"Motono-kun, please stop crying!"
"I will definitely help you escape from this misery!"
Orihime-chan threw herself into Haruta Motono's arms, nearly knocking the wind out of him.
In her own mind, she had always been a petite and delicate girl, and throwing herself into the arms of the man she liked was a perfectly normal thing to do.
But Haruta Motono didn't think so.
Help him escape from misery?
He'd be grateful if she just stopped vomiting into his mouth.
Seeing Haruta Motono's chubby face turning bright red, Inoue Orihime thought he was moved by her words, so she continued to comfort him:
"Motono-kun, just wait a little longer. I've already contacted my senior disciple. He's a powerful swordsman who will definitely rescue us!"
"Kill..." Haruta Motono's voice was barely audible.
"Motono-kun, what did you say?"
"I said, now, while those monsters aren't paying attention, quick, quickly kill me! Break my neck!"
Haruta Motono's lips trembled, and he wished he could strangle Inoue Orihime.
"No! Motono-kun, how could I kill you? No one is allowed to kill you! I will definitely save you, just wait!"
Inoue Orihime gazed at Haruta Motono with tender affection, her eyes filled with such intense love that it seemed about to melt.
Wait for you? Like hell!
Haruta Motono was so furious that he couldn't catch his breath. With a "gak" sound, he passed out.
...
Meanwhile.
In the Aulist Royal Palace.
"Your Majesty, the envoy from the Erylan Empire has arrived."
A knight approached the worried-looking King of Aulist, bowing as he reported, his sidelong glance carefully observing the monarch's face.
In just one week, the king seemed to have aged more than ten years. Previously, his white hair had been interspersed with some black strands, but now it was completely gray.
"Envoy? What does the envoy want?"
The King of Aulist awoke as if from a dream, his face immediately turning pale.
"He has come to retrieve Archmage Mesent."
The knight skillfully took two steps back.
Sure enough, the next moment there was a crisp "ping" sound as two ceramic plates smashed on the floor.
"Where am I supposed to find Archmage Mesent for them? How long has it been since our army returned? A week!?"
The King of Aulist roared in anger, his face and neck turning bright red.
"Yes, Your Majesty. Our scouts found many corpses near Silvermoon Forest, all belonging to our soldiers. They dare not venture any deeper."
"However, one thing can be confirmed: the soldiers we sent out and Archmage Mesent have been devoured by the dragon."
The knight returned to his original position, slightly bowing, mercilessly delivering the bad news all at once, without any regard for the king's feelings.
"Your Majesty, what should we do now?" he continued to ask.
"How would I know what to do?"
The King of Aulist paced anxiously back and forth in the palace, his expression growing increasingly gloomy.
"I paid so many Gold Lions to invite Archmage Mesent, and now Mesent is dead. They can't possibly expect me to pay compensation as well!"
"And I've lost so many soldiers. How many soldiers does the entire Kingdom of Aulist even have?"
The knight remained silent. He stood quietly beside the King of Aulist, silently listening to the king's complaints.
The king's situation was truly pitiful.
The entire palace had long been controlled by the queen, and the old king was merely a figurehead placed in the public eye. Yet the King of Aulist knew nothing about this.
The King of Aulist thought long and hard but couldn't come up with a good solution. However, he couldn't refuse to meet the Erylan envoy. Otherwise, he might mysteriously die in some corner of the palace within a few days.
The King of Aulist sighed helplessly.
Then, he wearily put on the appropriate royal attire according to protocol and, accompanied by the knight, went to the great hall of the palace.
In the hall, a middle-aged man with a goatee and flaxen curly hair was casually leaning against a load-bearing pillar.
His gaze shamelessly swept over the palace maids, just short of reaching out to touch them.
"Sir Envoy from Erylan, I am the King of Aulist."
The King of Aulist sat properly on his throne. His expression showed no pride, nor did he have the majesty of a ruler. The weakness of his nation's power forced him to display only a fawning smile.
"Hello, King of Aulist."
The goateed envoy smiled casually.
He walked unhurriedly to a leather chair and sat down, crossing his legs. His comfortable demeanor made it seem as if he had returned to his own home.
"I've come here today to retrieve Archmage Mesent. As you know, Archmage Mesent is the right-hand man of our border commander, Lord Kashuen."
"He has been away for too long now, and the fortress needs his assistance."
The goateed envoy didn't bother with pleasantries and went straight to the point with the King of Aulist, his shrewd gaze full of schadenfreude and mockery.
The King of Aulist nearly died of anger upon hearing the envoy's words.
What did he mean by "right-hand man"?
Erylan had so many third-tier archmages, and Mesent was clearly the least remarkable among them.
The old man was greedy and lecherous, with mediocre magical talent. His only notable skill was a fire explosion spell.
It was said that this was because he particularly admired a legendary mage from ancient times who only knew the fire explosion spell.
So he also practiced the fire explosion spell diligently.
Unfortunately, he had only achieved a mediocre level.
His ambition exceeded his abilities, and he was nothing special.
How could such a despicable character be Lord Kashuen's right-hand man?
Although the King of Aulist was a cuckold, he wasn't an idiot. He immediately realized that the Erylan envoy had no intention of retrieving Archmage Mesent.
He most likely knew that Archmage Mesent was dead, and so did Kashuen. Now, they had come to extort money.
"I'm very sorry, Sir Envoy, but Archmage Mesent left three days ago."
"I don't know where he is now."
"Perhaps he has already returned to Erylan?"
Even though he was in a desperate situation, the King of Aulist still harbored a glimmer of hope and wanted to make one last struggle.
"Left?" The goateed Erylan envoy sneered.
"Your Majesty, Mesent is already dead. There's no need to inquire about it. The entire Kingdom of Aulist is talking about the failure of the Dragon-Slaying Army. In the taverns, the bards alone have more than a dozen versions of the story."
"Now, you tell me that Archmage Mesent has left? Are you trying to fool the dead?"
The King of Aulist, being a king after all, had never been treated with such disrespect before.
He wanted to get angry, but his sidelong glance caught sight of his queen standing in a corner nearby, subtly shaking her head at him.
If there was anyone in the entire Kingdom of Aulist who could still shake his resolve, it would be his queen.
In the King of Aulist's view, his queen was the smartest and most beautiful woman in the world.
The King of Aulist immediately calmed down.
He couldn't fall out with the Erylan envoy!
"Uh... Lord Envoy."
The King of Aulist carefully chose his words and said with a smile:
"The Dragon-Slaying Army did indeed fail, but Archmage Mesent may not necessarily be dead."
"I'm currently sending people to search for him. Perhaps you could stay here for a while?"
"If we really can't find him, we can pay compensation..."
"Ahem!"
Before the King of Aulist could finish speaking.
The beautiful Queen of Aulist also stepped forward.
She lightly coughed twice, smiled sweetly, and with her beautiful eyes flowing with charm, she softly said to the envoy:
"If we ultimately cannot find Mesent, we can discuss what compensation Lord Kashuen requires at that time. How does that sound?"
The Queen of Aulist slowly walked up to the envoy, her face bearing a warm and gentle smile.
But in reality, she was dying of anxiety inside.
She had mentally cursed the king's ancestors eighteen times over.
Compensation?
All the money in the entire palace belonged to her now.
Pay compensation? Like hell!
If you want my money, I'll have you killed!
With this thought, the Queen of Aulist continued:
"Besides, it's so hot outside today, and we don't have much to offer Lord Envoy..."
"I happen to know how to make some shaved ice. Would Lord Envoy like to come to my chambers to taste it?"
With her back to the King of Aulist, she gave the Erylan envoy a flirtatious wink, her delicate pink tongue licking her red lips just right, instantly exuding an alluring charm.
The Erylan envoy was completely stunned, stammering with a lecherous smile in response:
"S-sure, sure~"
"I'll stay here for a few more days and see how things go... Well, since the queen has invited me, I shall humbly obey." """
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