Chương 21: Deed-21: Trust

{1999 A. Y. Yokai Realm} [INSIDE NAIMISHA KINGDOM PALACE's Courtroom] Vidhur: We used to have a population of 900 before the war, after the war we are currently having 108 Adults and no children, My Lord! All others left the kingdom with their families!!! Ram: Seriously, NARAYANA!?! That's too bad! [Vidhur's inner voice: Oh! It seems even he could worry now and then, but he sure doesn't know for what he has to worry! He should have worried for the army strength or treasury but he is worried about people, he sure is interesting!] Vidhur: Lord, these 108 adults are planning to leave our kingdom too... [Ram while smiling sarcastically] Ram: First of all, a population with 108 is called a street not a kingdom! Vidhur: Sorry, my lord! But this is a kingdom... Ram: Fine, NARAYANA!!! Ram: Why is everyone so eager to leave this kingdom after the war? Vidhur: Lord, whenever a kingdom loses in a war!

The winning kingdom takes all the resources from the defeated kingdom and then frees the king, the citizens, and the soldiers! [Ram curiously asks] Ram: We can trade with other nations to earn money and get back our resources and technology, right? [Vidhur in a disappointing tone] Vidhur: We have nothing left to trade, my Lord!!! Ram: Can't we at least trade fruits and vegetables... [Vidhur interrupts] Vidhur: I am sorry, my Lord! But whenever a kingdom loses a war! They lose yokai too!

There are yokai which causes rain and gives fertility to soil! Without their presence in the kingdom! There won't be rains or soil fertility! These yokai belong to the winning king too! Even fishing is out of question as all the water bodies became dry, My Lord! [Ram smiles] [Vidhur's inner voice: Why is he smiling? He sure is a lunatic!!!] Ram: Oh, ok NARAYANA!!! Now it all makes sense! That's why Angel's brother was in a hurry to gather up army to go on war to get back those yokai...

Ram: The people would leave obviously, as this is nothing more than a barren kingdom... [Vidhur's inner voice: He sure is smart...] Vidhur: Sorry, my lord! Forgive me for telling you such awful news... Ram: Yeah, that's fine! Don't worry about anything... [Vidhur's inner voice: What? This is the most important matter! How could he not worry? What is he? Oh, Brother! Why did you send me here?] Ram: The people would definitely leave this kingdom, why would anyone stay in a kingdom which has no wealth, no prosperity, no treasury, moreover the king isn't of their kind! [Vidhur's inner voice: Is he planning to give up on the throne? Humans are creatures with no shame! Whatever, he sure has a realization that where he stands! I won't blame him for giving up and going back to the human realm. What can he even do? This kingdom is on the path to become a history... Vidhur's inner voice: Sorry brother, I don't think I can keep up our promise!] [Ram starts thinking] [Vidhur's inner voice: Yes, go ahead! Tell that you are giving up on the throne, you are the smart one! Take the smartest decision!] Ram: Vidhur! Vidhur: Yes, my Lord!!! Ram: Vidhur, how can we get a yokai who causes rain and gives fertility to the soil?

[Vidhur gets surprised, yet he answers] Vidhur: My lord, we have to wage a war to get them back or else we have to defeat the ocean kingdom's king to get the rain and soil potion! Well, these potions are 1000 times stronger than the normal rain yokai and soil yokai's powers! These potions are the treasure every kingdom dreams for! Vidhur: My Lord, We can no... [Ram interrupts Vidhur to complete his sentence] Ram: We are waging a war on the Ocean Kingdom! [Vidhur in complete shock] Vidhur: Lord!

If defeating them was that easy! They would have been defeated a long back! As the ocean kingdom which is nearer to our continent is guarded by snow yokai and two merfolks. Please reconsider your decision, my lord... Ram: What's fun in defeating weaklings? Let's defeat the ocean's king itself, NARAYANA! [Vidhur's inner voice: He sure is a lunatic! What does he think of himself? Defeating a snow yokai and merfolk? Insolent brat who doesn't know his own strengths] [Vidhur in a convincing manner] Vidhur: My Lord, I can understand your hastiness to get the resources back, but let's wait until the prince returns! As we don't even have an army to do so... Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. Ram: What? Ram: I am Bhagwan SRIMAN NARAYANA's son! I don't need army to go on a war! [Vidhur's inner voice: If I hadn't promised my brother to serve NAIMISHA kingdom's throne! I would have killed this human by now! Why bother? Why did you throw me here? Why do I have to deal with this lunatic?] [Vidhur continues convincing] Vidhur: That's impressive, my lord! But for defeating a single merfolk alone we need thousands of soldiers fully equipped! Vidhur: We have to defeat a snow yokai, 2 merfolk and the Ocean King too to get the potions! That's highly impossible, my lord!!!

Vidhur: Forget about defeating merfolk even to reach near them we have to defeat the snow yokai first and snow yokai isn't a weakling!!! To defeat snow yokai we need at least 1000 soldiers!!! Ram: Vidhur, I trust you! But I think you don't trust me... [Vidhur frustratedly shouts] Vidhur: I can't imagine trusting a stranger, my lord! You might be a king but I promised my brother that I will serve the NAIMISHA kingdom's throne! But I never said that I would do suicide missions like these!

I don't know why you trust me in the first place, my lord? [Ram smiles] Ram: Vidhur! You have gained my trust much more... [Vidhur with a serious face stares at Ram] Ram: Do you want to know why I trust you? [Vidhur with anger yet obedience shouts] Vidhur: Yes, my lord! Ram: Listen carefully... [Vidhur listens with full attention with a bit anger and frustration] Ram: I never said that I would take you with me! I said I would defeat ocean kingdom's king!

I didn't even ask you to show me the directions to reach the ocean, but you came to a conclusion that you would accompany me! You called it a suicide mission, it means you would follow me till death, isn't it? [Vidhur with a surprised look on his face] Ram: Like other soldiers in the courtroom before, you could have left with prince and serve him! It won't come under breaking the promise as you would be serving the true heir of NAIMISHA kingdom's throne!

Hence, if you would have followed him you could have justified it to your brother that you are serving the NAIMISHA Kingdom by serving the prince! Ram: But you stayed here, you didn't even want a scratch on the promise! You didn't want to give any justifications! You only wanted to keep up with your promise fully! Ram: You could have at least left today out of frustration and come back after few days and explain me all this on a later day! But you didn't choose to leave!

You followed dharma, "Doing the right thing at the right time and right place"! Ram: You could have left this kingdom to get deserted as there's nothing you could do or think of something anyone can do to stop people from leaving! It was a hopeless situation, yet you stood for the people who were ready to leave their motherland, but you being a foreigner stood for their rights! Ram: Even when you got frustrated due to my words, you never stopped calling me Lord!

You could have said that you slipped your tongue, but no, you choose to call me lord even in your anger! Ram: I can give 100 more reasons to trust you! Out of all those reasons, the biggest reason is that! You are following your DHARMA! That's more than enough reason for me to trust you or anyone else!!! [Vidhur with a bit guilt] [Vidhur's inner voice: He observed and realized all these things so quickly! I have never seen a king like him! He sure is one of the smartest kings I have ever seen! He even explained himself the reason for trusting me, I am really regretting staring at him like that!] Vidhur: Forgive me my Lord!!! For my behavior, I won't repeat such behavior again... Ram: I like people like you! Who follows dharma unbiasedly! Vidhur: Thank you, my Lord!!! Ram: I want you to go and tell each and every citizen in our kingdom to wait for 3 more days! If within the next three days, if they can't see rain or fertile soil, then they can leave the kingdom without any guilt or regret!

Until then, ask them to wait and trust their new king! [Vidhur sarcastically smiles] Vidhur: Trust? Wonderful, my lord! You sure are unique, asking the yokai to trust a human! [Ram smiles] Vidhur: I will tell them all personally to trust you, my lord! Ram: See! Even you started trusting me!!! Vidhur: Trust is the only thing I can have right now, My Lord!!! [Ram smiles] Vidhur: I am trusting you, My Lord! Please promise me one thing... Ram: Go ahead!!! Vidhur: Until you win a war!

You won't have intercourse with the Queen! These are our yokai rules, please follow these customs! [Ram sighs and immediately with enthusiasm] Ram: Hmm, Ok!!! Our married life can wait for three days... [Ram and Vidhur smiles] [Vidhur with complete respect towards Ram] [Vidhur's inner voice: I know that he is weak! No one can defeat merfolk or snow yokai! Yet he says that he can defeat! I don't know why, but I think I should trust him... Vidhur's inner voice: What if Lord doesn't have brawls or astral powers! Lord has brains and wars can be won with strategies too! Let's see what lord is going to do! All I can do now is trust him! Vidhur's inner voice: Could the Lord really defeat the merfolk? Does the Lord really mean an actual war or would lord do negations with the merfolk and win them! Vidhur's inner voice: It must be a war using brains! I never heard wars ending in three days! Vidhur's inner voice: Just stop thinking all this, Vidur! You said you trust him, So don't overthink! Just trust him... Vidhur's inner voice: Damn, trusting really needs guts and courage!!!] [Vidhur bow downs and asks for permission] Vidhur: My Lord, allow me to leave! [Ram with a bit hesitation] Ram: Before leaving... [Vidhur waits curiously to hear what his Lord was going to say] Ram: Could you show me the way to Angel's room? [Ram blushes while Vidhur smiles] Vidhur: Sure, my Lord!!! Ram: Now, this is what I call as genuine smile... [Vidhur smiles] Vidhur: You really are demanding, my lord! Ram: I think it's a compliment...

[Vidhur smiles] Vidhur: I guess, my lord!!! [Ram and Vidhur smiles down the hall way and walks towards Angel's Room] [Ram while walking, with a serious look on his face orders Vidhur] Ram: Vidhur, remember all the yokai faces whom you are meeting! I want to know who trusts me and stays and also who leaves... Vidhur: As you say, my Lord!!! [Vidhur points at Angel's room] Vidhur: Lord! This is her highness' room! Ram: Well, no one is guarding the Queen's room, NARAYANA! Is this really a palace, NARAYANA!?!

[Ram laughs] [Vidhur stands with embarrassment and asks hesitantly] Vidhur: Lord, allow me to take my leave... Ram: You can leave now and meet me tomorrow early in the morning! I trust you, and yeah of course I wouldn't do intercourse with Angel, you can trust me on that too! [Vidhur smiles] Vidhur: I trust you, my lord! I would never doubt you... [Vidhur's inner voice: No doubt that princess would choose Lord Ram as her husband! He sure is unique! His words are enough to win someone, this isn't manipulation! This is something else! I don't know why, but I am starting to feel confident after talking to him! Vidhur's inner voice: Can he truly make the clouds rain? Would the soil become fertile? Hmph, trusting sure needs courage and guts!!!] [Vidhur leaves the palace to announce all the people in the kingdom to trust their new lord and wait for 3 days to see the miracles!] [Ram enters Angel's room by knocking the door] ---Meet you in the next deed, Guys