The Achievement Junkie

"Hurry, we've—"

A message sounded out through the air but was cut off as quickly as it had begun. There were three people in the spacious room, listening carefully to a massive contact crystal broadcasting its message aloud.

One figure was leaned against the wall while another remained seated, both keeping silent. The third was pacing around the room and showed discomfort on his face as he spoke out loud, "Now what? How were they able to win so quickly?"

"Calm down," said the man leaning against the wall. "So what? They've made it back and now we just need to go with the flow and act like it was against our orders. No big deal."

"No big deal?" interjected the man sitting on the throne. "Me losing four mean at lv. 30 is no big deal? Maybe those men are weak compared to you, but losing them greatly affects the strength of my faction and my influence. What are you going to do about that?"

"Forget about them, my king. I can always find more talent if needed."

"And you; you're the reason those men were sent out for them. What do you have to say for yourself?" King Leodoro stared at the young man pacing about the room.

"It's their fault, not mine! They insulted me as the crown prince and you as their king. Of course, we can't show mercy to people like them," said the young man as his steps came to a halt.

"So what? You were the first to act out of line, even going against custom to threaten association members," replied the king.

"How do you know about that? Was it one of the guards?" questioned the crown prince.

"It doesn't matter where the information came from; what matters is how you're punished for your little tantrum. You know that I explicitly ordered to not act against the association or its members. We're already on thin ice as is and I'd rather salvage the situation than resort to an unsolvable feud," explained the king.

"You're too soft to be king, old man. You and I both know that we've been too lenient with them."

"What did you say!?" Suddenly, the room was filled with a dense pressure that pressed heavily onto the crown prince.

"Father! What are you—"

"Shut up!" King Leodoro increased the pressure, stifling his son. "If your elder brother hadn't perished in battle, you would never have become the crown prince. He was far more worthy than you. No matter the situation, he'd keep a level head and a clear view of the best plan of action. All you know is how to demand other's property and credit."

"Now, now, let's calm down," said the man who was no longer against the wall. Now he stood in front of the crown prince, easing the pressure the prince felt. "Don't take your frustrations out on him. He's just a boy who's still got a lot o learn."

"Silence Arnole! Ever since I allowed you full control of my Royal Court, relationships between us and the other factions have only worsened. Don't think me a fool who can't see the truth through your lies. Even him, my own son, has more respect for you as a teacher than he does for me as a father. Why do you think that is?" asked Leodoro.

"Don't blame me for your lousy parenting, my king. Besides, you know the strength of the Royal Cout has grown substantially because of my efforts and plans. Shouldn't you be glad?" replied Arnole, maintaining his calm smile.

Leodoro shook his head and answered, "I'd rather increase the strength and stability of my kingdom then amass my personal army."

"You should be thanking me. Because of me, your only living son who had worthless potential has reached lv. 10 within a single month because of my teachings and actions. Without me, you wouldn't have a suitable heir, would you?"

"And who said I could trust him as my heir?" asked the king, catching both Arnole and the crown prince off guard. "You may have fooled me before, as well as that

Arnole's gaze sharpened, attempting to pierce the king's resolve. After a few moments, Arnole patted the prince's shoulders and said, "You can leave. Wait for me while I chat with your father."

The prince looked confused, trying to understand what his father implied. He obeyed his teacher's orders and left the room, closing the doors behind him.

King Leodoro spoke before Arnole had a chance to say anything. Bluntly, he asked, "How long have you been a part of the syndicate?"

Arnole finally revealed a look of shock, no longer needing to put on a façade since the king had figured out the truth.

Seeing that Arnole remained silent, Leodoro knew he guessed correctly and continued, "What are you planning for me and my kingdom? I'm sure you had a hand in the murder of my eldest son correct?"

Arnole chuckled to himself and answered, "You are wiser than most, King Leodoro. I will admit that having your youngest as the crown prince is more suitable for my plans."

King Leodoro's breathing was calm, but his violent gaze bore down on the nonchalant character in front of him. "I repeat, what are you planning for me and my kingdom? It's obvious you've been using your influence in the court to worsen my relationship with the association? Is that so I have nowhere to turn when you and your people make me an offer later?"

"You know more about our recruitment process than I thought," laughed Arnole, saying only enough to admit the truth without giving a clear explanation.

"You may have weaseled your way into my Royal Court, but don't think I'm some pushover you can manipulate like that arrogant brat."

"Why do you speak of him like that? He's your only heir now; you should treat him with more respect," stated Arnole.

Leodoro replied, "You've already twisted his way of thinking and reinforced it by supporting his tantrums and strange thirst for power. For all I know, he had just as much to do with my son's death as you did."

"I can see you've done a lot of research. It's a shame I'm only just now learning that you were so well informed."

"The true shame is that I only began to question your motives after I had already lost him," stated King Leodoro. "If I had realized your treachery sooner, I'd have never let you hold so much power in my court."

"Well, it's too late now," said Arnole, shrugging his shoulders. "How about aligning with us? You already know the truth and you know that you can't touch me without facing serious repercussions. I can only imagine how much research and time you wasted trying to learn more about us, right?"

The king said nothing, acknowledging that Arnole's point. At first, he didn't want to believe that one of his son's had betrayed the other, or that Arnole had something to do with it.

Only after hiring some adventurers from an ally country to research the situation as a third party did he find the first clue to the treachery within the Royal Court. He spent a lot of money to uncover truth after truth until he could only guess that Arnole had the help of someone powerful in the shadows.

"Don't worry, you don't need to give me your answer right away. There's no rush. Since you already know the truth, that just means I no longer have to find a way to work around you. If anything, this just speeds things up for me," explained Arnole. "So long as you don't get in my way or mention any of this to anyone, I won't have to act rashly. And now that you know, you can help me with a few things."

"Know this Arnole," interjected the king, "I won't help you or your plans willingly. I have no intention to accept the support of the Chaos Syndicate, nor do I wish for you to be in charge of my Royal Court. But I know well enough that it's too late to remove you from that position quietly without consequence."

"So, you still think you have a chance to out me? Without revealing my involvement with the syndicate?" asked Arnole. "Is that why you didn't want that hero to join the Royal Court? You didn't want me to influence him?"

"I have my reasons for how I've acted and I have no obligation to explain those reasons to you," answered Leodoro.

"You're a lot craftier than I gave you credit. I guess we can only act against each other in silence from now on. I can't eliminate you quite yet for my reasons, and you're too afraid to eliminate me due to my backing." A devilish grin appeared on Arnole's face before he turned and began his exit. "I haven't been this excited since your son caught wind of my identity and forced my hand. I wish you the best of luck, so please make this interesting."

Arnole left without another word, leaving the throne room in complete silence and the king pressing his fingers into his forehead, trying to suppress his incoming headache.