That night, as I laid on my bed, once again I kept thinking about that incident. When we returned to headquarters earlier, Hellraider seemed shaken by what I had said. I felt that his mind had opened up slightly. Honestly, I'm still afraid that I have revealed the truth about the world we have entered. What if he becomes a boomerang in this journey of mine? I truly hope he does not respond to it harshly.
The next morning, I was woken again by the barracks chief. He told me to prepare immediately to meet Gruzhnil once more. During breakfast I kept thinking whether he would ask in detail what I had done to Hellraider. If he truly asks, I must polish my answer carefully without mentioning the game The Mayhem at all.
I went to the front of the headquarters building and saw Gruzhnil, Grelmure, and several high-ranking officials already present. I noticed that these officials were not the same ones who had accompanied us to the mining inspection. A shuttle was also parked there, and it seemed I would be taken somewhere again. Grelmure greeted and asked me to board the shuttle immediately.
When I entered the passenger cabin, I saw Hellraider already seated in the far-right corner. His head was turned toward the window. I sat at the front-left seat. At this moment I didn't want to provoke him.
"Ohhh yes… Right now we are attending a grand and important meeting with Emperor Gregustus at the palace you have visited before. All the high commanders and others from every planet will attend as well. Commander Gruzhnil wants you and Sir Hellraider to join," Grelmure said as he sat beside me.
My feelings were mixed—when Gruzhnil decided to bring Hellraider to the palace for the first time. He might become the center of attention there. And what would be discussed that involved all of them? Still, I doubted Hellraider's participation. He could not yet fully understand The Graendall's power structure and its empire.
"Sir Grelmure, I would like to say something. Could you perhaps provide proper attire for us whenever we visit the palace and meet The Emperor? I feel embarrassed and uncomfortable wearing clothes like these..." I protested.
"Hahahahaaaa… Johann, I would like that too! But since both of you are still under supervision as outsiders and not yet officially part of Grivendal, I don't have the authority to provide formal attire for such events. Emperor Gregustus understands this, so you need not worry." Grelmure reassured me.
His words seemed made sense but I was still worried about how other nobles might judge us. After some time, the shuttle landed. As I stepped out, I saw many shuttles flying and parked above and around the palace grounds. As our group walked toward the palace, all eyes turned toward us, especially glancing at Hellraider. I feared they might anger him again. But he seemed indifferent.
The meeting was held in a vast conference hall, structurally similar to the lecture hall at headquarters where I studied. The high commanders sat in the front and center rows. I counted seven of them, including Gruzhnil. Hellraider and I sat directly behind them. I felt awkward again sitting beside him. I glanced at him—he stared forward as usual with arms folded across his chest.
High imperial officials entered from the side of the stage, and among them were Emperor Gregustus and Princess Glynpatra. They took their seats, with Gregustus and Glynpatra occupying the two central chairs.
The meeting began. I soon realized that its core topic was the upcoming expedition to the realm of terror. I recalled what Gruzhnil had said after the mining inspection. He addressed everyone, stating that during the last expedition, The Graendall had discovered two individuals who were 'trump cards'. They had the potential to significantly improve the outcome of the next expedition.
The large screen displayed Hellraider and me seated side by side. The entire hall erupted in cheers and applause. I was extremely embarrassed seeing my face magnified there. My cheeks flushed red, and I lowered my head. Hellraider, meanwhile, remained motionless without any expression.
During the meeting, my attention shifted to Princess Glynpatra, who was seated on the throne upon the stage. However, something strange caught my notice—she kept stealing glances in our direction, especially toward Hellraider. I wondered whether she had begun to take an interest in him.
As far as I remember from the gameplay, Hellraider once saved Princess Glynpatra during that expedition. At the end of his journey in Grivendal, she said something to him which, according to the fans, was her attempt to confess her feelings to him, yet he didn't respond and simply left her behind. I felt worried that she might try to question me about Hellraider.
Afterward, several high commanders and Emperor Gregustus explained the technical preparations for the next expedition. The meeting concluded, and attendees began leaving. I saw Hellraider immediately stand and stride out. People around him gave way as he passed. Was he bored because he understood little of the explanation, or did he feel humiliated by seeing his face displayed on the screen with mine?
In the palace corridor, I saw Gruzhnil conversing with other officials. I intended to approach him but someone jogged toward him—it was Princess Glynpatra who embraced Gruzhnil warmly like siblings reunited after a long time. I withdrew, giving them space. I asked a palace guard for directions to the garden and walked there. I felt Hellraider needed solitude again there. Yet upon exiting to the vast garden, I did not find him.
My interface slot suddenly appeared again. I was a little surprised because it appeared so randomly. I decided to retrieve my binoculars. I noticed something new in my slot—a compass illustration, the same thing I had carried since the early days in hell. I had only used it once. When I awoke in Grivendal's prison, it must have been placed in one of my interface slots. What should I do with this compass? It and my kitchen knife seemed trivial, yet I could not bring myself to discard them. I could not explain why, so I kept them.
Through the binoculars, I saw a small hill partly hidden by dense trees. Had Hellraider gone there? The garden still had guests, so perhaps he sought a more secluded spot. I walked toward the hill closest to the palace grounds. After walking far from the garden, I reached a wide grassy plain with only a few trees. Suddenly my neck prickled again. Was I nearing Hellraider? Suddenly someone shouted my name from behind. I turned—it was Grelmure running toward me.
"Whyyy… why didn't you hear me shouting back in the garden…??? It is dangerous if you wander freely in the wild like this!!!" Grelmure looked annoyed and breathless. I apologized and explained I intended to meet Hellraider, who might be beyond the hill.
"What if you meet Groth alone?!?! Let's go back to the palace! We still have plenty of time. If he has not returned, we will search together with the others!"
I fell silent, almost forgetting that apex predators roamed these plains. Had Grelmure not reminded me, I would have ventured deeper into the forest. But why had I not heard his shouting earlier? I had no answer. I could only obey him. As we turned back, a thunderous roar echoed across the plains. We both froze, clutching each other and scanning around. Oh no… a Groth had detected us!!!
I reflexively glanced behind. From the dense trees emerged a colossal lion. Its entire body was covered in thick black fur, its eyes glowed yellow, its fangs protruded from its jaws, and its size rivaled that of a full-grown elephant.
"G-GRELMURE… T-THAAT… THAAAAT'S…!!!" I stammered in fear, pointing at the beast. Grelmure turned and gasped.
"BY MARSIEL, PROTECTOR OF GRIVENDAL! IT'S GRESLAN! THE EMPEROR OF THE GROTHS!!!"
I immediately recalled that name—Greslan—from The Mayhem. In the lore, he was not merely a lion but the embodiment of Grivendal planet's spirit. All ecosystem's life on this planet existed because of him. According to the mythology I read at the archives, he was created by Marsiel to watch over the land. The elder archivist had said Groths were not merely apex predators but guardians and sources of strength for Grivendal's people.
In gameplay, Greslan was an optional unique boss encountered through specific missions while Hellraider was in Grivendal. If defeated, he would take part of his mane as a cloak during the final war. I often did this, as Greslan was easier to find and defeat than Turgash.
We stood trembling, clinging to each other. Greslan advanced toward us, the ground trembling with each step. Would he devour us for trespassing? But his domain encompassed the entire planet. We could not run—he would outrun us easily. Just as we resigned ourselves, Greslan halted and looked to the right. We followed his gaze. From the trees emerged someone. Hellraider walked toward him. Would Hellraider fight Greslan to save us? I believed he could do it.
Greslan turned fully toward him and growled. When the distance between them was about five large trees, Hellraider stopped. He locked eyes with Greslan. Then he growled loudly and long, as if answering Greslan's roar. He ceased growling and he turned back into the dense forest. Once again, I was left speechless.
He then glanced at the two of us still clinging together, like two mice cornered against a wall.