Primordial Villain with a Slave Harem

Chapter 1006: Royal Decree

The Stormlord.

He was a pillar of raw pressure wrapped in black and cobalt. No ornaments, no golden outfit. Just a dark armor that billowed unnaturally, crackling with caged lightning.

Quinlan’s eyes narrowed.

He recognized the man immediately. After all, it was their third time meeting the man, though he only saw him for the second time. Technically, it was only Blossom who met him three times, and, well, Iris a million times.

Their first encounter was at the outpost where Rosie’s biological parent had been found, then again at the grand auction guarding Felicity. Back then, he hadn’t understood just how high up the man stood on the pecking order of the entire continent, not just the order he was in.

But after learning more about the Iskaris continent and its food pyramid, they all knew it painfully well.

The man was over level 70.

One of the strongest people on the continent.

Above even Sareth Greenvale, the monster woman who’d nearly ended him if not for the efforts of Vex, Kitsara, Blossom, and Feng working in perfect tandem. Even then, it had taken unconventional tactics, unpredictable spells, and a lot of lucky timing to push her back. If he weren’t an anomaly with innumerable spells and tricks to his name, the fight would’ve gone differently.

And Stormlord stood above her.

He didn’t draw a weapon. He didn’t need to. His very presence was heavier than the steel aimed at them.

Stormlord’s voice cracked like thunder.

”Why are your weapons drawn, guard captain of the Ravenshade Duchy? King Alexios decreed no bloodshed today. Is the Ravenshade Dukedom rebelling against His Majesty?”

The captain opened his mouth hurriedly due to the gravity of the accusations thrown at them, but didn’t get a chance to respond.

”Because they violated the law!” Maerina Ravenshade cut in, stepping forward with an expression that mixed contempt and forced civility. Her voice carried the sneer of someone who had clearly butted heads with this man before.

”They mocked my name. A Duke’s name. That is a crime punishable under the Royal Charter. Furthermore, they’re already breaking royal decree by hiding behind masks and pseudonyms on today of all days.”

”...”

Stormlord’s silence made the plaza feel as if it had been buried beneath an oppressive storm. Even the guards, still holding their halberds up, began to fidget under his overwhelming presence.

”You forget your station, Ravenshade Duchess,” Stormlord spoke up finally, voice deep and iron-heavy. ”This is the capital city of the Vraven Kingdom, located in the Central Region. In Valorian family lands, only the royal family and their direct proxies have the right to pass judgment or enact punishments on others.”

He tilted his head as he sent her a glare, making the silver streaks in his black hair sparkle under the sun.

”I would recommend you reread the laws you’re to abide by.”

Maerina’s perfect expression disappeared instantly. The look of nobility vanished beneath the weight of raw, undignified hatred.

Stormlord turned, and his eyes locked onto Quinlan.

He stared at him long and hard.

Then scanned over each of the women beside him.

”You’re the man called Black,” he finally said.

Quinlan inclined his head. ”A pleasure to meet you again, Stormlord. Are you no longer Princess Felicity’s bodyguard?”

Stormlord didn’t reply.

Instead...

*CRACK!*

A bolt of lightning tore through the space where he stood, blinding him for a heartbeat. The air screamed, and the already ruined cobblestones beneath his boots were completely pulverized into small atoms from the raw discharge. ꭆΆℕổＢÈŚ

He vanished.

A few seconds later, another thundering boom exploded above the gathered crowd, and Stormlord reappeared atop a nearby stone outcropping that overlooked the square. Electric bolts still buzzed around his frame as if he’d stepped out of the heart of a storm.

In his hand was a rolled scroll, its ends sealed with red wax bearing the crest of House Valorian: a crowned man’s upper torso with twin blades crossed before him, making it clear they were a militaristic family who conquered by might, not politics. At least during their inception.

He unrolled it with one swift motion, and his voice boomed as he read:

”By royal edict, this decree is issued on behalf of His Majesty, King Alexios Valorian:

Lord Black and those he claims as kin are to be granted full exception under the Royal Cloak. Their true names, faces, and affiliations are protected for the duration of their visit and shall not be forcibly revealed by law, magic, or coercion.

No noble, knight, or guard shall have the authority to demand unmasking, disclosure, or interrogation. The throne recognizes them as guests and permits the use of pseudonyms and veiling artifacts.

Let none dishonor my decree with ambition or ignorance.

King Alexios Valorian.”

...

Stormlord’s gaze fell again on Maerina.

Then, without a word, he crumpled the scroll in one hand. The parchment turned to ash between his fingers, scattered by the electric wind surrounding him.

Maerina’s face twisted, an ugly contortion of fury and disbelief. Her fingers clenched around her fan so tightly that the frame broke.

Her daughter remained behind, but her eyes betrayed the same loathing. All that smugness from earlier was now laced with something else. .

Fear.

Fear of the unknown.

Just who could this group of strangers be?

But unlike her daughter, the mother felt differently.

A bull that saw red, Maerina’s spare fan snapped closed with a sharp clack, the sound echoing across the square, akin to a slap.

”Even if they’ve been allowed to hide behind masks...” she hissed, voice trembling with rage, ”the letter said nothing about allowing them to break the law however they wish!”

She pointed the fan toward Quinlan’s group, her eyes burning with indignation.

”They mocked a Duke’s house. They defiled the honor of the Ravenshade name. That, too, is inscribed in the royal charter. You know it, Stormlord.”

Her gaze flicked back toward the lightning-cloaked enforcer, then higher, to the banners fluttering in the distance from the palace’s golden spires.

”I demand justice!” she snarled. ”As you said, this offense took place within Valorian lands. Then let the crown see to it that justice is served.”

The fan lowered. Her smile returned. Immensely triumphant this time around.