CHAPTER 115: HONORS FROM THE KING

Seated inside a luxurious carriage, Wang Yu gazed out of the window as the scenery outside transformed as they rose in elevation. He couldn't help but feel a bit surprised—was someone as insignificant as himself really being granted an audience with the king?

It wasn't self-doubt—it all just felt rather sudden. After all, he'd only been in the capital for a few months, and his strength was middling at best.

"I'm probably just riding on Professor Sieg and Captain Hugin's coattails," Wang Yu thought. "Especially if the Professor's identity as a dragon is still in play, his influence must be far beyond what it appears on the surface."

That was Wang Yu's conclusion for the royal summons.

The carriage climbed the winding road that led to the mountain peak on which the royal palace had been built. This peak, known as "The Throne," was impressively tall. The carriage had taken half an hour just to reach the summit.

In this world where trains and the like were the most advanced form of transportation, such a grandiose road was a rare sight.

This seemingly inefficient means of travel was meant largely for envoys and guests. The wide road, lined with mana crystal lamps illuminating the entire mountain, was clearly a display of Aleisterre's immense national power—a classic case of "putting on a show."

The royal family and their servants mainly used large-scale teleportation arrays for entry and exit—normally costly, but just a nominal expense for the royal treasury.

The carriage gradually slowed as they neared their destination. There was no need for haste now that they were approaching the palace gates. Outside the window, fog swirled around the clouds, shrouding the view in a dreamy haze.

Thanks to his keen eyesight, Wang Yu could pierce through the fog. He faintly glimpsed the architecture of the capital below. The view was breathtaking.

"This place is definitely easy to defend and hard to attack," Wang Yu mused. "But if the enemy makes it this far, the kingdom would practically be on the brink of collapse anyway."

To Wang Yu, the palace perched atop the mountain seemed overly ostentatious. It seemed more decorative than practical.

"If its main purpose is to reinforce the people's perception of the monarchy's authority and lofty status, then it's certainly effective. Maybe I'm also overlooking something—sometimes, ‘easy to defend and hard to attack' is meant more for internal threats than external ones."

While Wang Yu was lost in thought, the carriage arrived near its destination. It came to a gradual stop.

Hugin, Sieg, Charles, and Wang Yu stepped out of the carriage and stood before the gates of the royal palace.

Avia had stayed behind at the place on Redmaple Street, as she technically wasn't a member of the Nightblades' special ops team.

Three squads of heavily armed royal guards were stationed at the palace entrance, wielding greatswords and wearing heavy armor. Hovering nearby were magicians using sustained levitation spells. Even the palace guards were impressively formidable.

A knight captain, clad in heavy armor, approached Sieg and Hugin. After saluting, he politely requested identification. Though many seemed to recognize Sieg and Hugin, formalities still had to be followed.

Sieg handed over the parchment they had received. The knight captain passed it to a magician, who descended from the air to inspect it. Once it was verified, the captain respectfully led the group inside. The massive metal gates opened with a low rumble, revealing the grand interior of the palace hall.

"The king is an extraordinarily powerful individual. If the pressure becomes too much, don't resist it—just lower your head, and it'll feel more manageable," Sieg said, turning to Wang Yu and Charles, who were at the palace for the first time.

"Uh..." Charles scratched his head, looking a bit awkward.

"Understood," Wang Yu replied. He was surprised—he had assumed they would meet the king's stand-in or communicate with him from afar, not face-to-face.

Was the king not concerned about assassination attempts? Or was his absolute strength and home-field advantage enough to make such worries irrelevant?

To Wang Yu's surprise, the palace's interior was unexpectedly modest. It lacked the gaudy, ostentatious displays of wealth often associated with royalty. Instead, it exuded a sense of grandeur.

The high ceilings and classical decorations gave the space a refined, timeless aesthetic. Even someone like Wang Yu, who had little appreciation for art, found the palace's understated elegance far more appealing than the garish displays of "artistic taste" he'd seen elsewhere.

The palace's exterior was reminiscent of the grand fortresses in the medieval games he used to play. Its interior was just as awe-inspiring.

The halls were vast and complex, with soldiers and servants moving about diligently. Some patrolled, while others meticulously cleaned the numerous spaces that required constant maintenance.

Civil officials, identifiable by the unique badges they wore, rushed about with stacks of documents and ink-stained papers.

Upon seeing Sieg and Hugin, these officials would freeze before bowing respectfully. Clearly, the two men held significant standing in Aleisterre, and the recent incident had undoubtedly caused these officials plenty of headaches.

The palace was abuzz with activity. Though the demonic incursion had ended, its aftermath was far from over. The real work of recovery had just begun.

There was no need for a guide; with Hugin and Sieg leading the way, the group proceeded down the grandest corridor. The surroundings grew increasingly opulent, and more heavily armed soldiers began to appear.

The heightened security made it evident that they were approaching their destination. Though the soldiers' gazes didn't linger on the group, Wang Yu could feel an unmistakable sensation—he was being watched, not just by the soldiers, whose formidable auras were palpable, but also from the palace itself.

Its walls, embedded with intricate magical arrays, seemed to be constantly monitoring them. Any attempt to cause trouble here would undoubtedly result in a swift and merciless demise.

At the final set of doors, guarded by two grand knights with immense strength, the group presented their roll of parchment once more. The heavy and imposing doors slowly creaked open, revealing the chamber where the king awaited.

Following Hugin and Sieg inside, Wang Yu caught a glimpse of the king seated on his throne.

The king was a white-haired man with an air of authority, somewhere between middle-aged and elderly in appearance. His eyes were closed as if he were in a state of repose, but as the doors opened, he revealed sharp, penetrating eyes.

At first glance, Wang Yu didn't sense anything particularly special about this supposedly powerful king. To him, the king resembled a distinguished Western gentleman—handsome, stern, but otherwise unremarkable.

Even the king's aura of authority felt akin to that of a strict high school teacher Wang Yu had once had. Intimidating, sure, but nothing extraordinary.

However, Wang Yu's ripples, with a range of three meters before drawing on the void, allowed him to detect subtle changes in his companions' states.

The moment the doors opened, all three—Hugin, Sieg, and Charles—had visibly stiffened. Though Hugin and Sieg recovered almost immediately, Charles' reaction was far more obvious.

Though usually carefree and casual, Charles now appeared uncharacteristically restrained.

This wasn't mere nervousness in the face of a high-ranking figure—Charles would have been trembling in that case. At the moment, he appeared cowed and subdued.

His head was lowered, and he avoided looking at the king directly. Charles' abnormal behavior made Wang Yu realize that this was something deeper, likely tied to the king's inherent presence—though Wang Yu himself appeared immune to it.

Wang Yu quickly lowered his head as well, mimicking Charles' subdued demeanor to avoid drawing attention. Quietly, they stepped into the grand hall.

Though Wang Yu could sense the presence of many individuals—likely ministers—he adhered to court etiquette and refrained from looking around.

Sieg and Hugin both seemed accustomed to this setting. Even Charles, likely the most curious of them all, didn't dare to glance around under the combined pressure of decorum and the king's aura.

The four men knelt on one knee, placing their hands over their hearts and bowing their heads—a traditional Aleisterre gesture similar to Earth's chivalric customs.

"Rise." The king's voice was deep and commanding. The group stood, lifting their heads. Judging by Charles' subtle reaction, the king's oppressive aura had significantly diminished after he spoke, easing the tension in the air.

While keeping an eye on the situation with his peripheral vision, Wang Yu noticed a familiar face among the high-ranking individuals standing next to the king's throne—Garcia. Wang Yu caught sight of him smiling and nodded subtly in his direction.

"Your performance was exceptional," the king began. "When the regular members of the Nightblades were indisposed, your team promptly discovered the source of the incident. While you failed to stop it entirely, your timely response significantly mitigated the resulting casualties and losses. I am very pleased."

"Wang Yu, Charles Ryder, and Edward Leon—these three newcomers in particular demonstrated outstanding performance in this incident.

"Your captain has already reported your contributions. Your rewards will soon be handed out by the Minister of Finance. As for you, Wang Yu—you will have the opportunity to choose one non-strategic-grade curio as your reward for assisting in the recovery of a strategic-grade curio."

Wang Yu was slightly taken aback. He had recovered a strategic-grade curio? That was news to him. Still, if there was a reward, he wasn't going to overthink it.

"But there's one matter that displeases me greatly—deeply so." The king's tone shifted abruptly from calm and authoritative to icy and intense.

An overwhelming pressure swept through the hall in an instant. Everyone—except Wang Yu, who seemed immune to such an aura—turned visibly pale.

Charles, who was likely the weakest in the hall and who lacked the composure of the experienced ministers, nearly collapsed from the overwhelming pressure.

Thankfully, the king reined in his aura just as quickly as he had released it; otherwise, Charles and even several of the ministers might have been forced to kneel on the spot.

"According to the reports, this incident was neither orchestrated by Selwyn nor by a void creature. Instead, it was initiated by someone within our own ranks—a noble of the kingdom."

"Pernia Ryder, a member of the Ryders, began preparing for a demonic summoning ritual months ago. She marked numerous residents of the Outer Wall District as ritual sacrifices, secretly relocated them, and completed the ritual in a single day, a day during which many were indisposed and unable to stop her. How will the Ryders answer for this?"

The king's narrowed eyes landed on a man standing to the side of the hall: Heisen Ryder, the current head of the Ryder family.

"My deepest apologies, Your Majesty. This is a grave oversight on the part of the Ryder family. Pernia was likely influenced or altered by some unknown force that concealed her intentions and drove her to such actions. We believe it was... a devil."

"A devil?" The king raised an eyebrow, then continued, "Based on current evidence, Pernia Ryder does appear to have acted alone.

"Your family's unique abilities have resolved numerous crises for us in the history of kingdom. Therefore, I will not pursue this matter further for now—but I expect you to fulfill your responsibilities moving forward. Do you understand?"

The king, Donatien Charlemagne, delivered his pronouncement after a brief pause. It was a balanced verdict, one that left the Ryders in the royal family's debt while recognizing their unique contribution throughout history.

"We are grateful for Your Majesty's mercy and trust," Heisen Ryder said respectfully. He bowed deeply before stepping back.

"It's as expected," Wang Yu mused inwardly. "As long as it's not outright rebellion, the king wouldn't abandon the Ryder family and their unique capabilities. A heavy hand followed by leniency—it's a simple yet effective tactic. While things seem to be resolved, who knows what the Ryders will have to give up behind the scenes..."

Wang Yu couldn't help but be amused by Charles' conflicted expressions while his father was being questioned. The king's treatment of the Ryders was essentially what Wang Yu had expected.

"But the next family won't be let off so easily," the king declared coldly. "Colin Moriarty has been corrupted by the void and is now an entity that must be purged.

"Additionally, his personal maid and housekeeper, Hela, has been implicated in the theft of several curios. Numerous cases of missing curios have been linked to her. Thanks to Wang Yu's efforts, the ‘Chronostasis Hourglass,' a strategic-class curio, has been recovered. I trust there is no objection to Wang Yu's reward."

Wang Yu was taken aback. So the person he had killed was named Hela, and she had been in possession of a strategic-class curio... It seemed that she had been too weak during his ambush to use it. Otherwise, defeating her would have been far more complicated.

"Moreover, during the inspections and arrests following Colin Moriarty's death, the royal guards uncovered a wealth of evidence proving secret dealings and intelligence sharing between the Moriarty family and Selwyn. In other words, the Moriarty family has committed treason."

The king's tone was as cold as ice. He enumerated the charges against the Moriarty family, a noble house theoretically on par with the Ryders.

"Theresius, Mioden, Hyde—you three families have been far too close to the Moriarty family. This time, you will receive only a warning. Next time, you won't escape so easily."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

"We understand!"

"It won't happen again!"

The heads of the named families, their foreheads damp with sweat, hastily made respectful assurances and expressed their gratitude for the king's leniency.

"As for the Nightblades' special ops team, its contribution in exposing the Moriarty family's treason and taking on the resulting void entities are clear to all. Therefore, I hereby bestow the Dominion Medal upon Sieg Wilsbach and Hugin Smokes.

"Charles Ryder—your status as the Ryder family’s heir will be bolstered by royal weight.

"Wang Yu—you will be elevated from a commoner to a viscount, though you will remain unlanded. As compensation, your status within the Nightblades will be further elevated by one rank.

"Edward Leon—your father has already declined additional rewards on your behalf, so none will be given.

"Minister of Finance!" the king finally called out.

"Present, Your Majesty!"

"Escort these heroes to receive their due rewards."

"Understood!"

After expressing their gratitude for the king's generosity, the four members of the Nightblades followed the Minister of Finance out of the hall.

As the doors to the grand hall swung shut, the king's gaze swept over the remaining individuals in the room.

"That concludes this matter. I do not wish to see any members of the Moriarty family within Aleisterre ever again."

"We understand!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

A chorus of solemn responses echoed through the hall.