Rest and Recuperation (I)

"Your Majesty, the Prime Minister and others request an audience!"

Hearing the servant's call from outside, Old Suo placed the chess piece on the board and said to the Queen opposite him, "Your Her Majesty the Queen, Red and the others have come to inform us of the investiture ceremony. Shall we end this game here?"

"Wow! You're incredibly lucky to have escaped this time. Okay! I'm not playing anymore, so you don't end up crying in front of Red and the others. (Irene)"

Although His Majesty the King wanted to retort, his chess skills were simply too poor; he was no match for Her Majesty the Queen. If he were to be foolish and insist on arguing, Her Majesty the Queen would surely make him finish the game and then, according to the bet, force him to attend the investiture ceremony wearing 'The Emperor's New Clothes'!

So, for the sake of family harmony and the glory of the king, Old Suo wisely said, "Thank you for your Her Majesty the Queen!"

"Alright, stop joking around, let's go see Red and the others!" (Irene)

"Yes, sir!" (Old Suo)

As he spoke, His Majesty the His Majesty the King stepped forward to help the Her Majesty the Queen up, and at the same time called out towards the door, "Bring the Prime Minister and the others to the council hall. The Queen and I will be there shortly!"

"Yes!"

After exchanging pleasantries in the council hall, His Majesty the King and the Prime Minister, under the protection of the Heavenly King Guard, left the palace and headed to the venue of the investiture ceremony.

Meanwhile, Zaka and the others, who were being held at the post station, were also notified to go to the central square to attend the award ceremony.

Central Square, Semreko, Bounty Platform

Looking at the suddenly appearing high platform, Zaka exclaimed, "King Erus is truly amazing. He managed to build such a magnificent platform out of thin air in just three days."

"Father... Father, you're mistaken. The powerful one isn't King Erus, but his ministers." (Shirley)

"Heh! If the ministers are this capable, then isn't the king who controls them even more capable? (Mary)" (PS: Mary is the former King Milantes, Shirley's mother.)

Feeling the teasing look in her mother's eyes, Shirley's face instantly flushed pink.

Seeing the strange expressions on the mother and daughter's faces, Zaka asked in confusion, "What kind of riddle are you two playing now?"

Seeing her secret about to be exposed, Shirley immediately used her facial muscles to control her expression. Once her face had returned to normal temperature and color, the Her Highness the Princess turned around and said calmly, "It's nothing. We were just discussing whether King Erus was more powerful or his ministers were more powerful."

Upon hearing his daughter's answer, Zaka smiled and shook his head, then continued to focus his attention on the platform.

Just as the leisurely Zaka family and the dazed ministers were intently observing the situation on the stage, a servant dressed in a white robe quickly approached them.

"Are you all from Milantes?"

Upon hearing the question, Zaka turned to the waiter and said softly, "That's right, we're from Milantes. Is there something you need?"

"You must be Lord Zaka, right?"

"Exactly! (Zaka)"

"Lord Zaka, I am here on His Majesty the King's orders to guide you to the Reward Platform."

"Heading to the Bounty Platform? (Zaka)"

"Exactly!"

"Then I'll have to trouble you! (Zaka)"

"Gentlemen, please follow me!"

After speaking, the white-robed attendant led Zaka and the others toward one side of the award platform.

On September 10, X766, at 9:30 a. m., the grand award ceremony, which attracted much attention, finally began with thirteen cannon salutes.

As everyone's attention was drawn to the high platform, the red curtain that had been obscuring their view slowly opened to the sides, gradually revealing the people hidden behind it.

After the curtain was fully drawn back, the prime minister, who was sitting on the left side of the center, stood up, walked to the center of the platform, and said into the microphone, "Citizens of the Erus Kingdom, you must already know the purpose of our gathering here today."

"That's right! His Majesty the King is here to fulfill the promise he made a year ago, to let all of you witness with your own eyes that the blood and sweat you have shed for the kingdom have been rewarded and are worthwhile!"

"Alright! I think you're all in no mood for my rambling anymore, so let's get to today's main event!"

After saying this, the Prime Minister returned to his position. Just then, a buzzing sound and the sound of machinery running came from the center of the platform.

"Click click"

A moment later, the center of the high platform suddenly rose up, revealing a small platform eight meters in length and width, on which stood dozens of people dressed in purple robes.

After the Purple Robes appeared, Sordil, who was sitting in the center of the seats, and Charlie, who was sitting to his side, stood up and walked towards the small platform.

"Gentlemen, standing on this high platform now are the royal family of Milantes and their ministers. Because they ultimately chose to surrender Capital of Thunder, His Majesty the King has pardoned them, allowing them to live as citizens in the Erus Kingdom. Furthermore, in consideration of the King Milantes's status, His Majesty the King has graciously bestowed upon Zaka Milantes the title of Duke! (Charlie)"

After the Minister of Education finished speaking, the crowd below the platform began to murmur amongst themselves. King So then ascended the small platform to begin the investiture ceremony. (The investiture ceremony was far too complicated to describe in detail, so please forgive me!) (PS: Okay! I admit, I didn't know how to write this part, so I omitted it. What can you do about it!)

Because there were quite a few people on the small platform, and only a few were qualified to bestow rewards (not few, but only Old Suo), it took half an hour to finish this appetizer.

After Old Suo finished his work, the Minister of Education, who had been waiting for a long time, spoke up, "Now that the people who surrendered the city have been rewarded, please invite our war heroes to the stage to receive their rewards!"

The moment Charlie finished speaking, the small, raised platform gradually descended and then disappeared from the platform.

The next second, a long passage appeared on the ground in front of Old Suo and his companion. Then, mechanical sounds rang out, and ten officers in black military uniforms stood on a slowly rising mobile platform and ascended the reward platform.

"Talleyrand, captain of the third squad of the First Heavenly King Guard, has been promoted to captain of the second company and granted the title of viscount for his second-class merit in the Battle of Haru City! (Charlie)"

After the Minister of Education finished reading out the contents of the rewards, the hapless His Majesty the King began his long process of bestowing honors.

"Sinspa, the captain of the second squadron of the First Heavenly King Guard, is in Haru City..."

The following morning, while His Majesty the King had been busy until evening, was still sleeping in, His Her Majesty the Queen dragged him out of bed because the two peace ambassadors, who had enjoyed a leisurely trip, had arrived in Philiers.

"Ha... Phew! These two guys really know how to pick their timing, arriving right now. They're so... so perceptive! (Old Suo)"

"Alright! Get up quickly, they're still waiting for you in the council hall!" (Irene)

Hearing Her Majesty the Queen's gentle voice, the listless His Majesty the King dressed with lightning speed and headed towards the Council Hall. (May I not tell you that Her Majesty the Queen was toying with a durian in her hand, a fruit with a hardness comparable to tungsten steel?)

Council Hall

After being caressed by the Clear Wind along the way, His Majesty the King's drowsiness had vanished without a trace, replaced by a feeling of being full of energy.

"Squeak"

The palace doors slowly opened, and then the silver figure that the two peace ambassadors had been eagerly awaiting appeared in their field of vision.

"When did Irene become so wicked? She didn't even tell me that the people who came to negotiate were Ogg and Leizhi." (Irene: Who said I didn't tell you? I told you three times already, but you were too busy sleeping to listen!)

After internally criticizing Her Majesty the Queen, His Majesty the King put on a smiling face and said, "Hehe! I never expected that the three of us would meet again!"

"King Erus, you have entrusted the task of delivering the message to the two of us, so naturally, the people who come here to discuss peace with you are the two of us!" (Leizhi)

"Heh! Leizhi, do you think the clever King Erus isn't thinking of these things? He's only saying this to make our meeting seem more natural. (Ogg)"

"Hehe! Boss Ogg, thank you both for thinking so highly of my intelligence, but I really didn't expect these things! (Old Suo)"

After grumbling to himself, His Majesty the King said, "Haha! Lord Ogg is truly wise; he saw through my thoughts so easily."

"Haha! If I were truly wise, I probably wouldn't be standing here discussing peace with His Majesty the King, would I?" (Ogg)

After Ogg finished speaking, the hall fell into extreme silence. It wasn't until a few minutes later, when Leizhi, who was standing to the side, spoke, that the eerie atmosphere vanished.

"Your His Majesty the King, let's leave the pleasantries here." (Leizhi)

"Yes! Let's hurry up and start discussing peace talks!" (Ogg)

Seeing that the two were getting straight to the point, Old Suo could not change the subject, and so a secret meeting to change the structure of Ishgar began.

Just as Old Suo was busy turning enemies into friends, his conquest of Milantes and the rewards he bestowed upon Zaka and others were amplified by a Category 12 tornado that swept across the entire Ishgar.

In an instant, the various royal families on Ishgar convened emergency meetings to discuss and study what Sordil was trying to do.

Although they ultimately didn't reach any useful decisions, each nation strengthened its defenses because none of them wanted to become a second Milantes. (Actually, it was all in vain, because if Old Suo truly wanted to rule Ishgar, none of them could stop him. After all, Old Suo was a man protected by the Thirteen Palace Guardian Heavenly Kings... oops! Male dragons!)

Although the royal families maintained a conservative wait-and-see attitude, the Balam Alliance issued a ban, strictly prohibiting any dark guilds from going to the Erus Kingdom. They didn't want to provoke a madman who dared to touch even the Magic Council, and most importantly, they didn't want to follow in the footsteps of the guilds within Erus. (Here, "within Erus" refers to the new Erus that merged with Milantes.)