Hero of Darkness

ONE WEEK LATER. 

Inside a hidden castle outside of capital Arkensan, a fireborne male was drinking a glass of exquisite samsara wine while contemplating things on his end with a furious expression. 

Schwoomm!! 

Suddenly, the entire room turned dark and the red-headed man felt his body weakening. 

Flap! 

Flap! 

With multiple flaps of their hoods and cloaks, 8 people suddenly appeared and knelt in front of this man. 

"Weren't you going to show up after I became the Crown Prince? 

What kind of shoddy job did you do?" asked Hector as he expected this group of secret helpers to appear sometime soon. 

"I'm sorry, my prince. We did not expect the princess to also have access to that information. 

And she saved those victims by creating a distraction and used them as her trump card during the trial." explained Kahn in his changed voice. 

"And whose fault is that?! 

Now she has reached the peak height of popularity as the princess who helped bring justice to the victims in the eyes of the whole empire. 

And me… I'm just a standby who didn't do anything at all.

People don't even care if it was me who actually spread the rumors. There was nothing I could do to claim the credit while that halfbreed ransacked the fruits of my efforts!" spoke Hector in an enraged tone and threw away the wine as he raged. 

As for Kahn who was kneeling on the floor… 

He did not provide Hector with those details intentionally for many reasons. And also because he wanted Hector to be on the backfoot after the fourth phase. 

"There is still a way, my lord." spoke Kahn in a respectful tone while hiding behind his red mask. 

"What is it? It better be worth it." said Hector. 

"The whole trial will be forgotten in a month or so and her momentum will be gone soon. 

But there's a way for you to keep gaining support and popularity throughout the year and increase your chances to become the crown prince." replied Kahn and spoke the name of their strategy. 

"Phase Four… Throk Oakenshield." he said in a serious tone. 

"What the hell is that midget dwarf gonna do?" asked Hector as he could not see the clear picture. 

He was notified about the situation and plan for phase four already but now that Venessa had taken all credit… phase four was useless to him. 

"Think about it, my lord. With the new imperial decree, humans are no longer third-rate citizens. 

The whole trial will be buried by the imperial clan soon but by helping the dwarf… you have so much to gain in the upcoming year." he explained. 

"What do you mean?" asked the fireborne with eyes full of curiosity. 

Kahn then told him about the challenge between Throk and the other dwarven saint blacksmith Tawerik. 

And how a human named Kahn Salvatore was going to be trained by him for a face-off. 

"How does that affect me?" 

"Think about it, my prince. If the news of you helping the dwarf spreads and since humans are in a limelight… it has many ways to help you. 

Because of the second prince, no one has still helped their company even now. 

If you step in… You will look like a hero to both the church and dwarven race as you are helping an oppressed individual who belonged to both their sides." explained Kahn again. 

"But how can a human win against a dwarf in blacksmithing? That is just absurd to even imagine." rebuked Hector. 

"It doesn't even matter if the human wins or not. 

It will greatly help the public image and regardless of the result of what happens next year in the faceoff… you will be seen as a just and kind prince to the whole empire. 

This will greatly outdo the current momentum the princess has." 

"So what's there left to do? Bring him some contracts and help in their business?" asked Hector. 

"No. It will make it look like you're only pretending." spoke Kahn. 

"Then what?" asked the first prince. 

To his question… Kahn gave a very resolute answer. 

"Become his… sponsor." 

----------------

The next day, Kahn showed up in front of Venessa just like their previous meeting. 

"Well done. Your plan worked and I'm getting plenty of invites and many people want to officially support me from now on. It includes two of the most prestigious fireborne clans as well." said Venessa with a smile and a content expression. 

But after her statement… Kahn told what Hector was trying to do. 

"If he succeeds, what you have gained will be nothing compared to what he will gain a year and a half later. His face will be in the spotlight in front of the entire population as they will try to make it a historical match. 

We cannot miss this opportunity. You should also step in and sponsor Throk Oakenshield and his company. 

Plus his pupil is a human. That's also very good for your image. "

Venessa had a complicated expression on her face. Because this was an unnecessary effort in her eyes. But if her Well-wisher was right, Hector would be able to surpass her in the near future. So she made a final decision of her own. 

"Alright… I agree." 

----------------

The following day… in front of a dilapidated and rundown building that hadn't been cleaned off or even visited by anyone in the past one month… 

Two overly crowded entourages arrived in warships and their respective leaders then stood in front of each other as they exchanged pleasantries. 

"Aren't you too shameless? Shouldn't getting all that attention from the trial be enough for you?" asked Hector with a smile. 

"What are you trying to imply? I'm only here to help a victim in need. Don't you know kindhearted and magnanimous I am?" said Venessa with an upright expression as she flicked her long black hair. 

Sparks suddenly appeared in between the first prince and the third princess as if they were fighting with their battle intent already. 

Throk, who had come to greet them had a concerned expression. 

Tap! 

Tap! 

Suddenly, a figure walked behind him. And as soon as Venessa saw him… she pointed her fingers at this new arrival and asked in a high-pitched tone. 

"You… What the hell are you doing here?!"