Valerian, The Legendary

323 Face to face.

The meeting was finished with the keynote arranging a meeting between Valerian and Imperium. That was not all. The young man was supposed to come and visit the lord of the Hope Kingdom. The twenty big shots all knew that it was going to be tough.

These past few days, they have all witnessed the immense wit of that child. He can make them look like a fool with just a few words. After Imperium left to attend to his matters, the people started a discussion.

The topic was how to deal with this child. Valerian was a virus they had caught, and now it was giving them all such a significant fever that they had no other way but to visit a doctor and swallow the bitter medicine. One of the people said, “This guy appears randomly. However, every night he must return to that temple. How about we meet him there and ask him to come and meet with the lord.”

The people exchanged glances and nodded. They had no other way but this to arrange a meeting successfully. Imperium did not have a forgiving nature, and someone might end up paying the price of a misunderstanding in blood.

The big shots all sighed, and they moved quickly. The speed of action was also relatively fast, they sent a few people to the temple to invite Valerian, but those poor souls were trapped inside the traps. Valerie was tending to Anne. She would have to go inside the temple and tell Valerian that someone was caught again so the young man could undo the spell and evict the people.

This was done deliberately. The people have been telling him how the twenty lords made the critical decision and then, in turn, the supreme leader of the council, Imperium. The young man was not ideal these days. He was gathering information.

After dealing with the third batch of intruders, Valerian said, “Do not make me kill you.”

The aura he emitted was so cold that the intruders were shocked. Back in the offices of one of the big shots, five men were kneeling and narrating the incident to the person. The person looked like an amiable gentleman. After the five people finished speaking, he got up from his chair and walked over to the kneeling people.

He asked, “Did you imbeciles listen to me when I said, invite that young monk over to the office?”

.....

The five nodded, and then the man asked, “So, in what sense do you think barging inside the temple premises was a friendly manner?”

As he was talking, the man put on a brass knuckle. The people shivered, and they begged him for mercy. The man, however, shook his head and said, “You all know the rules now. Please do not make me go hard. You do not want that to happen, do you?”

The man blew hard punches and broke the jaws of these people and then looked at his deputy and said, “Malak, go. You will invite that child over. I hope you do not let me down.”

Malak was a burly man, but he looked very patient and sophisticated. He nodded, and with a bow, he left the place.

...

It was evening when Malak arrived at the temple in his carriage. These vehicles were a luxury that ordinary people could not afford. Valerie was playing in the courtyard with Valerian. The two played hide and seek; it was the young man’s turn. The desolate temple was echoing with the giggles and squeals of the little girl.

Valerian suddenly stopped and said, “Vali, we will play later. We have a guest.”

The young man could detect what was happening because Anne snorted while Malak watched things outside the threshold. The courtyard of the temple was open. It had low walls.

Valerian removed the cloth from his eyes and sent Valerie to the temple with a smile. He walked over to the threshold and asked, “How may I be of your help?”

Malak bowed slightly, took a paper, and passed it to Valerian. The young monk accepted the letter and read it out loud, “Pardon me for being unable to speak. My voice is not very pleasant. I am Malak. I work for the Master of Coins, Jelat. His grace has invited you for a meeting. I wonder if you would honor us.”

Valerian raised his brows in surprise. He did not expect this guy to be so articulate. He nodded and said, “I will not mind a meeting. However, would you like me to check your throat?”

Malak was surprised. He shook his head and said hoarsely, “I am fine. Would you like to come over today?”

Valerian could understand why this guy was not very keen on talking. His voice can scare someone out of their wits and life. Thinking about it, he said, “Can you tell me how long it will take for the meeting?”

Malak nodded and said, “Half an hour.”

Valerian nodded and said, “Very well, give me a few moments to sort my affairs.”

Malak nodded, and then the young man went inside the temple to tell Valerie about his visit and told her to hold onto a signal. Valerie nodded and told him to be careful. Valerian left the temple after snorting a few things to Anne and ensuring the beast was in charge of safety.

Malak opened the door for Valerian to enter the carriage. The crowd was watching all this, and they were all discussing in whispers. The young man had no problem with all of this. He would have been worried if they did not talk.

It did not take the carriage long to reach the destination. The journey was quiet. The young man did not say anything to Malak. Both parties were observing each other. Malak could tell this was not the first time Valerian dealt with someone considered an enemy.

The young man’s composure was good, and he was calm throughout the ride. This made Malak give a high evaluation of the young man. Valerian also evaluated the man in front of him in a similar manner. The trip came to an end, and Malak got down first. Valerian understood that this person was an aide beside the master of coin.

He got out of the carriage and said, “Thank you.”

Malak nodded and led the young man inside a building. Valerian thought the place was a tavern, but entering inside, he found a few dye machines and stuff placed inside and a few men working on them. He spotted a silver coin with a rising sun printed on it.

His eyes narrowed at this. The doubt in his heart was confirmed. The person behind all this was a hound the Tyrant of the East let out. The symbol belonged to the eastern continent. They worshipped the rising sun as the god of power. The young man had an exact imitation of this symbol in a book.

Thinking about it, the young man looked forward to meeting this new enemy. Malak did not take him ahead and gestured for Valerian to stand at his spot. Malak walked along and silently communicated with a man beside a coin-pressing machine.

Valerian looked at the man. He was wearing a suit, a rarer attire on the southern continent. This person did not seem to belong to the same land at all. The middle-aged man turned around and walked up to Valerian with great enthusiasm.

The man smiled and said, “Greetings. I am Jelat, the coin master of the kingdom.”

Valerian returned the smile and said, “Greetings, Sir Jelat. I am Valerian. A traveling acolyte of the order of mercy.”

Jelat nodded and said, “You have a very nice name.”

Valerian shook his head and did not say anything. Jelat asked, “I wonder if I can ask you to meet the lord of the city?”

This offer made Valerian pick up a hint about the situation. These guys were here to ask him to visit Imperium. However, he was not going to play it easy. He shook his head and said, “I cannot just leave behind all the work I have done here to meet the lord. The situation in the town is not particularly good. You must be aware of that, Your Grace.”

Jelat nodded and, with a sincere tone, said, “I understand that the work you are doing here is important, but you must also understand that the lord can provide you aid in performing your duties.”

Valerian put up a hesitating expression and began to walk around the press. Then he said, “The lord can meet me when he visits the place for inspection, can he not?”

Jelat thought about it and said, “What you said is correct. I will pass your words to the lord. Do you need anything from us? Please do not hesitate to ask.”

Valerian bowed slightly and said, “May Vita be praised. I would like you to donate some clothing for people experiencing poverty, and please allow me to help you with the farming issues and food shortage in this place. The people are suffering your grace. Your help can change lives, and who knows they might see you as a saint.”

Jelat even imagined himself as a saint and the masses dropping down on their knees. This was an isolated mana trick that Valerian used to hook this guy. The next moment, Jelat said, “Indeed, we should help.”