The last tongues of flame left the battlefield, but their traces remained carved into the palace gate.
The guards were carrying the wounded in silence, while the bodies of those who had fallen that night were lined up on both sides of the road, covered with white cloths.
The sound of clashing swords could no longer be heard, replaced by the sound of hurried footsteps and the orders of soldiers as they tried to restore order to the place.
Adrian stood in silence before the spot where the beast had disintegrated, his eyes contemplating the remains of black blood scattered over the cracked stones, while his sword stood embedded in the ground beside him.
Beside him stood the guard commander, standing tall with his usual dignity.
He was tall, broad shouldered, and his muscular build suggested he had fought countless battles.
His thick, well groomed beard, streaked with a white lock, and the deep scar running across his forehead, made his features more stern, while his long black robe moved calmly with the wind.
The commander took a deep breath as he stared at the traces of the beast, then said in a low voice
“A night no one could have expected.
Who would have thought the palace would face an attack like this?”
He glanced at the blood and bodies scattered around the gate, then continued in a serious tone
“But what that beast left behind indicates it was of an advanced class, isn’t that right, Your Highness?”
Adrian lowered his head slightly, and remained silent for a moment before answering calmly
“No…”
He raised his eyes toward the guard commander.
“That creature…
was nothing but an Deformed creature.”
The guard commander’s eyes widened for a few seconds, and astonishment appeared clearly on his face.
“Just…
an Deformed creature?”
He kept staring at Adrian in disbelief, then gestured to the battlefield around them.
“Are you certain, Your Highness?”
He ran his gaze over the bodies of the guards and the traces of destruction, then said in a voice mixing astonishment with disbelief
“How could a mere Deformed creature…
cause all this devastation?”
Adrian sighed calmly, then said while still staring at the traces of the beast:
“It’s an Deformed creature, but likely of an advanced level.
It also possessed an unusual regenerative ability, which is why killing it seemed harder than it actually was.”
Silence fell for a moment.
Signs of worry appeared on the guard commander’s face, and he furrowed his brows as he thought over what he’d heard.
“If a mere advanced Deformed creature inflicted all this damage on the palace…”
His gaze moved between the bodies and the shattered gate, then he added in a low voice
Adrian lowered his head slightly, then answered honestly
“I truly don’t know.”
He raised his eyes toward the sky for a moment, before adding in a steady tone
“But…
as long as I live in this palace, I won’t allow any beast to harm my homeland this way again.”
He turned calmly, ready to leave the battlefield.
As for the guard commander, he remained standing in place, watching the prince with a look mixing respect and admiration, his certainty growing that the prince before him was no longer just an heir to the throne, but a true knight carrying the kingdom’s responsibility on his shoulders.
At that moment, the calm of the place was broken by the voice of one of the guards from a distance
“Wait, little master!
You can’t go there, the place is still dangerous!”
A number of guards turned toward the source of the voice, to see a small child trying to break free from them and move toward the gate.
It was Arthur Baldor.
After sneaking out of his room secretly, he had taken advantage of everyone’s preoccupation with what had happened, and finally reached the site of the incident, unconcerned by the guards’ attempts to stop him.
Adrian looked at his brother Arthur, then said to the guards calmly without taking his eyes off him:
“Just let him…
there’s nothing left that poses a danger to him.”
The guards exchanged glances among themselves, before one of them stepped forward and said hesitantly:
“But, my lord…
he’s still young, and we’re still moving bodies from the battlefield.”
Adrian’s features remained calm as they were, then he answered in a steady voice:
“I said…
let him.”
Silence fell for a moment, then the guard bowed respectfully.
“As you command, Your Highness.”
The guards moved out of the way, leaving the path clear.
As for Arthur, he didn’t hesitate for a moment, and rushed quickly toward his brother, while his eyes wandered around the gate, taking in the traces of a battle he had never seen the like of before.
Adrian looked at his brother, then called to him in a calm voice full of gentleness
“Arthur.”
Arthur raised his eyes to him slowly.
His brother’s clothes were covered with the beast’s blood, and on his eyebrow was the trace of the wound that hadn’t fully dried yet, while his features carried the exhaustion of a battle that had ended only moments before.
Arthur approached him with slow steps, his eyes never leaving his brother.
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Adrian.”
Adrian smiled faintly, then bent down until he was at his brother’s height, and looked at him with calm eyes.
“What are you doing here at this late hour, Arthur?”
Arthur said as he looked around with curiosity
“I heard a big commotion, and saw a lot of guards running here…
so I wanted to come too.”
Adrian smiled a calm smile, and gently patted his brother’s head.
“Oh…
I understand.”
He pointed with his thumb to the place where the beast had disintegrated, then said in a reassuring tone
“An aberration attacked the palace, but your knight brother got rid of it.”
A confident smile formed on his face as he continued
“So…
there’s no need to worry now.”
Arthur raised his gaze toward his brother, then took a quick look at the traces of the battle scattered around the place.
Blood still covered Adrian’s clothes, and the traces of the wound above his eyebrow hadn’t dried yet, but he stood steadily as if what had happened was nothing but an ordinary battle.
Arthur’s eyes clung to his brother with admiration, while a feeling of safety crept into him that he couldn’t hide.
Arthur looked at his brother with eyes shining with enthusiasm, then said innocently
“I used to hear my father talking about you a lot…
and he always praised you for being a strong knight.”
He clenched his small hands with enthusiasm, and continued
“And I also…
want to become a strong knight like you, so my father praises me too.”
Silence fell for a few seconds.
Adrian looked at his brother, then gently placed his hand over his head, and a warm smile formed on his face.
“Really?”
He patted his head lightly, then said
“Then I’ll wait to see the knight you’ll become when you grow up.”
His eyes settled on Arthur’s face, and he continued in a calm tone filled with hope
“And then…
our father will praise us both, me and you.”