"Sir Winstin, she really didn't mean those words. Please don't take them to heart!" Benedict began sweating. Saying those words in front of the Leader of the Knights was courting death!
"Out of consideration for Her Highness, I'll turn a blind eye to those words," the man humored. He could read between the lines and understand the situation, so he was not about to start a fuss when there was none. Besides, what could they hope to do without him noticing?
"Shirley…" Freon yanked the girl's ear like an adult discipling a child. "What do you think you're trying to do? If you want to die, don't take me with you!"
"Oh, hush. I know what I'm doing," the girl replied annoyedly.
They then waited patiently without saying a word. After what seemed like a long time, the door creaked open, revealing a sliver of a lifeless Elizabeth. She murmured in a barely audible voice, "You're right… We should pay our respects. Let's go."
At the city square of the Yunyun Stronghold, the mass memorial service was still ongoing. A huge raging fire dominated the centerpiece, where the dense stench of burning corpses filled the air. The smoke flew into the skies where it condensed into dark clouds, which blocked out the moon, making the fire the only source of light. There was a long line of people marching orderly into the square. Some were crying ugly tears and bemoaned their losses. Others were burying this vengeance deep inside their hearts, waiting for the day they could exact revenge. One by one, they walked up to the fire, laid down a memento, paid their respects, said a few final words, and left. Everyone lost something in this hopeless battle.
Elizabeth shuffled in the line with her friends. Wearing thick cloaks that masked their appearances, it was difficult for anyone to discern their appearances. Besides them, it did not need to be said that Sir Winstin was present as well. There was no way that he would leave Elizabeth's protection duty to her friends because they were still too weak to carry that role. And Sir Winstin was not the only one here either. There were several Royal Guards and Grand Knights mixed in the crowds, standing on the perimeter, or surveying overhead from the rooftops. With so many Perception Realms watching over, the city square was under their complete control, and that was ignoring the fact that there were hundreds of Alzar soldiers standing guard. Suffice to say, if anything happened to Elizabeth, they could stop the threat in an instant. The city square became one of the most heavily guarded places in the Yunyun Stronghold!
With a heavy heart, Elizabeth and her friends reached the front of the line where a vast array of keepsakes was placed. From flowers to letters, from clothing to trinkets, every one represented the unfulfilled dreams of the people who fell! When hearing numbers like four thousand four hundred, it was hard to visualize, and even harder to sympathize with. It became less of a matter of 'people' and more of a matter of 'numbers'. However, upon seeing the hundreds of keepsakes piled up, each with their own sentimental story, waves of emotions surged in their hearts. It was like a massive tidal wave crashing down! Anyone would feel overwhelmed by the scene!
Despite having a thousand words to say, Elizabeth eventually kept her silence. What could she say? Would a few words of apology change anything? Anything she could say at this point would sound shallow or inconsiderate. Therefore, she buried her regrets deep inside and sighed. In her hands was a bouquet of white lilies and chrysanthemum flowers which she laid down next to everyone else's. The girl then closed her eyes and uttered a short prayer with practiced motions. She was used to it after paying respects to her deceased family for the past year. It had been a long time since she visited their physical graves on New Havens, and she made a note to visit soon.
She stood up with her friends and felt a little better. They were about to leave the square when someone screamed, "Let go of me! What are you doing?"
Everyone's attention snapped over as they sent deathly glares to the source of the disturbance. Anyone who interrupted this sacred ceremony became their enemy! It was not just the commoners either, because the multitude of Perception Realms tasked with guarding Elizabeth glanced over, and even Sir Winstin's hand shifted over to his sword. At a moment's notice, they could spring into action and quell any threat! As the Perception Realms unleashed their monstrous Martial Perceptions and auras over, they discovered the commotion. An Alzar soldier was holding up a young boy by the arm, causing him to dangle in the air like a doll. The boy was kicking and thrashing to escape from the soldier's grip, but he was too short! None of his blows could connect! The soldiers were initially having a grand time until he started screaming. Facing everyone's hatred, they paled several shades and quivered on the spot. They instantly lost their spirit.
"Shut it, kid! Look at what you're doing!" a soldier snarled.
"No, your princess promised us!"
"Princess?" Elizabeth caught that word and frowned. What did this have to do with her?
The same could be said about everyone else. To the Xingyuu Empire, the word princess represented the embodiment of their hatred and disgust. She was the Royal Army General, the leader of the enemies that killed four thousand four hundred! To those that lost someone here, suffice to say, they wanted to tear her body and soul into pieces. They wanted to make her pay! For the Alzar Kingdom however, it meant the opposite. Princess Elizabeth was the heir apparent of the Alzar Kingdom and thus the most sacred and supreme existence! Insulting her was equal to insulting the kingdom. Anybody would be incensed! As one would expect, everyone's interest towards the matter intensified. They wanted to know what was happening.
The soldier clicked his tongue and snapped, "Come here, you little brat. We're going to teach you a lesson!"
They took the kicking and screaming kid away from the crowds and into a nice, secluded alleyway. Punching the boy in the face and kicking him in the chest, the blows were enough for him to sprawl on the ground and vomit. Although there was the pitiful sight of a child bleeding and crying in front of them, there was not the slightest bit of mercy from the soldiers! They looked down at the kid with intense disgust and condescension. It was like they were looking at trash, rather than a human being. Everyone from the Xingyuu Empire deserved the same!
"Did you really think that the princess gave a damn about you?" the soldiers sneered, referring to the promise that Elizabeth made to guarantee their independence. "It was all a trick to make you drop your guard! The Xingyuu Empire really is full of idiots!"
"Take that back!"
"Good bark from a dog!" another shouted and kicked him straight in the gut a few times.
He coughed pathetically, but his glare was unyieldingly sharp. "I swear… I'm going to kill you all!"
The soldiers exchanged glances and erupted into laughs. One of them had the idea to draw their sword and chuckled, "Since you said you're going to kill us, you don't mind if we do the same, right?"
"Hey, let's not go too far." Someone felt unnerved since this was going from a light joke to murder.
"What? You're going to defend these little monsters?" they asked incredulously. "Didn't you say that everyone from the empire deserved death yesterday? What happened to your attitude?"
"Well…"
"We can always throw their bodies into the fire, so no one notices. Besides, the kid said he wanted to kill us. This is justified self-defence, isn't it?" the soldier grinned ominously.
They were about to hack down when someone shouted, "Stop right there!"
Elizabeth and her friends charged into the alleyway with fury in their eyes except, with their appearances hidden, no one noticed them. Instead, the soldiers focused their gazes on the tall, bulky figure walking behind them. Casting a looming shadow, his overwhelming presence drowned them in a cacophony of fear. It was Sir Winstin! Since he was wearing his plate armor underneath, it made his figure twice as large. Not to mention, a suffocatingly dangerous air swirled around the man, which made everyone take three steps back. Although Elizabeth and her friends had grown used to it, a Perception Realm Master was no joke! He was still regarded as the strongest knight in the Alzar Kingdom! There was no way any of these soldiers could withstand a fraction of his aura.