The Achievement Junkie

The central plaza was filling with more and more people as the morning sun climbed the sky. It didn't take long for Jack to hear some of the many things people were saying about him.

"Didn't you know? The hero denounced the king, refusing to acknowledge him."

"The hero is so strong, he fought his way out of the castle by himself to test the strength of the king's court."

"What a joke? He was too weak to be considered a hero and the king refused to accept him, that's what I heard."

Each story was completely different from the next, some angering Jack and others bringing a smile to his face. He made sure to wear the hood of his new cloak, which Zariff had given him from the scraps of the armory. It wasn't anything special and Jack was sure to replace soon, but who would expect to see a proud summoned hero in a tattered cloak?

After getting his fill of the rumors Jack walked back to the association building. When it came into view in the distance, Jack noticed a small carriage parked outside and two hooded men guarding the entrance. As Jack neared them, the men did nothing to stop from entering.

Jack walked past the usual crowd at the bar and asked Maura behind the reception desk, "What's going on now?"

"We have a special guest and I've been told to send you to the conference room the moment you return." Maura was still cold to Jack like before. She only spared him a glance as she pointed to the stairs. "Get moving, they're waiting for you."

"Thanks…" Jack frowned when she gave him that look, unhappy with their current relationship.

He slowly ascended the stairs and reached the empty second floor. While he couldn't find anyone there, he soon heard some voices from behind the conference room door.

"Is that why you came here?"

"I told you, I'm waiting for him to explain anything more."

Recognizing his cue, Jack knocked before opening the door. "Did someone call for a hero?"

"Hurry up and sit down, brat. We've waited long enough," yelled Zariff. "He's here now, so speak. Why in Halmut's beard would you come here unannounced?"

Jack stepped to the nearest seat while he scanned the room. There were seven people scattered across the massive table.

He was happy to see Rydel and Maynard among them, and of course, Zarif was at the table's head. Assuming that the others were the remaining adventurers over lv. 30, Jack made sure to quickly memorize their faces.

The final face he saw at the end opposite Zariff caught Jack completely off guard, causing the hero to freeze behind the seat between Rydel and Maynard.

"I'm glad you're finally here, Jack."

"And to what do I owe the pleasure, Leodoro?"

The king smiled; not a dark, scheming smile but a genuine grin with a soft chuckle. "I came by to announce a few things to the upper echelons of the local branch of the Adventurers Association and I insisted that you join us so I don't need to explain things twice."

"That's kind of you," joked Jack.

"Well, I thought it would save me some time since I also wanted to ask an audience after the meeting," said King Leodoro. "There are a couple of things I'm sure you'd like to ask about me and the Royal Court. Am I right?"

"Very well, I'll accept your request. Now get on with the meeting." Jack motioned for him to speed things up and not waste his time.

"Can I have the floor, branch chief?"

"Just take it already, we're tired of waiting," barked Zariff, leaning back further into his chair.

"Very well." King Leodoro stood up, showing his great size that could rival Zariff. "Thank you for letting in unannounced and for keeping my presence here a secret. Honestly, this building may be the only one safe from the court's spies. The first thing I would like to say is that I'm sorry for what happened to the party that recently returned from the mine and the trouble the Royal Court caused them."

Jack, Rydel, and Maynard were silent, nodding in acceptance and waiting for further explanation.

"In recent years, my influence over the court has begun to dwindle and Arnole has taken a leading role. I shan't say too much about him, but I can say that he is far more calculating and twisted than I ever imagined. Had I known before, I never would've allowed him to even join the Royal Court."

"It's that bad?" asked Zariff.

"Yes, it is," sighed the king. "I sure you're all confused by such a statement about the upstanding captain of the Royal Guard, but it's true. Had I known his true nature, Rykard would still be with us today."

A thick sheet of silence fell over everyone, stifling anyone's thoughts to interject. Only Jack didn't understand the full meaning of that statement, but he could guess enough by the tense atmosphere.

"So… why is it you've come here?" asked Zariff. "This appears to be a problem within the Royal Court, and we have no authority to act against them. And if Arnole holds more influence than you, that law won't be changing anytime soon."

"True, I've begun to lose control of a monster I've created, but I have no way to contain it either. I'm not asking for your interference. However, I'm making it clear to you all that the current Royal Court is divided. How it stands now, I wouldn't be surprised if that man is grooming that idiot son of mine into his puppet as we speak. Only time can tell what his true aims are."

"And what does that have to do with us?" Zariff stared at Leodoro, not as rivals but as acquaintances.

"I assume you'll be expecting some company from your headquarters within the next few months, right?" asked Leodoro.

"Correct… but how do you know that?" replied Zariff, taken aback by the king's statement.

"Because the news you're trying to keep under wraps will be used by Arnole as a means to frame a certain hero we both happen to know," explained King Leodoro. "I have no clue how he figured out the identity of that little fox, but I don't doubt the validity of his sources. Of course, he never told me this, but he's not the only one with moles in enemy ranks."

"Seriously!? You mean—"

"Silence, brat! Know your place!" yelled Zariff, effectively shutting Jack up. The Branch Chief stroked his beard in thought for a few moments before he continued, "So you plan to reveal the fox as a Hell-flame Fox, inciting distrust in Jack as a hero? Not a bad tactic."

"Most likely that's the core of Arnole's plan," agreed Leodoro.

"If I may speak, I have a question for the king." Rydel raised his head, patiently waiting for the floor.

"Speak," stated Zariff.

Rydel rose to his feet and looked toward King Leodoro. "While we were in the mine, we encountered many unexpected events. The goblins had regrouped to the third level and created a city of their own."

"What?" King Leodoro didn't mask the surprise on his face. "Are you serious?"

"Yes, and that's only the beginning," explained Rydel. "The goblins had someone backing that and supplying weapons. According to the goblin queen, this backer also formed a pact with a tribe of trolls and stationed some in the goblin palace. We had to fight not only various lv. 30 goblins, but also trolls and a troll captain who had captured and tortured numerous adventurers. Would you like to guess who discovered as the backer?"

The king wanted to guess the Chaos Syndicate, but he kept silent, not daring to mention the syndicate casually to avoid revealing too much by accident and placing a target on his back.

Maynard swung his arm and threw a few weapons across the table which he had retrieved from his storage.

Everyone's eyes bulged as they recognized the crest on the hilts of each weapon, easily distinguishing them as the common weapons given to soldiers of the Royal Court. King Leodoro stiffened, not speaking or breathing.

"Based on the picture you've painted for us, there are a few possible outcomes, two of which being the most likely. The first, you're lying and trying to paint a false narrative in the hope to lower the association's influence yet again among the people after you convince us to act against you publicly in the near future. Or second, you've lost more control of the Royal Court than you're willing to admit, and you came here begging for help from people you've blatantly opposed in the past. So, which is it?"

Everyone paid close attention to the king, each adventurer using their own ways to decipher his body language and reply.

King Leodoro lowered his head and sighed heavily, "This Rydel… He's far more intuitive than any of my men gave him credit." He glanced around the table and paused when he met the hunter's eyes. "It's the second. I admit that those are indeed our weapons and that the Royal Court had recently made a few visits to the mine, despite my knowledge of the court doing something so hard to believe. Also, I admit that my role in the Royal Court is being eclipsed by Arnole, as the second most powerful man in the kingdom."

"Do you have any explanation for this, or will you not reveal any evidence for us to believe you?" asked Rydel.

"I have no explanation to give you; not because I lack one, but because I simply can't. You can only trust my word. If you can't trust me, then I don't see any more reason to continue this meeting," stated the king.