“The pleasure is ours, Your Highness.” Nemean kneeled, and Shogai immediately did the same. He cursed himself for taking so long to do so. What kind of ruler was King Casi? Back in the village, there was next to no contact with other places. Obviously, Shogai knew that the island had a King, but there was no need to know anything more. After all, he didn’t exactly help them.

  But now that he knew more, Shogai had to show Casi respect. He funded Nexus, which is the only obstacle in the path of the Deviants. Of their own King, Muryoko. Without the man in front of him, the entire island would be doomed. And that made him a target. Shogai came here to defend him if he were attacked, and that was what he intended to do.

  “Surprised that the king lives in such modesty?” Casi was speaking to Shogai and Kiara. “I haven’t met you two before. New Nexeans, I presume. Well, all of you had the same questions when you visited Santh for the first time. “The King really lives here?””

  Shogai didn’t know how to respond, and nor did Kiara. They simply nodded.

  “Good. That means the diversion works. Who would expect King Casi to live in that cold northern city when the capital of Tenebris, Sunden, is such a good city to rule from? Well, as much as the cold can be bothersome, and communicating with other cities is tough, I know the risks that my death would cause. If Muryoko ever decides he wants me dead, he would attack Sunden. Not Santh. I’m not showing off my position to the world.”

  “Forgive me, King Casi, but I really must be going.” Nemean stressed. “I can’t stay here and chat while the Inner Ranks are still at base. I need to send them over, and we don’t have time to waste. You do understand the cost of assigning you these bodyguards. We will need to be on full alert.”

  “And you will be compensated for that. You are dismissed, Nemean.”

  Nemean turned to the 4 Outer Ranks. “Good luck.”

  Nemean vanished, and only a couple of minutes later (a couple minutes of terrifyingly awkward silence) he reappeared with three Nexeans.

  Nifa was looking the same as normal. She avoided Shogai’s gaze and immediately curtsied to the King, before supporting Ciela.

  Ciela was awake, which was a massive development from the last time Shogai had seen her, but she was on crutches and seemed rather light-headed. Unable to professionally curtsy, she bowed her head. She noticed Shogai and Kiara and gave them a small smile. This was her first time officially meeting them. She was dressed in the same witch outfit that Shogai had first seen her in.

  The third Nexean matched her picture perfectly. Amelia, Inner Rank 7. She looked like an angel, literally. She wore a white gown and let her blonde hair fly. On her back was a pair of wings that seemed to have been constructed by golden light. And her smile was dazzling. All the attention of the room was instantly drawn to her.

  Nemean bowed to Casi again before dismissing himself. “These seven are under your command until they have prevented an attack on Santh. I expect this to be within a week, but if it takes months, then so be it. Good luck, all of you.”

  Nemean vanished again, this time for good, and left the Nexeans alone with the King.

  “You two are also new, aren’t you?” Casi pointed at Amelia and Ciela. “You’re Inner Ranks, so I expect you’ve been Nexeans for a while, but I’m yet to meet you. What are your names?”

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  Ciela spoke, and it was refreshing to hear her real voice rather than Muryoko’s, but it was extremely quiet. “Ciela…” she mumbled, almost too quiet for the others to hear. Was that just because of her condition?

  “Hi, King Casi!” Amelia, in contrast, had a voice that filled the entire room. She spoke in an upbeat tone, and her red eyes shone. There was something unsettling about them.

  “My name is Amelia, and I’m so so honoured to meet you!” As she curtsied, her wings began emitting spots of light like glitter, warming up the room.

  “I can understand your frustration with having a witch in your ranks, but don’t worry! I’ll be more than enough to protect you! I am an Inner Rank, after all!”

  The side-eye that Amelia was giving Ciela was enough to make Shogai’s decision for him. Amelia was acting extremely… degrading towards Ciela. And Shogai didn’t like her. She wore a smile and looked like an angel, but she wore a selfish aura with it. Ciela shyly looked down towards the floor, almost as if she’d given in. Nifa rolled her eyes and raised her voice.

  “Don’t get too full of yourself, Amelia. You’re the weakest Inner Rank besides the healer.”

  “Yes, yes, that’s nice, Nifa.” Amelia snapped back, warning Nifa to stay silent. Her eyes were glowing a deep red. Elano’s Heart.

  “Don’t mind her, Your Majesty, I’m plenty capable.”

  “You know, I heard Valerie and Raven saying that Ryukyu could probably beat yo-”

  “One more word, Nifa. I dare you.” Amelia whispered that last part. Her voice was dangerously low. Nifa was ruining her good impression on the King.

  Speaking of, Casi had been watching the drama with interest. He didn’t seem fooled by Amelia’s performance. And it was no accident that he ignored the display and looked towards Ciela.

  “What happened to you, Ciela?”

  Nifa answered for her, showing off a book on her belt. “She survived an encounter with the Deviant King, and so I’m banning her from using spells until she has to. She needs her energy for combat.”

  Casi nodded approvingly. “Most people who encounter Muryoko die. It’s a miracle we even know he exists. That’s impressive, Ciela.”

  Ciela hid under her hat at the compliment from the king, only mumbling a small “Thank you.” Amelia, however, looked extremely offended. But even she knew better than to show her annoyed face to Casi, so she put an innocent smile back on.

  “Well, my King, you heard her. Ciela can’t fight very well, so I am by far the most reliable Nexean here. If you need anything, anything at all, I’m your girl.”

  Casi’s disinterest almost made Shogai laugh, but he was still in both fear and disgust. Kiara seemed to share his thoughts.

  “Well, thank you all for coming,” said Casi. “You have rooms down the left corridor. You may use them as long as you need to. Santh may be unpopular, but it is a beautiful city if you can ignore the cold. I strongly recommend sightseeing. That about covers it; off you all go.”

  With a lot of curtsies and gratitude, the seven eventually left the throne room. The corridor they were in was lined with doors, each being a room. Ciela nonchalantly picked a door, and Amelia immediately entered the room as far away as possible. Looking down again, Ciela entered her room.

  “I should stay close to you; just in case.” Nifa said as she chose the room next to Ciela. With all the Inner Ranks gone, Kiara exhaled.

  “They scare me.”

  Valerie and Tina laughed. “Oh, don't worry about them. Amelia just hates Ciela. The witch attire, plus the fact that she’s ranked just above her. It’s like she thinks Ciela is mocking her, even though she became a Nexean first. If it makes you feel any better, we’ll room next to Amelia so you can be further from her.”

  The two of them left for the rooms closest to Amelia, leaving Shogai and Kiara in the hallway. Kiara wiped her forehead. “It’s been a really, really long day.” She vanished into a room, and Shogai entered his.

  It was no surprise that Casi funded Nexus. The rooms were identical. The exact same format. Shogai liked that. It made him feel at home. He collapsed in bed and looked out of the window. Snow was falling. He’d never seen so much snow before.

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