Darius Supreme

"The report mentions that during the battle to defend the homestead, you were seen summoning two undead. I take it you practice necromancy?" The Princess asked with a hint of coldness. 

Darius noted her disposition and formed a theory. Could it be that this half-angel princess despised undead? Well, that was probably a silly question, how could a 'holy' being feel anything else in regards to anything of the darkdeath element? 

"Princess Jeanne, I ask you to not make such dangerous accusations. I do not have time for such dark crafts. No, what I used was two one-time scrolls to call upon two measly skeletons to have them act as my meatshields, or properly said, boneshields," Darius teased, and Gunner smirked. 

Of course, none of the opposite party found it funny. After a brief silence, during which Darius and Gunner enjoyed their own inside joke, Princess Jeanne continued. 

"At the end of the battle, you and your servant were seen chasing after the remnants of the bandit groups. May I ask why you did this and where the remains of those you caught are?" 

Darius nodded. "I went after one of the two vices of the Diato Bandits, Jorge. He was the one responsible for hurting Derek Torniam, so I intended to capture him with the intent of interrogating him, as I suspected that there was more behind the attack on the homestead. Unfortunately, I found nothing after a long chase." 

"Meanwhile, Gunner here was sent by me to hunt down the remnants of the Garwen Bandits. He ended up killing every last one of them, bringing Garwen's head to me. Truth be told, the fellow had such a pitiful expression on his face, as if he had been wronged somehow." 

Darius blinked innocently. "Could it be that he was the one working for your faction at the time?" 

Both of the maids behind the princess, who had not moved so far, clenched their fists visibly. Darius noted this and nodded inwardly. 

'As I expected, Garwen was not simply sent by the Equality Faction. In my interactions with them so far, they haven't proven to be overly clever or diabolical. They're just a large majority that relies on their numbers as well as their cohesion.' 

Darius' eyes glinted. Just look at how rare Amateurs were in Andrato, with them being given so many privileges everywhere they go. How could a band of more than 20 men, ALL of them at the Amateur stage, ALL of them trained archers, appear so far out there?! 

Darius had started to suspect the royals after Shanks had introduced him to his companions in Listo, but he didn't know if they were clever or incompetent, so he had settled for believing that the heads of the Equality Faction in the capital had been sharper than their delegation in Listo. 

After a short chat with this Princess, all his questions had been answered in that matter. As for the reaction of the maids, it only cemented his prior conclusion that they had been involved. 

The Crown Princess ignored Darius's playful jab and questioned him further. "You were seen using spatial spells, if true you should have easily been able to capture any escapee, no?" 

Darius nodded. "That is accurate. Unfortunately, that Jorge fellow was rather cowardly. He fled at the beginning of the final battle, just as I made my entrance and saved Friend Derek." 

"By the time I moved out to chase them, they were long gone. Of course, that alone was not enough to escape my grasp. However, I was unable to catch up to him. I can only conclude that the Jorge fellow was given something by his faction that allowed him to escape the battlefield or escape my senses." 

"This is one of the reasons I presumed Jorge to be the spy of the Superiority Faction was cemented. Later, I found that the Equality Faction had long since been aware of this." 

Princess Jeanne remained silent in order to parse his words before moving on. "It says here that you once awarded an Awakening Scroll to the daughter of Shanks Torniam?" 

Darius frowned here. "Princess Jeanna, excuse me for my rudeness, but that's none of your business. This is an audit about my identity, not my charities. Please stay on topic." 

Jeanne frowned as well, realizing that Darius had almost no respect for her, though she understood why. As an Adept at his age, even going this far as to invite him here to question his identity was something her mother would severely punish her for afterward. 

This was someone, who, if cultivated well, could replace Kubrick as the bedrock of their kingdom and ensure countless years of safety. Why the fuck would anyone in their right mind, especially a ruler, antagonize him? 

However, Jeanne Ando had her reasons. She was now 13, so there were only 2 more years until she reached that age. Once she got married, she would be preparing to ascend the throne of Andrato Kingdom and give birth to the next heir. 

As such, she needed to sift through the young men of the kingdom of noble origins to find her potential husband. She had entertained many of them and had research compiled on them through the Thieves and Assassins Guilds, and what she had seen, had left her depressed. 

There had only been 5 candidates among a few hundred that she had deemed worthy. Four of them had been slightly older than her but they were all Journeyman of great talent who also had the potential to become Adepts within the next decade or two. 

These fellows were not a problem, as they could be easily controlled with her power. Jeanne had no interest in becoming a wife who would be controlled by her husband like a puppet ruler, not with her racial affinity. 

Darius had become the most recent addition. Not only was he the best of all, but he was perfect in every aspect. His wealth and power were top-notch, and so far, his decisions indicated great patience as well as intelligence. 

This left Jeanne feeling threatened and unsure. What kind of fellow was he and could he be controlled? As such, she had picked through the flaws in his identity and hoped to use this 'audit' to place mental pressure on him. 

So far, it was backfiring stably. 

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