In the Kingdom.
The air felt cool and clean. A gentle wind carried the scent of roses and jasmine from the meticulously kept flowerbeds of the royal garden. Morning sunlight illuminated the white marble pathways, which wound between statues of ancient heroes who stood silently, observing the beauty.
Under the shade of a large oak tree, a man sat alone at a stone table. A chessboard was placed in front of him.
The man had somewhat long black hair, combed neatly back. He wore simple all black clothing. Several scars were clearly visible on his face. He was Prince Zavzlan. His red eyes stared intently at the chess pieces before him.
Beside him, a light blue-haired woman stood at attention. Her long hair was in a neat braid. She wore a form-fitting dark blue military uniform, with a red cape draped over one shoulder. That woman was Shufa.
"I don’t understand what happened." Zavzlan’s voice was soft. He narrowed his eyes, holding one of the black knight pieces.
"Did you get what you wanted, Zlan?" Shufa asked on his side. Her voice was calm.
Zavzlan sighed. He put the piece down and looked at Shufa, shaking his head gently. "Yes and no, I suppose. Honestly, I might have just gotten a little lucky, my love," he said with a smile.
Shufa tilted her head. "Yes and no?" She coughed lightly. "And stop calling me that."
Zavzlan chuckled. "Don’t be like that. I really like you, you know."
Zavzlan’s face then formed an expression of deliberate shock. "D-Don’t tell me you’re rejecting me?!"
Shufa flinched slightly. "Tha..."
Zavzlan cut in. "Alright! I can be at peace now. I will accept one of those noblewomen’s proposals." He smiled gently at Shufa. "Thank you for being honest!"
"I told you it wasn’t that!" Shufa snapped. Her ears turned slightly red beneath her blue hair. Her face looked annoyed.
Zavzlan laughed lightly. "I know, I know! I’m just teasing you, my love." He said, winking one eye.
He looked back at his chessboard. "His arrival is the reason Martis lost."
"You mean, the assassin who impersonated Starfall?" Shufa asked.
"Exactly!" Zavzlan praised. "After hearing that, Martis realized Fyar was a spy sent by some organization, and he immediately framed him."
He paused for a moment, his finger tapping the white king piece. "You know, when I heard that report from Xavier, I was a bit frustrated. It was too sudden."
Zavzlan moved his knight, capturing an opposing pawn. "However, the next day I received news that Starfall had massacred almost every influential gang member there. And slaughtered several adventurers, then attacked the Association."
He moved an opposing piece. Shufa looked confused watching this. The Prince was playing chess against himself. She wanted to ask, but remained silent, listening to the Prince’s explanation.
The Prince continued, "Honestly, at first I thought it really was Fyar. Because I know the potential of his power."
Zavzlan’s red eyes narrowed. "But after getting the report that the culprit was an assassin, I calmed down."
"Is it because you know Fyar isn’t an assassin?" Shufa asked.
"Yep." Zavzlan moved his Queen. "And also, if he really was an assassin and that strong, he wouldn’t have had trouble facing the assassin in the level 15 dungeon, right? And it would be quite foolish for him to do that."
Zavzlan then moved a knight on the opposing side. "His sudden arrival made Martis panic, and it ruined all his plans."
Shufa nodded. "That assassin is indirectly the reason Martis lost."
Zavzlan picked up the black Queen piece and studied it closely. "He used Starfall’s identity. Then I sent the Guardian. His allies abandoned him. And he was killed by his partners from the Dragon Kingdom. You know... one event triggered the next."
After putting the Queen down, Zavzlan continued, "If he hadn’t appeared, that party’s mission might have failed. However, I also lost a valuable information asset with Martis’s death."
Zavzlan began to tap his fingers on the table. The slow rhythm was the only sound besides the chirping of birds in the garden. "I have two theories regarding that person’s motive."
He formed the number one with his finger. "First, he is an enemy of Martis who saw an opportunity to take him down. That means there is an organization or someone outside our radar. And possibly very dangerous."
Zavzlan formed the number two. "Second, he is an assassin who used the situation for his level-up. I don’t know what the requirements for an assassin’s level-up are. Their class is mysterious and troublesome. You know this, right?"
Shufa nodded. "They will die if they reveal their level-up ritual."
Zavzlan sighed and leaned back slightly in his chair. "Yes, very troublesome. Honestly, I’m leaning more towards the second scenario. Because he only acted at that specific time and happened to be in the right place. Yes, of course, what he did was still wrong."
The Prince moved his rook again. "Later, after I finish my chess game, bring me the high-level assassin bounty list. Maybe I’ll find something."
Shufa nodded. "I understand."
Shufa waited for the Prince’s next explanation. But he seemed to have returned his focus to the chess game against himself. "You haven’t answered me, Zlan."
"Ah, did I get what I wanted?" Zavzlan looked at Shufa and smiled. "Kiss my cheek first, then I’ll tell you."
Shufa flinched. She was confused whether he was joking or if it was a real order. Her face turned red. As Shufa steeled her resolve to step forward, seeing that, Zavzlan laughed lightly. "Joking, jokinggg~."
Shufa’s jaw tightened. Inwardly, she really wanted to hit the Prince.
Zavzlan leaned back again. His playful smile disappeared, replaced by a satisfied expression. "I obtained proof of a contract that one of the Dragons is doing illegal business with humans. This is a treasure. This man... he already predicted the Dragons would kill him." Zavzlan smiled faintly. "It makes me curious what else he knew about the Dragons, heh."
"And as for the objective for Fyar’s party, I also succeeded in achieving my goal. Yes, even though the bomb I planted failed to explode, and I lost someone with a wealth of information."
Shufa wore a confused expression. She didn’t understand why the Prince said Fyar’s party’s objective had been achieved. Fyar had only killed Martis’s subordinates.
"The objective? What objective did you set for that party?" Shufa asked.
"Eh? You haven’t realized it yet? Even Xavier already has," the Prince said with a mocking look.