Chapter 1621: Mercy Without Endorsement ( 1621 )

Meanwhile.

Garius stood with Lioness, Veldrac, Sythaeryn, and a few high-ranking officers from the Beastkin Nation, Armand, the Elven Nation, and the Demon Nation. His hands were tucked into his pockets, his posture relaxed, as the conversation flowed around him.

Alf walked toward him and offered a small scroll. Garius took it, broke the seal, and read it in silence. Then he nodded.

"Thank you, Alf."

Alf placed his palm over his left chest and bowed.

"You are most welcome, Your Majesty. If you will excuse me, I shall remain nearby."

He took a step back, then moved to a seat at the edge of the gathering, positioning himself where he could see the entire hall. His eyes swept the room slowly, tracking every face, every movement, every door.

Garius glanced toward Sythaeryn.

"Rhalyf couldn’t come, huh?"

Sythaeryn bowed his head politely.

"I must apologize on His Majesty’s behalf, Your Majesty. The King of the Elven Nation sends his deepest regrets that he could not attend in person. The duties of the crown have kept him occupied, and there were matters that required his direct attention. In his stead, I was sent as part of the main delegation, along with the Princesses."

Garius chuckled softly.

"You all are too serious about the preparations. Every nation is preparing. That’s why we’re all here. A few days of rest won’t break the world."

He raised his drink slightly.

"Tell him to relax a little. We’re doing what we can from here. Armand will assist with everything within our power."

Sythaeryn smiled.

"After Lady Mylezra stepped down, His Majesty Rhalyf was crowned as the first King to lead the Elven Nation. The weight of the crown sits heavily on his shoulders. He takes every duty seriously, perhaps too seriously. He will not rest until he is certain that every corner of his nation is prepared."

Lioness slung his arm around both Veldrac’s and Sythaeryn’s shoulders. His face was already flushed, a little drunk, and his eyes gleamed with excitement. His tail swayed lazily behind him.

"Bah! This is a celebration, not a council meeting! Work can wait! Responsibility can wait! Tonight is for fun, for drink, for laughter!" He lifted his glass high. "Garius! Drink! Drink! Bwahahaha!"

Veldrac let out a weary exhale, covering his right ear against the booming laugh. He rolled his eyes.

"Lioness, could you lower your voice? You’re shouting loud enough to announce to the whole island that we’re here. And you’re embarrassing Sythaeryn in front of the Armand officers. Look at him. He’s turning red."

"Where? Where?"

Lioness turned his head left and right, pretending to search the crowd. His eyes landed on Sythaeryn. He pointed directly at him and burst into laughter.

"He’s not embarrassed! He’s drunk!"

He slapped Veldrac’s back repeatedly, his laughter booming even louder.

Garius just smiled softly.

"You never change, huh, Lioness?"

Lioness turned his back to them and wiggled his hips, his tail swaying playfully behind him.

"Never~!"

He spun back around, grinning from ear to ear.

"Unlike that dumbass Gumarak!" He shook his head with a disgusted snort. "Armand helped them during the war. We all did. We sent supplies, we rebuilt what was broken, we pulled them back to their feet when they had nothing left. We gave them the tools to stand again. And what does that short troublemaker do? He turns around and sides with the Human Nation! The same bastards who attacked him first! The same ones who burned his villages and killed his people! He spits on the hand that helped him and bows to the boot that kicked him!"

He jabbed his thumb toward his shoulder.

"Gumarak has broken the pact, broken his promise, and made himself an enemy of everyone who once called him a friend!"

He laughed again, shaking his head.

"How small can a dwarf’s brain be? Hmm? All that stone in their heads, and yet they still can’t think straight! Too stupid to see which side his bread was buttered on!"

Lioness grinned, his tail swaying behind him. He pointed at Garius.

"Hic~ I forbid you from helping that dumbass again, Garius. I don’t care that Armand is the strongest army on the continent. I don’t care that you’re the strongest warrior alive. I forbid it. Let the ungrateful bastard, the betrayer, the little stone-headed traitor sink or swim on his own. If he falls, he falls by his own doing. If he comes to you begging, I expect you to turn your back on him the way he turned his back on us."

He swayed slightly, his eyes soft with drink but his voice firm.

"If you really care about our friendship, Garius. If you really value what we’ve shared all these years. Then listen to me. Don’t help him. Not this time."

Garius smiled and shook his head.

"Don’t worry. I won’t. You can trust me."

Garius glanced up at Lioness, his expression calm.

"I’ll promise you that. When it comes to Gumarak, when it comes to helping him or his throne, I won’t lift a finger."

He paused.

"But I can’t turn away the merchants and travelers from the Dwarven Nation who come to trade. I can’t turn away the Dwarven people who already live in Armand. Especially the Rasdingen Clan. They’ve been part of Armand for years. They’ve built homes here, raised families here, paid their taxes, served in our workshops and our forges."

He lifted his chin slightly.

"The fault of a king is not the fault of his people. The Dwarven merchants who want to do legitimate trade, the Dwarven travelers who want to visit, the Dwarven families who have made their lives in Armand. They should not be punished for the decisions of one stubborn fool who sits on a throne. I won’t punish them for his mistake."

Lioness’s grin widened. His tail swayed in delight behind him.

"Trade is trade, and business is business, Garius! My nation doesn’t reject them either. My merchants trade with the Dwarven Nation, and my people buy their goods, and their people buy ours. That’s just how the world works. A king can be an idiot, but his people still need to eat."

He draped his hand on Garius’s shoulder and wiggled his eyebrows.

"That genius blacksmith of yours still working with you, huh? Where’s that giant dwarf? I don’t see him here~"

Garius laughed.

"He stayed at the Armand Estate. You know how he is. He might be a drunkard, but when it comes to strength, he’s strong."

Veldrac smiled.

"He still fights with his blacksmith hammer?"

Garius smirked at Veldrac, Lioness, and Sythaeryn.

"Yeah. His special hammer. He became stronger after Javier gave him the white ore. Enough to upgrade his hammer to something else entirely."

( End Of Chapter )