Roland and his gang ran out of the dungeon entrance with panic filled faces, tripping over one another. “Teacher! Teacher!” Roland shouted. “There was a dungeon explosion not long ago. Eric caused it when he tried to kill the princess. He saw us and tried to get rid of us, but we managed to escape!”
Eric thought this was an Oscar worthy performance, if he was any other student, he might have believed him.
The outburst from Roland attracted lots of attention from nearby students. The teacher came over to him and asked,”Roland, that is a very serious accusation, are you sure about this?” Seems like the teacher was also going along with it.
“Yes! Please send someone to help her-“
At that moment, Anastasia revealed herself along with the royal knights of Erewhon kingdom. There were 2 knights escorting her. It was said that the average knights power is equivalent to 5 Supreme mages and their skills were on par with Master warriors. Their ability to blend high level magic and fighting skills made them the top of the elites of the kingdom, currently there were 10 royal knights in total. Each knight has a number on their shoulder, and each number represents their rank, 1st being the most powerful.
The armor that the royal knights wore looked like they were heavily inspired by Dragonians. The armor was dark purple, almost black, highlighted with dark gold. The helmet had 2 horns that were slanted backwards facing away from each other, the tips were glowing light purple. The gold accents with intricate designs along with dark energy flowing through the small gaps in-between the armor contained concealed power.
Roland was stunned, cause Anastasia looked perfectly fine, with only slight injuries on her. He scrubbed through his memories and clearly remembered that she fell all the way to the bottom floor. Then after he heard hordes of monsters rampaging below, he was sure that it was the end of her, but there she was, standing right in front of him.
“Enough with your lies! I want this man be to captured and brought to court.” Anastasia declared. The knights apprehended Roland and his friends before they even realized it. They all heard about the might of the royal knights, so none dared to resist.
“Eric, you come along too, as you are a key witness to the events that happened.”
A royal carriage was provided and they set off towards the Royal Palace. Along the way, Eric felt the stares of the royal knights on him, as if telling him not to get to close to their princess. The attempt on the princess life apparently put the knights on high alert and made them wary of everyone.
Eric could see the massive palace as they neared, the grand structure loomed over them, standing tall and mighty. Instead of entering the palace, the carriage veered right towards the royal court. Roland and his friends left the carriage in magical cuffs, which restricts their use of power. Their families had already been notified and were arriving.
Arriving inside the royal court, there were high level mages stationed everywhere. The judges were the first to settle down, next were witnesses and family and then the suspects.
“The hearing is now in session.” The bailiff announced. “Roland of Malfort House, Desmond of Losae House and Frenande of Carnel House, please step forward and place both your hands on the crystal ball. This truth-seeker ball will detect whether you are telling the truth or lies.”
After an hour of questioning, the Chief Judge made his final judgement. “On the crime of treason against the Royal Princess of Erewhon, i hereby strip your Houses of Nobility. The guilty will be sentenced to the highest of punishments. All three offenders will be skinned and hung on a cross for 5 days, during that time healers will keep them alive. After the period of 5 days, they will be put to death. This will serve as a warning to all those who go against the royal family. Court is adjourned.”
Right after the Chief Judge handed down the sentence, there were loud wails coming from all over the courtroom, they screamed for forgiveness and second chances but all fell on deaf ears. All three families were in different stages of shock and disbelief, their whole lives had been turned upside down in one single day.
When the hearing was over, a royal knight approached Eric. He gave a small bow and said,” Mr Pendragon, His Majesty wants to speak with you and reward you for saving his daughter, please follow me.”
Eric soon arrived inside the walls of the palace. The presences he felt behind the grand entrance to the throne room made him excited. He can’t wait to meet the powerhouses of this era and see what they were capable of.
Inside the room, the 10 royal knights filed into straight line on both sides, leading to the throne. 4 grand dukes stood around the throne, and right in the middle, was the King of Erewhon, the most powerful being in the kingdom. Anastasia took her place beside the throne.
The king had a bored expression on his face, he was slouched on the throne with a black gloved hand propping up his face. Though he was showing such a front, Eric could see that his eyes were very attentive. Donning a red and black royal clothing embossed with beautiful white flowery patterns, and long silver hair which was tied into a ponytail, he excluded the dignity of a monarch.
When everyone settled down, the Crystal Duke stepped forward. Being the Head General and Grand Duke, he was one of the most powerful and influential figure in both politics and military. “Kneel before Lion of the Absolute, Chosen One of Gods, Golden Sun of Erewhon, Manik the Mage King!” He commanded.
Though the surrounding knights immediately fell to their knees, Eric refused to kneel. Being a former Dragon King himself, his pride was unfathomable. Seeing his unwillingness to obey, the Crystal Duke was infuriated. “HOW DARE THIS WORM DISRESPECT HIS MAJESTY, KNEEL!”
“Whatchu gonna do about it?” Eric taunted with an eyebrow raised.
