Chapter 87.

CHAPTER 87.

Amber looked on, silence filling the room, and then the nobleman man who was the son’s father blinked. His eyes were wide in shock.

“What have you just done?”

He asked the room and pretty much everyone had the same expression, even the princess. Charles was present and his gaze was also glued toward the fallen mage who was bleeding all over. And Amber took the chance to see the duke’s level.

[Mage. Lvl. 182]

Much higher than expected, but also confusing, she noted in her mind. She quickly cast a glance at the king and—

[Warrior. Lvl. ???]

Huh. Appraisal had worked, and as for his level— evidently, it was above 194. Before, she was pretty certain she hadn’t even so much as looked at his level. So, she was briefly surprised, and while she had a lot of questions about the way Cytel worked in terms of levels, now wasn’t the time.

Finally, some healers arrived and with their magic, they tended to William, who soon coughed up a mouthful of blood before regaining consciousness.

“William?” his father asked, with some relief.

And William blinked before looking around the room and finally landing his eyes on Amber. He shrieked.

“S-She attacked me!”

He stood up wobbling, and then turned to the people present in the room.

“She is a savage; she should be stripped of her title!”

People began to mutter amongst themselves as he continued, all while his father looked over at Amber with some annoyance. He seemed hesitant. William turned to a man in the distance, who had gray hair.

“Please, Duke Werdell, I know your displeasure with her promotion, aid me in this!”

The man, Duke Werdell, recoiled, and William turned to an elderly woman.

“Duchess Giana, you expressed your disappointment about her being a brute!”

Giana shook her head in a hurry, and then Willaim turned to his father.

“Father, I know you admire her feats, but she is unhinged!”

And finally, Amber had enough, speaking up.

“But you are the one that asked for a duel? Also, maybe we wouldn’t be in this position if you didn’t threaten my friends, threaten to kill those refugees I brought, and also threaten to strip me of my hero title or something⁠— if you can even do that? Oh, and you also said your dad will take care of it all once he learns of this.”

After, Amber looked at the father.

“So, will you take care of this, or?”

The nobleman, flinched and then frowned. His face angrily twisted as he looked down at his son and bellowed.

“Just what is wrong with you?!”

William blinked. “But father⁠—”

And he was slapped across the face by a staff that had just been manifested in thin air.

“Don’t you know who she is?!” The black-haired duke gestured towards Amber. “She is the Demonkiller, she is the woman who killed the demons in the capital when none of us dukes could arrive here on time, she is the person who went to the Great Desert and now that she is back, she is over level 150!”

He looked at her with some reverence before turning to his son.

“Are you blind? Do you not see her level? Do you not sense her presence? In fact, did you even know it’s been two months, and she’s gotten her level 150 advancement?! Why would you offend her?”

William’s eyes went wide. “Father I⁠—”

“And she is friends with the Primordial Spirit of the capital too!”

At that, the whole room went silent as a solemn atmosphere permeated the room, everyone was mostly looking at her with admiration in their eyes.

“So, let me ask, you: why would you threaten her, why would you insult her, why would you do anything like that to her?!”

William was silent, his mouth agape, all while he remained completely and utterly battered.

“Begone, you are a shame to the Barkel family.” His father shook his head. “Get out of my sight before I do something else.”

“Y-Yes…”

William stumbled and left, he did not so much as look back at Amber, all there had been in his gaze was sheer terror and regret. And finally, the father bowed.

“Please, forgive my useless son.”

“Right…” Amber didn’t expect the father to be like this. “I won’t kill him or anything.”

His father seemed to sight in relief. I believe his name was Zizel?

“Though if he tries something again, I won’t be as forgiving, I don’t take kindly to being insulted and much less having things I care about threatened,” Amber said sternly, however, her message was aimed at the entirety of the room, which caused many of the present nobles to flinch.

“I’ll ensure it doesn’t happen again, and I’ll also find a way to compensate you,” Zizel said with finality.

Amber nodded at that, and then finally, the king coughed.

“Well, well, well⁠— what a flashy return,” he said. “I didn’t think you’d come to throw a half-dead mage into our meeting, but it happened. I’ll appreciate it if you can avoid it next time.”

“No promises,” Amber smirked at him.

The king chuckled. “I couldn’t help but overhear something about refugees, what is this about?”

She blinked. “Oh, I think you all should finish your meeting first, it’s not that urgent.”

However, he shook his head. “Our meeting was mostly concluded, and I think I speak for everyone here when I say go ahead. We can deal with the rest later.”

“That’s right,” the man who had been called Duke Werdell agreed.

“Yeah, what is this about refugees?” Giana also urged.

Another noble spoke up, “We are listening.”

At that, Amber found herself with all the attention on herself⁠— complete and total attention that was listening to her every word, something she wasn’t quite used to. But given what she had just done, she figured she might as well just go along.

“I’ve just returned from the Grand City of Torl, and I was there when it was attacked by the nation of Ofril, which I assume everyone is aware of,” she said, receiving some nods. “There, my friend Cecile used an item.”

Amber gestured to the merchant who was peering into the room, and she flinched as all the nobles glanced at her, taking note of her for the future.

“She summoned a wyvern, and with it, we left the Grand City along with just over eighty refugees, though only around seventy or so are with us.”

“Did the rest die?” a noble asked.

“No, they just decided to stay in the Great Desert,” Amber explained. “Anyway, that’s the reason as to why the refugees are here now.”

“Even with a wyvern though, didn’t their mages target you?” the king asked, frowning. “No casualties there?”

“Oh, no, we had a few capable people such as Asil.” She gestured towards the elf, who was just leaning against the wall.

“An elf?”

“Interesting.”

“Is he an ally of our kingdom?”

Amber ignored the comments and continued. “So, anyway we made it safe and sound and now I’m here in hopes to give them jobs and a place to live.”

“In short you want me to take care of your problem?” The king raised his brow.

“The moment we made her a hero she became our problem,” the princess, Aurelia, said near him.

The king, Octavius, guffawed. “That is true, very well then.”

He stood up from his seat before looking at Amber.

“However, did you bring a Divine Artifact as promised?”

Amber blinked. “A Primordial Spirit took it.”

“Bah.” The king waved his hand dismissively, not taking her seriously. “You are still in debt then.”

The nobles shared weird glances at the king’s behavior, but Amber said nothing given that was how he usually behaved. And as he stepped down the steps, he clapped his hands.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

“Our meeting has concluded, thank you all for coming. I shall attend to these matters now.”

The nobles nodded and slowly left, but not before chatting with Cecile and seeming genuinely interested in her goods. The merchant seemed overwhelmed. Meanwhile, other nobles turned to Asil, who seemed displeased at their requests to hire him.

But finally, they were left alone, or mostly alone, Zizel had stayed behind, intending to do anything to make up for his son’s behavior. The king didn’t say much and instead nodded and walked forward.

“Shall we go meet the refugees then?”

Amber nodded and followed after the king. Cecile, Asile, and Zizel lagging not too far behind. Meanwhile, the guards were just staring in shock at the events that had just transpired. And finally, Aurelia and Charles also caught up.

“So, what have you been up to, Amber?” Aurelia asked.

Amber raised her brow. “I went to the Great Desert, killed the source of the plague, was chased by near level 200 mages, almost died. Got stranded in the Grand Dungeon⁠—” And she shook her head. “Anyway, not that interesting.”

Aurelia had her eyes go wide, and Charles coughed.

“I’m ashamed to admit it, but there is no way I can win in a duel against you now.”

Amber turned towards him.

[Absorber Warrior. Lvl. 145]

She was somewhat surprised Appraisal had expanded a bit more on it, since with mages all it did was say “Mage” but, she supposed that it would get better in a couple thousand years when the skill hit 2nd Rank.

Amber smirked at his question. “You won’t be able to. There are very few people at this advancement that can kill me⁠— I think anyway.”

“Oho, confident are we?” the king mused. “Not to say that you aren’t strong, I did sense that barrier break, so I do think your statement is quite accurate. But how to put it; you remind me of Val now.”

Amber tilted her head. “Well, yeah⁠— I’m here to be eccentric like all other Primordial Spirits and nag at people.”

Octavius laughed. “You are getting good at it.”

“Is she insufferable with everyone?” Asil asked in a whisper to Cecile.

“Yes.”

Amber ignored the comment, and instead asked what she had in mind.

“King Octavius, I thought your level was… lower?”

“What makes you think that?” He raised his brow.

“Aurelia is level 100, Charles is still not level 150, the castle knights I met were under level 150, yet the duke is level 180?” Amber hoped to get an answer to that.

“Well, for starters, if you looked around my chambers, you’d note that a good chunk of knights are above your level. How do you think we got rid of those Arcane Council members?” he rhetorically asked before continuing. “As for Charles being weaker than the nobles even though he is supposed to protect my daughter? It’s a special arrangement, and Cytel is rather safe. But I also have a special skill to keep her safe.”

“Is that so?” Amber raised her brow. “So, you’re level 200?” He seemed awfully confident about that to her.

The king laughed, deciding not to reply but she still made the next question in her mind.

“How come I got sent to deal with the demons when you could have, or any other noble could have?”

“Most of the nobles aren’t inside the capital, you do realize how big Cytel is, right?” he asked, confused. “Also, not every noble is high level, the lord of Laria is a good example. It depends on how nobility was reached and if they decided to level. However, the nobles near the capital tend to be relatively strong for strategic purposes.”

He then, continued.

“And while we do have some nobles inside the capital, or extremely close by, such as the Starkell family or the Barkal family, and the families under them, the rest are at least a day by horse. A good amount of the dukes that you saw in the meeting traveled for weeks. And, not to mention that I’d be stupid to ask for aid from nobles when I already have nobles conspiring with the demons. I did, however, inform Duke Zizel and a select few others to come or be prepared.”

“Right, that still doesn’t explain why you didn’t send a bunch of your high-level knights and offered me a divine artifact so readily instead. Especially when the nobles we were capturing were from the capital, meaning they were high level.”

The king scoffed. “You are friends with Val, you are practically the only other person in this kingdom to be able to use Cursewelder in the first place, so offering it to you was an investment on my part.

“As for the knights? We only sent the necessary force to apprehend them along with you since they weren’t meant to be killed, the Risnar family heads were about level 160, and Starkells around 140, but once the situation came to light, we sent the necessary reinforcements rather than send everything. After all, my strongest forces stayed behind, preparing to fight whatever came from the summoning, but you stopped it, and because of my lack of foresight in this aspect, Oracle escaped.”

Amber blinked. Did he just imply he was waiting for me to fail so he could clean up everything?

“Anyway, don’t take it so personally, it was also a test to see if you truly were extraordinary,” he said. “I consider you my friend, a true friend, so you have my apologies.”

Amber nodded very slowly. “Don’t do that again.”

“I won’t.”

“Are you sure we should all be hearing this conversation, father?” Aurelia asked.

And in response, the king shrugged.

With that, the conversation ended, and soon enough they reached the outside, where all the refugees seemed to be patiently waiting. Finally, they all perked up at seeing everyone arrive, but all Octavius did was place a hand on his chin.

“More women and children than anything, a few workers… This could be a bit troublesome.”

Zizel perked up. “Perhaps I could use my lands to⁠—”

“Your lands are mostly mines and hard labor,” the king dismissed. “It doesn’t work, and housing them inside the capital could be extremely hard too.”

Asil just scratched the back of his head, “They can just live in the forest, elves do it all the time.”

He got a few weird glances, but no one said anything. Cecile on the other hand had nothing to say, Aurelia and Charles also didn’t have anything. So finally, Amber spoke.

“I think deciding what kind of jobs can be given in the city could be a good start.”

“Perhaps,” the king mused. “While housing them is not trouble, finding a place for them where they can go about their lives without problem is more difficult. For example, we could always rent out a few inns for them, but perhaps they may not adapt to the city life all that well.”

“Right.”

“So where can they stay⁠?”

There was a small silence as footsteps approached, belonging to a presence. Amber paid it no mind until she heard a familiar voice.

“I can house them. Most of our territory is farmlands, so it should be quite straightforward.”

The king looked over and thought for a moment, meanwhile Amber turned only to see Liz who flashed her a smile.

Finally, after a moment, the king spoke.

“If there is anything you require to house them do let me know, but as it stands you are the best choice. Thank you for stepping up.” He nodded. “I’ll make sure you are compensated accordingly.”

Liz blinked. “Oh, I'm just doing this for Amber.”

Octavius chuckled. “That does not stop me from giving you adequate compensation, with that said, I’ll take my leave now. Aurelia, you are coming too.”

The princess paused. “Wait, I am?”

“Can’t get in the way of a reunion, so yes.” The king smiled and marched off, forcing the princess and Charles to go along.

“May we meet again,” he said with a nod.

And Amber nodded back in return. Finally, they were left alone except for Zizel who was still around.

“Why is Duke Zizel⁠—”

“His son challenged me and I beat the shit out of him, so now he’s here to ask for his son’s forgiveness,” Amber explained.

“Oh…” Liz paused.

The duke nodded closing his eyes. “I’ll be here to assist with anything related to the refugees at the very least. Last thing I want is for this incident to stain my name.”

Liz nodded and then turned to Amber.

“Wait your level is… what?”

Amber grinned. “Yep.”

“It’s only been two months!” The blonde mage couldn’t exactly believe it. “Though, i guess I shouldn’t be surprised anymore. I mean, you brought an elf.”

“I have a name.” Asil frowned.

Liz said nothing and instead turned towards the refugees.

“You really got into a huge mess that I really want to know about.”

Amber almost sighed given she had explained the story multiple times, but she kept it to herself. Instead, she nodded, and shortly after they began to gather the refugees to take them to Liz’s estate or lands, or whatever they were. In truth, Amber wasn’t all that aware of nobility or anything, so she just went along with the flow.

And Zizel⁠, he went off to make a few arrangements for the refugees saying he’d be back⁠— apparently, he was going to hire workers to construct housing, which Amber approved of.

* * *

It was about thirty minutes away from the capital, but eventually, they ended up in a part of Liz’s and Velda’s lands, which seemed to be expansive and have some houses, more like a small town if anything. There were fields and such.

On the way there, Amber finally acquired her level 160 Legacy Branch skill.

[New Legacy Branch Skill! You have learned Crimson Cry ⁠— level 1.]

You’ve fought for so long that now your bloodlust now can enrage your enemies, making their blood boil at your screams. This skill draws enemies towards you and it can only be used once a day. At higher levels, the effect of the scream lasts longer.

This skill takes twice the time in comparison to normal skills to level.]

Asil ended up going off to relax, and Cecile also went off. Leaving Liz alone with Amber.

“Where is Velda?”

“In a dungeon along with Deer.” She sighed. “I’ve been left to do all the nobility stuff.”

“Rough.”

She rolled her eyes. “Tell me about it.”

Amber then turned to look at the refugees who were being situated along the fields and being provided temporary shelter.

“Thank you by the way,” she finally said. “You always decline my attempts of repayment, so if there is anything⁠—”

“There is actually,” Liz interrupted.

Amber blinked as she met the blonde mage’s blue eyes who seemed hesitant. To some extent, she could sense some level of annoyance and displeasure, but also guilt. Emotions directed at all different people.

“If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be a Duchess, and I’m thankful for that. Nevertheless, this is something that I need help with.”

“What is it?” Amber asked, slightly concerned.

Liz scratched the back of her head. “While it wasn’t unexpected it’s been annoying, but basically all of the barons and lords under us keep on opposing me at every turn they get, and the marquesses just kind of do nothing about it. So, in short: could you deal with that?”

Amber blinked. “Wait what are they even doing?”

Liz pondered. “Since the Starkell family reached the status of Duke, we have been managing everything that once belonged to the Risnar family, and well basically they just keep refusing to pay taxes to us, or acknowledge their loyalty to us.”

“Huh…” Amber had zero clue about nobility but was kind of following. “So, you became the boss of your peers and they refuse to cooperate and make your work hard?”

“Yes, that’s basically it.” She sighed, before gritting her teeth. “And this threatens the position of the Starkells are Dukes, and as much as I hate to admit it, Velda and I are far too weak to do anything about it.”

Amber blinked and Liz continued.

“While I could always ask the king, I think that would potentially put our house in a difficult position with some nobility circles.”

She then met her gaze.

“Also, I figure you’re the first person I should ask. So, if it’s not too much…” She frowned, looking angry. “Could you teach them a lesson and get the taxes that are owed? Even though they are technically stealing from me, in reality, they are stealing from the kingdom itself. Make sure they regret it.”

Amber was taken aback by Liz’s sudden anger. And she pondered for a moment.

“I think I can, does it matter how I handle it?”

Liz blinked, this time being the confused one. “I don’t think so? Just don’t kill them I guess.”

Good. She had just had an idea. Amber turned around and to her surprise, Zizel arrived, and Princess Aurelia and Charles were there too.

“So, where are these barons and lords? And the marquess too?”

“They are all northeast from here, in the city of Acris and the city of Tanst respectively,” Liz said simply. “While they rule the other two cities in my territory they don’t live there.”

Amber had no idea where Acris and Tanst were, but just their names was enough. So, she smiled at Liz.

“I’ll go now, then.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to wait until tomorrow or something?” she asked, surprised.

Amber looked at the two high-ranking nobles in front. “It’s good, now, besides this is the perfect opportunity.”

And with those words, she marched up to the duke and the princess who was excited to see her, as well as the duke who was surprised.

“What do you need, Amber?” Zizel, the duke, asked.

“Why the occasion?” Princess Aurelia asked.

And Amber couldn’t help but smile as she looked at both of them.

“I want the help of you both to put some nobles in their place.”