Chapter 31: "Day of Flowers"
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Commentary on Chapter 29. "Day of Flowers"
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- OH I CAN'T! - Eros exclaimed, "So you think I have a bad case of masturbation and to satisfy my libido I rob "innocent" merchants and use the money to go to a brothel, right?
Both mages sat on their knees with their heads down while the titan rolled around on the bed holding his stomach.
- What's going on? - Lily entered, a little surprised at what was going on in the room.
- Oh, Lily, you're just in time, do you want me to tell you a joke? - Eros said with a smirk, looking at the blushing boys.
- DON'T! - Both of them shouted in unison.
- A joke?
- Yes, but apparently these two are against it," the titan said disappointedly, "They know her too, so you can ask them.
The girl still didn't understand what was going on.
- Rick, what's the joke?
- Um... Well...
- I'm going to sleep, I'm exhausted today," Eros said with a sneer, "I'm going to rest, and then I'll go back to work tomorrow, I'll have to be tougher.
Lily was surprised to see Rick's flushed face. She really wanted to hear the joke that made him react like that.
- Rick, come on, tell me...
- I can't.
- Come on, Rick... Come on, please! - she used the strongest weapon she had against men, which was a woman's tears.
- Good luck," Eros waved his hand and left the group and went to his room.
- I'm tired too," Roni yawned, "I'm going to sleep too.
With just one look, Rick was able to tell Roni how much he loved him. But the older mage didn't react in any way and left the room, leaving Rick alone with Lily.
"This is going to be a rough night..."
The next day, Eros left again on business and this time, the two spies did not pursue him. Still, in the morning they talked and the titan assured them that there was nothing illegal about his work, nor was there any robbery. So they decided to believe him and stopped following him.
***
So imperceptibly a week passed. The streets and houses were decorated with lots of flowers, garlands and other decorations of all kinds. The townspeople were dressed in their best outfits and strolled the streets chatting merrily. There were a huge number of knights patrolling the city and supervising, because even for the slightest offence, ordinary people could be imprisoned. After all, today was the foundation day of the Kingdom and the King and Queen would be travelling through the city and everything had to be perfect.- We've arrived in the capital on time," Lily exclaimed with a twinkle in her eye.
- I couldn't agree more," Roni nodded agreeably, "The appetisers here are excellent, and this festive mood....
- Eros, why are you so pensive?
Since yesterday, the titan had been nervous and thinking about something without paying attention to anything. That's why his friends were very worried about him.
- It's nothing, it's all right, it's just... - Eros, thinking about something again, exhaled sharply and pointed with his finger at the silver brooches in the shape of a lion's head. Those understood immediately and nodded.
"What did you want to talk about?"- In his head, he heard Rani's voice.
"I'm sorry, I lied when I told you I wasn't doing anything illegal."
"EROS...!"
"Listen to me, please don't interrupt. I joined one of the gangs and have been running up debts to get to know the whole situation in the capital better. And this week I have learnt many things, firstly, there will be an assassination attempt on the King and Queen today. It will involve not just one gang, but several dozen, and they will be paid very well for it. And they'll also have about ten A-rank mages and four hundred B and C-rank mages with them, but I can't say for sure."
"I take it back, our timing here is oh so bad!"- Lily said in a frightened voice.
"Don't worry Lily, I'll protect you!"- Rick said, putting his arm around the girl.
"Do we know who the customer is?"
"Someone who wants to put their big arse on the golden throne of the country, but who exactly, I haven't found out."
"I see..."- Rani was silent for a moment and began to think about the above, "We need to get out of town as soon as possible!"
"I think so too Eros."
"You don't have to worry, I've already passed on the information about the attack, to one of the royal knights, but from the calm reaction I saw, those were aware of it."
"That's it, if things are like this, then we have nothing to worry about, I guess the King, is going to use this attack to show his power..."
"I think so too, but still, something is bothering me, so stay alert and don't move more than five metres away from me!"- In a firm tone, Eros said.
"Understood!"- They didn't interrupt the mental link. But the former festive mood could not be returned.
After this conversation, all three of them were very tense, and they smiled strainedly.
"Act relaxed, or the guards are already looking at us."- Eros muttered with a sigh.
"That's easy for you to say..."
"I'm telling you, as long as I'm around, no one can touch us, but unless one of the Ten Holy Mages happens to show up here and suddenly wants to kill us, then maybe he can break through my barrier."
But the scepticism that he received from all three of them made him almost stumble on the flat spot. Though there was also faith slipping into those emotions as well... Faith in Eros' powers.
"You're not the only one who's strong! Have you forgotten the sparring before last?"- Rick said proudly.
"I remember that time I slipped accidentally and got right under your flames, and I had to strain a bit to put them out."
"HEY! I beat you fair and square back then!"
"Oh, I don't remember that, sorry..."
"YOU!..."- Rick exclaimed with rage, glaring threateningly at Eros.
The others could barely contain their laughter as they looked at the two.
When the titan saw that everyone was more or less able to relax, he sighed in relief, he didn't want to spoil the already ruined day even more. Let them have some rest and fun. It was unlikely that these children had ever been to such festivities, and Rani probably hadn't, because he was a dark mage, and they were not allowed to enter the capital.
Two hours later, fireworks began to fly from every rooftop, decorating the sky with a multitude of colours and patterns.
- Mum! Parade! Let's go quickly! - joyfully exclaimed a girl of about seven, dragging a woman behind her.
- I'm coming dear, stop dragging so much.....
- Let's go too! - grabbing Rick and Eros by the hands, Lily dragged them in the direction of the crowd that surrounded the most decorated road where the King and Queen were to pass.
- Kids are kids," Roni said nostalgically, following them.
As they made their way through the crowd, they came to the fence that blocked the road on the sides. At that moment, a column of mounted knights in silver armour, gleaming in the sunlight, was passing along the road. Behind them were infantry in equally bright armour, followed by knights in lighter armour with muskets in their hands, and in between them were two several guns that looked like ordinary cannons, but the many symbols on it and the emanating magical power said that they were not ordinary cannons.
But something made Eros nervous, it was the many sources of magic power in the columns, at least a third of the soldiers were mages, that was almost four hundred people and among them there were seven strong sources comparable to an A-rang mage. And also, about a hundred sources of magic were located behind the back of Eros, in the houses and the fact that they could be ordinary citizens titan doubted very much, can not be thirty people living in one house and a third of them were mages.At that moment, Eros heard two men talking nearby.
- Will there really be no king? - the first asked the second sadly.
- As I heard... - the latter stopped abruptly and looked around, and continued more quietly, - He is ill and will not be able to take part in the parade.
- That's how it is.
- But don't worry, the Queen will definitely be there.
- At least that's how I wanted to see the King in person, I came all the way from the village just for that.
- You too? - The man asked in surprise.
- Yes, I am, aren't I?
- Where are you from?
- From Rosmarin, it took me a fortnight to come here," he said with annoyance.
- I'm from Grad," he said proudly, "It took me almost a month to get here.
- Wow!
- That's why there are so few forces here, most likely the main battle will be in the palace, and this is just a prelude.
"Most likely the attackers will try, to kidnap the queen..."
"No, I doubt it, their main target will be the palace, for here..."- "That's what I was thinking on the general channel, right?"
"Aha!"- came the mocking voices of Rick and Lily.
"Shit...!"
"Eros, have you forgotten how to handle your own toy? You taught us how to communicate with our thoughts, and how to keep them in check, so that they wouldn't be heard by the other person, and you're the one who screwed up..."
"Eros, we understand that you want to do the best for us and for that we are very grateful, but you need to think of yourself!"- Lily's firm voice came through.
"You heard everything from the beginning..."- The titan said with embarrassment.
"Yes."- Rick stretched out in a snide voice and got a smack from Lily, "Why?"
"Don't embarrass Eros!"
The titan himself grinned at Rick, the latter noticing it froze.
"YOU...!"- but before he could finish speaking, there was a massive explosion from the side where the royal palace was located.
- EVERYONE PROTECT THE QUEEN AND PRINCESS! - sounded a loud shout of one of the knights, and in a second, the carriage in which the Queen and her daughter were in was surrounded by knights, and four men in simple grey robes landed on it. Putting their hands together, purple writing appeared around her. They surrounded the carriage not allowing even the soldiers to pass inside.
At the same moment, the houses around them began to explode and people started to run out of there and immediately attacked the guards that were protecting the queen.
The ordinary townspeople were panicking to leave the place, knocking each other down, they tried to escape from this battlefield as quickly as possible.
"Eros!"- Rani's excited voice sounded in the titan's head as one of the mages attacked them, but Rick quickly dealt with him by knocking him out with a punch to the stomach.
"Formation 3!"- all three of them nodded, standing back to back with Lily in the centre, making sure to keep anyone away from her. And their company was surrounded by a white dome, the mages that tried to attack them with weapons that only came into contact with it split instantly, "As long as I maintain this spell, no one can touch us, but be careful, it's not all powerful!"
"YES!"