[TWS] Chapter 264 – A Curious Invitation

“There’s not that much information in this letter,” Miria commented while gently rubbing her soft cheek against Ast’s.

“It’s nothing surprising. Even if it’s an official message straight from the king, he wouldn’t want to include too many sensitive details in case an unauthorized person got their hands on the letter,” Asterios explained, affectionately caressing her fluffy ear.

“Asterios is right. It would be unwise to reveal too much.” Silvia nodded lightly. “But, since Father decided to leave us a message instead of reaching out to us directly, it shouldn’t be anything critical.”

“I wonder what this international matter is. The dwarves? Demons? Perhaps elves?” Selene mused as her bushy tail swayed behind her back.

“My bet would be on elves considering our recent interactions and what we have recently learned in the town. Perhaps they found something about the people who created the summoning array which we neutralized,” Tina said while rubbing her chin.

“There’s only one way to know. It looks like we will have to pay a visit to the castle. We shouldn’t make the king wait for too long,” Asterios said and stored the letter and the envelope in his spatial storage.

“I certainly wanted to meet Father after our return but I didn’t expect to do it so soon. I hope everything is alright back at home.” Silvia turned her face to glance through the closest window.

Asterios placed a hand on her waist and rubbed it reassuringly. “There’s no doubt about that. As you said, he would have let us know if there were any problems. Both Tina and I have the responsibility to respond to his summons, she as a member of the Royal Guard, and me as your partner.”

“We all share that responsibility, Master!” Miria beamed at them with a sunny smile.

“I agree with her. Family sticks together.” Bryn nodded as her lips curled up too.

“Well, then. Do we go now or would you like to send out a notice first?” Asterios asked Silvia.

“I think the earlier we show up, the better. There’s no need to wait for an official message to reach the castle. We can go whenever you want,” she replied.

“Is there anything else we have to know about the town?” Grea glanced at the Committee members with a raised brow.

Ulyssen made a polite bow. “We’ve covered all the major points. There’s no need for you to stay around as we are going to return to our responsibilities now and think about the valuable advice we’ve just received.”

The other five nodded to his words and everyone started leaving the circular chamber with a respectful bow too, heading back to their personal offices.

Asterios turned to Silvia and grazed her cheek with his palm. “Whenever you wish, Your Highness.”

A delicate smile curled up her dainty lips and she stepped closer. He leaned in to meet her in the middle and they shared a tender peck. Silvia’s hair shimmered faintly with amber sparks. Miria bounced joyfully at the mesmerizing spectacle. It didn’t matter how many times she had seen that peculiar quirk from their royal friend, it always excited her.

“Let us eat first just in case it’s actually bigger than we assume and the meeting takes a long time,” Silvia responded after their lips finally parted.

Everyone agreed with her judgment and they returned to their castle. Asterios let Miria ring the magical bell to call for their personal maid and Yumi quickly found them near the entrance to the main premises. Surprisingly, she came with Camille, who squinted at Asterios right after showing up.

They exchanged greetings and talked briefly about the work of the two maids. Silvia approached Camille while Asterios and the girls surrounded Yumi and they both thanked their maids for taking care of the castle and their personal chambers during their absence. From what they felt, the atmosphere between the two maids wasn’t sour. It didn’t look like their unique competition had turned them into mortal enemies.

Informed about the reason Asterios and the others came to the castle, the two maids immediately rushed to the kitchens. Their goal was to request from the cooks the favorite dishes of their respective masters. Everyone chuckled at the duo trying to aim for the spot of the number one maid.

Enjoying the pleasant walk through the castle’s premises, they unhurriedly headed for the dining area. There was no reason to rush there. The servants needed time to do their magic anyway and both Asterios and Silvia hated putting their subjects under unnecessary pressure. They only hoped that their maids didn’t pester the cooks too much.

When they finally arrived, the table was already set for them. Yumi and Camille seated Asterios and Silvia down while the other servants present in the chamber did the same for the girls. They then stepped back and remained at the side in case anyone needed help with anything. Asterios pondered if he shouldn’t dismiss them, but Silvia noticed his musings and insisted on letting the servants continue with their duty since sending them away could make them anxious about their performance.

Not wanting to drag it out too much, everyone ate fairly quickly at a pace that still allowed them to properly savor the various tasty dishes the staff was so kind to prepare on short notice. Silvia complimented the cooks while Asterios thanked everyone else for their assistance. It made retainers visibly happy to receive such praise and appreciation.

Getting their fill, Asterios and the girls remained by the table as the servants cleaned the table, wanting to rest a little before moving on. They chatted with the two personal maids, talking about their journey and asking about life at the castle during their absence. Asterios tried his best to hold a conversation with Camille but it proved to be extremely challenging. His attempts brought a smile to Silvia’s lips so it was definitely worth it in the end.

When everyone was ready, Asterios traveled to the capital by himself, wanting to see how long it would take him without Umbra’s support. He emerged in front of the royal castle after what felt like ten minutes to him. The girls said that only about five passed in the real world so he definitely had some practice ahead of himself if he wanted to catch up to the Lord of Shadows.

Everyone joined him through a crimson gate and they moved as a group. All the knights and servants bowed respectfully after noticing the princess and Silvia kindly greeted them back. They stopped one of the butlers at the inner castle and requested him to check if the king was busy. If he wasn’t occupied with some important matter, the butler was to notify him about their visit.

It didn’t take long before the servant returned and urged them to come with him to the king’s personal study. They followed the man, who led them to the correct chamber and opened the door for everyone to get in after properly announcing their arrival. He closed the door afterward and left the area.

Welrond was already up from his seat as they walked inside and he approached them with a big smile. “Welcome back! I’m so happy to see you again! It feels like ages since we last spoke in person!”

Silvia stepped forward and accepted a hug from him. “I missed you too, Dad. As you can see, we are all alright after our journey. Is everything well at home too?”

“But of course. If you are worried about the letter, then you have no reason to be. It’s nothing that important. Well, to a certain extent, at least.” He chuckled openly. “How did your little adventure go?”

“We have successfully achieved our goals. The Descending Spire has been reclaimed and Master reclaimed his lost power. He no longer is impaired,” Bryn replied with a polite nod.

“Yes! Master got so much stronger!” Miria bounced happily. “It was tough but everyone worked together and we pushed through all the challenges and battles! Silvia was so amazing with her magic and abilities too!”

The king smirked as Silvia stepped back from his embrace. “That’s great to hear. The more experience you gather, the better for your growth. It looks like leaving you in Asterios’ hands was a good decision. I can tell how much stronger you have gotten since that day.”

“Even though I’m currently concealing my energy?” She raised a brow at him.

“Silly girl. That’s exactly why. People who try to appear as if they are weak are the ones you should be the most wary of. And, that tactic doesn’t work on those who know you closely. There’s no way you haven’t grown the tiniest bit in the recent weeks if not months.” He laughed and patted her head. “I’m impressed how well you can hide your aura even from me. I’m extremely curious about how strong you currently are.”

“You are right, Your Majesty. Silvia truly is amazingly talented and hardworking. She is at an incredible level. It’s really reassuring having a companion such as her by my side.” Asterios smiled at Silvia, who responded with the same.

“A companion, you say?” Welrond grinned at him. “Ahhhhhh, you are making me so curious…”

“Then why don’t we exchange some pointers, Dad?” Silvia suggested after returning to Ast’s side.

“Really?” The king’s eyes widened as he stared at his daughter with an expectant gaze and he perked up after she nodded softly. “Finally! You’ve been keeping me in the dark for so long! I know that you’ve been constantly growing by his side but do you have any idea how I felt when you didn’t let me see it? It’s the worst pain in my life!”

She let out a quiet chuckle while gently shaking her head. “Let us spar, then. But first, I think we should hear what you have to say. We came here in response to your summons, in the end.”

“Ah. Of course. Right away.” He cleared his throat and got ahold of his emotions. “Come on, sit with me. There’s no need to stand like this.”

They moved to a cozy corner on the side and rested on comfy sofas placed around a beautiful coffee table. Welrond brought a few glasses with him and poured everyone some wine for them to sip on as they talked.

Finally sitting down, he rested his chin atop his linked hands. “So, it’s like this. The Elf Queen wants to see you.”

Miria gasped adorably while the others exchanged glances. Asterios smiled wryly, already smelling trouble.

“It looks like our little band captured the big lady’s attention after the summoning incident.” Grea snickered.

“Well, to be more specific, she wants to see Asterios,” the king clarified.

“Great…” Asterios chuckled awkwardly. “Do we know what her intentions are?”

“Nothing specific but she is very insistent on requesting your presence. She demanded that I send you to her a few weeks ago, but I informed her that even though you are the lord of Glimmervale, you are kind of independent so I can’t really just order you to go and it depends on you guys,” Welrond explained.

“Looks like someone left a very good impression on the Elf Queen.” Selene chuckled with a mischievous smile.

“Maybe she wants to talk to Master about the incident? He has been directly involved with the culprit,” Bryn pondered.

“Or she wants to thank us!” Miria giggled excitedly.

“What did she do after that?” Asterios asked, ignoring their playful remarks.

“Well, she still sends a request to me on a regular basis but doesn’t press the matter that much.” The king shrugged.

“Maybe the sudden support and cooperation of the settlement near Glimmervale aren’t that coincidental,” Tina mused.

“I’m starting to think so too.” Silvia nodded, rubbing her chin. “What do you know about the newly established trade relationships between Glimmervale and the elves, Dad? Or the cooperation between the Adventurer’s Guilds?”

“It’s my first time hearing anything about it. What do you mean exactly?” Welrond furrowed his brows.

“In simple words, the elves came forth with an offer to work together with Glimmervale a little more,” Asterios said. “We share quests, adventurers, even workers to some extent, and the trade seems to be flourishing between the two settlements. Supposedly, they were the ones to extend their hands first.”

“If so, then you might be right.” The man nodded to himself. “I wouldn’t be surprised if they were trying to create friendly relations with you to court your favor and make you feel obliged to accept their invitation. Or they are completely skipping me as the mediator and you will soon receive a request to establish an official partnership. Of course, by visiting their capital and speaking to the queen.”

“Honestly, I’m actually not that surprised in the end.” Silvia showed a warm, delicate smile as she looked up at Asterios. “Your name has appeared in front of her at least twice so far. First, after you discovered the evil organization working on its ultimate poison in every corner of the world. Second, after you discovered traces of some elf rogues and stopped their failed operation on your own, cooperating with the Elf Kingdom to share what you have learned.”

“Yeah. She definitely has a reason to meet you, Ast.” Tina giggled. “Are you going to ignore a queen’s request?”

“I don’t know. It depends on all of you. What would you like to do?” Asterios glanced over all his mates.

“I would love to see the country of elves!” Miria hugged his arm and started purring affectionately.

“I will always follow you no matter where, my Lord.” Selene smiled at him enchantingly.

“I don’t think you have to even ask.” Tina blushed lightly.

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen the Elf Queen,” Silvia mused.

“We need to keep Asterios as far away from her as possible.” Grea crossed her arms under her chest.

“Why?” Bryn frowned at her.

“She is obviously after that godly Dragon cock,” the demon lady huffed.

Asterios rolled his eyes while the other girls chuckled. “I guess we don’t have anything against a sightseeing trip to the land of elves. What do you think about it, Your Majesty?”

“I was actually thinking about sending you as an official ambassador to try and improve our relations a little bit by offering our aid. Tina hasn’t yet participated in any missions with her squad so that’s a good opportunity for her squad to serve as your escort. It’s like killing three birds with one stone.” Welrond grinned. “But, of course, I wanted to know your opinion first.”

“Now, that would be an exciting first assignment, wouldn’t it, shortie?” Grea nudged Tina with her elbow while wagging her brows at the blue-haired girl.

“I’m not sure if I would be able to do well on such an important mission.” Tina giggled timidly, getting a little anxious.

Asterios reached out to brush through her azure hair with a kind smile. “You will do great. Did you already forget how you led the girls against me in the arena, and then so many times after, during our travels? You are a born leader and a very well-mannered noble lady.”

“I agree with Asterios. You have nothing to worry about.” Silvia nodded kindly.

“Well… If you really think so…” Tina’s cheeks grew rosy but she visibly gained some more confidence.

“I guess our next destination is decided.” Asterios sighed softly. “I just need to take care of the promise first and we can go anytime.”

“Promise?” Welrond glanced at him curiously.

“Just a small something in Glimmervale.” Asterios waved his hand dismissively.

“If we are done talking, should we move to the battlegrounds, then?” Silvia asked.

Welrond jumped to his feet and pumped his fist. “Let’s go!”

They chuckled together at the fact of how easily she was able to change the topic and everyone stood up too. Silvia would lie if she said that she wasn’t looking forward to finally showing her father everything she had learned since the day Asterios had taken her under his wing as a mentor.

Well, part of her strength came from her becoming his mate rather than purely from her own struggle, but it wasn’t like that mattered. She was extremely grateful for it too.

Welrond and Silvia split from the others, leaving them with a servant, who led their group to one of the arenas. They arrived at the audience sector and glanced around.

“It’s the same one that you first sparred with Silvia, Master,” Miria pointed out. “It’s so exciting!”

They chatted briefly amongst themselves and the two challengers soon entered the pit from opposite sides. Silvia’s attire hadn’t really changed but Welrond switched into his battle gear. He wore a little less flashy version of his royal outfit, more fitting for combat. A masterfully detailed breastplate decorated his chest, bearing the insignia of the royal family and a lighter, smaller version of his crown sat firmly around his head.

Quite a lot of people had gathered atop the walls of the arena and Asterios realized why the king had dressed up so much for a simple spar with his daughter. Welrond clearly wanted to make it look official and display Silvia’s strength to everyone who came. Since many important figures were present in the audience, he had to make himself presentable, dressing up in gear he would take with him onto the battlefield.

Down in the pit, the challengers faced each other from a moderate distance.

“Are you ready, my dear?” Welrond asked with an excited smile.

“Don’t hold back, Father. We don’t want to end this too soon with so many people gathered.” She responded with a faint smirk of her own.

“Oho. Looks like someone got a little cocky after learning a trick or two.” He chuckled. “It’s my responsibility as your guardian to take you down a notch or two after you grow overconfident in your abilities.”

The king’s cape lit ablaze at the same time as his hair became literal flames. A greatsword of pure, orange fire manifested itself by his side and he grabbed it confidently. His amber eyes gleamed valiantly and a proud smirk decorated his royal face.

Silvia took a deep breath and followed suit. A floating tiara of amber fire materialized around her head. Plates of translucent, orange flaming armor covered her black uniform, increasing her defense exponentially. Even her chestplate had an additional layer of protection. She gripped her onyx staff tightly as it erupted in flames too and she condensed her mana inside it enough to turn the weapon glowing orange.

They stared at each other for a good while, remaining unmoving.

“If you aren’t going to do anything, then I’ll gladly take the first move!” Welrond announced and leaned forward.

He disappeared in an amber flash and Silvia swung her staff to the side. Sparks went flying as something suddenly struck the staff right in the middle and her father reappeared on her left.

“You managed to block it. Impressive.” He grinned at her. “But, can you really keep up with someone who has years of experience in Aura Manifestation?”

She didn’t answer, only smiled softly. Welrond chuckled and pushed his torso into a strong rotation, creating a glowing arc with his blade as he brought it around to hit her from the other side. Silvia easily blocked that attempt too without a hint of worry.

They started exchanging blows, with Silvia mostly blocking or parrying all of Welrond’s attacks. No matter what kind of move the king pulled, he wasn’t able to surprise his daughter and break through her defenses. He knew that he was only swinging his flaming greatsword, but she really was unshakable and impenetrable.

He teleported around the battleground and rushed at her from even the dirtiest angles, but she always put her staff in the best position to render his attempts fruitless. The arena was filled with bright orange flashes of his movement technique and Silvia’s gleaming staff receiving direct hits from the king’s flaming greatsword. To many people, he moved way too fast for them to follow his movements, not to mention following the movements of Silvia’s staff, which was never late.

After another failed attack, Welrond reappeared a distance away from her. “Your reaction and technique are impressive. You must have trained really hard to achieve such a high level. To think that I was unable to land even a single blow.”

“That’s not it.” She shook her head. “Look closely.”

The king furrowed his brows, trying to exert his eyes in an attempt to figure out what his daughter meant. After a moment, they widened a little. There was a faint but still noticeable aura around Silvia’s body. The air surrounding her blurred like in a scorching hot desert. It reminded him of his own technique he used to fly but it felt slightly different.

“As you know, flames aren’t the only thing Fire Magic can utilize.” She spun her glowing-orange staff. “I’m constantly generating heat in a closed space around me. The very moment your weapon comes in contact with that warm air, it disturbs its consistency. No matter how fast your attack is, or if it’s even completely invisible, the moment it enters that heated zone, I know everything about it way before it reaches me.”

“Incredible. You created your own sensory field. You are truly amazing,” he complimented her with a proud smile. “But, if fast, precise attacks don’t work on your extremely sensitive enemy, you just need to overpower them with everything you have!”

Welrond hastily raised his sword and multiple blazing Fireballs formed in the air above them. Each sphere was the size of a small house. He leaned forward and a bunch of thick javelins and spears showed up all around him, all aimed ahead. Grabbing his greatsword firmly with both hands, he rushed at her once more.

This time, the sharp projectiles shot at her first, putting Silvia under a barrage of relentless spikes. She spun her staff in circles while taking slow steps forward and rotating herself in a steady rhythm. The spears dissipated right after she hit them with her staff without letting a single one go past her guard. To the spectators, it looked like she was continuously spinning the glowing polearm fast enough to create an illusion of holding a big, flat, round shield and taking the projectiles onto it.

As she was dealing with the javelins, the giant Fireballs approached her from all angles. She waited for them to arrive just close enough to almost touch each other and flicked her left wrist, opening up her palm. Tiny balls of amber fire flew right at their bigger cousins and the Fireballs suddenly burst from inside with a powerful explosion, growing almost twice in size.

Their unexpected expansion surprised Welrond, who had just rushed at Silvia from her blind spot. The altered spheres almost caught him too as he barely slipped between the hellish orbs. But, as he appeared right next to his daughter, aiming to strike her down, she drove her staff into the ground.

In a blink, multiple streaks rushed out of the point of impact and Welrond’s eyes widened to the brim. The cracks flashed with amber light and the ground around Silvia erupted with liquid flames like a violent volcano, sending a powerful ripple through the air, which cleared up the Fireballs like an almighty snap.

There were no traces of her father and she noticed that he had managed to teleport away at the very last moment. She noticed that he was preparing a powerful spell but she didn’t let him finish casting. Making a few quick spins around her own axis, she let go of her gleaming staff and it soared toward him. The speed of its rotations and the immense heat it generated caused afterimages to appear around it and a grand total of six weapons flew at Welrond, impossible to distinguish which one was real.

He hastily condensed a huge amount of mana in his flaming greatsword and made a mighty swing with a loud groan. The air whizzed as an incredibly powerful arc of amber flames shot toward the group of weapons and cut through all of them. Hitting the real staff, it exploded with immense tremors, creating a small crater between him and Silvia. When the flames that had erupted from the impact receded, he found her weapon lodged in the ground right next to his left leg. It had barely missed his foot.

“I think this is enough playing around, Father,” Silvia said with a calm tone.

He raised his gaze up from the staff and his brows rose to his very forehead as his eyes widened to the brim. Silvia’s body burst into amber flames starting from her legs. They quickly consumed her entire figure right under the translucent armor and everyone watched the smooth, armored humanoid figure made of pure orange fire replace their beloved princess.

After attaining a clearly feminine shape, two sharp spots of darker, ginger color surfaced in the place of Silvia’s eyes. With only them, she looked very ominous. She extended her arms to the sides and floated a little bit up into the air. Two vertical, rippling pools of amber fire appeared above her shoulders and an arm-sized serpent swam out of each one. They turned out to be small Lesser Dragons which circled Silvia a few times before coiling around her arms like protective gauntlets, with their jaws positioned at her wrists and their tails ending up right before her shoulders.

Welrond swallowed audibly as he began sweating more and more. The temperature clearly wasn’t to blame.