Unsealing Emptiness

All the major Mercenary groups had noticed the trio at this point because most of the way to the entrance was quiet, and only they marched in the middle.

Most of the men turned to the trio and laughed. Nonetheless, while watching Blaze, some of the women were blushing.

Several men did the same with Raven, but one death glare from her was enough to make them avert their eyes.

As usual, Ozul had his black pointed hat on top of his head, so none of them could see his face. Otherwise, the situation would have been a different case.

Most Mercenaries sneered when they noticed that Ozul, the person in the trio’s lead, had only a Silver badge on his shoulder.

Moreover, they couldn’t even sense any Mana from him, so all of them assumed that he was just some rich guy who had hired the other two.

.....

Also, the only Platinum Rank party, Wind Eagles, was standing just outside the door, so the onlookers figured the trio would be standing next to them.

Yet Ozul ‘s mind was focused solely on the increasing Mana that he felt with every step he took towards the Palace.

“Oi! Look at those wimps! They have got some nerve to want to stand next to Wing Eagles!”

“You don’t have to show me that, idiot! I can see them just as fine!”

. . .

The surrounding Mercenaries were all sneering over the trio. Even the members of the popular groups that stood near the entrance whispered about them.

As Ozul had just approached the entrance, he saw a familiar face behind the big gates. The big gate consisted of metal bars with some space in the middle of each one, so it was not that hard to look past the entrance.

The entrance wasn’t so lavish since it only served as security purposes. Only after walking another 5 minutes or so after the gates would a person be able to gaze at the opulent gates of the Royal Palace.

The gates of the Royal Palace were different from these, as they were decorated with one of the most expensive and luxurious materials from all over the continent.

However, the Mercenaries at the entrance were afraid of even crossing the first entrance. No matter how powerful a person is, getting inside the Palace was not something that anyone would be allowed to do.

Unless a person were Rank-8 Mage or above, it would be a pipe dream for him to ever enter inside the Royal Palace.

Each of these Mercenary groups had at least a Rank-5 Mage to lead them, and they would be considered very influential in small nations.

Here in the Silverbird Kingdom, however, even Rank-7 experts were not allowed any special treatment in places like the Royal Palace.

Therefore, all of the groups present wondered if the trio had lost their minds. They thought that the trio was just trying their luck even with only their little strength.

Just when everyone had thought that the trio would stop near the entrance, they were confused after seeing what happened next.

Ozul did not stop near the entrance and kept walking even after passing by the Wind Eagles party. As a result, the members of that group took this action of the trio as an insult to them.

“You better head back, kid! Understand your limits, you twerp. Hahaha...”

The man standing next to the leader of the Wind Eagles group sneered after he shouted. While Ozul did not even look at his direction, he knew that this individual had only the power of the Rank-6 Mage. It appeared he was the group’s vice leader.

“Shut up, Brud! Let them do whatever they want. Why do you care?”

Before anyone could even say anything, the leader of the Wind Eagles himself berated his right-hand man.

Everybody knew that this Rank-7 Mage was a man of a few words, and he didn’t like to get into pointless fights, so they weren’t shocked to hear him yelling at one of his own guys.

The guy who had previously shouted at the trio named Brud instantly backed down. Brud did not only respect their leader, but he also feared him due to his temperament, so he didn’t dare to defy his orders.

Meanwhile, Ozul hadn’t stopped even when he had heard Brud’s earlier shout, which caused the latter to be embarrassed again.

Others now looked with interest when the trio had already passed the closest group to the entrance with no intention of stopping any time soon.

‘Are they going to get inside?!’- This thought flashed through most of their minds, but no one seemed to believe it.

Although the wall seemed small, it was a dividing line to distinguish between people who had some real authority, and who did not, in the Silverbird Kingdom.

Even the leader of the Wind Eagles expected that the trio would only embarrass themselves after getting kicked out.

Two Rank-5 Mages stood guard at the gates. They were not so strong because no one dared to even get in the vicinity of the Royal Palace without permission.

The guards didn’t allow the Rank-7 Mage to enter inside even after he had shown the scroll given by the Mercenary Guild.

With emotionless faces, the two guards clad in silver armor stood unmoving when the trio approached. They had no reason to allow some nobodies when they didn’t let the Wind Eagles pass.

Just then, when everyone thought that the trio would be turned away like all the others, they were surprised to see what happened next.

“Let them pass!”- A loud voice came in from the other side of the wall.

Hearing the familiar voice, the guards did not dare to wait any longer and hurriedly stepped aside to open the gates.

This turn of events surprised all the Mercenaries present on the scene.

The leaders of the popular Mercenary groups such as Wind Eagles and Blue Petals watched with interest. They could not hold back their curiosity and looked behind the gates to see if they could recognize the man who had given the order.

They wanted to know who had such authority to make the guards instantly move about with a single command.

Just then, all of them were shocked when they noticed the man behind the gates. It was none other than the famous Chief Leader of the Silver Knights!

Most of the slow-minded onlookers had yet to figure out why Rufus Staroak was helping the trio. It wasn’t hard for others, however, to realize the connection between them.

They remembered that it wasn’t too long that the rumors about this trio helping Duke Edwin in the fight against the Monster had spread in the Capital.

And they had also received the news that the Silver Knights themselves had dealt with the matter. So it wasn’t surprising that the Chief Leader of the Silver Knights personally knew the trio.

“Hmph! Just some dumb luck. How long are they going to gloat on that!”-Brud, the vice leader of the Wind Eagles, muttered under his breath.

It wasn’t just him. All the Mercenaries had the same thoughts. They were mostly jealous that they weren’t the ones who had won such fame.

These Mercenaries had never seen the Monster. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have wanted to be there that day.

“We meet again, Ozul.”- Rufus spread his hands as he said this with a big smile on his face.

“Don’t say it like this was some coincidence. You think I can’t understand your schemes?”- Ozul replied with an unamused tone.

“Hahaha... Kid, I told you that this is a dangerous fire that you are playing with. Moreover, I had no choice in the decision.”- Rufus said with a laugh.

Ozul didn’t doubt his words since he could still feel no malice from Rufus. There was curiosity and some irritation, but no hatred against him.

“So, was it the Emperor himself?”- Ozul asked curiously.

The men outside the walls couldn’t hear their conversation since there was an invisible barrier all around it.

“Though I shouldn’t say this, his Majesty doesn’t care, so yes. He personally ordered it.”- Rufus replied without giving it a thought.

It wasn’t a secret in the Royal Palace that Emperor Luthien was interested in this trio or, more specifically, Ozul. So he didn’t mind revealing this information to him.

“Unfortunately, I can’t say anything more than this.”- Rufus added, not letting Ozul inquire any further.

“So, what are we here for?”

“Be patient, little boy. I’ll announce the details of the mission in a minute. “-Rufus again rejected Ozul’s request.

Although Ozul didn’t like to be called a little boy, he wasn’t going to make a scene just because of that small matter.

Ozul took this time to analyze the protection barrier that stems from the walls surrounding the entire area around the Royal Palace.

He also focused on the dense source of Mana, which he had felt from the direction of the Royal Palace. But he didn’t have the ability to see through things.