They both walked in silence as Kalen watched the man's back. Even though they were alone, Kalen could feel several eyes upon them.
At least 15 people were watching them from the shadows and that was all Kalen could sense. For that reason, he chose not to do anything that could be considered offensive.
Unaware of the people around him, Kalen concentrated on Barret. Unlike several people he had met in the city, including the man who had stopped him, Kalen couldn't feel any of Barret's energy.
This could only mean one of two things. Either the man had no core, or he had more than Kalen.
The man's hair was blonde, and his eyes were blue, but his beard, with slight white streaks, revealed his age. He looked to be in his fifties, yet somehow, he looked young.
A few minutes later, they arrived at a large marble structure with an open roof, guarded by dozens, if not hundreds, of guards in matching armor.
Kalen swallowed with some trepidation. Unknowingly, he had wandered into a potentially dangerous place.
He knew he had the name of the missing witch behind him, but that didn't stop him from feeling like he could be killed at any moment.
Barret walked as the other guards bowed to him and approached the center of the large marble structure.
Kalen also walked past two pillars and stood beside Barret as he paused.
Suddenly, the ground beneath them began to glow, and when Kalen saw it, he realized that the ground beneath him seemed to have some sort of symbol that was the one that was glowing.
Without having time to think, Kalen was blinded by the light and when he opened his eyes, he was in a different place.
He was still standing in the center of the marble structure, but now his surroundings were different from the square guarded by dozens of guards.
There were still guards in this place, but they were different... more intimidating.
Their armor were more imposing and sturdier, and the weapons they wielded were big, sharp, pointed spears with little banners on them.
If Kalen was in a dangerous place before, it was worse now. I had no choice but to try and run, now that I was out in the open, but I had no idea where this place was.
It was clear that the marble structure was a relic that allowed people to teleport. So, it could be underground, hundreds of miles from where he was, or in any part of the city.
The guards looked at the duo that had just arrived, but unlike before, they did not bow to Barret. Even Kalen couldn't see their expressions because of their helmets, which only had a vertical slit down the middle.
'These men... they are all challengers like me'
Only a few of the men below were challengers, Kalen counted only three.
Which made him realize that while challengers were common, there were not that many of them. Most of them seemed to have high positions, and the ones Kalen had seen in the city seemed to want to keep a low profile. As if they didn't want to be disturbed.
Still, only challengers, creators or people of higher levels could sense those who had passed a test of Urasis.
Barret walked silently down a large, luxurious corridor that led to a large door, almost four meters high, guarded by two of the same guards as before.
Their spears were crossed high, forming an X over the door, and when they saw Barret and Kalen they raised their spears, kicked the ground as if marching, and stood still as if given permission to follow.
Then the great door began to open slowly, revealing the interior.
Inside, a large red carpet greeted Kalen, and at the end of it were steps leading up to a large throne on which sat a man with a serene expression.
Kalen recognized him, mainly because Jerome had told him a little of the history of the kingdom they were in on the night of his training.
'The King of the Sun... Angus Solari'
King Angus smiled at Kalen's arrival and stopped resting his head on his hand.
"Ah, you must be the witch's secretary... it's good to have her back"
Kalen walked to the center of the throne room and paused before bowing slightly.
"It is an honor to meet your Majesty"
The king smiled at Kalen's respect and crossed one leg over the other as he leaned back on the throne, looking at him with interest.
"Do you know the reason for this request?"
Kalen looked at the king again and nodded.
"Yes, Your Majesty... you need a guard"
The petition mentioned that he had to stand guard for something... but it did not say what.
Besides, even if Kalen was calm on the outside, he was completely worried on the inside.
'How did I end up in front of the king of a great kingdom of Urasis?!'
There was no need to remind him that it was only his third day in Urasis, and he had already met a very important and surely equally powerful person.
The king nodded.
"Exactly... Barret"
Barret, who had been silent from the beginning, stepped forward and bowed to the king.
"Yes, Your Majesty"
Barret left the room and shut the doors. Kalen did not understand his actions but gave them no further thought.
"You may ask, Your Majesty... What am I here to protect?"
The king smiled again and rose from his chair, alerting the guards stationed in the hall.
"Your Majesty?"
The king raised his hand, stopping the guards.
"All right"
With every step the king took towards Kalen, he felt as if the heat of the place increased. But it was only his imagination, for in reality the place was still the same temperature.
The king passed him by and continued on his way.
Unconsciously, Kalen wiped the sweat from his forehead... which was non-existent, so he looked at his hand in confusion.
'What is wrong with me?'
The king reached the doors of the hall and looked at Kalen, who was still standing.
"Come with me"
Not daring to disobey the king's words, Kalen walked towards him and followed him out of the throne room.
A pair of guards also followed, ostensibly for the king's safety... if he needed it at all.
The king began to walk silently down the luxurious corridor, Kalen following with the guards behind him.
Eventually the king broke the silence.
"Do you like the palace?"
Kalen didn't know what to say at first. It was all so... extravagant for someone with no preconceived notions.
Everything he saw around him was so different from what he knew and was used to. Things he had only seen on television or read about in novels.
It all seemed so strangely real that he didn't know what to think.
"It's... quite dazzling"
The king laughed gleefully at Kalen's answer.
"Ha-ha, that's a common enough opinion"
Soon they reached a balcony where the king invited Kalen to sit down. But just as he was about to touch the chair, he froze.
He had not focused on the windows, so he had not seen outside. But when he saw the sky on the balcony, his thoughts stopped.
'This... is the sky'
Beyond the balcony railings was the blue sky and hundreds of meters below the city.
From there he could see the great walls surrounding the city and the dozens of miles of forest to the snow-capped mountains in the distance.
I was in the palace in the sky that I had seen from the ground hours before.
It was definitely a unique sight, and he enjoyed it before he finally sat down.
"It's amazing... I never get bored of the view" the king said, seeing Kalen's amazed expression.
Kalen coughed slightly.
"It's... different from the sights I usually see"
The king returned quietly and soon two maids brought several desserts and a jug of what appeared to be wine.
Kalen refrained from eating, but instead the king began to quickly devour the desserts.
'He seems to like sugar'
Suddenly, Kalen saw two silhouettes approaching from the back of the hall, and the king seemed to notice as well, stopping his meal, and putting a serious expression on his face.
"Well, I wondered what you had to protect before... well, meet my two beautiful sons"
Kalen frowned and watched as the two maidens approached, bringing two carts with them.
When they left the carts in front of the king, they moved a few meters away and stood still in silence.
The man looked at the two babies in the carts and smiled slightly.
"May I present my two children, Augustine and Agnes"
Kalen looked at the two sleeping babies and frowned.
'I'm going to be a babysitter?'