After an hour of aerobatics and racing, Astaroth and Commander Kadmus returned to the tree palace. Both of them seemed in a good mood when they landed, and the commander even saluted the king as he left her floor.
Silverwing chirped at him happily, apparently friendly toward him now.
Astaroth left the floor smiling from ear to ear.
'One down, one more to go.'
Commander Kadmus had vehemently agreed with his proposal once she heard the entirety of it. Even if they didn't consider her regiment for this year's Inter-Alliance Military Exercises, he guaranteed that taking his offer meant they had a legitimate shot the next year.
Of course, Astaroth didn't tell her about the bet he had going on with Commander Alena. But he didn't need to tell her, since he was sure he would win his bet, anyway.
But now, he still had to go to Commander Levine.
Going down to the third floor, where the man had his office, Astaroth strolled directly into it. Rodney Levine, Commander of the Royal Guards, was in the process of filling in some paperwork and only heard the footsteps once Astaroth was a few steps away from the desk he was at.
"Commander Levine!" Astaroth blurted, trying to catch him off guard.
"Take a seat, Your Majesty. I just need a moment to finish these dossiers, and I will be right with you."
The commander seemed unfazed by Astaroth's sudden shouting and kept his eyes glued to the stack of paper before him.
Astaroth pouted a bit as he sat in one of the two chairs on his side of the desk and waited patiently for the man to finish what he was doing.
It only took a few minutes before the commander put down his quill and smiled at Astaroth.
"What can I do for you, my king?" he asked, his smile stretched wide.
Astaroth frowned a bit.
"You don't seem mad. I was expecting a bit of anger, since we denied you the exercises this year, commander."
But Rodney waved his hand dismissively.
"Surely you jest, King Astaroth. I know my troops better than anyone and know that we are not up to a true regiment's standards yet. Finding strong recruits is a lot easier said than done, after all. My goals are for a quality regiment, not a quantity one. So it takes more time to form. But maybe next year, we can live up to your expectations."
Astaroth paused, looking at the man with renewed respect. This was a man who knew where his strengths and weaknesses lay.
"If only Commander Kadmus had seen it your way, it would have made for a much easier discussion," he sighed.
"Oh? You went to see Mary first? She was fuming when we left the throne room earlier. I hope she held the due decorum in your presence."
Astaroth chuckled.
"She did not. But I don't care about it much. I talked to her and got her back in a good mood, so I'd say it's a win."
Rodney smiled again, nodding his head.
"Then I presume there is a reason for you to visit my office, instead of calling for me, Your Highness?"
"Ah, yes. I came to talk to you about something. The same something I discussed with Commander Kadmus. I believed it was better for me to meet each of you in private, and under circumstances that made you feel at ease."
Rodney leaned back in his chair, propping his elbow on the armrests.
He made a quick sign to one guard at the entrance of the room to close the door, and a heavy silence engulfed the room as it shut.
"We may speak freely and be sure that no one hears us now. What is it you wanted to discuss, my king?"
Astaroth started spewing his spiel, as he had done with Mary, only a few minutes ago, immediately catching the commander's interest.
It was far easier to convince him than it had been to convince both Mary Kadmus and Alena. This reaffirmed Astaroth's belief that Rodney was the better man for the job of commanding the royal guards.
He was reasonable and logic driven. His emotions didn't dictate his thoughts, and he was always on top of them.
Those were noble traits to have when your whole duty was to protect a king and queen.
It took mere minutes for Astaroth to explain his thoughts, and the deal he offered, to which Commander Levine immediately said yes. The man looked overjoyed at the prospect of this deal, and what it meant to all the parties concerned.
After leaving the office, Astaroth now only had to prepare for the next day. And the preparations would not be small by any measure.
He sent a private message to Phoenix, saying that he would see her outside the game in a few hours, and quickly made his way to the hidden passageway down to under the palace.
Once he reached there, he walked up to the small dais and activated his Perfect Mana Sense. It was the first time he activated it down here, and now he understood why Aravelle said this was an important space.
The thickness of the mana present in the air was incredible!
Looking around him, Astaroth could see the particles floating around like glowing dust in a sunlit room. They were absolutely everywhere.
Astaroth could feel the massive source of Aether below his feet, which was only a few hundred feet under him.
Reaching out with his mana sense, he could see the Ley lines in his mind, as clear as day, and feel their power.
The Aether that ran through the Ley lines pulsed slowly, like a heartbeat.
*Oomph oomph*
*Oomph oomph*
Astaroth stood there for a few moments, letting the slow pulsing enter him, and calm his mind into a state of quasi-trance.
He sat down on the dais, right in its center, where the Ley lines crossed paths under him, and reached down with his mana to connect to it.
The surge of power that coursed through him as he connected to it was like a wild river, trying to rush him away. But, simultaneously, it set him in such a zen state of mind, like nothing else in the world mattered.
The conflicting feelings tugged at his mind, trying to gain traction, but Astaroth emptied his thoughts.
"I don't want to control you. I just want to feel your power and let it guide mine," he muttered.
As if it heard his words, the raging torrent of Aether calmed down, turning into a silent and still pond. The beating pulse echoed around him, like droplets of water falling on the pond, far away from him.
Astaroth could already feel the mana inside him refining itself on its own. He smiled to himself.
This was what he came for.
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