When Ruena finished dressing, both Soral and Taiga were ready and waiting for her. Taiga was not wearing a special outfit for this visit as she had to be in uniform, but Soral had given her some purple and silver accessories. As for Soral, the shimmering silver suit made him appear somehow more regal. At least until he ruined the effect with his usual goofy grin.

  "It looks amazing on you!" Soral greeted happily.

  His relaxed attitude raised her doubts once more. Could he handle meeting a king, even a crazy king? So far his charisma had won everyone over but he would not be so lucky forever.

  "Thank you," she replied, "but are you sure about this? The Valen Kingdom is a mysterious and dangerous place."

  Soral seemed unbothered. "I am a hero," he reminded, "If a place like Valen scares me off, I won't be very successful in doing anything heroic, even if it is only by my own standards. Besides, King Xandus sounds like a fun person."

  "A fun person, huh," Ruena mused, "Alright, but keep your guard up. I don't know how much things have changed since my last visit."

  "Isn't that even more reason for me to be by your side? If worst comes to worst I can get us out of there in a moment's notice," he pointed out.

  "Alright, let's get this over with," Ruena decided.

  "You keep mentioning instant travel. What exactly are we going to be doing?" Taiga asked.

  "That's a good question," Ruena agreed, "We used portals to make a scene here, but would it be better to use your teleportation to travel to Valen?"

  "It might make them more nervous if they can't tell how we got there," Soral disagreed, "I think portals are the way to go. Most people find it more comfortable when they can at least understand how I arrived."

  That sounded like it was from personal experience so Ruena didn't argue. Taiga watched with wonder as Soral opened a portal right before them to the gates of the Valen Palace. There was an immediate reaction from the guards before they even stepped through, but Soral drew their attention with his own flamboyant appearance.

  "Silver and purple? Is this meant to be some sort of statement?" the first guard asked, pacified by the clear Valen supporting attire.

  "A fashion statement, perhaps," Soral replied happily, "I am Soral Voila, founder of the restaurant Voila and the Disguise Clothing Shoppe. I came with the future Duchess Alodan to give the Valen King a gift of friendship."

  "Duchess Alodan?" the second guard interjected, and his eyes locked on Ruena and Taiga as they stepped through the portal, "The young lady Alodan? We have been ordered to escort her and her friends in immediately. King Xandus has been awaiting your arrival."

  That was easier than she expected. Xandus had told her to visit after everything was over, but she hadn't even properly seen to the boy's safe return. Did she really deserve her friendship after her halfhearted efforts. Soral smiled and reached out to squeeze her hand lightly in response to her thoughts. She felt a sense of relief. Of course, she had left her trusted partner in charge. He would have taken care of everything perfectly.

  The guards led them to the throne room, this time with a distinct lack of badmouthing the king. In fact, Ruena did not recognize any of the guards from her earlier visit. Just what had happened here? Perhaps the boy had been used to blackmail him as well and that was how things had gone so far downhill in the first place. Ruena was looking forward to the chance to meet King Xandus in a situation where he would no longer be forced to act like a madman.

  "My my, guests at this time? If it isn't my good friend and her wild partner," Xandus greeted, his appearance just as much a crazy mess as their first meeting. Was it not an act, then? Or was whatever he was up to still going on? "Come, sit. Let's play a game."

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  Soral eagerly jumped forward, taking the offered seat across the game board from Xandus. "Nice to meet you, your majesty," he introduced, "I am Soral Voila, Ruena's partner. We brought a present for you today, but I am happy to play a game."

  “Do you know the rules?” Xandus asked.

  “More or less. I’ve been looking into it for today,” Soral admitted, “If I was going to play, I wanted to give it my best shot.”

  Soral made the first move, and the game moved at a rather fast pace. It was far different from the game Ruena had played with Xandus herself. The reason why became clear when Xandus spoke again.

  “It is quite bold of you to try to cheat during a game against me,” Xandus commented, “Hasn’t anyone ever told you listening in on the thoughts of others is invasive.”

  “I can’t control it,” Soral answered with a shrug, “Why not take the opportunity to use it to my advantage. Besides, I can’t become king even if I win. I know you’ve already lost a match to your chosen successor.”

  “Spilling my secrets as well? Shouldn’t you be careful with your words?” Xandus retorted, though he seemed to be enjoying himself.

  Ruena’s gut sank. Just what exactly was Soral doing? Should she stop him? Was it already too late? She didn’t care about chess or successors, but she did know that offending one of her most powerful potential allies was a terrible move. No, she should trust Soral. Soral would know best whether or not Xandus was offended. Ruena forced herself to relax and leave things in Soral’s capable hands.

  “It wasn’t a secret I meant to find out,” Soral told him, “Like I said, I can’t really control what I do and don’t hear. I got what I deserved for demanding vague information from a magical tower of knowledge.”

  “Despite that, you seem quite capable,” Xandus mused, “I must thank you for keeping Ryn safe. Had he not returned safely I would have been beside myself.”

  “That was all thanks to Ferris. He is an excellent doctor,” Soral declared proudly, “Ferris was a big help with Blade as well. I never would have expected a six armed man to be good with children.”

  “Blade?” Ruena asked, interrupting despite herself. This must have something to do with whatever Soral had been up to without her. Even though she knew he was doing exactly what they had planned, it made her feel like she was being left behind.

  “I met him during that whole Blacksmith thing,” Soral explained, “You don’t need to worry. Storm agreed to take him in as his apprentice.”

  So that was why Storm had suddenly announced that he would be taking an apprentice. She was glad there was some kind of reason behind it, even if it was Soral dumping some child he had picked up on the man. So many things were happening while she was busy wasting her time on the games of nobility. Soral had been right. She wasn't made for that kind of life, which was exactly why she needed to redouble her efforts of becoming the Weaponsmaster.

  “I’m glad we take that monster out,” Ruena announced, recalling for a moment what Ryn’s condition had been when they found him.

  “As am I,” Xandus agreed, “Checkmate.”

  “What?! You sneaky Valen! I was listening to your thoughts the whole time, how did you sneak that in?!” Soral exclaimed as he carefully examined the game board.

  “That is exactly why you must never become overly reliant on such a skill,” Xandus pointed out, “There will always be an opponent who is able to use it against you.”

  “Alright, you got me,” Soral admitted, “Shall we give you your gift now?”

  Before even waiting for Xandus’s answer, Soral brought out the golden armor-like outfit. Now that it was displayed before the king, Ruena had to admit it did suit him. What she was not expecting was Xandus’s absolutely stunned reaction. Did he not like it after all? No, it was something different. They had just rendered the Valen King speechless.

  “Thank you,” he said finally, “I will treasure this gift. Now that the games and gifts are over, shall we get to business. Why are you really here?”

  “I have two reasons,” Ruena explained, “The first is to invite you to my estate in the City of Altea. The second is to ask you for help with a more personal matter as a friend.”

  “A friend, hm?” he mused as he took her offered envelope, “Whether or not I will help you all depends on what this favor is.”

  “I must become the Weaponsmaster,” Ruena told him, “In order to do so, I need someone capable of training me. The only Weaponsmaster still living is Zinela. Will you help me find her?”

  “I am afraid I cannot do that,” Xandus refused immediately, “At least not with Zinela. She disappeared for a reason. However, I do know the location of one other Weaponsmaster.”

  “You do?!” Ruena asked in shock, her voice quite a bit louder than she intended. Who could this other Weaponsmaster possibly be?”

  “Before I tell you, you must promise to keep everything you are about to hear a secret, and everything your partner has gleaned from my thoughts,” Xandus pressed. Once they both nodded, he continued. “How much do you know about the origin of Valen?”