Chapter 291 How Much Would It Cost For A Kingdom To Betray The World?
At this point, Izroth was already tied to Amaharpe given that he held the Protector of Amaharpe title and had a good relationship with certain individuals like Gear. Not to mention, his Mystical Realm Palace was located in its capital city!
Amaharpe and Proximus had been close allies since the end of the Seventh War of the Titans, the same war that made Amaharpe and Tempest blood enemies. After all, both sides had lost tens of thousands of people during that long and grueling war filled with bloodshed.
Although Amaharpe won the war, in the end, neither side ever forgave the other for the losses they suffered.
Therefore, the second prince of Tempest, who was supposed to have an undying amount of hatred towards Amaharpe, being escorted through Proximus territory by a trainee candidate of the Crimson Corps Guards created an unusual situation that could only mean one of two things.
The first was that there were traitors amongst the Crimson Corps Guards. However, Izroth had read about the strict requirements and extensive tests, as well as, background checks when it came to selecting members of the Crimson Corps Guards. With that in mind, Izroth ruled this out for the time being.
But, Izroth understood that there was no such thing as a flawless organization that could never be infiltrated, especially in a world of magic like RML. So even though he put that thought aside, for now, he did not completely dismiss it.
The second was that Robinarzin of Tempest had betrayed his own kingdom. If the League of The Eidolon was after him then that would certainly explain why.
After all, how humiliating would it be for a kingdom like Tempest if they had to endure their own second prince openly switching sides? They would become the laughing stock to all their enemies and the overall morale of their kingdom would suffer.
Rather than let something like that happen, it made more sense for them to use a faction like the League of The Eidolon to assassinate Robin before he could reach safety. It would also explain how Robin managed to cross both Amaharpe and Proximus borders without being stopped. However, all of this only formed more questions for Izroth.
'He's willing to put his life into the hand of his own enemies. What could cause one man to become so desperate?'
There was also one more thing that bothered Izroth through this entire conversation.
"For the last decade, Tempest has been at its peak in terms of wealth, influence, and power. Why choose this period of time to journey away from your kingdom?" Izroth asked. There was a book in the palace library about the "Prosperity Age" of Tempest which started a decade ago. They were not involved in any wars or chaos and the overall happiness of their citizens was at an all-time high.
It even mentioned that the Tempest that existed before the Seventh War of the Titans was not as prosperous as the current Tempest.
"Young friend, it appears you are well informed on what takes place in my Tempest." Robin said as he closely examined Izroth.
"I happen to know a few things, that's all." Izroth replied in a carefree manner.
At this point, Mirage felt as if she were just along for the ride as she could not follow most of Izroth and Robin's conversation. However, she could not be blamed. After all, most players could spend weeks reading the information on the Amaharpe palace library's first floor and yet Izroth had read the books on the first and second floors in just a handful of hours.
But, she was not completely ignorant as to what was going on. For one, she understood that there was a chance that this entire quest was doomed to fail.
"Wait, what about the other members of the caravan? Do they know?" Mirage questioned. From the way everyone moved about and acted in a professional manner, they all seemed to be real merchants.
Robin, however, shook his head and said, "Besides the two of you, the only other person aware of my true identity is Jyuuriel. As for everyone else, they truly believe that I am Robinarzin, a vice-leader of the Silver Hawk Merchants Caravan. A small bit of preparation is all it took. Since we've already reached a point of no return, I suppose it's only right that the two of you know the full truth."
Robin removed a small transparent style bracelet that was around his wrist. For a brief moment, his entire body was engulfed by dark purple energy and a few seconds later, there was a completely different man that sat across from them!
This man had long azure hair that stopped halfway down his back, piercing silver eyes, a handsome appearance, and a birthmark of a swirling vortex of wind that resembled a hurricane formed on his right cheek. That birthmark was azure in color and was something that all members of the Tempest royal family were naturally born with.
"This is my true appearance." A voice that sounded calm and yet full of authority at the same time left that man's mouth. Even the sound of his voice was different! Of course, that man was the same Robinarzin, however, he was now his true self.
'I see, it's something similar to Ying Yue's Alter trinket. Though, it's obviously many times more complex.'
Izroth felt that as the second prince of Tempest, Robinarzin should not possess such a low knowledge level of 7.25. But, after Robinarzin removed that bracelet around his wrist, Izroth saw a more accurate representation of the second prince.
NPC Name: Robinarzin Tempest, Second Prince of the Fourth Kingdom Tempest(Elite)
NPC Level: 40
NPC Knowledge Level: 155.30
NPC HP: ??? (100%)
Robin's previous knowledge level that was at a mere 7.25 had soared all the way to 155.30! That was more than twice that of Izroth's own Knowledge Level! However, as a second prince, Robinarzin most likely had access to a high level of education and was provided with the best resources.
Not to mention, Knowledge Level was not just about one's understanding of books, but their understanding of the world and its workings. But, it was still nowhere near close to that of Orion's.
Robin placed the transparent bracelet back onto his wrist as he resumed his previous appearance.
"Amazing..." Mirage said with a look of disbelief in her eyes. It was the first time she witnessed someone alter their appearance within RML. Though this was due to the fact that she was currently unaware of Ying Yue's trinket, Alter.
"Now that you know the truth, I have a favor to ask of the two of you." Robin said with a serious expression on his face. He held the Truth Seeker Gem out in the palm of his hand.
He then continued, "However, I must ask that you make me a promise. No matter what happens, you must not disclose what I am about to tell you to anyone you do not fully trust. Promise me before the Truth Seeker Gem."
Izroth and Mirage looked at the Truth Seeker Gem and said without hesitation, "I promise."
The Truth Seeker Gem remained unchanged in appearance which was a sign that those before it spoke the truth.
Robinarzin smiled as he said, "Indeed, your youth is not lost on you as it is many others."
After taking a moment to collect himself, Robin clasped his hands together as he rested his elbows on his knees with his brows furrowed.
"There exists a secret. A secret that if ever discovered would, without a doubt, bring about the Eighth War of the Titans." Robin stated.
The Eighth War of the Titans? Every single War of the Titans was a world-changing event with a tremendous amount of bloodshed that forever remained a stain on the history of the Mortal Realm.
"Young friend, you asked me earlier why I chose to leave my kingdom at the highest peak of its prosperity. The reason is that I love Tempest. It's my kingdom, my home. I would willingly give my life to protect it and bare any humiliation or suffering. However, the truth will always find its way from the darkness to the light. What my father has done, what my elder brother intends to continue, it must be stopped no matter the cost. Even if I have to be labeled a traitor in the eyes of my people. This is a burden I would gladly carry alone." Robin said.
He then continued, "In this world, there have only been two catastrophic events that nearly led to the end of existence as we know it. The first was the Undying Maelstrom that swept through the world long ago as it rained down destruction and chaos. Hundreds of millions of lives were lost because of this and until this day, we still do not know how or why it stopped."
"The second is much more recent and clear in our minds. The eternal darkness that descended upon the world that eventually caused the divine beings to interfere. The vile creatures who are without a soul, the Shadahi. Tell me, how much would it cost for a kingdom to betray the world?" Robin stated.
Izroth listened to Robin's words with a sense of foreboding.
'It can't be that...'
"Around ten years ago, a hole in space appeared within the borders of Tempest. It led to a place thought to be impossible to reach from the Mortal Realm. A desolate land of darkness with a stench of death." Robin explained.
"It did not take my father long to investigate and find out that it was what we know as the Shadahi Realm. Instead of seeing this as a potential disaster, my father saw this as an opportunity; a fool's opportunity. For years, Tempest has always been one or two steps behind Amaharpe. To my father, this was a chance. A chance to finally overcome all the enemies of Tempest. However-"
As Robin spoke, out of nowhere, Izroth's Soul Sense sounded a rush of alarm bells in his mind. Something was coming.
"Down!" Izroth warned as he lowered his own head and dragged down Mirage along with him.
As for Robin, he reacted quickly as he also lowered his head.
Znnnnnnnnng...! Swoosh!
There was a brief period of eerie silence, however, one could slowly see long cuts form horizontally along the carriage.
BOOM!
A loud explosion sounded throughout the surroundings as the top half of the carriage was sliced clean off! The force behind the attack caused the carriage to shake violently and a deep imprint was left on the ground in front of it. If they had ducked even a second later, that could have very well been their heads!
'A sword?'
Izroth saw how smooth the outer edges of the carriage was after it was cut in half. The technique used was similar to the Tempest Strikes of his Sword of The Storm, however, it was more violent by nature.
"We're under attack! Everyone to your positions!" Lyn commanded as the caravan members rushed into action. However, a look of despair could be seen on their faces. They had just survived a wave of monster attacks not too long ago and now they were being attacked again!
"The carriage!" Midnight saw the top half of the carriage get destroyed from a distance and immediately began to head over as he summoned his Duality Hare totem to increase his speed.
As for Ying Yue, she wasted no time moving when she heard the loud explosion near the carriage.
Jyuuriel stood before the carriage with a cold look in his eyes as his gaze was set on the forest area in the direction that the attack came from. A small cut could be seen on his cheek as blood trickled down his face.
"Once we retrieve it, one of us will finally be able to die." A cloaked figure said in a stern tone. However, even though that cloaked figure said "we", there was no one else around them.
That cloaked figured had a greatsword that he wielded using only one hand. The greatsword was black in color and looked worn out with many chips and blemishes in its blade as if it had been taken into countless battles. However, there was a faint mysterious energy that encompassed its massive blade.
"I've already told you, I don't want to die." A voice that sounded fragile replied. But, the strange thing about this voice was that it came from the same cloaked figure!
"If you want to die so badly, I believe we can help you with that!" Switch To Kill, the leader of the party at the front of the caravan said. Normally, he would not have been so quick to confront an enemy, but after he witnessed the power of that greatsword, he wanted it for himself! If they killed that person, then there was a good chance that greatsword would drop.
"No one interfere with our fight! Otherwise, you'll be offending my Headhunter Syndicate!" Switch To Kill said loud enough for the surrounding players to hear.