"So I hear that brat is the envoy sent by the Mohgwyn Dynasty..."
"An envoy? He doesn't look like an envoy; he looks more like a knight."
"A crude bunch, the lot of them... and they reek of that sickening stench of blood."
Hearing the whispers of the Storm Dynasty's nobles and officials, Pilar remained perfectly composed. Beside him, Holuf's face was dark with annoyance; he had always loathed dealing with these arrogant aristocrats.
However, escorting Pilar today was a mission personally decreed by the Sovereign, so he had no choice but to swallow his pride and endure it.
He hadn't expected the nobles and officials here to be even more loathsome than the bastards he'd encountered before. And as for that "sickening stench of blood"—it was a blatant fabrication!
One must remember that the Mohgwyn Dynasty's base was currently filled with Bloodroses and other flora. If they didn't actively mask their scent, they would actually carry the distinct, exotic fragrance of the roses. To call it a "sickening stench" was pure slander. It was nothing but prejudice!
Koruzé, who was leading the way, wore a faint, inscrutable smile.
He had deliberately taken the two Mohgwyn representatives along this specific route to provoke them, hoping to rattle their composure before the upcoming negotiations. From the look of it, the one who looked less like an envoy was already reaching his limit.
As expected, Koruzé thought. How can these commoners who clawed their way up ever hope to compare to those of us born into officialdom?
The thought lightened his previously gloomy mood.
His gloom had stemmed from the task Engvall had set for him. The pro-peace nobles were no pushovers; they wouldn't simply offer their necks to the blade. They were resisting fiercely. Once they realized Koruzé was moving against them, many had chosen to "sever the limb to save the body," sacrificing lower-level officials to cover their tracks and retreating into the shadows.
Engvall's current priority was ensuring only one voice existed in the public eye. As for the families hiding in the wings... their reckoning would come once the mobilization and war preparations were complete.
The noble houses knew Koruzé's actions were sanctioned by the Storm King, but they didn't dare strike at Engvall directly. Since the King hadn't moved against them personally yet, they believed there was still room for maneuver. Thus, they focused all their pressure on Koruzé, expressing their dissatisfaction through him.
What could Koruzé do? He had to take it. Since the Storm King showed no intention of striking at the roots yet, Koruzé couldn't touch the families either. He simply had to endure.
This was exactly what Engvall intended. Having two factions at each other's throats allowed him to focus on war prep and the construction of defenses without having to worry about one side gaining too much power. Once everything was ready, he would sweep away all unstable elements at once.
"Steady your heart, Holuf."
"Pilar, did you hear what those bastards were saying? How am I supposed to stay steady?!"
"If you lose your cool, you're falling right into their trap," Pilar said, glancing at Koruzé and speaking loud enough for the minister to hear.
Koruzé's expression stiffened instantly.
"A trap? What are you—oh, I see."
Holuf wasn't stupid; he had simply been blinded by temper. With Pilar's reminder, he shot a predatory, unfriendly look at Koruzé.
The minister forced a "kindly" smile, though anyone with eyes could see it was a perfectly practiced, hollow mask.
"Hah, they don't call your kind 'black-hearted' for nothing, do they?" Holuf growled.
Koruzé's face soured further. He could hear the biting sarcasm in Holuf's voice, even if he didn't want to acknowledge it. He stole a glance at Pilar, his wariness of the man in armor growing. Unlike his hot-headed companion, Pilar had remained unruffled throughout the journey.
Whether it was the display of the Storm Dynasty's military might, the whispers Koruzé had orchestrated, or any other psychological probes, Pilar hadn't taken the bait. He acted as though none of it was worthy of his notice.
To this, Pilar would have simply said that these were tricks he had mastered aeons ago. There was no point in embarrassing oneself with such dated maneuvers.
Since the fall of the dynasty he once served, his only wish was to see his home flourish once more. Beyond that, he held no desires. Wealth, power, beauty, even personal strength—none of it moved him. He only wanted to see the sun of his dynasty rise again.
"The King is waiting for you just ahead. Please." Koruzé gestured toward the doors.
Holuf and Pilar exchanged a glance and walked down the long corridor toward the main hall. Both sides were lined with fully armed Banished Knights. This was easily one of the most heavily guarded areas in the entire palace.
As the massive doors slowly groaned open, the opulent decorations of the hall were revealed. Holuf took a moment to regain his composure before following Pilar inside. Pilar walked with a steady, rhythmic gait, his eyes fixed straight ahead.
"Hmm?"
Engvall, seated upon his throne, immediately noticed the difference in Pilar's aura and bearing.
"Honored Storm King, on behalf of the Mohgwyn Dynasty and our Sovereign, I bring greetings. I am the envoy for this mission, Pilar."
Pilar gave a respectful bow to the King.
"Pilar... to be honest, I initially assumed the warrior beside you was the envoy."
"He is Holuf, a powerhouse dispatched by our Sovereign to ensure my safety."
"I see..."
Engvall sized up Holuf. The warrior felt as though he was being stripped bare by that gaze. Engvall quickly gauged Holuf's strength; combined with the power of Cursed Blood, he was indeed a formidable combatant.
"For a civil official, you possess remarkable strength," Engvall noted. "It seems the Mohgwyn Dynasty has more talent than I anticipated."
"You flatter us," Pilar replied, neither humble nor proud.
Engvall was impressed by Pilar's reaction—so much so that he felt a twinge of desire to poach the man for his own court. While he had many capable followers, a civil official as loyal, talented, and stoic as Pilar was a rare find. He only had Buggyes, and Buggyes was old; eventually, he would return to the storm.
Seeing such talent, Engvall couldn't help but test the waters. "If I were to try and win you over, I wonder what price I would have to pay?"
Pilar blinked, then bowed low in apology. "I thank the Storm King for his favor. However, I seek not worldly desires, but an ideal."
"An ideal... a truly frustrating answer," Engvall lamented, shaking his head with a look of regret. "Buggyes, I leave these two in your care."
"As you command, my King," Buggyes replied, stepping forward. "Gentlemen, please follow me."
Buggyes gestured for the two to follow and led the way out of the hall. Two Banished Knights fell in step behind them. Holuf stole a glance at their escort; their powerful physiques, steady eyes, and exquisite gear marked them as the elite of any faction.
In the Golden Order, perhaps only the finest of the Leyndell Knights or even more specialized units could compare. Ordinary Leyndell Knights likely wouldn't stand a chance. After all, the rank-and-file knights of the Storm Dynasty were already formidable, wielding the power of the storm and clad in high-quality plate.
"Honored sir, may I ask your position within the Storm Dynasty?" Holuf asked.
"Ah, how rude of me. I haven't introduced myself properly," Buggyes said with a pleasant smile. "I am the King's chief administrator, as well as his strategist and advisor. I have served him since his coronation."
Holuf's heart skipped a beat. A man who had advised the Storm King for that long would possess knowledge and power at the very pinnacle of the Lands Between. As for his elderly appearance... his shock of white hair was a deception. Beneath it lay dense, powerful muscles and eyes as bright as stars. This "withered" old man was a powerhouse at the absolute peak of both mind and body.
"Hmm... I believe I have heard your name before," Pilar said thoughtfully, before shaking his head. "But it was a long time ago. My memory is somewhat hazy."
"Hah! It's no surprise you've heard of me. I was quite the hot-headed youth once; I'm bound to have left a few stories across these lands," Buggyes laughed heartily.
"No, I mean much further back than that. Recent events... I actually know very little of them."
"Oh?" Buggyes's eyes sharpened. He looked at Pilar with confusion, unsure of his meaning.
"Ah, I forgot my own introduction. Before I served my Sovereign, I was a remnant of the Uhl Dynasty."
Buggyes's eyes widened in shock. The name carried immense weight.
The Uhl and Uld Dynasties were the two legendary Crucible-era kingdoms of the Lands Between. One worshipped the Moon, the other the Sun, though both held both celestial bodies in high regard, differing only in focus. Over the aeons, records of these dynasties had blurred into myth. To see a living citizen of the Uhl Dynasty before him was staggering.
The secrets such a man would know would surpass the imagination of any living being.
Buggyes wasn't wrong, but he didn't realize that the passage of time had eroded much of Pilar's memory. Most of what remained were trivialities. Only when he encountered something related to his past would his memories return like a flood. This was why Mohg kept Pilar at the Dynasty's base—it was the region with the most Uhl/Uld relics.
"It seems I can no longer call myself 'this old man' in your presence," Buggyes joked, skillfully shifting the topic. "You must be many times my senior."
"Lord Buggyes is a man who has given his life to his Dynasty. You have my respect," Pilar replied with a smile. "I was merely guarding ruins. Had my Sovereign not arrived, I would have wasted my life away."
Hearing this, Buggyes abandoned any thought of fulfilling the task Engvall had secretly set for him.
Engvall hadn't quite given up on poaching Pilar. When he handed the envoys over to Buggyes, he had given the strategist a specific look. Having served Engvall for so long, Buggyes knew exactly what his King wanted: a probe into Pilar's loyalty.
But after hearing Pilar's words, Buggyes knew there was no chance. This wasn't a man who could be bought with gold or status. He was a man who followed his King out of a profound, internal conviction. Such people were rare—even among the Storm King's own followers, there were few of such caliber.
Buggyes saw it clearly. Even between the two "Wings" of the Storm King, one of them had yet to reach that level of devotion.
He was, of course, referring to Oleg.
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