I Got Isekai’d, Well Shyt!

Vol.4 Ch.245 You Have One Month.

(Fifteen minutes early.)

Terenthiel, Zane, and Sir Darius strode into the grand chamber lobby of Parliament, a palpable tension hanging in the air. Terenthiel moved with a fierce determination, his recent humiliation at the hands of the Dark Elf and Princess Hilda fresh in his mind. 

'Those wretched women… How dare they trample on my honor!' he fumed internally, his heart pounding with simmering rage. 'Mark my words… You will repent for your sins!' Every step he took fueled the fire within him, a yearning for retribution.

As they walked, the younger prince and the stalwart paladin exchanged glances, acutely aware of the storm brewing inside Terenthiel. They chose silence, sensing that his fury needed space to simmer, rather than a voice to echo it.

With a storm brewing inside him, Terenthiel made a silent vow. 'I'll get revenge.' But before he could act, he needed to gather his thoughts and his belongings before reporting this chaos to the Prophet and the High King. 'The situation is getting out of control, and we might have to convert the people of Fiafyr by force... Their salvation is at risk!' the foreign prince thought as a metaphorical, shadowy cloud loomed overhead, reflecting his darkening mood.

As he stormed through the grand entrance hall, the tension was interrupted by the frantic footsteps of a familiar figure running towards them.

"HAA!... Haa... Haa... Lord Marrell!... Wait!" Duval’s desperate voice echoed behind them, his breath coming in ragged gasps.

The Prime Minister and his aides hurried down the hall, desperation in their steps as they tried to catch up with Prince Terenthiel. Each hurried footfall echoed their urgency, but instead of reassuring him, their frantic pursuit only deepened the Prince's frustration. The man he had once trusted had let him down, and the weight of Duval's failure hung heavy in the air.

'Duval... Your incompetence has let a Dark Elf into your lands, and you didn't even have the spine to arrest her,' Terenthiel seethed, halting mid-step, brooding like a tormented youth.

Duval, breathless from the chase, finally caught up. "Y-Your Highness... might you spare a moment in my study so we can discuss—"

"No!..." Terenthiel snapped, his voice cut through the air with a sharp edge.

Duval halted mid-stride, surprise etching itself across his face. “No?” he echoed incredulously, his heart racing. He felt a mix of confusion and dread washing over him.

"You have betrayed me, Prime Minister... Not only have you failed your Kingdom, but you have also defied the Gods themselves," Terenthiel's words reverberated through the chamber, heavy with accusation. The younger prince and Sir Darius halted in their tracks, wide-eyed, captivated by the fury emanating from the Fifth Son of the Divine Order. "And to make matters worse, I have discovered that you have concealed a Dark Elf within the very walls of your realm! You thought you could keep this from me!?” His voice thundered, an imperious command demanding attention.

Duval's complexion turned ashen, fear gripping him. "W-Wait! Hold on! I swear I didn’t know about the Dark Elf until just a day before your arrival! I have been doing everything within my power to stop her, but time slipped through my fingers!" he pleaded, desperation seeping into his tone.

"And yet!" Terenthiel cut him off, his brow furrowing in disdain. "You still chose to keep this from me? Two valiant white knights have fallen because of your incompetence! The Princess herself is ensnared by delusions of grandeur and believes she can stop that foul creature! And my honor? Ruined! I demand you hand over the Dark Elf, or be prepared to face the dire consequences of your actions!" He leaned forward, a fierce intensity igniting his gaze.

"I-I... You can’t expect me to simply surrender her after all that she's wrought! And even if I could, tell me—who among us is strong enough to confront her?" Duval retorted, a flicker of defiance emerging amidst his fear.

Terenthiel’s lip curled into a sneer, even as he begrudgingly acknowledged the truth in the Prime Minister’s words. Sir Darius was indeed the only one formidable enough to endure an encounter with her, and even with Young Prince Zane and the other Knights at his side, they'd need more than mere valor—divine intervention would be essential for survival. Yet, Terenthiel wasn’t about to admit that, especially not after losing face in front of everyone.

“What an idiotic question...” he spat, his voice dripping with disdain. “It’s the Divine Three who hold the power to stop her. But the influence of your false goddess has prevented the Divine Three's power from reaching my people. She's tainted the minds of your people to give her strength she doesn't deserve. She must be meddling with your royalty to make the Crown Prince bring a Dark Elf into these halls, no doubt planning to corrupt the King and Queen to turn their backs on the one true faith. That of the Divine Three," Terenthiel ranted, his voice growing louder and more indignant with every word.

"What? False goddess? Iyomelka isn't a false goddess! And she will pick the Princess and not the Dark Elf... You'll see!" Duval said angrily.

"How can you not see her falsehood? She doesn't show herself to anyone, and you think she will choose Prince Hilda?... And it would be even worse if your goddess chooses the Dark Elf because it will show us that she's a goddess that chooses evil over good," Terenthiel said and turned around, "Now if you excuse me... I'm leaving. Goodbye, Duval."

"What about the peace treaty?!" Duval asked.

"If the Princess doesn't get chosen by your countryman and the Crown Prince by the time I return... Then you better be prepared to defend yourselves... I'll pray that the Divine Three will have mercy on your souls," Terenthiel said with a cold voice.

"W-Wait... What are you saying?... Your Highness!?... Wait!" Duval called out.

"You have one month, Duval... And the Divine Three have spoken. If the princess doesn't get chosen, I'll have no choice but to purge all the sinners from your land with the Divine Three's Paladins... The Goddess Iyomelka is the one who will be judged... Now you will pay for your failure," Terenthiel stated and left the palace.

Duval stood there frozen, shocked at what Terenthiel had just said. The thought of war filled his mind, and stopping it at all costs was all he could think about.

'The peace treaty is on the verge of being destroyed... All that hard work for nothing,' Duval thought and clenched his fists, 'I need to make sure that fucking idol lights up for Hilda and no one else! I need Sebastian's help with planning... And the Elf!'

"Damn that fucking Dark Elf," Duval cursed and stormed off.

"Sir!" one of the aides called out.

"I want Count Sebastian Ingham, Baron Thaddeus, and Baron Eamon Stirling in my office immediately," Duval demanded.

"A-At once, Prime Minister," the aide replied and ran off.

Terenthiel, Zane, and Darius marched their way through the palace with the guards stepping aside as they exited the foyer. It didn't take long for them to meet up with the rest of his men and they got into their carriage before heading to the Ecros Manor in the south of the city.

***

After Duval hurried off to the his office. Alaric and Leandra walked out of the House of the Major Lords and into the lobby were a bunch of aides and a few nobles were lingering for a bit before they left the palace.

When Alaric thought they were far enough away from the ears of the elves. His stoic face morphed into a smile.

"Well, dear... It seems you almost made the Dark Elf cry... It was thought to tell, but you struck a cord," Alaric said in a pleased tone.

"I did?... She made me so mad that I didn't realize it... It's good to know that she isn't as strong as she looks," Leandra replied.

"Indeed... And having the Princess in the walls of the palace will be a major boon for us... I haven't been able to get servants loyal to us in decades," Alaric stated.

"True... But how are we going to communicate with her when she's always surrounded by guards every time we come by? Or worse, the elves?... How do we know that they aren't listening?" Leandra asked.

"Belial has been getting some things from our neighbor to the north... I'll explain more later when we get home... But for now... I need to talk with Duval... He needs to be picked up after that beating," Alaric said and smiled.

Leandra pouted and sighed.

"What is it, my dear?" Alaric asked.

"It is unfortunate that the day Duval finally stumbles is the day we need to help him... That vile man doesn't deserve our help," Leandra stated.

"I know how you feel... But he's important for our new plans... Now come... I'll take you to the carriage so you can have a nice lunch... While I built a new friendship with an enemy," Alaric stated.

Leandra and Alaric walked out of the palace and headed toward the carriage.

The Driver saw his lordship and opened the door for the couple.

"Good day, my Lord, and my Lady," the Driver greeted.

"Good day, Franklin. Take her ladyship home for the day and come right back here within an hour. I need to speak with the Prime Minister for a moment," Alaric said.

"It shall be done, my lord," Franklin said.

Leandra stepped inside and sat down.

Alaric kissed his wife's hand and closed the door.

"Take care, my dear," Alaric said, and the carriage took off.

Alaric turned around and walked back into the palace and headed straight for the Prime Minister's office.

As he entered the foyer of the West Wing. Viscount William came walking alongside the Duke.

"My Lord... Please tell me you have an idea of how I can save my domain," William begged.

"William... If you are this worried then that means you haven't been saving your money..." Alaric stated.

"After everything I've done to save you when most of your coffers were emptied by Duval. You have the gall to talk about my savings? I have done everything to make sure you could keep the Divalo Domain afloat," William complained.

"I do appreciate you hiding my money during that time, but it was still my money... And you got too greedy when Alistair agreed to dismantle his only port city on his Enclave... As of right now, you need to stop gambling, and second, you have to readjust your taxes until the Dark Elf is out of the picture... We are in a war of wits, William... And she's ahead of us... It's time to make sacrifices so we can live to fight another day," Alaric stated.

William knew it wasn't fair, but the Duke was right... And he couldn't risk losing the Silverhaven Coast to that Dark Elf.

"You're right... I'll start planning accordingly and invest my gold into my cities' growth," William stated.

"Good man... Help offset this, we need imports... There are a few island kingdoms we could trade with, but they can only send us so many goods that the rest of the kingdom would want... I'll try to line up a meeting with the Merchant's Guild... You might need to kiss Witon's ass so much that crap might stick to your nose," Alaric stated.

William grimaced at the thought of kissing up to that fat ass guild master.

"Ugh... The Merchant Guild... I hate bending the knee to a fucking commoner... Just because he controls all the traders in the east doesn't mean he's better than me," William complained.

"I don't like him either, but he can give us what we want... Just remember that and keep the bile in," Alaric stated.

"Alright... But when things are back to normal... I'm going to kill that fat pig," William stated.

Alaric just smiled as he reached the door to Duval's office.

"Now we need to see the Prime Minister... Let me do all the talking," Alaric stated.

"As you command," William said as he opened the door.

The pair entered the large lobby of the Prime Minister's office and found a few worried aides and a couple of guards standing by the entrance to Duval's office. They all turned and were surprised to see the Duke and the Viscount.

"My Lords... May we help you?" one of the aides asked.

Alaric smiled, "Oh... You have it all wrong, my boy... What can I do for you, is the question."

The aides looked at each other with concern.

"Lord Duval isn't taking visitors today," another aide stated.

"Is that right?... Well, I guess he wants the peace treaty to fail then... It's a shame, though. I had so many good ideas for helping the prime minister. Come, William... I think we should resign our Fate to the Dark Elf," Alaric said as he and the Viscount turned to leave.

The aides started to sweat as the pair neared the door.

"Wait!" one of the aides shouted.

Alaric right brow raised slightly and had to hide his shit eating grim before he slowly turned back to the aides.

"Yes, my boy... What is it?" Alaric asked.

"Um... Why don't you tell us what your plans are?... We can advise the Prime Minister when he is ready," the aide suggested.

"And have you take all the glory?... No, I'm sorry, my boy. I can't trust that the Prime Minister will take you seriously with my plans... It's better if he hears it from the horse's mouth," Alaric explained.

"But, Lord Duval isn't seeing any visitors today," the aide repeated.

"Is that why Lord Sebastian is there with him?" William asked as he pointed to the closed door.

"Uh..." the aide froze.

"Well, I see the Prime Minister will talk to a Count, but not a Duke... It seems we're doomed," Alaric stated as he turned to leave again.

"Wait, my lord!" the aide called out again.

"Yes, my boy?" Alaric asked as he turned back to the aide.

"We'll let you in if you promise that you are only here to help and won't say anything that could upset the Prime Minister... He's had a long enough day with the Dark Elf and Prince Terenthiel coming down on him," the aide stated.

Alaric smiled, "Let's just say that we have a common enemy that threatens our Kingdom... That's all I'm willing to say."

The aides looked at each other and nodded.

"We can work with that," the aide said.

"Good... Lead the way," Alaric said.

"Yes, sir," the aide said as he knocked on the door.