A little earlier, at the main gate of the Lannisail Household, most of the guards were assembled. This allowed Benedict to sneak into the estate nearly undetected. Although they were strong warriors, they were guards in the end. They handed in their life of fruitlessly pursuing strength for a comfy job here. It paid well, and there were hardly any troubles. No one wanted to poke the hornet's nest known as the Lannisail Household, lest they be stung to death.
Plenty considered this to be their relaxing retirement. They believed that the current storm would never shake the Lannisail Household. Sure, Elizabeth might have been attacked, but she received no real harm. Would the Alzar Kingdom annihilate a Grand Nobility Household because of that? That idea was ridiculous. They were one of the pillars of the kingdom! Of course, if they knew that Elizabeth was kidnapped after, who knew what kind of expressions they would have?
The guard captain stood at the front. He was the most senior out of everyone here, having served the household for several decades already. The grey hair and hunched body revealed his advanced age. Most likely, he was approaching sixty. But no one dared to look down on him because he was a Perception Realm! Apparently, he served as a Royal Guard prior to working here. He then decided to serve under Lord Wenmord to repay a favor. His power made people think twice about breaking in.
He watched as a squadron of a hundred Alzar soldiers ride up on horses. They were one part of the fifteen thousand soldiers dispersed throughout the two cities. Although fifteen thousand seemed like a large number, remember that Algard and Corasen encompassed several million citizens! After so many years, these cities have grown immensely complicated, making people admire its vastness. One might never explore the cities in their lifetime! That was how big they were! In comparison, fifteen thousand soldiers were a mere drop in the bucket. To search for one person, it seemed hopeless. As Benedict expected, they were stretched as thin as paper.
The guard captain spoke solemnly, "What business does the army have with the Lannisail Household?"
"We received orders to investigate your household for conspiring against the crown," the captain said calmly. "Please do not resist and we will not resort to force."
Many of the guards grew indignant at this soldier's words. After so long, they came to believe that the Lannisail Household's influence extended to them as well. They could not help but feel arrogant and above this lowly soldier. Even the guard captain became displeased. This was blatantly ignoring the authority of a Grand Nobility Household! Still, he could not just throw them out. This was the Alzar Kingdom's army, not a common street thug.
He took a diplomatic stance and said, "When the lords return from Castle Reinhard, we can discuss this further. Until then, I'm afraid we cannot accommodate your request."
"You don't have to worry about that. We received permission from Lord Archibon and several other leaders of your family. If you don't believe me, then you can look at this," the man said, taking out a scroll and tossing it over.
The guard captain skimmed through it quickly. "This…" His face blanched and he replied, "If that is the wish of our young master, then we have no complaints. We will assist the crown in finding Princess Elizabeth!"
"The kingdom thanks you for your assistance," the captain said. "Men, search the Lannisail Household! Leave no stone unturned!" On his order, the hundred soldiers marched toward the gate. The guards had no choice but to respectfully step aside.
"How sad for the proud household to be reduced to such a state!" a woman shouted from afar.
A deep and bloodthirsty aura surged! Everyone paused in confusion as the captain began glancing around. However, what he saw… was a flash of light! Then, his vision became aerial as his head flew. Along with his horse, he was brutally killed! Vice-captain Julie appeared a dozen steps away, marvelling at her newfound strength. She could barely contain her joy. It was a supremely intoxicating sensation!
"This woman…" Captain Julian said with a shake of his head.
He glanced to the rest of the Second Hand. After Lady Valentina killed most of their members, they were reduced to a mere handful. Despite that, they were master assassins! On the other hand, these soldiers were ordinary people. The Second Hand could easily deal with these hundred soldiers, especially once their leader was killed by vice-captain Julie! On his command, flashes of light flew across the battlefield. Combined with the ferocity of the Twin Flicker assassination technique, people were dying insanely fast. Practically every second, three to five people died! Like harvesting wheat, they reaped lives as easy as breathing! Less than a minute later, a hundred corpses were piled up outside the gate, stunning the guards.
"What have you done?" the guard captain hollered. "Now, the Alzar Kingdom won't let us go!"
He had no idea who these people were or their intentions. His position was nowhere high enough for him to know. Yet, by killing all these soldiers on their doorstep, was it not implicating the Lannisail Household? His heart became fearful as he tried imagining the fierce retribution the kingdom would return! Julie never liked being yelled at, so she brandished her dagger. She was about to kill this pest of a man. She still needed to test her strength against Perception Realms, and this was the perfect chance to do so. Unfortunately, before she could, she sensed a mountainous aura washing over them! Her senses peaked as everyone glanced in the distance. The three strongest knights had finally arrived!
Sir Winstin, Sir Sebastian, and Lady Valentina… The Protectors of Princess Elizabeth, Queen Bethnal, and Prince Dannark… They were undoubtedly the apex of strength that the kingdom could muster! Outliers like the Sword King could not be counted because the kingdom could not command him. These three standing at the peak of Perception Realm were monstrous warriors that could send their enemies into the deepest depths of despair! Throughout the entire human world, their strength would rank near the top!
Sir Winstin led the charge with his other fellow knights. All together, there were ten Royal Guards, thirty Grand Knights, and another hundred soldiers or so. Do not look at Sir Winstin's failures in protecting King Harth or Lord Korogin. Those were unavoidable and he did the best he could. There was almost no one else that could replicate his feats. He might be old, but because of that, he had an extremely long list of achievements! Serving as the Protector of three generations: King Harth, Lord Korogin, and Princess Elizabeth, could he be weak? He alone survived the attack of the Xingyuu Empire's Four Cardinals twice! His might was frightening, and he was rightfully heralded as the strongest knight!
Next to him was Sir Sebastian, the up and coming new rising star. Although his might was rarely seen, his reputation stood next to Sir Winstin. He reached Perception Realm when he was fifteen years old, breaking the record for the fastest speed! Remember that Benedict and Shirley were both eighteen and twenty-one respectively, yet their bodily mastery was far from Fundamental Realm Master, much less Perception Realm. That spoke volumes about Sir Sebastian's potential! He was infinitely close to surpassing Sir Winstin and that was with a massive age difference of more than twenty years. Indeed, his potential was like Ten Dawn Nassandra. The two of them had the potential to lead the future generation!
Finally, there was Lady Valentina. Around the same age as Sir Sebastian, she achieved Perception Realm when she was twenty-one. While that may seem like an unbridgeable gap between her and her two peers, she did not give up. Through hard work and perseverance, she closed the gap! Now, this woman was titled as the third strongest knight in the kingdom! How impressive was that? Her battle accomplishments might be few like Sir Sebastian, but no one underestimated her. She was responsible for nearly annihilating the Second Hand earlier!
Now, these three stood together. Their battle power was not simply one plus one. It was multiplied to an unimaginable degree! In a direct fight, barring foul play and numbers, they were approaching unstoppable levels. Even the Four Cardinals, the empire's strongest Imperial Sentinels, would at best stalemate! Aside from Sword King Sin Quelldown, who surpassed Perception Realm, mastered all kinds of sword forms, grasped Martial Energy, and developed the Cloud Sea Style, no one could defeat them! That was the power of the three strongest knights in the Alzar Kingdom!