Rendered speechless, Elijah froze in his tracks.
'What does he expect me to do against a dozen knights?'
"Hey, Mr. Genius…" he finally uttered, hurrying to catch up.
"I'm a magic advisor, not some battle maniac." He paused and lowered his voice to a whisper.
"You better not be expecting me to fight these knights. If you are, I've got bad news—it's a good time to write your will."
Calvin chuckled. "I'm sure you'll figure something out."
'This damned lunatic! Does he understand a word that comes out of my mouth?'
Elijah was reeling. His thoughts raced, emotions tangled. He'd always yearned to be relied on, and there was a faint satisfaction in that.
But knowing he was unworthy—feeling that weight—was like an ocean of tiny blades churning in his gut.
He tried to comfort himself.
'Maybe there won't be a fight. Maybe we can just talk. Maybe they'll leave. Yeah… that's possible.'
They reached the edge of the drawbridge.
The army of three stood before the twelve.
Rohan stepped forward, voice firm and resolute. "You're in the presence of Richmond royalty. State your business."
The lead knight stepped ahead of his formation. They all wore matching silver armor—except for the helmets, each uniquely crafted. His, however, stood out above the rest.
A distorted voice rang from behind the enclosed helm.
"We've already stated our claim. We want to duel the strongest among you."
Calvin approached, tone even. "And what exactly do you hope to gain from that?"
"Well, you see…" the knight began, cool and composed,
"It's my aspiration to become a great warrior. I intend to absorb as much valuable combat experience as possible."
Calvin laughed. "Don't you have training grounds? Practice amongst yourselves."
"We have. Repeatedly." The knight snapped, his tone laced with disdain.
"Now that a hierarchy has clearly formed, the sessions are no longer valuable."
Calvin's voice turned sharp. "Let's drop the farce."
He exhaled and squared his stance, his words now commanding.
"No respectable knight would get this far into a conversation—especially with royalty—and not introduce themselves.
And let's not ignore the timing. You show up just when our two strongest warriors are away.
Somehow… I doubt you're here to wait for their return."
Silence fell.
A raspy laugh echoed from the knight's helmet.
"Calvin, Calvin…" he snarled, clicking his tongue.
Tch! Tch! Tch!
"They warned me you'd be annoying. But none of that matters now.
Thank you, though—now that the charade is over, there's no need to pretend."
He raised an arm toward his companions, voice thick with mockery.
"I'm here for the gold your Richmond family selfishly hoards. Talk about greedy."
His men burst into laughter.
"You are so pathetically predictable," Calvin said, voice flat and scathing.
"All of you, thinking you have any claim to the fruits of our land. It's laughable."
"Your words are meaningless! After today, we're rich!" the knight roared.
His men cheered.
Calvin chuckled darkly.
"You assume that just because Alazard and Belladonna are gone, you'll get your way?
That kind of moronic thinking… will be your downfall."
"Oh, we'll have our way. Dare I say…" he spread his arms wide,
"Who's going to stop me?"
Calvin grinned.
"I'm so glad you asked."
He gestured to Elijah.
"This guy right here? He's more dangerous than Belladonna and Alazard combined."
Elijah barely held a straight face. A hurricane swirled in his chest—his heart thundered, sweat soaked his palms.
'What the hell is he doing?! Why provoke them like this? What am I supposed to do now?'
The lead knight hesitated, then turned to Elijah.
"And who might you be?"
"You're not worthy of that information," Elijah snapped reflexively.
'If we're bluffing, I might as well commit to it.'
A knight in a sparrow-beak helmet stepped forward and whispered something to the leader. The great-helm knight responded.
"Magic advisor, huh? So the rumors were true."
He sneered.
"Still, you're of no consequence. What could three of you possibly hope to do against twelve?"
"Insolent bastards!" Rohan barked. His grip tightened on his sword.
"Three? Have you forgotten where you are? There are guards in the gatehouse behind us, archers on the walls—"
"Hah!" the knight interrupted. "No more significant than the horseshit beneath my boots."
"I've had enough of you!"
At his limit, Rohan drew his blade and charged.
'That idiot!' Elijah cursed, raising his own sword.
"Rohan, stop!" Calvin shouted—a heartbeat too late.
Sparrow-Beak Knight lifted his helmet slightly and bit down on his lip, drawing blood. He spat it onto a small card—no larger than a playing card.
Then, the world shifted.
Dark energy pulsed from the card, crackling like lightning. Black smoke spilled out as he tossed it forward.
Rohan skidded to a stop, stunned by the sight.
The card struck the ground. The magic circle inscribed on it ignited—spiraling outward in glowing lines.
The smoke thickened and coiled like a living thing.
Calvin glanced sideways at Elijah, seeking answers.
'Why are you looking at me?! I want to know what the hell is going on too!'
A shape emerged from the fog—looming monstrously.
Matte-black fur. A long, bushy tail. Two cone-shaped horns jutting from its skull.
A horned wolf.
Its eyes gleamed with malevolence. Drool ran down its jaws like venom.
A thoughtful flashed into Elijah's mind "Summoning magic?'
Rohan fell back into a defensive stance, reassessing.
The wolf stood still. Waiting for an order.
The enemy formation watched closely. Something unsettled them.
The army of three was tense—but not terrified. Not like the guards and archers behind them.
Some guards dropped their weapons. Others staggered in disbelief. A few gasped or muttered, doubting their eyes.
But Elijah—despite trembling hands and quaking legs—stepped forward and spoke.
"Is it take your pet to work day? Surely you've got something better than a glorified wolf."
Calvin followed with a scoff. "Look at the mutt—just another average hellhound. Bark deadlier than its bite."
"How did he—?"
Sparrow-Beak and the leader exchanged a startled glance. Surprised by Calvin's words.
"Do it now!" the knight in the great helm shouted.
Sparrow-Beak obeyed instantly, giving the command.
The wolf sprang to action—but didn't pounce.
Instead, it braced itself—planting its limbs, raised its head—
—and roared.
A sonic boom erupted from its jaws. The soundwaves spread across the entire kingdom like a shockwave.
Wherever the sound reached, people froze—caught in a hypnotic trance.
The voice of the knight echoed like a curse:
"Foolish Richmonds. The moment you opened the gate… you lost."
All across the castle, and throughout the Richmond kingdom, people stood still—entranced.
All except two.
Calvin.
And Elijah.
Calvin smirked. "I did say its bark was worse than its bite. But not quite deadly enough to take out old me."
He turned to Elijah, expression wickedly smug.
"Oh, and Elijah… since we're dealing with magic now, we've entered your line of work."
He clapped a hand on Elijah's shoulder.
"Time to advise us out of this one, wouldn't you say?"