Chương 628: B9 - Chapter 6: The Banquet I

Leo couldn't sleep. Again. His gaze, as it often did whenever he found himself in this predicament, settled on the culprit. It was the scroll that lay on the small desk beside his bed, its pale surface catching what little light filtered into the room. He had read it often enough to know every word by heart, yet his eyes kept returning to it whenever silence settled around him.

Ever since he had received it two weeks ago, the proclamation of his meritorious service had felt less like an honor and more like a weight pressing down on him. Leo wasn't an expert in politics by any stretch of the imagination, but even he had realized that something had been off about the circumstances under which he had received it. How could he not have noticed? Out of the three commanders present, only his brother had had his merits split and distributed among his retainers.

It smelled of favoritism, injustice, or some manner of behind-the-scenes arrangement. The kind of thing Leo despised more than anything. He had tried to approach Zeke to find out how he should act, but his brother had been vague. He had merely hinted that knowing too much would make it harder for him to act appropriately when the time came. Leo didn't know what that meant, but the conversation hadn't brought him the comfort he had wanted.

And so, he lay in bed once more, silently dreading the approaching day of the Merit Ceremony. His thoughts kept spinning and spinning, round and round. Until, suddenly, he awoke with a start to the blaring sound of the alarm. He didn't even know when exactly he had fallen asleep, but he must have managed at some point. Brrring! Brrring! Brrring! The shrill sound of metal striking metal rang out again, grating on his nerves even more than usual.

Not for the first time, Leo felt the sudden urge to smash the construct against the wall of his room. But in the end, he restrained himself. It wasn't the contraption's fault that he was tired. Stepping out of his room, he immediately received instructions on where he was supposed to go. Akasha's monotone voice had already become a familiar companion to him. Making his life that much easier. After a hearty breakfast, Leo left the Alexandria alongside the other recipients of the Queen's favor.

He noticed that he was not the only one who seemed agitated. The newly elevated Progenitor, Vulcanos, appeared especially irritable, his gaze sweeping over every nook and cranny as though they had personally offended him. Others, like Cassius and his wife Rhea, as well as the reticent Irisen, looked more thoughtful than anything else. But the most relaxed among their group was definitely Raileh. The elven healer walked with the detached calm of someone watching another nation's troubles unfold from a safe distance.

And in truth, it likely wouldn't concern her. She was technically just on loan from the Matriarchy. No matter what happened here, whether Zeke's faction rose or fell, Raileh would likely return to her own people untouched by the consequences. Aside from her, there was one other person who seemed suspiciously unconcerned. Zeke himself.

Instead of feeling the tension that seemed to press down on everyone else, Leo had the distinct impression that his brother regarded the coming ceremony not with dread, but with a hint of excitement. Leo watched him closely, searching for some sign of anger, fretfulness, or unease. He found none. If anything, Zeke looked almost eager. Leo wondered how he could be so composed, since he doubtlessly knew better than anyone that some sort of plot had been woven against him.

Maybe his brother was merely projecting such calm in order not to dishearten his supporters. After all, a commander who looked shaken would soon see that same unease spread among the troops. But as had become usual of late, Leo couldn't get a clear read on him. After disembarking from the ship, they made their way to a luxurious inn, one of the few that had been reopened, and rented an entire floor. The invitations arrived less than an hour after they had settled in.

They were delivered by a whole host of palace servants. Leo noticed that the others received identical documents. Each was written on pale green parchment and sealed with the mark of the royal house. He looked over at Zeke, who already let his eyes lazily trail over the ornate script. Leo focused on the letter in his own hands. The wording was formal, polite, and utterly bland, which somehow made it worse. It merely informed him that the Merit Ceremony would be divided into two distinct events.

During the first half, to be held that very night, Her Majesty would host a private banquet in the royal palace for the commanders, honored contributors, foreign envoys, and distinguished guests who had taken part in the campaign against the Legion. Attendance was optional, yet highly encouraged. The purpose, according to the letter, was to offer thanks, exchange greetings, and explain the form in which Rukia intended to honor those who had rendered service to the realm.

The second part of the ceremony would be held the following day in the great square outside the palace. It would be open to the people, and it would be the place where the actual bestowal of rewards took place. Zeke accepted the invitation without hesitation, prompting the others to do the same. There wasn't much conversation for the rest of the day. Everyone retreated to their rooms to prepare in their own way, and Leo spent the hours with the invitation lying open before him.

Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. At some point during the wait, an outfit was delivered to his room. It was a blend of traditional Mage robes and a military uniform, somehow straddling the line between ceremonial and practical. Leo liked it from the moment he saw it. He once again marveled at his brother's means. Even at a time like this, Zeke still had the leeway to take care of those around him in such subtle ways.

When evening finally came, he joined the others in the hall outside their rented rooms. Leo noticed that he was not the only one who had changed. Every single member of their party wore something different than when they had arrived. Vulcanos wore a sleeveless robe that left his powerful arms bare, the dark fabric making his flawless black skin seem even more unnatural. Raileh wore a classical elven robe, its elegant lines lending her the air of a noble lady.

Elder Tiger and Elder Dragon wore custom designs that fit their animalistic traits, clearly intended to highlight them instead of concealing them. Elder Tiger's garment left her shoulders and arms free, emphasizing her powerful frame, while Elder Dragon's robe had been shaped around his unusual posture and scales, making him appear less like a beast forced into court attire and more like a dignitary from a foreign race. The more he looked, the more impressed Leo became.

None of the garments was truly alike, and yet they still carried enough similarities to make it clear that they belonged to the same faction. Zeke was the last to join them. The moment he stepped out of his room, all eyes were on him. He wore a robe with faint golden accents. It was the same color as all the others, devoid of excessive luxuries. But only after seeing him wear it did Leo finally understand why these colors had been chosen.

The accents mirrored the exact shade of Zeke's golden eyes, and the way his crimson hair draped over the back of his collar made the blood-red hue seem even more striking against the dark fabric. For a moment, nobody spoke. Zeke smiled at them.

"Shall we?" They didn't have far to go to the palace, as the inn was located just outside the central square. It had likely once catered to diplomats and dignitaries, which explained why it had been among the first places restored after the Legion's withdrawal. But Leo couldn't pay attention to such details for long. The very moment they stepped onto the street, he could keenly feel the attention their party garnered.

People stopped what they were doing, conversations fell silent, and all eyes were suddenly drawn to them. Leo's shoulders stiffened. He had never been great at facing crowds. He found it hard to know how to act. Should he greet them warmly? Should he nod? Or simply ignore them? There never was a clear answer, and seemingly no universal one either. Instead, he did what he always did in such situations. He looked at Zeke. His brother had stopped the moment they stepped outside.

Then, he swept his gaze around once, smiled at a few people Leo didn't recognize, and chose to ignore everyone else.

"Let's go." His voice was light, and so were his steps. It seemed not only Leo, but the others as well, took their cue from him. Watching Zeke's attitude, they decided that the crowd wasn't worth their attention and fell into step. Leo's position was at the front of the column, a single step behind Zeke. David walked to his left. Zelkara and Raileh followed behind them, one cold and watchful, the other quiet and composed.

Zelkara's gaze moved from window to balcony to rooftop, while Raileh observed the city with the distant calm of an outsider. Vulcanos came after them, taking up two spaces in the column. The heat that had once leaked from his body had been sealed away, and the air no longer trembled when he passed. He looked almost human, apart from his black skin, ember-like eyes, and the faint sense of danger that clung to him like smoke. Behind him came the others who had remained with them: Cassius, Rhea, and Irisen.

Elder Tiger and Elder Dragon formed the rearguard. All together, their group made for quite a sight. The guards at the palace gate tried not to react. They failed. Leo could see it in their smallest actions, in the way their hands tightened around their weapons, the way their postures straightened, and the slight widening of their eyes. It was not only them. The same reaction could be seen on the faces of almost everyone they passed. Leo supposed it made sense.

The combined might of several Archmage-level beings, a Titan, and a Progenitor beast would have been enough to break any force Rukia could field, even before the fall. Now? They would be completely helpless. Leo felt himself straighten. He didn't like public attention much, but even he had to admit that walking at the front of such a group felt like standing in the eye of a storm. Perfectly safe for him, but deadly to everyone else. His eyes subtly drifted to Zeke.

If even he, who stood only at the edge of this power, already felt like this, then he could hardly imagine what it was like to stand in his brother's place. Leo's own sense of power was borrowed, nothing more than an illusion born from proximity. Zeke was different. He truly could decide where the sun shone and where the rain fell in this broken land. How did he bear that weight? That feeling of power? At that moment, Zeke stopped in front of the petrified guards.

They had not dared to call out to him and simply stood frozen. At their sudden halt, one of them twitched and slowly looked up. Leo then saw the expression on his brother's face. It was a smile, as warm as a summer breeze. He extended something to the guard, who took it without even looking down.

"Our invitations," Zeke said warmly.

"Would you be so kind as to escort us?" The guard blinked. Only then did his gaze finally drop to the documents in his hand. His eyes moved over the seals, and his throat bobbed once.

"O-of course, honored guests," he said, his voice a touch too loud.

"Please, follow me." He turned sharply, almost stumbling over his own feet before recovering and immediately pretending that nothing was wrong. The other guards moved aside at once. The palace gate opened without a sound. Leo followed Zeke through. He had seen the palace from the outside before, both from the air and from the streets of the capital, but stepping through the gate was different. The moment they crossed the threshold, the noise of the city seemed to fall away behind them.

The guard led them across the courtyard at a pace that was just a little too quick. He kept glancing back, though never long enough for his gaze to meet anyone's. Each time he did, his eyes skipped over Vulcanos, lingered for a heartbeat on Cassius or Irisen, and then snapped forward again. Zeke did not seem to notice. Or perhaps he merely chose not to. They passed beneath an archway of pale stone and entered the palace proper. Cool air brushed against Leo's face.

The scent of polished wood, fresh flowers, and incense immediately replaced the dust and stone of the city outside. The escort brought them through a sequence of corridors, each grander than the last. Paintings lined the walls, showing people Leo did not recognize, battles he had never heard of, and landscapes that likely no longer existed. Many frames seemed to have been recently repaired. Others had been replaced entirely, their gilding too new compared to the ones around them. Leo found his gaze wandering.

He saw people waiting in small clusters near the side halls, all dressed in formal attire and wearing expressions that shifted the instant they noticed them. Some bowed. Some whispered. Some simply stared. Zeke acknowledged none of them. He moved with the same light steps as before, neither hurried nor slow, as if he had all the time in the world and everyone else was merely fortunate to share the corridor with him. Leo tried to mimic that ease. He wasn't sure he succeeded.

At the end of the final corridor, the guard stopped before a set of towering double doors. They were made of dark wood threaded with green veins, alive or enchanted enough that Leo could not tell the difference. Two palace servants stood on either side, their hands resting on the handles. From beyond the doors came the muted sound of voices. A great many voices. The escort bowed deeply, this time with more control than before.

"The banquet hall, honored guests." The servants pulled the doors open. Warm light spilled into the corridor. For a brief moment, Leo could see nothing but golden chandeliers, polished floors, and the silhouettes of countless figures turning toward them all at once. Then the hall fell silent.