Magi: The Tale of Faith and Hope

Black Sun

Hope froze when the suspicious stranger turned his head slightly, and his eyes met theirs. She exhaled a sigh of relief when he continued on his way without incident, while Aladdin stared after him, wondering if the glimpse he had caught of the black rukh was real, and what it could possibly mean.

"Oh, you're back, Banker," Ahbmad greeted an equally suspicious man inside the palace.

"Yes, I've returned, King Ahbmad," the veiled man said, tugging on his tunic to fan himself. "Balbadd is still as hot as usual. I'm about to faint from the heat." He laughed and turned slightly when he noticed Sinbad. "... Oh? A visitor?"

"He's the King of Sindria, who has come to visit," Ahbmad replied. "You should go and greet him."

"Understood," Banker said, pulling his veil aside as he turned fully to face the visiting king, revealing an odd face with a wide grin, heavy mustache, and mismatched eyes. "Nice to meet you! King of Sindria... I'm 'Banker' Markkio. I'm currently employed as Balbadd's financial advisor. Pleased to make your acquaintance."

"Nice to meet you, too," Sinbad responded politely, accepting the hand that was offered to him. "I hope to get along with you in the future!"

"No, no, it's my pleasure!!" said Markkio. "I feel very honored to even be able to have an audience with the legendary dungeon capturer Sinbad!!"

"Haha, that's nothing really," Sinbad said with a laugh. He sobered up quickly when he looked closer at the man in front of him. "...?" Those three dots on his forehead and the design of the staff in his hand were unusual, and there was something disturbingly familiar about him. "Have we met before?"

"No, it's my first time meeting you, my lord!" Markkio answered with a closed-eye smile.

"... Is that so..." Sinbad said with a small frown. He could have sworn...

"Ah~ Out of the way! Out of the way! Why's there so many people blocking the way today..." a familiar voice said from behind, making Sinbad turn.

"!" he gasped when he saw who it was.

"Ah!?" the teenager in black said, equally surprised, as he stopped and pointed at him.

'Judar!?' Sinbad thought, shocked to see his old enemy.

"Hey! If it isn't the 'Stupid King'!" Judar said with a grin before bounding over. "Why are you here?"

"Judar, do you know each other?" Ahbmad asked.

"You can say that!" Judar said with a laugh, leaning against Sinbad. "This guy here~ always gets in my way! Hahaha!"

"..." Sinbad was not amused. 'Why is Judar here!?' he wondered, deeply concerned. Whatever the reason, it couldn't be good.

"Ah, Sinbad. Let me introduce him," Ahbmad said. "This is Judar, Oracle of the Kou Empire." Judar crossed his arms and smirked smugly as he stood before the older king.

'Oracle of the... Kou Empire...!?' Sinbad thought, startled.

"That's right, I'm currently employed as the 'oracle' of the Kou Empire!" Judar said proudly. "Even today, the reason why I'm here is also because of official business, you know?"

'Has Judar already infiltrated the Kou Empire...!? And extended his clutches to Balbadd...' Sinbad wondered warily while he watched him greet the banker. 'Then... that man is also...'

"I'm sorry, Sinbad-ojiisan, but please leave for today," Ahbmad said. "I'll forget about the trouble you caused for now. I still have many government affairs to attend to."