The Immortal Player

"T-Then…" Sordal Larkas stuttered while pointing towards Pedro as if he did not know what to do at that moment.

However, before he could utter another word, Duke Albert frowned and asked, "What does an officer from the Bearth Human Organization want from me?"

"Hmm?" Pedro glanced towards Duke Albert in response with a frown on his face. Then, he said, "Forgive me, Duke Albert! But… I can't understand what you wanted to say? Though I am indeed an officer from Bearth Human Organization, I have no official business with you as a representative of the organization."

"So, are you saying that you came into my den on your own accord?" Duke Albert chuckled in response. Then, he starred daggers towards Pedro, and said, "Don't take me for a fool, young man! Just tell me the truth! Are you here for the Kingdom?! To protect the King and stop the destruction of this territory?"

'Wait a minute… Destruction of this territory? How did he know that there is a possibility that this Kingdom could be destroyed? Perhaps, he is amongst those people who plotted against the royal family? Whatever is the case... It's better to talk with him first before doing anything stupid! My cousin wants to obtain control over this Kingdom at any cost! Besides… I would just be digging my own grave if I take them down immediately! Someone might frame me up and eventually result in jeopardizing our plan to take control over this territory!' Pedro grumbled deep inside. At this moment, he was rubbing his chin and was in deep thought, consequently making Duke Albert anxious.

Fortunately, Pedro remained calm the whole time and did not show any signs of hostility. Thus, Duke Albert was simply on guard against Pedro while anxiously waiting for him to respond.

That said, Duke Albert's worry—that Pedro was going after him, had disappeared as Pedro grinned evilly and said, "It is my job to save and protect human lives from monsters… The affairs of the Kingdoms nor Villages is not of my concern, unless… Unless the life of many people is in jeopardy!"

"So… Are you saying that you don't care what would happen to the current King? And… You don't care who would replace him?" Duke Albert asked with a frown on his face.

"Yes! I am not interested in the matters concerning the current King! But… I would be lying if I say that I had no interest to the one who would replace him!" Pedro said as he made an evil smirk towards Sordal Larkas and Duke Albert.

Shivers run down through Sordal Larkas' spine as his body unconsciously took a step back out of fear from Pedro. On the other hand, Duke Albert took a dagger that was hidden from his waist and pointed it towards Pedro. Then, he glared towards him with strong murderous intent, and asked, "Were you sent by those two bastards?"

"Bastards?" Pedro asked as his brows raised in confusion. Then, in the next second, Pedro simply smiled towards him in response and said, "No, I am not! I don't even know who was the two bastards you are referring to! And as I said earlier, I am here on my own accord! Besides… There's no need for you to worry! I did not visit the Auction Den for that purpose! I am here… To talk with you. Just purely business!" 

"Business my ass!" Duke Albert grumbled. "Drop the act, officer! Tell me what you truly want with me! Who knows? I might spare your life if you surrender peacefully!"

Pedro can't help but burst into laughter in response. Then, after a few seconds, he calmed down as his expression and demeanor suddenly became cold. He said, "Fight you? Don't spout such nonsense in front of me! You are not even strong enough to fight me! And mind you... If I wanted to kill you, I would have done so from the start! By this time, your body would have been rotting inside your room already. On top of that… The whole Kingdom might also already be grazed to the ground. So… Please stop accusing me of being an accomplice of your enemies! And… Let's just proceed with our meeting, shall we?"

At this moment, Pedro emanated a murderous aura that was even strong enough to be able to freeze Sordal Larkas and Duke Albert in place. Then, he glanced towards Duke Albert and said, "I am here because I want to sell these skill pages in the Grand Auction. And if possible… I would also like to discuss with you—something about the future of the Kingdom."

Duke Albert could not help but simply shook his head in response. Then, he took the two skill pages to Pedro and said, "T-Then… I-If that's what you came for... Please follow me to the discussion room!"

Pedro followed closely behind Duke Albert and Sordal Larkas. They entered the room quietly to the point that they even ignored the presence of the four Knights of Duke Albert. 

They headed towards the spacious discussion room and sat across from each other on a square table. Then, without wasting another second, Duke Albert checked the contents of the shill page that Pedro had handed over to him.

"This…" Duke Albert could not help but draw out a sharp breath. He glanced towards Pedro and forced out a smile, saying, "It is really a rare skill page as Sordal had said! But before I give you an offer... Officer Aron... I would like to hear what you have to say regarding the future of the Kingdom, first?"

'He's good!' Pedro can't help but praise Duke Albert deep inside. That said, he retained his calm and cold demeanor outside. Then, he glanced towards Duke Albert and said, "I'll make this short, Duke Albert! I have no plans of being the new King! But… I just can't leave the people in this territory to die needlessly! After all… I am risking my life—fighting monsters, just to save their lives. So… I have decided to make you the new King of this land! But!!! But I have some conditions at hand!"contemporary romance

"Support me?" Duke Albert can't help but frown in response. Then, he asked, "Tell me… What do you want?"

At this moment, Pedro simply smirked and raised three of his fingers towards Duke Albert. He said, "I only have three conditions for you, Duke Albert! First and foremost… I want you to ensure the safety of every human in your land at all costs! How you do it… I'll leave it up to you! But, I don't want them to needlessly die as I said earlier!"

"That…" Duke Albert averted his gaze from Pedro, seemingly troubled by that condition. Then, he flicked his tongue and said, "Let me clarify this to you… Your first condition... I only need to ensure that they won't die easily, right?"

Pedro simply nodded in response and said, "You are right! I am not requesting you to feed every single one of them! All I am saying is that—"

"Avoid those demons and demon worshipers that uses human sacrifice to gain power?" Duke Albert said as he interrupted Pedro—knowing what he truly meant. "Of course, I won't officer Aron! The humans are the source of income! If they die, my business would also die! Do you think I would allow that to happen?!"

"It's good that we are on the same track, Duke Albert!" Pedro said. Then in the next second, Pedro sighed and continued, saying, "However… Don't let your guard down. We have encountered a lot of demons lately in this area. So… You need to increase your efforts in hunting them down, especially once you are crowned the new King!"

Pedro glanced towards his palm and gripped it. Then, he said, "You don't have to worry! I'll lend you a hand in fighting those bastards! I had already prepared a plan, which brings me to my second request… I want to build a so-called Adventurer's Guild that would govern over all the adventurers that suddenly appeared all over the continent!"

"Adventurer's Guild???" Duke Albert asked with a frown on his face. "What do you mean? You did say that you are an adventurer. But I cannot comprehend what is this Adventurer's Guild was for? You know very well that adventurers simply come and go on each and every stronghold. They travel all over the world and would simply stay in an inn to spend the night before resuming their adventure. How would you govern them if they would not even stay in our territory?"

Pedro simply smirk in response and said, "That's exactly the point, Duke Albert! Whether they stay permanently in a stronghold or not, adventurers still need a way to earn money and live. Think of it this way… We can temporarily hire them to help our soldiers fight the monsters that are attacking our territory. In turn, we can pay them money for their services. However… It would not be sustainable in terms of budget if the Kingdom would be the ones paying them for their compensation. So… That is where the Adventurer's Guild would come in. We would be the ones to post a request to the adventurers on behalf of the Kingdom and its people, while, at the same time, we would think of a way to earn some coins."

"Then... Those coins that you would earn…"

"We will use it to pay them for their work!" Pedro said with an evil smirk.

done.co