New Eden: Live to Play, Play to Live

He could hardly correct him, since he had also watched as the attitude of the surrounding Natives changed when he became the councilman in charge of the military. At least, it wasn't as bad as for him as for Astaroth and Phoenix.

Waiting for Astaroth and Phoenix to take their first bites, he then introduced the two commanders. Phoenix had met them already, but to Astaroth, they were only still faces in a crowd.

"Astaroth, these are the commanders in charge of the Royal Guard and the scout regiments. Their names are Rodney Levine, commander of the Royal Guard, and Mary Kadmus, commander of the Griffon Scouts."

Astaroth looked at them, taking in their traits.

Rodney was a human man, with a stocky build and squarish visage. He looked like a strongman competitor and was currently wearing casual leather armour.

But it was easy to guess that he would look colossal in his armour, given that he had stood out like the nose in the middle of the face when standing amongst the crowd during his introduction.

His hair was a dark brown, and his eyes were hazelnut in colour. A few scars crossed his face that he had most likely garnered in combat.

And although healers could erase scars, he seemed to wear his with pride. His face was slightly scary, given the size of it, but the smile that adorned him breathed of welcoming warmth.

"When my daughter heard that the king had forced down my magic with his own, she was almost scared to meet you, Your Majesty. Your power leaves me wondering if you still need a royal guard."

Astaroth chuckled at the statement. It was true he didn't particularly need guards.

But he wouldn't abolish their use. That would be unfair of him.

And who knows, maybe someday they would be of great use, if someone tried to infiltrate the palace to harm him or Phoenix.

"Your position is not at risk at all, Sir Rodney. Royal guards will always have use in the palace, even if not directly to protect me. As for your daughter, I would love to meet her someday, and prove to her I'm not a bad person."

A warm smile spread on Astaroth's face, as he answered, to echo Rodney's.

Turning his head toward Commander Mary, he kept up his smile.

"So we have Griffons? That is news to me. How many do we have, and how good of a scout force do they make?" he asked.

Mary Kadmus was an Elven woman, which he noticed now, Elves were a majoritarian race in Bastion City. He attributed it to the proximity of their kingdoms.

Her traits were sharp, as most Elves, and her hair a golden blond, almost like wheat shining in the sun. Her emerald green eyes clashed with this, making them pop out.

She was wearing a silken tunic, with leather pants and a cotton undershirt, which made her look like any other soldier in the room. What set her apart from them, though, was the intense air of authority about her.

Looking at her felt like looking at an old matron in an orphanage. You could easily tell she wasn't to be trifled with.

"My king, the Griffon Scouts are only a budding force. One which I intend to grow into a strike force in the future. But for now, we only have a dozen of them. As for your second question, Griffons make excellent scouts. Nothing much in the sky flies as fast as a griffon, aside from dragons and drakes."

Her tone was formal, even cold a bit. But Astaroth was unbothered by it.

At least, she wasn't treating him with the reverence of a god. That alone made him respect her.

"Well, I would love to fly on one someday. I have wings of my own, but I don't know how I would compare in terms of speed."

The woman's mouth curled into a snide smirk.

"We could arrange a race if you'd wish, Your Majesty. I'm sure my men would love to see if their companions fly as fast as the mighty king."

The prospect enticed Astaroth, and he wanted to say yes immediately. But he then remembered he still had a busy schedule for the meantime, and it wouldn't be before a few weeks.

"Maybe when my schedule becomes less crowded. I would love to. Until then, they can consider themselves the fastest in the sky."

His humble words garnered him some respect from the woman, who seemed to become less uptight.

Declan butt in, wondering why Astaroth sat next to them.

"Did you have something to discuss? Or did you sit with us to enjoy your meal?"

He wouldn't mind idle chatter, since they had already been doing so. But if Astaroth had something he wanted to talk about, his word would take priority.

"Oh, no no no! Nothing of the sort. I just sat here because I assumed sitting with the others would cause a ruckus. No, please, resume whatever your conversation was before we sat down."

Phoenix giggled to herself.

She was already eating, uncaring of her surroundings. She had already met Mary and Rodney, and her food seemed more interesting than exchanging platitudes.

And as soon as she had taken her first bite, she had ignored the people around.

'This food is divine!' she thought, as she almost stuffed her mouth full.

She only slowed down when she remembered she had to act dignified. But that didn't stop her from eating at a quick pace, only being careful not to make a mess or look like an ogre.

As Astaroth joined her, exchanging words with the other three at the table while scarfing down food, the canteen started slowly emptying. Most people's dinner time was over, and they returned to their duties.

Astaroth chatted with Declan, Rodney, Mary, and Phoenix until it was time for them to part ways. He was glad he got to talk to the two commanders in a more casual setting first, since he found all those formal meetings dreadful.

The day was already ending, and Astaroth decided logging out now wasn't a bad idea. So he and Phoenix made their way to their room and logged out.