Supreme Spouse System.

Chapter 667: When the City Knelt

When the City Knelt

Right away, Black faced her again, shoulders pulling tight. Because of that, he had come

Up went Rias’s hand, loose and unhurried, her fingers twitching like something fleeting had just passed through. The moment slipped off her skin without permission to linger.

"And Commander," she added, glancing briefly at the soldiers still braced nearby, "take responsibility for your soldiers again. I’m done being alert for the day."

A silence came. Short, yet it held weight.

A faint grin tugged at Black’s mouth, slipping past his usual control. His words followed, quiet but clear - obedience wrapped in stillness: "So it will be done, Your Majesty."

A hush moved among the women standing there. Someone let out a breath. A second one shifted her head slightly. Their mouths curled a little - no laughter, no scorn, yet full of quiet recognition.

This time, they saw things clearly. What stood before them carried weight - no confusion about its meaning.

Pause, sure - though never quit.

Wives of the king, they stood. No longer decorations. Never again unseen. Holding up Leon’s vision. Shaped by iron, shaped by flame, each choice chiseling them further.

Out of the corner of their eyes, the city guards saw Black approaching. Discipline returned like a reflex when he stepped near. Some of them he knew - faces carved by time and battle. They wore the marks of Silver City’s long wars. Each one had stood next to Leon in bloodied fields. Through chaos they had moved as one, following orders without question. Survival was written on their scars.

Down went the guards in silver armor, each kneeling at once.

"Commander!"

A tilt of Black’s head showed he understood. He nodded slightly, eyes steady.

A faint noise came from behind just as he started to pivot toward his work again.

Nova moved forward.

Not one moved as her green eyes passed over them - the soldiers standing like statues in Blackthorn City, dressed head to toe in dark metal. Their backs straight, fingers close to sword hilts. These weren’t recruits fresh off the road. Years had carved lines into their faces, same as the scars on the fortress stones around them. Home wasn’t a memory for these men. It was this place. Right here.

Her steps slowed to a halt in front of where they stood.

A whisper, yet it cut through like stone. Her words arrived light but never bent.

"Soldiers of Blackthorn City," Nova said. "Listen carefully."

Each guard pulled upright, their focus locking onto her at the exact same moment.

"From this moment onward," she continued, each word precise, "you serve under Commander Black - as soldiers of my husband’s kingdom."

Silence followed.

After that moment, the Blackthorn guards knelt down at once.

From deep within the silence, metal met stone at just the right instant.

"As you command, Duchess," they said.

Firmness shaped their words. Loyalty ran beneath each phrase. Certainty stood clear in how they spoke.

A moment stretched beyond its need as Black watched them, measuring not what they said, yet how firm they stood.

Then he nodded.

"I accept your loyalty," he said evenly. "But remember this - final authority rests with His Majesty. Whether you remain under my command or are reassigned elsewhere will always be his decision."

The soldiers lowered their heads further.

"We understand, Commander."

Nova tilted her head just once. A quiet hum followed

Her eyes locked onto his. A stillness settled between them.

Down went his head, just a fraction more than rules demanded, yet not so deep as to seem odd. Every inch of that tilt had been decided beforehand. Not an accident. Rising again, words left his mouth soft, shaped for one listener, sliding through the sliver of air that separated their bodies.

"You will have no problems from my answer, my queen?"

A small smile touched Nova’s lips, so slight it could easily be seen as quiet courtesy by someone looking on.

It clicked for her - his question made perfect sense. The meaning landed clear, no confusion at all.

What price he’d pay in the end.

Not a word came from her lips. Quiet filled the space where sound should have been.

Even without words, the quiet made it clear.

A moment passed before Black looked away, the fabric of his cloak brushing softly against metal plates. Toward the group ahead, he lifted one arm, words settling into that familiar, even rhythm again.

"My king is waiting. Let us move."

A hush moved among them, word by word. It flowed not loud, yet reached every step. Each person caught it differently. As if air itself had begun to speak.

Back in their saddles, the women let excitement show plainly now.

Forward in the saddle she leaned, red eyes flaring like embers catching flame. A grin - thin, knowing - pulled at one corner of her mouth. Quietly, almost to the air itself, then shared with those nearby: "Now comes the part where welcome ends."

Fingers gripping the reins, Aria felt her knuckles go white - just for a second - before easing their hold. She kept her face still, yet something steady slipped into her words. Not an answer, really, just a fact: this was when they would finally be seen

Her throat tightened as air slipped quick into her lungs. A hush fell from her lips, gaze locked forward without shift. The streets seemed aware now - somehow watching back

A breath left her, quiet, almost missed. Her eyelids lowered, just briefly, like anchoring into stillness. "Yes," she murmured, voice barely rising above silence. The space between words felt heavy - something out there was paying attention

The procession moved.

Footfalls tapped against rock, one after another, while moving down narrow lanes where flags twitched above and breath hung heavy, held back.

A short while after that, the pair arrived at the initial interior gate.

Footsteps slowed when the convoy came near, troops dropping to a single knee. The clash of plate on rock whispered through the air.

"Welcome, Your Majesties."

Downcast gazes held fast. Not a single person broke the silence with a glance upward.

A nod came first - calm, steady - from each woman, their posture easy but sure. Something deeper than habit now rested on their shoulders, unfamiliar yet solid. Not a loaned dignity, this weight they carried. It was seen. Understood.

Fog lifted just as the city gates came into view.

Massive.

Ancient.

Stories of ancient kings carved here - triumphs cut sharp in rock, losses softened over centuries by wind and rain.

When Rias’s horse moved past the entrance -

The ground trembled.

A low rumble moved across the sky, quiet yet huge, like the whole town had turned in its sleep.

Above them, every face turned skyward.

Above Nagarath, the sky turned black - clouds curling like burnt paper, their rims fraying where daylight stretched too thin. A hum filled the space between moments, pressing deep into skin, deeper than lungs could hold.

Something had just moved.

Something vast.

Something awake.

Laughter slipped out as Rias tilted her head, a spark flashing behind her words. "Oh... that’s his way of saying hello."

Aria stood up slowly, her gaze sharp, wonder mixed with care. Not just what it meant, yet also how things shift when moments like this arrive

Mia touched her chest. Not magic, she said under her breath. Something different entirely. Her fingers stayed pressed against her skin

Lira blinked awake, her stare fixed somewhere far off, full of quiet understanding. That moment - recognition had shaped it

Fog curled around the rooftops. Silence settled like dust on stone.

Far past rock and metal, a reply came from what lies ahead.