Chapter 9 — The Journey Begins
The next morning, Kil Ful and Morry arrived at the eastern gate of the kingdom. Two other people were already waiting there. They were the two Mortals who had been selected for the mission. The first was a young man named Rin, who was quiet and a little nervous. Beside him stood Lena, a calm young woman who seemed more observant than she appeared.
A few moments later, the other Elite arrived. His name was Ravian. He was a young man with a confident expression and a strong presence. Like Kil Ful, he possessed the Elite rank, but unlike Kil Ful, Ravian made sure everyone knew that he considered himself stronger than the people around him.
Ravian looked at Kil Ful.
"So you’re the other Elite."
Kil Ful smiled.
"That’s what they told me."
Ravian looked at him for a moment.
"You don’t look like much."
Morry immediately laughed.
"Careful. He’ll probably make a joke about that."
Kil Ful shrugged.
"I was actually going to say the same thing about you."
Ravian’s expression became slightly irritated.
Before the two could continue, another person approached the group.
He was a powerful man whose presence immediately made everyone quiet.
His name was Kael, and he was a Rank 5 — Sovereign. He was the person responsible for assigning their mission and overseeing their departure. Kael looked at each member of the team before speaking.
"Kil Ful King, Rank 4 — Elite."
Kil Ful nodded.
"Present."
"Ravian, Rank 4 — Elite."
Ravian nodded confidently.
"Morry, Rank 3 — Secondary Knight."
Morry raised his hand.
"Here."
Kael then looked at the final two members.
"Rin and Lena, both Rank 1 — Mortal."
The two nodded.
Kael handed the mission document to Kil Ful.
"Your objective is simple. Travel to the neighboring kingdom, meet their representative, receive the treaty document, and return here with it."
Kil Ful looked at the document.
"That’s all?"
Kael nodded.
"That’s all."
Then his expression became serious.
"But don’t become careless."
Everyone listened.
"You are leaving our kingdom’s territory. Soldiers from another kingdom may attack you during the journey, especially if they know about the treaty. Protect the document and protect one another."
Ravian smiled confidently.
"If anyone attacks us, I’ll deal with them."
Kil Ful looked at him.
"You’re really confident."
Ravian glanced at him.
"Someone has to be."
Morry sighed.
"Please don’t start again."
Kael ignored their conversation.
"You will leave immediately. The journey will take several days, so stay together."
The five members finally passed through the eastern gate.
Kil Ful looked back at the kingdom for a moment before turning toward the road ahead.
Rin and Lena walked together, while Morry stayed near them and started asking questions about their village. Ravian walked several steps ahead of everyone, clearly wanting to show that he didn’t need anyone’s help.
Kil Ful watched him for a moment.
Morry noticed.
"Already thinking about competing with him?"
Kil Ful smiled.
"Maybe."
They continued along the road toward the neighboring kingdom.
For now, everything was peaceful.
But none of them knew that someone was already waiting for them beyond the forest.