Roosters crowed, announcing a new morning. The sun rose between the kingdom's walls, giving shine to such beauty. Workers left their homes, greeting one another, setting up their stalls and opening their shops.
In the inn's room, Shizu stared at the ceiling with a mix of anger and exhaustion. Detrin slept like a rock, snoring, with a face of pure happiness. In the middle of his sleep, he stretched out his arm and let it fall onto Shizu's face. That was the end of Shizu's patience.
— HUAMMMM! DAAAAAMN IT!
Shizu kicked Detrin out of the bed. He fell face-first onto the floor, waking up instantly, pain rushing up his head.
— Ow, ow! What the hell, man! Why did you do that?!
Shizu turned his face toward him, irritation overflowing in his voice.
— OF COURSE! IT'S ALREADY MORNING AND I DIDN'T SLEEP BECAUSE YOU KEPT MOVING AROUND IN BED LIKE A STARVING WORM!
Shizu's mind was taken over by memories of the night: Detrin thrashing, kicking, and hitting him with his arms nonstop.
Detrin frowned, puffed out his cheeks like an irritated child… then let out a breath.
— My bad…
That only made Shizu even more irritated. He grabbed a pillow and threw it hard at Detrin's face. At the same moment, Detrin lost his composure and threw the pillow back. Soon, the two were in a full pillow war, exchanging insults nonstop.
The bedroom door opened.
Anin walked in yawning and froze when she saw the scene.
— Uhaa~ Good morn—
— SHUT UP, YOU TOO!!
Detrin quickly turned and hurled the pillow with force. It hit Anin's face, knocking her backward. Regret came in the very same second.
— N-no, wait! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!
Anin slowly stood up, still holding the pillow. The expression on her face made the air in the room grow heavy. Detrin felt a chill run through his body and turned to Shizu, almost crying.
— H-hey… I'm not gonna die, right…?
Shizu was pale.
— You know she's capable of destroying this house with one hand… right?
Detrin looked back at Anin. His mind went completely blank.
She stomped her foot on the floor and threw the pillow with all her strength.
Detrin laughed softly, looking upward, a tear running down the corner of his eye.
— Oh, Lord… have mercy on this poor man who doesn't even have bread to eat every day…
The pillow hit him.
And went straight through the bedroom wall.
Detrin was thrown outside, screaming in pain, crashing onto the ground outside with the pillow still over his head.
Curled up in the corner, Shizu watched Anin carefully.
— G-good morning… Anin…
She smiled at him and replied happily.
— Good morning, Shizu!
Getting ready to leave, Shizu put on his black clothes and the dark coat that always accompanied him. As he left the room, he found Anin coming out of hers. Both went downstairs, greeted the innkeeper, and soon headed outside, eager to discover more about the city.
When they opened the inn's door, they were surprised.
Countless knights formed two perfect lines. Feral guards, wearing golden armor, held spears and swords. Everything was too orderly. Too organized.
Shizu and Anin took a step back.
In the distance, a luxurious purple carriage stopped in front of the entrance. The door slowly opened.
From inside came a fox-like Feral, with blue and gray fur. He wore a golden monocle, extremely elegant black clothes, and a long golden overcoat that almost touched the ground. He walked slowly, with calculated steps, toward Shizu and Anin.
With half-open eyes, he began to speak, smiling as he approached.
— Hello, new visitors of Dealgran… it is a great pleasure to meet you personally…
He let out a restrained laugh and, as he came closer, fully opened his eyes. The difference in size became clear: almost three meters tall, imposing himself over the two of them.
The Feral concluded, looking directly at them — lingering a bit longer on Shizu.
— The heroes who saved the Kingdom of Babadar from the tyrant Izius Babadar… Shizu Mark… and Anin Thayllor.
Shizu looked up and felt intimidated instantly. Anin did as well. The Feral noticed his provocation had worked, let out a small chuckle, and slightly bowed his head in apology.
— Oh, I'm sorry… forgive my rudeness. You are very important people, so we prepared a reception worthy of you. Unfortunately, we did not know the exact day of your arrival. Anyway… would you accompany me to the castle of the Lord of these lands? He wishes to see you personally.
Shizu looked at Anin, who returned the look with suspicion. After a brief silence, Shizu agreed.
The Feral simply raised his head and said cheerfully, pointing at the carriage.
— Excellent! We greatly appreciate your presence. So… shall we?
Both entered the carriage and headed toward the castle of that kingdom's Lord.
Inside the carriage, Anin and Shizu sat side by side, looking at the Feral in front of them. He also observed them, with a smile on his face, seated in a relaxed posture, as if evaluating the two of them.
The silence stretched for a few moments, until Shizu decided to break it. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and bringing his hands together in front of his chin.
— So… who would you be?
The Feral smiled even more and replied confidently.
— Easy now, no need to be so alert. I know this summons was sudden, but you can trust me. We don't bite…
Shizu hardened his expression, returned to a more relaxed posture, and asked again.
— Who are you?
The fox raised his left hand to his chest, joining two fingers and pointing them toward the right side in a polite gesture. He spoke in a friendly tone.
— That's better. My name is Maprisius Enerva. I am one of the Fingers of our king, one of the nobles with the greatest influence in this kingdom. A pleasure to meet you. I've heard much about you.
Shizu watched him with suspicion. Soon, Anin intervened.
— How did you know about us… if we arrived here yesterday?
Maprisius opened his eyes wider and answered in a firm voice, staring at her.
— We know because we have eyes in all places that suit us. Given the circumstances… we know many things about all who fought bravely to defeat Izius Babadar.
Anin clenched her teeth, tightened her fists, and muttered, filled with anger.
— Miserable…
Shizu did not understand the weight of that reaction. When Anin seemed about to say something more, Maprisius turned his gaze toward the window and pointed into the distance.
— Look, we're already arriving! Appreciate one of the finest views of this kingdom… and also one of the finest views in the world!
The sky illuminated the great golden castle of Dealgran, reflecting bright tones, vivid like the sun itself.
Meanwhile, all the guards had left the front of the inn.
From behind a flowerbed, Detrin appeared, speaking in a trembling voice.
— This… was not part of the plan for this trip…
Stopping in front of the great golden castle, Shizu and Anin stepped out of the carriage and observed the grandeur of the construction. The shine of the gold reflected the daylight in an almost exaggerated way.
— Damn… these guys are really extremely rich! — Shizu commented.
Anin stared at everything with rage stamped across her face.
Maprisius then began to speak, walking ahead.
— Dealgran is the third country with the greatest economic and military power in the world. This golden castle is one of the proofs of that. Our kingdom is rich in precious minerals, with large mines spread throughout the territory.
As he spoke, he approached the main gate, which slowly opened. He then turned to the two of them.
— Shall we?
Walking through the corridors, Shizu and Anin observed the paintings on the white walls, the ornate jars, and the expensive tables, all golden and excessively well cared for.
Shizu stopped in front of a completely blank painting and frowned.
— These paintings should belong to the former rulers of this kingdom… so the current king is not truly a king yet? Or did he just not want his face in a frame?
Maprisius approached and answered calmly.
— That blank painting should belong to the new king, who, as it happens, has not yet fully ascended. The royal ceremonies and the official recognition of the people are still missing. But if you allow me some advice… he is an eccentric and authentic person. A good choice for the throne and, no less important… the most powerful Feral in the entire kingdom.
Continuing the walk, they arrived in front of the great gate of the Throne Room. Maprisius announced loudly.
— My king, I, Maprisius Enerva, have brought the guests of honor with me!
The gate opened.
As they entered, Shizu felt the immediate impact of an immense and oppressive aura. The pressure in the air was suffocating.
Inside the hall there were four figures. On the left, two occupied structures similar to smaller thrones: a wolf Feral, with long, curly green hair and brown eyes; beside her, a Feral with horse-like features, wearing a suit and tie. On the other side, there were two more seats — only one occupied by a bird-like Feral, bearing beautiful pink and gray wings. The last one remained empty.
At the center, at the back of the hall, was the king.
A Feral of nearly four meters, with the characteristics of a giant rat. He had large ears, golden teeth, golden chains covering his body, and an enormous tail that wrapped twice completely around the throne, adorned with several golden rings.
The pressure increased.
Shizu searched for Maprisius with his eyes… and then saw him occupying the fourth seat, revealing himself as one of the four great nobles of that place.
The king spoke.
— I thank you for your presence in my kingdom. It is with great admiration and affection that we welcome you here today, to speak about your deeds and also to pay tribute to two heroes such as you. I, the seventh king of Dealgran, Napolix Neathan, welcome you to our glorious kingdom… and extend to you an invitation to my ascension to the throne.
Shizu and Anin were perplexed, completely unable to understand the situation. Frightened, they spoke in unison.
— What…?