Rise Of The Godking - Chapter 115 The Beggar King 2

Daneel was so shocked by the absurdity of the situation that he actually let go of the beggar king and stepped back, all his moral codes and thoughts about what kind of man he was crashing down into ruin while he stared into the clear eyes of all the young newcomers.

He tried to tell himself that it could be that they were all brainwashed, and that the beggar king was still as rotten as they came. However, as he turned to the man, himself, he saw in his eyes genuine care and concern for the children who clearly loved him as a father, and that, more than anything, convinced him that things might not be as they seemed.

Even then, he kept saying to himself that somebody with children could also be evil. His thoughts waged a battle within his head, half intending to leap at the man, again, ignoring what the kids had said, and the other half urging him to drop everything and give the man a chance to explain.

Both were extremes that he didn’t like. Stepping into the battle, he made a decision…and chose something in between.

Tearing his eyes away from the kids who still looked like they wanted to jump forward with the makeshift weapons they held(wooden sticks and even a doll, in one case), Daneel walked to the old man who was still trying to decide between his own options. He didn’t have too many, though, and many of them that he had been thinking of became moot as Daneel reached him in a swift moment.

In a silent tone that could definitely not be heard by the kids, he said, “I don’t care who they are, but what I do care about is who you are. Why did you come to my home in the guise of a merchant just arriving to finalize a deal and try to kill me? Why did you cause the death of someone who had survived the rebellion, and was looking forward to a long, happy life? Why did you crush all our hopes? What are you? A true king, or just a despot acting kind?”

The beggar’s eyes flipped between him and the kids, clearly hastening, now, in the attempt to choose a course of action. Finally, with the groan and a sigh, he said, “I will answer all your questions. Let me check the situation outside, first, though. I don’t know how you came in here…but I need to see what happened. If I don’t, many more like the one outside will descend, and then…all of us will die.?”

Daneel frowned. He wasn’t really fond of the idea of opening the vault’s door, giving the man a chance to alert the guards. There could be a hidden alarm, somewhere, that he might be able to press…but the risk of more mages descending was also too dangerous. So, grudgingly, he nodded his head toward the steel wall that he had come in through, and without even hesitating for a second, the man scurried to it.

“I told you all to stay where you were! This is not what it looks like, children. Remember how the Captain and I play at training, sometimes? This is similar. No one is going to get hurt. Go back inside. Now!”

The last part was said a bit sternly, and after looking between Daneel and their father for a few seconds with hesitant eyes, as if they found it hard to believe that what the man was saying was true, the kids obliged and began to shuffle back inside the wooden door. The beggar had tensed when he had said the word ‘hurt’, and now, before continuing to the door of the vault, he looked at Daneel fearfully, as if believing that he would bring harm to the children as he stood between him, and that wooden door.

Daneel could see from this, clearly, that this was a stake that might just ensure the man’s loyalty. He didn’t like it, but because he hadn’t said anything about it out loud, he let the man believe whatever he wanted and just stayed there, looking into the man’s eyes dangerously while tapping his foot, showing his impatience.

With a hurried nod, the beggar turned and pushed the steel handle present on this side. Numerous sounds of locks clicking and shifting appeared, as if they were all inside some sort of a clock in the shape of a vault, and then, the door began to open ever so slowly.

The man darted outside as soon as there was enough space for him to go. Daneel almost went after him, discarding all other thoughts due to the high risk that he might just run away, but right before he went out of sight, the bigger looked back inside, and the fear that was visible in those eyes as he looked at the wooden door hiding the children made it obvious that the threat Daneel presented was still enough.

An audible gasp floated inside, which Daneel was certain had come out of the man’s mouth after he saw the state of the mage’s body. After that, the sounds of hurried footsteps going about the library were audible, following which the beggar re-emerged, looking much more terrified than he had before.

He opened and closed his mouth, as if unsure about whether he wanted to ask the question on his tongue.

“How did you—”

He was suddenly interrupted by the sounds of many footsteps coming from somewhere distant, but closing in their direction rapidly. One look at the door of the library was enough to tell Daneel that his plan hadn’t gone as well as he had hoped; either the city had been calmed down, or the truth behind the fake rebellion had been found.

Urgently, he began to think about he could do. One option was to take the beggar king hostage. Before he could think of any others, though, the beggar, himself, came near Daneel and spoke in a furtive tone, as if he was even afraid of his own guards.

“Look…there is too much to explain. For now, you just need to know that it is imperative that no one finds out about your arrival, here. The guards might be on my side…but you never know. Even if they are, the family has means of delving into their minds and finding out everything they need. Do you understand me? They must not know! Please hide inside the vault. I’ll send them away. Don’t think that I’ll even consider leaving with them; those children are my life, and I’m sure that if I try anything, you might abuse them or even use them as hostages to escape. I cannot risk that. Please… will you trust me?”

Daneel pondered on it for a few seconds while the guards came nearer and nearer to the door. He was still inside the vault; the beggar king was speaking to him from the library, and from the way his legs constantly shifted in the opposite direction, the nervousness that he felt could be seen.

Finally, a single look around the vault made Daneel take his decision.

“Alright, I’ll hide. But keep give the vault door open, and I’ll have that knife in my hands. If I suspect that things aren’t going according to what you just said… it shall fly straight for your head. I can tell that you don’t want them to see the body of the mage, either…so make them leave without entering.”

“No problem! They’re here! Please…move inside! I swear that nothing will happen!”

As the man went to the door without even worrying about the threat that had just been leveled at him, Daneel pursed his lips and went back inside the vault.

Taking an ornamental, but sharp knife that hung on one wall, he waited at a position from where he wouldn’t be visible to anyone peeking through the door. He would definitely be able to throw the knife if needed, though, but even as he closed his fingers around the leather grip of the dagger, he had an inkling that he would not need to use it…and at the same time, the thought that things were definitely not as they had appeared went through his mind, making him bite his lips, then look forward eagerly to finding the actual truth.