"Follow you where?"Zareth asked, his expression slightly cold as he looked directly at the knight.
"The king is awaiting all visitors in his castle," the knight replied."So please—I will repeat this once more. All three of you, follow me, so we do not keep His Grace waiting any longer."
The king is waiting…?
Zareth spoke again.
"You're telling me your king is waiting for us… as if he already knew we were coming?"
As expected of Zareth… he asked exactly what I wanted.
"I cannot tell you anything more," the knight said firmly."So please, just follow me."
With that, we followed him as he took the lead once again.
We weren't the only ones.
Ahead of us—and behind us—multiple groups, each with two to four people, led by their knight.
Looks like they're gathering everyone to meet this king…
"Hey…"Draven whispered.
"What is it?" I asked.
He looked around, then nervously back at me.
"E-Earlier… what did you mean by what you said…?"
"Earlier?"
"Yes! When you said—'STAND UP NOW AND PROVE TO EVERYONE THAT EVEN YOU CAN DO IT!!'"
"Oh… that."
I rubbed the back of my head.
"You know, I've read many webtoons and novels… and that kind of line is always used to motivate someone—to make them stand up and not give up."
I let out a small laugh.
"But… looks like I used it wrong.It just made you faint… dumb me."
He looked at me for a few seconds before speaking.
"Now that you say it… yeah… I've seen that line in a lot of stories too… haha…"
Now I just need to turn this around.
"But why do you ask, Draven?" I said, tilting my head slightly."Did it… insult you in any way? If so, I really didn't mean to—"
He immediately shook his head.
"NO—NO, not at all!"
Good… just like that.
I smiled and patted his head.
"Well then, everything's fine, right?"
He smiled back, looking down.
"Yeah…"
Zareth, who was walking beside us, seemed curious.He hadn't heard what we were talking about.
"Malvek—look ahead!"Draven suddenly shouted.
I turned my head forward.
"…Whoa…"
In front of us stood a massive black-and-red castle at the center of the city.
A large gate guarded its entrance, with two knights standing on each side.
Trees surrounded the castle—inside and out—but unlike the ones outside the city, these were of normal size.
The knight leading us approached the guards and spoke to them.
Moments later—
The gate slowly opened.
What a huge castle… makes sense if this is the capital.
"Continue following me," the knight said, turning as he walked inside.
We followed.
I glanced back just as the gate closed behind us.
Another group entered right after us, led by another knight.
We soon reached the main entrance of the castle.
After receiving permission, we were allowed inside.
Walking through the halls, I noticed paintings covering the walls—portraits of what seemed to be the royal family.
The knight stopped in front of a massive door.
"Alright. Here we are. Please enter and wait patiently for the king."
The doors slowly opened.
Draven moved slightly behind me.
"Hey…" he whispered."What if this is a trap…?"
This time, Zareth heard him.
"Don't worry," he whispered back."They wouldn't go through all this effort just to trap us."
The doors fully opened.
We stepped inside.
A huge room—already filled with people.
They were all wearing the same clothes as we were.
Some stood in groups.
Others stood alone, leaning against the walls.
Looks like some couldn't make friends…Which makes sense, given the situation…
At the far end of the room stood a large throne.
On each side of it were smaller ones.
The middle one must be for the king…And the others… probably for the royal family.
The thrones were empty.
No knights inside either.
Just us—hundreds of players.
They're probably waiting for everyone to gather first…
"Let's sit over there," Zareth said, pointing to a corner.
We went and sat down, waiting.
I guess this is where the real game begins.
After around two hours, the room became more and more crowded.
Then—
The doors opened again.
Around forty knights entered first, forming a path.
Then—
A man stepped in.
Tall. Around 190 cm.Muscular. Long, thick blond hair brushed back.
He wore royal clothing and a golden crown.
A massive sword rested at his side.
Behind him walked two older men, followed by more knights.
We stood up and moved slightly closer.
The crowd split to the sides, making a path.
The king walked forward with confidence and presence, then sat on his throne.
"SIT."
He commanded.
The two men beside him took their seats, and the knights spread out—taking positions along the walls and doors.
The king looked to his right.
The man beside him stood up, holding a book.
Then he spoke:
"First, excuse us, our visitors, for not providing chairs for all of you.We simply did not know how many would arrive today."
The room went silent.
He continued:
"Now… let me explain what is happening."