Chapter 13: Unexpected News

-----In the Soaring Dragon Kingdom’s Royal Court---- Opulence was brazen in the grand throne room of King Charles Dragonblood III. Gold, precious gems, and the heads of twelve demon kings decorated the hall, screaming the human kingdom’s power. The king was a middle-aged man, with a trimmed black beard and piercing green eyes. He wore golden armor with red details and carried a golden scepter topped with the skull of an unknown beast. This being, the most powerful of humans, sat atop a throne made entirely of white gold, a striking contrast to all the gleaming gold in the hall. Today, the court was in celebration. The air smelled of fine wine and flowers, as if a magical garden had materialized within. Princess Rose Dragonblood was about to get married. She looked radiant in her wedding dress. Beside her, General Valerius Beaumont, a knight in full armor, wore a solemn expression, as if he were in the middle of a battlefield instead of his own wedding. The kingdom’s first general barely breathed, not daring to look up. Suddenly, the hall door burst open. A messenger, Sir Kael, rushed in. He was sweating and his clothes were disheveled. His face, pale with terror. "Audience with the king!" he shouted, his voice hoarse, not caring about etiquette. Whispers filled the room. Queen Isabella, frowning with a disgusted gesture, yelled: "Decapitate this insolent fool for his discourtesy!" But King Charles III raised a hand, stopping the guards. His stern eyes fixed on the messenger. "It had better be urgent, Kael, or your punishment for ruining this magnificent day will be death." The messenger, trembling, managed to stand. "Your Majesty! A new guild has appeared in the world! It’s impossible, but it’s true!" King Charles III raised an eyebrow, intrigued but with a look of annoyance. "A new guild, you say. Probably some small fish trying to play big. Kill him for interrupting my celebration with such trivialities." Two guards reacted instantly, plunging their spears into poor Kael’s chest. The man collapsed, life escaping his eyes, but with his last ounce of strength, he whispered, his voice barely a thread: "It’s... the Hero..." His words dropped like a bomb. A deathly silence filled the hall, lasting only a second before the entire court erupted in panic. Screams, exclamations of terror and confusion filled the air. "What did you say...?! Repeat that...!!" But only silence was his answer. Kael, the messenger, was already dead, still impaled by the two royal guards. "Aghhh...!! Damn it! They should have waited! Why did you kill the messenger?!" With a roar of fury, the king moved at supersonic speed, leaping from his throne and beheading both guards. Though it was his fault, no one dared to contradict a furious king. "Take me to the dungeon! I need to see it with my own eyes!" The king roared like a madman as they ran towards the dungeon. The general ran after him, signaling his first commander. "Activate all defenses! If the Hero is here, we must act immediately...!" The first commander ran desperately, activating all the castle’s barriers. For the first time in generations, the castle showed its full power to the world. While the army placed defense weapons and mobilized like ants on a griddle, the king and General Valerius Beaumont reached the underground dungeon. The doors were pure steel, three meters high and one meter wide. They had defensive enchantment runes to prevent anything from escaping. "Guards...! Guards...! How is it possible that the traitor escaped?!" With a jump, the guards threw themselves to the ground, kneeling. The error they were accused of was enough to exterminate all their families down to the tenth generation, so stammering, they tried to explain: "In... In... Informing Your Highness! No one has approached the prison, the seals are still deployed, and there hasn’t been any failure since your last visit." Without wanting to waste time, the king took out a medallion and placed it in a slot in the wall. The doors opened with a deafening sound. Those imposing, heavy doors looked like the jaws of a sleeping beast. The stench of dampness and excrement filled the air, but the king didn’t even frown, rushing inside. The sight was depressing. In each cell, kingdom enemies were chained, who would never see the light of the world again. In this place, they would receive no food or water; they would eat and drink their own waste until they died. But each cell had minimal healing runes to prolong the suffering as much as possible. There were several prisoners who had been incarcerated for over three hundred years, some known as "the Fallen." Upon reaching the last cell, the king fell to his knees, eyes wide open, staring at the empty cell with the chains still closed, hanging from the walls. "It’s not possible... This must be a bad dream..." Using the amulet, he opened the door. The general entered first with his sword in hand, in case it was a trap. "My lord, the shackles are still sealed, the death curse has not been deactivated." "This cannot be happening! No one can remove the Light Goddess’s shackles! Bring the High Pontiff immediately! I need an explanation!" The guards, fearing for their lives, ran out of the dungeon before the king could kill them. They dragged in an old man dressed in white robes. Despite his great authority, the guards forced him to come, fearing death if they delayed even a second. "Sir, the High Pontiff has left the city. We brought the Cardinal; he was in charge of officiating the princess’s wedding." "Useless! All of you are useless! Aghhh!" With a roar, the king released all his fury, making the guards cower in fear, not daring to say another word. "Cardinal, you had better have a good explanation, or I will show you no mercy..."