Book 9, 8

Returning To Faust

“Go get my clothes,” Apeiron’s voice rang out as the doors to her residence shot open.

“Already prepared, Your Majesty,” Julian bowed, bringing two sets of clothes. One was her usual battle clothes, while the other was a robe for mages.

Apeiron glanced at the robe and burnt it to a crisp with her violet flames, glaring at her servant as she hissed, “Don’t do stupid things like this again!”

Julian only smiled in return, “I’m just thinking on your behalf, Your Majesty. Shall I arrange a celebration?”

“Bah, celebration? For what, being defeated?”

“Even you aren’t invincible, Your Majesty, it doesn’t matter if you lose once in a while. But I do believe it’s an achievement for you to still like someone even after joining with them. That deserves a celebration.”

Surprisingly enough, Apeiron didn’t grow angry at that. Staring at Faust with an unreadable expression, she sighed softly, “Leave that for now. Have people rebuild the palace, and... there’s no need to keep my defeat a secret.”

Julian was taken aback by those last words, but he still managed to bow, “As you wish, Your Majesty.”

......

By this point, Richard had already teleported back to the camp under Miracle Peak. He had changed into an ordinary mage’s robes, leading his followers and rune knights up the mountain. The road had been cleared long ago, and those who were moving about stopped in their tracks to witness the historic moment.

The Archerons had returned to Faust.

Standing right before that winding road, Richard raised his head to look at the City of Miracles hidden behind the clouds. Wordless sorrow gathered in his heart; it seemed as though it was only yesterday when he and Mordred had walked up this path together. The people had changed, but the road itself remained the same.

He sighed and stepped forward onto the grand pathway, followed by Tiramisu, Phaser, Waterflower, and Zangru. Mountainsea trailed behind, with the thousand rune knights led by Olar and Gangdor following.

When they reached the arch that served as the entrance to Faust, Richard looked up and stared at the head of Daramore for a while. There was a dull light within the beast’s eyes, as though it was looking back at him as well. Something flashed in his gaze before he gave it one last look, walking into Faust.

His destination was the Church of the Eternal Dragon, and the sides of the pavement were crowded with curious folk. Few people in Faust were truly commoners; seeing the supremacy of the thousand rune knights, they could finally understand just why no one had dared to fight the Archerons along their way.

Apeiron’s defeat was already known to those of the floating islands; although no one witnessed it, Julian himself confirmed the fact. A part of the Ironblood Duke’s hair had greyed visibly the moment he was informed of this, as though he’d aged an entire decade. The words Beye had said before leaving still rang in his ears, “We need to face reality. Richard has surpassed us, and by a large margin. We aren’t the most powerful family in this alliance anymore.”

Duke Orleans had refused to accept that fact until he received news of Apeiron’s defeat. As a veteran legend who had raised outstanding juniors like Beye and Agamemnon, he was used to the status of his family growing by the day. For his position to suddenly be wrested away was gut-wrenching. History would remember him as the Duke who lost that coveted status of the most powerful family in the Alliance, and that was a depressing fact.

The remaining lords were mostly dismayed by the news, apart from those like Mensa and Turing who behaved like headless chickens. Richard wasn’t one to show mercy at all. However, Duke Mensa had strangely started laughing after a bout of depression, bellowing at his confused elders and servants, “We have Rosie! Go look for her, ask her to put in a good word!”

The elders relaxed a little as they heard this, seeing a shimmer of hope. Rosie’s status amongst the Archerons had grown steadily over the years, and she was now a leader of their runecrafting operations. Although she had severed all ties with the Mensas long ago, they still believed that blood was thicker than water and she wouldn’t want to see her bloodline eliminated.

Mensa wasn’t the only one who thought of this. Duke Turing grew immensely angry, giving his elders and children hell for their decisions. He quickly ordered for the best girls of the family to be brought over, personally choosing one to be sent over to Richard. It was a little late to imitate what had happened with the Mensas, but it was better than doing nothing.

As for the Josephs, the old Duke had already withered away from the man who had once dared to face Gaton in the past. He was sipping tea in his garden when he received the news, but he didn’t react in the slightest.

Of course, Richard couldn’t care less about the reactions of the other nobles. Already stepping onto the long stairs of the Church, he met a waiting Noelene with a hug before looking at the three grand priestesses standing behind her in a line. Even Jacqueline showed proper respect now; they had all heard of him banishing a grand priestess in the MIllennial Empire. At least in front of Richard, they were expendable and had no right to be arrogant. He had enough grace to turn them to dust with a snap of his fingers.

“You’re here,” Noelene smiled as they parted, an expression of relief on her face. The days hadn’t been easy since Richard left the Alliance, her higher level being the only thing that helped her maintain her status. That, and Jacqueline had become more well-behaved after being taught a lesson.

“I said I’d be back,” Richard chuckled.

“I know, but I didn’t expect it to be like this.”

“This is the best way though, isn’t it?”

“Sigh. Yes. The ceremony is prepared, come in. You’ll only be able to complete your Blood Path after the sacrifice.”

Richard nodded, following her into the Church. According to tradition, the last step of the Blood Path was to offer sacrifices to the Eternal Dragon, asking for its blessings to unseal the floating islands. However, it had been hundreds of years since that wish had been granted, and at that time the royal family had opened up their second island and relocated. These days, the sacrifice was just like any other normal ceremony, and the family would then attack an island of their choosing.

Of course, Richard was the anomaly who had lifted his island between levels with offerings alone. Standing before the altar, he casually put a top-tier offering upon it. This was a piece of bizarre metal that a legend had sold to him for points; he wasn’t sure about its uses, but he had managed to confirm its toughness and energy density.

Masses of timeforce gathered on the unknown metal, slowly dissipating it into pure energy. The breakdown process this time took much longer than normal, but he waited patiently. To him, this was just another sacrifice.

However, an extreme sense of pressure suddenly descended upon him, shocking him into alertness. The Eternal Dragon was here!

As he looked up, the old dragon’s voice rang in his mind, “You’ve done well, bringing an offering related to the Doomsday Imprint. I will grant a greater reward than normal.”

Something stirred in Richard’s heart, “Can I find Flowsand?”