Chapter 603: Undetected
Vale was momentarily taken aback upon hearing Lisa's report.
"The rebel army's Airship? What are they doing here?" He inquired while quickly rising from his bed. He didn't expect such a report early in the morning. He even wanted to have a sumptuous meal before going out of the castle to find places where he could arrange some Formation Arts that he had learned from Commander Gram.
Indeed, his extractions to this Commander earned him not just Energy Points and 2 Spell Models but also Memory Fragments containing advanced Formation Arts!
As for the 2 Spell Models, they were Savage Curse and Lion's Roar. Both of them are still Level 0, and because they don't seem useful to him, they remain at that level.
"Ah... You can freshen up first. Magnus will be waiting for you outside..." Lisa responded as she exited the room.
"What about breakfast? I'm hungry..." Vale interjected before Lisa could shut the door.
"Ahh... We're done with our meal. Magnus made some sandwiches. Don't expect too much, since we haven't visited a town to resupply for the past week. You can have them before going outside. Those rebels weren't important anyway..." Lisa replied, eliciting a chuckle from Vale.
He proceeded to do just that, taking about 30 minutes before stepping outside.
At that moment, he noticed that only Magnus was waiting for him, just like what Lisa mentioned. It seemed as though Faith and the others couldn't be bothered to meet with these individuals at all!
"Magnus, please fill me in on the situation." Vale requested upon seeing the impeccably dressed gentleman, who at that moment appeared more like a professional butler of the castle than its owner.
The old man may still look imposing with his large physique, but right now, he was merely a slave working for Vale.
"Master Vale, their airships arrived about two hours ago, requesting to meet with the owner of the castle. Since they didn't come with hostile intentions and asked politely, Miss Faith decided not to attack them and informed them that we would wait for you." Magnus explained.
Vale couldn't help but smile wryly upon hearing this. He hadn't anticipated that Faith would simply delegate the authority to him.
"Very well... Let's summon their leader."
***
Marquis Larry Morgan sat calmly in the commander's seat while awaiting permission from the castle to descend.
His long, tousled brown hair and unshaven beard and mustache gave him a weathered appearance, but he paid it no mind, knowing that his meeting with the castle's owner was of utmost importance.
He had heard about how this enigmatic castle had repelled the Royal Knights of the Kingdom and withstood the bombardment from their airships.
It was an incredible feat, and he was eager to meet the owner of the castle.
'It's a pity that three airships still escaped from us even after this castle's forces weakened them.' Marquis Morgan mused as he leaned on his chair. He couldn't help but recall how he still failed to annihilate the kingdom's airships even though they could barely use their cannons and Arcanists to defend against them.
In the end, he could only blame it on the fact that their solitary Airship couldn't cover multiple enemy Airships simultaneously.
Glancing at the time, he realized it was already past 10 in the morning.
With a sigh, Marquis Morgan stood up as he planned to get another coffee to keep himself awake.
"They're still making us wait, huh... I'm certain this is a test. Since they are also enemies of the kingdom, they must understand that I could be their ally. However, they definitely wish to demonstrate their superiority in the negotiation..." Larry Morgan muttered, unperturbed by their attitude.
In fact, he approved of this treatment, as he would have done the same if their roles were reversed.
Luckily, his patience bore fruit!
After another 30 minutes, a messenger in the form of a pigeon arrived on their deck! The message granted them permission to descend to a nearby mountain and invited him and no more than five trusted associates to enter the castle.
"It's here!" Larry's eyes lit up as he read the message.
Soon, he ordered the descent as instructed and called upon his finest men to accompany him into the castle. He chose to bring only two individuals with him— the Black and White Knights, who had served him for over two decades. Even though they were in their forties, their combined strength could easily overpower a Master Arcanist!
Of course, he could still bring a few more experts, but he decided to leave them here to protect the Airship while he was gone.
"Marquis, are you sure that it's enough for the three of us?" The Black Knight spoke, concerned by the Marquis' plan.
"It's alright... I'm bringing this Talisman so we can escape if necessary. Even the Kingdom's number 1 Royal Warlock will not be able to stop us with this item." Marquis Morgan proudly said while showing the Talisman that seemed to be made out of gold.
The White Knight simply nodded at this as he followed the Marquis from behind.
Upon arriving in front of the castle, they were greeted by the imposing Formation Arts that protected the place.
"Incredible... No wonder it was able to withstand the bombardment. Now that we're near, I feel an endless amount of energy protecting this castle." Marquis Morgan remarked.
"I can sense that they're using an Ancient Formation, Marquis. The owner of this castle must have delved into Lost or even Forbidden Arcane Arts." the Black Knight commented.
"I suppose that's the only way to achieve this. It doesn't matter. As long as the Forbidden Arts are not as cruel as the creation of Artificial Humans, then allying with them shouldn't be a bad idea." Marquis Morgan stated as he gazed at the castle gate.
There, he spotted an elderly gentleman dressed entirely in black, who appeared to be a butler. Beside him stood a young man who seemed to be in his teens. If he were to make a guess, the young man was undoubtedly the young master of the castle's owner.
After all, the young man was not detected in his Magic Zone, yet he could see him!
Marquis Morgan felt a chill upon realizing this...