色戒无删除版

After their short escapade, they returned to the soon to be palace and made a detour to the kitchen first where they left the deer that they caught. The head cook was delighted to see fresh meat and was excited to make a dish with it. They both returned to the leader's office only to be assaulted with the glares from the people who were helping Xenos rule.

"You have been gone for four hours, sir." One of them gave Xenos a glare and even more so the hate was directed towards Maius.

"Well, I am back so what's the use of making a fuss out of it. I can finish my work without a problem and don't blame Maius for this. Am I not even allowed to take a break? Do you see me as a human doll that doesn't get burned-out?" Xenos wasn't pleased with how these people were looking at him and at Maius.

"That's not what we meant, sir. Of course, you can take a break." One of them immediately salvaged the situation and even elbowed the first man who spoke.

"Then next time don't meddle with my personal affairs or what I do with my time. Your only role is to help me in governing our territories and not minding my own business. Be glad that I am still doing my job despite all of your nagging." Xenos looked at them all after he finally sat down behind his table.

Maius brushed off the looks that were given to him and went ahead to stand behind the leader. He just made a promise that he will support the man and he intended to carry it out without hesitation. He silently took in the view of these people who were either glaring at him or looking at him with a cold expression.

He was well aware of his position inside that room. Ever since the kingdom of Lunaira was established and these people were picked to be at the top, they already looked at themselves as someone important. Maius couldn't blame them though because they were either the former chief of the villages or the sons of the chief of the villages.

To them he was just a lowly hunter even though he was a mage, a person coveted by many because of their power and yet he was still being looked down on because of his origin. Maius mentally sighed and shook his head because he couldn't understand how their thought process was. As far as they knew, they all had the same origin and the only difference he could see was that they were leaders and he was not.

"And please stop giving Maius that kind of look because without him and his family's help, we won't be able to protect our lands. Hah, you should all be glad that they haven't abandoned us because of how you treat them." Xenos gave them all a cold look and there was suddenly an oppressing aura inside the room.

No words were spoken inside the room after the leader's statement. They couldn't refute his words but they still had a difficult time accepting that fact. Their families also contributed to those battles and yet they were less recognized than the man who stood behind Xenos. Some of them were just plainly jealous because they were blessed with magic.

"Now, what are you going to talk to me about?" Xenos let out a breath and rubbed his forehead. He then looked at the people who came to his office to discuss some things with him.

"We received a report that the west will be attacked and they are requesting for back-up." Finally, the meeting resumed and the talk about the king or the mage's character finally stopped.

"When did this report come?" Xenos asked as he read the report that one of them handed to him. After reading through it, he gave it to Maius for him to read too.

"Just a few minutes before you arrived." The person who gave him the letter answered. He returned to his seat and waited for their leader's instructions.

"Was this already confirmed?" He asked instead because the report did not specify the details of the enemies that will attack, not even the time or number of people.

"Our people are still confirming it. We will be receiving more details in a few hours or tomorrow." The same person answered because his people were in-charge of watching the movements of the enemies from the shadows.

"Good, notify our warriors for the incoming fight. Once the report is complete, we will plan and move to the west," he slightly looked behind him, "and Maius, I would like you to prepare the mages for this battle too."

"I understand. I will immediately notify them." Maius gave his friend a nod. After giving that instruction, the meeting continued.

They talked about the rehabilitation of each village and upgrading them into a town. This was agreed upon by all the village chiefs and representatives. The plan would push through once they successfully defend their borders and secure them. This was the first step in the establishment of the kingdom.

The matters they talked about during the meeting were things of the future. "Although I approved of these plans, our main focus for now is to secure and protect our borders from our enemies. We can't let them raze through our territories."

It took them a few minutes before they could agree because some of them were reluctant. They would prefer if they could already start the rehabilitation. They started to murmur and whisper with each other about the matter which only displeased Xenos. They felt that the atmosphere in the room became tense so they had no choice but to agree.

Xenos was satisfied and dismissed them after the meeting. He was eager for them to leave so he could have a short time for himself before he would start with his paperwork. Maius on the other hand also bid his friend goodbye because he was about to meet with the mages.

"Notify me if the reports will come. We can march to the west anytime." Maius left those words without waiting for the leader to answer before he disappeared from the room.

The next morning a more detailed report came. Xenos donned his armor and prepared for their march. The warriors were immediately answered and the mages took the lead towards the west. With his power alone, Maius teleported five batches of a thousand warriors directly to the battlefield.

Without traveling, they reached the west energized and prepared thanks to the magic that the mages possessed. After teleporting everyone, Maius and the mages teleported themselves and appeared behind the lines of warriors.

Beyond the border of Lunaira to the west, there was a vast prairie that spans a thousand miles. It was the most open border of Lunaira, thus easy to attack and easy to pierce. From a far they could see men wearing heavy armor of metal who were marching towards them. They bear the black flag of the western barbarians as Xenos called them.

Although that's how he called them, they could barely be called like that with their advanced protective gears and well-polished swords. They were also highly adept in combat which made them a difficult enemy for the warriors of Lunaira who were mostly farmers and hunters. If not for the support from the mages, they would have been destroyed.

Xenos took it upon himself to train their warriors but he could only go so far without the limited time they had. In an era where war could break out anytime, it was difficult to turn his men into warriors in a short span of time. He narrowed his eyes at the men who were fiercely marching towards them.