chapter 14

Chapter 14

The sun had risen high in the sky when the first training cycle ended. The inner courtyard of the castle was imbued with the sweat and blood of the exhausted soldiers. The instructors' cries still echoed through the air, while the recruits collapsed on the ground, exhausted by the exercises.

Veyla watched the scene from the stone balcony overlooking the courtyard. She noticed every weakness, every failure, and every sign of raw potential in the soldiers. At her side, Elion remained impassive, staring at the court.

"They are weak," said Veyla with a hint of contempt.

Elion didn't look away.

"Not yet. But they will learn."

Veyla turned her head towards him, her gaze piercing.

"Most of them won't last a week at this rate." Nobles will start complaining."

"They have no choice." Elion straightened up. "If they fail, they will die. "In the face of an enemy army, there will be no excuse or pity."

Veyla scrutinized him for a moment, then slowly nodded.

"Then I'll step up the pace. If they can't survive training, they don't deserve to be in Sky's army."

A sound of footsteps in the hallway interrupted their conversation. A guard entered the room, kneeling before Elion.

"Majesty, a delegation from the Kingdom of Thorn has arrived." They are asking for an immediate hearing."

Elion exchanged a glance with Veyla before turning away.

"Bring them into the throne room."

"At your command, Your Majesty."

Throne Room

Thorn's delegation consisted of three men. The first was a knight in heavy armor, his helmet removed, revealing a face marked by fighting. The second, thinner, wore refined clothes, the seal of the Thorn house embroidered on his red cape. The last man, a mage, wore a long black robe, his face partially concealed by a hood.

Elion settled on the throne with his back straight, his gaze icy fixed on the visitors. Veyla stood on her right, a hand resting on the pommel of her sword.

"Speak," Elion ordered.

The knight stepped forward.

"Majesty Elion Skyless, I am the Darion Knight of the Thorn House." We come with a proposal from King Valtor of Thorn."

Knight Darion advanced two more steps, his armor resounding heavily against the marble floor. His blue eyes pierced under his open helmet, betraying a certain tension behind his apparent confidence.

King Valtor of Thorn proposes a military alliance. Monster incursions are multiplying along our borders. "The Thorn House is ready to join forces with the Kingdom of Sky to secure our respective territories."

Elion didn't answer immediately. His penetrating gaze scrutinized the knight as if he were trying to read to the depths of his soul.

"An alliance, you say?"

Darion nodded.

"Yes, Majesty. King Valtor knows that the Kingdom of Sky has recently strengthened its army and your influence continues to grow. He believes that strategic cooperation would be mutually beneficial."

Elion crossed his hands in front of him, reflecting.

"What about exchange?"

The thin nobleman wearing the red cape took a step forward, a calculated smile on his lips.

"Nothing more than a commitment to deploy your troops in case of an external threat." Of course, Thorn is committed to doing the same. A balanced alliance of equals."

A cold laugh escaped Elion.

"Equal?"

The nobleman froze. The smile on his face wavered.

"Is that a problem, Your Majesty?"

Elion slowly rose from the throne, his piercing gaze resting in turn on the members of the delegation.

Thorn is a richer and more powerful kingdom than Sky. Your army is twice as large as mine, and yet you are the one who comes for an alliance?

Silence settled in the throne room.

Knight Darion frowned.

"Monster incursions have weakened our defenses..."

"No." Elion's voice was sharp as a blade." It's not just a question of monsters. Your king feels the threat growing. He knows that the kingdom of Sky is getting stronger. He knows I'm preparing something. He's scared. And now he wants to bind me by a treatise to better monitor my movements."

The nobleman with the red cape bleached slightly.

"You misunderstand, Your Majesty..."

Elion stepped forward, his shadow extending over the polished ground.

"No. I see clearly in your game. An alliance is a chain disguised as a handshake. If I sign this treaty, your spies will infiltrate my kingdom under the pretext of cooperation. Your troops will watch my training. You will try to copy my strategies, to understand my new reforms. You are afraid of my ascension, and you want to hinder me before I become too powerful."

Knight Darion clenched his fists, but remained silent.

"If your king wants my cooperation, he will have to do much more than offer me a simple promise of assistance." Elion approached the nobleman with the red cape, his icy gaze fixed in his." Let him send his troops to defend our borders immediately. That it offers a significant tribute to strengthen Sky's economy. Let him demonstrate by his actions, not by his words, that he does not seek to manipulate this alliance to his advantage."

The nobleman opened his mouth to protest, but Elion raised his hand.

"You have a week. Come back with an offer worthwhile."

Knight Darion bowed slightly.

"All right, Majesty."

The delegation withdrew under the watchful eye of Elion. Once the door was closed, Veyla turned to him with a discreet smile at the corner of her lips.

"You've been hard."

Elion let out a slight sigh.

"I'm not here to make friends."

"They'll come back."

"Of course they will come back. Because they know that soon they will have no choice."

Later in the evening

Elion was in the war room, a big map of the kingdom spread out in front of him. Metal figurines represented military forces, spheres of influence, and monster incursions.

General Kael stood to his right with his arms folded.

"Borders are under constant pressure," Kael said. "Beast-category monsters move in packs. But in the last few days, we have seen signs of activity among the magical monsters."

Elion frowned.

"Magic monsters?"

Kael nodded.

"They move in small groups. We lost three scouts last week."

Elion put a finger on the map, drawing the line of the northern border.

"Intensify patrols." If a group of magical monsters settle near our borders, I want to know immediately."

Kael nodded.

- "Understand."

"Anything else?"

Kael hesitated for a moment.

"There is a rumor circulating among the soldiers. They say some monsters seem... coordinated."

Elion raised an eyebrow.

"Coordinates?"

"Yes. As if they obeyed a higher intelligence."

A shiver ran through Elion's back.

"Continue monitoring. If something abnormal happens, I want to be informed immediately."

Kael bowed and left the room.

Elion was left alone facing the map, his mind spinning at full speed. There had never been any structure or coordination among the monsters before. Something new was at work.

He raised his head to a window overlooking the inner courtyard of the castle. The moon high in the sky bathed the stone walls with a cold glow.

"If a new threat is brewing... I'll be ready."

Elion left the war room. The corridors of the castle echoed beneath his footsteps, and in his mind, only one thought dominated: it was time to accelerate the development of his kingdom.