Chapter 44: King Silvanus Avreora

Vito and the others slowly walked into the throne room. The king sat on his slightly elevated platform beside the queen and observed his guests with a harsh gaze, while the queen, prince, and princess seemed more curious.

“The DeCapio Famiglia guild, Your Highness,” Carlson announced with a respectful bow.

“Yes, the guild of outcasts who conquered an S-Rank dungeon. I must admit, had Emeric himself not confirmed it, I would have believed it to be a lie,” the king remarked. “Even now I have my doubts.”

Vito stepped closer and took a knee to bow to the king. “Your Highness, we conquered Darkmourn Manor not to elevate our own names, but to honor our father, Greye. We also sought safety after his murder.”

The king rubbed his bearded chin. “Yes, the accusations Lord Renaudin leveled against the Silver Oak Guild. We’re still investigating that matter. You claim he would have attacked your guild?”

Vito stood up and pulled a large stack of documents from his pocket. “Our ultimate goal was to meet you and give evidence against Lord Renaudin and his co-conspirators. Lady Iris Maxwell of the Holy Church of Ivalis will affirm its legitimacy.”

King Silvanus was visibly surprised. “Show me.”

Carlson took the documents and handed them to the king.

“Lord Renaudin was working with a noble faction that not only opposes the royal family, but one that wishes to start a war with the Aitraethen Empire. The Silver Oak Guild was meant to be a sacrificial lamb,” Vito revealed. “Much of it is encoded, but I trust that your intelligence officers are up to the task.”

The king carefully read the documents. “This aligns with much of what we already discovered,” he noted. “And much of what we suspected. It is good to have this confirmed.”

“You knew?” Vito’s surprise threatened to overwhelm his resentment.

“Not about the conspiracy against the Silver Oak Guild, mind you,” King Silvanus clarified. “The noble faction has long been at odds with our own royal faction. I am well aware that Lord Renaudin was a member, but I could never prove it,” he continued. His face grew ever more grim. “That you have his documents, may I assume that you are connected to his death?”

No lie could be told within the castle, and the royal family is trained to see through half-truths and stories. “Yes. I killed him. He ordered his men to kill me, and he succeeded in killing my father. Revenge and the defense of my friends and family were mine by right.”

King Silvanus slowly grinned. “You’ve done me a kindness then. Lord Renaudin threatened me and my family as well. Not only did you sweep him aside, but you delayed his conspiracy and hobbled his faction.” He held the documents aloft. “And you conquered an S-Rank dungeon simply to hand this to me?”

“Would you have entertained an audience with a group of outcasts, or believed their claims about conspiracies, without such a deed to their name?”

The king handed the documents back to Carslon. “True enough. I welcomed you here to grant you a low-rank noble title, but you’ve given me a far more important gift. How might I reward you?”

Vito briefly looked at the alluring princess with a clever grin, catching her by surprise. He looked back at the king with a more serious expression. “I ask only that you clear the Silver Oak Guild’s and Lady Maxwell’s names. We have all been slandered by traitors, and our father’s name continues to be dragged through the mud.”

Iris was surprised to hear her name spoken. She lightly blushed and smiled at Vito.

The royal family and their assistant were surprised by his humble request. King Silvanus chuckled in amusement. “Very well, consider your names cleared. The Silver Oak Guild may now resume its normal activities without fear of arrest, and the church will be pleased that my knights will no longer darken their halls.”

Carlson handed the king a parchment and a quill on an ornate wooden board. King Silvanus added notes to the prepared scroll and signed his name. Once finished, the servant presented Vito with the completed notice.

“I hereby grant you the title of Frontier Count and grant you the territory of Orinis,” King Silvanus decreed. “I hope you continue to work and earn this title, Count Vito. Lord Godfrey would be very proud of you.”

Vito’s eyes widened in shock. He looked to Holly for guidance, but she was just as surprised. He quickly composed himself and offered a humble bow as a notification appeared to confirm his new title. “I will do my best to meet your expectations, Your Highness.” He stood and grinned. “I wish you a good hunt. Such traitors do not deserve to breathe fresh air.”

King Silvanus nodded. “I could not agree more,” he barely tried to conceal the resentment he felt toward the noble faction. “Fear not, their days of freedom are at an end.”

The king dismissed Vito and the others. Holly read over the title more than once, tears of pride welling in her eyes. “A count. My son is a count.”

“A Frontier Count, and it changes nothing,” Vito told her. He wondered why the king would grant him such a lofty rank. “Let’s hurry to the Adventurers’ Association to revive the Silver Oak Guild and enstate Galien as its leader.”

Galien waved the idea away. “I was promised a party. We can do the boring stuff later.” He put his arm around Vito’s shoulders and held him close. “We need to celebrate our success. The king himself is going to put the noble faction down.”

“The 'noble faction' is just one piece of a greater puzzle. I cannot imagine that they will all be arrested, and there’s nothing to say that they don’t have allies within the Aitraethen Empire,” Parsifal theorized.

Vito pushed Galien’s arm away. “Let’s enjoy our victory for now. Tomorrow is another battle.”

“Yeah, and we’ll win that one, too. I can’t sit comfortably until I know all of those lousy nobles are put in the ground,” Delwyn chimed in.

Iris took Vito’s hand into hers. “Let’s calm our bloodlust for one day and return to Orinis for the celebration. Vito promised us something called “pizza” and I’m very curious about it. The food from his world is really delicious.”

“Of course, it’s just the girls he feeds,” Galien sighed and lightly jabbed his arm. “Keep your appetite in check, brother. I saw the look you gave Princess Mycella.”

“I could swear I’ve heard someone else tell me the same thing before.”