Let's Call A Truce!

“I… admit defeat.” King Endo said wearily.

His words stunned me. I immediately dropped my guard. Strangely, I felt the pressure on my shoulders wash away. Did he really say that? I lowered the sword and tilted my head, a puzzled expression on my face. “Wait, really?”

“I was betrayed by my younger brother, and you have regained the Tri-Carver. I have no strength left to resist. I admit defeat.”

“As you are the victor,” King Endo leaned his head forward, exposing his neck. “…you may kill me now.”

The royal members grew worried about the king’s safety. Kiriko reached out towards her defeated older brother, begging for mercy. However, her servants, Saki and Marina, held her back, preventing her from getting caught in the crossfire.

“No, older brother! Don’t do it!” she cried out as her eyes began tearing up.

The situation suddenly turned into an execution. It was only a fight. We did not need to get extreme!

I dropped my weapon and backed up, almost in a panic, losing my balance. “Woah. Relax, I’m not going to kill you. Why are you so literal?!”

The king fell silent, uncertain about my behavior.

I sensed his confusion and let out a sigh. “Lift your head, king. This is embarrassing for both of us.”

The king obliged and lifted his head. Having the king kneel before someone who wasn’t royalty might look wrong without any context. Thankfully, everyone here had context… or so I thought.

…

“Please lift yourself up, king.” I encouraged the king so he could protect his high and authoritative image.

The king lacked the energy to stand up, so he waited a little longer. As the crowd watched from a distance, Amada said. “Watching the king grovel on the ground under Mr. Satori is humiliating. Thank goodness, no one else will see this.”

As soon as she finished her sentence, the sound of a camera shutter echoed in the vast room. Everyone turned their attention to the entrance of the training grounds and encountered a mysterious, lank man. He held a notebook with a camera hanging around his neck like a necklace.

Snap! The camera's flash lit up as he took a picture. The man noticed the awkward glances from the girls and slowly turned his head towards them, creaking his neck like a door.

Amada yelled, pointing at the mysterious man who suddenly appeared out of nowhere. “Who’s that man?!”

One of Princess Kiriko’s servants, Marina, answered, “He’s a photographer working for the press. Princess Kiriko requested him to come after hearing about King Endo’s battle against Mr. Satori.”

Snap! The photographer took another picture of the king kneeling before me.

If that man spread that photo of the king’s humiliation to the public, there would be a national problem! Amada became aware of the possible disaster the photographer would create. So, she ran towards the man, tugging at his camera.

“Hey, what are you doing to my camera?!”

“Shut up! Delete that picture!” Amada insisted as she pressed every button on the camera.

The other girls curiously watched on, not sensing the potential problem. Amada advised them to help her out. “Girls, help me out. If these pictures get out, it will ruin the king’s image.”

It appeared most of the royal family lacked common sense. After a pointless persuasion, Princess Kiriko and her bodyguards assisted Amada, trying to delete the evidence of the king’s defeat.

…

As the girls attended to the photographer, I went on to question the king. “By the way, King Endo, why did you insist on fighting me? I only wanted the Tri-Carver.”

After resting for a second, the king regained enough energy to stand back up. “I thought you were planning on being the new king. That’s what you told Father when you gifted it to him.”

“Learn to take a joke!”

As I shouted at the king for his stupidity, Kaito hurried down the stairs at the back wall and approached us. Garlan noticed the prince’s appearance and slightly bowed his head, showing respect.

“It appears your plan worked, Prince. Excellent work.”

Kaito held his knees as support while catching his breath. “Yeah… it appears so.”

I butted into their conversation to thank them. “Thank you, Kaito, for helping me retrieve the Tri-Carver. And thank you, too, Garlan, for keeping the king busy.”

“I am simply following orders,” mentioned Garlan, lowering his head when he spoke.

Kaito’s breathing normalized, and he fixed his posture. “It’s no problem. Brother can get ahead of himself at times. This was the only way I could have helped.”

King Endo spoke up and softly asked his brother, “Kaito, why did you help Mr. Satori?”

“I don’t know. Speaking with him reminded me of when our parents were around. I didn’t want you to kill him, so I had to stop you. I apologize if I betrayed you, older brother.”

The king quickly turned his head to look at me for a minute. Like a confused child, he wanted to confirm any doubt he had, “So, you aren’t here to take the throne?”

“Noooo!!!”

The king's eyes lingered on his brother, feeling the genuineness of his younger brother’s words. He gently shut his eyes, taking it all in. “I see…”

After realizing the situation, Endo gradually opened his eyes and averted his attention back to me. “I must apologize for mistaking your joke as a threat.”

“Yeah, you better!” I pointed out.

A slight smile secretly formed on the king’s face. “Your combat skills may have changed, but I see you’re still the same as before.”

I don’t know what to react to that, but I’ll accept it as a compliment. I wanted to remove any bad blood left soaking in the air. So, I extended my hand out to the king, requesting a handshake. “We both want to defeat the demon king, Satavio. So, let’s work together and call a truce.”

The king stared at my hand for a while. He must have had some lingering hatred for me that would take time to erase. However, he was shown mercy.

After contemplating his thoughts, he firmly gripped my hand as he accepted the handshake. Our handshake confirmed a truce between us, easing the remaining tension left in the air.

The battle died out. Once we finished shaking hands, Garlan praised my attack from earlier. “My apologies for interrupting your handshake, but that was a powerful attack, Mr. Satori.”

“Thanks… but I don’t know how I did that.” I glanced at my hands once again. This also happened when I swung Astra’s sword. I don’t do it on purpose, but it’s like my body knows how to do it. “I can’t seem to do it on command. It just happens.”

“I see. How unfortunate.”

Kaito proposed an idea that shocked us all. “Garlan, you should train Taku-I mean Mr. Satori, so he can learn how to fight properly.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Garlan is a great swordsman. He’s the one who taught his older brother how to use his feather magic.”

“That would be awesome!”

“Garlan, would you be opposed to that?”

“If that is your wish, prince. Then, I will train this man.”

This was amazing! I needed to find a way to learn how to actually fight. The demon king would soon become aware of my existence, so this was the perfect opportunity. I had limited time before my next battle.

Now with Garlan, the one who taught the king, as my new master, I grew excited about the man I would soon become.

…