It's like Looking at the King

Artie really wanted to convince Larkin that it wasn't the case and that she was only speaking gibberish. However, the rain of notifications had made her heart heavier.

[You have unlocked a page of the 'Chronicles of the Forgotten Devildom'!]

[A thousand years after their slumber, the glass spirits reawakened. With the rage and bloodlust fresh in their veins, they battled the devildoms once again for a chance to reclaim their territories. The demon emperors would set out in war and place the lives of their subjects in jeopardy.]

[The impenetrable defenses of the demons rendered the glass spirits hopeless in their endeavor. Yet, one of the generals refused to give up and rallied his forces to the east. Soon, armies and armies of glass spirits marched to the east, clashing against a lone archduchy with a lone protector.]

[Continue deciphering the affairs of the world for more pages of the 'Chronicles of the Forgotten Devildom'!]

[Reward obtained!]

[Apostasy + 10! Total meter points: 51; Veneration 34, Apostasy 17.]

The angel only hung her head and sighed. Mindlessly, she scooted her seat to the side and placed it right next to Larkin's seat. She then wrapped her arms around him and wailed like a grunting old woman or a creaking worn door. "Why…?"

Larkin stared at her, finding her actions strange and yet pleasing to the feeling. He then cleared his throat. "Don't fret over it now. I don't believe such calamity will be upon us without me being able to do something as a contingency. Come now, unhand me."

Artie sniffled and sobbed, not letting go. Her heart seemed to have welled too much, even beyond her control. However, she was in a hard position indeed. She needed to warn everyone of the impending doom, but she couldn't bring herself to tell Larkin about it.

She could only lament like a dog whimpering for the loss of her owner.

"Reporting to the archduke!" Miel's voice echoed from outside the room before he walked in. "Your Grace, we have advised all ships not to… ehem, Your Grace, Lady Shen."

"Continue." Larkin only hummed as he held onto Artie's head and caressed her as she ugly-sobbed against his shoulder. That was indeed unbecoming of an angel, but Larkin just let her be. In the end, Miel just reported like she was nothing but air.

[You have gained a sliver of trust! Active task completion: 20%. Veneration + 15. Total meter points: 66; Veneration 49, Apostasy 17.]

…

Even if the matters were handled well by Miel, it was purely impossible for things to always be neat and perfect. During one of the checks, an entire entourage refused to be taken away from their rented villa to see the archduke. The lord of the entourage demanded to speak to the archduke then and there.

Surely, the lord was only making things difficult for the soldiers who needed to bring the visitors to the archduke. The lord was only speaking with lowly soldiers; why did he have to obey whatever they said. Everyone could say that the archduke ordered them after all.

Who would have thought that Larkin responded to the bluff?

He was asked to be there, and so he would come. Moreover, since the lord of the entourage was inviting the archduke to do his business there, the archduke also diverted the inquisition to the lord's villa. It's like solving two problems in one.

"I didn't know Lord Ellis has the… tendency to be petty." Artie Shen giggled as she whispered to Miel who was riding next to her. Since this would give her more insight about the world and she needed that insight, she went with them towards the lord's villa.

"Tendency to be petty?" Miel echoed and then massaged his forehead. "Lady Shen, do you remember the dinner you first attended with Lord Ellis? Actually, that dinner was organized just so he would have an excuse not to meet the prince who summoned him. Not even the first time it happened...

" The words 'tendency to be petty' might not be enough to describe it." Miel then brought his hand down. "However, considering the relationship between Lord Ellis and the prince, you cannot be certain that things would not be ugly when they meet.

"So even if it remains to be awkward, I'd rather separate them than suffer the consequences. Perhaps his elusive actions have always been for the best."

Artie then slowly nodded. So Larkin was not on good terms with the prince of Achlys. Whether it had an impact on the archduchy's standing or not, Larkin should be able to deal with it as well as he was dealing with the demon emperors. It's just that… he needed a helping hand somewhere, right?

Soon enough, they arrived at the villa of the foreign lord. It wasn't as impressive as Artie expected, but knowing that it was a rented villa, she could only shrug her shoulders. They actually thought that such a villa would be enough to house an archduke?

"Your Grace, Lord Ellis! Welcome, welcome!" The foreign lord was surely sweating from shock and embarrassment. He told the soldiers to invite the archduke as a bluff, and yet the thick-faced archduke actually came within short notice.

"I should be the one welcoming you, Lord Trabolton. This is my city." Larkin didn't say it with a smile, but the foreign lord had a feeling that the archduke was reminding him of something. The archduke didn't even look around as if he knew this place inside out.

They were led to the courtyard where chairs and tables were set for them. There were also more seats and tables for the other guests—the other visitors that would be questioned for their stay. Most of them were merchants so they obliged to the call. They had no idea that the archduke was surely seeing them.

Everyone thought the soldiers were only using the name of the archduke to make people obey!

Larkin regarded the guests with a cool gaze, and he sat down at a table with the foreign lord. He didn't mind the arrangement; they would all be questioned anyway.

Artie, Miel, and Barda sat at a table on another side as if the foreign lord was deliberately separating them. Miel was unhappy with it, but he had no reason to decline the arrangement as he would be standing in the middle longer than sitting next to the archduke.

"Wow, it's really the Archduke Ellis of the plains. I can't believe I'll get to see him in my life."

"Yeah, now I know why they say 'when you see the archduke, it's like looking at the king...'. He looks so magnificent..."

Artie started hearing whispers behind her. It seemed that the traveling merchants were discussing something very interesting. They were comparing the King Terone of Achlys and the Archduke Larkin Ellis of Ellis Plains, and she was curious which the people preferred more.

"I already fulfilled half my goals in becoming a traveling merchant. Who knew that what they say is true? If you want to see the archduke, visit Ellis Plains."

"Then again, no matter what, he's still not king… so the honor of seeing him in person is incomparable to seeing the king in the flesh."

"I saw the king before in Talcum's plaza, and he's nothing like the archduke. Lord Ellis is a better sight."

"Say all you want, but I still wished the late king actually picked the archduke as his successor. I mean, he's married to one of the princesses so he's actually eligible, right?"