"Hello, Counselor Hassan," I said as I looked at the person who entered the door.
Everyone stared at me in great astonishment.
"Why did you send me these medium-quality black gems? What do you want?" he said, moving forward.
"I don't want anything from you. In fact, you will want something from me," I said with a smile.
"What would I want from our esteemed guest?" he said, glancing around the room behind me.
"To become the king," I said, standing up and revealing the face of the king sitting behind me.
"The... the king? This is the king?" he said, approaching.
Before he could get close, I said to him, "He was the king. Now you will become the king of this city," and I placed my sword on the head of the seated king.
"What... what have you done? Are you crazy?" he said, trembling.
Everyone looked at me with intense fear and strange astonishment at what I had done.
How could I kill the city's king so easily and without hesitation? These people still didn't know who Joker is, who I am, or my character.
When I decide on something, I do it without looking back. I just do it.
I approached Hassan, whose face was pale and extremely fearful.
I leaned into his ear and whispered, "King Hassan, doesn't the sound of that name please you? You will have all the wealth and power; no one will be able to stand against you. Unlike this king, who is filled with fat and does nothing but sleep and fornicate, leaving all the work to you. Be the king or die here with your king. Die as a slave no one will remember, except as the loyal servant of the king."
Humans are truly easy to manipulate. Greed, wealth, power, and arrogance, when combined in one person, make it impossible to save him from the abyss, no matter what happens. I try to take advantage of this.
"Are you crazy? I can't become the king that easily," he said anxiously, looking at me.
He has fallen into the trap. There is no greater trap than the trap of words and conversation.
"Yes, I am crazy. But listen to this madman. You are the one who gives orders to the army. You are the closest person to the king. Your words are considered the king's words, and your actions are his actions. So when the king dies, the people will have no choice but you. You will say three things: the king was killed by a monster; the prince of the Cloud Tribe came to save the city from an attack that will happen in ten days, and his men killed some of the monsters that killed 100 soldiers, and they will be responsible for the army and the city until this ordeal is over; and you will give half of the king's wealth to the people, build some buildings for the residents to live in, and renew the city to prevent a revolt against you from the people. After you announce this, believe me, no one will oppose you. You will become a hero. Everyone will chant your name and ask you to be the king."
Everyone stared at me in amazement. Did this plan come from a 15-year-old boy? I believe that was the question running through their minds.
But the one with the greatest astonishment was Hassan. He looked at me, not knowing what to say.
"What do you want in return?" he asked, looking at me.
"I want to control everything in this city until we eliminate all the monsters, King Hassan," I said, looking at him.
"Are there really monsters?" he asked, looking at the king's body behind me.
"Do you think I'm lying?" I said, raising my sword.
"No... I didn't mean that," he said, trembling at the sight of the sword.
"Khalid, take the king's body back to his room without anyone seeing and disfigure it first so no one can see the sword marks."
Khalid carried the king's body and went to the palace.
"You, follow him. I want you to be the first to discover this," I said to Hassan, then continued, "Take these black gems and give them to anyone who tries to oppose you. If anyone doesn't accept, tell me their name, and I will ensure they sleep forever."
I know these gems are worth a great fortune, but it doesn't matter. I have acquired many of them. After this is over, I can kill him and take them back.
I pulled out the gems I had given him from thin air, and I heard a voice from behind me.
"I had my suspicions when I saw you pull out the sword from nowhere, but I thought it was a special ability of the sword. But these gems you produced confirm it. Do you have a legendary internal space?" said Zed, shocked.
"Yes, I have one," I said indifferently.
Everyone was about to fall to the ground from shock.
"You can use magic and warrior abilities, possess many rare skills, have sensory and healing powers, and a legendary internal space. What kind of monster are you? Are you really a 15-year-old boy with all this cunning and power?" said Hind in disbelief at what she saw and heard.
"I am Joker, the worst and most dangerous monster your eyes will ever see. I know only one path: the path of victory and the summit. Anyone who stands in my way has only one solution: death," I said, releasing my aura and my sword's aura.
Everyone was shocked and frightened, but I saw respect in their eyes. I know this look. These people respect power above all else.
The next day, Hassan announced that he had found the king killed in his room by a monster that had disfigured his body and brought him back to the palace. No new king would be chosen until the prince's team (referring to my team) dealt with the monsters coming in ten days.
The people chanted Hassan's name after he announced that half of the king's wealth would go to the people, that new houses would be built, old ones renovated, and the city's appearance renewed.
Everyone hated the old king, so no one cared how he was killed. They were even happy about his death and might have given a reward to whoever killed
him. So, this simple trick passed by them easily.
Hassan also told them that everything in the city would be under the prince's and his followers' command until the monster threat was eliminated and a new king chosen. Hassan cried as he talked about the 100 soldiers who died and how the prince's followers avenged them, describing the great battle and how they protected the city from danger, and the looming threat they needed to prepare for.
I am now sitting on the king's throne.
"You are truly a genius. How did you think of all this, and when did you manage to summon Hassan to our room?" Khalid said, smiling broadly with a puzzled look on his face.
"Do you remember when I said I needed to relieve myself? I asked the soldier who accompanied me about the city's state and if there was anyone the king trusted. The soldier told me about Hassan and how close he was to the king, and that he was the one who gave orders to the army and always addressed the people. I sensed a tone of hatred towards the king in his voice, so I took advantage of that. I gave him a black gem, and his eyes lit up as if it had a magical effect. I instructed him to go to Hassan, tell him we wanted to meet him, give him another gem, and bring him to us. And that's what happened," I explained, looking at everyone.
Shahid looked at me and said, "You are truly smart. I never expected such intelligence and power from you when we first met. Now I believe I saved these people from you, not you from them." He was smiling as he spoke.
Lina was sitting quietly, just staring at me. I don't know what this girl is thinking.
"What do we do now? We don't have time for this talk; we only have nine days left," Zed said, anxious.
"And who said I'm just sitting? We are waiting for something," I said with a smile.
"What are we waiting for?" said Hind with her beautiful voice.
At that moment, a soldier came and said, "Sir, the 4,000 soldiers are outside the palace, waiting for your orders," he said, looking at me.