Chapter 1094: River of Light
“So,” Leon said as he sat down in a comfortable armchair, “tell us everything you know about Despot Archelaus.”
Around him were the rest of his team, sans the Tempest Knights. Clear Day, Cassandra, Valeria, Gaius, Marcus, Alix, and Red had joined him. This wasn’t the most powerful team he could’ve assembled, but he didn’t want to leave Artorion completely defenseless.
Tauri met him several hundred miles away from the city, along with a welcoming party of several other Assembly members and other city bureaucrats. Leon was warmly welcomed back to the city, and shown straight to the building that had been set up as his Kingdom’s consulate. They wouldn’t be staying long in the city—especially since Archelaus’ representatives were waiting for Leon in the city to escort him to Archelion—but after nearly a week of travel, it was good to get some time to rest and strategize.
“I’ve never met the man personally,” Tauri admitted. “As far as I know, few people have. Archelaus is a distant ruler. He passes decrees down to his Strategoi, and they fulfill them. He does not show himself to the public, nor does he need to.”
“A good ruler would’ve come here to handle this matter personally,” Cassandra scoffed. “Those that wait for the world to come to them oft find that they wait longer than they can afford to.”
Tauri laughed a little nervously. “That’s… an interesting perspective.”
“You disagree?” Cassandra challenged, a smile growing across her face.
“It is a sign of power when those you summon appear before you,” Tauri stated. “Unless Basileus Ramin were to show up in the Despotate, Archelaus is unchallenged within his domain. None can stand against him. None can afford to anger him.”
“The world is replete with idiots who don’t understand the concept of self-preservation,” Cassandra dismissed. “Normal, rational people wouldn’t challenge a mage so much higher in power, but what about the irrational? The deluded and the insane? Or those who are quite simply too tired and done with life to keep on going? Or those whose minds are clouded by anger? The pirates that attacked your city were led by an eleventh-tier mage, whom my husband defeated before the fleet came here. Is Despot Archelaus truly so powerful if such cretins believe themselves able to attack us like they did?”