#31. Fight for Initiative

“He got me good this time.” Sitting on his iron throne with its sharp, jagged ends spiking outward, Anatolius looked somewhat pleased. Excited, even.

“I wonder if you might have supported him too much. He’s already causing so much havoc at this stage, so perhaps a sanction would…” One of the countless knights lined up on either side voiced his concern.

But Anatolius only seemed even more determined. He looked almost expressionless, but he couldn’t hide the grin at the corner of his mouth.

“I still don’t understand why you have to take this risk. If you were simply looking for someone obedient and loyal, there are countless beings out there. So I’m unable to comprehend what you see in a new baron with no understanding of the fundamentals. And a 9th Floor Baron, no less.”

“Hestia,” Anatolius spoke as he looked at his Iron-Blooded Knight, Hestia the Iron Wall. “If not the 9th Floor, then where else? Tell me. The 10th Floor Counts and Barons have gone to shit. Thanks to the Black Merchants’ tricks, they’ve been corrupted by luxuries and pleasures. Do you think...