The Kingdom of Asura is the most powerful nation in the world. That is not a statement; that is a fact.
Because that nation not only possesses a vast territory with countless fertile lands rich in resources along with a river system stretching across the kingdom. It is also situated amidst the majestic Red Wyrm Mountains, creating an unbreakable geographical shield. That kingdom was once humanity's last hope, the heart of wealth, and the greatest civilization. It is the birthplace of countless famous heroes who achieved numerous feats in the past.
And after more than four hundred years of peace, this place remains just as wealthy, peaceful as if they have nothing to worry about. The people here eat their fill, dress warmly, without worrying about the harsh weather like in the northern regions, the fatigue of constant war like the nations in the Strife Zone to the East, or the fear of monster harassment like the Begaritt continent to the South.
Outwardly peaceful like that, but in this Royal Capital, specifically within the Silver Palace, it is an extremely dangerous and deadly place. It is filled with complex conspiracies, sweet lies, goblets laced with poison, or sharp daggers. Just a moment of carelessness, and you might have to beg for death as the only release.
All for what, you might ask? It is for money, power, strength, knowledge, fame, status, beautiful women, handsome men—anything you can name, this place has it all. Just climb to the peak of power in Asura, and you will have everything. That is why nobles and politicians, inherently wealthy and powerful, must participate in this risky game of thrones. They have their own dreams, and everyone has too much to gain if they win the final victory.
Yet, outside those silent wars, in Lily Garden, where pure white flowers stretch as far as the eye can see, it is strangely noisy. And for a rather... ridiculous reason.
"If you badmouth Lord Atur again, I won't forgive you!"
"What can you do if you don't forgive me? Besides, that brat is just a traitor, shirking responsibility, indulging in debauchery!"
"I told you not to call him that!"
"Ack ack! Let go, you little brat! Do you know attacking the princess's bodyguard is a serious crime?"
Just a while past morning, the Lily Garden royal garden was bustling like that.
On one side is a teenage boy only 13 years old but with a handsome look that everyone in this Silver Palace must acknowledge. With chestnut brown hair, a sharp chin, a handsome face, and a lean but muscular body as if carved by sculptors thinking of gods. He must be said to be one of the most remarkably good-looking teenagers in the Silver Palace.
He is Luke, of the Notos branch of the noble Greyrat family, the second son of the current head, and a knight who has reached the Intermediate level of the Sword God Style. Not only that, he has a silver tongue, communicates, and his polite demeanor makes many young girls or even married ladies fall head over heels every time they interact.
Yet opposing him is a young girl with reddish-dark brown hair, slightly curly but fluffy like clouds at dawn. That girl is not an extreme beauty like the boy before her, but still has the delicate features and intellect of a scholar. Her attitude is surprisingly gentle, yet very sharp, precise as a future lawyer should be.
That is the youngest daughter of the Whitebear family, Veronica Whitebear, a final-year student at the Asura Royal Academy and the current valedictorian of the course. A girl of knowledge, reason, and reality, arguably Luke's hard counter as she is never swayed by his honeyed words.
On the contrary, even though they both come from the Milbotts region and share the purpose of protecting and serving Princess Ariel, they are always like water and fire; just meeting each other leads to constant bickering. And the topic is mostly about the younger brother Luke always considers a disgrace, a traitor to the family. Meanwhile, to Veronica, the boy in the story is someone she admires, intelligent, talented, and above all, the most handsome!
So it's no wonder they glare at each other like that. So when there's an occasion, it turns into a noisy argument.
Seeing that scene, the third person in the garden could only sigh.
These two are always arguing...
That is a young man, probably around 17 or 18 years old. He isn't exceptionally handsome like Luke, but can still be called good-looking. His face is pale, his skin is soft like a young lady, and with the glasses of a scholar. Although not as sharp as Veronica, he can still easily make many young girls who prefer scholarly guys pay attention and plot to kidnap him for themselves.
That is Derrick Redbat, the son of a famous mage, and he himself is a talented mage having reached Advanced rank after graduating from the prestigious Asura Magic Academy.
"Can you two stop it?" Derrick shook his head, his voice tired but full of reproach. "The royal flower garden is not a market for arguing like two kids like that. If someone sees, the princess will be the one who gets criticized."
Contrary to expectations, neither of the other two seemed to lower their voices, even becoming noisier than before.
"It was her who started it!" Luke pointed at his brown-haired friend immediately. "She keeps saying my swordsmanship is inferior to anyone while I'm already at the intermediate rank at Sword God Style!"
"Lord Atur must be Saint rank by now!" Veronica immediately retorted. "While you only know how to flirt with girls all day without worrying about sword practice, did I say anything wrong? Is it acceptable for an older brother to lose to a younger brother?"
"That is called diplomacy and communication! You talkative boy-crazy thing!"
"And you are just a stupid lecherous thing!"
So the two rushed in to pinch each other's noses and cheeks like two children.
It took a few minutes of struggle for Derrick to successfully pull the two apart. The bodyguard mage, though only having reached adulthood a few years ago, already felt very old.
Whether Luke is the princess's most loyal knight, or Veronica is a talented lawyer, the two of them are just a bunch of 12 or 13-year-old kids. Gradually, this bodyguard mage surnamed Redbat wondered since when he took on the responsibility of babysitting.
"Hehe. Letting them be like that is also fun, Lord Derrick."
Meanwhile, the fourth person in the garden seemed calm and enjoyed the scene before her eyes. Her voice was so melodious, elegant, and graceful like a hymn. With just a short sentence, the birds in the garden had to fall silent, the wind also stopped its melodious music.
Her appearance even carried a more divine hue than that. Her hair was a golden flower blooming amidst this white-filled garden. Her blue eyes sparkled like the deep sea and shone like a star. Her pinkish-white skin must make beauties in fairy tales jealous. Her smile was gentle and sunny enough to make the sun ashamed.
Calling her a beauty is still an understatement.
That is Princess Ariel Anemoi Asura, the Second Princess of the Kingdom of Asura, the master whom all three of those people swore to serve and protect.
"What's fun about arguing, Princess?" Derrick sighed; he rubbed his temples wearily. "Raising voices at each other is not something nobles should do."
"But I think they look very cute." Ariel giggled, then turned to the other two "children". "Speaking of which, Veronica, what color are your tits?"
"Eh?" Veronica widened her eyes looking back at the princess. However, it didn't take long for the Whitebear girl to reply with a poker face. "Ah, it's pink."
Hearing that, Ariel winked mischievously. "I see, exactly the color Luke likes."
"I admit I like pink; it is the most perfect color." Luke replied with his elegant but unbroken voice. "But only if it's on beautiful and big breast girls. She's too small for my taste."
Veronica immediately smirked; no one could recognize the girl who just acted very cute with the princess a few seconds ago anywhere. "Lord Atur is definitely not the type of person like you, Luke. He would appreciate inner beauty more."
"He is my younger brother." Luke retorted immediately. "He said he likes big breasts when he's just 3!"
So back to arguing, but this time with a topic even more unacceptable than the initial one.
I'm dying...
Asura has been a peaceful nation for over 400 years now. High-ranking nobles also get bored. They can no longer use illustrious feats like defeating demon lords, slaying dragons, or whatever to demonstrate status. So they've started indulging in new and unusual 'pleasures,' especially those with a somewhat bizarre sexual orientation. From then on, discussions about breast size or nipples became perfectly normal.
Take Luke himself, for example. He is only about 13 years old, not yet considered an adult, but already has a number of 'girlfriends' surpassing the number of girls Derrick has ever talked to in his life. It's ridiculous like that.
Meanwhile, Ariel is worse. That lovely, pretty princess is a widely known bisexual. Oh, being homosexual or bisexual in Asura is quite normal, nothing worth mentioning; even the Millis faith has no problem with it, let alone the nobility. But the noteworthy point here is that the second princess has a penchant for kidnapping maids and using her 'equipment' to do 'indecent' things.
To put it bluntly, Ariel has raped countless innocent maids to satisfy her bizarre sadistic tendencies. Luke was involved, too.
So initially, Derrick was very happy when the princess showed quite an interest in Veronica. Because no matter how you look at it, that girl from the Whitebear family is also the daughter of a mid-ranking noble, just like Derrick himself. That means they will have a more normal perspective and moral ideology compared to high-ranking nobles like Luke or royals like Ariel. The mage had hoped Veronica, a girl with high academic achievements, would be a good moral compass for the princess.
However, after two years by the princess's side, although Veronica hadn't reached the point of condoning Ariel's depraved acts or actively seeking sexual activity with the princess, it seemed the youngest daughter of the Whitebear no longer found what Luke and Ariel did is strange anymore.
This is a complete failure.
And because of that, Derrick started to lose his restraint.
"Princess, I think you should be serious and behave more properly. You will soon become the ruler of this kingdom. If you continue like this, you will become the center of unsavory rumors."
However, unlike Derrick's desperate seriousness, Ariel appeared indifferent, even sighing wearily. "Lord Derrick, how many times have I said it, I am only the Second Princess, am I right? Above me, there are two older brothers, and even an older sister."
Ariel paused slightly, her eyes as tired as Derrick's, gazing at the fragrant white flowers in the distance. "My sister will get married soon, but you know how extremely my two older brothers are fighting against each other for the thrones. So answer me this, what chance do I have to compete?"
"But you are the daughter of the Queen Consort. That makes you the most legitimate heir to sit on the throne and-"
"Stop it, Derrick." Ariel cut him off decisively. "Don't say such reckless words. What if my older brothers hear them? I'm tired of worrying about assassins holding a knife to my neck. Now I just want to enjoy tea in a lovely garden like this for the rest of my life. In terms of potential and support, I am no match for my two older brothers, so this was hopeless from the start."
Derrick was speechless. This wasn't the first time they had this conversation. And what Ariel said wasn't without reason. No matter how high a person's legitimacy is, it cannot compare to the support and forces behind a person. Ariel is also younger than her two brothers. This isn't the first time Derrick has witnessed a family inheritance dispute; it seems the older person always has the highest advantage. The Boreas family was an example. Therefore, the wise way is to give up, not fight or struggle, but enjoy life to the end. Ariel is a princess of Asura, the wealthiest Kingdom of Asura. How she plays around doesn't affect anyone, and no one sees a problem with it either.
If anyone does, it would only be Derrick and a few others in this silver palace who truly wish for Ariel to sit on the throne. So the mage glanced at Veronica. The brown-haired girl seemed to understand. They were allies after all.
Veronica bowed slightly, showing her proper courtesy and etiquette. "Princess, may I state my thoughts?"
Ariel clearly didn't want to continue this conversation; her gaze towards Veronica almost revealed her annoyance. Her intention was to flirt and take this bookworm to her bed, not listen to a lecture. But the princess herself couldn't refuse the words of a 'guest'. After all, she was the one who invited Veronica.
So Ariel smiled slightly again. "Does Lady Veronica have something to contribute?"
"These are just observations I saw myself." Veronica replied. "I come from a small noble family, so I have many relationships with the lower nobles. And at the academy, many young and talented nobles admire you. Not only that, when going to taverns or markets, people everywhere look forward to Her Highness the Princess ascending the throne. So I can say that you have more support than you think."
That is something anyone can easily see. Ariel not only has captivating beauty, she also has a strange charisma that can make anyone she interacts with admire and respect her. It's not just reverence for someone of higher status, but for someone they know for sure is the person they want to serve wholeheartedly without demanding benefits.
"The support of the people truly moves me, but they think so because they haven't met my two royal brothers. Both of them are also very talented. Surely they will be able to be good kings."
Although Grabell - the first prince or Halfaus - the second prince are two people who also have a 'few' slightly peculiar things, especially regarding sexual preferences. But anyone can admit that both of them are talented people. Asura in their hands will surely still keep this kingdom peaceful and stable as it is now.
"That is true." Veronica also agreed, however, the future lawyer still shook her head. "But sometimes 'good' is not necessarily a good thing."
"What do you mean, Lady Veronica?" Ariel raised an eyebrow slightly.
"My father had a saying that 'if it was only 'good', the Asura kingdom would have been destroyed 400 years ago." Veronica replied nonchalantly. "What a noble in general or a monarch in particular should aim for is greatness. That is why Kaunis Freean Asura was the one who led Asura to defeat Laplace, not his brothers or father."
The head of the Whitebear family - Lord Firun is a person who aims for greatness. His dream is to take the family to a new height, so he always wants his children to be the best possible. That's why Veronica - a girl originally considered talented - was always considered stupid by her own father, to the point where she thought she was truly useless for a long time. Only when escaping her family and coming to the Royal Capital did she realize she wasn't that bad.
Her only problem is that she is only 'good', not 'great'. Great people must be like Atur, Isolde, or even above all, must be like Princess Ariel.
People who truly meet Ariel know she has the ability to do something even more than 'good'. That is what Derrick, Veronica here, or even Luke all feel.
Ariel has something that any great monarch should have. That is the potential to become 'great'.
However, that still couldn't convince Ariel. That beautiful face still showed no fluctuation but gave a sarcastic smile.
"Wasn't Kaunis Freean Asura only able to ascend the throne after his royal brothers died in the war? That means even as a 'great' person, he was never the first choice."
"That... That is true." Veronica lowered her chin slightly; she seemed to realize she had pushed the conversation into a dead end herself.
"And unlike back then, we are in peacetime. What is the point of seeking 'greatness'?" Ariel added. "The people only care about whether they can eat their fill tonight, and my royal brothers are more than capable of doing that. Wanting more is truly greedy. Am I right, Lady Veronica?"
Although not wanting to admit it, Veronica nodded now. "Yes, you are right. Apologies for ruining your tea party."
Of course, she wasn't convinced. But the Whitebear young lady knew when to retreat. Continuing to argue would not only fail to change Ariel's perspective, but it could even ruin the good relationship the two sides currently had. After all, time is still long; changing a person needs more time than that.
"It's okay. Sometimes reminding each other of old tales about heroes is also interesting." Ariel giggled. "They make us feel a bit smarter. Do you think so, Luke?"
"I'm trying to remember who Kaunis Freean Asura is." Luke shook his head.
"You truly are a perverted idiot."
"Shut up, you flat-chested!"
"I'm not flat!"
"I personally think Lady Veronica's chest size is lovely."
"Eh?" Veronica blushed. "Thank you, Princess."
And so the tea party with perverted stories returned to its proper trajectory. Derrick himself also noticed that, so the mage had nothing more to add. He knew his plan had failed, but certainly hadn't given up yet.
So Derrick decided to go to the toilet without a clear announcement. After all, everyone has times when they need to address their minimum needs, right? But announcing this to the princess wasn't very necessary because she herself requested Derrick or Luke to just go if needed. Because she didn't want to know when her attendants wanted to go to the toilet that much anyway.
Strolling on the stone-paved path amidst pure white lily branches, Derrick sighed slightly and looked up at the clear blue sky above. It has been 5 years since he graduated from the Asura Royal Magic Academy; in those years, he hasn't had any leisure to gaze at the sky.
He always spent time studying to be wiser, always cautious in everything to be able to protect the princess. Any danger, from the smallest, he paid attention to and observed from afar. He never went to the step of 'kill first, calculate later', but many times the anger at those who casually discussed eliminating the princess made him take half a step into that stupidity.
Derrick is a slightly hasty person. That is a fatal weakness among the countless good things he has. Veronica said that 'the princess will soon change her mind' in a conversation with Derrick already. And thanks to the young girl from the Whitebear family, the mage surnamed Redbat also gradually learned how to become patient.
But when will the princess realize her value? When will she know that she is the best thing this kingdom needs?
So he let out a long, rather sad sigh.
He stopped, directing his gaze towards that tea table. They were laughing happily about topics that didn't help this nation at all.
Derrick was very sad. But he believed in the princess. That is why he will...
"What the-?" Suddenly, in just the blink of an eye, Derrick saw something large suddenly appear in the forest not far away.
Initially, it was just something lurking behind the tree corners, nothing too prominent. Then in just a few ticks, it stepped out, gradually revealing its oversized large shape. It was big, and must be about 4 meters tall. Its width was equally enormous. It was a giant muscular body with a boar's head.
It was a Terminate Boar. A monster that can reach rank C or even B if supported by a pack of Assault Dogs. But even alone, that monster is rank D, meaning it is even stronger than a normal intermediate swordsman.
It is a dangerous monster. There was a story about it and twenty Assault Dogs attacking and wiping out an entire village near a forest. So since then in Asura, people often used that monster as a thing to scare bad children, just like how they often did with the name of the Superb race. Derrick himself knew how strong they are, not only through stories but also through his time studying at the Magic Academy.
But... why?
Derrick was extremely confused. This isn't a normal forest; they are in the Silver Palace. A place where even a stray wild rabbit can't enter, let alone a terrible monster like that. And how? Is this a plot to assassinate the princess? That reason is possible; after all, the princess occasionally becomes an assassination target. Since childhood, she has been the target of hostile plots. But what force could throw a D-rank monster into the silver palace? That is a monster, not a puppy that can be taken anywhere!
But now is not the time to care about that matter.
Derrick started to run; he used all his strength. He started chanting, but the monster seemed to have started attacking, and it wasn't aiming at him at all.
It is rushing towards the princess!
The mage only had time to chant half of his spell; launching an attack now was too late. So he only had one way left.
"Princess, watch out!" Derrick shouted with everything he had.
Princess Ariel, who was immersed in her conversation, upon hearing Derrick's voice, immediately jumped up; she launched herself straight over, dodging the path the monster was rushing through.
*Crash!*
The lovely gazebo everyone was sitting under was immediately knocked down and shattered like a house of cards.
Ariel scrambled to sit up, but the monster had appeared right in front of her. And blocking in between was Derrick, the bodyguard mage, who was panting exhaustedly but showed no flinching or fear before the monster in front.
He tried to breathe, finding a way to resist. But what can a mage do in close combat? Even if he chanted a water ball spell, it would be enough time for that Terminate Boar to kill him two or three times.
But he had a way.
ROAR!
Just as the monster swung its strike, Derrick shouted. "Protection!"
BOOM!*
A dull, deafening sound rang out, like a church bell making everyone deaf. The monster also squealed and retreated a few steps with a dizzy head.
"Hah!"
In front of Derrick was an invisible barrier curtain radiating ripples of force created by the monster's headbutt. The cause lay in the necklace under the mage's shirt; it was glowing.
It was the 'Protection Necklace' - a magic item worth 10 gold coins that Derrick was gifted by his father not long ago. His father himself said this thing was quite useless, but it was crafted very exquisitely with a very strange theory, so he asked Derrick to study it occasionally.
Yet that very thing just saved his life.
"Ha..."
Derrick collapsed. He gasped for air; that strike was too strong. The stronger it is, the higher the mana consumption. For that reason, the mage's mana seemed to have been drained.
"Lord Derrick!" Ariel immediately came to support the guardian mage. "Are you okay? You-"
"I'm fine." Derrick, though extremely tired, still tried to stand up. "Veronica, quickly lead the princess away. Luke and I will kill this monster."
Veronica, who also just scrambled up and was extremely confused, also immediately knew what to do. She immediately went to the princess, grabbed her hand, and pulled her away.
"But-"
Ariel hesitated. And right at that moment, Derrick shouted again.
"I said run!"
"...!!!"
This was the first time the princess heard Derrick shout like that. How many times had she teased, gone against the mage's will, but Derrick never became angry. Yet... no, Ariel knew perfectly well this wasn't anger. She had learned how to read others' emotions.
Derrick is making Ariel angry so she won't care about his safety and run away.
It's too easy to understand. To her, Derrick is a simple person, perhaps the simplest among everyone Ariel knows by name. Even more predictable than the maids. And that simplicity comes with stupid courage and loyalty.
But what should Ariel do right now? Stay and become a burden? She is a princess; Derrick's duty is to protect her with his life, Luke too; he also stood up with sword in hand. The young knight stepped next to Derrick, without trembling or fear. All there was, was total determination, to protect Princess Ariel until the last breath.
Ariel bit her lower lip slightly; she had to decide. And she chose to do exactly what she absolutely must do. She has to survive, the princess is too used to this kind of event already.
However, she didn't turn and run away immediately. She stood there, boldly declaring to both her bodyguards. "I order both of you not to die! You two must live to continue protecting me, understood?"
Her voice was full of authority, her figure showing no panic at all. It was a bizarre sight: the princess, who had just been talking about nipples and intending to take a young girl to her bed just a moment ago, suddenly looked like a monarch - the role she always tries to distance herself from.
Derrick and Luke froze upon hearing the command. Their eyes widened, then immediately nodded together, in unison. "At your command!"
But there won't be a battle. A scream suddenly rang out from the sky and everyone had to look up.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
A young girl, in a white dress and pure white hair, was falling from the sky.
"Aaaaah!"
That young girl, as she fell, extended both hands towards that monster. And somehow, the giant boar's body shattered like a water balloon right at the moment she touched it.
Then that girl fell to the ground, rolling a few times right next to the motionless princess.
That white-haired girl immediately fainted without leaving any explanation.
Nobody understands what just happened. But it seems like the girl from the sky just saved them.
That day, at Lily Garden, no one died.
...
Meanwhile, not too far away from the Lily Garden, another monster attack also occurred. A Red Dragon appeared in the king's palace.
Fortunately, the king was only seriously injured but was rescued before the royal guards succeeded in destroying the monster.
But many other nobles were not as lucky. Among them were the current head of the powerful Zephyrus family in the south and his three sons.
Suddenly, a political crisis that was supposed to take nearly 8 more years to happen began earlier like that.