[Capital – Inner Council Chamber – The Day Before the Conference]
Rain pattered softly against stained-glass windows. The chamber was dim but alive with quiet urgency. Nobles in formal wear clustered around the war table, joined by Guildmaster Hale, Commander Rell, Duke Kerrel , and Prince Caelen.
A scout courier stood at attention, rain still drying on his cloak.
"Message from Aerthwyn. Urgent relay from the border."
Caelen gestured, and the courier stepped forward, handing over a sealed parchment. Hale opened it, eyes narrowing as he read.
"They were ambushed en route."
A breath caught in the room.
"The crown regent was the target.An execution squad. More than a hundred attackers, cloaked in magical suppression and shielding glyphs.Well prepared plans."
Lord Kerrel leaned forward.
"And?How about casualties,how about the delegate?"
Hale raised a brow.
> "Just a few injuries,the delegate were fine but not for attackers, all of them have been eliminated. They burned the entire cliffside the ambush was staged on. Over hundred assassins dead to the last man. One dragon, five wyverns—slain."
A beat passed.
"All confirmed done by Renhallow ."
The chamber fell still.
Commander Rell frowned, arms crossed.
"I heard he not a warrior or fighter type. So how'd he kill a dragon?"
Hale's voice dropped slightly.
"No confirmed spellcasting and mana actived. He was seen touching the ground with his hand… then the terrain ruptured. Dragon fell from the sky like its wings vanished."
"Same with the assassins. No visible magic been seen,not even casting time. One moment he's quiet. The next—everyone's dead."
Duke Kerrel looked visibly unsettled.
"That sounds like forbidden magic."
Caelen remained silent, his gaze sharp.
"He's not contracted with any known relics or entities reported either."
Rell shook his head slowly.
"That makes it worse. It means whatever he's doing—no one knows how to stop it."
Hale looked around the table.
"Aerthwyn chose him as one of two bodyguards. Their crown regent clearly trusts him."
"Or fears him," Kerrel muttered.
"Either way," Caelen said, finally speaking, "Renhallow just became the most unpredictable person at the conference. We keep an eye on him, be careful not provoking him."
Commander Rell nodded grimly.
"And should we prepare like he's more dangerous than a Level 8."
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[Capital – North Gate Courtyard – Delegate Arrival: Aerthwyn Kingdom]
A light fog rolled off the stone pavers as Aerthwyn's carriage convoy arrived through the capital's northern gates, flanked by city guards and guild marshals. Regal banners rippled from the sides of the lead carriage, marked with Aerthwyn's royal crest — a silver bloom over a black sea.
Crown Regent Lira, cloaked in layered storm-gray silk, stepped down gracefully. She carried no visible weapons — only the poise of someone who'd survived an assassination attempt a few days prior.
Behind her trailed two official escorts, knights of elite caliber. And walking behind them, quiet and wearing just a plain cloth, was Renhallow.
No armor. No staff. No sword. Just a plain cloth, gloves, and the tired look of a man who barely noticed the world he was walking through.
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[Inner Garden Pavilion – Private Chat with Lira]
Prince Caelen and Guildmaster Hale met Lira beneath a shaded pavilion shortly after her formal welcome.
Caelen: "We received the report. You were ambushed."
Lira (gently nodding): "Yes. Not a minor skirmish. They sent elites. Glyph-masked, heavily prepared. Whoever paid for them expected success."
> Hale: "And yet here you are. Alive. Unwavered."
She gave a tired smile.
"Alive, yes. Unwavered? Not exactly. I had to watch a dragon suffocate mid-flight before it hit the rocks. My knights couldn't even process what was happening."
Hale leaned forward.
"That was Renhallow, wasn't it?"
"Yes.I believe so."
"And what did he do?"
Lira: (pausing, then shaking her head)
"I don't know. I've watched every move of his since. Nothing makes sense. He gave no motion, cast no spells, didn't even raise his voice."
"He just… was."
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