Chapter 14: The Culprit is Sinbad

Later that day

Aladdin gathers magic making a sphere of heat magic around his staff and points it into the air.

"Halharl Infigar!" Aladdin shouts and shoots upward to the sky for Yamraiha who is observing his magic prowess as Vulpi is sitting on the sidelines holding her egg.

"What amazing power." Yamraiha thought. "His perverted tendencies are deceiving, but he really is a Magi."

The heat magic disappears and Aladdin breathes out in exhaustion before looking up to Yamraiha.

"How was it?" Aladdin asks.

"Absolutely terrible." Yamraiha bluntly answers causing Aladdin to be confused. "Your magoi output is certainly amazing. However, simply releasing a lot of heat is a bit too simple to be called magic."

"What do you mean?"

"Magic does a lot more. For example, something like this." Yamraiha pulls out her two fingers before she disappears in front of Aladdin and Vulpi.

"Onee-san?" Aladdin calls as he looks around.

"I'm here." Yamraiha responds as Aladdin's hand is pulled. "This is called Sharrar Magd. It's done by giving the rukh three commands. Gather water, change the water into vapor, and manipulate the refraction of light." She explains as she reappears in front of Aladdin.

"Commands?" Aladdin and Vulpi repeat.

"Magic is made of formulas. What commands you give the rukh determine exactly what actions will occur. This is the invisible truth that governs our world. To understand these formulas, to put them together, and therefor to give rise to different phenomenon, is magic. Someone who can use as much magoi as yourself might be able to combine hundreds of commands and perform great magics, but it all depends on how much training you undergo."

"I understand now. So that's magic." Aladdin says and Yamraiha smiles at him. "Thanks, onee-san. Please teach me lots more about magic!"

"Okay." Yamraiha says and looks at Vulpi. "Vulpi, are you fine just observing all this?"

"Yes." Vulpi replies and looks at the egg. "Hatching this little one is my first priority."

"Oh yeah. You did mention that before we met Alibaba-kun." Aladdin says.

"Wasn't it the tradition from your village?" Yamraiha asks.

"Yes. Also, there was a legend from my village." Vulpi says.

"A legend?"

"Long ago before there were any kingdoms born, there was a young man travelling the world searching for the Spirits. One day, he found an egg and raised it on his own before it hatched into a small dragon. Slowly, the man and the dragon travelled together and build a village. That is the legend that passed down my village."

"A dragon, huh…" Aladdin says and looks at the egg. "Do you think this egg will hatched a dragon?"

"Probably, but I don't know what kind it will be."

"Why's that?"

"Because the previous heads of my village had different forms of dragon as partners. Some say one of the heads' dragon is long or big. Also, my father's partner was a really long dragon. That's why I don't know which dragon this one will hatch."

"Heh~ I wonder what kind of dragon it will be." Aladdin says.

Just then a soldier approaches Yamraiha and whispers to her ear. Once the soldier finished, Yamraiha turn towards him.

"I understand. We'll be there." She says before looking Aladdin and Vulpi. "Aladdin, Vulpi, the delegation from Kou came."

Aladdin and Vulpi look at her as Vulpi stands up. "Okay."

~Later~
At the docks

A ship from Kou Empire docked at the harbor as Sinbad and the Eight Generals, and the group gather there standing in front of Kou Empire's soldiers. From the ship, a young prince gets off the ship.

The young prince has dark blue hair and blue eyes as his left eye is paler than the right. He has a large burn scar on the left side of his face. He wears black and white traditional clothes.

"So he's the Kou Empire's prince." Alibaba thought as the prince goes down the stair case before he turns his head at them. Alibaba then felt his body pulse.

"Hate him." A voice says and Alibaba grabs his arm.

"What was that?"

"I am the fourth prince of the Kou Empire, Hakuryuu Ren." The prince, Hakuryuu introduces.

"I have heard of you from His Majesty. I welcome you." Sinbad says.

"Even without my father-in-law's orders, I wished to visit you."

"I am honored to hear that. But who is the person standing behind you, Prince Hakuryuu?" Sinbad asks as Hakuryuu turns around much to Ja'far's surprise, they see the same princess from Kou Empire at Balbadd.

"Princess K-Kougyoku Ren!" Ja'far calls.

"Is she interested in Sinbad?" Hinahoho asks.

"She follow him all the way out here!" Pisti exclaims.

"Yeah!" Yamraiha agrees.

"Thank you for last time. I'm so happy to be able to see you again."Kougyoku says.

"I am as well. " Sinbad says.

"What?" Ja'far questions.

"Aw, she's talking to him normally." Pisti says.

"Thank goodness." Ja'far says in relief. "It seems like nothing happened between them."

"Seriously?" Sharkkan says.

"It's been a while! I didn't see you at all when I visited the Kou Empire… It's a pleasure to see you again now!" Sinbad says as Kougyoku hunches over a bit and Sinbad laughs.

"You didn't see me, huh?" Kougyoku says in anger causing him to stop laughing. Kougyoku then swings down a sword at Sinbad surprising Ja'far and Pisti and Sinbad paled as a few strands were cut off from the swing. "Damn you, Sinbad! If you had apologized, I was going to try to swallow my tears and deal with it for the sake of my country! But I can't let you get away with this!" Kougyoku exclaims as she draws her pin out as she does Djinn Equip. "I challenge you to a duel, Sinbad! You deserve nothing but death for disgracing a maiden's body with such barbarianism!"

"I knew it! What did you do?" Ja'far questions.

"I-I didn't do anything!" Sinbad shouts.

"What do you mean, Princess!?" Ja'far asks but Kougyoku breaks down into tears.

"Pardon me." Ka Koubun says as he steps forward. "It would be considered cruel and unusual to force the victim to say anymore. Please allow me to explain in her place. The princess' tale goes such. It was the last night of King Sinbad's visit to the Kou Empire. A lavish farewell party was held. The next morning, Princess Kougyoku awoke in bed to see…" Some of the generals are speechless especially Ja'far from hearing what happened. "If you insist that there was nothing, please do explain how that happened! King Sinbad!"

"You've disgraced the body of a princess of Kou Empire, Sinbad! I'll duel to defend my honor! If you refuse, I'll kill you, then kill myself! Kougyoku shouts as she about to do kill herself with the sword.

"Do-don't be hasty, Princess! What a distress situation!" Ka Koubun exclaims and Sinbad tries to remember what happened.

"The obscenities of the King of Sindria and the suicide of a princess all lead to a war with the Kou Empire!" Ja'far says.

"Wait, that night, the King wasn't drunk at all!" Sharkkan says.

"Yeah." Spartos agrees.

"Right?" Sinbad asks. "I only had a few sips out of courtesy. And after that, I went straight to my bedroom."

"We made sure of that." Spartos says.

"Exactly! I went straight to bed! I didn't do anything with the princess!"

"Then why was I in your room?" Kougyoku questions.

"I'm really sorry, Princess, but I have no memories of that." Sinbad admits.

"Then why were you naked? Did you strip off your clothes while you were asleep?!"

"Yes. I do that quite often."

Kougyoku once again activates Djinn Equip as she swings her pin in front of Sinbad.

"Stop lying!" She shouts causing Sinbad to go pale and Kougyoku puts the blade by his face. "If you really plan of playing innocent, I'll tell you my side of the story! That night, I hid myself in a corner of the banquet room. But I could never muster up the courage to speak to you. The banquet ended. After that, I was attacked by something, lose consciousness, and awake to find myself in your room, Sinbad!"

Everyone is speechless from hearing Kougyoku side of the story.

"In other words…" Ja'far trails off.

"In other words, this happened!" Ka Koubun shouts. "In order to satisfy your own twisted lust, you went so far as to knock to princess unconscious before proceeding to commit your crime!"

The female generals scream at what happened as the men are disgust.

"How terrible!" Sharkkan says.

"He's disgusting!" Ja'far says.

"You guys! Believe in your king! Come on, do you guys really think I would get drunk and commit a crime while on a diplomatic mission?" Sinbad questions but he only gets stares that they do.

"We do. We have no faith in you when you're drunk." Ja'far replies.

"Cause this happens every time." Masrur agrees.

"The complaints from girls you've slighted is never-ending." Spartos adds.

"There was even an old grandmother who complained recently!" Pisti says.

"She was able to defend herself before it happened though." Hinahoho adds.

"You even made a move on me once." Yamraiha confesses.

"What did you say?" Sharkkan asks.

"You guys… What is this… Is the trust we placed in one another and the bonds we formed nothing more than lies?!" Sinbad questions.

"As if we'd listen to the words of a drunkard!" Ja'far exclaims.

"He's normally a good king though." Pisti says.

"In order for you to take responsibility for your actions, you must marry the princess!" Ka Koubun says.

"Marry?" Sinbad questions.

"Yes! If you are husband and wife, then the princess' honor will remain intact! His Majesty, the Kou Emperor, would surely give you the princess' hand in marriage."

"W-wait a moment! I haven't agreed to anything yet."

"We have no other way." Ja'far says.

"A political marriage with the Kou?" Yamraiha says.

"We have only two choices: war or friendship."

"That's really no choice at all." Hinahoho says.

"It is a retainer's duty to deal with his master's faults…" Drakon trails off.

"…and accompany him wherever his path leads." Spartos finishes.

"King Sinbad, your decision." Ja'far asks and Sinbad shouts in frustration.

"I can't take it this anymore! Yamraiha, use your power to prove my innocence!" Sinbad requests.

"Are you sure? I can only show exactly what happened." Yamraiha says.

"That's fine!"

"Then please gather around. Princess, you too." Yamraiha asks and both Sinbad and Kougyoku steps forwards. "I'll show you what really happened." Yamraiha then gathers water on her finger.

"You must not, Princess!" Ka Koubun shouts.

"Sharrar Raqesa!" Yamraiha shouts as the water forms into Kougyoku and Sinbad.

"What is this?" Alibaba asks.

"We'll have their rukh show us what happened that night." Yamraiha explains as the water forms into the scenery of what happened. "This magic shows only the truth!"

Then the Sinbad figure lies on the bed as if he is sleeping.

"He's sleeping. What about the princess?" Yamraiha asks.

At another location, Kougyoku figure walks down the corridor of the Kou Castle.

"She's walking." Aladdin points out and then Kougyoku figure is knocked out before she floats. "She's floating!"

"Someone's carrying her." Yamraiha says and someone puts Kougyoku next to Sinbad on the bed. "And they put her to sleep right next to King Sinbad."

"Then Mister Sinbad didn't do anything after all." Aladdin says.

"Keep watching!"

"He might've had someone carry her for him." Sharkkan says.

"Children should not watch!" Ja'far says as he covers Aladdin's eyes.

"But we have a duty to stand witness." Spartos says as he about to throw up and the other Generals look closely at the scene. However, nothing is happening.

"I'm going to speed it up." Yamraiha says as she speeds up the time, but nothing happened until it is morning.

"It's morning." Alibaba points out.

"They only slept." Pisti adds.

"So nothing happened." Ja'far says.

"I told you so! I didn't do anything!" Sinbad tells them. "Seriously, do you know how betrayed I felt?"

"We're sorry."

"Princess." Sinbad calls. "As you just witnessed, nothing happened. Both your body and your honor are uninjured!"

"I-I see…" Kougyoku says.

"You must not be fooled!" Ka Koubun shouts. "Such suspicious magic does not serve as proof! Be a man and acknowledge your sins, King Sinbad!"

"Stop it, Ka Koubun!" Kougyoku tells him.

"Princess!"

"I thought it was kind of strange, honestly. Neither my hair nor my clothes were in any disarray. But I just couldn't understand… I was scared and I caused a lot of trouble…" Kougyoku turns around and bows in front of Sinbad. "I'm sorry!"

"Princess!"

"Oh Princess!"

"I-I feel bad for her." Yamraiha says.

"But doesn't mean the culprit is still out there?" Sharkkan questions.

"What a horrible this to do…"

"But who did it?" Ja'far wonders as Kougyoku's subordinates comfort her.

"Princess!"

"Princess…"

"You mustn't be taken in by them, Princess!" Ka Koubun tells her. "You must have King Sinbad take responsibility and marry you!"

"I am so sorry!"

"Everything was orchestrated by Sir Ka Koubun."

" And we assisted him!"

"What?!" Ka Koubun shouts. "A-A-Are you guys stupid?"

"But don't you feel bad for the princess?"

"Capture the traitor who tried to deceive King Sinbad!" Ja'far orders and the soldiers charge towards Ka Koubun.

"I will not be captured here!" Ka Koubun shouts as he unsheathes his sword. Suddenly, Hakuryuu chops Ka Koubun's hands to drop the sword stopping this nonsense.

"Prince Hakuryuu!" Ja'far calls.

"Stop this farce." Hakuryuu orders. "King Sinbad, this issue was the fault of my country's misconduct." Hakuryuu says and he goes down to his knees as he bows down. "Clairvoyance magic also exists in my country. I believe that the water magic showed the truth. Am I wrong, Ka Koubun?"

"No." Ka Koubun admits.

"As the representative of the Kou Empire, I offer my sincerest apologies for the misconduct of my fellow travelers." Hakuryuu continues. "As the purpose of this trip is unrelated to this incident, I beg of you to please permit us to stay."

"Of course, permitted." Sinbad says.

"Thank you very much."

"What a stupid thing to do."

"Even the prince had to bow down and apologize…"

"It wasn't stupid!" Ka Koubun shouts and crouches down to the ground. "I had no choice! For lowly trash like me to fulfill my dreams, I had no choice but to do this!"

"Don't say that!" Kougyoku tells him. "You're a great person, Ka Koubun."

"Princess!" Ka Koubun hugs the princess as he cries but he pretends to do so. Ja'far then notices him and spit on Ka Koubun.

"Was it okay to let him go?" Ja'far asks.

"Yeah. His Highness, the prince, did not seem like he'd go home with his mission unfulfilled." Sinbad says.