Chapter 443: Confrontation

They neared the palace, and after just a few more minutes, they were right in front of it.

Several soldiers stood guard, warding off all intruders, but when they spotted Melina, they immediately bowed.

“Greetings, Queen of the Pirates, Malinali Liesa,” the soldiers said in unison. “Please follow us. We will lead you directly to His Majesty’s chambers.”

Yeah… That’s the reaction I was expecting earlier, Rael thought to himself.

But just as they passed the gate, the soldiers abruptly halted and pointed their weapons at him.

“You are not someone we recognize, thus, you must wait outside.”

“I’m not a dog,” Rael replied with a sigh, turning to Melina. “Mind giving me a hand?”

Melina rolled her eyes. “Fine… He’s with me. So is that little pipsqueak construct. If that’s not enough, consider them part of my envoy.”

The soldiers exchanged glances, and after a few moments, they nodded at Rael and Chop-E.

“Understood. You may pass.”

“Thank you,” Rael said, and caught up to Melina.

And just like that, they made their way into the inner palace.

It was surrounded by mechanical gate checkpoints, and dozens of flying carriages moved from one end of the palace to the other.

It almost reminded him of a maze, but he was sure they were just doing this to piss the three of them off.

Anyhow, after roughly an hour of back-and-forth travel, they finally arrived in front of the palace itself, which was surprisingly small.

But even so, at the very front stood a man with completely white hair and purple eyes.

Despite his elegant appearance, Rael could clearly see the bags under his eyes, the scratches on his neck, and even the smell of alcohol coming from every breath he exhaled.

Safe to say, what Lucien said about him visiting brothels and being an idiot was not too far off.

Even so, Rael inspected the man, and at least his power held up.

—Ignatiel Vendros [Grade 5 Noble Class | Level 388] – Vitality: Tier 15 [100% / 100% HP]

His vitality is 2 tiers lower than Lucien’s, Rael thought, and then flashed a smile at him.

“Greetings, Your Majesty. I’m glad you could grant us an audience,” Rael said. “But would it be okay if we took our next conversation into your quarters?”

Ignatiel scoffed. “You should know better than to speak first in my presence… But considering you’re with the great Malinali Liesa, I shall let you slide just this once.”

With that, he turned around. “Follow me.”

He led them into the palace as they walked through gold-plated hallways. It seemed like the trademark of every rich ruler to decorate their palaces in gold.

Though, if I ever do it, I’m not doing something as cheap as gold. Maybe platinum? A platinum palace sounds fun. Rael smiled.

Eventually, they reached the dining room, and Ignatiel swung open its doors without a second thought.

A couple of people were dining happily inside, but once they spotted Ignatiel and his serious expression, they froze.

Soon enough, Ignatiel put on a warm smile and spoke. “I appreciate you all making your way here from your respective kingdoms. However, I believe it is time for you to go home. I have more important matters to discuss.”

Hearing that, not even a single one of those envoys retaliated. Instead, they scurried to their feet before respectfully bowing and walking out of the dining room.

Rael didn’t bother with any of those people since not only were they weak, they were also people he had never even seen before.

Plus, it doesn’t really matter much. I have Aurenthia, and if I get the Hollow Kingdom, I will also automatically get the entire Elmlot Kingdom.

So these envoys were pretty much useless.

Therefore, Rael waited for all of them to leave the room, and when they did, Rael and the others stepped inside and took a seat.

As for Ignatiel, he sat in the largest seat at the front of the table, clearly trying to seem above them.

Silence hung in the air as Ignatiel tapped the table a few times, gathering their attention.

“You may speak,” Ignatiel announced. “The dining room is soundproof, so no one outside will hear even a peep of what is being said here.”

“How generous of you,” Rael said with a smile. “You see, the reason we came here today is very simple.”

Well… after my next words, this entire palace is probably going to go to shit, but oh well, Rael thought, and finally revealed his true intentions.

“I’d like you to hand over the Hollow Kingdom to me and Malinali Liesa.”

Ignatiel’s eyes widened slightly. “Have you lost your minds? Do you understand what you’re asking?”

“We’re well aware,” Melina chimed in. “And the only reason we’re even giving you a choice in the first place is because we acknowledge you as a ruler.”

“Hmm…” Ignatiel fell into deep thought, then let out a sigh.

He rose from his seat and crossed his arms.

“Out of all people, I expected you, Malinali Liesa, to be the least foolish, but I suppose I was wrong,” Ignatiel muttered. “But it is not too late for you to cease this foolishness and leave.”

He narrowed his eyes. “My father always said that people make rash decisions when they feel intimidated, so as long as you apologize and provide a tribute, I’m willing to let you leave unharmed.”

“Wow…” Rael mumbled. “Your father was as arrogant as you, huh? I guess that makes sense.”

Rael stood up as well, and so did Melina and Chop-E.

Chop-E unsheathed the black katana and pointed it at Ignatiel without a hint of fear in his crystal-red eyes.

“Pfft… Very well,” Ignatiel said, clicking his tongue and extending his hand forward.

In an instant, two greatswords appeared, nearly three times the size of Ignatiel’s body, but he wielded them with ease.

“I will show you two why I have remained uncontested as the ruler of the Hollow Kingdom,” Ignatiel said, leaning down slightly, ready to attack.

But of course, Ignatiel wasn’t the only one prepared for this fight.

After all, Rael was a physical fighter second, and first…

<(x1) Human [Grade 5 Noble Class | Level 388] has been Threaded!>

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