Enlightened Empire

Chapter 369: Saniya's Longest Day (3)

“More wine?” Before Lord Rafun could reply, Priest Watayi leaned over from his upholstered lounge chair and filled the lord’s half-empty wine cup again.

“There can never be too much wine,” Rafun said, a shallow smile on his face. This was the life he had imagined as a young man, when he had first learned about his privileges as a lord. With great satisfaction, he looked around. While the wine was good, the company was even better.

Surrounding him like the stars around the moon, he had collected a group of lords from southern Medala, warrior servants sent by lords of the northern kingdoms, as well as dignitaries and messengers from the Verdant Isles and the Arcavian kingdoms of Cahlia and Borna.

In rings that signified their power, from the weakest foreign servants on the outside to the most powerful lords on the inside, they sat and lay around him and took turns to flatter the representative of the league of lords, and the man who would be in charge of Saniya after today. Never before had Rafun felt this powerful.

While his role as the man in charge of Saniya wouldn’t last, he wouldn’t need long to plunder the richest city in Medala. Whoever took over for him, whether that would be Governor Mayu or someone else, didn’t matter. By the time someone showed up to replace him, he would have already gained the greatest benefits.

As a result, he was in a position to distribute them however he saw fit. All he had done to gain this prestigious position of power was come to Saniya, and face the nonexistent danger Governor Mayu had imagined.

Thus, as the official representative for the league of lords, he essentially became the host of a banquet for all the powerful men in and around Medala. Even the King of Saniya had accommodated him, and presented him with his very own tent to entertain his guests in. Their position was in the very middle of the plaza, right in front of the castle, clearly the best spot available.

All the commoners around them were crammed together, while the nobles and priests enjoyed a delectable experience. In fact, due to their superior strength, Rafun and his guests would have been able to make space for their feast under the commoner tarps as well. Yet still, the king had bowed to their pressure without them having to say a word.

Maybe the king was hoping for leniency after his imminent loss for power. Since he was being such a good loser, Rafun considered going easy on the little king, but for now, the lord hadn’t quite decided whether or not he wanted the king to suffer.

Whatever he did would depend on his mood once he met with the king who was supposed to have authority over him. If King Corcopaca wanted to survive the coming changes, he would have to do his best to make Ragun happy. It was a feeling of pure power he just couldn’t get enough of.

“This trip turned out to be a much more enjoyable experience than this lord expected,” he commented.

“Indeed,” Watayi next to him said. “Whatever grand strategies and mean tricks Governor Mayu was worried about, they have not come to pass. After today, King Corcopaca’s kingdom, as well as his commoner revolution, are over.”

“He does not only lack the appearance of a real warrior, but also the spirit. Even a beaten dog would dare come and greet his owners by now, would he not? Although he has long been beaten, he is still hidden away like a coward.”

Rafun sneered at the king’s weakness. If anything could ruin the mood, it was the fact that the weakling king had yet to appear in front of him. Without the king, how could Rafun bathe in his superiority?

“Who knows. Maybe the king still has something planned after all?” Watayi joked. “Why else would he build a stage like this?”

With a lazy wave of his hand, the priest motioned towards the new addition the king had erected as a new entrance to his castle. Though Rafun wasn’t convinced that it was meant to be a stage in the first place. If nothing else, it was a strange construction, so its ultimate purpose was up for some discussion.

A loose fence of metal links surrounded a small, elevated area in front of Rapra Castle’s main gate on all sides like a giant’s chainmail. Holes had been left only on the front and back of the fence, large enough for a person to step through, but no more.

On both flanks and on top, the chainmail was covered by expensive plates of glass. In addition, there were strange-looking pillars the height of a short man on either side of the entrance, hidden behind the chains and glass.

Due to the sloped nature of the plaza, the construction was built on its highest point, where everyone below could easily see it, and its northern orientation was astronomically significant. Thus, it was the perfect stage for one of the performances Saniya’s king loved so much. However, Rafun still didn’t believe it was anything of the sort. Too many things weren’t adding up.

“What sort of strange stage would look like this?” he commented. “All covered up, and cramped, it looks built for fortification, not for performance. Not to mention its position with the castle in the back, and its sturdy metal construction. To this lord, it appears to be a form of fortification, rather than a prestige. Maybe our little king is afraid that someone will try to take his head, now that he no longer holds power. Maybe this is his attempt to shield himself from the anger of the warriors.”

“What a quaint thought,” one of the lords next to Rafun said.

“How could this flimsy iron mesh defend against our great warriors? They will tear it apart with bare hands,” another added.

To the surrounding sound of laughter, Rafun nodded. Now that others had confirmed his thoughts, he was even more convinced by his own assessment.

The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. The king had been the victim of several assassination attempts in the past. It wouldn’t be surprising if legitimate fear had developed into an unhealthy obsession over the years. This would be even more true now that he was under so much pressure and rapidly losing his power base. No wonder he would do everything to guarantee his safety, no matter how futile.

“Well, whether he tries to defend his position or plans another performance, it will do him no good.”

Rather than focus on the fence, Watayi looked beyond the tarp and up at the cloudy sky, which was still releasing a light rain, and occasional thunderous growls.

“All day, there has been no sign of the sky, or the stars,” he continued. “Earlier, the castle was hit by another divine strike of lightning, though it seems the rain has prevented a major fire. Still, all the people of the empire, and all our foreign guests, have seen the wrath of the heavens descend upon Rapra Castle. Even without the intervention from the priesthood, no one will believe in the king’s heretical lies any longer. The heavens have already spoken. The king is done.”

Just as Watayi finished speaking, a miracle happened, which confirmed the priest’s divinity, as well as the judgment of the heavens. Another strike of lightning shot down and landed on the castle’s highest spire, its glaring body impossible to miss against the backdrop of the black night.

Surely, the commoners around them must have been terrified at the sight, but all the lords, priests, and warriors underneath the central tarp cheered and hollered, their decision to stand against their king confirmed by higher powers, and their destinies secured.

“What a strong connection Priest Watayi has with the heavens,” one of the lords shouted, as drunk on lightning as he was on wine.

“Of course. This master’s meditations have not been for nothing.” Watayi laughed. “With the entire priesthood against the king, not even the heavens themselves would dare side with-”

Before he could even finish, Watayi’s words were proven wrong. Just after the lighting on top of the castle had disappeared, another ignited, right in front of their eyes. The spectacle would mark the end of their endless arrogance.

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