Part 1: The New Prime Minister
"Congratulations, Lord James! On becoming the new Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Asura! Let's raise a toast to the new Prime Minister!"
Lord August's declaration immediately received the approval of the entire party. Hundreds of glass goblets with expensive wines were raised along with countless congratulations from politicians from all over Asura.
"Congratulations, Lord James!"
"Congratulations to House Boreas Greyrat!"
"To the new Prime Minister James Boreas Greyrat!"
With those congratulations, the man of the party, Lord James, the eldest son of the fief lord of the Fittoa region, couldn't hide a winner's smile either. That man had broad shoulders, muscles, and the face of a warrior. However, unlike his father, James was a wiser person; he not only used strength but also connections or even dirty tricks to advance far in his political career.
"Thank you all for your support! I will take the responsibility to serve The King and his people with all my life!"
So after years of effort, this man who just turned 35 has sat on the position only below one but above all—the new Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Asura.
For the Kingdom of Asura, this is a monarchy with a long tradition. That means status is largely determined by where you were born. However, after the Laplace War four hundred years ago, a series of reforms were introduced. Besides positions like the head of a family or the lord of a land which are settled by the families themselves, administrative positions have been transferred to a more modern model.
Especially the positions of ministers, particularly that Prime Minister's seat. Every 5 years, members of the King's Council—an organization of veteran politicians—will meet and elect bright candidates. From there, it will be submitted to the king for approval.
That is exactly how James took another long step in his career like that. This was a resounding and extremely close victory. It seemed no one in the King's Council could foresee that James would surpass the current head of the Ganius house, Lord Darius, like that, even having the king's support. Because in terms of influence or age, James is still far behind Darius. Darius himself was the one who supported the current king a lot, and the king's successful ascension to the throne was largely arranged by the former prime minister himself. So changing this balance of power has more or less caused a significant ripple.
Yet Darius didn't seem to mind that much; the fat man with the bald head calmly laughed and walked up to James. One hand raised a wine glass, his mouth forming a delighted smile.
"Congratulations on your victory, Lord James. It seems the era of young nobles is coming faster than I anticipated, huh?"
"Thank you, Lord Darius." James also gave a polite smile in return. Two glasses of precious wine touched lightly, creating a meaningful *clink*. "However, I don't think the era has changed; the wisdom of predecessors is still what keeps this kingdom standing firm. So I think I will need to learn a lot from you."
"'The wisdom of predecessors is what helps the kingdom stand firm', huh? Haha." Darius laughed loudly. "You are both a formidable politician and have the eloquence of a poet."
Actually, that was a sentence James quoted from a book about Kaunis Freean Asura. But saying that probably wouldn't be a very good move, so the eldest son of the Boreas house decided to remain silent and smile. No matter what, James's victory was largely due to Darius's own arrangement.
Sharp people would know the former Prime Minister is wanting to pull the Boreas house to his side.
"Anyway, it's a pity, isn't it?" Just stopping his laughter, Darius sighed again. "On such a happy day, your father Lord Sauros couldn't attend."
"Things in Fittoa recently have made my father busier than usual. Everyone knows how responsible he is with his territory."
"The matter of monsters suddenly going crazy, right?" Darius glanced at other nobles huddling to discuss not far away. His brown eyes narrowed to the point of looking closed. "Truly a strange matter. I hope Lord Sauros will solve this problem soon."
It's something everyone knows about the current situation of the kingdom. Monsters suddenly went crazy and rampaged everywhere in Fittoa for a year already. And recently, they have also attacked other regions as well. Donati, Wishiru, Milbotts and even The Royal Region are having trouble with the monster.
Nobody knows why and how this kind of 'event' happens. But with the system of Asura Kingdom defense, everything is still under control.
"It will be solved." James shook his wine glass slightly. "The knights of House Boreas are the bravest warriors in the kingdom, my father always says so."
"Even more than the Royal Guard, huh?" Darius smirked.
"That is a comparison only my father dares to make."
Exactly, only Lord Sauros himself could be confident enough to say such a thing. Everyone knows what kind of person the current head of House Boreas is. Perhaps that's why people feel lucky to see James as someone who seems more reasonable than his father.
"Actually, I heard some rumors, Lord James." Suddenly Darius's voice became smaller, like a ghostly whisper. "Like the real reason Lord Sauros didn't bother attending his son's victory party is because of a child bearing the Notos surname."
James raised an eyebrow slightly upon hearing these words. Actually, it wasn't the first time he heard them. Rumors often fly very fast, like dandelions. Just a gust of wind and they can reach the coast on the other side of the Central Continent.
"I heard it's Paul's son, right?" James asked back.
In James's head, he began to recall the face of the child he met at parties years ago. That was a naughty boy, somewhat stupid, and especially very lecherous, it was Paul Notos Greyrat, his cousin. If not because that cousin ran away from home, he would probably be the head of House Notos by now. Ah no, James doesn't think someone like that should sit on that prestigious position. After all, House Notos still has relations with Boreas, both are Greyrat; letting someone like that be the family head would be truly disgraceful.
More correctly, people like that should be chased away as far as possible, dying in a corner somewhere in the Strife Zone would be best.
Yet James heard a few rumors. It was about Philip, his younger brother who is the mayor of an old city named Roa, sheltering that guy named Paul, giving him a job protecting a village like a knight.
Sounds ridiculous, a Greyrat who ran away from home getting to be a knight.
These stupid moves are exactly why you lost to me, Philip.
"Yeah, I heard that boy's 10th birthday was held in Roa." Darius also confirmed.
"Knowing such things even in a backwater city, Lord Darius truly has eyes and ears everywhere, huh?"
"Haha. We need to pay attention to everything for the safety of the Kingdom."
"Your dedication is truly a blessing for Asura as a whole."
Although saying that, James's inner mind wanted to click his tongue. It's just because you want to get your hands on that gorilla.
James knew perfectly well why Darius cared about Roa that much. Not a few people know what hobbies that fat noble has with young girls. And James himself knows how much Darius cares about Eris—Philip's daughter. The lustful look of a man is the hardest thing to hide.
Indeed, James himself didn't mind that. He didn't care much about Philip's side or the naughty daughter nicknamed 'red gorilla' of his younger brother anymore. After all, the brown-haired man already had Philip's two sons in his hands.
"You don't look very worried, do you?" Darius asked further. "Plus Pilemon's son, the city of Roa currently has two quite talented children."
"If that's true, I think Lord Pilemon is the one who has to worry."
Both James and Darius immediately glanced at Pilemon, the head of House Notos who was chatting with the head of House Bluewolf.
"And he doesn't look worried at all." Darius concluded.
"Pilemon is a fool."
James said bluntly and drained his wine glass. No matter how much he tried to restrain himself, it seemed he was still Lord Sauros's son, very straightforward.
...
The party continued like that until nearly midnight. Everyone then returned to their mansions in the Royal Capital and rested.
Yet only James remained at the party; the new prime minister stood on the balcony and looked up at the sky to the east—the direction of Fittoa. He had advanced very far, very high. But sooner or later, James would also stop his work in the Royal Capital and return to where he was born to become the lord of that place.
"But it seems it will be a long time coming." James sighed. Not only because of fatigue but also because it was a habit he hadn't broken whenever he thought about the future.
A future where House Boreas will be able to stand at the peak of fame. The future where James will truly surpass the standards Lord Sauros set.
Although nothing is too clear yet, the battle for the throne of Asura has begun.
This will be James's final battle in this Royal Capital. And he can only return to Fittoa as a winner.
...
Or at least that was what James thought and calculated.
Because only four days later, a crazy event later called the 'Mana Calamity' occurred. That calamity caused the entire Fittoa to be wiped off the map, Lord Sauros went missing, Princess Ariel was attacked by a monster, and the entire main line of House Zephyrus was wiped out. And more notably than all, the king is lying dying in the Silver Palace.
This is not only the biggest humanitarian crisis in Asura since the Laplace War, but it could also become the start of the most chaotic power game.
And James, just like everyone else, hasn't prepared for such a battle.
…
Part 2: Goldtooth
Three months have passed since the mana calamity event in the Fittoa region. Countless reports of people, monsters, or even entire houses suddenly appearing all over the world have surfaced. Among them, in the wealthy Wishiru region in the south, one of the strangest sights imaginable can be found. Right next to the coast of Lisby port—the Asura Kingdom's largest trade gateway to the world—an entire tower suddenly collapsed out of nowhere.
Countless local people flocked there out of curiosity at first; everyone thought it was some kind of message sent to them by the gods. Then, when they learned about what happened in Fittoa, everyone started losing interest and returned to their daily work, leaving the tower, taller than five stories, lying precariously in the middle of the sea.
The Lisby city government even planned to turn this tower into a lighthouse. But upon inspection, the tower's structure had been significantly damaged due to displacement. Along with the foundation...
Yet, before dawn even broke, a man was sitting on the very top of the tower, gazing at the sea to the west. Next to it was a small rowboat with a person sitting on it, looking towards the gradually rising sun.
On that tower was a tall muscular man, almost 2 meters tall; if not looked closely, many would think it must be a statue, not a real human being. As the sun began to peek out, nearby fishermen could clearly see his shabby outfit sparkling with gems, gold, and silver. Not only that, all ten fingers of the man were full of precious rings. Some were even magic items originating from labyrinths at sea. With such an appearance, anyone could guess that the man with disheveled brown hair sun-bleached by old age was a seasoned seafarer, or perhaps a sailor on some adventure ship.
Contrary to him, the person sitting on the small boat was a skinny young man who looked like he had just been picked up from some slum. However, what distinguished him from the people here was perhaps his dark skin. Plus facial features clearly belonging to the desert tribes, this person must be from Begaritt. The young man's sunken eyes and dark brown hair looked towards the sun. He looked just over twenty, but something in those blue eyes suggested a person much older than that.
"We should leave." The young man suddenly spoke up when he saw a few fishing boats starting to return, preparing for the morning market. "It won't be good if we're seen."
The man grinned, revealing teeth made entirely of gold. Every ray of dawn shone on his back, creating a giant shadow as if wanting to swallow the entire sea before his eyes.
Contrary to the young man's caution, the man on top of the tower stood up straight, boldly declaring as if wanting to tell the whole world of his presence.
"This place is already mine, isn't it? What is there to fear, Samir? This whole Wishiru is already mine. It belongs to me, Klaus Goldtooth! Hahaha!"
Klaus Goldtooth—a famous name on this sea. Anyone who has sailed in recent years must know this name. Because that is the name of a renowned captain.
Or at least that's how the scarred man always calls himself.
In reality, Goldtooth is a notorious pirate, the terror of countless merchant ships in the Aqeeq Strait connecting the southernmost part of Asura and the northern part of the Begaritt continent. Occasionally, his ship, the Black Gold, even appeared on the coasts of the Milishion continent to plunder. With such actions, it is no surprise that he is wanted everywhere in the world. Perhaps only the Demon Continent—where he has never set foot—has not placed a huge bounty on the captain's head.
So why is he here? Right on the coast of Lisby—a place under the management of the powerful and wealthy Zephyrus family.
Is he crazy? Not afraid of being caught and thrown in jail?
And just as the young man named Samir said, a group of armored soldiers appeared on the beach; they clearly realized Klaus's existence here. More accurately, they knew Klaus was in this Lisby; last night, who didn't see the notorious Black Gold docked right at the port? That ship just appears out of nowhere like the tower Klaus currently standing on. Its crew swarm into the tavern and start to 'enjoy' like it's their house, causing trouble everywhere. But they didn't burn or rob anything, just causing fights and drinking until they puke in the face of the guards. And just like that, the whole crew got thrown into a dungeon.
The only thing they couldn't find was its captain.
Now that they saw him, surely Klaus Goldtooth would be surrounded and dragged to the dungeon, waiting for his trial day like his crews.
That is how it should have happened if Klaus had appeared here a few weeks earlier.
Now everything is different. The times have changed. Klaus knew that well, so he calmly stood at the top of the tower, turned around, and shouted at the confused soldiers in the distance.
"I'm right here! Come welcome me back home!"
That's right, it sounds a bit ridiculous, but Klaus is no longer a criminal. At least, not here. Because the Zephyrus family itself called him to 'return' to this Wishiru. Not as a guest or an enemy to be reconciled with, but as the last remaining heir of the family after the mana calamity event in Fittoa.
That's right, Klaus's real name is Klaus Zephyrus Greyrat, the younger brother of the family head who unfortunately lost his life to the claws of a red dragon that appeared in the king's palace. Not only that, the three talented and virtuous sons of the Zephyrus house, who were there to discuss new trade routes, also died tragically.
There were still many others who could sit on the position of the Zephyrus family head, of course. But most of them had their own reasons to refuse. Like one who became a son-in-law of the Euros family, one who decided to become a clergyman, one who inexplicably disappeared 'mysteriously' after information about the incident in the capital started spreading.
Finally, Klaus Goldtooth became the last candidate. The notorious pirate became the new head of the Zephyrus family.
It was a very risky move from within the family itself and other nobles in the Wishiru region. Because now their previous head was dead, the most talented people of the family were gone, this was clearly too good an opportunity for the vultures circling the Aqeeq Strait. And if no ship could travel or trade, the Wishiru region would collapse.
So they decided to bring Klaus back to sit on the family head's chair. They brought their biggest enemy back to ensure there would be no war at sea.
Besides, Klaus becoming a pirate was also a consequence of his failure in the family inheritance war a few decades ago. Now letting him sit in the very position he once desired, isn't it too fitting?
And Klaus indeed thought so too. So he returned, as a new head of the Zephyrus Greyrat family.
...
The way back to the Zephyrus family mansion was quite far from the port.
So they couldn't walk but had to ride a carriage. But not the normal ugly carriage like 'commoners'. Klaus himself had to request the best type, the type his brother often rode. Because that was fitting for the current position of the former pirate.
And so Klaus sat like a king, legs spread wide, arms resting on both sides, head held high comfortably. He was trying to enjoy and recall the time when he was still a noble, still cared for down to every hair daily; sitting anywhere had to be soft and warm, now both strange and familiar.
Meanwhile, opposite him, Samir, the young man who accompanied him, didn't have that enjoyment. His face was pale, tired. The young man's head was spinning; last night's dinner was trying to escape the same way it went in.
"Urgh... huff... blegh..."
So he threw up in the carriage, right in front of Klaus.
"Disgusting, Samir. Damn disgusting." Klaus raised an eyebrow, his voice full of reproach. "A person who has sailed all his life like you getting seasick on a carriage, how ironic."
Samir wiped his mouth after drinking all the wine from the flask he brought. His weary eyes looked towards Klaus, clearly showing reproach. "On the ship, there is wind and the smell of salt. While here I only smell your damn socks."
"Oho." Klaus raised an eyebrow, his mouth also curling up into an amused smile. "Your keen nose is sometimes inconvenient, isn't it? But we have to accept it; I must sit with the bodyguard I trust the most. I don't want to be assassinated before seeing my house."
"I can still protect you outside the carriage." Samir replied.
"Tsk tsk. What if I get stabbed to death in here and you outside don't know?"
"My nose is keen, you said so yourself, right? If you're not reassured, ride a horse; that way, if we get attacked, you can just run away."
"The only thing that makes me feel safe when riding can only be my ship." Klaus shook his head. "Horses can panic; you know that best, don't you?"
Samir glanced at Klaus. He opened his mouth intending to say something then stopped, then changed his mind.
"...This conversation is going nowhere." The young man sighed. "You just want to distract me to see what your 'family members' can do, right?"
"Haha, sharp as always!" Klaus leaned forward to pat Samir's head like patting a small puppy. "That's why I like you best!"
Samir's eyes showed annoyance but still let the captain do whatever he wanted. After all, he knew he had to focus on work rather than be distracted by the very person he needed to protect.
"A noble must experience being assassinated to be… 'authentic'." Klaus leaned back comfortably, his mouth curving up into a delighted smile again. "Since going to sea, I've only met idiots holding swords challenging each other. Or if planning to play dirty, it's always when the fight has started."
Then he suddenly snapped his fingers.
"However, the way Asura nobles treat each other is completely different. No declaration of war, no killing each other with swords; they use poison, hidden weapons, and all tricks of assassins. They have no such thing as 'honor' even though everyone babbles about it." Every word Klaus said didn't enter Samir's ears, but he didn't mind much; he just wanted someone to listen.
"Yet I don't hate that. I like it even more. Spending a lifetime floating on the sea fighting sea monsters, plundering, sometimes kidnapping seafolk for fun or exploring labyrinths at sea is starting to get boring. Now instead of fighting with the brothers of the sea, I want to strangle those nobles more."
Klaus snapped his fingers. He grinned, revealing his shining gold teeth again. His arms spread wide with a declaration.
"Now I'm old too, about to die like a sad sad man. I need something to leave behind for posterity. I want to be honored, respected. Think about it, I, Klaus Zephyrus Greyrat, will be the one to change the entire political machinery of Asura and take this country to a new era. Later, my descendants mentioning me must puff out their chests with pride. By then, the bad reputation will fade away. Do you understand what I mean, Samir?"
"You're just starting to ramble nonsense again." Samir replied nonchalantly.
Klaus clicked his tongue seeing that. "Tsk, boring. Talking to someone like you isn't fun at all. I'd rather talk to a whore."
"Find a whore and talk to, then?"
"I will Samir, I will. Oh my, I almost forgot the taste of a fine Wishiru girl after all these years. Can you imagine living a life without their cheeky asses?"
So Klaus leaned back, face looking up at the carriage ceiling, muttering calculations about something. Meanwhile, Samir still stared at the person opposite, not shaken or convinced at all even though he heard and understood every word Klaus said. Because this wasn't the first time the young man heard these words from his captain. Klaus is an ambitious person, everyone knows. And more than that, a reckless person. The sailors of the Black Gold have faced death countless times due to the captain's crazy decisions.
However, Samir also knew one thing, that Klaus is not a fool. Quite the contrary, Klaus has the knowledge of a noble; he grew up as the second son of one of the four great families, and even graduated from the Asura Royal Academy. It's hard to say he's an ignorant person.
Klaus could have gone further in his political path, just not as a family head. Yet he casually threw everything away, became an adventurer, then a pirate.
No one knows what that guy is plotting. But there is one thing Samir respects in the educated madman in front of him, that is 'honor'.
Ironically, that pirate is a man full of honor, and a man of his word too. Whatever he promises, it will definitely happen, sometimes in a very miraculous way.
That's why someone like Samir follows him. Because what he promised him was something no one else could fulfill. So the guy just needs to protect Klaus's life until that becomes reality.
However, it seems things aren't always easy.
"Hmm... seems like some people really don't want me to go back home."
Klaus grinned, while Samir sighed and drew his scimitar.
"Try not to destroy the carriage." Klaus added, then slightly lowered his head, dodging Samir's slash path.
*Slash*
With a swing of the sword, cutting through the carriage wall, two bodies were cut in half as if they were two tomatoes.
And without needing a sword swing, Samir kicked through the throat of an assassin standing outside the carriage who was caught off guard. Then two, then three other slashes, all happened decisively and gracefully like a warm spring breeze.
Just as a blink of the eyes, the entire assassin team of seven lives, all dead, just like that.
Samir slowly sheathed his sword, sat down again, facing Klaus who was resting his chin on his hand.
"You always impress me with your strength, Samir." Klaus's gold front tooth flashed. "As expected of The Crescent Moon North Emperor, huh?"
"..."
Samir didn't answer; he just looked at the driver who was so scared he wet his pants. He seemed to be an accomplice of those assassins. But Samir didn't care much because they were all dead anyway; killing this one more wouldn't help much.
"Keep going."
The North Emperor said, voice gentle but full of authority.
So the slashed carriage continued to roll, heading towards the Zephyrus family mansion.
And that's how a new player has appeared on Asura's chaotic chessboard. A player who was supposed to never participate in the war has suddenly started earlier like that.