Valerian, The Legendary

228 Ploy Successful.

While the room was quiet, the city outside was bustling with activity. The people got to know that the city walls were attacked, and people rushed to the palace to seek shelter. After all, the royal family was the pillar of strength.

The palace of the Centurion family stood tall on a hill and the people all surrounded it. The palace guards sprung up in action and maintained order. They could not have the people rush inside the palace to witness the ugliness. At this moment, Akhlakh and Zeenat were about to leave the palace. Suddenly, a citizen asked, “Your Highness, where is young princess Morgana? We wish to see her.”

The prince was surprised, but this person was none other than a planted instigator from camp Morgana. Following him, a lot of people began to ask about the whereabouts of Morgana. However, Akhlakh did not have any information and said, “She must be inside the palace, please calm down, I need to rush to the city walls to handle the beast tide. The city is in a tough situation, and your cooperation is requested.”

The people did not stop until they suddenly saw Morgana dressed in battle armor. The crowd was surprised and so were the two siblings. Zeenat asked, “Morgana, you are going to fight the magical beasts?”

The girl raised her head and nodded, then she hopped over a wraith and trotted over to the gate. She looked at the citizens and said, “I will ask you all to move closer to the city square. The magical protection barrier will protect you all. The city guards will be present there as well.”

The citizens calmed down and the planted person said, “As you command, Your Highness.”

Morgana nodded slightly and then she moved her wraith outside the palace and picked up speed heading straight to the city walls. Akhlakh and Zeenat also decided to move, but at this moment, a citizen said, “Her Highness Morgana is more and more like a true leader. Daring to reach ahead alone to face the dangers. She is truly an inspiration, to think she is treated worse than servants.”

This one comment was enough to trigger a silent protest in the hearts of the citizen. Akhlakh and Zeenat grit their teeth, but they had already decided to explain things and pin them to Jamal Centurion. The people will understand them later.

Thinking like this they both rushed forward on their wraiths with a few soldiers behind them. The people dispersed slightly to arrange for the evacuation of the people to the city square. They did not get to find out what was going on inside the Emperor’s room.

.....

...

Valerian was sitting on a big chair, facing the three people laying on the floor in front of him. His left elbow rested on the armrest while his fingers pinched his chin. Silk was resting in his lap as he patted her gently. Snare stood behind him with his head bowed.

Jamal and Ameer were still conscious, they were unable to move but could see and hear everything. Earlier when Valerian came inside the room, he did not waste any time and attacked Ryadi with a mind snare and then shoot him with a shadow spike. The attack was so sudden, that the archmage did not have any time to deal with it.

Then he told Morgana to get going and finish the second step of the plan, meanwhile he captured the two people with wooden vines, and to be safe, he even added the paralysis effect induced. He smiled and asked, “Are you two surprised? Or wondering who I am?”

Ameer and Jamal were seething with hatred. The latter said, “You are the vermin from the Lumen empire, you gave this beast to her, and you put her under the charm spell.”

Valerian chuckled and said, “You are partly correct. It is not Morgana who is under the spell. It is Snare, your right-hand man. He entered my room one night in order to kill me, thankfully, I had Silk guarding the room and then he fell.”

Jamal was surprised and said, “How can Morgana control this beast if it follows you?”

Valerian waved his hand and said, “She does not follow me because of the magical bond, but because of my blessing.”

Then he opened his mouth and let out a sound that matched the voice that a fox would make, the next moment Silk raised her head to stare at Snare, who slashed his own neck without any hesitation. Blood gushed out from his neck like it was a fountain. Valerian did not even flinch when some of it stained his clothes.

The two people were surprised as Valerian said, “I am blessed with beast tongue. I can talk to beasts and thus I do not discriminate against them like you shallow people.”

Jamal was lost in a daze, while Ameer asked, “What do you want from Morgana?”

His voice was shaking, the poison inside his body was a direct potion, it was attacking his body at a much faster pace than Jamal’s. Valerian shook his head and said, “I only wish for peace and stability in the continent so that the people can grow. Some conflict is inevitable but that can be solved with some talk and understanding. However, your father dreamt of uniting the entire continent and even wanted to steal a dragon treasure.

Ridiculous, are you even worthy of even getting a glimpse of such a treasure? You could not even protect your family from your ambition and destroyed it, you think you can rule the continent? What are you? Well, forget it. You both shall be on your way soon, after all that you have done to the people around you, this way of going out is still easy on you.”

Ameer said, “Please save me, I wish to apologize to her. I have not yet loved her enough. Please. I swear I do not want anything else, just her.”

His eyes were sincerely pleading, but his voice was so low that none of the emotions could be sensed. Valerian sighed and said, “Your Highness Ameer, you had the time to love her and care for her, you could have chosen to not hurt her, even if it was your act to get along with your father, it was nothing that a child could handle and you have scarred her heart forever. Do not think that time will heal things for her. You are the reason for the scars, as long as you remained She will suffer. So it is best that you leave with peace that she is not anymore.”

Jamal snorted and said, “So you want to take over this empire? Do you know how many loyalists I have in my corner?”

Valerian chuckled and said, “Old man, I am not some diplomat, if your loyalists tried to obstruct Morgana from ascending to the throne, I will set this entire nation on the fire of riot and civil war. Morgana is not going to be the Empress, she will be the Empress of the people. The chosen one. While you will be the greatest scourge of this nation.

I will spare your children some dignity because of the plea Prince Ameer, as for the lives of Princess Zeenat and her twin Akhlakh, that is up to Morgana to decide. The only pitiable thing is that the most compassionate one among this bunch, Princess Ayat, was turned into a cold machine by you and she took her life.

Jamal Centaur, you are an utter disgrace as an emperor and a failure as a Father. I wonder why you were clinging on to your life for so long.”

That said, Valerian snapped his fingers and a wind blade beheaded Ameer, who was unconscious now, then he cast a Mors Vitis, the death vine spell, and Jamal gradually lost his life force. However, he made sure to keep Jamal’s body in a good condition. Then he stood up from his chair and undid the vines.

The arrangement was complete. Ryadi died by Shadow magic, and Snare died by a physical attack, so did Ameer, and Jamal’s body failed when the poison was. Valerian did not forget to cut away the string that Jamal was wearing around his neck to make it look like the loss of this bead triggered the poison.

He stretched his body and said, “Silk, go find the chief Medicus, he can be your new blood slave.”

The fox nodded and left, but not before rubbing her head against him. Valerian smiled at her vanishing tail and said, “Be careful.”

...

On the battlefield, Morgana was standing on the wall, and her arm was bleeding, she had just repelled an attack that was aimed at Zeenat. Then she came to the side. The soldiers were surprised that she could still manage to fight with her shadow magic.

Her prowess was terrifying and paired with Zeenat’s earth magic, the beasts they took down were too many to even count. However, gradually, the magical beasts began to pull back from the battle, and then the beasts ran away too.