Horkell slowly opened his eyes and the first thing he saw was a hideous-looking beast staring at him with unconcealed ferocity.
Recognizing the beast, he struggled to break free from its grasp, but he was unable to move its paw which was pressing down on him with heavy force.
It was then that he heard a series of footsteps nearby. He instinctively turned his head and saw a young warrior clad in gold and black battle armor. He exuded a unique charm that commanded awe and respect.
With his temperant alone, Horkell could tell that this young warrior held a significant background.
"Who are you?!" He asked whole feigning calmness. The other party had kept his life so he believed that he could make his way out through an exchange.
His mind spun as he thought of what information he should provide them with to have them guarantee his safety.
"Release him." Alaric calmly ordered.
Zephyr understood his command so he lifted his giant paw, but he still kept his eyes on Horkell as if to warn him not to make any rash moves.
Of course, Horkell wasn’t stupid enough to attempt an escape when a catastrophe-grade monster was just a ter away from him.
Alaric looked down at the old warrior and said indifferently. "You must be Horkell, the man known as the Heavy Hamr of Harune."
Horkell stared deeply at Alaric, trying to see through his intentions.
He nodded and replied. "You are right, my lord. This old one is indeed Horkell. May I know what you need from ?"
Sensing his tension, Alaric chuckled. "I just have a few questions for you. I hope you can answer them truthfully. Depending on your answer, I might consider sparing your life."
Hearing this, Horkell wasn’t in a hurry to respond. He looked straight into Alaric’s eyes and cautiously said. "I can answer your questions, but you must swear upon Aru’s na that you will set free and keep safe."
Alaric turned silent. This old warrior was very cautious and it didn’t look like he would answer him without fulfilling his request.
"I promise you that I will keep you safe." Alaric nodded indifferently.
Horkell shook his head. "That is not enough. You must swear upon Aru’s na."
Alaric furrowed his eyebrows. This old man was difficult to fool and he had no intentions of sparing his life.
After much thought, Alaric let out a sigh. "What a pity..."
Looking at Alaric’s expression, Horkell felt uneasy. "Wait..."
However, Alaric didn’t give him the chance to speak and ordered in a cold voice. "Kill him."
Hearing this, Horkell felt a wave of terror grip his heart. He wanted to flee, but he found himself restricted by an invisible force.
In the next mont, he saw a huge gaping maw approaching him.
He couldn’t even scream and was bitten to death by Zephyr.
With one bite, the beast devoured the Transcendent Knight, leaving only a pair of feet that were still wearing boots!
Alaric’s face twitched upon seeing this. Zephyr was too scary. Luckily, the beast was very docile in front of him. It was even more obedient than the Saber-fanged Wolves he had taken as pets.
Looking at the bloody pair of boots, Alaric clicked his tongue. "Too bad..."
He spared Horkell’s life because he wanted to get so information from him about the location of Harune’s troops.
Alaric’s mission was still active which ans that he was yet to complete the task.
There are many cities and villages near this fortress. Where should I begin my investigation?
Alaric was deeply troubled. He couldn’t do the investigation all by himself. His only choice was to leave a ssage for his troops, informing them to head out separately to several key cities and villages.
Thinking about this, Alaric wasted no ti. He walked towards Marco and Derrek who instinctively flinched upon eting his gaze.
"I cannot stay here for long. I have a feeling that Harune has sent their troops separately so I must head to the other cities." Alaric told them his decision to leave.
The two Transcendent Knights didn’t object to this. The situation here had already been settled and all that was left was to deal with the aftermath.
"We thank you for your help, Your Highness. Once we have fully recovered, we will visit North Pine Town to thank you in person." Marco wanted to offer him a fist-palm salute, but he rembered that he had lost a hand so he was at a loss.
Alaric noticed his unusual expression, but he pretended not to see it. "My troops will arrive in a few days. I want you two to inform them..."
Alaric instructed them on what to do and he also gave them a few reminders.
A mont later, Alaric hopped onto Zephyr’s back and ordered it to fly.
The beast let out an ear-piercing roar. It then flapped its wings and flew into the sky with a ’whoosh’!
The two injured Transcendent Knights watched the massive figure with complicated faces.
"It seems like the two princes have gained a formidable adversary in their quest for the throne..." Derrek offhandedly remarked.
Marco didn’t say anything, but he shared the sa thoughts as him.
There will be great changes in the empire soon...
anwhile, Alaric was unaware of their thoughts. While standing on top of Zephyr’s back, he looked down while searching for traces of enemy activity.
"If you sense sothing, inform imdiately." He told the beast.
Zephyr made a sound to acknowledge his command.
In the blink of an eye, they had already traveled tens of miles.
Alaric saw several cities, towns, and villages. However, he didn’t sense a trace of battle.
Half a day later, he arrived at the borders of another fortress city called Black Wind Fort.
It was a fortress smaller than Iron Sand Fort and its military was also weaker. Even so, they still had a Transcendent Knight stationed as their commander.
Upon closer look, Alaric discovered that an army of ten thousand warriors was marching towards the fortress.
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