184 Grief

The haunting image of the corpses floating around in the air stayed on the screen for a few seconds before the communication eye was crushed, cutting off the feed and allowing everyone standing in the situation room to take a breath.

To Daneel, it was as if his life in Angaria had so far been one of sailing in tumultuous seas. Yet, suddenly, he felt as if he had hit rocks which punctured his boat and plunged him into icy, cold darkness.

Since the moment he had taken the throne, there had been many situations where he had been lost for words.

This one topped them all.

Since coming back from Eldinor, Daneel had been carrying on with his plans without a hitch. Everything had been working out so well that he thought he had matters under control.

This moment was the rude awakening which startled Daneel by hitting him in the face.

Indeed, just because he had had one victory didn't mean that everything else in the world would bow down to him and meekly follow his plans.

Variables always existed, and it seemed that he had met one which lured him in before provoking him on purpose.

The ones behind this cruel act had purposefully shown themselves to one of the spies before planning this entire encounter.

Although their purpose was still unclear, their stance had already been etched into the eyes of all those in the room.

By committing an act against a sovereign country in a neutral zone, the faction had essentially challenged Lanthanor.

All the satisfaction from his achievements was gone, replaced by the expressions of the people of Lanthanor who had gone on his orders to investigate the no-trespassing zone.

How could he face their families? What would he say when they asked why their sons and daughters couldn't return home?

Could he give the excuse that it had been an unexpected attack?

NO! HE was to blame!

As those standing in the situation room saw the King of Lanthanor sit on the table and drink wine for the first time in his life, they sighed as they realized that the time had come for one of the most important tests of a ruler: the baptism of death.

As those in command, each and every ruler was responsible for the lives and deaths of all those under them. As such, situations like these where unexpected circumstances lead to the deaths of soldiers or citizens was quite common.

Different rulers tackled the baptism in different ways. Those who had already been exposed to death were capable of not being affected at all, while those who were new to leadership would either have a completely aloof attitude or one of devastation.

The King of Lanthanor was currently going through the latter. Throughout his rule so far, none of his orders had directly caused the deaths of his citizens.

Looking at it with one perspective, it was actually quite impressive.

Yet, because the baptism had come so abruptly, it had apparently hit the King of Lanthanor like a truck.

Indeed, although Daneel had gone through many experiences of life and death, he had never felt this way.

The crushing guilt of facing the families of those who had died affected him to such an extent that breathing was all he could do.

It had always been obvious that such a day would come. As someone who had walked through the ocean of corpses, Daneel knew very well that this was only the tip of the iceberg of the haunting scenes he would have to see.

Among those, it was quite natural that some might be due to his mistakes or unpredictable circumstances which might result in the death of Lanthanorians.

Thus, he had been mentally preparing himself for the ordeal for a long time.

Yet, when it actually came, he realized that it had been foolish to even think that any preparations could help.

It wasn't about the deaths. Daneel had watched unflinchingly as multiple nobles had been choked to death on his orders.

More than anything, it was the regret that he might have saved them if he had given the order to fall back sooner.

Meanwhile. Luther, Kellor, Faxul and Kellor had already taken their seats on the table.

As men of the military, such an ordeal wasn't new to Kellor, Luther or Robert. Although it made them furious, they could still control their emotions without breaking down like the King of Lanthanor had done.

As for Faxul, his childhood had made it so that his baptism had taken place before anyone else in the room.

Although Robert wished he could help his son, he knew that this was a hurdle that had to be crossed by each person in their own way.

Commanders and rulers had coping mechanisms which served to lessen the guilt acting on them. For Robert, it had been his choice to help newbies and increase their chances to survive on the battlefield and in life.

Similarly, his son had to find something which could distract him from the guilt that would only increase with time.

Hoping that he wouldn't have to seek for the mechanism for a long time, he proceeded to pour the wine onto al the cups placed on the table.

After doing so, the four of them solemnly raised the glasses in the air with the King still not responding to their actions.

"For Lucas, Ira, Grover, Christopher, Lucio, Marlin, Titus and Dorian. Lanthanor shall never forget your ultimate sacrifice, and we pray that you find peace in the afterlife."

With the traditional prayer to commemorate those who fell in battle, the four downed their glasses in one gulp feeling the spicy liquid slide down their throats.

As if the names had broken the spell cast on Daneel, the King of Lanthanor stretched out his hand and drank the wine before gesturing for more.

With bloodshot eyes and heavy hearts, the people who were in charge of ruling Lanthanor spent the entire day drinking continuously before collapsing into the beds and falling asleep into a slumber filled with dreams of floating corpses and withering leaves.

...

Meanwhile, in the Withering Leaf Sect which had stayed hidden for centuries in Central Angaria.

The large room in which the escaped prince of Lanthanor had had a meeting with the sect head was currently filled with multiple figures all wearing robes similar to the ones worn by the Vice Sect Master of the Withering Leaf Sect back in Lanthanor.

Seeming to be woven from nature itself, the robes gave the individuals an atmosphere of those at peace with themselves and the world.

"It is time for the Withering."

As these words were said by the Sect Master, the calm expressions of the individuals turned into ones of unbridled rage as their faces turned red from the anger.

Beside the Sect Master, on a seat just one step below the leader of the Sect, the former prince of Lanthanor could be seen sitting with folded legs.

Looking around the room, he fought to control the urge that had been born in him to behave like those he was seeing.

Amidst the snarls of rage, a messenger walked in before respectfully handing a parchment to the Sect Head.

Reading it, he spoke in a voice that was only audible to the Eldest Prince.

"The bait was successful. Lanthanor's spies still hang from the tree southwest of our location, and it was ensured that the King you resent so much is aware of what has happened. The message was also delivered. All that remains to be seen is what kind of response they will give."

Without a word, the Eldest prince got up from his place before bowing to the Sect Head respectfully.

Making his way to the door, he quickly exited the room, afraid that he would also be affected by the atmosphere of violence and cruelty that had come into being since the moment the Sect Head said the word "Withering".

Running to his room, the Eldest prince stripped off his robe before dropping to the ground and grabbing a Ker Gem which was nearby.

Beginning the absorption and finally relaxing, the Eldest Prince took in deep breaths before shifting into a sitting position.

If someone were in the room, they would be shocked to see that at the point above the chest where the heart was located on the body of the Eldest Prince, a face was coming into being whose features could not be seen.

The only thing that could be deciphered was that each time the Eldest Prince absorbed a stream of energy from the Ker Gem, it was as if the face became clearer, as if an invisible artist were using his brush to give life to this face which was not similar to any of the species Daneel had seen so far.