Thais sighed as she glanced at the letter on her hands. It was from Leonhart and it looked like he was somewhere in Balbadd, training. She pursed her lip tightly before cursing at her partner. Ose sweat-dropped at his Queen. Ronove did the same but instead of just letting her rant, he told her to get moving and find something interesting in Reim.
'Oh yeah. Didn't that Sinbad kid promised the King of Balbadd to earn 1000 gold coins? Should we go and see what's his up to now?' Ose asked. Thais thought for a while and she got a good idea out of his suggestion. Sinbad still did not know that she was a dungeon conqueror and it will be a good time to test him and maybe, earn a good battle to ease her boredom.
'You're right! There's no time to be moping around!' She ran to the market in search for the purple haired conqueror. In the end, it took her two hours to get a lead and that was a poster showing Sinbad holding Baal's sword. Now, did he not look so mighty? The black haired conqueror headed towards the amphitheater to see his show. There he was, standing atop the balcony while doing his performance. The way he showed his powers to the populace enticed her and she wanted nothing more than to challenge him. Sinbad ended it with a blasting performance and that earned him a lot of money. She was about to approach the young sailor when she noticed the King of Balbadd heading towards him.
"That was a good show, Sinbad! You really astound me this time."
"Mister Haron—No, sensei. I have just started and I ask of you to give me more time." The King of Balbadd smiled at him and nudged for his companion to drop a bag of gold. Sinbad was astonished with the amount.
"This is my payment for such act, Sinbad."
"T-This is too much." He marveled. Thais giggled and decided to make that her entrance.
"It's either you take that or leave and not have your business bloom here in Reim. You choose, Sinbad." The said man turned his head to her. He was surprised to hear a familiar voice and more so, to see her again.
"Thais! It's been a long time! How are you!?" Sinbad fussed over. She told him that she was doing well. He inquired why Leonhart was not with her and that made her snap once more.
"That idiot left me here and went to Balbadd to train. The nerve of him after I did all of his paperworks! Stupid Leonhart!" She raged which made Sinbad laugh nervously.
Somewhere in Balbadd
Leonhart
"ACHOO! G-Geez. I must be getting a cold or something." He wiped his nose before taking out his sword to slash at the side and do a djinn equip.
'Maybe but I think Thais just cursed you.' He gave his djinn a deadpan look but deep inside, he was amused.
"Bah! No time for that. I'll apologize once I'm back. Here we go! Spirit of Naivety and Ideals, use my magoi as your source and engulf me with the shadows of identity. I ask thee to come forth with your household, Foras!"
Back to Reim
Thais
The man beside Thais examined her and recognized her eyes and necklace. The King of Balbadd smirked but before he could say anything, soldiers of his went around and fussed about how worried they were about him. Sinbad was confused as to why they would pamper him too much when he was just a trader like him. Thais saw his confused face before moving in front of his line of sight. She introduced the blonde man rather slyly.
"This person here is the 22nd King of Balbadd Republic. King Rashid Saluja. What a fancy to see you here, Your Majesty." She mused. The King laughed at her remark before countering it with his own.
"Now, now, don't treat me with such formality when you yourself are a royalty, Thais." Sinbad looked between the two and asked for clarification. This time, it was the king who introduced Thais.
"This young woman here is the 12th Princess of Yrif Kingdom. She is Thais Demeus and might I say that I'm surprised that the king is not with you."
"Hmph. I told you that he left me here to train in your country." Sinbad was shocked to know that his friend was a princess. Thais turned to him and assured him that she never told him anything because she did not find the need to do so. Plus, if he knew that she was a princess, she was sure that Sinbad will treat her more delicately than he was already. He laughed nervously at how direct she was to the point.
"You're wondering about the king as well right? You've met him actually!"
"Wait. You're not talking about that asocial Leonhart right?" She just grinned and Sinbad fell to the floor in shock before standing up to yell, "Really!? He didn't strike like a royalty to me!" Thais laughed at his bluntness and made sure her djinns noted everything. She was sure that if she relayed it to the King, he will get more mad at Sinbad. This certainly amused her to no end.
"I know that Leon doesn't seem like a royalty outside but he's responsible enough to handle my own. Our government system is a little messy right now after the war that happened decades ago. We were plunged into poverty and one magician blessed us with a curse but that's a story for another time. I am the princess but I stepped down and gave the crown to Leon, whom I thought was more worth. He showed me conviction. Surprising right?"
"No doubt about it." He replied. Sinbad stared at the money he earned before telling them that he will pay up to join the Union. She thought for a while and told him that she wanted to go with him since she had nothing better to do. The king of Balbadd coughed out loud and told him the same thing. That night, Sinbad could not help himself but keep looking at the scroll in his hands, the proof that they were finally part of the Union and that they can sell legally soon. Thais sat beside him and watched him marvel at the piece of paper while drinking tea.
"Sensei! Thanks a lot! I was able to enter the union without any problems. With this, I can also do business in Napolia. I hope that the products come from Imuchakk as soon as possible!" Sinbad said. King Rashid glanced at him and said, "Sinbad, you should go into acting." That made the purple haired conqueror stop and the princess to raise a brow at the king.
"Yes? Pardon me, Sensei but I was only acting to obtain the money for you recommendation to the union, but now I don't need that."
"That is true, Ki—Haron. He was able to get into the Union easily and..." She trailed off before getting the idea. King Rashid nodded at her realization and relayed it to the newbie trader. He told him that he was mature for his age but not enough to handle business, lacks the necessary transportation ways nor the warehouses and the ads. Thais agreed with that and even pointed out that there were still things that he had to consider especially the customers. There will be different kinds of them and will not be easily to handle plus, he would have to contact other kingdoms to have more product to entice the populace.
"Reim is a country that provides entertainment for its citizens and the like. Coliseum fights, theater acts and gambling. It is the sword fights and theater that attract the population the most." She concluded. King Rashid looked at him in the eyes and warned him.
"However, you should not try the sword fights. In those fights, you sometimes have to fight against animals. Right now, the only asset that you have is your body. You do not need to run into danger to earn money. The story about your adventure is somewhat entertaining but if you repeat that in a theater, you will most likely attract more people. I think that this is the best way to make your business go well." He suggested. Sinbad contemplated for a while before agreeing. He stood up and thanked him before rushing out. Thais was about to reach out to him but he had already gone out.
"Wow. He's so enthusiastic. And I'm left out alone again." Rashid laughed at her predicament. The princess sighed but King Rashid asked her if she will watch his show. She gave him a smirk and said, "Might as well." They walked towards the amphitheater and watched the purple haired trader act.
'Valefor's magic huh?'
'I really can't wait to fight him!'
The first time they saw the power of Djinn and the story of dungeon, the people were enamored by the story. They even thought that his story was way more interesting and was never seen before that it only made people from all over Napolia (and some tourist) to check out his masterpiece. His fame extended out of Napolia and enticed more people to his acting. In this way, he stopped being a stranger to Reim.
The night ended with a successful show. Rashid offered Thais a ride but she shook her head no and looked at Sinbad.
"I will see you soon and when I do, I hope you're ready for a Djinn face off." He was taken aback with her statement but she left it just as that. King Rashid bid her farewell and soon, she was out of their sight. Thais put on her cloak and went to an alley way to use djinn equip. Using Ronove, she jumped upwards and flew towards the Balbadd quietly. It will take her two days if she will remain constant with her speed.
'We need to get to Leon and tell him everything that happened in Yrif. If that happens once more, then we'll have to make precautions.'
'What about your talk with Ugo? What will you tell him?' Ose asked. Clenching her fist tightly, she heaved out a heavy sigh. She was lost and did not know what to do anymore. Ronove was silent but Ose kept on weighing down every option but everything led to her lying.
'Ugh! I'll just have to tell him that I will be on a long trip. Do you think I can join Sinbad's for a while?'
The Djinns agreed with her decision. About two days from now, she was able to reach Balbadd and luckily, was able to see Leonhart quickly. The king was surprised to see her and so asked what was her reason for coming there unannounced. Thais ushered him to a quiet place where they could talk and drink tea.
"Spit it out, Thais."
"You know that we've been keeping ourselves off the Parthevia, right? Two weeks earlier, they were in Yrif without any permit. I don't even know how they entered so quietly without me knowing. Don't worry, I strenghtened the place and put out scouts everywhere but as king, you should have an audience with the Parthevian King." He analyzed the situation carefully before giving his word that he will do his best. Thais grinned at her King, knowing that he will decide a good future for them. She turned to him and asked, "Would you give me a rather good battle, Leon? I can't challenge Sinbad yet since I don't think he's ready."
"That's very nice of you. We should choose a remote island since I know that you hate holding back when it comes to sparring." He said. Thais rolled her eyes at her friend before obliging him to find them a place to battle. Pointing towards southeast, she saw an island which made her grin in satisfaction. They prepared their metal vessels and djinn equipped together.
"Spirit of Rhetoric and Service, I order to thee to use thy magoi. Engulf me with your power and come forth with your household, Ronove!"
"Spirit of Naivety and Ideals, I order thee and thine to use thy magoi. Dwell in my body, Foras!" Leonhart's djinn equip was amazing. His hair was longer and black in color. He wore red top with golden linings that showed his abdomen, golden ornaments, medallion on his abdomen and golden chains that connects to his swords. The eye of Rukh appeared largely on his forehead and he grinned. Thais couldn't contain her excitement as she challenged her king.
"If I win, you'll sign the papers for six months and I can travel anywhere within that time limit, deal?"
"And if I win, you will be my personal slave for 3 months and you will be the one to talk to the Parthevian king and other diplomats for the 6 months limit." She pursed her lips at the conditions. Leonhart was not an easy opponent to defeat but if she wanted to take the opportunity to travel with Sinbad and the others for a while before disappearing, this was her chance.
"Ronea Shaeila!" Fire grazed the feet of Leonhart as he hissed at the intesity. She grabbed her twin swords before attacking him. Leonhart took out his own swords and deflected every slash she gives. Thais gritted her teeth in anger as it confused the blonde king. It was unusual for her to be this determined. He used Foras' magic.
"Foras Alzillal!" Shadows from under his feet moved to bind the princess. It stopped her midway and she struggled to get out. Determined, she used forced her body to move and kick her sword towards him. Leonhart dodged it and that movement was enough for her to get out of his grasp. She released another fire magic but Leonhart deflected it. He was about to attack but Thais was no longer in front of him. Just then, he felt an immense presence behind him and a strong force made him skid to the floor of the island.
"Ugh! What the hell!? Thais!?" She did not answer. Instead, she grabbed his arm and slammed him to the floor once more. He groaned loudly in pain before standing up to kick her stomach. She slid down but quickkly recovered from the harsh kick. They had a hand-to-hand combat showdown and it looked like Leonhart was getting the upper hand but Thais was not one to back off so easily.
"Ronea Saiqa!" The fire around her blazed and it turned into a dashing one as it hit the king square on his stomach. He grunted but he made thorns out of shadows and directed them at her. Thais was not able to dodge it time as it hit her arms and bound her. The more she struggled, the more it tightened. Leonhart spit out the blood on his mouth and attacked the princess mercilessly. Thais cried in pain but she quickly slashed the thorns away and used a fire shield to protect her from his attacks. Concentrating enough, Thais formed a destructive fire at the tips of her swords.
"Ronea Almwat Alnnar!" It hit the king badly as his clothes were scorched and his arm severely burned. He dropped to the floor and Thais cancelled her djinn equip to heal the king.
"I won!"
"Damn. What got you so determined so suddenly? That hurt you know and you were not holding back."
"So were you. Those thorns actually hurt." He sighed. After Thais healed his wounds, she materialized a parchment from her bag and made the king sign. He sweat-dropped at the paper and asked if it was really necessary. The only answer he received was that she wanted to try what making a contract felt.
"Well then, will you staying in Balbadd for a while? Because of the contract, I had to go back to Yrif and be in the case of the Parthevian King."
"I'll be staying for a while. After that, I will go travel." He nodded. Even though Thais traveled a few of the countries in the world, she felt as if it was not enough. That there are still places she hadn't visited. She wanted to take this chance to go.
"Got it. Take care of yourself then." Leonhart kissed her forehead as she gave him a smile. The king went to the docks to prepare the ship. She waved him farewell.
"I better go and check this country out before going back to Reim to talk to Sinbad about his travel. I wonder if he'll allow me to go with them." Her metal vessel rang and answered her question. Ose told her that Sinbad would gladly have her but Ronove warned her to mind her manners. She sweat-dropped.
"Of course I will. Come on, let's go and have some sight-seeing."
=END=