Ball of Nothing

The people were excited and the crowd that showed up exceeded anyone's expectations. The royal guards doubled efforts to maintain order but there was no way they could stop the enthusiastic crowd gathering at the entrance of the castle.

Nobles and commoners alike gathered in the outer court waiting for the chance to see the young king. Apart from his coronation day, nobody had seen King Brice outside his room. Only a selected few knew how he looked. Everyone else still remembered him as the feeble teenager who looked as if the world was going to devour him.

The news about the royal guard's increased activities under King Brice's name lifted the moods of the commoners. Duke Zurich's faction was taken down and the refugees were given proper housing along with those who needed it. The Humanitarian Guild wasn't an officially registered guild but nobody really bothered. To them, the Humanitarian Guild was their saviour and Old Gary never stopped talking about how the guild's founder was a friend of King Brice's. Nobody knew who that mysterious friend was but everyone was happy.

The only one unhappy about King Brice's sudden change was Duke Connie. He hired many elite assassins and refused to attend the royal announcement event. Whatever Brice had planned, he probably wouldn't be able to implement it after today.

Duke Connie wasn't the only one making preparations for the huge day. As King Brice was escorted to the gates, Zero followed stealthily behind. Using magic to hide from the potential threats, Zero kept a lookout and protected the king from the shadows. This was something he made Truen agree on.

There would be no doubt that Duke Connie would use this chance to get rid of his brother standing in the way between him and the throne. It was why Zero entrusted Truen and Mitchnew the responsibility of weeding Duke Connie's forces from inside out. Mitchnew who was in charge of the information networks and assassins within Smargdas will pretend to accept the assassination request in order to eliminate the other private hires before anything can happen. Truen was in charge of raiding Duke Connie's slave guild and securing the slaves. Qin Yun's demon girls were in charge of attacking Duke Connie's allies and the Dragon Heroes were going to fight against Duke Connie and his private army after Duke Connie gets pushed to a corner.

The plan wasn't made by Zero. It was made by King Brice and Zero decided to listen to the young king because he was academically smarter and more politically exposed. Truen didn't know much about warfare but it wasn't very important when they had so many overpowered individuals. Qin Yun, Schaf and Zenobia were already on standby. They had everything the refugees and slaves needed. The moment they secured King Brice's authority in Smagdas, Half Moon Trading was going to take control of all the trading routes.

King Brice stood at the last double doors that the soldiers were trying to open. He had never really left the castle in such a glorious manner, often having to sneak around using the secret passages that only the king knew. His father's journal gave Brice the opportunity to meet Mitchnew and now, he was indebted to Zero.

The cheers from the outer court were deafening and King Brice stumbled backwards before he bumped into someone. Misana held him steady and smiled.

"Don't worry, your people will understand. Nobody can harm you, we have the most outstanding shadow guard standing right beside you as you give the speech to start a new reign. Do your best to be remembered as the first King of Smargdas to stand against Altear and ally with Endow Hill."

King Brice felt his hand shaking but he inhaled and exhaled steadily. She was right, Zero was right behind him. He had nothing to fear. He didn't volunteer to become the bait with a weak resolve. Even if Zero wasn't here beside him, he would still go through with this plan because it was the only way he could succeed and stop Duke Connie from bringing the country to ruins.

The sunlight felt bright in his eyes that day and the sea of people looking upwards made Brice feel as if he finally understood what had to be done. All the people in the courtyard were his citizens. As the King, he had the responsibility to protect them and create a better future for future generations. The years of fighting and hiding from his bloodthirsty uncle and brother were not in vain. The darkness he crawled through just to get here today was worth it. Standing beside him was the silent hero, Zero. Standing behind him was the woman who propelled him forward in his toughest times - Misana. He couldn't let them down now.

"Greetings, citizens of Smargdas!" King Brice started and the crowd cheered. He thanked Zero for handing him this very useful voice amplification mana powered device called the microphone. King Brice wasn't shouting but his voice echoed throughout the castle all the way to the town square. With this, those who couldn't make it into the outer court would also be able to listen.

"I've gathered you all today to say a few words. Firstly, thank you for believing in me despite all the awful things that happened ever since the start of my reign. I am still young and foolish but I have a dream to build Smargdas into a kingdom that wouldn't be bullied by others."

The cheers died down and silence washed over those listening. King Brice's words made them feel all sorts of things from hopeful to curiosity. Unlike the kings before him, Brice wanted to do something previously thought was impossible for the weak humans. On a planet full of talented and superior species, humans were the weakest of the lot. They had no mana and were inferior in any kind of technology. If it wasn't for their powerful allies and the treaties that their forefathers signed, would Smargdas still exist?

"I know what many of you might be thinking. We have no superior weapons, technology or army. After the breaking down of the Holy Magician Alliance, what's going to stop U.N.U. and Altear from tearing us apart? Today, I have your answers. We have the Dragon Heroes and their allies who have agreed to lend us assistance."

As if on cue, the crowd started cheering. Unfortunately, the Dragon Heroes didn't make their appearance and the citizens started speculating if the Dragon Heroes were going to show up. Nobody saw them entering the city so it was unclear if King Brice's words could be trusted. Many were not reassured but the young king was confident. He had more aces up his sleeve.

"Many of you might not know this but the Dragon Heroes hail from a remote village high up in Endow Hill by the name of Half Moon Village led by an amazing person by the name of Zero. I am here today to announce the official alliance between Smargdas with Half Moon Village and New Moon Village of Endow Hill."

Despite being invisible, Zero felt oddly shy when he heard the grand introduction. Those who knew him would surely laugh as King Brice sang his praises. He talked about how they had become friends and how Zero was already in alliance with a few other countries such as Rocket Mountains and Magnus Hilda. The confirmation of Magnus Hilda's alliance was only confirmed recently but already, it has reached King Brice's ears.

"The Holy Magician Alliance might be no more but instead, we can now form friendly relations with the countries that my dear friend Zero has befriended. The dwarves and giants are our closest allies. However, a little further away, Mystic Meadows and U.N.U. have also agreed to come to Smargdas to trade what they need. We may be a small and weak country but our location is the most convenient for those who wish to pass to the west from the mountains and those who wish to visit the mountain ranges to cross to Mystic Meadows. Adventurers and traders alike will find Smargdas a convenient location to restock before they continue on their quests. From today onwards, let us work hard to rebuild Smargdas into a country that welcomes all."

The people cheered when they heard the announcement. An increased number of trades, travellers and friendly relationsh.i.p.s with other countries including the elusive Mystic Meadows was considered an accomplishment no other countries have done before. Endow Hill was also an unknown territory that many adventurers feared because of the powerful mana beasts that made it home. However, now that they knew the rumours of the dragon on Endow Hill are true because of the Dragon Heroes, instead of feeling fear, the people of Smargdas felt more reassured. They have a powerful ally and Altear who threatened to wipe them out, like how they waged war with the dwarves, was no longer an immediate danger.

King Brice smiled. That was not all. Zero was in for a surprise too.

"In addition, I want to officially recognise a new Guild with the support of the royal family for the people. The Humanitarian Guild founded by Zero and Old Gary will be officially recognised as the People's Guild. Smargdas will not turn away any refugees and will not accept slavery. The Slavery Guild that Duke Connie has founded will be demolished and all slaves are declared free citizens their contracts are considered invalid. Anyone found guilty of possessing slaves will be executed without trial. I know that many slave owners and traders will protest about the investments they made and I will listen to each and every single case in court to give you reparations for your losses. The homeless, jobless and refugees from wars especially those from Lycantopia can look for the Humanitarian Guild for assistance. We will also be welcoming different talented races who wish to work in Smargdas, including those with demon blood."

At the mention of demon blood, there were mixed reactions mostly of concern and fear. King Brice was expecting this and smiled.

"I understand your concerns. However, I can vouch on the honour of the royal blood in my veins that these demons are not the same ones as those from nightmares. The demons have been tamed and bound by contract to powerful masters in Half Moon Village. They are here to understand our culture better so that they can improve their villages and territories with the things they learn from Earth. According to Zero and the Dragon Heroes who have visited the edge of the abyss, the demons suffer from eternal drought. They mean no harm and do not wish to spill blood. We've signed an agreement to exchange their magic expertise for food and technology."

Zero watched the crowd's reaction and noted with satisfaction that Mitchnew had dealt with the hired assassins swiftly. He had faith that the talented dark elf would be able to handle it smoothly. His presence was simply a reassurance. Truen was also almost done with his end of the deal and Qin Yun reported that her girls are waiting for the royal army to collect Duke Connie's corrupted allies.

"As for the matter with the hostile relations with The Great Forest of Altear, I have already appointed Zero as the official royal envoy of Smargdas. We will await good news from his talks with Elf King Sharo."

Zero froze. When did he agree to do this?