Sustaining The King's Life 123 Strategy

A man sitting in a throne exclaimed as he caressed a ginger cat in his lap. The ginger cat purred, showing its slit, green eyes. It climbed away from the man and then headed towards the woman who has standing in the darkest corner.

"You could've at least knock, l.u.s.t." Says the man. "If Eula hadn't gone to you, I wouldn't have known you were here."

"Che. I told you to call me by my name, not by my power, Pride." She says. "And 'Eula'? How dare you use our mother's name to a mere cat . . . !"

The man called 'Pride' laughed. "Mother? I don't remember her giving birth to me. To us."

The woman's red eyes glistened.

"If Father was here, you would have been long dead." l.u.s.t uttered. "You should be careful of your words, Pride."

"Yes, yes," Pride waved his hand solemnly and leaned back to the throne. The throne was made out of gold and obsidian. It had dark patterns and had designs an evil monarch would have. Well, a stereotypical evil monarch. Their Father had a more refined taste.

The cat, Eula, started to run towards the darkness after taking a quick glance towards the man named Pride. His red eyes met hers briefly after she vanished without a trace.

"That cat really reminds me of HER." Pride said. "Don't you agree, l.u.s.t?"

"Well, Father adopted that cat for that reason."

Pride chuckled. "And then he refused to name it? Such a shame."

". . . What's up with you today, Pride?"

Pride smiled at l.u.s.t. "Our resemblance is striking. We all do look alike."

"We're siblings, what do you expect?" l.u.s.t said. "Our black hair and red eyes are all the traits of Father."

Pride glanced at l.u.s.t, who was barely visible. He could only see her blood-red eyes into the darkness, and the shape of her curvaceous body.

"That Anakin was too shallow. He accepted my underling's offer so readily," says Pride. "I don't even think he could carry on the task we've given him."

"Is he that dumb? Then why did you choose him?"

Pride chuckled. "His arrogance and thirst for power will push him forward. And besides, I see no one as suitable as him to carry that task. It's not like Jeune can go to Magierstadt."

"Jeune?" l.u.s.t asked.

"Oh, right. You were wreaking havoc on the second continent while we are here stuck with doing the boring job." Pride said. "I'm talking about Baron Francois Jeune. Father's greatest fanatic. Because of him, we were able to track that Heilen kid."

"Heeh. At least he served a purpose. Is he dead now?"

"Our other siblings are handling him. I don't know whether they'll let him live or not, though." Pride sighs. "This talking isn't really for me. I'd have to wait for actual results before I could tell father about it,"

"You mean, Father is . . . Unaware?"

"Not exactly. He wanted us to get this Heilen kid to him, but he didn't say in one piece."

l.u.s.t's eyes constricted.

"Pride, what did you give to Anakin?"

Pride curved his lips into a wide smile.

"The Red Crystal."

**

Moderator Yusha gave the students thirty minutes to strategize their plans.

"So we have to wait for thirty minutes before we could go into the next level?"

An eery feeling washed over Faustina as she stared through the door. It was peculiar to see how everything seemed to be dark and gothic, yet at the same time rea.s.suring. The latter being her feelings because it came to her that she had survived. She was now in the academy after the perils they encountered in the capital—and this marks the first steps to her finding the truth and fulfilling her mission.

"This is a weird exam," one of the n.o.bles said.

"Usually we would be given a point-basis system but instead, we just have to advance to the next level."

"Point-based system?" Faustina murmured.

"It's about how one can acc.u.mulate a decent amount of points in order to pa.s.s the exams. It's used in various schools, and it's regarded as the standard." Chast.i.ty said. "Um. . . I'm really sorry about earlier. I shouldn't have said things that were out of the question. I hope you could still forgive me, Ms. Feuerlon."

Faustina parted her lips to speak but was quickly interrupted with a fake cough. She turned her head towards Anakin Disfiegro, who had now clapped his hands to call for their attention.

"Now, now, everyone." He says, clapping his hands. "We should strategize a plan."

The chatters began to tone down as he began to utter something that completely compelled Faustina.

"Worry not, everyone. Because we HAVE something that they do NOT."

"Have something that they don't?"

"What does that mean?"

"Do we have some advantage or some stuff?"

Anakin smiled.

"You shall see soon," Anakin murmurs. Faustina met his eyes—and at that moment, Faustina was certain it resembled that of a viper.

**

It took the students about twenty minutes to strategize their plans on the dungeon. Anakin, surprisingly, had taken everyone's suggestions and collaborated with Claire.

"So we would only need to do that?"

"Will that work?"

Anakin chuckled. "Well, you guys did see how we would infiltrate and make out escape, right?" Anakin's fingertips reached to the hologram map and then traced his fingers towards the paths, his expression turning serious.

"Each of us has our own team with specific tasks," Anakin said. "It would be the wisest to split into teams than just go all wild into a h.o.a.rd and let the cyclops surround us."

". . . so we lead them," Claire continued, "and use their weakness against them."

"Their weakness?"

"Goldenf.a.g's Monster Cla.s.sification, Chapter 8, page 28, paragraph 4," Claire uttered. "Their thirst for 'Lumos',"

Faustina blinked.

"Then we use our staff . . . to lead them?"

"Exactly."

"A group will have to serve as a bait," Anakin said. "And when you lure them to a dead-end here—" Anakin pointed into the alleyway in the west. "We would be able to corner and kill them once and for all,"

"Sounds like a good strategy."

"I think that'll work!"

Faustina stared at the door slowly opening. She held her staff firmly as she stared through the pitch-black darkness engulfing the entire vicinity.