Chapter 73: Army of Shadows
The Royal Castle was the most luxurious as well as the largest building in the city. The massive castle sparkled like diamonds under the rising sun.
As she grew closer to it, she saw thousands of knights training until they reached their limits, clashing swords as faint sounds of metal resounded throughout the training grounds. Amongst the knights that were training, there were the twelve strongest who were unrivaled in swordsmanship, standing just below the hero's party.
This stood to show how impossible it would be for someone to attack and come out alive! No one, not even the demons, who had greater physical and magical strength, could attack easily. They would need to make thorough preparations and countermeasures, especially with the hero's party residing there.
At the moment, a royal carriage was speeding through the streets in the direction of the royal castle. For those in the streets, they moved to the side, not wanting to offend the person who was inside the carriage. This allowed for a very smooth yet quick ride.
The royal carriage stopped before the royal castle. The white knight, who was responsible for driving the carriage, stepped down from his seat and opened the door, letting Ayla out.
Ayla stepped out of the carriage, touching the ground after a comfortable ride.
She glanced at the royal castle. Her expression didn't reveal it, but she was slightly amazed at the sight. She had seen many castles in fiction and history in her life, but seeing one with her own eyes was a different experience altogether.
"Can you tell me the reason why the king wants to see me? Why would the prince be sent to escort me?" Ayla asked the white knight while following him inside the castle.
"Ah, it's something even I don't know. After the news of your feats spread, he ordered the prince and a dozen white knights to come and escort you."
'Don't tell me he has a similar personality to the prince. Someone who follows the cliched trope of royalty.' Ayla couldn't help but frown.
She passed through the entrance of the royal castle with the white knight, seeming to have passed through a thin, transparent silver barrier that protected the castle.
"How strong is this kingdom? I've heard some stories about this place, but I've never heard anything about its strength."
"So the rumors were true after all. You're not from around here." The white knight responded. "This kingdom is considered the strongest out of the four human kingdoms, with the strongest twelve knights having levels of 500 and above."
'This world is stronger than expected. With the strongest of the knights being 200 levels lower than me, what level would the heroes be at? I'll need to take more precautions and increase my level if I want everything to end well.'
Ayla wanted to ask what the levels of the heroes were, but if she were to ask further, it could raise suspicion if she were to ask something that could possibly reveal her true intentions of knowing the strengths and weaknesses of the heroes.
With the danger of the heroes' party coming to light, she realized how much she was underestimating her enemies. In the previous world, there was one person who had the capability of standing against her, but they weren't capable of killing her. However, she wasn't sure if she was strong enough to defeat the heroes.
'All I can do at this moment is grow stronger and deal with the others first.'
As she passed through the hallways, not another word was spoken between them, but the white knight couldn't help but give Ayla occasional glances, looking at the extraordinary beauty of the woman walking behind him.
Even though he was a loving husband and had three children, his heart wouldn't stop racing at the sight of this woman. Her charm was simply too powerful for him!
Fortunately, he wasn't an ordinary knight but a well-trained one, enough for him to personally escort the prince. No ordinary knight could escort someone of nobility, let alone someone of royalty. He couldn't resist her charm, but he could resist most of the urges he felt.
He was certain she was someone related to the gods. No human or even a demon could possess her beauty. However, he didn't pry, as it wasn't his duty to. If she wanted to reveal her identity, she could.
"Halt! What business do you have with his majesty?" Two knights stood before a door, raising their swords.
The door behind the knights appeared to be made out of gold. Ayla had no doubt that this door led to a place of importance. The person inside was the king, a man who ruled the kingdom with great power.
"We've come here under the orders of the king to escort Miss Ebony to him!" The white knight responded.
"Only Miss Ebony is allowed to enter." The knights lowered their swords, seeming to have heard of the king's order.
The knights opened the door, and Ayla entered. Inside, Ayla was greeted by a red-haired man seated at the end of the massive hall on a majestic throne, gazing at Aya with a calm look on his face.
The man donned a majestic robe with intricate rings around his fingers decorated with bright gems that held a certain power. The man's aura was majestic, but that was all! He was a little stronger than the white knight that led her here, but he was weak!
"You're the one who killed the demon generals and single-handedly defeated hundreds, if not thousands, of adventurers of varying strengths, am I right?" The king spoke, unable to hide the greed in his eyes.
"Is there any reason to ask when you already know the answer?" Ayla asked, not having any respect in her voice. "You should know about all the feats I've done, especially with the man that continues to stalk me—or is it that he didn't report to you?"
"What audacity do you have to disrespect his majesty?" A knight who guarded the throne hall shouted, raising his sword.
"Enough!" The king waved his hand, casting divine light blades that wrapped around the knight's neck. "If you take one more step, I'll kill you and your family... Choose one or the other."
Hearing the king's threat, the knight knew that the king wasn't lying when he said he would kill him and his family if he didn't lower his sword. The king was a tyrant! A greedy tyrant that was hated by all, but they were still powerless even when he wasn't strong himself.
He was protected by the Goddess of Light and her angels. They wanted to take his position as king of the kingdom and kill him, but they couldn't, not when he had the backing of the goddess. None of them wanted the wrath of the goddess to befall them.
He valued his family over the king's reputation, but he still had to fulfill his duties as a knight in the kingdom. In the end, he chose to save his family and reluctantly lowered his sword, but he couldn't hide the hate and anger he felt towards the king. If only the Goddess of Light, who was said to embody purity and justice, hadn't selected a man who was no different from a demon!
"Good!" The king smiled, releasing the divine light blades from his neck. "Now, don't interfere. If you try to disturb our conversation, I'm sure you already know about the consequences."
The king returned his attention to Ayla. "I should properly introduce myself. It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Ebony. I'm the king of Eyevalon Kingdom, King Armant, the Goddess of Light's servant!"
"Can you get to the main point of calling me here?"
Armant was slightly surprised that Ayla refused to show respect even after revealing his identity. Anyway, he didn't care, as it wasn't a bother to him.
"It seems that the rumors about you being a cold beauty were true. You appear to be quite strong. What a pity that you don't have the right personality to reflect that beauty and talent."
Armant snapped his fingers, and a wooden chair appeared before Ayla from the space ring. Without being given permission, Ayla took her seat, and the meeting began.
"I'm sure you're curious as to what I've called you here for." Armant spoke, taking a brief pause before he continued, "What do you think about joining my army of shadows?"
Weekly Power Status
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