0n the shores of the Vermilion Kingdom, a ship approached slowly. The lighthouse in the distance had spotted them from a mile away; however, a white flag had been raised , the universal sign of peace in Eos , so no one made any move.
Nevertheless, their guards were still high... the demonic invasion had just happened not too long ago, and they weren’t ready to take any chances.
"I wonder who they are... and why they chose to co at night," one of the n in the watchtower said.
"Might be from the neighbouring kingdoms," the other replied.
"Co on, let’s go check it out!"
The first watchman stepped forward, followed by the second and a few more guards. They stood quite a distance from where the ship was — not too far, but far enough for them to react in case the other party tried anything funny.
From the ship, two individuals stepped forward. Flashlight beams shone on them, revealing a boy and a girl who had an uncanny resemblance to each other.
The boy wore casual grey clothing. No weapons could be seen on him. His face was calm and serene — his eyes as well. The girl, whom the watchn assud to be his sister, was dressed similarly to him despite being female.
"State your reason and where you are from!" shouted the first watchman who had spoken. He wasn’t just any watchman but the captain of the guard.
"We’re from Imperia," the boy said in a calm tone of voice. "We’re here for a tourist visit."
Imperia? The captain’s eyes narrowed slightly. He knew about Imperia , one of the major human kingdoms far west , but that was the extent of his knowledge.
He had never been to their kingdom, didn’t know their history or culture, nor had he encountered any citizens from there until today.
And why would they co here... did he expect them to believe they were here for tourism?
It was known by everyone that the kingdom was still recovering... coming for sightseeing at a crucial mont like this was suspicious.
The captain remained quiet for several monts, a serious expression masking the confusion brimming in his head. He was contemplating what to do and how to handle the issue. In the end, he decided the best conclusion was to hand these people over to the king himself.
Yes, that was the best approach. He thought for a mont and then glanced at the duo. "Alright, this is what will happen. You two will be escorted for so questioning. After that, you may be free in the kingdom... are you fine with that?"
"Brother... why don’t we just get rid of them? They’re blocking the way."
’Huh... kill all of them?’
The captain almost choked on his saliva when he heard this. He quickly took a sneaky peek at the one who had said such words, as if wondering who he should even consider eating for dinner.
It was the petite and more beautiful version of the young man. Her face was indifferent, and her red lips were pressed into a faint sneer.
"Please, I apologise on behalf of my sister." The young man flashed an awkward smile. "We will do as you say."
"Huh, it’s fine!" the captain casually waved it off. Just looking at these people, he could tell sothing was wrong about them, and he didn’t want to get on their bad side.
The girl seed disappointed but didn’t say anything.
---
It had been about three days since the mass awakening. After giving Ria so instructions on what to do, Jack and Nox had left earlier today.
The king was currently in his study, reviewing so docunts — most of which were concerns from the other classes, and another being plans about taking the newly awakened Beast Tars for an excursion into the wild so they could ta their respective beasts.
Naturally, Adrian tossed out all the pleas of concern, and his main objective right now was the pet taming and distribution matter.
At that mont, a knock sounded on the door, and a guard rushed in.
"Your Majesty, we have a visitor," the captain hurriedly bowed and reported.
Adrian frowned. "A visitor at this ti?"
"Yes," the captain nodded. "They claim to be from Imperia, Your Majesty."
Adrian froze for a second.
"...Imperia?"
That na wasn’t sothing he heard casually. The distance alone made it impossible for common travelers to show up without prior notice. And with everything that had happened recently, the demonic invasion, the destruction, the mass awakening , unexpected visitors were the last thing he wanted.
"How many?" Adrian asked.
"Two, Your Majesty. A boy and a girl. They ca on a small ship. They arrived during the night."
Adrian rubbed his forehead. "And what do they want?"
"They said... they’re here for tourism."
Silence.
Adrian stared at the captain with a deadpan expression.
"...Tourism? In Vermilion? Right now?"
The captain swallowed. "We also found their behaviour suspicious. The boy seems calm. The girl... well... she suggested killing us because we were blocking her path."
Adrian blinked twice, slightly taken aback. He nodded. "Bring them in. Now."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
The captain rushed out.
Adrian remained standing, mind moving quickly. Imperia was far west, beyond the major kingdoms. Their people rarely interacted with the other five kingdoms.
And they sent... two siblings?
He couldn’t shake the feeling that this wasn’t random.
Were they scouts?
Envoys?
Or sothing worse?
The boy and girl from the docks walked in calmly. The brother moved with relaxed steps, almost emotionless. The sister followed behind him, hands tucked into her pockets like she didn’t care about anything around her.
Both had bright, moonlight-like hair and sharp, clear eyes.
Adrian’s gaze lingered on them.
They really did look alike, to an uncanny degree.
The siblings bowed slightly.
"Greetings, King of Vermilion. My na is Soren, and this is my sister Selene," the young man said politely. "Thank you for receiving us."
Adrian didn’t respond to the greeting imdiately. Instead, he stared deeply into their eyes and spoke in a firm, asured voice.
"Why are you two really here? I don’t believe you ca all the way from Imperia for tourism."
Reviews
All reviews (0)