Long live the king (3)
Leaving minimal forces in Cohen, the majority of the troops were ascending the initial hills.
Soldiers holding torches ascended the mountain, surrounding it gradually.
Although the leader of the country was in a dangerous situation, they couldn't move recklessly.
At the forefront were the commanders of each knight order and the tactical commanders.
"Hello, everyone."
A dragging female voice echoed from the front.
Some heard that voice for the first time, while others recognized it.
"I am Phoebe Asteria Roton, serving as the secretary and deputy of Silence Tower."
"Why is someone from Silence Tower here?"
While moving under the guidance of the magicians who had detected the location of the king.
They found a person from the Tower of Silence at the crossroads.
Given the circumstances, it was natural for them to be suspicious, not knowing the full context.
Doner Russelos, the commander who had met Phoebe before, approached and shouted.
"Deputy of Silence Tower! Nice to meet you! I am Commander Doner Russelos! I was the one came previously regarding the collection issue!"
"Oh, Commander Donner, it's nice to meet you."
Phoebe politely greeted, but Donner glared at her as if he didn't intend to accept the courteous greeting.
"If it's not rude, can I ask what is behind you, since you are standing in the way of our army?"
In response to Donner's question, Phoebe answered without concealing anything.
“Behind me is a cave. Inside, we have the king and prince of Hupper Kingdom, as well as the Master of Silence Tower."
Donner and the knight commanders grew tense.
"Then... can I ask if you are involved in the kidnapping incident?"
"Of course. The answer to that is 'no', so it doesn't matter how many times you ask."
"Then there shouldn't be a problem letting us pass."
"Um... that's a separate issue."
Phoebe followed up on that statement by carrying out the order she had received.
"The only one who can pass through here is Adonis Hupper, the third knight commander and princess of the Hupper Kingdom."
Upon hearing those words, Donner secretly sent a signal while leaning back.
"You may not know, but I have better senses than anyone."
She said.
"The rattling sound of arrows in the quivers, the sound of swords being drawn from their sheaths, and even the heartbeats escalating before battle - I can hear them all."
In fact, the soldiers who had been preparing their swords and arrows stopped at her words.
It wasn't voluntary. Everyone staring at Phoebe came to a complete halt.
Everyone was focused on Phoebe, not even realizing they had stopped themselves.
Phoebe smiled.
Her smile, illuminated by the moonlight, was as sacred as a devoted priest.
"All of you are prepared to sacrifice your lives. You are all ready to face any danger to preserve your light."
Phoebe placed her hand on her chest.
"I have a light as well, just like all of you. I may not have recited the oath and worn fancy armor, but I have the confidence not to let my light be extinguished by any of you. The person who came to me and became my light when you took it away..."
Reed.
No matter what suffering or hardship she encountered, Phoebe would smile at the thought of his name.
"I follow my light, my master. So if you try to take away my light..."
Her tone and the atmosphere of the area changed drastically.
"I will not stand idly by."
Her golden hair, which looked like fur, floated in the air, releasing the tightly wrapped aura.
Everyone could see her eyes, regardless of the distance.
Despite the golden pupils, they could feel her eyes narrowing sharply, staring at them.
An oppressive feeling that it wouldn't be strange if at any moment she came closer and thrust her claws.
That was the "Dragon Fear."
A final boss-level monster skill that lowers the opponent's ability just by making eye contact and growling.
If it were real, their legs would have given out and they would have wet themselves immediately, but Phoebe, a half-dragon who only possesses half of a dragon's power, couldn't fully manifest that ability.
However, her "Dragon Fear" was enough to suppress the spirits of those weaker than her.
If they fought like this, they wouldn't stand a chance and end up dead.
The commanders had to retreat, but they couldn't help but hesitate in this situation.
At that moment, a knight stepped forward and took off his helmet.
"Please withdraw your aura, Deputy of the Tower."
It was Adonis Hupper, the third knight commander.
So, Adonis spoke to her politely.
"We also want to avoid unnecessary conflict. We hope that His Majesty and the prince are safe."
At her words, Phoebe withdrew her "Dragon Fear."
"I will go in alone."
Then, Doner, who was standing next to her, grabbed her arm and said.
"Are you out of your mind? If the princess goes in as well, everyone from the Hupper family will be captured."
"The Tower Master of Silence is not such a cowardly person."
"People naturally hide their intentions until they achieve their goals. He might be hiding his intentions as well."
"Didn't I tell you? I can hear everything."
Phoebe glared at Donner, as if she couldn't stand him treating Reed like a liar.
The scattered aura targeted him more intensely, and Doner had no choice but to let go of Adonis's arm and step back.
Adonis walked towards her.
'He might be hiding his true nature until the end.'
She didn't ignore Doner's words.
Reed is a foreigner and a tower magician opposing the workshop.
If it were the her before the demonstration, she would not have trusted Reed.
However...
Now she was in a situation where she couldn't trust her own father, the king she should serve.
Moreover, when she thought about what had happened so far, it didn't seem like Reed had kidnapped the king and prince, no matter how she thought about it.
"I will go alone. Please forgive the commander's slip of the tongue."
Phoebe's half-floating hair returned to normal.
Phoebe smiled and gave Adonis a polite expression of gratitude.
"Thank you, Knight Commander."
Her gentle tone had returned.
The soldiers who had been holding their breath all sighed in relief.
Adonis passed Phoebe and entered the cave.
Her eyes widened as she passed through the narrow cave and arrived in the spacious interior.
'What is this place?'
It wasn't an elaborate place, but it was undoubtedly a cave prepared for a long time.
There, Reed was waiting with his back leaning.
"Welcome, Miss Adonis."
"What is this situation? And this..."
Adonis looked at the bound magicians, and Reed waved his hand as if it was nothing.
"They are magicians. All of them fainted, so you can think of them as useless rock."
She no longer had any doubts about the magicians.
The two stone tablets in front of her, Morgan lying on top of them, and the prince were what mattered.
Adonis cautiously asked.
"Can you explain what's going on?"
Reed nodded and explained everything to her.
The fact that the King had been researching possession magic in collaboration with the tower magician.
And the fact that he tried to continue his life by borrowing Morgan the Second's body - he revealed everything.
Adonis was greatly shaken.
"There's no way... His Majesty, no matter what, would not have dabbled in such dark magic."
As a family member and the king she served, Adonis's first priority was to deny the facts he had told her.
She was a knight and a daughter, so Reed understood that point as well.
"Let's do this then."
"What do you mean?"
"Miss Adonis, please step back. Stay in a place where the light doesn't reach and watch quietly."
"And...?"
"When His Majesty wakes up, I will talk to him. I will ask if everything I've said is true. When the conversation is over, you can appear. No, you can come out whenever you don't need to hear any more of the conversation."
"..."
Adonis, who did not fully understand and wanted to know the truth, had no reason to refuse the conditions.
"Understood."
Adonis nodded and retreated to a place without light, as he had said.
Shortly after, Morgan groaned and got up.
