Senehal Port, Serisis.

6:30 p.m. 20th Banem 1092.

The sun hung low over Senehal's port, washing the area in its beautiful red light. As a result of Serisis' new partnership with Rosendun, the once empty ports were always busy. Hundreds of workers walked back and forth, offloading or loading ships moored to the port. Most of these ships contained fresh food products from Rosendun stored in cool ice-boxes. In return, Serisis sent back resources like wolfram and asphalt. The latter of which was used in the construction of new roads in Rosendun.

The Serian workers sported bright smiles on their faces as they went about their daily businesses. Never had the entire country been filled with so much hope and anticipation towards the future. Every new day brought with a chance to grow, and they could not wait to see the new changes promised by the Royal Family.

On this particular day, a raku (raccoon beast-man) and a canur (dog-beastman) dressed in loose shirt and pants were in the process of carrying a crate off a ship when the canur suddenly dropped his end of the crate. The raku barely had time to jump out of the way as the crate crashed to the ground, barely missing his toes. Luckily, the crate only contained food items so there was no danger of breaking anything. Still, the raku was considerably shaken and upset.

"What gives man!" The young raku pulled off a pair of headphones, and then shouted at his friend, "That could've really hurt me!" To his ire, the canur did not respond, but instead, pointed at the distance with shaky hands. Angered by his friend's silence, the raku complained as he turned around, "What are you looking a—Merciful Aerith!" The raku exclaimed in shock at the sight of a massive bolt of lightning rushing towards the port.

Initially, it was so far away that it seemed like a speck, but with each passing second, it grew larger and more prominent, indicating it was traveling at an incredible speed.

The raku's eyes went wide with fear. He instantly turned back and took off, calling to his friend as he sped past, "Run! You Fool!"

The raku's shout shocked the canur out of his stupor. Shaking his head, he chased after his friend while shouting at the top of his lungs, "Enemy Attack! Enemy Attack! Call the soldiers!"

By this time, numerous sailors had noticed the anomaly on the sea. This led to an outbreak of chaos as the superstitious men and women tumbled over themselves to get as far away from the docks as possible while screaming for the soldiers' help.

Luckily, although Serisis did not have a naval force, they did have a garrison stationed at the port for the unlikely event of a sea invasion. The understaffed garrison, barely containing over a hundred soldiers, were shocked when they heard the cries coming from the docks.

However, being shocked was one thing, serving the country was another. Despite never expecting such an attack, the Serian soldiers quickly grabbed their weapons, mounted their raptors and quickly sped to the docks. By the time they got to the docks, it was completely devoid of hume life. The Serians had retreated a good distance away, but not too far that they could not spectate the harbor. Curiosity won over survival instincts.

The Serian soldiers frowned as the approaching lightning bolt showed no signs of stopping. The captain, a grey Lycan, frowned as he stepped forward with his tower shield. Even among beastmen, His sight was much better than most. He could barely make out the form of a man riding some type of beast amidst the lightning.

The captain, hoping his hunch was correct, walked to the edge of the docks and projected his voice for miles outward. "STOP! You are entering the Sovereign space of Serisis! Any further movement will be seen as and treated as hostile!" The captain paused, releasing a sigh of relief as the lightning bolt visibly slowed down, then came to a stop a few dozen meters from the docks.

The lightning dissipated, revealing a smiling daeben sat atop a magnificent beast that resembled a cross between a horse and a dragon. Kashi raised his hands to convey the idea he was not a threat and then shouted, "My name is Kashi of the Hopeful Maggots. I am here with King Parissius of Rosendun and King Xafier of Merriheim for an important meeting with Serisis' king. I apologize if my appearance has caused the locals any discomfort."

The captain frowned as he examined the daeben. Kashi of the Hopeful Maggots. He had indeed received a missive from the royal court to expect a visit from a daeben with that name. However, Kashi was supposed to be accompanied by a massive entourage. This man was by himself. "You say you are with the Kings, but I do not see them!"

"It's complicated," Kashi explained with an embarrassed smile. "If you permit me to come ashore, they will be with us in moments."

The captain hesitated, but then looked over at his second in command, a Masonian mage in her forties. "Are you locked on?"

"Yes," confirmed the vice-captain. "We can seal him if he tries anything funny."

The captain nodded and then turned back to the supposed Kashi. Waving his hands, he called, "Come over slowly. We will attack if you make any sudden movements."

Drixlia snorted, incensed by the captain's rude remarks, but Kashi patted the kirin's neck as he soothed, "It's fine, Drix. We're not looking to start a fight here." With those words, he spurred Drix into a light jog.

Drixlia jogged over the ocean, the sight causing the captain to frown as he realized Drixlia was not treading water but 'flying' above it. The captain understood then that if Kashi wanted, he could probably fly over them altogether. As a result, although he did not lower his guard, the hostility in his eyes decreased by a small degree.

Kashi eventually made it to the end of the pier where the captain and vice-captain stood, smiling as Drixlia mounted the wooden walkway. The daeben slowly dismounted the proud kirin and then approached the captain with raised arms. At the captain's behest, Kashi stopped roughly three meters away.

The daeben smiled as he said, "Just a moment. The rest will be joining us shortly." With those words, the daeben slowly lowered his right hand. "Please, do not attack. I am opening a portal to the dignitaries."

The captain gripped his sword, eyes narrow as he watched a portal appear in front of the daeben. However, despite his unease, he trusted in his training and chose not to attack first. Luckily, his decision was proven correct moments later as King Parissius, King Xafier, their ministers and the Hopeful Maggots walked out of the portal.

The captain upon seeing the massive crowd exit the portal gaped in shock. His eyes shone as he recognized someone amongst the group. "Ms. Lightwood!" greeted the captain with a loud shout and a salute. "It is an honor to see you once again!" He had been present on the day of Leila's visit and bore witness to the gifts she brought with her. Both in his minds and the minds of several commoners, she was a symbol of prosperity and growth. If she weren't a Summoned, they might have begun to worship her in secret.

While the captain greeted Leila, his vice-captain exclaimed in shock, "Lunette! It's actually Lunette Falsetto!" Many soldiers behind craned their necks upon hearing the songstress' name. The songstress had become a big hit in Serisis ever since the Maggots started trading with the country.

Numerous batches of the headphones with sound crystals containing Lunette's songs had been sold to the Serians. It was a common sight to see numerous young folks working with headphones on, singing or bobbing their heads in tune to the idol's tracks.

"Uh, guys," Syèl called, waving his hands with an amused grin. Upon catching the soldiers' attention, he pointed at the bemused Kings and then said, "Actual Kings here? Aren't you forgetting the order?"

"Oh! Sweet Mera!" exclaimed the captain as he realized his massive error. "Please forgive me!" The captain apologized with a salute and then formally greeted, "King Parissius Vermillion the Second, and King Anton Xafier, the Royal Family of Serisis cordially welcomes you to our nation." Taking a breath, he added, "I apologize for the lack of reception. We did not know you were coming today."

King Parissius laughed as he shook his head and waved, "It is of no concern." Glancing at Kashi, he added with an astonished smile, "Neither did we, to be honest." Crossing the ocean in just under three hours was an astonishing feat. This was a journey that would usually take a few days by boat!

"Haha, Even I know how famous the Maggots are," joked King Xafier in a bid to relax the captain's frayed nerves. "It was an honest mistake."

The captain released a sigh of relief, thankful for the humility shown by both kings. There were many nobles out there who would have had his head for less. The captain took a moment to regain his composure, and then gestured toward the garrison in the distance. "If you would please follow me, I have some carriages that can transport you all to Redmont Manor. I am certain the King will be overjoyed to see you."

"Please, lead the way," King Parissius gestured with a smile, and then walked abreast with the captain and King Xafier, discussing the latest news in Serisis.

Kashi initially planned to blend into the crowd following the Kings, but Lunette and Leila had other plans. Both women dropped back as the Kings advanced so they were in line with Kashi. The daeben mock-glared at the women as he protested, "Hey! I'm trying to keep a low profile here."

Indeed, the Serians' eyes were drawn to both women, cheering and shouting their names as they walked past. Of course, this also brought their attention to the daeben walking between them. Unfortunately for Kashi, like always, he was dressed in a simple, black sleeveless shirt and leather pants. The shirt was actually crafted from a manticore's hide and enchanted with many powerful runes, but looking from afar, it only seemed to be a regular, cheap piece of clothing with no stand out features.

As a result, there were numerous disparaging comments, claiming the daeben was a toad trying to eat a swan, and that he did not deserve to walk amongst the goddesses. Kashi, whose hearing was too good for his own liking, could hear every last word of these comments, and could not help but glance ruefully at both Leila and Lunette.

However, in response to his glare, Leila pretended not to see it, while Lunette grasped wrapped her arms around his right hand and leaned into him. The crowd's reaction was instant. Many young fans coughed blood as they saw their idol tainted by this abominable man. If it were not for the soldiers blocking the path, they might have run up to challenge Kashi to a duel.

This was to be expected. The captain had cleared the docks before engaging Kashi, so only a few Serians knew that it was the daeben that had come riding atop Drixlia. A notion further emphasized by the fact that Drixlia was currently walking next to the more visually-impressive and striking Absalon.

Kashi, feeling the intense glares and death wishes being sent his way, looked at Lunette and could not help but ask, "What are you doing? Your fans are getting pissed?"

Lunette looked up at the daeben, the anger in her beautiful blue eyes stunning him into speechlessness. "How dare they say you're not worthy?" Lunette huffed, cheeks turning red. "I don't need fans like that."

"Uh..." Kashi scratched his cheeks, unsure of how to respond. "I don't particularly mind, to be honest."

"Well, I do," Lunette complained with the cutest pout. "Hmph. When they realize how awesome you are, they'll start throwing themselves all over you."

Kashi pictured an image of rabid fans foaming at the mouth as they rushed towards him. The daeben shivered as he shook his head. "No, thank you."

Lunette, guessing what went through the daeben's head chuckled as she squeezed his hand.

Meanwhile, behind them, Syèl turned to Shokō who had a strange, listless expression on her face. "What's wrong? You've been off for a while now."

"Nothing. It's nothing," Shokō replied with a shake of her head.

Syèl's brow raised as he bent over to examine the swordswoman's face. "You do not look fine. Whatever it is, you can tell me." As if realizing what he just said, the halben quickly added with a shrug, "Or not. Your choice."

"You're right. I shouldn't keep this to myself." Shokō let out a weak smile and then turned to Syèl. "I have something to tell you. I—"

"We're here!" announced the captain as they turned a corner, drawing everyone's attention to the massive gates at the end of the road, beyond which was a small castle-like structure. Several freshly cleaned carriages were lined up in front of the walls, awaiting the entourage.

Syèl took one look at the carriages and then turned to Shokō, "You were saying?"

Shokō, however, shook her head. "It can wait. I'll tell you after this is over."

Syèl raised a brow but did not pursue the matter further. Since she said she would tell him, she would. All he had to do was wait. As luck would have it, he had far too much experience with waiting...

A/N: *cough* to those few early birds who caught the upload error... NEVER SPEAK OF THIS! lool!

If you love this novel, please consider supporting me on Patreon, Link Below: One dollar a month goes a long way towards helping me make this a full-time job. Thanks for the love.

SPECIAL THANKS TO MY PATREON STARS:

Residents: Andrew Maurer, Eli Calabria, Rusty Reaper, Cobalt_Storm, Eli Romero, Niyeban, Sarah Kinkade, Gamma2626, GodSpeed99, Antinium, Oziel, Andrew Maurer, Peccan, Jeff Belina, Paragon4x, Hrm_Ade, Merlin252

Adventurers: Hyproxy, Michael Barton, OlusholaAbidakun, Mental_Napalm, Jamie Ibarra, Adam Whitman, Sven Buchheit

Warriors: Caleb Ian Melton, Ragnaf, Cullen M Brewer,

The High Council: Sly, Jacob Morgan, StrikerPrince, Thund3rTank, Facemaster, Pumba, Amine

You Guys are the Best!!!

Please Support me on Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/Renoe_K

Subscribe to my Youtube Channel: Genaco Novels, Genaco Gaming

Come bug me and join the community on discord at: https://discord.gg/fHRA2qj