The Beginning After The End novel Chapter 99

Chapter 99

My eyes stayed fixed on the iron staircase aged with dents and rust, until the roar of mana beasts below shook me from my daze.

“Looks like some of the more keen mana beasts have sensed the castle. We should hurry if we don’t want any unnecessary trouble,” Olfred voiced out to no one in particular.

Peering down from the sky, we could faintly make out the subtle movements of a few huge mana beasts that were shrouded in the dense cl.u.s.ter of trees.

“Mm,” replied Varay, neither agreeing nor disagreeing but simply accepting his point.

The stone knight, that had me slung over its shoulder, gently lowered me onto the base of the flight of stairs before crumbling into sand and reconstructing itself into a cape as it fastened itself around Olfred’s shoulder.

“We dwarves always carry a bit of dirt with us wherever we go,” Olfred winked at me upon noticing my surprised expression.

The door closed behind us, and while I thought we would be surrounded by darkness, a moss-like substance covering the walls began glowing with a soft, blue light.

Varay dissipated the ice cuffs that shackled my legs together so I could walk on my own and took the lead while Olfred followed closely behind us. We must’ve trudged on for at least an hour up the seemingly endless flight of stairs when I voiced out my frustration.

“Is there no faster way to go up than climbing this absurd amount of stairs?” I sighed. My body might be stronger than most humans even without my mana core due to the a.s.similation process I had gone through, but I was still growing impatient at the wasted time.

“Magic cannot be used at all of the entrances,” Varay answered immediately, a hint of impatience in her already cold voice.

I let out another deep breath and trudged along silently. Stealing a glance at my bond, as expected, Sylvie was sleeping a lot more than usual due to her recent transformation to her draconic form. Windsom had explained to me about the different forms that Asuras could utilize depending on the situation, but I never knew how much of a toll it took on Sylvie to release her draconic form. It couldn’t be helped, however, since Sylvie was basically a newborn in the eyes of deities who could live for what I can only imagine to be thousands of years, if not more.

Lost in my thoughts, I hadn’t realized that Varay had stopped.

“Oof,” I let out a surprised grunt as I b.u.mped into her. The female lance was just a tad taller than me but I was a step below her so my face had only hit her back. However, my arms were cuffed in front of me and they had hit someplace a bit more... intimate.

I hadn’t thought much of it, but to my surprise, Varay reacted in a way I would not have expected. She let out a rather effeminate little squeal as she jumped forward. Whipping around to face me, I could see her face flash in embarra.s.sment and surprise before immediately contorting into a fearsome glare that could drench someone in cold sweat.

Collecting herself, she turned back around and placed her hand at the end of the stairwell before muttering softly, “We are here.”

Gazing behind me, Olfred just gave an amused smirk before shrugging his shoulders and nudging me forward.

A glaring light seeped through the crevice of the wall that had split apart. As my eyes adjusted, I could finally make out what was ahead. A brightly lit corridor with an arched ceiling stretched from where we were, walls covered with mysterious designs carved onto every visible facet and corner. The engraved runes made the corridor seem more like a memorial etched with names of the deceased than a luxurious decoration; each engraving and design seemed to hold a purpose and meaning. There were simple chandeliers hung from the ceiling every few meters apart, but while the hall was brightly lit, The white light gave off a cold, emotionless feel, reminding me of the hospitals back in my old world.

“Now that we’re inside the actual castle itself, it is best not to converse with us or any of the lances,” he whispered with an unusual chill to his voice as we entered through the rather crudely-made door

We walked in silence, with only the echoes of our footsteps filling the hall. On either side were doors that didn’t match the metallic corridor; there were doors of different colors and material, all quite distinct from one another. The corridor didn’t seem to have an end, but luckily, Varay stopped us at a seemingly random door to our left along the way. She knocked on the door without pause until it swung inward, revealing an armored bear of a man.

I took a closer look at him.

“My Lords,” the guard immediately knelt down with his head bowed.

“Rise,” Varay replied cooly. The guard stood back up, but did not make eye contact with either of the two lances. Instead, his gaze was fixed on me as he regarded me both curiously and cautiously.

“Tell the Council of our arrival.” Olfred waved the guard away impatiently. The armored man took another quick bow and disappeared behind a hidden black door that looked to be a part of the wall.

After a few minutes, the guard came back out and fully opened the door for us, allowing us in. “Lance Zero and Lance Balrog have been given permission to meet the Council, along with the prisoner named Arthur Leywin.”

I looked at Olfred, raising a brow. As he walked past me, he muttered, “Bah. Code names,” as if embarra.s.sed.

I couldn’t help but let out a wry smile before trailing behind the two lances. Whatever awaited ahead would most likely determine my future, but all I could think of was what the code names for all the other lances were.

As I pa.s.sed the guard and stepped through the hidden door, I could immediately sense the change in the atmosphere. We were in a large circular room with a high-rise ceiling that seemed to be made entirely of gla.s.s. The room was simply decorated, with only a long, rectangular table at the very back. Six chairs, each seated with one of the members of the Council, were facing the three of us as they looked at me, every one of them with different expressions.

““Your Majesties.”” Olfred and Varay both bowed towards the Council as the former kings and queens rose from their seats. Not knowing what exactly the custom dictated in situations like this, I followed after the two lances and bowed as well.

“Ignorant! Do you think of yourself on the same level as the Lances? You should take a knee at the very least as a sign of respect,” a husky voice boomed. I looked up to see that it was the former dwarf king, Dawsid Greysunders.

He sported a bushy brown beard that spilled from his chin and covered is upper torso. He had a barrel of a chest covered by an endorned leather armor that seemed like it was restraining his muscles rather than protecting them. However, looking at his soft, uncalloused hand twiddling the gold wine flute, I had second thoughts as to whether those muscles were ever put to use, or if they was simply just for show. _{freewёbnoνel.com}

I had a hard time controlling my face as it contorted into a look of annoyance, but before I could rebut back, I caught sight of Alduin Eralith, Tessia’s father and the former elf king. He gave me a quick shake of the head, with a worried expression on his face.

Clenching my jaw, I relented. “My apologizes, Your Majesties. I am but a boy from the countryside, uneducated in the ways of proper manners,” I said through gritted teeth, taking a knee.

“Hmph.” He plopped back down on his seat, crossing his arms. Even as he sunk back into his chair, it was impossible to ignore the st.u.r.dy frame that the former dwarf king had. The veins on his arms stretched with every little movement. Paired with a great bristling beard and dark, heavy eyes, Even as a dwarf, he looked much larger than he really was.