Chapter 194: The Heist of Bellvia XIX
Duke Leonard is the only noble who is brave enough to talk to me. I look at them individually and see that most are rather young. Only the soldiers are old, most rank at General. "I'm going inside. Let me warn you. I'm not a fan of politics. Refrain from asking me anything related to that." Duke Leonard nods his head and steps aside. The rest of the nobles do as well. I walk towards the massive doors. Once in front of them, I place my hand on the handles and push them open. As the door opens, I see that a red carpet and many guards are lining the side—all wearing decorative armor. I begin to walk, and to my extreme annoyance, they begin to play trumpet music. I can tolerate it for the mission as much as I don't want to.
Many nobles that are gathered in the room are lined up near the throne facing me. The looks on their faces are the same as the rest I've seen. I look towards the throne, and I see a very nervous-looking Kleager. The trumpets stop, and I continue to walk, many in the room staring at my title and wings, and bow in respect as I get close to them. I stop in front of the throne before the steps that lead up to it. I notice he doesn't have a queen, so I assume he has multiple lovers. I stare at the king and notice him sweating. He stands up from his chair and bows in respect. I look at the kids behind him and see the children I was told about. A few of them are my age, but most are younger. I start to climb the steps, and after I reach the top, I stare down at the shorter king.
Many are worried I might strike out. No one is brave enough to voice their concerns, though. "You are going to help me with something, Kleager. You will cooperate, or you will die." I hear small gasps coming from the nobles at the bottom of the stairs. He looks at me with hesitation and fear. I watch him take a gulp. He nods his head in compliance. "I want all your secrets and information on a female mage by the name of Ulma Runa. As well as what you are hiding about the Dryads." I watch his face contort through many different things. All of them are not working in his favor. So he is aware of the sins his kingdoms committed long ago. This works out for me. I won't have to find out who does in this palace.
historical
He is starting to shake in fear, but I don't know if it's from me or the secrets being known. "I'm sorry... I can't answer those questions for you..." He is stupider than I thought. My left-wing pins him against the throne, and my right-wings feathers are held against his neck. Small drips of blood begin to show. Many of the nobles and soldiers behind me shuffle and reach for their weapons, but they realize who I am again. They stop before making that mistake. "If the world knew about that... Bellvia would become an enemy for all..." Bellvia's fate isn't my concern. I stop pinning him to the throne, and I lift him with one hand by his neck. He gasps for hair. I look at his children and see the horror on their faces. "Please... Not in front..." He chokes out some words.
So that's his weakness. I throw him to the bottom of the steps, and I go for the daughter he was staring at when he said that. His favorite, I bet. I pick her up by her neck too. Her older brothers try to stop me, but I fling them against the wall with my wings. Their impact indents the wall, and they fall unconscious. "Sometimes, the proper motivation is needed. Suppose you will not tell me what I want to know about Ulma Runa and the Dryads. Then your daughter's head will be crushed before your very eyes. If that doesn't motivate you, I can continue down the line of your children." Sally's demeanor is not what it usually is. She sees the human side of me for the first time, the one that she failed to see.
He looks at me in horror and gets on his hands and knees as his crown lay at his side. Everyone in the room is frozen in fear. Not one is moving a muscle. No one is trying to help the king or his precious favorite in my grasp. "I bed of you! Let her go! She is innocent in all of this! How can you be so cruel! As an Angel, you are forbidden from taking mortal life! It has always been this way since the very beginning!" He begins to beg for his daughter's life, pleading for the laws of angels to apply to me. They do not apply to me. "Okay! Okay! I'll tell you... Ulma Runa's lad is in the lowest level of the palace. We don't go in there anymore. All the information regarding the Dryads is there! Please let my baby go!" As he says those words, two of my quests update, one is about Ulma Runa, and the other is about the Dryads. I look at them as I keep the daughter in my hands.
[Quest: The False One]
[Description: You have found the truth about Bellvia and their involvement with the Dryads, and you have found out about the curse and who made it. You will have a choice to make. Only one of the following objectives can be completed.]
[Objective 1: Expose the Kingdom of Bellvia and have them pay for their crimes.][Not Available]
[Objective 2: Find the weakness of the curse and use it to free the Dryads and return them to Ancients World.][In Progress]
[Objective 3: Now that you are in Bellvia, finding the right person to talk to is important. How you do this is up to you.][Completed]
[Quality: Legendary]
[Rewards: Hidden]
[Quest: An Abomination]
[Description: Find the research and notes of Ulma Runa on her development of the curse.]
[Objective 1: Find Ulma Runa's lab in Bellvia's capital][Completed]
[Objective 2: Go to the lowest level in the palace and find what you are looking for in Ulma Runa's lab.][In Progress]
[Objective 3: Once you have the relevant information, this quest will be completed, and the quest: The False One will be updated.][In Progress]
[Quality: Epic]
[Rewards: Hidden]
I let the girl go, and she falls to the ground gasping for air. While that was very savage, it was the quickest solution. The crew should be getting done with everything right about now. I look down at the king as he rushes the steps to check on his favorite child. "That wasn't so hard, now was it. We would have never come to this point if you had spilled it sooner." He looks at me in anger and disapproval. How far the mighty fall, I should do something about how this place is being run. Just to set it in stone, you don't mess with me. "I'm only going to say this once, Kleager. If Bellvia doesn't change, I will return and kill all of you." As I say that, I turn my head and stare at all the corrupt nobles. Many look down, trying to avoid eye contact. They know what they have done.
I'm actually in a good mood now, so I think I'm going to do all the people of Bellvia a favor. I draw my sword and flex my wings. "On seconds thought, all of you will die. Nothing better to start with than a clean slate. Consider this your mercy Kleager. You'll have to undo all the damage you have done. You won't have the support of these corrupt nobles now." Sally reaches for my sleeve, but I launch forward from the top of the steps before anyone can react. I slice and dice every noble present. After I'm done, there is nothing but a pool of blood, organs, and body parts. The guards in the room drop their weapons and run from the palace. "You only have one last chance Kleager, don't screw it up." He looks at me in horror as I'm covered in his friends and allies' blood.
I look at Sally, and she turns her head and looks away from me. "Where is the path to Ulma Runa's lab?" The king points to a door on the left side of the room with a shaky hand. I begin walking towards it, and Sally reluctantly follows. I can tell she is not happy about what I just did. She might change her feeling about me after that. They were the type of nobles she hates and wanted to kill. However, she is smart enough to know how important they are to an economy.
We walk in silence down the stairs to the lowest levels. "You didn't have to do that... You didn't have to be so cruel..." She speaks her mind as we quietly walk down the stairs.
I take a small breath and prepare my answer. "Being cruel and being capable of cruelty is different, Sally. I'm not a cruel person. I'm just capable of being cruel. Sometimes, that's the only solution to a situation like this." She stays quiet at my answer, but I can tell she disapproves of it. The human half of me, the one that is the most useful for dealing with people like Kleager. I'm not going to apologize for that. It was needed.