The first rays of morning light hit Darwitz, soaking the ground with its warm orange and yellow glow. After their desperate escape from Almeida, Aoto and the others had finally made it to Darwitz safely, their bodies aching with exhaustion.
Thankfully, there was only one Holy Knight present there, and most likely, she was either killed or knocked unconscious by Chiyoko's devastating cosmic punch. Other than a Holy Knight, no one was able to stop them at all. They had quickly fled away and arrived at the royal palace of Darwitz.
Ingrassia, her heart pounding in her chest, immediately enters her father, the King's chamber, while the others follow closely behind her, their footsteps heavy on the plush carpet.
"Father... Father... Do you know what's going on? We were in Almeida. There was this huge thing floating in the sky, destroying everything, and... and..." Ingrassia starts panting heavily, her back lowering and her hands resting on her knees as she tries to catch her breath. She and the others hadn't rested for even a moment while coming here.
The old King was sitting on his sofa, the latest newspaper held loosely in his hands. His expression was grim.
"How much do you know about the current situation?" the King asks, his voice serious, cutting through her panicked words.
Ingrassia immediately describes everything that had happened yesterday—the attack, the chaos, and how they ran away here, her words tumbling out in a rush of emotion.
"Hmm... Do you know anyone knows you led Prince Richard here?" he asks, his eyes sharp, calculating.
Ingrassia shakes her head, her hair flying around her face. "No, I don't think so," she says, her voice a little shaky.
The King nods and stands up, his movements slow and deliberate. "You see, the situation is more chaotic than you know," he says, his voice heavy with the weight of his words. And then, he describes the current situation, his voice flat and devoid of emotion, and shows them the newspaper, the bold headlines screaming about war and spaceship attack.
"War? No way. Aren't they the ones who did all the wrong things?" Aoto shouts, losing his cool for a second.
"There's no point in showing who's right and wrong. The situation has escalated too much. War will happen soon enough," the King says with a deep, weary sigh, as if he had already accepted this terrible fate.
"So we are going to help Miss Scarlett, right? We can at least try to show that she's the good one here," Ingrassia says, her tone concerned.
Chiyoko, Aoto, and Richard nod to themselves, their faces set with determination.
"No, we won't. I'm going to make an announcement this afternoon that we had nothing to do with this war or DreadHaven. We are neutral," he replies, shaking his head, his decision final.
"But why? They are the evil ones here!" Ingrassia exclaims, her voice filled with hurt and disbelief.
But the King immediately gives her a glare, his eyes hard and cold. "We can't afford to make an enemy out of the two strongest kingdoms for no profit in return. Besides, there's no alliance agreement between us and her. Who knows if she'll protect us or not? I can't just afford to gamble with my kingdom. I need to preserve our family line and hierarchy," he shouts, his voice booming in the quiet room, shutting Ingrassia up at once.
Then, he pats his royal coat, taking a calm breath, lowering his voice. "Since you all came here, then rest. It's already a good thing I'm not telling you to send Richard back to his home and helping you hide him here," he says, his voice a little softer now, before leaving the room immediately, his back straight and firm.
As he finally goes, Aoto's lips twitch in irritation. "I really feel like slapping your father," he says, his voice a low growl of anger.
"He is right in a way, but at least we can do something," Ingrassia says, her voice low and down, her shoulders slumping in defeat.
"I'm going to contact Scarlett via telepathy," Aoto says, sitting down on the plush sofa. The others quickly circle around him, leaning in close as if to hear her voice themselves. He closes his eyes, focusing his mind.
[Scarlett... can you hear me? It's me, Aoto.] He sends the thought out, his voice a whisper in his own mind.
[Urgh... don't just talk into my mind all of a sudden. At least give some warning first!] Scarlett's reply came back, sharp and a little annoyed, making Aoto flinch.
[Umm... sorry. It's urgent right now. We got to know the situation, and Almeida is no longer safe either. Can you tell me everything from your perspective, please?] he asks, his thoughts a jumble of concern and urgency.
Zzzz...
At that moment, a sudden crackle of energy happens in the air, like lightning striking indoors. And the next thing they knew, Scarlett was standing right there alongside them. She had actually teleported there.
"It's more good this way, isn't it?" she says with a faint, knowing smile, then casually sits down on the sofa opposite them, crossing her legs as if she'd been invited for tea.
Everyone pauses for a second in suprise, their mouths slightly agape. But the shock quickly disappeared, replaced by a sense of relief, because it was Scarlett.
Chiyoko, Richard, and Ingrassia slowly sat down, their eyes fixed on her as Scarlett tells them everything from her perspective. It was almost the same as what they already knew about the current situation.
"Even Armament is with them. It's basically four kingdoms against two," Ingrassia sighs, rubbing her temples, her head starting to ache from the sheer scale of the problem.
"No, Gwarga is with us. Besides, it wouldn't have mattered either. Three or four, I'll defeat everyone," she says confidently.
"What I'm worried about is the image. And for that, I already have some plans which I'm planning to execute," she adds, a sly glint in her smile.
Aoto feels a bit at ease by seeing Scarlett's confidence, but a part of him was still on edge. "It's a good thing that you're not completely oblivious, but we should never underestimate our enemies," he says, his voice serious.
"Aoto is right," Richard adds with a firm nod, his face grim.
"Don't worry, I'm not underestimating them. It's self-confidence," Scarlett chuckles lightly.
"So what is your plan regarding the upcoming war? They must've already prepared an army to match us any day now?" Chiyoko asks.
Aoto gives him a side-eye, feeling a flicker of suspicion that Chiyoko might be planning something by trying to know more about what was in Scarlett's mind.
After what happened in the heaven, He couldn't fully believe in Chiyoko at all.
"It's not easy to take a whole army to DreadHaven in an instant, so I don't have to worry about a sudden attack. Assassination won't work on me. Most likely, the kingdom of Victoria will be their first target before us," she explains, her logic cold and clear.
"That's why, I'm leaving for Armament tomorrow to confront its unknown king and defeat the Holy Knights after coming back," she adds, causing loud gasps from everyone's mouths in shock.
"You're going to Armament? Why?" Aoto asks.
Scarlett's lips slightly twitch. She scratches her lips with her index finger lightly, a small, thoughtful gesture.
"Well, I need to figure that out myself," she says in a whisper. Avion and Lilith only told her to start from Armament, but they didn't tell her why, and it was frustrating to have to follow something without knowing the full story.
"I'm coming with you," Aoto says immediately, his expression firm and unwavering.
"Me too," Ingrassia says, her voice filled with determination.
"Me as well," Chiyoko says.
"Then count me in too," Richard adds.
"It's not a party that everyone wants to go to. Especially Ingrassia and Richard. If something happens to you two there, the blame will be on me again. And Chiyoko, you should also stay here to protect Richard," Scarlett says, her voice leaving no room for argument.
"Leaves only me then?" Aoto murmurs, a little disappointed but also relieved.
"You're coming with me. But if I feel like it's too dangerous for you, I'll send you back immediately," Scarlett says, it was more like an order than a request, her tone sharp and final.
"What about DreadHaven?" Richard asks.
"My subordinates will take care of it. I trust them," Scarlett says with a confident smile.
She immediately stands up, "Well, I wasted enough time. There's so much I need to do," she says, waving her hand in a casual goodbye.
With a soft wooshh in the air, she disappears in an instant, leaving them alone in the room.