Chapter 688 Meeting The Diplomat
Reaching the posh meeting room, Astaroth didn't wait for the guards to announce his presence and walked in.
This startled the diplomat, along with his two guards, who jumped into a protective stance, weapons drawn.
Since the two countries were on good terms, and part of an alliance, the guards had been allowed to keep their weapons.
This made Astaroth laugh, as he looked them both in the eyes.
"Put those toys away. I'm not an enemy."
The guards wanted to step closer to the man who had so abruptly barged into the room, but a hand clasped on both their shoulders, followed by words.
"Stand down, men. That is the king of Stellar Woodlands."
The two men were slightly confused. They had met the king, a few years back, when talks about this kingdom joining the alliance had come on the table.
And this was not him.
Astaroth smiled and walked toward the diplomat.
"Pleasure to meet you, sir. I am Astaroth, king of this blooming kingdom. I was told you wanted a meeting, and the queen is currently using the throne room, so we will have it here instead. Rest assured, the room is just as safe."
Stretching out his hand for a handshake, Astaroth kept a wide smile on his lips.
Two Royal Guards had come in behind Astaroth, and seeing the two still-drawn swords, they brought their hands to their pommels. But a quick raised hand from Astaroth interrupted their movements.
"No need. These fine gentlemen will stow their weapons, will they not?" he asked, his smile turning to a grin.
And with this, he let out a powerful wave of magic pressure, letting it slam into them before dissipating before reaching the diplomat.
Both guards to the latter immediately started sweating buckets, as if they had just faced a fearsome beast. Their hands were shaking on their weapons as they stowed it away.
"We apologize… King Astaroth…" the one on his left said.
The other simply lowered his head, too shocked to talk.
The diplomat behind them seemed a bit disappointed in Astaroth's brutish handling of the situation, but he quickly schooled his face. He had been told beforehand that the king might act a bit more like a warlord than a dignified noble.
He attributed it to his Abnormal origins.
Reaching out to shake Astaroth's hand, he smiled.
"The pleasure is all mine, King Astaroth. My name is Gerald Stinson. I apologize for my men's rough reaction and lack of manners. Please then, if we are to proceed to the meeting here, then let us get comfortable."
He waved at the two sofas, with a table in between them, where there was already a kettle of tea and some cups that had been brought for him not so long ago.
As both men sat down, the Royal Guards stood back near the door, knowing it would take a miracle for the three men in there to harm their king. And on the other side of the table, the diplomat's guards stood behind his sofa, eyeing the King with wariness.
The pressure they had felt coming from him was not normal for someone his age. It had shaken them to their core.
They came from a kingdom that revolved around magic and were used to powerful mages. But usually, someone with such pressure would be at least fifty years older.
"So, I believe you were informed of the nature of our visit today, King Astaroth?" the diplomat asked.
Astaroth nodded, his smile still wide.
"Don't worry about your men's reaction. I was at fault for not announcing myself. As for the reason for your visit, yes, I was made aware."
The diplomat nodded.
"Good. Then this makes my work a lot easier. As this is your first year participating in the exercises, I am sure you have many questions regarding the events themselves, but this would be to discuss with the next envoy, who will come next week. The events haven't been formally decided, since we couldn't get in touch with you, and you have to approve of them as well, given your seat in the alliance.
"But I am not here to discuss this. Today, I am here to discuss your invitee. Have you decided on which kingdom or force you wanted to invite, and do you have their coordinates if they are a mobile force?"
Astaroth knew they were here for this. At first, Phoenix had wanted to ask questions about whom they were allowed to invite, but since she was busy, and the diplomat had been so vague about it, he figured he could invite whomever he wanted.
"I do. I would like to invite an Abnormal Guild called the Knights of the Sun. And they are currently in a stronghold deep in Ash Elven territory. I hope that is not an issue?"
Astaroth wasn't sure if they would send a messenger their way, since the Ash Elven territory was a bit of a contentious area at the moment. But he had already decided who he wanted to send, and Phoenix had agreed.
They could wait until the next year, before using this as a tool to make diplomatic connections to smaller kingdoms. Since they were surrounded by the Elven forests anyway, it didn't matter.
Gerald looked at Astaroth with a slight frown for a moment, before going back to his politician smile.
"That is a good choice. There were talks in other kingdoms about sending some Abnormal soldiers with the Natives, given your kind's rapid growth. But most kingdoms prefer to stick to their known factors.
"It will be a welcome sight to see a troop composed entirely of your kind. The Matriarchs of Themiscus had expected you to be so bold and do something like this."
Astaroth watched as both men behind the diplomat bowed their heads at the mention of the matriarchs.
'They're almost like cult members. Do they revere the Matriarchs?' he wondered silently.
"As for their location, some exact coordinates would be best if you can, but an approximate will also do. We will send a messenger with a magic contingent, so they won't have issues going to a from the Ash Elven kingdom."
Astaroth happily obliged, as he pulled the coordinates from his map and wrote them down on a piece of parchment. Gerald took the piece of paper, smiled, and scribbled something else on it, before, with a snap of his fingers, it disappeared into a flash of flames.
"Now that this is done. On to the second matter. The rules," Gerald said, laying back into his sofa.
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