The Moonlight Swordsman



"Listen, sword emperor, go handle the situation around the kingdom. 

"And make the potion and weapons available for everyone up to epic grade. They can buy it, but they have to pay a particular price for it. 

"At least this will manage and keep control from more riots happening or any other person like David appearing again."

"Are you sure, princess?"

"Yes, I have talked to my father. You can leave now."

The Sword Emperor nodded and gracefully departed the grandeur of the royal main hall. 

Meanwhile, the princess sighed heavily, sinking into the soft cushions of a couch and losing herself in deep thought.

We are going to surely become a joke to everyone now in the meetup. Father will be really pissed."

And if we don't perform up to his standard at the tournament, even I won't be safe from him then."

It seems I have to train everyone myself so that no one will make a joke out of themselves in the tournament," Zareena thought.

In Felgura City,

Isabella was standing by the carriage, looking ready to set out on an adventure.  Her gaze lingered upon Daisy, Aizel, and Vespara, who stood there by her side to bid their goodbyes.

"I will meet you again, everyone. I will come to cheer you on, Aizel and Daisy."

"We haven't spent much time together, but I wish you well," Aizel replied.

"Be safe Isabella, and contact us in your free time," Daisy said.

"Is your mother not going to come to bid you farewell?" Vespara asked.

"She won't, but she will contact me every now and then," Isabella replied.

Vespara nodded after hearing that.

In a sudden, unanticipated motion, Aizel approached her, his arm extending to gently rest upon her shoulder. 

"If you ever feel alone, come back to us." 

"Y-You.. why is it your personality changes every now and then," Isabella replied after hearing that from him.

"Ahem... don't ruin my mood, now off you go."

"Hehe, I appreciate your kindness, Sir Aizel."

She bid her farewells to everyone after that.

The sound of the door closing on the waiting carriage reverberated as she climbed the steps and stepped inside.

The carriage began to move, gradually leaving the city behind, and she began a new journey toward the Central Kingdom.

"Your mood swings are really going out of control nowadays, pretty boy," Vespara commented.

"It wasn't my mood swing or because my memories are returning. I genuinely meant what I said.

"She lost everything. 

"She left her family behind and her loving mother, and now she is all alone, going to an unknown kingdom.

"My hatred towards this kingdom is growing more and more, and I don't want to say anything about the nobles.

"Seeing them makes me puke on them."

"Hehe pretty boy, I can say that for sure our interests align in the same way."

"Come on, let's head home. You can talk about this in our room also," Daisy said.

The trio then departed for the inn.

As they settled into the comfort of the room, a calm atmosphere enveloped them, offering a momentary respite from the outside world. 

Vespara and Aizel's serenity was rudely shattered when they detected a minute vibration coming from their crystal ball.

A funeral and ceremony for the deceased prince were mentioned in the urgent communication they received, which asked them to attend on the third day. 

*Tsh*

"Why do I have to come?"

"Even I am not interested in going, but we have to," Vespara replied.

Vespara's gaze was once again instantly drawn to the crystal ball vibrating with intense intensity. 

She quickly responded, and the magical device's surface began to glow with a faint ethereal light as it was activated. 

"Meet me in my garden, and bring Daisy and Aizel with you now."

"Who was it?" Aizel asked.

"It's Princess; she is calling us all together," Vespara replied, letting out a small sigh.

Aizel snorted.

The trio departed from the inn once again. Their destination: the illustrious Felgura Castle. 

The carriage, however, took a different route than usual, bypassing the front gate entirely. Instead, it followed a secret path that twisted and turned close to the castle until it reached the oasis that was the princess' garden. 

The three stepped out of the carriage and into the enchanted world of the princess's garden. 

Flowers filled the air with their enticing scent as they bloomed in every color of the rainbow. Birdsong provided the upbeat accompaniment to nature's orchestra as insects and rodents scurried around. 

Zareena was the graceful focal point of this picturesque scene, where she sat in the middle of the garden on a blanket of green grass.

Her shiny silver hair flowed gracefully in the wind, accentuating the beauty of her all-white dress.

"Come sit," she patted on the ground.

The trio quickly sat beside her in the circle.

"Now you know these 2-3 days will be stressful for us, but after that, we are going to go for the training.

"Training?" Aizel asked.

"Yes training. Do you think this tournament is some sort of game or just a normal battle?

"Our kingdom has already become a joke after the recent events. Everyone is going to mock us when we reach the Central Kingdom.

"All the King and Queens take this tournament very seriously, and my father won't accept any more embarrassment.

"What do you think, Aizel? Do you believe you can even win a single battle?"

"Of course," Aizel replied.

"Do you think you can beat me and Soren alone?"

After a pause, he replied, "If I go all out, then yes."

"hahahaha.... I must say this is the first time I have seen someone who doesn't even know how deep the ocean is." Zareena laughed at his response.

"I am sorry; let me be clear. If I go all out, then yes, I can kill you both alone." A smirk slowly formed on his face.

A fleeting smile graced Zareena's lips before morphing into a frigid expression, her gaze fixed upon him with an icy intensity. 

"You are really bold for someone who came out of nowhere."

"And you are really bold as an inferior creature, scum."