Humanity's Hero Of Despair

"Good morning, Grand Duke Pedgas! It was an honor meeting you last night."

The Grand Duke looks at me curiously while giving a professional smile.

"It was great meeting you as well, Grand Duke Lotus. How may I help you?"

I think for a moment before responding. I think back to the night before when we first met. He mentioned that he always wanted to travel to Tarondar. I need to sound convincing, though, to make it believable. My breath is steady as I respond to him.

"You mentioned last night that you would love to travel to the Kingdom of Tarondar. I am very intimate with the area. I grew up in the village of Mistfall, which is a small village in the forest near the capital. The capital of Tarondar is called Stonelight. It is a very beautiful city. Once this whole thing is over or whenever we have enough peace time, I would love to show you around."

Grand Duke Pedgas studies me for a moment. I hold my breath.

"Hmm, interesting. You do sound very familiar with the area, and I'm curious about Mistfall and Stonelight. Is there anything special there to see in particular?"

Thank goodness. All I did was tell the truth, so I have his interest.

"Yes! In fact, Mistfall is called Mistfall because of the numerous waterfalls and other things which create heavy mist around the village a lot of the time. Stonelight is just very beautiful itself as a large city, which is overlooked by the Tarondar Palace."

All these things I say are true as well. The Grand Duke nods to me in approval. Knowing him, he will respond with a kind gesture since he is very professional. Let's see if he holds his word to what he says.

"Thank you, Grand Duke Lotus, for all the information. I do not have much to offer right now, but I would be happy to take you all to the Grand Duchy of Pedgas and show you around the area. You are very much welcome to stay at my castle as well for the duration of your stay. You may bring your entire party if you would like."

"I would love to!" I say with a smile.

"It is a deal." He responds back with a smile as well.

We shake hands. This works to both of our advantages. He is probably going to take the time to prove how smart of a politician he is and try to convince us to switch to his side of thinking regarding politics. During this time, if we manage to take the Elemental Sphere of Earth away from him or are able to confirm who was hiding it, we can set the truth free.

"Just make sure to get permission from the Emperor today. I will get things ready for everybody to leave tomorrow morning. I am pretty sure he will say yes, but just to get official confirmation. Can you do that for me, Grand Duke Lotus?"

"Yes, I will. See you then, Grand Duke Pedgas!"

I say to him as I wave goodbye while he opens his book again and continues walking. The first phase of our plan is complete. I wait until the Grand Duke is fully out of sight before casually walking around the Imperial Palace. I find each of my friends one by one and tell them the update in secret.

I whisper it to Ivy in the garden. I pass a note to Estes in the library. I spar with Zephyr and Matteo for a few minutes while filling them in. Doing things I would do on any day, just like usual.

After alerting all my friends of the update, I make my way slowly to the Emperor's private office. I find the staircase and triple-check my surroundings before making my way slowly up it. I make it to the top of the staircase with Grand Duke Pedgas nowhere in sight. I knock on the door.

"Who is it?"

"It's Nico."

The door unlocks itself and swings open. I enter, and the door shuts softly behind me, locking itself. The Emperor is looking over some paperwork and stops as he sees me enter. I sit down in the chair and give him a look while nodding my head up and down. The Emperor's tension goes away as he sits back in his chair.

"He agreed then to take you guys? When?"

"Tomorrow."

"That can work. Thank you for completing phase one. Phase two is now just pretend nothing happened or changed. Just pretend and spend the rest of the day as you normally would. We will have a small going-away party in the dining hall for dinner to send you off to Pedgas in good faith. I have already contacted my intelligence agents to support you from the backlines."

I nod and stand up to leave.

"Thank you, Nico, for doing this. It's very important. Communicate with me through my intelligence agents. Do not worry about how that will work. You will see. Good luck."

With that, I close the door behind me and go about the rest of my day as usual. I spend some time with Ivy in the garden some more, and I go to the Imperial Training Grounds to watch my knights spar for a bit.

Dinner time rolls around, and we all gather in the dining hall. As promised, the Emperor throws a small going-away party for us for our adventure to Pedgas. We all eat to our heart's content. I honestly feel a little sad about us leaving everyone. In a way, the Imperial Palace has become a small home to me after everything I have gone through with it.

We head to our beds after the celebration dies down. I say goodnight to my friends, and we all give each other knowing looks. It is game time tomorrow. We all need to be well-rested and prepared.

After kissing Ivy goodnight, I go into my room and make sure I have everything packed.

Grand Duchy Pedgas, here we come.