Jee-shahn took a slow, methodical sip of his beer, his eyes scanning the sea of
kneeling backs. He let out a loud, vibrating chuckle that echoed off the gold-leafed
pillars. "Tell me," he rumbled, "do you think anyone in this room—or even in their next
life—would dare to dream of this throne again?"
Sora, standing at his left like a suspicious debt collector, let out a sharp snicker.
"Master, after that display? They wouldn't dare think about it even if they were born
again as kings."
Jee-shahn gave a grim, lazy smile, his gaze dropping back to the amber liquid in his
glass. Behind Leo, who stood at the foot of the stairs in awe, the Rurouni brothers
Nogi and Masaru remained like twin pillars of muscle, their expressions unreadable as
they guarded the throne.
The temperature in the room began to spike, a precursor to the clicking of high-heeled
boots. Empress Faeloria entered the hall, her eyes landing on the shattered remains
of the heavy doors.
"Well, well," she said with a terrifyingly beautiful smile. "I didn't expect you to be that
good."
Jee-shahn, mid-gulp, nearly choked, spraying a mist of beer into the air in shock.
"Y-yes, beloved!" he stammered, his lazy confidence evaporating at the sound of her
voice.
Faeloria ignored his panic, her boots clicking past the kneeling lords. "Remember
where you belong," she commanded the nobles with every step. She reached the dais
and stood directly in front of Jee-shahn, her face inches from his. She gently placed a
hand on his cheek, her touch both elegant and threatening.
"Now," she hissed, her eyes locking onto his. "Prepare for war. I want the head of my
ex-husband, Valerius."
The Sketch of the 'Pervert Wolf'
Jee-shahn blinked, his brain struggling to process the concept of "work." He glanced
back at Sora, who immediately produced a sheet of paper and a charcoal stick. With a
few lazy strokes, Jee-shahn held up a drawing—a crude, bulging wolf with a
perverted, shifty grin.
"So," Jee-shahn drawled, holding the sketch next to Faeloria's face. "Does this
Valerius look like this? A pervert wolf?"
Faeloria's eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. "You will take this seriously," she
hissed, her voice dropping into a terrifying low vibration. "Or I will ensure your
'eternal cultivation' involves scrubbing every marble floor in this palace with a
toothbrush."
Jee-shahn gulped, the Azure Lizard on his head shivering in sympathetic terror. "Yes,
beloved! Total seriousness! War, blood, silence! I'm on it!"
He stood from the throne, stretching his 7-foot frame until his joints popped like
thunder. "Sora, prepare the carriage and the drinks. Leo, you're coming with us."
Faeloria and Leo both froze in shock. "Are you going alone?" Faeloria demanded.
"Just the three of you?"
Jee-shahn shrugged, his azure eyes cloudy with boredom. "It's simple. Leo shows us
the way and the target. Sora gives me the beer. We'll just spread some 'stains' on the
ground, and the Lizard will eat the mess. That's all, beloved."
"It's not that easy!" Faeloria argued, her hand tightening on her fan. "Their army
general is Sparta, a Lizardman of immense power."Jee-shahn didn't even look back as he began walking toward the broken doors. "I
don't care," he rumbled. "Let's just get this over with before the beer gets warm.