Return of the Fallen Volume 1 Chapter 52
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Author: Blue_Rat
ch52
Garn took everyone to an open field and carved several inscriptions on the ground, forming a large circle, chained together with ancient symbols of magic.
Several Mages stood outside the circle and prepared their staves.
“It’s time we sent off the young heroes.”
Garn stepped into the center of the circle while Kazuki and the rest stood around him. Garn and the mages gathered their power and with a stamp of his staff, Garn and everyone else in the circle disappeared with a flash of light.
*FLASH*
The time traveled was only but a moment and the training field near the palace lit up.
*FLASH*
Once more they were back in the land of Treia. However, the sight of welcome they thought would be waiting for them upon arrival was instead an awkward silence filled with confused stares. Before they could even catch a breath of fresh northern air, several Mages and soldiers surrounded them. With staves and swords drawn, the intended target was clear but the reasoning, even those that pointed their weapons at Garn were unclear as to why.
A young man wearing a captain’s uniform stepped through the crowd. With a message in his hands, he unfurled it and spoke in an unsteady voice.
“Mas…Master Garn, Sir. By his Majesty, the King’s order, you are to surrender your staff and any and all magical items you possess here and now. Furthermore, you are to report to the Throne Room immediately to give your report and questioning. If you do not comply, by his Majesty’s command, we are to use… [*Gulp*] Force and place you under arrest.”
The tail of the captain’s words were said with knees trembling and eyes averted.
Kazuki and the rest all stared at Garn in confusion. Asuna especially felt something wasn’t right.
“What’s going on? Why would you arrest Sir Garn?”
Asuna’s question was ignored and the air filled with silent tension.
(So, the King has betrayed me.)
Garn held his staff in front of them, which in turn caused everyone facing him to grip their weapons tightly. A cumulative gulp could be heard in the surroundings as everyone was unsure of what to do. They had no idea why the King had ordered any of this but for them to have drawn their blades on their country’s greatest hero brought forth a mix of emotions. Shame and confusion being the biggest ones.
Garn stared at the young faces of everyone there and sighed silently.
With a loose grip, his staff rolled out of his hand and fell to the ground. Slowly but surely, Garn removed every piece of magical equipment. Rings, amulets, gems, even his outer robe was no exception. Standing there in nothing but plain clothes, Garn nodded at the captain.
“I suppose we should be going now.”
The captain gave a salute to Master Garn before he shouted.
“Everyone, let’s move.”
As Garn took a step forward, so too did his escorts. Every step he took, they took. Their weapons still drawn and pointed at Master Garn. Asuna was worried and followed along and a guard quickly tried to stop her but when Garn saw that he barked at the young man.
“She’s with me, boy, get back in line.”
Even though Garn had no weapons of any kind, just the fact that he was Master Garn, he gave off a dangerous aura. Garn had spoken with such authority and certainty that the guard nearly fell on his ass in fear. The guard slowly stepped back and dared not even look at Master Garn or the other heroes after that.
Asuna gave a gentle smile to Garn and walked right next to him. Kimi, of course, followed Asuna whilst dragging Sam with her. Shin thought this was all interesting and wanted to see what would happen next, while Kazuki was trying to put everything together in his head but was having no luck, so he tagged along as well. And Danny didn’t want to be separated from his friends and brought up the rear.
After Garn made an example out of the first escort, seeing the rest of the heroes follow along, none of the escorts dared to say a word to them and just continued forward in silence.
Into the palace and down corridor after corridor, everyone kept a certain distance while walking along. The funny thing though was that some of the corridors became narrow and it no longer became Garn being surrounded and escorted to the Throne Room but instead, Garn leading everyone there with the escorts following from the back.
Garn eyed the empty halls in curiosity.
(Were these halls cleared out just for my welcome? Not even a single maid is anywhere to be seen. Did he not want any rumors to spread to the people before he had the chance to lay some false charges upon me?)
Garn came upon the Throne Room and the doors were already open. Inside, Garn could see the room was stuffed with officials, nobles, mages, and soldiers. The only person missing was the King. The room was full of chattering and a commotion of wild debate was being thrown back and forth throughout the room.
Someone in the room saw Garn’s arrival and accidentally shouted.
“He’s here.”
The room went dead silent as all eyes turned toward the entrance to the Throne Room. Some eyes held joy while others scorn. Some felt pity while others felt straight up contempt. Everyone was waiting for Garn’s arrival and wondered what would happen next.
Garn took a single step forward and entered the room. Immediately afterward, a huge suppression was felt deep within him. His Magic power had been reduced to half and then a third before finally, he felt he could only tap into 10% of it. Looking at the floor of the doorway, Garn spotted a freshly carved inscription. It couldn’t have been more than a few hours old. Examining it with a curious eye he figured out all of its uses instantly.
(Power reduction and suppression, elemental suppression by half and there are a few other little nasty things thrown in as well. Do I terrify you that much?)
Garn scoffed in derision before he fully stepped in. With his staff, he may have still been able to resist somewhat but now without anything to rely on, his magic would not work here. Asuna and the rest followed Garn, which surprised everyone there. For some, this was their very first time seeing the heroes. Kazuki felts eyes locking onto not only him but Asuna and everyone else. The people here were trying to get a feel for them. Kazuki ignored these gazes but Danny and Kimi found it difficult.
Walking into the Throne Room, the people parted like the sea, as they deliberately got out of the way. The one large table that sat many officials and nobles had been removed and now there was only the throne itself. Garn spotted a few more magic inscriptions along the walls and a few at the foot of the throne.
(A barrier huh.)
Garn felt the resentment in his chest developing more and more.
Stopping in front of the throne, Garn and everyone else waited in silence.
*Creak*
A side door slowly opened and soldier after soldier flooded out. Soon, they had built a human wall in front of Garn and had surrounded the throne. A moment later and King David finally made his appearance. Sitting upon the throne, King David snapped his fingers and a ring on his finger glowed. In response to that, the inscription on the floor glowed momentarily as well before returning to normal.
A large barrier had been erected between the King on his throne and the outside world. It seemed he could still use magic in here while others could not, causing some low grumbles from the crowd.
King David sat down and laid his scepter over his lap. The human wall in front of Garn parted slightly so King David and Garn could see each other face to face. Garn took a small step forward and gave a proper bow, surprising those around.
“Your Majesty…”
Before Garn could speak further than that, the King jumped to his feet and roared at Garn.
“Kneel!”
This shout caused the already silent Throne Room to become shocked. Garn as well didn’t expect this. Truly he didn’t really know what to expect but this was definitely not it.
Garn’s thoughts were in disarray which caused him to hesitate but the King didn’t care what was going on in Garn’s head and only found his hesitation to be a lack of following orders. The King stamped his scepter hard into the ground and the entire Throne Room lit up for a moment.
*Bang*
The King roared once more, this time with even more intensity and power in his voice.
“I SAID KNEEL!”
An unseen pressure was forced upon everyone’s shoulders. Garn, the officials, nobles, soldiers, every one.
Garn was an old man in his 80’s and without the support of magic, his body crumbled to the ground. The room was filled with weak people and one by one nobles, officials and Mages all fell to their knees. Only those with sturdy bodies and plenty of strength could resist this. All of the soldiers stood tall and straight and even Kazuki and Asuna and the rest were fine.
After they had absorbed Blood Orbs in the Karuda Cauldron their bodies had undergone a physiological change and their entire bodies improved. The pressure they felt was similar to a heavy backpack at most. Still, seeing most everyone else kneel, they as well knelt down themselves, after all, this was the first time they were meeting the King.
The soldiers too, although they could resist it, the King’s orders were absolute and they all knelt down.
The King stood proudly over his people as they groveled below him. With a smile from ear to ear he released the pressure upon everyone and sat back down.
Everyone looked at the King, unable to grasp the situation. Shared looks of confusion spread through the room yet no one dared utter a single word.
King David stamped his scepter once more before he spoke.
*Bang*
“Garn, you have served the Kingdom for so many decades yet the news I was brought recently has shocked me to the core and your loyalty is now in question. You have lied to me and everyone here but the truth of the matter will soon reveal itself before us. However, from what I have seen, there is no doubt in my mind. Garn…You are a traitor.”
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