Read Novel Full Chapter 560- News From Rune
Chapter 560: Chapter 560- News From Rune
This man who was heralded as the knight among knights, a hero coined as the Last Fortress, to think he would also possess such virility.
Thinking till here, she suddenly felt a sense of crisis. All along, she was quite confident of her position and place she held in his heart.
However, with one woman after another flocking to his side there was no telling what would happen in the future. Verdia fell in a deep thought as she exited the room.
.
A while later, when the sun was high up in the sky, a convoy of carriages could be seen standing outside the Arcknight mansion.
"I’ll be heading out then."
Reinhardt bid his goodbye. Although his time here was short, it was quite memorable.
"Un, take care of yourself."
Raymond spoke his face stoic.
Next to him, Verdia who was glowing like a sunflower in winter, looked at him with reluctance.
Arthur was the same.
"Big brother, will you teach me swordsmanship again?"
Reinhardt smiled and ruffled the little man’s hair. He did not delay anymore and got on the carriage heading for the Capital.
Once the carriage rode out of the estate, Verdia looked at Raymond.
"I want to talk about Arthur’s future with you."
.
.
Three days later, Reinhardt’s convoy arrived at the palace.
After stationing his men outside, he headed for the inner chambers.
As he was granted permission to enter the palace anytime in front of the whole audience, no guards tried to stop him.
Soon, he stood in front of the Audience Hall.
Inside on his throne sat King Solaris the third. Below the podium were a few ministers discussing the affairs of the realm.
When Reinhardt entered, they stopped talking and presented a fawning smile towards him.
Ever since the country wide purge the nobles had woken up from their trance. They who were drunk on power realized that it was not they or their status that held authority in these day and age.
No, it was the people, the knights with strength, who had the authority. And among them, the heroes held the most power, essentially making everything revolve around them.
Thus, the nobles who still hope to maintain their power and authority wanted to curry favor and build a strong relationship with the commanders of the Seven Great Knight Orders.
How could Reinhardt not see that? Not caring about them, Reinhardt directly spoke to the king.
After hearing his statement, the ministers were all astonished, stunned even. From their view, he was a madman who wanted to throw his life into the demons’ pit.
Compared to them, the king fared better. He had already gotten the letter Reinhardt had sent before. What’s more, his wife the Queen, had already passed the resolution and sent it to the other six kingdoms with their royal seal stamped.
That said, even though he knew it, the impact of hearing it from Reinhardt was not small.
After informing them of his plans, his gaze swept around the hall before settling on the empty seat beside the king.
"Where is the Queen?" he asked plainly.
A faint stir rippled through the ministers when they heard that.
While the relationship between him and the Queen was not known to them, they could still feel the dynamics of power in the royal palace shifting.
Although the king was still regarded as the highest authority in Solaris, anyone could see that he had become a figurehead more or less. The important decisions were now made by the Queen.
They were in the midst of a talk with the king related to this matter when Reinhardt entered the hall. It was only natural that they would panic and try to hide their guilty conscience.
Before the king could respond, the doors to the audience chamber opened.
The Queen of Solaris walked in.
Her presence struck the hall like a sudden breath stealing gust. Clad in flowing midnight blue silk threaded with silver runes, she moved with a grace that seemed unreal, her long hair cascading down her back like liquid moonlight.
Beauty alone did not define her; there was a dangerous sensuality to her, a magnetic allure sharpened by authority and mystery. Every eye, whether advertently or inadvertently, was attracted towards her.
The Queen possessed that kind of ensnaring beauty.
After entering the hall, she ignored the king, the ministers, and everyone present in the hall. From the moment she stepped inside, her gaze remained locked on Reinhardt. It was as if anyone else other than him were just mere pillars a part of the hall.
At least for her, it was only Reinhardt that existed in her world.
The Queen crossed the hall, stopping a mere few paces before him.
Only then did she speak.
"Your request has been approved. You and your Order of the Temple of Light can explore the deepest regions of the Tainted Lands." Her voice, smooth and controlled, was carried effortlessly through the vast chamber.
The words landed heavily, causing everyone to be surprised.
Even Reinhardt, a flicker of genuine surprise could be seen crossing his eyes.
He had expected resistance, political deadlock, endless delays, perhaps even outright refusal from the royalties of the Seven Kingdoms. After all, the memory of the Bloody Rain, the cataclysm that had annihilated entire legions and scarred the continent, was still raw.
Even now, the mention of the Tainted Lands stirred unease in the hearts of many royals. Yet the approval had come so swiftly.
Seeing his reaction, the Queen’s lips curved into a faint knowing smile.
"Under normal circumstances, such a request would be considered madness. No sane ruler would permit an expedition into the deepest zones, not after what happened to the great expedition. Even now, the losses haven’t been completely recovered."
Saying till here, she paused for a moment, her eyes holding the handsome profile of Reinhardt.
"But this time the situation is different. Because of you, your actions in Aetherion came in clutch. Your decision to intervene during the crisis, the lives you saved, and the threats you and our order extinguished earned not just the gratitude of the knights and the people but the trust of Aetherion’s royal family too."
Murmurs stirred among the court. Ministers stared wide eyes at Reinhardt.
At that time, when they heard about the reports of the Temple of Light’s expedition in Aetherion, they somewhat condemned his actions.
Even if it was for fighting the evil, his act of leaving His and Her Majesty’s safety to his subordinate was too reckless.
And now this very act of his earned him not only accolades but even favors from the other nations.
"The royal council voted unanimously. With Aetherion’s approval, the balance of power tipped. Once the strongest among the Seven Kingdoms had agreed, hesitation elsewhere became meaningless."
The Queen continued her tone slightly sore when mentioning the remaining half of her words.
"Even so, there were dissenters. The Kingdom of Lunaris in particular opposed the motion vehemently. Their relationship with us hasn’t been good lately, especially since the demi-human incident."
Reinhardt nodded his head, knowing why they were so dissatisfied with Solaris and would try to get in his way.
After all, the Kingdom of Lunaris relies heavily on the slaves and class system to get everything done in its kingdom.
Whether it be the factories manufacturing the Air Engines, cars, and transmission crystals to the ordinary work of cleaning and housework.
It was all done through the slaves.
It could be said that the Kingdom of Lunaris was an adherent believer of leveraging the labor of others to make a profit for oneself.
To this extent, they would do anything.
Some of the news coming from the kingdom about the working conditions of the slaves was extremely disturbing.
"However, the final vote favored you. The expedition is sanctioned. Whether it be resources, manpower, or authority to travel through any fortresses, you just need to show them this letter."
The Queen placed a letter in his hand.
The letter, other than stating the terms and authority granted to the bearer of this letter, also contains the seal of the four kingdoms, including their Solaris.
"I’m endlessly grateful." Reinhardt spoke, taking the letter without hesitation.
For a brief moment something stirred in his chest. He had only spoken of his intentions to the Queen via a letter not long ago under circumstances far from ideal.
Yet in this short span of time, she had sent missives to the Seven Kingdoms, forced through deliberations that normally took months, sometimes years, and emerged with not only their consent but their unified sanction.
With this letter, borders would open. No one can hold down their order in any fort. His journey into the Tainted Lands had just become infinitely smoother.
The Queen met his gaze. Although her face was still hidden by a veil, the stirring emotions in her eyes, the relief, concern, and deep emotions could still be seen.
"For you, there was no reason not to."
She spoke in a voice that only they could hear.