Wreath of Lilies, Cauldron of Poison

Chapter 81

All Shall be Turned to Ash

“Good Evening, O Maiden of Water. Forgive me for being so late,” The King opened.

“Not toooo…worry, King…Gerard…I am….having quite…a good time,” Allenca Viandros replied. It was a well-known custom for Kings and Queens to arrive late to a party. But as she was of equal position now, the lip-service must be observed.

As a devout follower of the Faith, also as the Queen of Calendia, the Queen could not show too much reverence to the Maiden of Water. Therefore, she raised her skirt slightly and bobbed slightly down. “May the Grace of Junnaveil be with you, Your Eminence. It is our fervent wish that we and the Junnaveil Faith will work together as one towards a brighter future.”

“Thaank…you, Queen Margarethe. Thaaat…is my wish…as well. Please…eeextend my greeting…to Prince Elhart as well.”

“Ah, now that I think about it, I did not see my brother anywhere. What kept him?”

The adjutant that had been standing a few steps away from the King said. “Well, My King. Unfortunately, he is quite undisposed. He did leave a message, though. He said, and I quote, “I am currently in the middle of a full course meal.” The rest I am afraid I could not say because it is not appropriate in polite company.”

“…Hah, that brother of mine. A gourmet and a gourmand. What a cursed combination.”

The Queen then continued to ask. “And where is Cardinal-Deacon Babblebrook? Is he not coming?”

“Hee…is…currently…busy aaat work. So tonight…I am escorted…by a friend…” Allenca answered with a slight gesture of the hand towards the person currently sampling the wine from the Palace’s cellar. “Cornelia…Aaasterium…Steelheart.”

Noticing the attention that was now on her, Connie put down the quite delectable wine and came towards the King.

“Greetings, Your Majesty.”

“Well met…Lady Cornelia. It has been a long time,” a flash of pity could be seen in King Gerard’s eyes. “It truly has…”

The Advisor who had been quite content standing behind the King laid his eyes on the teenager before him.

That beautiful blonde hair...and those clear, glistening blue eyes. She is truly her daughter. You were gone far too soon…

The wrinkled hands grasping the skull cane tightened until the tips of his finger went pale. But she also has that man’s accursed blood coursing in her vein. She is not her. Yes…she is just a pawn in this board. Expendable. Yes…just that. A pawn.

“Please, come to the Palace more often. It heartens me to see the daughter of a friend well. I am sure my wife would be happy for the company,” the King said.

“Oh, I do not think that is appropriate. I am no longer the Prince’s fiancée, after all.”

“Nonsense! No matter the circumstances, you are still the daughter of Duke Geno Steelheart! And no one can take that away from you!” King Gerard declared. Though his words are directed at her, but his eyes were circling the chamber. Making sure that everyone understood this fact. It was the least he could do for neglecting the daughter of a friend for so long.

“Now, now. I would be happy enough to invite her to the Palace for some tea without you nudging me. Anyway, that is quite the unusual outfit, wouldn’t you say?” The Queen said, as she could not hold back her surprise about the outfit that she was wearing.

“I am here as an escort. Thus, I dress for the job.”

“Indeed…I quite…love it…” Allenca added. “But …leeet us not…stand here…and chat…”

King Gerard nodded and then waved his hand. “Indeed. There is food to be enjoyed and wine to be drunk. We have prepared a seat for you next to the Prince Abbas and the King of Vorzenny. My adjutant will escort you. Please, enjoy this Ball, Maiden of Water,” he spoke with a wave of his hand. “Music!”

After that brief talk, the Ball continued. The wine was flowing free and everyone had a good time. Except for the Hero, who was silently drinking and trying to ignore the young noble ladies asking him for a dance.

He was in a strange mood.

That afternoon, as soon as his duties was done, Akira did not waste any time to go to Hannah’s side with a bucketful of the blessed water in tow. There he met her father and sister. Her father had been taking care of Hannah and chose to work from home. And the sister was helping him.

Because he did not know how to best use it, he made Hannah drink and bathe in the water. As soon as she was done, she was fully healed and was able to walk again.

But the question in his mind was…did the water also destroy that strange pill? After all, it did not seem like it was harmful. That was why he told her to stay mum about it. Until he made it clear.

It would be fine if it was just that. But just before the Ball, he was taken into a meeting with a strange old man that he had never even met, where he was then told about the secret project that they had been working on and their request for his help.

It was a request that he could not refuse. That thing was too important for the country.

Everything happened so fast for him that he had not had a chance to digest them.

It was just…too much.

When he was deep in thought, suddenly he was clapped on the back by someone.

“Hello, Mister Hero. How’s Hannah?”

He turned around with a snap and said with as much indignation as he could muster. “YOU!!”

“Me. Hello again,” she smiled a grating smile that made Akira want to strangle her.

As she was about to speak, a mousy girl came forward from the crowd around Akira and said out loud. “Wait! You may be the daughter of a Duke, but you cannot steal a march on the Hero.”

“Yeah! Are you trying to seduce the Hero after being left out by the Prince?” another said. This started a train of protests which irked Connie.

She glanced at the impressionable young women dreaming of a bright future with the Hero of Calendia and gave the Hero a look of pity.

“Don’t worry. My companion doesn’t have the slightest intention towards the Hero,” Illumca spoke as she sipped her wine. “I will make sure of it. You can try again after we have a small talk with him. Is that fine?”

“B-but…” the mousy girl backed up a step. Intimidated by the cold gaze of the dark elf.

“Is that…fine?”

“I…we…” the girl began to stutter.

“…yes, I need to have some private talk with…her,” he said with a hint of uneasiness. And with his words, the girls crowding around him dispersed.

“So, how’s your little friend?”

“…She is healed thanks to the Holy Water,” he said firmly. “No thanks to you.”

“Glad to hear that,” she ignored his snide remark and spoke seriously. “But she must exercise caution. The spine is not something to play with. She must try to get used to move gradually. Do not let her exert herself unless she wants to break that spine again.”

“…and the contract?”

“Oh, the contract still stands. As does the Pill inside you. I am telling you this because she is still a patient of mine. Until she is healed, she will remain so. It has nothing to do with kindness. This is simply my pride as a…well, healer. I suppose.”

“…I don’t get you. I really don’t,” he sighed exasperatedly.

“No one does. That is why it is interesting to be me.”

While Akira was beginning to regret talking with Connie, a Knight sprinted over to him and whispered something in his ear. He nodded a few times and ordered him to return to his post.

“Sometimes this Hero thing…is hard to do,” the young man said before excusing himself.

“A Hero…” Illumca scoffed. “What kind of Hero would attack an unarmed woman out of envy?”

Connie gave her protégé and companion a pat on the shoulder. “Come now. He might be a Hero…but he is not a “Hero”. For he is a man, and therein lies the contradiction. Forget it. How about we try that Lobster over there?”

After excusing himself, Akira came over to King Gerard, who was having a chat with some old Generals. He did not say anything but gave him a nod before exiting the chamber with speed.

At this, the King took up his wine glass by the stem, walked over to the middle of the Audience Chamber and proceeded to hit it with a silver spoon. The sound echoed clear and true.

All the guests stopped their conversation and looked towards the King. Curious.

The King put aside his glass and began to speak with a dignified voice.

“Friends,” he began. “Today is a momentous day.”

“Today is the day that our Maiden of Water created a miracle. One that will etch her name deep into the mountain that is history. The very miracle that had blessed and healed many of our people,” he gestured firmly with his hand towards Allenca, who bowed lightly in acceptance.

“But by no means is it something inane as simple magic. It is a sign! A sign from Junnaveil herself. The sign that she had given us her blessing!! A blessing upon the proud people of Calendia!!!”

At this, the guests nodded solemnly, eyes burning with emotion.

“And it is no coincidence then, that tonight something else will happen. Something that would change the fate of mankind itself!”

Murmurs of confusion and silent whispers could be heard from them. But the gallant voice of the King did not stall, as he now lowered his voice, almost a growl. “As you all know, the stalemate between the Alliance and the Demons have been going on for many years.”

“Many lives have been lost. Many families have been torn apart. Not just humans, but all of the Races. We who are blessed by the Gods. All because of the Demons.”

“Therefore today! Today I am going to propose for a full scale attack to the Demon Continent by the Alliance!! We shall end this war once and for all!!”

“You are mad!” The King of Vorzenny suddenly shouted, his hawk-like nose red in anger. “Did you not remember the last time we attacked them? How many losses we have suffered?!”

“I remember. There is not a day gone by that I do not wake up regretting our inability to end those man-eating demons. And do not for a second think that I am proposing this simply out of hate.”

The man leisurely walked past the guests, his knightly armor clanking.

“If everyone would follow me?”

The curtain that had been closed since the beginning of the event was opened and the King led everyone to the main balcony. A place usually reserved for simple parties.

The balcony overlooked the beautiful Palace Garden. Normally when one looked over the balcony, one would find a carefully crafted garden with beautiful statues and flowers. Even in Fall, there would be a fountain where one could enjoy the sound of trickling water. But today, the beautiful flowers and the fountain was nowhere to be seen.

All that was there was a tower-like structure. It was heavy, hulking, and extremely out of place. A number of Wizards including Eleanora’s Master was standing by the thing as Knights in white moved here and there, busy with their preparations. Some of them were hammering large stakes using sledgehammers into the earth to secure the structure.

A large red orb the size of two humans connected to numerous tubes could be seen on the base of the structure. Two large bodied Knights were operating a large crank that operated the tower, lowering it until it was almost parallel to the ground.

Murmurs and gasps could be heard from the guests of the Ball. All with different emotions. Some in surprise, some in knowing nods, while some were simply interested. In the case of the Maiden of Water, however, there was also a great deal of uneasiness.

A…cannon? She thought. A thought shared by everyone in the vicinity.

Everyone recognized the 2 people standing at the base of the cannon. The Hero of Calendia, Sakagami Akira. And the Commander of the Order of the White Lion, Klein Leonhardt. The two of them oversaw the preparations and gave orders left and right.

When they saw the King, both of them saluted him. Which he responded with the same gesture. He then turned to look at his guests and said.

“Maiden of Water, friends of the Alliance, and my loyal retainers…behold!”

King Gerard gestured towards the cannon with look of pride. “Our secret weapon against the Demon King! The combination of the Wizards of the Three Towers’ Magic Research and the best of Calendian Blacksmiths’ masterpiece! This is the…Demonbane Cannon!!”

With length of more than 35 meters, and height of a two storied house, it was the biggest cannon that they had ever seen. Even the mouth of the barrel was so large that one could fit a full-grown man inside.

The barrel’s exterior was inscribed with uncountable sigils that glowed with power.

But impressive though it was, it still drew doubts from everyone else.

“A cannon?”

“This…is…?”

“A cannon, King Gerard?” The King of Vorzenny rubbed his nose with a jeering smile. “If cannons alone could win against the Demon King, there would be no need for soldiers to die in the Frontline. A weapon alone could not win a war. Just like a Hero cannot slay the Demon King single-handedly.”

“I understand your skepticism,” King Gerard replied, knowing that this question would appear. “Which is why I have prepared for you a demonstration of its might. Don't worry, we angled it towards the Northwest, only small islands without inhabitants lied there.”

Hearing this, the Prince, who had been looking weirdly shifty today could not help but grin in anticipation. Forgetting that he would soon be sent to the Frontline by his Father.

A row of Knights bearing large sacks filled with Essence Crystals poured the contents into a furnace below the red orb. The furnace glowed brighter each time it was fed. It was not until the 15th sack that the Knights drew back and half ran towards the back.

The tubes began to pulsate with power, like the veins of a beast. Feeding the power into the orb.

10 Wizards, all above Advanced Level raised their staffs and controlled the flow so it did not go wild.

About 50 counts later, a white sigil appeared on the surface of the orb. And then three runic circle generating incredible power appeared before the mouth of the cannon’s barrel, floating on top of each other. At the same time, one could hear a strange sound coming from the cannon

Whoomp…whoomp…whoomp

It went faster and faster as the sigils on the barrel grow even brighter.

“Power, Compress, Light,” the Hero of Vorzenny’s resident witch murmured. Her eyes narrowed at the sight of the runic circles floating in the air.

The Commander of the White Lions turned his head to look at his King for approval. The King gave a slight nod. At once the young Commander thrust his sword into the sky and bellowed.

“Fire!”

The Wizards chanted a spell and at that moment, the runic circles were compressed, and a shaft of light shot out of the barrel with tremendous force.

All the glass windows broke inward all at the same time due to the overwhelming force generated by the cannon. The attendees all felt onto the ground on reflex, every bit of their strength left their body in the face of such power.

Many of them were screaming in both pain and fear, but it was drowned by the sound of the cannon firing.

Connie had to fall on one knee as she held the trembling Illumca in her embrace, whose face went as pale as a ghost. Even without the innate capacity for magic, she could feel the power of the destruction that had been unleashed. It was a power capable of felling even the Dark Empress Feng Niu herself.

For the first time in her life in this new world, she was afraid.

The shaft of light that came out from the mouth of the cannon was white hot. The sound it made as it spewed that devastating light was like steel grinding against rock, causing one to involuntarily feel dread and fear.

The beam went straight forward, devastating and burning all things as it went past. Across the sea and towards the horizon before vanishing into it.

The cannon was fired for almost a minute before it finally shut down. The barrel glowing bright yellow from heat.

As they slowly rose from the floor, the guests noticed that the air smelled burned and the top of their palate somehow tasted of something bitter, like ash.

Such would be the fate of all that went against this monstrous weapon.

To be turned to ash.