Ascian smiled at the guards, while his army gaped at him in wonder. They did not know what had happened and how the Lord had managed to convince the four humans in letting them enter the kingdom. They had not heard the Lord speak anything to them, nor did he fight them. How did he manage to make the guards make way for them?
Ascian nodded at Liard, and the crowd entered the kingdom, albeit the questions that were running in their minds. Even the humans who had stopped to watch the group of strange people were dumbstruck seeing them enter the kingdom. It was highly unusual to find the guards allow people they did not know to enter Ingora, and everyone who had witnessed it wondered what was happening.
However, neither Ascian nor Laird was worried about them, for they would not be seeing them again in the near future. Liard led the army of vampires towards Ismene with the Lord beside him. But a loud commotion gained their attraction, and Ascian stopped, his focus shifting to the chaos that was taking place nearby.
Although there was nothing strange happening around them, he heard cheers and screams, and his curiosity rose. He sensed a lot of people nearby, and he was intrigued to see what was occurring. He focused his ears on the sound and heard the humans chanting a name.
'Master Baldrick will win the fight. There is no one unparalleled to him when it comes to sword fighting among the aristocrats.' He heard a female voice, her voice laced with excitement.
'You are right, Lady Isolde. He is unbeatable. If he was not a minister at His Highness's court, he would have been a Commander in the army.' Another female voice fell on his ears, and Ascian frowned lightly.
All the voices died when he heard the mob hollering. His eyes twinkled, and he stared in the direction from where he had heard the noise. Liard noticed his Lord's absence, and he stopped walking, making the other vampires halt behind him. "Milord," He breathed, snapping Ascian's focus.
"Yes, Liard?" Ascian whispered, his eyes not moving away from the direction of the noise.
"Is everything fine? Is there a problem?" Liard's concerned voice made Ascian smile, and he shook his head.
"Not at all, Liard. I am just fascinated by what I heard just now. I want to take a look at what is happening in the kingdom of Ingora." Ascian's words surprised the other vampires, who were listening to their conversation. They too had heard the commotion, and just like their Lord, they were intrigued to find out the reason for it.
"Do you want to go, Milord?" Liard queried, and Ascian sighed.
"Yes, I do. But.." He stopped when he remembered what had happened at the entrance gates a few moments ago. 'I do not want a repeat of the scene. It will be troublesome if we were to be questioned again. What do I do?' He wondered. Although his sensible mind wanted to drop his curiosity and reach Ismene soon, his inquisitive said otherwise. Ultimately, his curiosity got the best of him, and he decided to find out what was happening.
Ascian took a look at his army, and on noticing their hopeful gazes, he shook his head. "Army, let us take a look around us. But don't do anything that might incur my wrath. I do not want any human hurt." Everyone went into a trance at one, their eyes dilating as Ascian continued to give out orders to them. "Take care, and be within reach. Now, let's go and watch what is happening."
Though Ascian trusted his subjects, he was not a Lord who allowed blunders. 'I need to tread carefully since I am in an unknown land. I cannot allow danger to fall on humans or my army. I need to keep them safe.' With this thought in mind, Ascian controlled his army, manipulating their minds to obey his instructions.
The army of vampires then proceeded towards the direction of the sound, with Ascian in the front. They did not have to walk for long. A large crowd had gathered on the path that led to the kingdom center, far away from the entrance gates. As they approached the mob, the cheers increased, and Ascian could hear the clash of metal.
'Is there a sword fight going on?' He wondered, excitement surging through him. He quickened his pace. But to his dismay, he was far away from the scene of action, and the humans were blocking him from going any close. Irked by the outcome, Ascian looked around and found one of the humans staring at him with a questioning gaze.
'Just what I wanted!' Ascian held the man's gaze for a moment and closed his eyes before snapping his fingers. Immediately, the man rushed to him and bowed before him slightly. He then started to gently push the humans in Ascian's way, making a path for him to reach the center and take a good look at what was happening.
"Thank you." Ascian nodded at him, and the man bowed before he returned to his place.
Although the humans complained about being pushed, they did not give a second thought and allowed Ascian to view the fight at a closer distance. His army followed him silently, making sure not to hurt anybody around them.
When Ascian reached the scene of action, he found two men involved in sword fighting as they tried to disarm their opponent. This was not the first time Ascian was viewing a sword fight, for he had seen it a lot in Arran. However, this was the first time he was watching humans fight without trying to kill anyone.
Ascian observed their moves, trying to study them. Though the fight was not as good as they usually had in Arran, it was still interesting to watch.
"Master Baldrick has finally found a match. Master Lorcan is equally proficient." He heard the human beside him mutter.
"I agree. I have never seen anyone attack this brilliantly other than Master Baldrick. Usually, he would have disarmed his opponents by now. Master Lorcan is outstanding."
Ascian's head shifted away from the two humans beside him to the two men who were still fighting. 'Who among the two is Baldrick?' He folded his hands and furrowed his brows, focusing on the man who seemed to have a better stance than the other man.
With a roar, one of the men swung his sword at his opponent, injuring his hand. With a grunt, the wounded man dropped his sword, clutching his injured hand.
"Alas, Lorcan too could not win against Baldrick." The human beside Ascian commented.
"So, he is Baldrick." Ascian stared at the man who showed no sympathy towards the injured human. Instead, he was laughing, evilness evident in his eyes. Ascian's eyes narrowed dangerously, watching the human's atrocious behavior.
"Is there no one in this kingdom who can defeat me?" Baldrick bellowed, his harsh voice making the other humans tremble in their places. "All the men I have faced are puny opponents. They are nothing in front of me. Is there anybody who would like to throw a real challenge at me?"
Ascian smiled at Baldrick's overconfident and insulting words. Liard was not wrong when he called humans selfish and dishonest. He had watched Baldrick deceive his opponent and made him lose by hurting him intentionally.
"Looks like there is nobody courageous enough to fight me. Am I to presume that I am the victor here?" Baldrick shouted, his face filled with viciousness and arrogance.
Ascian was done watching the bout. Baldrick's pride was making him lose interest, and he turned around to leave the place when he heard a girl's voice, so beautiful and mesmerizing that he was forced to halt in his place.
"What is the rush, Master Baldrick?" The girl queried, standing before the burly man with confidence.
Ascian's gaze returned to the fighting arena, and he observed the girl whose voice had captivated him the moment he had heard her. Though he could not see her face, for her back was facing him, he watched her ombre colored hair flying in the wind, creating a veil behind her.
Baldrick chuckled, seeing the girl in front of him. "Lady, you are not supposed to be here. This is not a place for girls like you. Go back home."
His humiliation did not affect the girl, and she stood still in her place. "I wish you would stop talking and start fighting. Or am I to presume that you are afraid of me?"
"What is the lady doing?" The man beside Ascian gushed in fear. "Does she even know who she is provoking?"
"The girl must be foolish to challenge Baldrick. He is going to crush her for sure." The other human added.
Ascian ignored their comments and fixed his eyes on the girl he still could not see. Though she was petite in front of Baldrick, there was an unknown power radiating from her that Ascian could sense from where he was. It was as though the girl was a born warrior. Unlike every other human around him, he had a different perspective altogether. 'The lady is going to win for sure.'