窃情谋欲

The Spring Kingdom army occupied the Aurore Island as there was no leader for the island to take care of its people and their needs.

Though that notion didn't need any affiliation from Calen, the King took it upon himself to ask the young hero. Seeing the state the Aurore Island was in, there was nothing else for him to do but to accept it. Though he did that, he also made sure to help the people settle down.

On the first day after the war, the people started to protest. Their morale degraded rapidly since there was no one to watch over them.

Over the course of the first five days, the morale of the people on Aurore Island hit rock bottom. There were various incidents that contributed to this.

On the second day, a group of young men got into a fight over a girl, and it quickly turned into a brawl. The situation was only resolved when Calen intervened and threatened to lock them up if they didn't stop.

On the third day, a group of women began to accuse each other of theft. Tempers flared, and before long, they were yelling and screaming at each other. Calen had to step in again and use his authority to get them to calm down.

On the fourth day, there was a shortage of food, and people started to hoard what little they had. This led to fights and arguments over who deserved more food. Calen worked with the Spring Kingdom soldiers to distribute the available resources fairly, but it only temporarily pacified the people.

On the fifth day, a group of teenagers started to vandalize the buildings, breaking windows and painting graffiti on the walls. Calen caught them in the act and reprimanded them, but it was clear that they didn't have any respect for him or the authority he represented.

All these incidents were symptoms of a larger problem. The people of Aurore Island had been left without a leader for too long, and they had lost their sense of community and shared purpose. Without someone to look up to, they turned on each other and gave in to their worst impulses. It was clear that Calen had his work cut out for him if he wanted to bring order and stability to the island.

"You see, son," said the King. "There must be someone who must watch over them. These common folks, they only know to follow orders, they don't have the ability to think critically, or to survive on their own."

Calen nodded silently. He knew how much time and effort it would take to rebuild trust between the people.

"But they wouldn't be like this if you were not to attack them, your grace." Calen had said, looking at two men fighting over a bottle of alcohol. Then a Spring Kingdom soldier ran toward them and started beating them up.

"That's true. But you know what's more true," asked the King.

Calen looked at him, the evening light cast upon him.

"If this Island were to rule by that boy King, then in the next few months there wouldn't be any more of Aurore Island. The King would've waged war against anyone, maybe not the Spring Kingdom but maybe against your Kingdom, maybe with the Summer Kingdom or the Winter Kingdom and I'm sure...I'm damn sure, they wouldn't be as lenient as me!"

Calen was silent for the next few days, watching the people slowly succumbing to moral degradation. They stopped caring about anything beyond themselves and became selfish, self-centered individuals.

On the fifth day evening, Daemon Von Zadkiel, after his work in the Ferel duchy was completed, joined the war.

The Ferel duchy was almost restored, and there was nothing to help with other than mental support, so Daemon decided to come back to his Kingdom and join the war.

His blood boiled as he heard there was a war going on between his Kingdom and the Island. He was also very shocked to hear about the demise of the Queen but more than that, he was looking forward to the war.

To make a name for himself.

Ever since, his idiotic and useless brother, Damien, received hero titles from three Kingdoms, if the Aurore Island is included as a kingdom, his whole body was boiling with rage as he thought about it.

How could he not? His whole life he ridiculed the guy, stole his girlfriend, and did things that no brother was supposed to do to another brother and that fucking idiot got the hero title before him! How fucking ridiculous.

He couldn't wait to go to the battlefields and show off his skills to everyone. And to prove that he was better than all those heroes and his brother. Hell, even the best in the entire Zadkiel bloodline.

But by the time he joined the war, there was nothing for him. The war was over and the only thing that remained was to look after some island baboons who fought for food and women and literally anything and everything.

The only thing for him was to either watch over the prisoners or discipline the commoners, and he chose the latter as he could at least end his frustration by beating the shit out of the people.

Later he saw a jade beauty on a ship, silent and elegant, even when she was doing nothing. She was watching the Island from a distance, the smoke rising from parts of the Island.

Her short white hair flowed gently with the wind and her eyes shone brightly under the sunset. Her deep blue eyes glowed and seemed to shine brighter than the sun itself.

She wore a black dress, which covered most of her skin except for the cleavage area where her breasts showed through. The dress wasn't tight nor loose, just perfect.

"Hey," he said, rubbing his hands together. "Nice weather, right?"

She said nothing, but simply continued her watch.

A vein popped on his forehead, this was the first time in his life that someone, not just a girl but someone actually ignoring him.

'She might not have heard me. That's the only reason.' He thought.

"Hey, I'm Daemon Von Zadkiel, you might have heard of my valor," he said, smiling to himself as he thought telling his family name would probably scare her. Well, he at least thought that. Who wanted to antagonize a dukedom, right?

And yet, the woman still kept silent.

Daemon felt like he was being ignored and scowled.

Another vein popped on his forehead. He was losing it.

But then Duke Zadkiel came behind him. "What are you doing, Daemon?" He said.

"I was just trying to make an acquaintance, but it appears so that this lady has no interest in that."

The Duke looked over his son's shoulder and saw who it was. His face went pale. "Oh god..." He muttered and looked at his son with ridicule.

"Who--" Daemon was about to protest seeing his father's scowling, but the duke cut him off.

"Miss. Elia, I'm terribly sorry for my son's behavior," he said.

??!!

Daemon was astonished to see his father like this, polite to some no-name girl.

Elia turned and slowly walked away, not even regarding the Duke.

"Your son is a terrible flirt, my lord." She said walking away.

"What the hell--Ouch!!!"

Before Daemon can protest once more, Duke Zadkiel catches his ear and tightly pinched on it.

"You'll learn to respect those of higher power, is that clear?"

...

On the sixth day, as the sun rose over the horizon, King Redigal and his entourage stood atop a high cliff overlooking the sea. They waited in anticipation for the arrival of the ships they had been expecting.

Suddenly, they spotted four large vessels on the horizon, each one flying a different flag.

The ships slowly approached the Aurore Island, their flags fluttering in the wind.

Each ship bore the sigil of their respective kingdoms, and the colors of their banners were bright and bold.

The Winter King's ship had a white flag with a blue snowflake in the center. The Summer King's ship had a red flag with a golden sunburst. The Autumn King's ship had a brown flag with a green leaf.

The fourth ship, belonging to the Grand Magic Judiciary, was the largest of them all. Its flag was black with a white dragon scale in the center, representing the impartiality of justice.

As the ships came closer, the details of their design could be seen clearly. Intricate carvings and decorations adorned the sides of each vessel, showcasing the craftsmanship of their builders.

The young hero, Calen, couldn't help but feel awed by the grandeur of the ships. He had never seen anything like it before, having grown up in a small village.

The King and the Dukes looked on with stoic expressions, accustomed to such displays of power and wealth.

Daemon felt giddy seeing all the power that can pretty much destroy this world in a single frame.

"So it starts," said the King, walking up to the docks to meet the guests.