Golden rays of morning sunlight streamed through the magnificent stained-glass windows of the Royal Palace of Sanctoria.
Rows of Royal Knights stood proudly along both sides of the grand ceremonial hall, their polished armor gleaming beneath the brilliant light.
At the very center...
Two men knelt upon one knee.
Drakar.
Shalo.
Both now wore the immaculate white-and-gold armor of the Royal Knights of Sanctoria. A pristine white cloak embroidered with the kingdom's sacred emblem rested proudly upon their shoulders.
Upon the royal platform stood Queen Seraphine Sanctoria.
She descended the marble steps with calm elegance before stopping before the two men.
A royal attendant stepped forward and presented her with a magnificent ceremonial sword.
Seraphine slowly drew the blade.
The hall fell silent.
She gently rested the flat of the sword upon Drakar's right shoulder.
Her calm voice echoed throughout the chamber.
"Drakar."
"From this day forth..."
"...you shall stand not as a wandering adventurer..."
"...but as a sworn protector of the Kingdom of Sanctoria."
She moved the blade to his left shoulder.
"I charge you to defend the innocent..."
"...to uphold justice without prejudice..."
"...to honor your comrades..."
"...and to remain steadfast even when darkness surrounds your path."
The sword was then gently placed upon the top of his head.
"Do you swear..."
"...upon your life..."
"...to remain loyal to this kingdom..."
"...and to protect its people with every breath you possess?"
Drakar lowered his head.
"I swear it, Your Majesty."
Seraphine smiled gently.
"Then by the authority entrusted to me..."
"...as Queen of Sanctoria..."
"...and one of the Six Heroes..."
"I hereby name you..."
"...Royal Knight of Sanctoria."
She lifted the sword.
"Rise..."
"...Sir Drakar."
Drakar slowly rose to his feet.
Without hesitation, Seraphine stepped before Shalo.
The same sacred ceremony was performed.
Moments later...
She smiled warmly.
"Rise..."
"...Sir Shalo."
Thunderous applause filled the ceremonial hall.
...
Later that afternoon...
Inside the luxurious mansion gifted to them by Queen Seraphine...
Shalo threw himself onto an enormous bed.
"Ahhh..."
"I'm completely exhausted."
Drakar quietly removed the heavy armor before placing it upon a nearby stand.
He let out a slow sigh.
"I didn't like it."
Shalo looked toward him.
"The ceremony?"
Drakar slowly shook his head.
"The people."
"When I lived in Darkain..."
"...thousands feared even looking into my eyes."
"They lowered their heads whenever I passed."
"But today..."
"...countless humans stared directly at me."
His expression remained calm.
"...I didn't like it."
Shalo laughed softly.
"I understand."
"When I was a child..."
"...I hated it too."
"My father always told me..."
"'A prince must never fear the eyes of his people."
"'The one who carries a crown must also carry their attention.'"
He smiled as he looked toward the ceiling.
"I suppose..."
"...I eventually got used to it."
Silence settled over the room.
After a few moments...
Drakar's expression became serious.
"We cannot grow comfortable."
"Our purpose hasn't changed."
His crimson eyes narrowed.
"We must earn Queen Seraphine's complete trust."
"Only then..."
"...will we have the opportunity..."
"...to retrieve Lord Kritos' sword."
"...Fallmeth."
Shalo's smile disappeared.
He nodded quietly.
"...Understood."
The peaceful mansion once again fell into silence.
Neither of them noticed...
That destiny had already begun moving beyond their expectations.
Far away...
Deep within the forests of the Kingdom of Aurelia...
The sounds of battle echoed through the trees.
ROAR!
Several monstrous wolves burst from the undergrowth, surrounding a small party of adventurers.
Behind them...
A man sat lazily upon a fallen tree trunk.
A worn brown cloak rested over his broad shoulders, while long, messy black hair partially covered his face. A rough beard surrounded his jaw, making him appear older than he truly was.
An empty bottle rolled across the grass.
Another rested in his hand.
He calmly took another drink.
Nearby...
A young swordsman clicked his tongue.He possessed short jet-black hair that moved gently with the forest breeze, while his sharp amber-gold eyes radiated determination far beyond his age. Though only a young adventurer, his well-trained physique reflected countless hours of swordsmanship. He wore lightweight black leather armor reinforced with polished steel plates, allowing him to move with remarkable speed, and a finely crafted longsword rested firmly in his grip.
"Honk!"
"Would you stop drinking for one minute?"
"At least help us!"
Before the young man could continue—
ROAR!
A gigantic wolf lunged toward him.
SHING!
A silver flash sliced through the air.
The monster's head separated cleanly from its body before crashing onto the forest floor.
The young swordsman calmly lowered his blade.
"Lia!"
"Support me with magic!"
"Trunk!"
"Protect Lia!"
"And, Honk..."
"...do something useful!"
A beautiful young woman with waist-length silver hair stepped forward.
Her sapphire-blue eyes glowed with mana as she raised an elegant crystal staff crowned by a radiant blue gemstone.
"Ice Blessing."
A brilliant magic circle appeared beneath the young swordsman's feet.
Blue light wrapped around his body.
His movements instantly became faster.
His strength increased.
Behind her...
A giant of a man planted an enormous tower shield into the ground.
BOOM!
Several monsters slammed into it.
None of them managed to move it even an inch.
The shield stood like an unbreakable fortress.
The young swordsman smiled.
"Thanks!"
He rushed toward the monsters once again.
...
Meanwhile...
Honk slowly sighed.
He looked at the nearly empty bottle in his hand.
"What a waste..."
He gently placed it upon the ground.
Then...
He stood.
His old sword rested against his shoulder.
He glanced toward the young swordsman.
"Riyo."
"Step back."
"I'll handle this."
Riyo froze.
"...Seriously?"
Without another word...
Honk walked toward the monsters.
The wolves growled before charging together.
Dozens of them.
The ground trembled beneath their footsteps.
Honk merely scratched the back of his head.
"...Too slow."
He disappeared.
BOOOOM!
The earth exploded beneath his feet.
The first wolf never even saw him.
Its entire body burst apart from a single slash.
Before the blood touched the ground—
SHING!
Another silver flash.
Three monsters were cut cleanly in half.
A gigantic bear charged from the forest.
It roared loudly enough to shake the surrounding trees.
Honk looked at it with bored eyes.
"...Annoying."
He casually swung his sword.
A crescent wave of sword energy shot forward.
BOOOOOOM!
The bear...
The trees behind it...
Even part of the distant cliff...
Were sliced apart.
Silence.
The remaining monsters froze.
Fear filled their eyes.
One by one...
They turned around.
And ran.
Honk sighed.
"...Too late."
He swung his sword one final time.
Hundreds of invisible sword slashes crossed the battlefield.
SHING!
SHING!
SHING!
Every fleeing monster collapsed.
Not a single one survived.
The forest became completely silent.
Riyo stared with his mouth hanging open.
"...He..."
"...ended it..."
"...alone."
Lia lowered her staff.
"...As expected..."
"...Captain Honk."
Trunk simply nodded.
"Monster."
Honk yawned.
"Can we go now?"
"I'd like another drink."
...
Later...
The magnificent headquarters of the Avelnch Guild within the Kingdom of Aurelia buzzed with countless adventurers.
The enormous entrance doors slowly opened.
Creeeak...
Four adventurers entered together.
The moment they stepped inside...
Whispers spread throughout the hall.
"...Isn't that..."
"...Black Raven?"
"I heard that drunkard in their party..."
"...killed the Ice Bear King..."
"...with a single strike."
"They completed another S-Rank request already?"
"They're monsters..."
Without paying attention to the whispers...
Riyo calmly approached the reception desk.
The young receptionist smiled politely.
"Welcome to the headquarters of the Avelnch Guild in the Kingdom of Aurelia."
"How may I assist you today?"
Riyo placed a massive bloodstained sack onto the counter.
THUD!
"We're here to collect the reward for today's hunt."
"And..."
"...this is the proof."
He untied the sack.
The mouths of everyone nearby slowly fell open.
THUMP...
THUMP...
THUMP...
One after another...
The severed heads of powerful monsters rolled across the reception desk.
Fresh blood slowly dripped onto the polished wooden floor.
The reception hall became deathly silent.
Fear...
And astonishment...
Spread across every adventurer present.
Far away, In the darkest prison under Darkain
The iron door groaned open.
A freezing draft swept through the prison corridor.
Alendro slowly lifted his head.
The flickering torchlight revealed a familiar figure standing outside the cell.
Orange hair.
Crimson eyes.
A perfectly tailored butler's uniform.
Zox.
For a heartbeat...
Neither of them spoke.
Then the chains around Alendro's wrists rattled violently as he stepped forward.
"You..."
His voice echoed through the prison.
"...TRAITOR!"
"I'll kill you!"
He threw himself toward the bars.
CLANG!
The enchanted chains snapped tight, stopping him only inches from the iron door.
The Royal Knights behind him immediately grabbed his shoulders.
"Your Highness!"
"Please, calm yourself!"
Zox simply watched.
His expression never changed.
He looked at the soldiers standing behind him.
"Open it."
Click.
The heavy lock turned.
The iron door slowly swung inward.
Darkain's soldiers entered without hesitation.
One by one...
They seized Alendro and every knight inside the cell.
"Move."
The group marched through the endless underground corridors.
No one spoke.
Only the sound of armored boots striking ancient stone echoed through the darkness.
After several minutes...
Alendro finally broke the silence.
"...Where are you taking us?"
Zox answered without looking back.
"To meet..."
"...Lord Kritos."
The corridor fell deathly silent.
Every Royal Knight stopped walking.
One of them forced out a nervous laugh.
"H-He..."
"...he's joking..."
"...right?"
Zox stopped.
He slowly turned his head.
His crimson eyes met the knight's trembling gaze.
"Does my face..."
"...look like the face of a man..."
"...who jokes?"
The knight's smile vanished.
His legs suddenly felt weak.
No one spoke another word.
Fear had already answered the question for them.
...
The enormous black doors began to open.
BOOOOOOM...
A wave of ancient mana washed over everyone standing outside.
Alendro instinctively swallowed.
The throne room stretched before him.
Towering pillars disappeared into darkness.
Crimson flames burned silently along the walls.
And at the very end...
Upon the Black Throne...
Sat a lone figure.
Zox immediately lowered one knee.
"My Lord."
"I have brought..."
"...your brother."
A calm voice echoed through the chamber.
"Well done..."
"...Zox."
Zox blinked.
A smile slowly spread across his face.
"...My Lord praised me."
Alendro never heard another word.
That voice...
His breathing stopped.
His eyes slowly rose toward the throne.
"...No..."
"...It can't be..."
The young man sitting upon the throne leaned forward.
Crimson eyes.
Calm.
Expressionless.
Alendro's pupils shrank.
"...Erek...?"