Chapter 3 The Confrontation Between The King And Duke

Ormazd had heard that bell sound before. It was the sound of the bells hanging on the palanquin that had carried him here. Its special feature was that the sound could be heard from a long distance. When Ormazd was sitting on it earlier, he had seen people running away from afar to avoid disturbing the king. This kind of thing was clearly for important figures. Ormazd took a big stride and in no time, he rushed back to the stone chamber. He randomly picked out a long robe and put it on, then hung all the gold ornaments on himself in one go. He sat down steadily and tried to calm his nerves. It seemed that he had forgotten something. The nerves that Ormazd had tried so hard to calm suddenly became agitated again — the mask! [King's Note: A king whose true face is seen will be immediately executed.] Even without this rule, he couldn't expose his face. Otherwise, how could he mingle with the people and find a way to break the situation? The young man's agile body jumped up, and he rushed around recklessly, relying on his memory of the path he had taken before. Just as he reached the main hall, he saw the gate he had closed earlier being slowly opened. Ormazd immediately started crawling on the ground, kicking up dust after dust. When the instep of his foot touched the cold ground, Ormazd let out a sigh of relief. But in his excitement, he accidentally kicked the pure - gold mask away. Ormazd thought to himself: Am I really this unreliable? A cool breeze blew in through the gap of the open stone door behind him, making Ormazd's heart sink. He lunged forward, grabbed the mask with one hand, and, without even shaking off the dust, put it straight on his face. Then, using the momentum of the roll, he sat up cross-legged on the ground. He lifted his eyelids and looked towards the open stone door. His blue eyes, due to excessive tension, seemed calm and somewhat god-like. "Your servant, Vahrez Ahriman, pays his respects to the king." The rough voice thundered. The man's burly figure seemed to shake every brick and tile of the temple as he walked. His face was covered with a thick beard like a lion's mane. Among his long, frizzy black hair were strands of gray hair from age. When his pair of green eyes stared over, they were like a jackal in the bushes. Ormazd's face under the golden mask started to sweat. The man in front of him was not showing the attitude of a subject at all. Ormazd clearly realized the danger he, as the king, was facing at the moment. Vahrez, the duke of the Ahriman family. The real leader of this country. Judging from the power he held, he was the true king of Aurashan. Vahrez verbally addressed himself as a subject, but his actual behavior lacked the respect one should show to a king. He looked at the king sitting cross-legged on the ground with great interest. His wolf - like eyes, glowing green in the darkness, scanned the other without any scruples. The king lifted his head slightly. The exquisitely - carved golden mask, symbolizing the god's agent, completely covered his face under the cold metal. The white robe was stained with the dust from the temple, and the hanging gold ornaments swayed gently. The two stared at each other for a long time, and a deathly silence spread in the temple. Only then did Vahrez chuckle. As he walked, he examined the environment of the temple. "I wonder what the king thinks of this environment?" As he spoke, he reached out to wipe the dust on the wall, making some ambiguous sounds. The initiative in the conversation was taken by the other party, which was not a good thing. Ormazd's mouth corners drooped slightly due to his mood. His eyes, the only part visible through the mask, silently glanced at the other. "This is merely a test from the gods and not worth mentioning." His voice was steady without any fluctuations. "Instead, who are you, what's your purpose, and why do you dare to barge into the temple?" Even though Ormazd knew the other was a duke, he shouldn't have revealed it. He had to assume the identity of the master of the temple. "Oh?" At this moment, Vahrez pretended to suddenly understand. His steps were steady and wide - spaced. His large, robust body suddenly moved closer to Ormazd. His long beard even touched the mask. His gaze was deep, as if he was staring at his prey during a hunt. "Vahrez. The 79th generation of the hereditary duke of Aurashan." After that, he straightened up. Although his tone was still arrogant, his words showed a bit of superficial politeness. "Your Majesty, your servant, came to check on you out of concern. Your words really break my heart." He said he was heart-broken, yet a smile of amusement still lingered on his face. Ormazd looked at him without speaking. He calmly stood up and patted the dust off his clothes. His long golden hair was tousled by the wind, as if merging with the golden mask. He finally understood. It wasn't that the king's status was worthless or as humble as dust. Otherwise, the other wouldn't have maintained a pretense of humility in his words. His eyes, as blue as the sky, met the green wolf - like eyes, calm and still as water. "During my stay in the temple, I'll have to trouble Vahrez to handle the affairs of the state for me." Rather, the other party had a huge ambition. This ambition made him unwilling to be subordinate to others, even to a king in name only. Ormazd placed himself in the rightful position of the king, which allowed him to maintain his dignity and not be humiliated by others. Even though this might anger the others, he had to do it. Bang! With a loud noise, the stone sword in his hand was violently smashed onto the ground. Vahrez glanced at the stone sword he had deliberately dropped, then tilted his head slightly to look at Ormazd with a sideways glance, saying nonchalantly, "Sorry, my hand slipped." Ormazd remained standing there, not even blinking his eyes. Vahrez, enraged to the point of laughing, spoke extremely slowly, word by word: "Of course, it's my honor to serve Your Majesty." As he walked, the dark wolf fur cloak on his body was flung back and raised high. "However, I'm afraid I can only serve Your Majesty for less than a month." Ormazd seemed not to understand the hidden meaning in Vahrez's words. "I deeply regret that as well." Jingle. The gold ornaments on his body jingled softly. Ormazd's figure was thin and frail, but the expression beneath the mask was full of determination. The howling wind lashed at the young man like a blade, cold and biting. Beside the wide - open stone door, Vahrez, who had only his back in sight, turned his head. The corners of his mouth twitched, and his eyes glowed with a faint green light. "Your servant took his leave. I hope Your Majesty has a pleasant stay here." At this moment, the figure of a young servant appeared outside the wide - open stone door. He was Vahrez's servant. The young servant bowed to Vahrez, who was leaning against the door, showing great humility and respect. Vahrez raised his chin and motioned to the stone sword on the ground to the young servant. The young servant with blond hair immediately responded, trotted into the temple, and bent down to pick up the stone sword with both hands. The servant was about the same height as Ormazd and was very close. Ormazd could even see the whorl on the top of his head when he bent down. As if sensing Ormazd's gaze, the young servant paused for a moment when getting up, then immediately lowered his head and backed away in a hurry. Ormazd quietly watched as the young servant retreated to Vahrez's side. His tightly - strung nerves relaxed a great deal. Only then did he realize that his back was completely soaked, and his clothes were sticking uncomfortably to his body. The muscles in his limbs also felt sore. He held on with his last bit of strength, waiting for Vahrez to leave. However, Ormazd's blurry vision caught sight of the stone sword that Vahrez took from the young servant's hand. The wolf - like hunter grasped the sword hilt. The next moment, the sharp blade was about to pierce through the servant's chest and abdomen. Ormazd's pupils are constricted. His body instinctively dashed forward. One hand grabbed the servant's wrist and forcefully pulled him back, while the other quickly drew the golden short - knife from his thigh. Clang! The stone sword met the gold. Instead of withdrawing his hand, Vahrez increased the force of the stone sword. Ormazd's hands were trembling, but he still firmly blocked the opponent's sword. Through the holes of the golden mask, the fierce look in his blue pupils could be seen. "Vahrez. Do you know exactly what you're doing? This is the residence of the gods." "I am the king of Aurashan!" Vahrez's wolf - like eyes were calm. His wide - opened smile was cruel and bloody. "Of course." "A mere servant, whose life is as lowly as a slave, how could he touch the stone sword representing the duke?" As he increased the pressure with his hand, his words had a double meaning. "People should know their place."