Tyrant of the Ruined Sun - Chapter 239

Chapter 239: A Dragon’s Charade and a Little Girl’s Shout

From the closed door came the familiar figure of the mighty Mercenary King, his red hair blazing in the streaming sunlight, his iconic smile held aloft across his lips while his posture was, as always, proud as an old oak tree that has braved the mountain gales for innumerable lifetimes, and yet there was a difference, a barely perceptible discrepancy in his outwardly immaculate form, for his shoulders now bent a fraction of an inch lower than before, as though that unflinching tree had been covered by a thick cloak of ice and snow and is barely stopping itself from cracking under the weight of it all.

And the closer I continued to look the more I realized how unalike he was from the man I met on the hills above Appox, and then faced in the Anazoy Canyon.

His entire form no longer radiated that infectious heat of unflinching confidence and layer peeling sight that made others feel as though he was already three steps ahead of them and casually peeking into their most treasured secrets.

And while he tried to mask it, I managed to sense the depressing air of forlorn hope he oozed, which ultimately permitted me to catch another inconsistency in his smile, that I momentarily thought unchanged, but now that I beheld it longer, it no longer teased the same darkness he held within him like before; that sadistic want for some truly bloody entertainment; for now it looked strained under the creeping rage roiling just beneath the surface.

But his clearly tired and unblinking eyes were by far the most blatant in their change, for they no longer held their usual spark that only ignited when he gazed at his wives or faced a worthy opponent in a battle of wits, becoming now two red glowing globes of searing hate and a wanton thirst for vengeance; yet more severely still, they no longer proudly narrated the thousand triumphs of the War Dragon’s epic, and were now vacant of all good light, as the hateful writhing of lamenting a poor man’s soul on the verge of breaking beyond any semblance of repair sat liesurely in the depths of his eyes.

An utterly chilling realization, for the wise have always known to be wary of an ordinary man when he is broken and left with little to lose, so imagine what manner of calamity it would be when coupled with such an unordinary man like Maximillian. It would be a disaster the likes of which my lands have not experienced since my past life’s surprise southern invasion.

And I would be damned if I allowed it to happen in the heart of my lands, and in the house of my family no less, where their priceless lives could be snuffed out in a simple collateral afterthought.

“Mercenary King.” I casually greeted him, continuing to study his clearly unsteady countenance.

“Eclipse Emperor.” He replied, sauntering into the room with the tensing air of a prowling beast. “I suppose congratulations are in order.”

He already knew about my secret southern war following our discussion three years ago in the Anazoy Canyon, and after disappearing for several months in a row immediately following the Banquet of Concordia, it did not take a genius to guess where I’d been, especially after the ruckus made by my family and vassals in the courtyard just now.

“Thank you.” I dryly said, wanting to reveal nothing of the southern campaign, as I kept staring at him.

“So, you have words for me?” He asked immediately after taking a seat before me.

“I do indeed.” I nodded, yet before I could continue, he interrupted me with a wide smile, saying.

“Excellent, because I have much to say to you too lord of the Eclipse Empire.”

His tone and blatant disregard for the pervious cordiality we once held for each other utterly gone utterly unnerved me, making me silently signal my guards to stand at the ready, while I began to subtly marshal all my powers should he erupt without a warning.

But I remained outwardly confident, as I motioned for him to talk.

“Did I not offer you two pieces of vital information in exchange for two very specific tasks?” He asked, his blazing eyes growing in intensity, like a fading fire suddenly being fed with fresh timber and oil.

“Yes you did.” I answered, now understanding the aim of the dragon, as I shot back. “And I have been doing good on both my ends of the bargain.”

“Are you?” He asked, his tone accusing yet remaining light.

“Yes.” I unhesitatingly asked, as I said “My Shade Corps remains steadfast in it’s attempts to identify the culprit, and if you haven’t noticed, my finest vassals have been working non-stop in search of a cure for your wife. My court has not been slacking in it’s obligation Mercenary King.” I finished with a declaration that caused the assembled men and young girl to slightly puff out their chests in pride.

He paused for a moment, his smile disappearing as fluidly as a mask slipping off his face. “That’s not good enough Eclipse Emperor.” He declared in return, turning a few faces sour, as his tone now mimicked that with which he addressed me when he was proclaiming my cause lost in the final minutes of the battle, now heralded as the Duel of Dragons.

“Then what would you have us do Mercenary King?” I asked, leaning forward on my desk, as my eyes took on their true divine form.

“I would have you deliver what I paid you for!” He roared out, his anger so great, it caused his powers to run amok for a second, leading to streaks of scorching fire and wisps of smoke to momentarily bellow from between his gritted teeth, giving him the impression of a wrathful of dragon even more.

Yet my rage at his words was no lesser than his own, as it shot through me like a geyser of fire.

“What you paid for?!” I yelled, rising from my seat with a start that brought my seat crashing behind me, as he too rose, bringing us to eye level, glaring at one another.

“Did I not bring you news of the happenings in your eastern and western rivals that even you and your Shade Corps had yet to even get wind of?” He demanded.

“That fantastical tale you spewed to me about the Luminous Empire’s intentions about arming it’s whole military, even it’s multitudes of infantry battalions with rune carved weaponry has been all but a wild goose chase for my Shade Corps.” I immediately argued back, though in reality I and Isaac have not yet completely dismissed the Mercenary King’s tip, continuing our efforts to uncover more, while remaining vigilant for more news of Rune technology from the western hegemon, despite it’s seeming futility.

“Even if that may be so,” He instantly shot back. “you can not claim the same about my information on the Yue Dynasty, as it has clearly proved to be incredibly important, and yet my wife remains unwell!”

“Your majesty,” The calming of voice Darius then echoed out. “our efforts on her ladyship have not been fruitless, as she has already regained a great deal of strength in her…”

“I want her cured not suspended in unceasing agony, while you wave around her capacity for mere walking as a triumph, Grand Vizier!” Maximillian cut him off with a hateful snarl, before he then returned his attention back to me.

We spoke no more for a moment, merely continuing to glare at one another, until that same mirage of two snarling dragons the men glimpsed back in the Anazoi Canyon three years ago, returned back to them at that moment, threatening to once again turn the world around them into an infernal hellscape.

And just as they were about to once again rush in between us, desperate to calm us down again, as though we had agreed upon it before hand, we both simultaneously reigned in our power and killing intent, followed quickly by the easing of our stances.

“If you can not offer immediate relief for my wife, then you must satisfy my second request. You must offer me the accursed name of whoever’s done this to my family.” He said, his tone growing utterly devoid of all inflections or warmth.

I understood then that we have finally reached the desired point of this charade of his; after all Maximillian was far too intelligent to act so belligerently towards the sole man on this earth who has the best possibility to aid him in his current crisis.

“Capture him Eclipse Emperor, sate my vengeance, and we may know in an hour all we would need to discover over months if not years of effort. Find him and ease the burden on all of us.” He added.

“Very well Mercenary King. I’ll task my best on this.” I said, glancing at my shadow, before I continued. “But I expect another, more concrete piece of information, or something of equal value for my effort Mercenary King.”

“Succeed in what you have so far failed at Eclipse Emperor, and I will offer you whatever clandestine knowledge you desire currently resting in my collection.” He spoke earnestly, looking to me with a steely resolve.

“Very…” I was just about to accept when another, slightly high pitched, juvenile voice cut through mine.

“Master hasn’t yet failed in your curing your wife!”