Humiliation

The autumn hunt meadow was established along the edge of a lakeshore, home to a vast array of flora and fauna. Most were common animals, yet the old king loved hunting here. This year marked his two hundredth autumn hunt. After enjoying a brief and precious moment of solitude, he would host a banquet for the nation's nobles, the wealthy, the powerful, and countless others he barely knew.

Inside the castle at the center of this lakeshore, the world's highest-standard banquet and party would be held once more. It was also the site of... annual murders that never leaked to the outside world. He had long grown weary of these petty, house-play power struggles.

At this banquet, everyone would taste the fresh meat of the first reindeer he caught. This was a long-standing tradition of the Royal Court. In truth, even he couldn't remember when he had killed his first reindeer. He only recalled that after draining the blood of that foolish but generous deer, he had sent it to the roasting pit—much like he had done to his violent, incompetent elder brother and his aged father king.

As for the banquet's traditions, they were mere formalities. These remnants of the previous generation didn't seem to please the deity he had chased his entire life. He was beginning to waver; like many Calamity Warlocks, he had lost hope in the so-called gods. Most of those who survived were mad; they were better off dead.

“Have all the invitations been distributed normally?” Old King Mordred sighed softly. He watched the rainstorm outside, his withered body inevitably emitting a faint scent of decay.

“They have been distributed normally, Your Majesty,” Carlo replied softly. The dark gold invitations came to his mind, each piece of sealing wax bearing a pitch-black crack. He didn't know the significance of it. When he had asked if the craftsmen should be held accountable, the old king had shown a rare sense of indifference.

Was it that he had grown impatient with these banquets... or was there some other intriguing meaning behind it? Carlo didn't know, but he suspected this might be the last autumn hunt the King would ever hold. His life was like a candle flickering in the wind, liable to be extinguished at any moment.

“Good. The designer of this year's invitations did well. I like the serpentine pattern; it fits tradition while possessing a certain ‘emerging’ beauty.” Mordred's heavy voice carried a hint of resonance and a sigh. He gave a few raspy chuckles and stood to gaze at the autumn scenery through the storm. He stared at the impatient nobles in the rain, a slight curve appearing at the corner of his mouth. His bitter smile seemed to hold a touch of amusement.

“Tell Dmitry and Adrian they don't need to go out to greet them,” the old king chuckled. The sound made Carlo's heart sink, and a sudden sense of dread washed over him. Dmitry was the prince who inherited soul magic and held the rank of Great Mage, while Adrian was the prince who inherited forbidden magic and held the rank of Mage.

“Because the rain is too heavy,” Mordred added casually. No one could guess what he was truly thinking as he stood by the window, overlooking his kingdom.

Outside the castle, dark gold carriages had already created a bottleneck on the narrow road. Many noble carriages were forced to wait in the pouring rain, biding their time until the inspections for the high nobles and the powerful were completed.

“A Yue, what exactly was written in the invitation?” Clo tilted her head, watching the heavy rain outside. Although the carriage didn't leak, the pitter-patter of the rain still made her feel slightly irritable.

“Didn't you look at it? I recall...” Li Yue thought for a moment. “It seemed to say... ‘Witnessing Glory’?”

“Does that phrase have some special meaning here?” Li Yue looked at Helen. She was leaning back against the soft seat, looking comfortable and lazy.

“I don't know. The King always enjoys playing with vague metaphors. It's hard to guess his mind.” Helen let out a small sigh. She had once observed the King from a distance; the sinister aura he carried was something she still found difficult to forget.

“He should be the only Calamity Warlock to have inherited my magic. He's certainly no ordinary man,” Li Yue said with a slight smile, looking a bit proud.

“At most, he only possesses one piece of your God's remains. It's truly not easy for him to have reached this stage,” Clo mused. She had quite a few vestiges of Chronos within her own body. Occasionally, they would stir, making it hard for her to sleep at night. But ever since Chronos had formally granted her that authority, those disturbances seemed to have vanished.

“Are they still not letting us through? The rain is getting heavier,” Clo grumbled in a low voice. Even though the road leading to the lakeside castle was empty, most of the nobles were being made to wait.

“Does your family have much of a say here?” Li Yue asked casually. she watched several carriages with special markings enter the castle, as if they were intentionally being left out in the rain.

“It seems they are... humiliating us?” Helen frowned slightly. It appeared the old nobles were being blocked outside, waiting for the convoys of the new nobles—those who had inherited soul magic over the last few centuries—to enter first.

“Every year, these gatherings are filled with all sorts of struggles and conflicts. This approach... is undoubtedly escalating things...” Helen swallowed hard.

“Is the King... suppressing us?” Li Yue propped her head on her hand.

“The King would never have the leisure to arrange such a small matter. It's most likely Carlo's doing.”

“The one you mentioned who is both a personal attendant and a messenger?” Li Yue toyed with her snow-white hair. Her appearance had already caused quite a few misunderstandings. If the blood sacrifice ritual hadn't proven her deep binding with the Raven's Beak Covenant, she might have been mistaken for the King's illegitimate daughter, returning to fight for the throne.

Of course, there were also those who believed she had bypassed the blood sacrifice inspection and had returned specifically to seize the throne, further aggravating the division.

As for what Li Yue was actually thinking, even Clo couldn't fully guess. Whenever she was asked, she always said it was to clear the remnants of those gods. As for the details of that process, Li Yue never revealed them.

She had her own considerations. Regarding the current situation, she felt more like she was relaxed and enjoying a play.