Chapter 653: If You Want Peace, Prepare For War
"First, I\'ll be leaving a Guardian to protect my sister, as well as Ramona," Ethan stated. "Dainsleif, come."
As soon as his name was spoken, the Ancient Wendigo appeared behind Ethan, making the King of the Magdar Kingdom flinch.
A glance was enough to tell him that this creature was stronger than him, making him feel anxious internally.
"Most of the time he is just invisible," Ethan explained. "But, in case he is forced to show himself, make sure to not attack him. After all, we don\'t want to have friendly fire, right?"
"Yes," King Baldur replied, as he did his best to keep his voice calm. "I hope that there won\'t come a time when this Guardian will show itself here in the Palace."
"That is my hope as well. But, Dainsleif is not as lenient as me. He will not hesitate to devour anyone who dares to harm my sister and Ramona. So, please, tell your sons to be nice, while I\'m gone. I won\'t be held responsible if any of them get eaten, while I am dealing with the Ratmen."
King Baldur nodded. "I already talked to them, but to ensure that there will be no further incidents, I will talk to them again later."
"Good." Ethan smiled. "Go back to your duties, Dainsleif."
The Ancient Wendigo turned invisible once again. However, its sinister laugh echoed inside the room, making King Baldur\'s skin crawl.
"I\'ll take my leave, Your Majesty," Ethan stood up and slightly bowed his head to the King of the Magdar Kingdom.
"Thank you as well, Ethan, for accepting my request to deal with the Ratmen," King Baldur also stood up and bowed his head to the young man.
A King wasn\'t really supposed to bow his head to anyone, but the Tidebringer is not just anyone. Even if Ethan wasn\'t the original Tidebringer, his bloodline affected the people in the Lands of Alastor, making them think of him as the Tidebringer.
A King might not bow to anyone, but he wouldn\'t mind bowing to a Deity.
Especially the Deity of the Lands of Alastor.
Ethan left the room and headed towards Princess Ramona\'s residence. But, to his surprise, the only one he found was the princess.
His sister was nowhere to be seen, which concerned him.
"Where is Joanne?" Ethan asked.
"My two brothers, Prince Rufus and Prince Amir came to find her earlier," Princess Ramona said with worry. "It seems that they have something important to talk about."
"Was she forced to go with them?" Ethan inquired.
He was ready to beat the crap out of the two princes if they did anything to her sister.
"No." Princess Ramona shook her head. "In fact, they were being respectful to her, and she treated them like…"
"Like what?"
"Like servants…"
Ethan was surprised about Princess Ramona\'s words, so he asked Dainsleif, who shared a connection with him about what was happening.
The Ancient Wendigo\'s priority was to protect Joanne, and since she was always with the princess, Dainsleif could easily protect the two of them if something happened.
But if they were separated, the Ancient Wendigo would prioritize Joanne\'s safety over Princess Ramona\'s.
\'Don\'t worry, Master,\' Dainsleif replied. \'They are just having a friendly discussion.\'
\'What kind of discussion?\' Ethan asked.
\'It seems that the two princes want to hold a party to honor Joanne, and introduce her to the nobles as the Tidebringer\'s sister,\' Dainsleif replied. \'Your sister agreed, and it seems that their discussion is about to finish as well. She will be returning shortly.\'
Ethan didn\'t find anything wrong with this, so he once again asked when this party would be held.
\'It will happen after five days, Master,\' Dainsleif reported. \'The two Princes said that they will be sending invitations today to the important people, who will join them in the celebration.\'
\'Five days…,\' Ethan thought. \'I\'ll be gone by then. Dainsleif, make sure to watch my sister closely during the party, and ensure that no harm will come to her.\'
\'Yes, Master.\'
After Ethan cut off his connection with Dainsleif, he assured Princess Ramona that his sister was fine, so she should not worry about her.
"Ethan, did you talk with my Father?" Princess Ramona asked as she sat beside the young man on the couch. "What did the two of you talk about?"
"I just told him that I\'ll be leaving in two days," Ethan replied. "The sooner I deal with the Ratmen, the sooner I can come back here."
Princess Ramona nodded in understanding, and thanked the young man for accepting her Father\'s request.
The Magdar Kingdom had a few skirmishes with monsters for the past few years, but they were able to deal with them on their own.
The problem with the Ratmen was that their numbers were nothing to scoff at, and if they decided to face them head on, a full-scale war might happen.
Countless lives would be lost, and it would greatly weaken the strength of their Kingdom.
Even though she was still young, Princess Ramona understood the threat that the Ratmen posed to her Kingdom.
"If only wars did not happen," Princess Ramona said softly. "If everyone could live in peace, and get along with each other, wouldn\'t the world be a better place?"
"There will always be someone who wants more in their life," Ethan commented. "Some Kings like to conquer vast swaths of lands, and put them under their banner, creating an empire.
"Some Wizards and Witches desire more power, not caring on how many lives they have to sacrifice to achieve it. Ramona, remember this. In order to have the peace you want, you must have the power to protect that peace.
"A kingdom needs to become so powerful that their neighbors will be too scared to wage war against them. So, if you want peace, prepare for war."
At that moment, the door of Princess Ramona\'s room opened.
"He\'s right, you know?" Joanne, who had just finished her meeting with Prince Rufus and Prince Amir, stated. "So, if you really wish to become the Queen, you should be prepared to fight for it."
The young lady then sat on the couch across from Ethan and Princess Ramona, and eyed them with a mischievous gaze.
"Joanne, I will be leaving in two days," Ethan said to inform his sister.
"Okay, bring back a souvenir," Joanne replied casually.
"But, before I go, I will introduce you and Ramona to some new friends," Ethan smirked before snapping his finger.
A second later, a portal appeared behind him and dozens of fairies emerged, making Joanne\'s body subconsciously shudder.
She had still not forgotten the incident that happened during Ethan\'s welcoming party.
The fairies she saw back then were too barbaric to be called Fairies, so seeing them again now made her remember something unpleasant.
"Lapis, this is Princess Ramona," Ethan introduced the Princess to the leader of the Fairies in Ethan\'s Celestial Domain. "Ramona, this is Lapis. I do hope that the two of you get along."
"Wow!" Princess Ramona looked at the Fairies who were flying all over the room, inspecting the place, and looking for any kind of sweets that might have been left behind.
This was the first time that she had seen Fairies, and she hoped that they would become her playmates, while Ethan was away.