Chapter 5: In The Presence Of His Royal Majesty

The waitress brought their table the bill. Mimil looked it over and with a smile pulled a small pouch of coins from under her skirt. She began counting coins and smiled when she had enough. This wasn't a problem for her as her job always paid handsomely to the point even her own parents were somewhat jealous.

"I think this should cover our meal?" She said as she handed the waitress the money.

The waitress smiled and silently accepted the money, walking back into the kitchen. All the patrons were laughing and having a round of ale themselves. They gave Joshua a pat on the back as his group made their way out of the tavern. This wasn't how he expected to make an impression, but it would suffice. Now all he had to do was go with Sasha to her orphanage so he could get started on helping her.

"Ok….So, Sasha, you said you needed more help, right?" Joshua asked her.

Sasha was both surprised and relieved that he remembered. She could use all the help she could get, but Joshua would have to go through proper channels to become her servant, something he was unaware of. They would have to me with the king of Lescatie to make it official. It wasn't a far walk to the castle as they crossed half the city on their way to find somewhere to eat.

"Yes, but first we actually have to take you to see the king. He has to know of the success of the summoning ritual and make your stay in Lescatie official." She replied with a smile.

Joshua was a bit surprised by this. There were no kings or queens in his world, just democracy, and idiotic politicians. He wasn't sure how he should greet this king as he only met the president of The United States of America once to receive his medal of freedom. Little did he know his adventure had just barely begun.

"A king, huh? My world doesn't have any aristocracy anymore, so this is a first for me." Joshua said as he began nervously scratching the back of his head.

They all were shocked by Joshua's words. How could his world have no kings or queens to rule over a country. How did they keep everything stable with no central government? Who was making laws and levying taxes?

"You're joking right?" Mimil asked him, twisting her face in confusion.

Joshua shook his head. His world's leaders were democratically elected officials who did their jobs well at times. The armies in his world used fully automatic weapons and heavy artillery. They had no magic, only raw determination, and skilled leaders.

"We don't have kings or queens, but we do have democratically elected officials. Whether or not they're effective is a whole different story." He replied.

They all let out a sigh of relief. His world wasn't just everyone for themselves and the strongest coming out on top. His world's weapons would have probably caused them to wipe each other from existence if everyone was left to their own devices. Mersé reached over and gave Joshua a hard pat on the back.

"Don't worry, you'll *hic* be fine." She said encouragingly.

Joshua didn't feel any better. A king could easily have him executed for even the simplest of offenses. He was a little reluctant, but agreed to meet with the king. If his thoughts on Wilmarina truly being royalty are correct he may have already proven himself, but on the other hand, he could have also made things more difficult by taking Mersé, Luciana, and Elt on in the drinking game. All it would take is for Wilmarina to view his actions in a poor light to convince the king to pass a rash judgment.

"I hope our little game didn't just screw me over? I only did it because it felt like old times, but if WIlmarina is the king's daughter then this won't be easy." Joshua thought worriedly.

"Hey, Sasha, just what is the king like?" He asked her curiously.

Sasha could tell he was concerned, after all Mersé, Elt, and Luciana were soldiers but were also drunk. It was fine though as Mersé and Elt often drank after training and were well known because of it. She decided it was best to put Joshua at ease as he was doing his best to cooperate with them, and while he may not have a soul, he showed no hostility or anger towards his situation and even answered some of their questions for him as he said he would.

"King Castor? He's a kind man so you don't have to worry. He can also be very reasonable at times. You needn't worry about a thing as you've been cooperative with us up to this point." She reassured him.

Joshua breathed a sigh of relief. The only question that remained for him was if Wilmarina was king Castor's daughter. He didn't want to take advantage of royalty, but having some connection could prove beneficial. Luciana parted ways with them as she had errands to run with some of her friends, but said she'd be back for Joshua later. The rest motioned for him to follow them so he turned and headed with them in the direction of the castle.

"Hey, Wilmarina, your father—king Castor—he isn't going to be upset by three drunk people showing up in his throne room, is he?" He asked her, a bit of concern in his voice.

Everyone but Joshua burst out with laughter. Joshua's face twisted in confusion as Wilmarina tried to regain her composure. He could have sworn she, Sasha, and Mimil were royalty. It was hard not to see them like royalty as the three of them had a royal air about them.

"King Castor isn't my father, though, I am a noble and one of the heroes of Lescatie just like Mimil, Sasha, and Ms. Dascaros," Wilmarina replied happily.

"Well isn't there egg on my face…my apologies then. In all honesty, you, Sasha, and Mimil have that royal air about you." Joshua said apologetically.

"We don't blame you. This is your first time here, after all." Sasha replied reassuringly.

Mimil stifled a hard laugh. She was one of the best mages in all of Lescatie and a noble, but not royalty and neither was Sasha. Sasha had worked in her orphanage since she was little alongside her mother, but when her mother died she did all the work on her own unless Elt offered to help every now and then. As they walked they came to Lescatie's central district.

The buildings were much larger and grander than those by the tavern, indicating the owner must have considerable wealth to afford such a home. The people wore fancier clothes compared to those they saw living down by the tavern and gave Joshua a disgusted stare as he passed them. Their whispers were filled with venom, wondering why such "soulless profane trash" was with the likes of Wilmarina and Sasha. Even the knights on the street corners looked at the group with repulsed eyes.

Elt gave Joshua a concerned glance. To his surprise, Joshua didn't seem bothered by the whispers at all. Perhaps he'd already gotten used to it? He did however keep close so as to not get separated. Elt nudged Mersé, who didn't look all too pleased.

"I know….just stay close to Joshua. They don't know he's harmless." Mersé whispered to him. Her voice was calm but firm.

They approached the castle's outer gate and were greeted by two knights close to Joshua's height. One had a red plume of feathers hanging off his helmet while the other one had no helmet but his grey hair and weathered face spoke greatly of his experience. The knights gave the group a perplexed look, no one had sent for them nor did they know they'd be stopping by the castle. They then noticed Joshua and his lack of a soul seemed to make them nervous.

"Halt! What business do you have at the castle today?" The one with the helmet asked them in a gruff voice.

"Relax, Arval, I'm here on official business. Mimil managed a successful summoning ritual and I need to report the results to his highness King Castor." Mersé responded in an authoritative voice.

The two knights looked at each other in confusion. They weren't told of such a ritual at all. Mersé also had brought a man who lacked a soul with her who could best be described as looking like a peasant. Surely this was all some kind of joke? The older one didn't like the situation one bit since none of it made any sense.

"We weren't informed of any ritual taking place, and furthermore, what is that…thing..dressed in rags?" The older one demanded.

Joshua had a bad feeling in his gut. What if one of these knights attacked him out of nowhere? Sure Mersé wouldn't stand for that, but it didn't stop Joshua from feeling a little concerned for his safety. Joshua kept quiet as he didn't want to endanger himself any further. He smiled nervously and scratched the back of his head. Mimil saw this and had an idea of what he was thinking.

"Is Joshua…scared? I can't tell….he usually scratches the back of his head and smiles like that when he's embarrassed or nervous.." She thought to herself as she watched him.

The older knight eyed Joshua suspiciously. With no soul, he couldn't possibly have any magic—or did he? Maybe his magic operated independently of a soul which is why he didn't give off one? He also looked rather skinny and no match for the older knight.

"This is Joshua. He is the result of Mimil's summoning ritual." Mersé told the older knight in a calm voice.

The older knight was laughing on the inside. Just what kind of name was 'Joshua' anyway? Not only was he skinny but his name wasn't intimidating. The older knight suddenly had an idea: quickly draw his sword and point it at him to see if he so much as flinched.

"Hey, you! Come here." The older knight ordered, pointing at Joshua.

Joshua approached him cautiously, trying to make no sudden moves. The knight chuckled as he looked him up and down. He poked Joshua's chest hard and sure enough, he felt human. The older knight then quickly reached for and drew his sword, causing Joshua to panic and fall backward while trying to reach for his gun. Elt and Wilmarina had reached for their swords, but the knight's sword was already unsheathed before they could draw. Mersé had enough and held the spear point of her halberd to his neck.

"Darion! Sheath your blade!" She hissed as her eyes glowed with fury.

Darion snickered, returning his sword to its sheath. He had his fun and it was better not to risk Mersé's wrath. Elt helped Joshua up who looked rather shaken. He took a deep breath to calm his nerves as he released his grip on his gun. Mersé shook her head as she drew her halberd from Darion's neck. She looked at Joshua who was brushing off the back of his pants.

"On behalf of the knights of Lescatie I am terribly sorry for Darion's actions." She said to him apologetically.

"Trust me, it's not the first time someone has tried to jump me. He's just lucky I didn't shoot him," Joshua replied, glaring at Darion, "Let's just finish our business with the king."

Sasha breathed a sigh of relief. She couldn't afford to lose her only helping hand just yet. She could see Joshua was frustrated at nearly getting potentially killed. Her eyes met Darion's with an angry glare as she walked past him. She couldn't help but think about what would've happened had Joshua actually shot Darion.

"Poor man...that was truly uncalled for! Joshua may not have a soul, but he's a gentle giant! Darion really is lucky Joshua didn't retaliate…" she thought, grateful that no one, especially Joshua, was hurt.

"Are you ok?" Sasha asked Joshua worriedly.

"Yeah, I just wanna finish our business and get out of here." He grumbled.

They led him into the castle that wasn't done any justice by the fantasy stories he'd read in his world. The red carpet rolled out in the middle of the hallways had a rich gold border embroidered into it and the stonework for the castle was much more breathtaking than he could've imagined. Detailed portraits of kings and their families hung on the walls as well as individuals who appeared to be very important knights or heroes of some kind. Maids and butlers wandered the halls as well as seeing the occasional guard on patrol.

They passed by a woman who looked in her early twenties, long orange hair reaching down to her waist, large breasts, and a white cincher that went from just under her breasts down to her waist. Her dress had blue breast cups and white lace around the tops as well as white sleeves that had blue puffs just underneath her armpits and armored gloves the stretched to her elbows. She had a blue hat on her head that looked like a large beret with a silver cross on the left side and made a single V-shaped bang sit between her blue eyes. Her black skirt was followed by a blue back skirt reaching down to her knees. She wore armored boots over white stockings that went slightly past her knees. The knees of the boots had a gold cross on them. Her slightly curved sword hung off her left hip.

She eyed the group suspiciously as they passed. She tilted her head down and touched her chin as she looked away then back at them in confusion. There was one thing she didn't like: the man in the green jacket gave off no soul. The orange-haired woman began following behind them but kept out of sight. As they made their way to the throne room she noticed she wasn't the only one suspicious of this man as maids and other knights gave him odd looks just like she did. As they neared the throne room she became slightly concerned.

The man could possibly be an enemy spy who lacked a soul to mask his true power. Whatever his purpose for visiting the king was the orange-haired woman was bound by duty and decided she would strike if necessary. He was with Wilmarina and Sasha; two of Lescatie's best heroes. Did he use some kind of magic to gain some kind of control over them? The group entered the throne room with the young woman cracking open the doors a tad to watch what unfolded.

The king, dressed in royal robes, eyed them all curiously. His thinning, orange hair was a testament to his experience just as his weathered but sharp green eyes glinted with keen observation tested by time. A beautiful chandelier hung high above the center of his throne room that was surrounded by intricately carved stone pillars and large glass windows. To his left sat a queen slightly younger than himself, but dressed in royal clothes all the same. The group bowed to him with Joshua removing his hat as he bowed.

"Captain Dascaros, I wasn't expecting you so soon." The king said calmly from atop his throne.

Mersé smiled as she grabbed Joshua's arm and brought him forward. There was about to be a big payoff for Mimil's summoning ritual. Very few people were told of this ritual to keep it shrouded in as much secrecy as possible. Mersé had been chosen to act as an overseer of the ritual and she got to choose who the witnesses would be. Her smile soon turned into a gratified smirk as she spoke.

"I have returned with the fruits of the ritual. This young man here has access to information that could potentially be of use to us. He's also strong enough to beat me in an arm-wrestling contest, so I think he will be of great use to us. His lack of a soul could allow him to sneak behind enemy lines and strike when least expected if we give him a rifled musket." She stated proudly.

The orange-haired woman couldn't believe what she had just heard as she watched them. She wasn't aware the king was looking for some type of tactical advantage. This explained why the strange man had no soul—he was chosen as a special operative for clandestine operations few could ever dream of pulling off. She still didn't like the unusual vibes he gave off, though.

"Useful information and secret operations? Just where did they find this man and did she say he beat HER in an arm-wrestling contest?! Just who and what is that guy?" The orange-haired woman thought in astonishment.

The king looked Joshua up and down. Strange as he was, Mersé's words did interest him. A wide smile spread across his face as he now had something others had failed to achieve. With this strange young man, he might just prove there were alternatives available.

"What is your name, young man?" The king asked him with a confident smile.

"Joshua Gehrke, your highness." He replied calmly and respectfully.

"Well, Sir Joshua, welcome to Lescatie!" The king declared with a wide grin.

A/N: And we're off! I figured five chapters is enough for now. Feel free to leave a review as any feedback is absolutely helpful. Looking back at when I started this project (03/19/20) vs. where I am now I realize how much work this is going to take. Hopefully life doesn't cut in too much. I hope to have another chapter by 12/12/21. I have a special gift for christmas as well.