Genesis Code: The Genetic Awakening-Chapter 173: Royal Decree

"What plan do you have in mind, Your Majesty?"

The priestess’ question pulled King Gray out of his grim and despairing thoughts. Priestess Celistra may not be heavily involved in politics, but even she could not sit by and watch the nobles do as they pleased.

They had to be punished.

’Hah... If only the Goddess were as present as she used to be in the past.’ She thought to herself. ’The church has really fallen since the demons arrived.’ fгeewebnovёl.com

"There’s only one way to deal with all this..." King Gray said. "I’ll be announcing a Royal Assembly of Nobles."

"Royal assembly?" Osbourne turned to his father, narrowing his eyes thoughtfully. "I see... A mandatory summoning will force the nobles to respond, and if they fail to respond, you have the power to strip them of their noble titles for breaching the crown’s law."

"Exactly..." The king nodded, watching as realisation lit in the eyes of the others. "Naturally, they will know what this is about, but they can’t refuse."

"They will have no choice but to walk into it, knowing full well that it’s a trap." The priestess nodded, her right hand under her chin thoughtfully.

"But it won’t stop them from making plans of their own." Jess chipped in. "They’ve attempted an assassination on the Royal family before; they can do it again. Also, the first time, they somehow got their hands on demonic spells."

"It won’t matter..." King Gray shook his head, looking right at the catwoman. "The last time, we didn’t have Caleb with us. This time, however, I will have him stand with me."

King Gray had made his decision. He had allowed the nobles to play around long enough. It was time to exercise some of his authority as the sovereign of the land — whether they liked it or not.

"I’ll be granting him a royal pardon, absolving him of any and all alleged crimes," King Gray added. "This nonsense has gone on long enough." What he didn’t say was that those preparations were ready, and all that was needed was a word from him to issue the decree.

"..."

A moment of silence passed among the gathered people around the altar.

Finally, Commander Lance placed the journal down. He had had enough and could no longer read the things in there. ’No wonder he felt so disgusted and repulsed.’

"But father, what would the royal summons be about?" There had to be a premise, as the king could not summon all the kingdom’s nobles to the capital without a strong enough reason.

They — the nobles — were the guardians of their domains, after all.

"We did score a major military victory against the Growians, didn’t we?" King Gray glanced at his son, a bit of amusement in his eyes. "Also, I promised to reward the commanders who came to aid the capital during the demon generals’ invasion."

"Please don’t let this escalate to the normal people, Your Majesty." Priestess Celsitra stepped in once more. "They just recovered from the previous attack on the city. The nobles can do far worse if they’re pushed into a corner."

This was a major concern. Even without the forces of the Growian Kingdom, there were many dark forces out there who were willing to do anything at the right price.

"I’ll handle the security aspect." Commander Lance said, catching the priestess’ attention. "A major ceremony like a Royal Assembly necessitates strict security protocols. Whatever is going to happen will only occur around the Royal Castle.

"Also, the nobles won’t be bringing their forces into Lunaris. They can, at most, bring their commanders and a few entourage to their manors in the other four cities."

"Very well..." Priestess Celistra nodded, putting that matter aside. "So what now...?"

"Now, we talk about what to do with the three groups: The coerced, the willing, and the unclear cases." King Gray said with a hardened expression.

***

The next day.

The people of the Luntheria Kingdom woke up to a new Royal decree and announcement. King Gray had passed down his word, and it travelled so fast that it shocked the kingdom.

First on the list was a royal pardon for the man known as Caleb Zane, the man accused of killing a noble. Investigations carried out into the case revealed that the death of Count Seres was the doing of his own men.

Caleb and his partner, Jess, had nothing to do with that death. Furthermore, the decree also mentioned that, for the service of driving away the forces of the Growians, Caleb would be personally received by His Majesty and rewarded.

This was where the second part came in. The second word from the king was an announcement for a mandatory Royal Gathering of Nobles in the capital.

This gathering was meant to honour the sacrifices of the brave men and women who stood against the demonic and Growian forces, the people who were responsible for the attack on the capital.

"So that was what was going on," a person on the street muttered in realisation after hearing the explanations from his friend.

"Exactly," The other man nodded. "Those Growian bastards really had their eyes on His Majesty and our lands. They wanted to take out our king."

"Cut off the head of the snake and the body will die..."

"Mmhmm... And that Caleb fella has been in the shadows working to get rid of the enemy."

"Wait, there’s something I don’t understand. If Caleb was working in the shadows and was called a noble killer for that reason, does that mean...?"

"You’re too slow on the uptake," the friend shook his head. "People are already aware of this... Why do you think they wanted to get rid of him? They didn’t want their dark secrets out."

"Fufufu... This is going to get interesting real soon."

"Yeah... The gathering will be in seven days..."

Conversations like these were everywhere across the kingdom. The smart ones could already tell that the Royal Assembly of Nobles was nothing but a ruse.

However, the nobles also had no choice but to attend; no excuse was going to save them, not even an attack on their domain. Refusing the king’s summons was tantamount to contempt of the crown.

At one of the city’s entrances, the guards and soldiers stationed there went about their duties, some discussing the current news about the infamous Caleb Zane.

There were always people coming and going from the capital, and the stationed guards had to ensure nothing illegal was smuggled inside.

Security was no longer lax, as the law enforcers had learnt from their mistake some time back. Furthermore, with the incoming gathering of nobles, the capital could not afford to do things half-heartedly.

"You may pass," a guard said to a young couple, stepping aside for them to proceed. "Hah... I wish my shift were over."

"Quit your yapping," The other one said, shaking his head.. "We just started a few hours ago. You can’t be tired."

"What you do me—"

"It’s him...!"

However, before that statement could be completed, the guards caught a commotion coming from the back, drawing their attention.

"What the hell is going on back there?"

"Beats me," the guard looked up, signalling to his compatriots on the walls to inform them of what was happening ahead. "What’s with them...?"

"What are you talking about?" The other guard looked up and noticed the shocked and frozen expressions on the men’s faces.

Turning around again, the two men saw the people slowly making a way for someone in the back. Even before the person’s figure could be fully revealed, the guards saw him.

Short dark hair gently waving in the gentle breeze, deep turquoise blue eyes capable of ensnaring anyone who stared into them for too long.

The people made room for the strange man to pass, revealing his overall looks to the guards. As described in the posters, he was donned in completely black clothing, a long coat completing his mysterious looks.

"My goddess... He’s really here..."

Everyone watched as Caleb arrived before the two guards and flashed a gentle smile. The entire area was plunged into silence as everyone waited for Caleb to speak.

A few continued to murmur amongst themselves, taken aback by his presence. He emitted no energy signature, but just being in his presence felt overwhelming. They had heard so much about this being; they couldn’t believe that they were actually seeing him in person.

It was not an exaggeration to say most people had not seen Caleb in person before, especially in Lunaris, the capital of the kingdom.

"Hello there," the guards snapped out of their reverie, unable to believe they were actually seeing the man described in the lore. "If it’s okay with you, I’d like to pass."

"A-ah, yes!"

The two guards immediately replied and stepped aside. However, before Caleb could take any more steps forward, a group of knights rushed towards them.

"Mr. Zane."

The leading knight — a captain — called out, catching everyone’s attention. No one knew how Caleb was going to arrive in the capital. However, the knights had been made aware of what to do when he was spotted.

They had already sent word to the Royal Castle to make the king aware of Caleb’s arrival. The only thing left...

"Allow us to guide you to the Royal Castle," The captain bowed, his men following suit. "The journey is tedious when done on foot."

"You don’t say..."

Caleb nodded, directing his gaze towards the castle in the far distance. Turning his gaze back to the knights, he looked behind them and noticed some people bringing around a carriage.

"Then, I’ll be in your care..." he added, looking back at the knight captain.

"Understood."

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