Silence filled the hall for a moment… before Lord Maric slowly stepped forward.
His voice was soft, but his words were sharp, as if they were being sharpened on the king's own throat.
Lord Maric:
"Your Majesty… there is no doubt that your plan is precise, as always.
But… our elite forces—the Crimson Guard, the Shadow Knights, and the Steel Battalion—are almost completely exhausted.
Past wars… internal schemes… and certain unexplained expeditions…
all of them drained the foundations of the kingdom."
He looked directly at the king, a look mixed with visible respect and hidden threat.
"A war of this scale… may cost us more than we can afford.
And frankly, my lord… the true power we rely on is not clear to everyone.
It is not wise to depend on a force whose nature is still unclear, even around your own throne."
The last sentence was a blow wrapped in silk.
Everyone understood it:
"You are not the only power here… and not the only ruler."
Corval did not answer immediately.
He only smiled… cold, silent, with a spark inside it like a silent warning shot.
A smile that froze the blood of anyone with secret intentions.
Then he spoke, his voice low and quiet… but heavier than iron:
Corval:
"Do not worry…
In the past weeks, I have had some good fortune… and some fruitful encounters.
Encounters that made many old calculations worthless."
Everyone in the hall felt an unexplained heaviness.
His sentence carried a hidden threat, a hint of new power…
or of a monster that had been released.
The sly question
Lady Elvira stepped forward, her voice gentle… but the kind of gentleness that hides a blade.
"My lord… regarding the recent investigation into the slaughtered city…
Did you reach any conclusions?
We only want to know if our kingdom is safe… or if something is moving outside your knowledge."
Her words were a diplomatic arrow:
"Even you, Corval… may not know everything."
A new smile appeared on Corval's face.
Not only cold… but demonic,
as if it had risen from depths that should not be opened.
"The city?"
He raised an eyebrow as if the question was a small amusement.
"Its destruction was… a blessing disguised as a curse.
Those traitors drowned for too long in demonic practices…
they reaped only what their hands had planted."
He stepped forward slightly and lowered his voice so everyone had to listen.
"My trip there… was not wasted.
I returned with two special guests…
Their presence alone is enough to shift the balance of power… forever."
The words fell on the hall like a collapsing mountain.
Faces changed: confusion… fear… curiosity… and the desire to strike back.
The test
Arkadius spoke, his voice filled with suspicion:
"Two guests…?
Can Your Majesty call them now… so we can see them?
For the sake of… clarity."
His intention was obvious:
"Let us see if you are lying, Corval."
Corval's vicious smile widened.
This time, even the shadows seemed to tremble from it.
Corval:
"Very well… why not?"
He signaled to a guard at the door.
"Bring the guests."
Then he turned to the hall, his voice darker than before:
Corval:
"And when they enter…
do not insult me with your fear."
A sentence with a direct threat:
The guests were not ordinary humans.
And maybe… not human at all.
Lord Alfric let out a short laugh, arrogant in tone:
"My lord… we have witnessed the worst nightmares here.
Nothing frightens us anymore."
Corval did not answer.
He gave a thin smile…
a smile more terrifying than screaming.
The arrival of the horror
Two minutes passed…
Two minutes as heavy as rubble.
Then—
Footsteps.
The guard's step… steady.
But the second step…
deeper.
Heavier… as if it belonged to a creature heavier than iron.
And the third step…
was not like the others.
It sounded like the ground itself was being pulled by a massive body.
Before the two guests appeared…
a wild aura exploded inside the hall.
Heavy air…
pressure crushing ribs…
as if an invisible hammer had fallen on everyone's souls.
Everyone froze.
Cold sweat ran down the faces of the nobles, clan leaders, sect masters… even the merchants.
Only Corval remained unchanged.
Standing above his throne…
with a faint, terrifying smile on his face.