After the intense battle between Aegreon and Sariel, the group was guided into the capital of the kingdom and taken to the royal palace.
The people were agitated due to the sound they heard and the large cloud of dust, and they gathered in what was left of the arena, however the guards were already explaining the situation and calming them down.
As she entered the capital, Luna found herself in a vast stone forest. The buildings were built of rock, and the vast majority were pyramidal in shape. In addition, the closer they were to the mountain, the larger and taller the buildings became, as if they were aiming to surpass the size of the mountain.
Luna looked with wonder and curiosity at the engineering of that kingdm. The difference between her home and this place was so great that she felt like she was in another world.
"Wow... it's so different from Fordurn... Why are the buildings all in this shape?"
Her eyes sparkled, a sparkle different from the mark of her race, like a child discovering the outside world for the first time.
"During a battle against the Angels, the mountain you see now erupted when we needed help most. As Angels move through the air, lava and smoke limited their aerial capacity and, as we had many Fire Element fighters, we were able to take advantage of the mountain's power."
"And the eruption didn't affect you too?"
"Of course, it was still an eruption, so we suffered from it too, but thanks to it we were able to drive out the angels. After that, all our buildings aim to imitate the shape of the mountain as a form of homage and symbol of our victory, hence the pyramidal shape. In addition, we named our kingdom K'ak' Witz, which in our language means something roughly like 'Scorched Mountain', the name all foreigners call our kingdom."
"But isn't it difficult to build something in this format?"
"Well, it is indeed a bit difficult, however the existence of magic makes the task much simpler. If it weren't for that, it would be almost impossible."
Everyone wanted to ask questions too, but Luna was so curious that she ended up asking for them. The only exception was Aegreon, who remained silent and with an unfriendly expression, which slightly ruined the lively atmosphere.
The guard continued to extol the engineering of the capital as they approached closer and closer to the great mountain, sovereign and larger than any construction made by human hands.
And, almost as if competing with the grandeur of the mountain, stood the largest pyramid in the entire kingdom. At about 350 meters high and 600 meters wide, the royal palace stole the scene and attracted the attention of everyone who lived and visited the kingdom.
In addition to its size, its decoration also stood out from the other pyramids: countless plants and flowers grew on the outside and dyed the gray walls with a natural rainbow. The entrances and windows were outlined with gold and precious jewels, and several gold statues of the previous kings surrounded the base of the pyramid, as if protecting the great palace.
In addition, the construction was located in the middle of an artificial lake, with waterfalls running through golden statues and emptying into the lake.
"It's... huge! How is it possible for something like this to exist?" Luna exclaimed.
"I've always heard stories about the great Scorched Mountain's Royal Palace, but this... is even more imposing than I imagined..." Shiina sighed.
"How tall is this? I've never seen a building as tall as this." Even Raymond, who rarely showed much interest in anything except Luna, was impressed.
"This is the greatest achievement of our Kingdom! The palace took about seven years to build, and it cost us tons of precious jewels and gold! In addition, we made a point of making plants and flowers grow on the surface of the pyramid because, after all, our kingdom is surrounded by nature. It's been years since it was built, and I still feel amazed!"
The guard guided them and spoke with pride and sparkle in his eyes, after all, the palace was a wonder known throughout the world.
The group crossed the wide bridge that led to the pyramid and observed the surroundings in ecstasy. The lake, despite being artificial, had a great variety of fish swimming in it, and several people threw food while having fun watching them up close.
After walking a bit, they finally arrived at the palace and found themselves in a huge and luxurious entrance hall. The walls were all bathed in gold, with countless symbols drawn and Magical Stones that illuminated the room. There were several luxurious tables and chairs made of wood, along with numerous plants.
"How can I help you?" asked a servant as soon as he saw them approaching.
He was the first man in the kingdom who did not have his upper body bare, and the colors of his fabric were neutral, something quite rare in that kingdom. To top it off, he was missing half of his right arm, and he had an eyepatch on his left side.
"These visitors arrived today and must be taken to His Majesty's room."
"I understand, I will take care of them. Follow me, please."
The servant guided everyone through the palace. The corridors were wide, well-kept, with a pleasant air to breathe, thanks to the plants that perfumed the palace with a natural aroma, and people passed through them frequently.
After walking and climbing several flights of stairs, they finally arrived at a spacious and luxurious room. There was a fountain in the center, large enough to be considered a swimming pool, and its waters flowed across the floor separated by glass that allowed the current to be seen.
On one wall there was a large window overlooking the entire kingdom, including the now destroyed arena, and countless pieces of furniture embellished the room.
Mountains of gold and precious jewels decorated the furnitures, murals and tapestries, as if there was nowhere to store these luxury items and they decided to use them wherever they could.
"You can sit down; His Majesty will be here soon." the servant said kindly. "I will arrange a nice lunch, as you must be hungry after your fights." With that, he turned back the way they came and left.
Shiina was the first to act and threw herself on a two-seater sofa and, despite lying down, there was still room left due to her size.
"Finally, something soft..." she sighed, sprawled out on the padding.
Raymond was the next to sit down on another three-seater sofa.
"You should have some manners, you're in the king's palace." the bodyguard advised.
"These cushions were made to be used. Besides, Aegreon is here, remember? His authority is greater than Yaxun's."
"Remember that we are here to ask for help." Luna reminded her as she sat down next to Raymond. "And after what happened in the arena, he may be inclined to refuse."
"I'm sure your 'hero' will use his silver tongue to convince him. It's very likely that he stayed behind because of that."
"Or maybe not." Aegreon spoke for the first time since they left the king. "If Yaxun is reluctant to help us, it will probably be because of him," he added as he sat down in an armchair.
"Aegreon, why did you try to kill him? Why are you so suspicious of him? Do you know something you haven't told us?" Luna asked, observing him discreetly.
She tried to avoid looking at the Pillars' injuries, but it was a difficult task now that she knew about them.
"No... I don't know anything about him. And that's why he needs to be eliminated. You saw his power, it's not inferior to a Pillar's, yet I've never heard anything about him, which is quite strange."
"He's right, Your High... Luna. Someone strong like him would be known. It's suspicious that we don't know anything about him."
"But... with his power, he could have killed me a long time ago..."
"That doesn't mean anything," Aegreon said. "He's not connected to the Council, if he was, I would have heard something about it, so he belongs to another group."
"How can you be sure of that?" the princess questioned.
"To have kept his existence a secret, and still have become that strong, it can only have been some faction supporting him." Shiina explained.
"But what faction would be able to hide something from the Council?" Luna questioned.
"The Cults..." Aegreon whispered.
"What?" Luna was unable to understand what the Pillar had said, hearing only a whisper.
However, he did not answer her, and there was an awkward silence after such a comment. Raymond and Shiina exchanged mysterious glances and did not dare to say anything either.
The princess felt uncomfortable. For some reason, none of them were willing to say anything, as if, whatever Aegreon had said, was something forbidden to be mentioned.
"Why aren't you saying anything?"
"Anyway," the Pillar began, ignoring Luna's question. "He's dangerous. His goals may be much deeper than we imagine."
"What could he want with me if not my death?"
The assassin looked at the princess and began: "Maybe he wants your so..."
Bam!
However, she was interrupted by the sound of the door opening violently.