Meeting The King (1)

"Strange".

I don't know how I knew that there was a person behind the door, but somehow I instinctively did.

It was like a sixth sense of some sort.

Opening the door, I saw a black figure kneeling on the ground.

It was the same person from last night.

"Sir, the general sent me to get you." He said it with a respectful tone.

'Perfect'. 

Just when I had no idea where to meet the king, the general sent someone to get me.

That was very thoughtful of him.

I had no idea how Rylan Ashencroft would answer, but since he looked like a low-ranking soldier, I think it was fine answering him the way I wanted to.

"Lead the way." I said with a monotone voice.

In these situations, it's better to act like I was indifferent because I didn't know how strong Rylan Ashencroft was.

He stood up and did the same hand signs as last night, and a dark portal appeared again.

This time, I didn't close my eyes as I walked through it.

What appeared were two huge golden doors guarded by knights on the left and right.

They wore silver armor that covered their whole body, and they were guarding the doors with their spears.

'Behind those two doors is where the king must be'.

So it makes sense that there is someone guarding it.

But if they were guarding it, how was I supposed to enter?

Clang.

I could hear the metal spears hitting each other, and I noticed that it was because the two knights were shaking.

'Why are they shaking?'

Was Rylan Ashencroft's reputation that bad? It looked like they were afraid of me.

First, the black figure, and now these two knights.

I saw the person who teleported me come through the portal, and as he showed a golden medallion to the knights,.

The two knights withdrew their spears, and the two huge golden doors slowly opened.

And as the two golden doors opened, what appeared was a big throne room.

a long path in the middle, with tall pillars reaching high up in the ceiling. And at the end was a staircase leading up to a throne, where a guy who was obese sat.

Next to the throne was a knight in golden armor with a sword sheathed around his waist.

In front of the staircase was one person in robes, and the other was a huge figure, which I recognized.

It was the general from last night who told me to rest.

Do I just walk in?

I didn't know any etiquette or how I should act in front of the king.

So I was afraid that I might offend him somehow. Especially because he looked like someone who might get offended if I didn't show the necessary respect.

Since the two people in front of the staircase were just standing, there might not be any need to show etiquette.

For now, walking forward is the only option I have.

Because of the silence, my steps echoed inside the throne room as I approached the throne.

'This is a little awkward'.

Why aren't they saying anything?

The silence made it so much more awkward, and the way they just looked at me without speaking didn't help.

When I finally arrived next to the person in robes, I stopped walking.

And I could now see that the person in the robes was actually a woman. Just by looking at her side profile, I could see that she was beautiful. She had long, golden blonde hair.

Her robe was also a beautiful blue color, and there was a logo of six books in it.

As I turned around, the general had the same clothes as last night—a black uniform with the same medals pinned to his chest.

When our eyes made contact, he made a friendly smile.

Finally, I looked at the fat king, who could barely fit on the throne.

When the king noticed my gaze, he started to speak.

"Rylan Ashencroft, did you enjoy the party?" He said with a voice that sounded annoying to listen to.

But now comes the important part: how was I supposed to answer?

"It was good; I liked the alcohol." I said with a monotone voice.

I thought saying something about the alcohol was safe to start with since it was specifically made for me. And depending on the king's reaction, I could change the way I spoke.

He smiled a little.

"That's good; it was very hard to get that alcohol, but if it was for you, it was worth the price." The king said this while laughing.

'Those cheap-looking bottles were hard to get?'.

I don't know if he was being sarcastic or if he actually meant it. The general said that the alcohol was specifically made for me, so it had to be on the expensive side.

And if it was worth buying it because of me, then it meant that Rylan Ashencroft was at least someone the king had to please.

I also didn't use any etiquette, such as bowing or kneeling, and the king did not act surprised. There could be two possibilities for this: either etiquette doesn't exist in this word, or I was a person who didn't have to show etiquette.

Based on these facts and my previous little knowledge about Rylan Ashencroft, I could conclude that I could act comfortably. Of course, with a little restraint. As long as I don't disrespect the king, I should be fine.

"Well, let's move on to the topic we are supposed to talk about." He said this while gesturing for the woman in robes to talk.

"Sir Ashencroft, we have replaced the faulty mana crystals with new ones. And when you are ready, you can remove the barrier over the kingdom anytime you want." She said it with a respectful tone.

The barrier? 

Are you saying that the barrier that I saw on the balcony that covered the whole city was actually mine?

The king coughed to get my attention.

"As you heard, the problem with the barrier has been solved. Please thank the empire for agreeing to my request.".

That was too much information that came at once.

First, it was apparently my barrier that covered the whole city. That could explain the headache that wouldn't go away.

Since I saw a person make a portal out of thin air, magic in this world was not that surprising.

But the barrier that I saw covered the whole city, and that was my doing.

How strong was Rylan Ashencroft to be able to do that?