Valverno blinked. Teutates was in the Northern Region to negotiate an alliance with the Northern Clans? This was going to make things simpler than he trying to fly to Isla Maeli.
“Since you happen to come by and the three clans living close by already owned you our loyalty,” said Orinù. “We didn’t want to talk to any outsiders without you. But when he said he was a White Knight—”
“Wait? What? A White Knight?” Valverno was surprised at this news: Teutates was a White Knight?
“Did I hear that correctly? A White Knight?”
“Why, yes,” said Orinù.
Valverno gave a surprising glare at Teutates. The man he wanted to have an alliance with was a White Knight. First, Sora is a White Knight. Second, Geraldus is a White Knight. Now he was hearing Teutates was a White Knight. He knew Charity and Loyalty, but what was Teutates’s virtue: Strength or Trust?
“Since when were you a White Knight?” asked Valverno.
Teutates just stared at Valverno.
“I might as well guess you have been a White Knight all your life. But what virtue do you stand for?”
“Why would you want to know?” asked Teutates. “So you can pass big information to your king?”
“King Uragiru is not my king!” said Valverno. His voice was hard and firm he made it sound final. “I am not following King Uragiru. Not to mention he joined an alliance with Lusìvar. Or have you known that all your life, Teutates?”
Teutates nodded.
“Then is that why your ancestor rebelled against his brother: Uragiru’s ancestor swore loyalty to the Shadow King some centuries ago? And his brother tried to stop and kill him but was defeated in the end?”
Teutates nodded again.
Valverno was starting to know Teutates was a man of few words. He had a few answers of what he was thinking. Teutates’s ancestor rebelled against his brother, who was Uragiru’s ancestor, and tried to cast him away. He also knew Teutates could be the ally he needed instead of Uragiru, but Teutates hates the creatures. If Teutates takes the throne in the capital city, he surely would banish them from Shimabellia.
“It is about time you figured out of what was going on with the distant bloodline,” said Teutates. “I’ve been living on Isla Maeli for many years, as did my ancestors. We tried to live like it was Shimabellia, but it was never the same. It is living the low-life of a peasant. The entire island is covered in swamps, endless valleys, and too many ruined fortresses.”
“I assume once you take the throne, you would banish those who were wrong from the beginning?”
“Humans and creatures do not belong in the same world, and it would be better for everyone if different species kept to themselves instead of supporting each other, otherwise too many will grow some special to others. Look at yourself.”
Valverno looked at his body, as did the three clan leaders. His scales of his dragon legs and his wings stood out from his half-human, upper body. He knew Teutates would surely banish the creatures, not for supporting him but have different species trying to hook up with each other.
“What do you know of Belverda and Ralenskrit?” asked Valverno.
“Your misbehaved parents? The witch and the dragon scientists conducted some rumored experiments on dead animals?”
“I take that as a yes,” said Valverno. Then Valverno signaled a hand and Sora came walking to his side. She strolled past the three leaders and Teutates. She came walking with the book in hand, back to its regular size.
“Who is she?” asked Kelda.
“I’d never seen her before,” said Bjorg.
“Everyone, meet Sora, also a White Knight.”
They all gasped to see another White Knight as Sora handed the book to Valverno. Valverno flipped through the pages as he said, “She’s the White Knight of Charity, and she’s not just any White Knight: she is the first and original White Knight of Charity. She was, along with four others, born in the ancient land of Pangaea.”
“Charity? The first White Knight of Charity? And she is with you? What does that make you?” Kelda spoke with a confusing tone.
“Someone you’d never expected me to be,” said Valverno. Valverno strolled over to the altar and placed the book he was holding on altar. “Have a look, Teutates, for the rumor creations you heard of Belverda and Ralenskrit, as well with the clan leaders. This is shocking news you really need to hear.”
Orinù, Bjorg, and Kelda were the first to have come forward as to what Valverno had to show them; Teutates stayed in the back of how he wasn’t curious as to see what was in the book of experiments.
Valverno flipped through the pages and shown the three clan leaders the undead monsters: monsters Belverda and Ralenskrit. He told them he didn’t know why the two scientists were trying to do in bringing dead back to life and with different body parts sewed into one ugly, disgusting form. And at the end of each page there would be a Project Failure.
Valverno mentioned Ralenskrit and Belverda using a strong power source to bring the dead to life and in hopes of mind-controlling the beasts. In the end, each beast proved too resistant to be controlled and started over with a new one.
For half an hour, Valverno showed the clan leaders and Teutates, who was still in the back, the monsters created from multiple body parts from those of giant Dragons, horned Minotaurs, lion-headed Chimeras, horns of Unicorns, wings of Pegasi, snake tails of Basilisks, and horse bodies of Centaurs.
“What was this source power?” asked Bjorg.
“That is where I come in,” answered Valverno. “And you won’t like it.”
Then Valverno pulled the back cover to view and gave the clan leaders something to look at and something that would be very too shocking for them to handle: the page said Project Vaeludar. The picture looking like him but without the horns on his head and scales on his chest: just
