Chapter 356: Taking the Initiative

XXXX Continent, Seraph Kingdom, inside the Arcana Tower.

A week has passed since the battle of words between Vanadir and Arshe had occurred. Although such an incident would have made big waves within the span of week, the entire kingdom was surprisingly silent and oblivious to this happening. At first, Vanadir was quite certain that this sort of news would be spread out by Arshe since it would basically kickstart the idea of there being two factions fighting over the throne.

But for some reason, Arshe decided to not do that, lying low in the meantime. Though Vanadir was curious as to what was going on in Arshe's mind, Vanadir could not help but let out a sigh of relief and somewhat thank Arshe silently in his mind as a great number of people would definitely come swarming for him and Arshe if such news were spread.

While Vanadir was continuing to train with the others at his pavilion, Dane was inside his own room at the Arcana Tower, waiting for a certain someone to meet him.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

"Ah, he's finally here." After waiting for an hour or so, Dane's tensed expression had eased up as a light smile suffused on his face. Opening the door, the sight of a man with a cruel expression on his face could be seen. With his green robe and the mark of four golden leaves surrounding a gladius on the left side of his chest, Dane could not help but greet him with glee, "Cerius, nice to see you again."

"It's been quite some time since we've last met, Dane." In response, Cerius lightly chuckled as Dane allowed him to enter his room. Utilizing his mastery over magic, he manipulated a chair to move to where Cerius was as Dane asked him, "Want something to drink?"

"No need. I'll only be here for a short while." Cerius shook his head before continuing, "As an Executive of the Tower, you know very well how hectic my schedule is."

"Sure. 'Hectic', you say," Dane said in response to Cerius's words, gesturing a quotation mark with his fingers. Nevertheless, Cerius was still someone with a high status of the tower, so Dane knew very well not to waste much of his time, even if they knew each other for a long time already.

Sitting on a chair as he sipped on a cup of tea he had just brewed, Dane looked at Cerius and asked, "So, tell me. How did the Elder like the egg I gave him?"

"He's definitely enjoying it, alright," Cerius said in response, his expression slightly envious of the elder above him. Soon after, he let out a light sigh, "As for the request you asked me back then, the Elder told me that he had to reject it since that made it seem like the Arcana Tower was wholeheartedly supporting the Ninth Prince."

Scratching his head at the reason given to him, Dane could not help but ask, "I'm not even asking for the cooperation of the Assistant Elders. At most, I just want to obtain the help of High Executives or Executives with the power of High Executives. You're telling me that such a request in the eyes of the Elder is equivalent to the Arcana Tower helping out a single prince?"

"Beats me." Cerius shrugged his shoulders in response. "In any case, the Elder has rejected your request. I've already tried my best to persuade him."

"Well, I was kind of expecting this result," Dane said soon after as he continued, "Tell the Elder that in exchange for that egg, he owes me a favor."

"That I can do," Cerius responded, nodding with an expression of certainty on his face.

"Anyways, with that out of the way…" Dane then shifted the topic after that, changing it to a topic that definitely involved Vanadir.

"Is there any news regarding the alliance involving the Third Prince?"

Surprisingly, Cerius took in a long deep breath before letting it out as he eventually nodded in response, a solemn expression on his face.

At first, he was silent, prompting Dane to predict what Cerius was going to say.

"Is the Tenth Prince officially included in this alliance?" Dane asked, to which Cerius nodded in response as affirmation.

"Is the Seventh and Eleventh Prince also included?" he continued, with Cerius nodding in affirmation to this question as well.

After that, Dane went silent for a bit as the next person he had in mind was someone who had the ability to stand alongside the Third Prince as an equal. Nevertheless, his hunch was telling him that this might be true. Taking in a deep breath, he then asked Cerius, "Is the Fourth Prince…also included?"

Silence.

Then, a slow nod.

It was the only thing Dane needed to know that the alliance between the five princes had now become official. Not long after, a light frown had appeared on his face, instantly working his mind to the maximum as he pondered as to what the Ninth Prince could do to be able to stand on equal footing as the Third Prince's alliance.

Eventually, the most obvious solution appeared in his mind as he asked Cerius, "If Vanadir were to ally himself with the three other princes, would he have a fighting chance in winning the war for the throne?"

Cerius responded by shrugging his shoulders as he replied, "I have no idea if his chances of winning are certain since I'm not privy to that kind of information, but I can assure you that he wouldn't be at a disadvantage against their alliance when the war starts."

"That's enough assurance for me," Dane said as he thanked Cerius for informing him about news regarding the Third Prince's movements. After allowing Cerius to leave the room he was in, Dane instantly cast his teleportation spell with the Ninth Prince's pavilion as his destination in mind.

…

Whoosh!

It did not take long for Dane to arrive at the Ninth Prince's pavilion, only taking about ten minutes or so given the proximity of the Arcana Tower to the Seraph Kingdom's royal palace. Nevertheless, the sun was already at its peak, showing just how much time had passed for him while he was waiting for Cerius to come.

Appearing near the entrance of the pavilion, he instantly saw Vanadir brandishing his blade, doing the basic blade movements in a swift yet efficient manner. On the other hand, two girls were inside the pavilion's guest room with their eyes closed, allowing certain energy particles to revolve around them.

Surrounding one girl were energy particles the color of crimson. In an instant, one would realize that this was none other than the Healing Witch of the West, Valentia Arcenon.

As for the other girl, energy particles that radiate a faint white light surrounded her. At times, one would even feel a caring air surrounding her, given how she had the moniker Great Fortress. This was none other than Griselle.

"Ah, Dane. You finally came." Noticing that Dane had just arrived in front of the pavilion, Vanadir looked at him and greeted him with a smile. He then went ahead and sheathed his blade as he wiped off his sweat. As for the two, they stopped what they were doing, looking in the direction of the two.

"I have done the things you have requested me to do, Your Highness." Dane lightly bowed in front of the Ninth Prince as he said this. In response, a solemn expression appeared on Vanadir's face as he briefly looked at the two girls behind her before asking, "Tell me. What did that High Executive say?"

"It is as the Highness predicts," Dane responding without beating around the bush. "The alliance between the Third, Fourth, Seventh, Tenth, and Eleventh Prince is official."

Hearing five princes being mentioned, Valentia could not help but gasp in shock while Griselle's eyes widened in response. As for Vanadir, a slight frown appeared on his face as he muttered to himself, "Arshe, what are you trying to achieve?"

After some time, Vanadir took in a deep breath before letting it out as he allowed his emotions to calm down from the news. He then beckoned Dane to come with him, to which the latter lightly nodded as Vanadir went ahead and made some tea for Dane and himself.

Sitting down on one of the chairs in the guest room, the Ninth Prince took a light sip of the tea he brewed before looking at Dane and asking, "Did that High Executive say anything else after that?"

"The High Executive states that the Highness should try to ally with the other princes if one wants to still have a chance at the war for the throne," Dane answered, to which Vanadir lightly chuckled as he said not long after, "As expected."

After that, Vanadir looked at the three and said, "Valentia, Griselle, head out to the city for today and leave me and Dane here for now."

In response, Valentia asked with a serious expression, thinking over the reasoning behind Vanadir's words, "Are you planning to meet up with one of the princes in your pavilion later?"

"As expected of my cousin," Vanadir said in response with a light smile. "Tonight, I'll be meeting up with the First Prince and hope to the heavens that I could rope him over."

"The First Prince?" Griselle could not help but find it weird that Vanadir mentioned the First Prince. "Didn't the First Prince say early on that he wasn't participating in the war for the throne?"

"Oh, that was just at the start," Vanadir said in response. "If his news collecting abilities are as good as mine, then he knows very well that he has no choice but to participate and join an alliance."

Although Valentia and Griselle were slightly perplexed as to why the First Prince did that, they decided to follow Vanadir's words, lest they messed up his preparations. And with that, the two of them temporarily left the kingdom's royal palace to stay somewhere else for the time being while Vanadir and Dane waited for night to fall.

…

Thud. Thud.

As the two were sipping on some hot coffee to wake up their slightly sleepy minds, the sound of faint footsteps gradually getting louder in their direction alerted the two of them. Without hesitation, they stood up and looked in the direction of the sound's origin, being greeted by the sight of a well-built man in his early 30s.

With a scar that went through his left eye, the aura of magnanimity behind ferocity could be felt around this man if one examined closely. At the moment though, no trace of that aura could be seen as the man wore casual clothes. Nevertheless, this man was none other than the First Prince of the Seraph Kingdom, Zeldrion Seraph II.

"It's been a long time since we've last met, Ninth Brother," Zeldrion made his way to the guest room and sat himself down, greeting Vanadir in front of him. In response, a light smile appeared on Vanadir's face as he replied, "Indeed. The last time I met you was at the royal banquet about a decade ago."

"In any case, let's not beat around the bush," he continued as a solemn expression appeared on his face. "Big Brother, I'm sure you've heard of the news that Arshe has allied with Fourth, Seventh, Tenth, and Eleventh Brother, right?"

"I have, yes," Zeldrion replied as he grabbed a cup of coffee for himself, sipping a bit of it.

"Then, you know what's going to come out of mouth next, right?" Vanadir asked in response, to which Zeldrion nodded, saying, "I do."

"Well, before I ask that question, please satiate my curiosity first, Big Brother," Vanadir said, surprisingly changing the topic. "Is there a reason as to why you announced you weren't participating in the war for the throne at the beginning?"

"Of course there is," Zeldrion replied with a light nod. Just as Vanadir was about to have his curiosity satisfied, Zeldrion's words left him sighing. "Unfortunately, those reasons aren't ready to be known by the world yet. But when the time is right, you'll be the first one to know of it."

"If you say so," Vanadir said as he shrugged his shoulders with a sigh. "Anyway, let me now ask the question that we've both been waiting for."

"Big Brother, would you like to form an alliance with me so we could stand on equal ground as Third Brother?"

Hearing that question, Zeldrion went silent for a bit as he pondered over it. After some time, a light smile appeared on his face as he said one word.

"No."

"No?" Vanadir could not help but feel confused after hearing that response. Knowing the First Prince very well, he wouldn't deny a request to form an alliance after being given the knowledge that the Third Prince had formed an alliance with four more princes. But right in front of him, the First Prince had done just that.

Just as he was about to ask Zeldrion why, Zeldrion then let out a light chuckle as he said, "Don't take it as me rejecting your proposition. But instead…"

"…interpret it as me inviting you to my alliance."

"How about it, Ninth Brother? Would you like to form an alliance with me?"