Chapter 40

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Chapter 40

"And here is the sacred dagger that my late grandfather possessed to defeat the giant."

Ritthirong waved a hand towards the pedestal. The dagger could be seen through the transparent layer of magic that protected the item like all the other items in the royal collection.

"You have an exquisite collection, your majesty." The plump-faced noble complimented. "I'm honoured to have a private tour with your highness."

The meeting was going as planned. If everything went well, he'll be able to obtain more powerful allies.

He adjusted the position of his necklace, reassuring that he looked competent in front of the nobleman. "These heirlooms have been meticulously been taken care of for generations in my family. Preserving the history of the royal family is only natural."

"Pardon for the intrusion, your majesty. Your attention is required immediately."

The meeting was not going as planned.

Charunee stood near the exit, with her head bowed. Ritthirong held back the urge to sigh in frustration and turned to the nobleman with an apologetic smile.

"It seems that I need to leave you temporarily, my deepest apologies."

The nobleman gave a hearty laugh. "There is no need to worry. It would be rude of me to keep you away from your royal duties."

Ritthirong gave a small bow and the nobleman copied the gesture. He then strode out the room with Charunee scurrying after him.

"You're going in the wrong direction." She was out of breath as she called after him.

His walk came to an immediate halt. Ritthirong turned to the woman with eyes full of rage. She promptly bowed her head and was visibly shaking.

"This better be important."

"The monks and shamans that you hired said they cannot do anything."

"What?"

"They said the tree is too difficult to rid of."

"What do you mean?"

"They'll explain once you arrive."

There was always something new happening around the palace. It seemed that the palace didn't want to relax even for a moment. The king was already stressed with the situation with the other royal spawns, he couldn't fathom how he'll deal with his other duties with every new occurrence.

He stood in the garden and stared at the banana tree in the middle of the garden. It miraculously grew there in the middle of the night and it was unsightly. The flowers that once grew there were now dying since the tree was sucking up all the nutrients and blocking the sun. There was a small group standing far away from the tree and were talking amongst themselves. One bald older man dressed in orange robes was listening to a young lad with a staff in one hand while a woman with a large sack seemed disinterested in the conversation. They all seemed to have been absorbed in their own world that they didn't immediately notice the king's presence.

"Now, what is the issue?" Ritthirong raised his voice in order to get the attention of the

The conversation between the three people halted and the monk and woman immediately bowed towards the king. The young man looked at the two before copying their gesture.

The monk spoke first. "It is an honour to meet your highness."

"Thank you, you may all rise."

They all stood straight up and he scanned his eyes amongst the group. It landed on the young man and the man immediately began to fidget under his gaze.

It was odd that the palace had to call for the greatest wizard in the country to aide them. Usually, wizards would already be required to serve the king no matter what.

"You," Ritthirong directed his words to the man. "You're the best wizard this country has to offer?"

"Actually, I'm from the neighbouring country. Just an average shaman."

"Then who's the best wizard in this country?"

"No, I am." The woman spoke up. Her tone was harsh and she didn't seem to have much interest in being there.

He narrowed his eyes at the woman. "Then, how come you aren't able to fix it?"

The monk spoke up. "If I may speak, I can explain some things."

"Go ahead."

"If the tree appeared here so suddenly, it is definitely not through natural means. It's very large and tall. The only explanation for such a phenomenon was that it grew via supernatural means–"

"Yes, of course, I knew that," the king said irritably. "But how come it can't be exorcised?"

The monk fell silent and looked at the woman. The king sighed. This was eating up too much of his time.

"This tree is tied to someone's life. It seems the spirit in it has a strong attachment to the world is unable to move onto her next life." The woman had a harsh look in her gaze as she spoke to the king.

She was looking down on him and he could feel that.

"What's your name?" He narrowed his eyes at the woman.

"Ubol, your highness."

"Ubol." He stretched out the name but the woman didn't react. "How come you are the best wizard in the country?"

"The late king had given me the title after I was able to rid of a sickness that was plaguing the citizens a few years ago. I was awarded for my service and was given the freedom to practice magic without working under his highness."

"So, you're telling me you get rid of an illness that plagued hundreds of people but you cannot get rid of a single tree?"

"Nang tani also have a strong instinct to protect women, your highness. I would be careful of what you say next."

That was when he realized that the old monk and the young man were standing further away from the two of them. A shadow was cast over him and he turned around to see the tree. It barely resembled a banana tree as its leaves were now pointed. The tree's trunk was twisted and curved towards him. It resembled a claw ready to pluck him from the ground at any moment.

Ritthirong froze for a moment. A small drop of sweat slid down his back as he stared at the tree.

"What sorcery are you pulling? Threatening a royal is an offence."

"You think I did that?" Ubol scoffed. "I advise you to rethink your assumption."

How bothersome. It seemed that he was going to be stuck with this issue for longer than he had expected.

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