A few days later. In a forest in the outskirts of the Capital City of Lanthanor.
Two men wearing shining robes stood beside each other, discussing something in a low voice while waiting for someone to appear.
A few minutes later, a figure in grey robes stepped out of the air in front of them. This man who had just appeared seemed middle-aged, with a clean shaven face and glossy, black hair that swayed in the breeze. His sharp chin took attention away from the hooked nose that was situated below eyes that were a vivid green.
As soon as he appeared, two 1 inch thin needles apparently made of fire came into existence in front of him.
The older man of the two, who had a wrinkled face with long, white hair, gasped in shock as he saw these two needles appear. Fire was something that existed unrestrained. Being able to tame and compress it into such a deadly form was definitely something that far exceeded his level. Realizing this, he shook his head at the King as if answering an earlier question that had been asked.
Gesturing with his hand, the man shot the two needles in different directions.
Scorched holes appeared on the trees around them, making the other man, the King of Lanthanor, look around with incredulity.
"One mage using shadow magic to hide himself in a tree 70 feet south west. Another fighter in the tree 90 feet north east holding his breath. Do you want to command them to leave or should I kill them as a warning?"
A deep voice spelled out the exact locations of the spies they had placed, making sweat appear on the brows of the men who seldom found themselves in positions like these where they were not in power.
Of course, this man was Daneel. The disaster that had occurred previously when he had tried to pass himself off as someone else was still fresh in his mind, prompting him to plan each and every aspect of this meeting thoroughly. Daneel knew that the only way to improve was to learn from one's mistakes, thus he applied himself fastidiously into practicing and perfecting the act that he would be putting up soon.
He bought the Surveillance tool from the system, which allowed him to detect anyone spying on him at a distance of 100 feet in any direction. Also, he had tried out each and every newly developed spell multiple times so that he could use all of them naturally at a moment's notice. After feeling that he was ready, he had communicated with the minister to tell the King to come to the forest where he and Elanev had caught mosquitoes.
He needed to establish his position of power as soon as he arrived, thus he had hoped that the King would set up spies to monitor the location. Thankfully, his hunch had been correct, and the two men in front of him were now thoroughly cowed due to his usage of the modified fireball spell.
"Apologies. They were simply placed there to keep a lookout in case any enemies attack. I will immediately ask them to leave."
Saying so in a neutral tone, the King took out a green coin from his pocket and squeezed it.
"It is done. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Richard Lanthanore, King of the great nation of Lanthanor. The man beside me is the Kingdom's Grand Court Mage, Declan. We would like to request something of you that we hope you would take under consideration."
Seeing the King speaking so carefully in front of him, Daneel was reminded of the last time when he was made to kneel with blood flowing out of his mouth. Power was indeed everything. Then, he had been an ant who could be crushed at any time. Now, he was a mysterious personage who needed to be 'requested' humbly.
The old man beside the King simply nodded, still in awe at the incredible complexity of the magic that had just been displayed.
"State your request.", he said simply, making the King smile slightly.
A discussion between two parties was always dictated by one thing: need. The King had something he needed from the powerful person in front of him. Now, he needed to put forward something that would hopefully address a need of the other party.
"First, let me tell you what I offer in return. The palace will directly buy the honey trap solution from you and pay you in any form you need. Any energy material is fine as long as we have them. I trust that you are in need of resources. No matter what your request, we will satisfy them. In return, 10 years from now, we request you to arrange a long-range teleportation which we will pay for handsomely."
Hearing this, Daneel struggled to keep his eyes from widening in surprise. This damn King wanted to simply run away from all the troubles? What about the people of the Kingdom?
"I have heard about the troubles in your Kingdom. You are prepared to leave your people to fend for themselves against the turmoil that will surely follow?", he asked, making sure to speak in a tone that would sound like he was simply asking without approving or disapproving of the King's decision.
"As a personage of your power must know, power and longevity are all that matters to us who have trained to a level where we can squat any commoner to death simply by a wave of our hands. I have no reason to fight foolishly and die in the hands of those who simply want a vacuum in power. Thus, I have entered into an agreement with a Kingdom that will support me and help me reach the next level if I can deliver a certain amount of energy materials. Of course, I would be willing to enter the same agreement with you if it is possible.", said the King, smiling as if hoping Daneel would give a similar offer.
Indeed. Like he had imagined, the King only cared about power. Right now, all he felt was disgust looking at this man who gave up on his people simply because he cared for his life more.
He etched these twisted, hopeful expressions into his mind, deciding to use them as a symbol of how a King should not be. If he were a commoner, he would have opted to spit in such a selfish King's face even if it meant death.
Just as he was about to respond, he felt a tremor under his feet as if an earthquake were taking place.
At first, Daneel thought that it was an attack by the two in front of him, but that would not make any sense. As he looked at the expressions of confusion on the King and the Grand Court Mage, he realized that he was right. This was not their doing.
Getting an ominous feeling, Daneel commanded the system to cast the teleportation spell.
[Teleportation Unavailable. Surrounding space has been locked], came the reply, while he watched with bewilderment as the ground under him rose and solidified around his feet, trapping him in place.
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