Chapter 51: I'm confronted by the Beast King?s son?
[POV: Lumiere Del Silva]
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I slowly descended to the ground, and my wings dissipated in a chilling wave of darkness. Fulgur, the lightning spirit I had just transformed into a bow, resumed his human form—a tall and handsome fellow. He bowed towards me and asked if I needed his help any further.
"It won't be necessary at the moment, but thank you for your assistance," I replied with gratitude towards Fulgur.
These spirits never cease to amaze me with their kindness.
"Alright, master. I am grateful that you chose to use my powers. It would be an honor for you to summon me again.." (Fulgur)
"Uhh, sure thing.." I grinned widely.
Fulgur then transformed back into his orb of energy as I turned towards the nearby beast people who were thanking me for defeating the fierce Wyvern. However, there was this one guy in regal attire who seemed, well, unthankful.
"Enough of your gratitude," the guy in regal attire barked towards his people, "hold it."
Approaching me, with a condescending manner he said: "Lumiere or whatever you call yourself, I do not recognize you as the ruler of this region.."
What gave him the right to act like I cared about his validation as a domain's ruler?
I arched an eyebrow in surprise, "But I am indeed its its ruler."
The guy just laughed it off like I was some kind of insignificant human.
"A human could never have any sort authority over even the smallest fraction of the Great Forest... Ridiculous!" (Gaun)
"It seems that someone here has a grave misconception," I quipped, hiding my annoyance, "and I think it is you, Gaun."
Gaun's face twisted into a sneer. "You humans never learn," he hissed, "you claim authority over everything, not realizing that some things can never belong to you."
Just then, my entourage consisting of Fasit, Isadora, Magenta, and Serena appeared on the scene, and Fasit immediately stood next to me.
Fasit interrupted, "Well, he's not just any human. He's the lord of this northeastern region, and in fact, he's also the one who single-handedly defeated that Wyvern while you just watched."
The entire group burst out laughing and Gaun's face turned beet red in embarrassment.
Good one, Fasit, I thought to myself.
The moment Gaun turned to face the beastpeople who laughed, they instantly froze up.
Not a word or sound was uttered from them.
Gaun cleared his throat and adjusted his hair, looking like the kind of guy who kissed a mirror with his face on it. "I heard there was a new leader in this domain," he said, introducing himself as an envoy from the Beast Kingdom. "And I must say, it will be an honor for you all to serve under me. I mean, have you seen this face? It's a gift to the world."
I placed my hands on my waist, arching an eyebrow. "If you're looking to be diplomatic, Gaun, then you should know that disrespecting me... the ruler of this domain isn't acceptable."
Gaun chuckled, his entourage of fawning beastpeople praising his supposed handsome existence. "Oh, my dear ruler," Gaun said with a smirk, "I think you'll find that you'll all be serving under me soon enough."
Magenta wasn't having any of that. "We'll only serve our great lord, Lumiere" she shouted, the rest of girls nodding along in agreement.
I shook my head. "Magenta, calm down. There's no need to be provoked by this guy's arrogance."
But the beastpeople had other ideas. "Show some respect to our glorious envoy," one of them chided Magenta. "You should bow as he graces you with his presence."
Gaun chuckled, lapping up the praise. "Oh, no need for all of that. But if you insist..." And with a flourish, he took a bow.
I rolled my eyes. Great, another Skarz situation. "Well, Gaun, since you're here, I suggest we have a little chat about your misplaced arrogance."
Gaun was... a self-absorbed idiot. However, I needed to handle the situation with a level head, so I asked "Why the sudden request?"
Gaun let out a loud, exaggerated sigh as if I had asked a question that could only be answered by rocket science. The girls, Fasit, Magenta, Isadora, and Serena were already visibly annoyed with him, but I knew it was best to keep my composure and stay calm.
In a condescending tone, Gaun said: "Isn't it obvious... or are you so dumb you can't piece it together?"
I felt my blood boil, but I maintained a smile on my face, "En... enlighten me more.. please.."
Gaun chuckled, looking pleased with himself. He said he would educate me with his "graceful knowledge", a phrase that made the girls roll their eyes in unison.
"The Beast Kingdom is the dominant region in the Beast's Domain.." (Gaun)
I nodded, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of knowing how little I cared. But then...
"As the son of Kaelin, the Beast King, I am the future ruler of the Beast Kingdom. And as such, this place is ultimately mine to rule. Heh." (Gaun)
The girls and I exchanged shocked glances, trying to keep our mouths from hanging open.
Gaun stroked his hair back and smirked as he watched our reactions and then smirked some more as he said: "So you've come to realize your foolishness I see? It would be wise for you to serve under me, the Magnificent Gaun. It is a chance for you and your domain to gain favor with the Beast King."
This guy was a total pain in the butt - so annoyingly proud. I struggled to contain my laughter at how ridiculous he sounded. "No thanks, Gaun," I said, trying not to laugh in his face. "I'd rather eat mud pies than serve under a know-it-all like you."
The girls giggled behind me, and even Serena, who was usually partly stoic, cracked a smile.
Gaun looked like he had eaten a sour lemon as I and the girls walked away. Hah! I couldn't even begin to imagine the look on his face as he watched us go.
Walking away, Gaun's face contorted with anger.
I could barely make out his words, but his shouts of "insolent brat!" rang out clear as day. I glanced over at him and saw him crackling with golden energy.
Suddenly, a huge lion's head made entirely of shimmering gold energy lunged forward towards us. Gaun shouted something about a [Beast Eater] indicating it was either an Integral or Additional Skill.
The lion's head grew in size with a deafening roar, causing the ground to shake beneath our feet.
The beastpeople around Gaun bowed in reverence, admiring the beauty of his attack. But before the golden lion's head could come into contact with us, Serena swiftly extended her hand, creating an impenetrable barrier of energy.
Her Additional Skill, 「Divine Shield」, was similar to my 「Magic Barrier」 spell, but infinitely stronger.
After the energy collided with the barrier, Serena's shield tanked the attack with ease. She then taunted Gaun, "Are you sure you're the son of the Beast King? Aren't his offsprings meant to like be... strong?"
What made this cute was the fact that she was modestly relaying this fact.
Sucks to be Gaun.
"Wow, talk about anticlimactic.." (Fasit)
"I agree, that was an unexpected disappointment, but I guess if it's unexpected then I guess it's isn't a disappointment? I mean, since we weren't you know... expecting anything." (Isadora)
"Beast King's son my foot!" Magenta laughed.
We all did.
Gaun's eyes widened in disbelief as he realized the full extent of our power. Trying desperately to save face, he took a step forward. "You dare speak to me like that?" he spat. "I am Gaun, son of the Beast King!"
I scoffed at his arrogance. "And I am Lumiere, ruler of this domain," I retorted. "If you attack us or step out of line again, you'll face the full wrath of the grygans and the minotaurs combined. Do you understand?"
Gaun glared at us for a moment before turning on his heel and stalking away, his golden energy fading into the distance.
As we watched Gaun and his band of beastpeople retreat into the distance, I let out a sigh of relief. "Well, I hope that's the last we see of him," I said to Isadora.
She nodded in agreement before muttering under her breath, "He'd be attractive if he wasn't such a self glorified pain in the ass."
Fasit, who had been quiet this whole time, suddenly spoke up. "Should we be worried though?" she asked tentatively.
I turned to her, confused. "What should we be worried about?" I asked.
Fasit hesitated for a moment before answering, "Well, if Gaun truly is an envoy, then we might be indirectly spitting in the Beast King's face by rejecting him."
I couldn't help but laugh at the thought. "Don't worry too much about that. We just stood up to his spoiled little brat. The Beast King can't possibly hold that against us," I said confidently.
Serena rolled her eyes. "Or maybe he'll just send Gaun back here with an army of beasts," she said sarcastically.
I chuckled. "Well, if that's the case, you'll just have to fight them off with your... erm... feminine wiles," I joked.
They all burst out laughing, the tension from Gaun's arrival quickly dissipating. "Oh, Lord Lumiere," Fasit said through her chuckles. "Don't ever change."
"Yeah!" (Magenta)
I grinned. "Don't worry, I won't," I replied, feeling grateful for their support.
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