"Argh!"

One finger fell to the ground as a man yells in pain as someone wearing a butler outfit looming over him. The butler had a strained smile on his face and a dangerous aura around him.

The man who had just had one of his fingers cut off then glared at the butler and spat on the ground that the butler was standing on. "You think that you can get anything from me! I'll never tell you barbarians anything!" The man yells.

The butler just punches the man in the face, causing him to lose some teeth. "We already know who your employers are, Jordan Rose," The butler growls.

Jordan Rose look at the butler in shock, despair then began to settle onto his face. "H-how?" He stutters.

"Not that hard since that poison you used can only be used from one type of flower in Flora. And one that just so happens to be hard to obtain," The butler said. "Also, you should have thrown away your badge."

He then pulls out a badge that has a symbol of a rose and dagger. "Since you had given us more evidence that the Flora Kingdom send you to kill Prince Egon," he added.

Then the strained smile that was on the butler turned into one that was twisted and send a shiver down Jordan's spine.

"Besides, torture doesn't really get accurate information out of prisoners since they would say anything that's in their mind in order for the torture to stop. So, this had really been having me venting all of my anger at you," He said. "But now it's time for the fun to stop."

"No, no, no, stop—"

Jordan's head was then punched off his shoulders by the butler as blood splattered onto his face.

"Hmph." The butler took out a handkerchief and wiped the blood off his face and proceeds to left the room that he was in which appeared to be a dungeon.

...

...

...

"Your coffee, your highness," The butler lay down a cup of tea onto Jerrick's desk. The king took the cup and took a sip before setting it down.

"Just to my taste," Jerrick said nodding. "Your skill at brewing coffee is as excellent as always, Arne."

"Oh, you flatter me, your highness," Arne chuckle.

The two laugh amongst themselves before they look at each other with a serious expression. "What shall we do about those Flora cowards, your highness?" Arne asks.

Jerrick growls at the mention of the other kingdom. "Bah, those bastards wouldn't admit that they send that assassin and would just deny it no matter what," He growls. "And it would be a bad idea to go to war with them since we're currently recovering from the war."

"Well...As far as we know, the tension between the nobles and commoners is rising, so we can send someone there to make it escalate even more," Arne suggests.

"Good idea." Jerrick agreed. "Also, do you have the head of the assassins?"

"I presume you want to send the head to Flora as a warning?" Arne asks

"Yes. Also, how Egon's doing?" He replied, his tone shifting to that of concern when mentioning his son while licking his lips nervously.

Arne smile. "Prince Egon's doing fine, no harm had been done to him, though he is a bit mature for his age," He said.

Jerrick sigh in relief. "That's good." He then went back to the paperwork that was on his desk while groaning.

The door that led to Jerrick's office open to reveals a humanoid lizard with red scales on a military uniform with belt and buttons, a pair of scaly wings sprouting from his back, and had grey, silver-colored beard growing from his chin.

"Birger!" Jerrick stood up, his arms wide to hug the humanoid lizard to which Birger just stares at him before the king laid down his arms to his side, sheepish.

Birger chuckle, the frown on his face softening a bit, and held out his hand for a handshake to which Jerrick took. "Hahaha, it's been a long time since we last met, Birger!" Jerrick laughs.

"That because I dislike coming here. Full of hairless monkeys and enough golds. At least there're more golds here than least I came here and less hairless monkey than most places," Birger scoffs. "Also, I'm here to give that boy of yours a gift."

Jerrick just laughs, not taking any offense at Birger's statement.

Birger was a beastman.

Beastmen, like humans, dwarves, and elves could assess classes and skills however, there were crucial differences that differentiate them from others.

Beastmen could evolve just like monsters. Because of this fact, many nations refused to work with them, kept them as slaves, or even slaughter them. Though it was mostly human and elves who discriminates against beastmen while the dwarves don't care at all.

It didn't help that some beastmen had been known to evolve to monsters and lost any sense of rationality which was although rare, some nations had used it as excuses for their mistreatments of beastmen.

Due to this, Birger dislike being in a kingdom of humans or elves and tolerates the dwarves.

However, the Kriger Kingdom was one of the only human or elves kingdoms that Birger would willingly enter. This is because Kriger was a kingdom all about its military might which it used to conquer other kingdoms.

So, they did not look at beastmen with disgust but with respect. Beastmen on average were stronger than humans and elves, and most of them fought with their last breath due to constantly being hunted down.

Seeing their strength, the kings of Kriger invited the tribes of beastmen to live in their kingdom, though many tribes refused out of distrust. However, they did not conquer the beastmen and forced them to fight for them as the elves said.

Instead, the Kriger gave the tribes gifts, and the kings of Kriger challenge the tribes' chief to a duel, and when the king won, the tribes join the Kriger Kingdom out of respect.

However, it was also because Briger had fought alongside Jerrick back in their youth.

Jerrick sneered inwardly at the thought of the elves that said Krieger forced beastmen to fight for them 'Those treehuggers only made that up in order to make people against us since our military might has increased greatly,' He shook his head and faces Birger.

"So what's the gift you have for my son?" Jerrick questions.

"As if I show it to you, the gift is only for your son to see, that I swear upon my dragon blood," Briger grunts. "Say, where's Jack?"