, Artorius turned to look at King 67. ¡°Well,¡± King 67 continued, ¡°Maybe you did not strangle me and Edward because you were scared you would kill us. Maybe you only hit Edward in the stomach to give him a chance to fight back. And you have led this city towards success, have you not?¡± What¡­ a weak argument. ¡°Everyone makes mistakes, we are only human after all.¡± Artorius probably will not listen to what I have to say. ¡°Yes, we are human after all¡­¡± Surprisingly, it seemed to work, especially the last line. ¡°Tom, come closer. I want to look at your face,¡± Artorius requested. Weirdly, King 67 listened and leaned in to let Artorius see his face clearly. ¡°You have a nice face, the scar on your nose complements your looks well. Your hair is quite neat as well,¡± he remarked. At that moment, his eyes widened. ¡°Let me see your coat.¡± Before King 67 could react, Artorius was already pulling his coat off. ¡°This is¡­¡± Artorius seemed extremely surprised at the marking on the inside of King 67¡¯s coat. He held it tightly in his hand. The inside of King 67¡¯s light blue coat had the marking of a clown¡¯s face on it. ¡°You are¡­¡± ¡°I have to¡­¡± Intrigued, King 67 leaned forward. ¡°I have to pass you a message.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Go north, towards Ewindurch. You will find the next joker there. Go there, and find the next piece¡ªthat is the message he told me to pass on to you.¡± ¡°Who wanted you to pass it on to you?¡± ¡°The man¡­ who recruited me as one of the jokers. He told me to pass it on to the man with the marking of a clown¡¯s face on his light blue coat. That¡¯s all I know.¡± The coat? That coat was given to me by my father as a present for my fourteenth birthday. No, setting that aside, the joker in Ewindurch should be Hejer. But Ewindurch is all the way in the next region, the Bejin region. I would have to cross through so many countries before reaching there. There was a momentary silence as King 67 continued to sort out his thoughts. Suddenly, someone burst through the door. It was Edward, who stumbled to the ground. Selene and Conradin came in quickly and helped Edward up, then closed the door behind them. ¡°What? How are you here? How did you find this room?¡± King 67 asked. ¡°I threatened the doctor to tell me where the Architect is¡­ That is not important! Tom, how could you meet with the Architect without me?!¡± Edward, despite having bandages around his wounded body, still rushed to this room, and this was his reason... So that was what he was worried about¡­? And his body recovered faster than I thought. Did he wake up just as I left the room? It¡¯s only been a day after the duel! ¡°Well, it¡¯s good that you¡¯re here,¡± Artorius spoke up. ¡°Please call me Artorius. Now¡­ since the two of you are here¡­¡± Artorius rose from his bed and stumbled onto the ground, shocking everyone in the room. ¡°Allow me to formally apologise for my actions in the duel. I went too far.¡± Artorius kneeled then bowed, touching his forehead to the ground. This was called the true apology position, which someone only performed when they are sorry from the bottom of their hearts, and it represents submitting entirely to the person they are bowing to. It was rarely used, and when used, it would strip the person of all their honour. For him to do this¡­ ¡°I see¡­¡± Edward remarked. ¡°I shall keep this a secret,¡± he said. ¡°And I accept your apology.¡± Edward seemed to have calmed down. ¡°As do I,¡± King 67 said. Having the courage to admit to his mistakes in such a situation was impressive. In response, Edward admitted his mistake as well. ¡°And I am sorry¡­¡± Edward added. ¡°For saying you have a god complex. It seems I was wrong.¡± ¡°And that form, that stance of which you asked me where I had learnt it from¡ªI had learnt it from my master,¡± Edward said. ¡°Who¡­ what did your master look like?¡± Artorius asked, his voice breaking. ¡°He had golden eyes, and striking features. He was exceptional with the sword. In fact, this sword of mine was his.¡± ¡°Is he still¡­¡± ¡°He has passed,¡± Edward answered curtly. ¡°I see¡­ I expected as much,¡± Artorius was starting to cry. ¡°You may rise.¡± By the time Artorius got up, tears had stained his entire face. ¡°Please¡­ let me see the sword,¡± Artorius pleaded. After a slight hesitation, Edward handed it to him. He looked dearly at the large majestic sword as he cradled it. After a long time, he loosened his grip on the sword. ¡°I thank you from the bottom of my heart,¡± he said, as he handed the sword back to Edward. Everyone in the room stared at the old man in amazement. Suddenly, the touching moment was interrupted by someone bursting into the room. How many times has this happened now¡­? It was a guard with sturdy silver armour all over his body and a beautiful silver helmet over his head. He dropped to his knees and, with urgency in his voice, announced, ¡°From the castle: The King of Babylaind has a message for Tom and Edward, the challengers in the recent duel with the Architect. He requests that you come to the castle at once¡ªas he wishes to meet with you." Chapter 11: The Aftermath of the Duel - 2 Edward¡¯s POV: I could hear a lot of chattering around me. My mind was murky, and my limbs felt heavy. How long has it been? Did Tom survive? It¡¯s no use, no matter how much I tried to stimulate my brain, it always seemed to fall back into the murky darkness. Before me, there was a light. I tried to reach for it, but my limbs would not move. Weirdly though, I seemed to gravitate towards it, drawing closer and closer towards that speck of light¡­ ------------------------------------------------------------ ¡°How is he?¡± There was no emotion in Tom¡¯s voice. ¡°He¡¯s ok,¡± Selene¡¯s icy voice answered. Stay still. I had been taught by my master how to not move the moment I woke up, and to trick others into thinking I was still asleep. This was to prepare myself for any dangerous situations, where I could pretend to stay asleep to formulate a plan. This was not a dangerous situation, but I needed to organise my thoughts before waking up. I recalled the duel. Tom had understood my sign language and sneaked up on the Architect before eventually slicing his shoulder. The plan was full of holes, and any external factor could have easily destroyed it, yet it worked. Why was that so? Why had the plan worked? Why was Tom, who was so agitated, able to sneak up on the Architect without him noticing? The answer is obvious-he emitted no energy. My master had once told me that all humans emit energy. When they are happy, when they are sad, when they are frightened, when they are angry, they emit different types of energy. Yet I have not sensed any type of energy from Tom. Granted, energy is incredibly difficult to sense, and most humans can only sense it faintly, and so most people call it a ¡°presence¡±. Throughout my many years of training, I have only acquired the ability to feel someone¡¯s energy when they are trying to genuinely hurt me. During my duel with Tom, I did not feel any energy from Tom. I thought this was because he did not truly want to hurt me, but I also did not sense any sort of energy coming from him even when he attacked me at the last moment. And during the duel with the Architect, he had managed to not emit any energy, even when he swung his dagger down upon the Architect¡¯s shoulder. Is that even possible? Could he have been trained to conceal his energy? No, no human can possibly erase their energy. If they could, they would not be alive. Compared to that, the likelihood of even a glitch is higher. Though I find it hard to believe that he has a glitch, it is certainly possible for humans to attain glitch, albeit only a select few can. Normally, someone with glitch would emit much more energy, but if his glitch is to conceal that energy, that could explain why I did not sense any energy from him. ... Therefore, I conclude that Tom has a glitch that allows him to conceal his energy. ¡°The Architect has woken up and wishes to meet you, Tom,¡± a male voice said. It was followed by a click from the door. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. Opening my eyes, I adjusted to the light entering my eyes. Beside me sat Selene, and Conradin was leaning against the white wall. My sword lay beside me on the bed. ¡°You¡¯re awake!¡± Selene exclaimed. I immediately tried to sit up, but the pain from my wounds and Selene¡¯s worried face forced me to lie back down. ¡°Where did Tom go?¡± I asked. Selene¡¯s face became expressionless, probably because she was not pleased that the first thing I said was about Tom. ¡°He went to meet the Architect,¡± she replied coldly. ¡°I see," ... "He probably has a glitch,¡± I warned. Conradin and Selene were taken aback by my sudden warning, but seeing that I did not elaborate, they quickly nodded, to my relief. I did not want to expose the existence of energy, as they were one of my advantages in battle. ¡°Edward,¡± Selene spoke up. ¡°Why did you even let Tom have a duel with you in the first place? Could we not have just feigned ignorance? He had no evidence that we had stolen his money. Furthermore, we could have avoided this duel if we just used Tom¡¯s money.¡±t ¡°Selene,¡± I answered, smiling widely. ¡°Did you ever consider why Tom has so much money in the first place?¡± ¡°Not really, but that is not the main point¡­¡± ¡°But it is. Only a noble would have such money on him, and no noble would be walking in the port by himself if he was not in trouble. That was why I decided to let him on board. Furthermore, he may be masking his identity through his speech, but the way he walks, the way he acts, down to the way he eats and drinks¡­they all point towards him being a noble.¡± ¡°Now, as for why I decided to let him have a duel with me, it was to find out more about him-he is a very interesting man,¡± I winked. ¡°Furthermore, I do not like lying.¡± So you condone stealing but not lying? I could see those words written on Conradin and Selene¡¯s faces. ¡°Finally, as for why I decided to not just use his money and instead chose to have a duel, it is because I want to use the money to control him. He, being a noble, probably understands the value of money. Hence, I can use it to get him to join us.¡± Selene furrowed her eyebrows. ¡°So you want him to join us so much that you would fight the Architect?¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± Silence filled the room. Before long, I had started to adapt to my wounds and was able to get up. I walked haphazardly towards the door. Selene and Conradin immediately came to support me. Walking out, I found a random doctor and immediately went up to him. ¡°Show me the way to the Architect¡¯s room,¡± I threatened. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t do that, sir,¡± he answered calmly, adjusting his glasses. ¡®Please retreat to your room.¡± ¡°Conradin,¡± I commanded. Instantly, Conradin went towards the doctor. ¡°H-hey! I¡¯ll call the security guards, you know?¡± His earlier composure was all but lost. Conradin held the doctor¡¯s hand tightly and started twisting it. ¡°Ah¡­ah!¡± The doctor screamed in pain. The surrounding nurses quickly backed off. ¡°I wanted to solve this diplomatically, but you refused to let me,¡± I told the doctor coldly. ¡°Guards! Guards!¡± he yelled frantically. ¡°P-put your hands up in the air!¡± a security guard shouted. I shot him and the other security guards with a menacing glare. ¡°Mind your own business,¡± I hissed at them. ¡°T-that¡¯s the guy who defeated the Architect,¡± a security guard said softly before he took a few steps back in fear. The rest also followed suit. ¡°Now,¡± I turned back to the doctor, who was still having his hand twisted by Conradin. ¡°Show me to the Architect¡¯s room.¡± ¡°Oh, Great Lady¡­¡± he prayed, and Conradin twisted his hand harder. ¡°I got it! I got it!¡± he squealed in pain. As we walked through the hallways, Selene inquired softly, ¡°Was there really a need to make such a big scene?¡± Grinning, I replied as we walked past a group of alarmed nurses, ¡°Do you realise that the people here do not treat us nicely, even before I made the large scene? It is only natural, as we have defeated the Architect. Therefore, this is not just to get to the Architect¡¯s room, but also to assert our dominance, so that the people here will not hurt us, though they may hate us more.¡± ¡°I see,¡± Selene replied curtly. We have finally reached the room. As I slid the door open, I pretended to tumble into it. Before me was Tom standing beside the Architect¡¯s bed, surprised. I could not help but chuckle softly. Tom, why do you interest me so? Why do you make me want to uncover your identity so much? Do you have a glitch? Can you conceal your energy? Why do you entertain me so? I will find out who you truly are, you foolish clown. Chapter 12: An Audience with the King The carriage trailed off into the bustling streets of Babylaind. King 67 opened the curtain and looked out of the window. Even as a king, he still could not comprehend the city''s landscape. The architecture and planning were simply beyond his understanding. The bustling streets were filled with prosperity, as the civilians walked about, living their daily lives. It was so noisy, yet so tranquil. In the distance, King 67 could make out a large crowd of people standing around listening to a speech, and crying dramatically. King 67 and Edward were travelling towards the castle, where the king resided on a carriage the king had sent from the palace. They had left Artorius in the hospital to recuperate, and despite Selene¡¯s advice to Edward to stay in the hospital, Edward was insistent on travelling with King 67. He still had many bandages around his body, and his wounds had not fully healed, but he was able to walk properly now. He wore no shirt, revealing his robust yet injured body. His bones were healing at an alarming rate, and at the rate he was healing, he would be fully recovered in a week. ¡°Edward, you did not tell me that your weakness was that you had to attack within the first few seconds of attaining your glitch.¡± Edward smiled and replied, ¡°Why would I tell someone whom I do not trust my greatest flaw? ¡°That is true. Even when you say that that is your greatest flaw, you may still be lying to get my guard down,¡± King 67 analysed. ¡°Possibly,¡± Edward neither confirmed nor denied his assumptions. ¡°Well, then, allow me to change the subject. Edward, how are you able to recuperate so fast? A normal Osworl would take at least two days to recover,¡± King 67 inquired. ¡°Ah, I understand your confusion,¡± Edward replied lightheartedly. ¡°That is because I am of true Osworl blood.¡± ¡°True Osworl blood?¡± ¡°Most people do not know this, but the Osworl kingdom has a rich history. It is said that the very first Osworl king gave birth to thirteen sons. Such a beast!¡± Edward remarked. ¡°The elder son managed to get the position of King, and from then on, his descendants had been chosen carefully. His descendants would be called those of true blood, and they are limited to royals and very high-ranking generals. Since I am the son of the king of Osworls, I have that blood. In addition, those of true blood are rumoured to have a very special attribute, which is that they have incredibly tough bodies.¡± ¡°Furthermore, I also have a glitch, which automatically makes my body tougher. Now, do you understand?¡± You did not tell me that glitch makes people¡¯s bodies tougher¡­ King 67 nodded. He then rested his head against the soft cushioned wall and closed his eyes. Is Edward hiding something from me? Just like the first time I met him when he stole my money, he never looked at me throughout the whole conversation. Unable to act on his suspicions, King 67 sighed and relaxed his body. ¡°Remember to drink some water, hydrating yourself is important,¡± Edward reminded me as he pulled out his waterskin bottle. ¡°Sure¡­¡± King 67 responded as he pulled out his waterskin bottle. Edward is such a peculiar person¡­ The carriage trailed off towards the beautiful castle. ------------------------------------------ The castle was a beautiful white, but its walls were adorned with gold. The well-trained guards saluted simultaneously as Edward and King 67 entered the castle. An elderly man holding a wooden cane greeted them. ¡°Please follow me, honoured guests,¡± he invited. King 67 and Edward followed him through a maze of pathways and halls. The castle was much bigger than King 67¡¯s but he was a king of a small country, which could not compare to Babylaind, so it was to be expected. Finally, they reached a large set of bronze doors. It was around three meters in height and a team of twenty guards were required to open it. What an effective defence system. King 67 and Edward walked through the doors into a large hall. This hall, however, was completely coated in gold. They walked across the gold-plated floor towards a long dining table. The elderly man with the wooden cane bowed deeply then exited the hall, and the door slammed shut, causing a gust of wind to blow towards King 67 and Edward. The wind travelled to a large man seated at the end of the dining table. He had the golden crown typical of a king, and he wore a golden coat and held a golden staff with a ruby diamond on top of it. He even had a bushy beard that he would stroke from time to time. Every part of him screamed king. Seeing him reminded King 67 of the life he had left behind. Where was his crown now? Probably in the Osworl¡¯s collection of triumphs. The large man had two guards armed with spears and clad in silver armour. King 67 suspected that the only reason why their armours were not made of gold was because it would be impractical. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Meanwhile, Edward¡¯s eyes gleamed with curiosity and excitement. ¡°Welcometh-¡± the large man¡¯s voice boomed. ¡°To mine own domain.¡± -------------------------------------- The king of Babylaind stood before King 67 and Edward, welcoming them with open arms. Without a moment of hesitation, King 67 and Edward immediately kneeled. "Your Majesty, we are most grateful for your gracious welcome,¡± they said simultaneously. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± the king smiled. ¡°I heareth thou hast defeat''d the architect. Pray pardon me, how didst thou do so to me in detail?¡± he ordered. Unable to decipher what he was saying, Edward remained silent. After all, he was speaking in a language only kings would use. Seeing this, King 67, who understood the king¡¯s orders, answered quickly, ¡°Your Majesty, at first, we were utterly overwhelmed by the Architect. However, when defeat seemed inevitable, Edward¡ªwhom you see beside me¡ªconveyed his plan through hand signs. He proposed that he would provoke the Architect to distract him, while I would stealthily approach from behind and strike. And, with that, we emerged victorious.¡± ¡°I seeth, hahaha¡­ a valorous plan indeed. Edward, thou exploit''dst the Architect¡¯s weakness¡ªhis pride¡ªand emerged victorious. For that, I commend thee.¡± the king stroked his beard. Edward, who vaguely understood that the king was praising him for his plan, answered as politely as possible, ¡°Thank you for your praise, your Majesty.¡± "Hmm, valorous, valorous. Tom, the fact that thou didst not falter in front of the architect is also extremely commendable." the king praised, looking at King 67. "I am deeply honoured by your praise, Your Majesty." King 67 responded politely. Seeing how fluently King 67 responded to the king, Edward could not help but stare at him. ¡°Edward,¡± the king continued, ¡°I hath heard thee has''t a glitch?¡± Edward understood that the king was asking about his glitch. ¡°Yes, your Majesty. My glitch is Sword of God. It increases my sword skills by two hundred percent.¡± Edward explained. ¡°I¡¯m getting the hang of this,¡± he thought. The king stroked his magnificent beard once again. ¡°Int''resting. How wouldst thou liketh to work for me? I shall giveth thee a handsome pay. Tom, thou mayst join too.¡± The king wants us to work for him? That is certainly a great deal, but Edward most probably would not take it. He probably does not understand that this is not a request, it is an order. I need to warn him somehow! Just as King 67 was about to form the hand signs, Edward spoke up, ¡°Your Majesty, I politely decline. There are many other matters I must attend to.¡± Tsk. ¡­ ¡°Hahaha¡­ I seeth. The fact yond someone dares to refuseth me amuses me! V¡¯ry well, I shalt alloweth thee wend on thy way.¡± Shocked, King 67 looked up with widened eyes. The king had allowed Edward to decline his offer. ¡°I thank you very much, Your Majesty,¡± Edward thanked. "Your Majesty, I would be honoured to accept that offer." King 67 quickly jumped at his chance. Startled. Edward looked up. ¡°If I do not do something, Tom will not join me on my journey! After all, why would he need the money I have on me if he can get paid by the king himself?¡± Edward thought. "No. If ''tis true Edward doth not join, I have nay need for thee. After all, the plan was formed for Edward, nay?" The king answered firmly. Well, that makes sense. The plan was indeed not formed by me. In fact, I almost lost my sanity. King 67 sighed. ¡°I understand, Your Majesty,¡± Edward heaved a sigh of relief. ¡­ ¡°I assume thee wilt beest curious about wherefore I have so much gold, right?¡± the king was eager to show off his wealth. ¡°Of course, your Majesty.¡± King 67 answered. The king smiled. "Below our land doth lie a most wondrous goldmine. Howev''r, it was not discov''r''d until the architect came. That gent hath used his glitch to dig up the did grind, and therein was a great gold mine! Thou wouldst not believe the economy after that mine was discovered! The inflation did grow so lacking in valour that many did go bankrupt! The architect had to feed those folk each morn!" Looks like the economy was really bad¡­ yet he still smiles while talking about it. "Now, I shall bid the Architect to mend thy ship, for he hath lost the duel. Also, see that thou stayest within his workshop. The citizens, having witnessed that duel, are likely to grow wroth. Some may even seek thee both out. That is all; thou mayst depart." The citizens did indeed seem very angry¡­ But how is the Architect supposed to fix it? ¡°Your Majesty, I regret to inform you that the Architect has lost his glitch, and as such, he may be unable to repair our ship.¡± King 67 spoke up. ¡°Is''t so? Fret not, he can surely fix it,¡± the king stroked his lush beard. King 67 was surprised that the king did not have a strong reaction to the news of the Architect losing his glitch. ¡°Your Majesty, we are most grateful for the honour of meeting with you. We shall take our leave now.¡± Edward said politely. He was getting the hang of speaking with the king. And with that, their audience with the king of Babylaind was over. --------------------------------- ¡°How will we move the transportation to the architect¡¯s workshop?¡± King 67 asked as he walked towards the port with Edward. ¡°Fret not, thee will see.¡± Edward answered, smiling ¡°Wait¡­ or is it thee?¡± It is thou¡­ They passed by the port, filled with people glaring at them and moved up a small hill. ¡°Hmm¡­this hill should be good enough¡­¡± ¡°Did we not pass by our ship?¡± King 67 inquired. ¡°Just wait and thou will see,¡± Edward repeated confidently, after realising that the correct word to use was thou. He waved towards the boat King 67 had boarded when he first met Edward. ¡­what? The ship started to vibrate, then it was steered towards the hill. Suddenly, it started moving up the slope. The civilians all stared at the sight with gaping mouths. Come to think of it, who was steering the ship at that time? There had to be a ship captain, right? Reaching the top of the hill, it stopped. It blocked the orange glow from the setting sun, and a small girl-barely nine years old jumped off the entrance. She had radiant golden hair, eyes like rubies, and lips tinged with green, yet her simple attire was stained with oil and grease. A green apron, which was even more dirty, adorned her as well. ¡°So you¡¯ve finally returned,¡± she barked at Edward, crossing her arms. ¡°Yes I have, Melissa,¡± Edward smiled. ¡°Let me introduce to you Melissa,¡± Edward turned towards King 67. ¡°She is the captain of our ship¡­ and will help with its repair.¡± Chapter 13: Seranadia ¡°She is a child though¡­¡± King 67 questioned. ¡°Let me give thee a piece of advice,¡± Edward said with his usual smile. ¡°Thee really should not say that in front of Melissa.¡± Huh? All King 67 saw was a small shadow before he felt a mighty thud on his head and crumbled to the ground. His head throbbed painfully, and his vision was disoriented. ¡°I dare you to say that again!¡± he heard Melissa¡¯s gruff voice. How unwomanly. ¡°What would you do if I had fainted, or worse, sustained brain injury?¡± King 67 said weakly as he got up, holding his head. ¡°Hmph!¡± Indignantly, Melissa turned her head away. Oh, now I see. King 67 looked at the small girl. She hit me over the head with a screw. How fierce. ¡°Melissa,¡± Edward introduced. ¡°This is Tom, our new teammate. Make sure to treat him nicely, okay?¡± Melissa, glanced at King 67, sizing him up. ¡°He¡¯s short,¡± she replied. Little girl, that was not very nice. Upon seeing her response, Edward chuckled. ¡°How is the ship?¡± he asked. "¡­" ¡°It¡¯s not doing so well. I¡¯ve been doing my best to maintain it, but the engine¡¯s gonna completely break down soon.¡± ¡°Does thee want to abandon this ship and get a new one? We have enough money for that.¡± Wait¡­he is not going to use my money, right? ¡°No¡­I don¡¯t wanna abandon this ship.¡± ¡°Well, that is simply wonderful!¡± Edward cheered. ¡°In this city, there is a man who can work together with thee to fix it. I shall bring him over now!¡± ¡°Hah?!¡± Melissa cried. ¡°You think someone can understand the engine?!¡± ¡°Possibly,¡± replied Edward. Disbelief was written all over Melissa¡¯s face. ¡°We shall bring him over in about a week,¡± Edward said with a cheerful tone in his voice. ¡°Is that okay, Melissa?¡± ¡­ ¡°Fine.¡± ¡°Alright then, make sure to treat him well,¡± Edward rejoiced as he walked off with King 67. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°Oh and,¡± Edward suddenly remembered something. ¡°Remember to drink some water, Melissa. Thy lips are cracking.¡± ¡°Tsk¡­thy this thee that¡­¡± King 67 heard Melissa grumble before she took out her bottle and started gulping water down. ----------------------------------------- By the time King 67 and Edward had returned to the hospital, the night sky had long since draped its velvet cloak over the city. Walking into the hospital room, King 67 saw Conradin and Selene playing a game of cards. They immediately stood up upon Edward¡¯s arrival. With a wave of his hand, Edward signalled for them to remain standing. ¡°Now, Tom,¡± he turned towards King 67. ¡°I take it as thee is now a member of our team, right?¡± I do need that money back¡­ King 67 nodded. ¡°Well, then, let me formally introduce everyone!¡± He pointed towards Selene. ¡°This is Selene! She is a beautiful maiden who is surprisingly skilled at insulting people. She is also in charge of cleaning the ship and is very nimble!¡± He then pointed towards Conradin. ¡°This is Conradin! He also dyes his originally blond hair to blend in here, and covers his burn marks with makeup! He is good at almost every weapon, but specialises in the katana! As thy may have noticed, he is also mute!¡± He pointed towards the wall. ¡°Melissa, who you have met, is from the Osworl. Her family was captured and forced to be engineers for them! She and her father were in charge of the special ship that we have right now! Ever since her father died of overwork, she had been in charge of the ship, until I invaded it during its trial run. Now, she works for us!¡± What a weird group of people. ¡°Lastly,¡± Edward pointed towards himself. ¡°I am the illegitimate son of the Oswor king, a prince. My glitch is Sword of God! Welcome to our team, Tom.¡± King 67 was utterly speechless. ¡°Now, allow me to explain our plan in detail!¡± Edward continued. ¡°We are a group of people banding together to fight the Osworl!¡± He said it as though they were heroes. ¡°As you may already know, the Osworls plan to completely take over every single country other than the five islands. As of now, they have control over the entire Osworl region and Austoria region, and their troops continue to grow as they move towards the region we are currently in-the Jerum region. They will continue to go East until the very edge of our land, towards Cloud Mountain. So, we must be faster than them. We should now head towards the North-the Bejin region, where we will warn the further regions of the threat, and get them to ally. We should also try to recruit as many of the nine jokers as we can, though four of them are on the Osworl¡¯s side, and Artorius has unfortunately lost his glitch.¡± The Bejin region¡­ If I go there, I could find a clue as to why I laughed that night¡­ ¡°Our mode of transport, which I got from the Osworl, is very unique. It can switch between being a boat and being a large car-truck sort of machine that runs for land. Understand?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± Huh... What an impossible plan. It seems I will have to steal the money back, then head to the Bejin region myself. ¡°Well, that is wonderful! After the ship is repaired, we shall set off!¡± Edward clapped his hands while King 67, Conradin and Selene remained silent. ------------------------------------------ It had been one week since the meeting with the king of Babylaind. Selene was still very suspicious of King 67 and Conradin still mostly minded his own business. To entertain themselves, they would play card games, but most of the time King 67 would be deep in thought, staring outside the window. Artorius had just been discharged from the hospital, and with the help of a nurse and Edward, went to his large workshop, where Melissa and the large boat or truck-like machine were waiting. ¡°What is the name of this wonderful machinery?¡± Artorius marvelled. ¡°Its original name is 0925, but if you would like to, you can give it a name.¡± ¡°In that case¡­ ¡°Seranadia¡±. How is that?¡± ¡°I like it, it sounds elegant,¡± Edward nodded. After that, Artorius went to check out the engine. ¡°What a complicated yet beautiful invention,¡± Artorius¡¯s eyes widened greatly at the amazing sight before him. ¡°If you need any help, feel free to rely on that girl over here. Her name is Melissa,¡± Edward pointed at Melissa. ¡°Isn¡¯t she just a small girl-ow!¡± He had earned himself a painful hit on the waist by Melissa. After a thorough inspection of the machinery by Artorius, Edward asked, ¡°Now that you do not have your glitch, how long do you think it will take to fix this?¡± Artorius returned a smile. ¡°Give me twenty days." Chapter 14: To Survive Somewhere in the streets of Babylaind: ¡°This is the last of our food¡­?¡± Ruicheng looked helplessly at a small carrot. ¡°How much money do we have left?¡± Riuxin asked. Ruicheng fumbled around in his pocket and took out a small bag of bronze coins. ¡°Five bronze coins¡­ the most we can buy with that here is one loaf of bread¡­ things in Babylaind are really expensive¡­ I should have considered the inflation here¡­¡± Ruicheng¡¯s stomach grumbled. After arriving in Babylaind, the boys finished most of their rations and their money in a week, without finding even a trace of where King 67 might have gone. ¡°You know¡­¡± Ruixin proposed. ¡°I heard that there was a kind man here who would feed the beggars every morning. Let¡¯s go there tomorrow, shall we?¡± ¡°What? No! We are boatmen, not beggars! No way I¡¯m gonna go beg for food!¡± Ruicheng shouted at Ruixin agitatedly. Ruixin did not reply but stared at Ruicheng with pleading eyes. ¡°You¡­¡± His eyes seem to bore into Ruicheng. ¡°No¡­¡± Ruicheng¡¯s stomach grumbled. ¡°Urgh¡­fine!¡± ¡°Huff¡­boys, if you¡¯re trying to get food from the Architect tomorrow morning, you¡¯re out of luck.¡± ¡°He¡¯s been hospitalised for a week now, and even has to work immediately after leaving the hospital! Ain¡¯t no way he¡¯s gonna give out food in that state! Well, he might just send someone else to give out food, but¡­ that hasn¡¯t happened yet. Argh¡­ I¡¯m so hungry¡­¡± A young beggar that stank of trash cans and leftover food moved up to the two boys and complained. Ruicheng and Ruixin held their breath and scrunched up their nose as the young beggar edged closer towards them. ¡°The beggars are all desperate already! Look at them,¡± the young beggar pointed towards a group of beggars ganging up on an old beggar. The old beggar had a long, smelly beard, and eyes small as beads. His clothes looked like rags, but he held on tightly to a bag of gold. ¡°Yo, how did you manage to bag such a large amount of money, you old ass?¡± a beggar with evil looking eyes asked menacingly. ¡°I¡¯ll- I¡¯ll give y''all fifty percent, no¡­ no, sixty! Please spare me!¡± The old beggar pleaded. ¡°Sixty? Bahahahhahaha!¡± The evil-looking beggars laughed together, after which, they started kicking the man ruthlessly. The twins, unable to watch anymore, ran away, leaving the young beggar snickering uncontrollably. Ruicheng and Ruixin ran with all their might, passing countless buildings, countless hostels, countless farms and countless people. Before they knew it, they were lost inside the residential area. They stopped to gasp for air, and a tantalizing smell wafted into their nostrils. They tottered towards the course of the smell and entered a small bakery. They saw a young shopkeeper of average build, brown meat hair and adorned by an apron, cleaning up the bakery after a long day of work. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°Oh, what do you want to buy, little boys- uh?¡± The shopkeeper asked amiably in a clear voice before noticing that the boys were extremely dirty. ¡°Where are your parents, and why are both of you so dirty?¡± the shopkeeper inquired skeptically. Unable to answer, Ruicheng and Ruixin prepared to run off. However, before they could, they were swiftly picked up by the collar by the surprisingly strong shopkeeper. ¡°Answer my questions,¡± he demanded clearly. ¡°Our parents are dead, and we have been wandering on the streets for the past few days trying to get revenge!¡± Ruixin cried. Ruicheng smacked Ruixin on the head. ¡°You fool! You¡¯ll make him misunderstand the situation!¡± he whispered into Ruixin¡¯s ear angrily. The shopkeeper gasped. ¡°What poor children!¡± The shopkeeper looked at them pitifully. ¡°Come into my house, I¡¯ll give you food and shelter.¡± ¡°What? No, absolutely not!¡± Ruicheng shouted indignantly, but the shopkeeper brought them to the second level of the bakery. Surprisingly, the shopkeeper lived on the second level of the bakery. It was a warm house with comfortable chairs and a large dining table. ¡°Jessica! I¡¯m home!¡± The shopkeeper announced. A young, beautiful woman with soft white hair and a serene smile on her face came out of the room. ¡°Oh! Who do we have here?¡± she gasped upon seeing the two boys. Ruicheng stuck out his tongue at Jessica while Ruixin smiled shyly at her. She had a petite figure, and her dainty fingers caressed the boys¡¯ faces as the shopkeeper put them down. ¡°Jessica, these are hungry children who have lost their parents. Let¡¯s keep them and give them a place to stay,¡± the shopkeeper suggested, oblivious to the aghast Ruicheng staring incredulously at him. ¡°Of course! Let me fix you two up immediately-eh?¡± In a desperate attempt to flee, Ruicheng sped towards the door. Luckily, the shopkeeper closed the door in time. ¡°Now, we can¡¯t, with good conscience, allow starving children like you to go out into the streets, can we?¡± the shopkeeper said with an amiable smile on his face. Ruicheng gritted his teeth. Jessica held their hands and led them to the bathroom as she instructed the shopkeeper, ¡°Honey, prepare dinner while I take these boys to shower.¡± ¡°Sure!¡± the shopkeeper said, before Jessica disappeared into the bathroom with the boys. ----------------------------------------------- ¡°The water is all ready, come in now,¡± Jessica told the boys. ¡°No! No way I¡¯m gonna let a woman wash me! I need to get my revenge!¡± Ruicheng had his back against the wall. ¡°It doesn''t matter, the water here is so good¡­¡± Ruixin, who was already in the water, invited Ruicheng in. ¡°No! How could you let your guard down like that? What if she kills us while we¡¯re in the bathtub?¡± Ruicheng protested. ¡°Now, now. That¡¯s not a very nice thing to say,¡± Jessica remarked. ¡°I don¡¯t care! I¡¯m twelve already! I¡¯m not getting washed by a woman!¡± Ruicheng was still stubbornly protesting. ¡°What do you mean? We just turned nine, didn¡¯t we?¡± Ruixin¡¯s body was almost completely submerged in the bath. Speechlessly, Ruicheng stared at the bath, tempted to jump into it. After much coaxing, they finally got Ruicheng into the bath. Ruixin flipped around in the bathtub as if it were the best day of his life. ¡°This is the worst and most humiliating day of my life,¡± Ruicheng remarked, while Jessica scrubbed his hair with shampoo. ¡°Miss Jessica,¡± Ruixin asked, ¡°Why do you live on top of your husband¡¯s shop?¡± Chuckling, Jessica answered, ¡°This is a shophouse. It¡¯s quite common in Babylaind. Shopkeepers will live on top of their shops for convenience.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Ruixin replied as he fiddled around with the water. ¡°Why do the two of you wanna take us in so badly?¡± Ruicheng asked skeptically. Jessica delicately tapped her finger to her chin. ¡°Firstly, it¡¯s because we genuinely want to help you. Secondly¡­ we¡¯ve always wanted children but you see¡­ I can¡¯t have babies¡­¡± she held her stomach, smiling sadly. ¡°There¡¯s someone who can¡¯t have babies?¡± Ruixin asked innocently. ¡°Yeah, I thought babies came from kissing?¡± Ruicheng added. ¡°Hehe¡­¡±Jessica chuckled softly at the twins¡¯ innocence. ¡°You¡¯ll understand when you grow older.¡±] ¡°Huh?!¡± ------------------------------------------- After the bath was over, they dried themselves and went out of the bathroom. ¡°Ah, perfect!¡± the shopkeeper, who had changed out of his apron, smiled upon seeing them. ¡°Dinner is prepared!¡± And before the twins laid a table full of delicacies.