The incessant thuds and clunks of the door terrified them by every single strike. What was happening behind that door frightened them even more; they were scared of the monsters who resided at the other side of the gate.
Although all of them had sworn to protect the Oracle without any hesitation, their hearts contained nothing but fear. Even the most brave-talking ones couldn't stop shaking while hearing the loud impacts on the door. It wasn't like a battering ram crashing with the gate; it was like the glorious roar of a dragon, constantly putting fear in the hearts of brave men.
The door was extremely purified by using white magic. Breaking it would take thousands of years even for the strongest dragons, so no one had any doubt about the security of this place. Even if someone doubted it, everyone would put a smug smile on their face and say that it's impossible to break.
However, it didn't seem like that. The door had already received so much damage in less than a minute. It wouldn't take long before breaking into pieces, allowing the creatures on the other side to walk down to the room.
Around fifty swordsmen and five royal knights formed the front line of soldiers, with twenty skilled archers covering them from behind in the middle line. The wizardry team's formation arrayed behind all of them as the last line. The sorcerers and sorceresses had already performed the necessary spells for the allied troops, strengthening their physical and mental abilities to resist against the enemies' attacks and spells. They had set different types of magical traps to kill some of the attackers in the way before starting the close-range combat.
Those all had been training their whole life for only one purpose, protecting the Oracle. They should have been ready for something like that to happen soon or later, but the panic didn't leave their hearts no matter how much they tried to stay brave and strong.
Gradually, the effects of white magic on the huge entrance started to go away as the terror and dread rose within the soldiers. The slow creaking sound of the heavy door caused a great panic among the soldiers. Their heartbeat tended to accelerate and their legs began shaking involuntarily.
Even though they looked scared, all of them knew this day would come someday. They'd sharpened their swords and prepared their shields for today.
The clouds of mist entered the building from the outside, hiding the attackers behind a thick layer of fog. Everyone was waiting for the horde of monsters to storm into the room and charge at them. However, nothing like that happened no matter how much they waited. Instead of the horde of demons, the light sound of boots stepping on the floor rushed forward, echoing in the faint space.
The silhouette of a male human appeared through the fog, treading at a low pace. The image became more obvious as the fog subsided.
"Finally, It took more time than I expected. Whoever has done that magic must be something."
It was just an ordinary man.
If it wasn't for the helmets, one could clearly see the puzzled faces of the knights. Although the panic left the soldiers' hearts, the confusion kept striking their brains.
The seemingly ordinary man suddenly yawned, finding himself in front of the arranged swordsmen, archers, and the wizards, who looked to be on guard against him.
"Hey!" he looked around, studying the surroundings."Is it here where I can find... wait, what was that name again, hmmm..."
Closing his eyes tightly, he went deep in thought.
"Ah! Oracle! Yeah, that's it! So, where can I find her?"
There came no response from the armed troops of soldiers. Nobody anticipated anything like that. They expected to face a huge army of demons or dragons attacking them, and not an unarmed man breaking the white magic seal in minutes. They were not prepared for such unexpected circumstances. Therefore, none of them knew what to say or what to do as though they were crippled.
From the back of the formation, at the last line where the wizardry team had been arranged, a young-looking sorceress in a black robe moved to the front line.
"A man? What on earth is going on here? Who the hell is that man?" she shouted at the five knights standing after the swordsmen.
"H-he broke the seal..."
"What!? 'That guy' was the one who destroyed the gate?"
"Y-yes!"
She quickly realized the conditions. What was happening would never occur to anyone's mind even as a slight possibility. It was an uncontemplated situation, so no one could prepare for it beforehand.
"All right, you knights stay here. I will go closer to talk."
"Wait! We know nothing about that man. That's too dangerous!"
"Then we have to figure out. We need information about him, that's why I'm going to talk. I can also buy some time for you to come up with a plan. That's the only choice we have."
"I see, please come back safe then!"
"Well, we can't expect to protect the Oracle with no sacrifice. That's our goal, protecting her in any condition. We can't afford to lose. Please don't hesitate to start an attack even if it endangers my life. We cannot let that man get close to her! I have a bad feeling about him."
She began walking to the gate, where that man was standing. As she got closer to her target and far from the guard troops, the details about his appearance became clear.
His shining silvery hairs weren't a result of aging since he appeared too young. She could be sure that he is even younger than her. That made the situation even more complicated. However, she still had her bad feeling about this guy.
Confused and distressed, she kept getting closer until he was only 6 feet away.
"Is he a kid? He's wearing normal clothes. Nothing's actually special about him. What's going on here!" she thought, trying to explain the situation to herself.