Reinhardt had sensed a couple of maids entering his chamber when he escorted the Queen here. Anyways, with the king absent, the place was much more lively.
The two girls continued to chatter while the boys drank tea, joining in the conversation every now and then.
"Reinhardt, can I talk to you for a second?" Vaerion pulled him to the side.
"Whatâs wrong? Did you manage to find more clues?" the former questioned. If possible, he would have liked to investigate the movements of the demon himself. However, he was tasked with the safety of the royalty and the people of his kingdom.
He had already seen what happened the last time he left the Queen and members of the Temple of Light alone. Besides, the capital was in turmoil, and the situation did not allow him to leave his station.
"No, itâs not that. There is someone I want you to meet".
"Oh?! Who?"
"The Hell Marshal".
.
.
The place was a grotto hidden behind the magnificent, humongous waterfalls of Aetherion. Not only was this place a treasure trove of natural beauty, filled with lush flora and extremely rare plants, but it was also unnoticeable, perfectly camouflaged with its surroundings.
Whatâs more, it was also nigh impossible to arrive at this grotto after all, it was sitting right in the middle of the humongous waterfalls. Even if by some miracle, one found this place, if they tried to reach it, they would be crushed under the immense water pressure of the waterfalls hitting the basin.
Of course, logic did not apply to knights who had reached the realm of heroes and were outside the concept of common sense.
Vaerion and Reinhardt jumped off from the waterfall and swam against its flow.
"This place is?" Arriving at the grotto, the latter couldnât help but question.
"Haha, this is where the Hell Marshal lives. He is kind of a recluse who does not like people coming into his house." Just like Vaerion mentioned, this grotto was the perfect place for a recluse to live. He could see a log house inside.
"Who says Iâm a recluse? I havenât left the human society, I just like to live here in quiet and peace." A man spoke, walking out of the garden.
"Haha, thatâs not what I meant. I was just explaining to my friend here why you chose this place out of every other house you could find in the capital".
"Hmph, Iâm too tired of dealing with the nobles and their hypocrisy".
"I see. By the way, let me introduce my friend."
"No need, a knight as outstanding as him needs no introduction. Itâs an honor to meet you, Divine Paladin, Reinahrdt Arcknight".
The latter looked at the person extending his hand in a handshake. A middle aged man with a well defined face, sharp eyebrows, and jawline. He had a neatly trimmed mustache, a goatee, and a monocle which sat on top of his nose.
The figure was dressed in impeccable formal attire that was a mix of armor and utility, with a long dark coat with ornate designs and a hat to match it off. He was holding a cane and wore gloves in his hands.
That said, his more striking feature was not his unique clothing style, but the long silver hair and eyes that he possesses. Looking at them, it was like seeing a storm brewing inside.
The figure cut such a commanding presence that even up against Reinhardt and Vaerion, his presence did not diminish the slightest.
"To have met the legendary Hell Marshal, the honor is mine". He shook the other partyâs hand in a form of mutual respect.
"Un, itâs just like the rumor says, you are a knight among knights. That much holy energy is not natural. Letâs go inside my house and talk".
With that, the three men headed in. The log house was as simple as it appeared from the outside. It had basic necessities and everything a man would need to live here.
Thunk...
On the table, the Hell Marshal put a bottle of wine and pointed at the seats next to it.
"Forgive me, but I have no cups. I never planned on receiving guests".
"Itâs fine, we can just chug down from the bottle." The Dark Knight unceremoniously gulped down the contents of the wine. Next, he passed onto Reinhardt, who similarly chugged down the contents, albeit in a more mannerly fashion.
The Hell Marshal, or rather Henreich Von Eisenberg, also had subtle etiquette beaten down to his body, indicating that he too was a noble.
"Letâs get down to business. The reason I called you here is because the Warlock sent me a concerning message. The grey sky above the tainted lands near our borders has turned as dark as ink".
The Hell Marshall did not explain anymore; no, there was no need to, as the other two legendary heroes immediately understood what was going on. They werenât unfamiliar with such a phenomenon; after all, they had seen it a couple of times in their career as a knight already.
The sky turning dark as ink meant that the Forces of Darkness were in motion. Additionally, the one who sent this message was Warlock, another one of Aetherionâs legendary heroes; as such, the information couldnât be wrong.
"There are sightings of hundreds of thousands of demons with numerous high ranking and even Demon Generals leading the march. Although unconfirmed, it seemed there is also a Heavenly Kingâs aura present among them".
The heroes narrowed their eyes. If a Heavenly King and its army were involved, then it was an extremely serious matter concerning the survival of a kingdom.
"Which army is it?" Rienhardt questioned.
The Twelfth Heavenly King was already manipulating everything in Aetherion through its pawns; as such, it would not be surprising if it was the twelfth army who was marchign towards humantityâs borders.
Heinrich did not answer immediately; instead, he looked at the table and deliberated something within his mind.