Chapter 2010: The Red Banquet -Part 5
In the worst case scenario, the ministers would create chaos such that it would be hard for the Kingdom of Ress to function properly.
And the ministers, especially the War Minister knew which connections to probe so he could present the new King a lot of obstacles in the future. Some of the servants also felt that the new King had clearly messed up the situation. For him to be kind by putting them in a dungeon run would only cause further complications.
Linus also thought of it that way but did not dare to speak out among so many people. His presence should not have been there in the first place as his duty was to merely escort the king to the throne room.
He had never expected to sit beside the Royal Mage General Gara and participate in this whole facade to the end.
"My Lord... I have placed some extras in the backpack." The servant whispered as he pretended to have some trouble putting the backpack down in front of the War Minister. "Please remember me..." the servant said as he bowed and left the area, knowing that he might have succeeded in earning the War Minister\'s favour.
And when everyone had a basic adventurer\'s backpack with their supposed weapon of choice, Jin stood up and suddenly all of the gates and doors were barred shut with magic.
"Looks like some of the servants did not get my message. I said only the basic adventurer essentials. For those who felt that they might have accidentally left something in the backpacks, please remove them." Jin was giving them a chance before things got big and a few servants had decided that risking their lives for the ministers might not be a good idea after all.
They went to the backpacks and took a few items out before apologising to the King and staying at the side. Jin then beckoned Linus to come even though he was the most uncomfortable person in the room.
"You are a soldier on duty, are you not? And also an adventurer. Tell me, if I have a dungeon right in this castle. What are the items you feel that it\'s useless in this basic adventurer pack." Jin asked and Linus panicked.
Why was he in such a situation when he had done nothing wrong? The glaring eyes of the lackeys as well as the immobilised ministers were extremely piercing. It was as if they were telling him that if he did anything unnecessary, he and whoever was close to him would be killed.
"What? Are you worried that they might punish you? Then I as the new King of Ress will assure you that you have no worries about that. Right, Gara?" Jin said and Gara nodded his head with a faint smile.
Linus then slowly opened the backpack and took out everything. From what he saw, most were travelling essentials to go to the said dungeon and even though the set was supposed to be basic, the servants had taken the initiative to pick the most extensive \'basic adventurer set\' possible in case it was in the far lands.
So when Jin had set the condition that the dungeon would be in the castle, he instantly eliminated most if not all of the travelling aid, leaving all of them their weapons and a pair of potions. There were some bandages as well as a few magic stones which Jin believed were enchanted with healing magic.
Other than that, Jin was satisfied with what Linus had taken out and nodded to him as if to proceed to the next person.
Soon, all sixteen had their bags empty and the person who did not take back the extras was the servant that gave the War Minister the most. "Gara, pick that servant out."
"Dispose him?" Gara asked and Jin shook his head even though he was smiling.
"There is no need. He probably was desperate but since he does not listen to my commands, multiply the cost of those goods that had been removed from the adventurer\'s pack by two and put it as his debt. Interest rate 10%. per week." Jin said and Gara was a little bewildered by the type of punishment that he had dished out.
"I acknowledged," Gara said and he immediately glanced towards the servant\'s direction, knowing that he made a mistake to gamble for the War Minister.
"Very well, with that pouch of potions with you and your weapon, you are hereby sentenced to complete a Rank C dungeon as a group. You may use anything within your disposal to survive. Oh and hint, a group could be defined as two or more people." Jin said as he snapped his fingers once and a portal emerged right in front of them.
Everyone was shocked when they saw a dungeon portal emerging right within the room. The only ones who were alert were Gara, Linus and the few guards who had been posted in the throne room.
"That\'s why I said travelling essentials were not needed. The portal is in the castle." Now all of you, off you go. There\'s a show to watch." Jin said as he summoned a magic eye with his Maqi and threw it into the dungeon. Compared to the System\'s magic eye, it was like comparing a bicycle and a Rolls Royce.
Yet this \'bicycle\' that Jin had conjured was still good enough as a video recorder for the event.
"Oh yes, I forgot, the stone hands are not only restricting you but also restraining you from using any magic. Not to mention, my suppression aura. Now this is my bad, so I shall throw you guys in. " Jin said as he used the stone hands to grab all the remaining gear that they had and he literally commanded his stone hands to catapult them into the portal.
"They should be able to clear a Rank C dungeon, am I right?" Jin said but he did not summon one that was from this universe mainly because he had no idea what this universe had. Instead, he summoned based on whatever imagination he had inside his head.
Such creations required Maqi and Jin felt that he had enough to expend despite the rampant use of aura to suppress the people. "Tribe of the Elephantman," Jin said as he clapped his fingers together which teleported the portal to be behind the throne chair. After which, he clapped it again and a screen emerged right above him.
"Servants, now you may bring some food to me. I am famished." Jin said as he turned, walked towards the supposed War Ministry\'s table and sat there all alone waiting for his food to arrive.
As if a desert looking outworld was not enough, there was a slight fog which hindered their vision a little. But compared to what they had been through, they were finally free. Their magic powers were stable as well, and that means they were able to cast magic despite the terribly basic weapons they were wielding.
So long they were able to cast magic, there was nothing much to fear as the War Minister asked one of his lackeys to blow all the fog away from them so they could have a clearer picture.
But before the lackey was able to even draw a magic circle in mid air, he suddenly felt that he was missing something. And it was only when he looked at his body that he realised that there was a hole in his chest.
"Oh, that is brutal," Jin said as the first appetiser came and the king had already begun eating. Yet a few of the lackeys felt like vomiting the moment they saw the bleeding hole in that person\'s heart.
It was then they realised Jin was not going to let the main culprits free at all. At the same time, he also gave them a chance. As long as they could clear this, they would be able to come out with a blank slate record. Whether they could embrace the chance or not, it is for them to survive this first.
But will Jin honestly allow them to live?
That was for the culprits to find out as they started to realise that they were being surrounded by monsters. And they were no ordinary monsters which they had seen before even though their shape of them was familiar to Jin.
The War Minister could only curse at this predicament that he was in and vowed to kill Jin the moment he came out of this.