"Take off those masks, or I'll arrest you all for concealing identity and threatening the kingdom."
"What a great hat!" thought Maxi imdiately as anger really started to go to his head.
While he wasn't an idiot, he didn't live to be insulted like that.
If he had to, he'd fight against the Kingdom.
He would dare and start a rebellion.
With his talent, anything was possible.
Aveline, hitherto silent, brought her horse forward a step. Her voice, soft but firm, rose above the tension.
"Chevalier Garlan, your devotion is comndable, but I am under the protection of the Saber-toothed Tigers by order of my father, Count Ardan. These masked n are necessary for my safety."
"If you have any doubts, I invite you to accompany us to the capital."
The soldiers exchanged uncertain glances, surprised by the authority emanating from the young woman.
Garlan, however, did not let his guard down.
"Lady Aveline, your position does not exempt you from respecting the laws of the kingdom. These n must reveal their identity. Now."
Maxi's eyes were starting to turn red in earnest, but he felt a hand touch his shoulder.
Maxi glanced to his left in surprise; it was Andrew, also mounted on his horse.
But the latter wasn't looking at him, also containing his anger by looking at Chevalier Garlan.
For her part, Aveline began to show her fangs.
"If you have any doubts about n Count Ardan himself has hired, I suggest you take your concerns to Duke Valderic himself."
Aveline's voice, clear and assured, made Garlan hesitate. Count Ardan was a rather discreet count whose reputation remained within closed circles.
So he wasn't afraid of him since he didn't know his true level of strength, but the Valderic family was a subject for another level.
Their reputation and strength were well known.
But he remained visibly wary, and his gaze returned to Maxi.
"That's all well and good, but if these n are truly innocent, they'd have no problem removing their masks. I'll have to insist."
"This farce has gone on long enough," Maxi intervened imdiately.
What had to happen finally did.
Maxi quietly dismounted and drew his sword.
Chevalier Garlan frowned.
"What are you doing, rcenary?
"What I should have been doing a long ti ago," Maxi replied simply, then dashed towards Chevalier Garlan.
Andrew, Laura, Charles, Terry, Tena and all the other rcenaries except the new recruits looked on as if they'd been expecting it.
Kaite and Langus looked at each other in shock.
"He dares to attack a knight of the royal guard?"
"Is he insane?"
"This is literally an attack on the Kingdom!"
Both thought the sa things. This was totally different from their little ambush in the dark.
Here, Maxi was attacking a knight of the royal guard in broad daylight.
This could clearly be interpreted as a sign of rebellion!
For his part, the knight Garlan, although surprised, was expecting an attack after seeing this young man draw his sword, but he wasn't particularly worried.
Given his young age, he was at most an apprentice knight at the stage of great success, because otherwise, if he were any stronger, he'd be known throughout the kingdom.
And Maxi knew this and took advantage of the fact that, while he maintained a speed corresponding to an apprentice knight, he accelerated all of a sudden when he was close enough to the knight Garlan.
"What's that?"
The Garlan knight had no ti to react and Maxi managed to open his guard with a sword thrust, then did a backhanded kick right into the middle of the Garlan knight's armor.
The latter flew towards his n at phenonal speed, knocking so of them over like dominoes.
"Captain!"
Chevalier Garlan felt a sharp pain in his abdon and struggled to get to his feet.
After all, it was a blow comparable to a knight at peak stage.
His n were all shocked to see their captain looking so miserable after just one exchange.
"Keep pissing us off and I'll kill you all," declared Maxi coolly.
Simultaneously, a slight bloodthirsty aura that he had accumulated over the course of battles naturally flowed out of him.
When the Garlan knight saw this young man exude such a demonic, demon-like aura, he took fright.
He felt he was up against one of the 5 best knights in the royal guard.
He himself was one of the weakest knights in the royal guard, and he knew his own position.
He'd have no chance of winning in a 1vs1 situation.
Garlan tried to stand up, staggering slightly, his dented armor emitting a strange creaking sound. His soldiers gathered around him, but their hesitation was easy to notice.
Maxi's icy aura had undermined their confidence.
The knight of the royal guard finally managed to stand up, then raised a hand to signal his n not to attack.
"Enough..." he articulated with difficulty, still in shock.
Aveline, still in the saddle, watched the scene with an indecipherable expression. She'd already seen Maxi's dark side, so she wasn't particularly surprised by this scene.
This young man was afraid of nothing in this world, and above all he was intelligent enough that even with such a crazy side, he managed to legitimize his actions.
Maxi sheathed his sword with a quick movent, but the oppressive aura didn't completely disappear. He stepped forward, his cold gaze fixed on Garlan's.
"Chevalier Garlan, I suggest you reconsider your position. You've tried to humiliate my n and endangered a mission entrusted directly to you by an earl."
"You have two choices now: accompany us silently back to the capital or take your chances once more, but if you choose this option, I won't be able to guarantee that your head will still be attached to your body at the end of the day."
The apprentice knights of the royal guard exchanged nervous glances, none of them seeming to want to face such an adversary.
"This young man is too terrifying," murmured one of them, the other apprentice knights nodding, swallowing hard.
Knight Garlan nodded with difficulty.
"Very well... You've won rcenary. I'll accompany you, but you should know that this incident will be reported to the appropriate authorities."
Maxi raised an eyebrow, a slight ironic smile on his lips.
"Please do. I can't wait to hear how you'll explain your inability to carry out a simple inspection."
Aveline stepped forward again, her voice soft but tinged with imperious authority:
"Chevalier Garlan, I advise you to forget this incident. The Valderic family won't appreciate learning that their future daughter-in-law has been delayed by caprice. Accompany us or return to your post."
As much as Aveline hated this wedding, she didn't mind using their power early.
The na of the Valderic family made Garlan blanch slightly. After a long silence, he nodded in agreent.
"Very well, Lady Aveline. I'll escort you to the capital."
A few hours later, under the escort of the royal guard, the group finally reached the imposing walls of the royal capital.
The guard towers rose proudly to the sky, and the massive gates were open, letting in rchants, peasants and nobles.
Above the gate was a phrase carved in stone:
"Welco to Hivernia."
Hivernia was the capital of the kingdom of the Frost Eagle.
Maxi glanced at Aveline.
He knew their mission would get even trickier once inside the walls.
Indeed, the mission would only end once this marriage was concluded.
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But as Maxi sensed, the wedding would hold many surprises.
The large group passed under the imposing stone arches of Hivernia, then arrived at the center of a huge street filled with the hustle and bustle of a capital in full effervescence.
In this imnse bustle, very few people noticed the arrival of this large group of people.
"I'll leave you here Lady Aveline, as well as...the Saber-toothed Tigers." declared the knight of the royal guard with so dismay.
"Thank you for your services Garlan, we'll et again no doubt," replied Maxi with a smile.
But this smile sent shivers down the spine of the knight of the royal guard and he left without a word with his n.
Aveline, Maxi and his n found themselves in a street crowded with rchants shouting their wares, nobles chatting behind silk veils, and soldiers patrolling with heightened vigilance.
Maxi kept one hand resting nonchalantly on the hilt of his sword, as he recorded every detail.
As Aveline had already been to the capital, Maxi and his n quietly followed her to the Valderic manor.
In just under 10 minutes, they arrived at the gateway to a cold, austere courtyard, just like the family who lived there. The walls surrounding the mansion were decorated with banners bearing a giant black snake on a silver background, the Valderic emblem.
A stern-looking butler, dressed in an impeccable suit, awaited them in front of this portal.
"Lady Aveline, gentlen. I am butler Guiscard. His Grace, Duke Luc Valderic, awaits you for a private audience."
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