Fast's Death

A year ago, the Uruk Kingdom had asked the surrounding kingdoms for aid, but they had all ignored it. Yet now they had suddenly sent envoys to their door; their intentions were obvious.

Although the Uruk Kingdom had only been founded a few centuries ago, the enmities it had forged with the neighboring kingdoms over those centuries were very real.

So when the two kingdoms went to war, the surrounding nations would sit back and watch the tigers fight, all hoping to reap the rewards while the two sides exhausted each other.

Inside the resplendent hall of Elais Palace, Jasper touched his chest, and his expression immediately changed.

"The brooch is gone!"

Richard fell silent for a moment, then frowned. "It is fine. It is only an agreement. We can state it verbally."

Soon, the two were invited into the Council, where the members of the Council of State were already seated.

Viscount Arthur cleared his throat, welcomed the two guests who had come from afar, and said, "I hope today's negotiations can bring peace to both our countries."

Jasper smiled. "I hope so as well, sir."

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, King Brul gestured for the envoys to state their terms.

Richard Abel immediately repeated the additional terms in the surrender agreement. For a moment, the entire hall was stunned.

"Chaos lunatics! Are you really here to negotiate?!"

"You are insulting Uruk's honor!"

"Your Chaos Kingdom does not even have an Academy. You only have that neither-human-nor-ghost Chaos Religion, yet you call yourselves the children of God. Your eyes are filled with nothing but ignorance and stupidity, and you think you are worthy of spreading it here?"

Several politicians angrily slammed their hands on the table and rose to their feet, showering the two with insults.

King Brul's gaze flickered. Only after every Council member had quieted down did he speak. "We need to discuss this. Someone, escort the two envoys away to rest."

After Chaos's envoys left, the Council became noisy again. Everyone was outraged by the disdain of the two envoys. The other side had not come to sign a peace agreement at all; they wanted to turn the Uruk Kingdom into a vassal state.

King Brul was equally puzzled. Although the Chaos Kingdom was indeed pressing them hard, if the war continued, the final outcome would only be mutual destruction, leaving the other kingdoms to benefit.

Viscount Arthur spoke at that moment. "Your Majesty, we absolutely cannot agree to their additional conditions. Whether it is legalizing Chaos's Chaos Religion or executing ten Magi, both would be uprooting the foundations of the Uruk Kingdom."

King Brul asked, "Then does Viscount Arthur have a solution?"

"This... how about we accept the envoys from the Peters Kingdom and the Silbon Kingdom?" Viscount Arthur said reluctantly.

King Brul snorted.

Those two kingdoms had only arranged for envoys to come overnight after hearing that he intended to surrender. Their goal was to keep the Uruk Kingdom and the Chaos Kingdom grinding each other down so they could profit from it.

"A rotten idea. If you cannot come up with a solution, none of you are going home today."

King Brul flicked his sleeve and left, leaving behind a group of scalp-numbing Council members.

In her room, Hekate used Star Speech to keep watch on the movements of the two envoys and the situation in the kingdom's Council.

Fortunately, the king and the members of the Council of State had not agreed to the surrender agreement. Otherwise, she would have had to consider turning them into skewers.

"To be fair, without outside help, the history of the Uruk Kingdom will probably end here under these circumstances," Hekate pondered.

In the end, it was still a matter of insufficient strength. Hekate shook her head, then repeatedly sent Fire Curse Techniques at the King of Chaos. Once he put on fire-resistant equipment, she repeatedly sent Plague Curses instead.

Continuously casting magic was also a way to stabilize one's mana. It was just that cursing people for no reason was rather immoral. Now that a willing victim had delivered himself to her door, she naturally could not let the opportunity pass.

Another day went by, and Gift of Fate yielded nothing.

Star Speech told her that there had been no movement on the king's Council side, but the two Chaos envoys were wandering around the royal capital. On one hand, they were trying to find the brooch; on the other, they were sensing the mages within the capital. Anyone stronger than Commander Xias could potentially become their suspect.

Hekate sneered. With Eternal Moonlight, those two would never find her.

Besides, the Uruk Kingdom's high-end combat forces were all at the border now. It was even more impossible for them to find a target that met the requirements.

Hekate stopped paying attention to the two and continued relentlessly cursing the King of Chaos. That guy's life was far tougher than Xias's.

That afternoon.

Puli came to visit her.

"Hekate, I brought some bad news," Puli said sadly.

"What is it?"

"Our friend Fast is dead."

In Hekate's mind appeared the boy who had once stood guard at the entrance of Grants Academy and cautiously warned her that there was something wrong with Betty's identity.

"Hadn't he already broken through to High Mage? How did he die?"

"I asked the students who came back with him. They said Fast was tricked by villagers into a Cultist trap, and he was tortured for a long time before he died."

Puli looked grief-stricken as she spoke. Clearly, Fast's condition at death had frightened her as well.

"Has he been buried?"

"They are about to bury him. He has no family, so he can only be laid to rest in the communal graveyard outside the city."

"Let's go take a look," Hekate said as she stood.

"Alright."

Fast had been an orphan picked up by Teacher Fireka of the Ancient Magic Element Academy, but Teacher Fireka was still at the border and could not return for the time being. As his friend, Hekate had to see him off.

When they arrived at the graveyard outside the city, quite a few students had already gathered to bid Fast farewell. He had always gotten along well with people. It was simply a pity.

If there had been no war, he should have graduated long ago. Perhaps he would have become a soldier, perhaps a teacher...

In any case, he should have had a bright future.

But now, everything had come to nothing.

The wooden box containing Fast was gradually buried beneath the earth. The sorrowful atmosphere was like an opened music box, resonating within everyone's hearts.

Puli sighed. "Fast helped us a lot. He was one of the kindest people in the Academy. I never expected..."

After a moment of silence, Hekate asked, "Have you dealt with those villagers who colluded with the Cultists?"

Puli snorted. "Of course. It is infuriating. Not only were they ungrateful when we went to help them, they even joined forces with the Cultists to trick us!"

This was the Middle Ages. Most people could not possibly be highly educated, so was it not normal for them to be deceived by a cult?

Forget it. As long as the villagers who had tricked Fast had been dealt with, it was enough. If they had not been, then she would have to avenge Fast.

Hekate sighed inwardly.