บท 7: Meeting

"A small group of soldiers are coming this way; it should be Lady Roseate guards, Lord Baron."

"Are you sure?"

Yes, Lord, absolutely sure."

"Okay, how far are they from here?"

"Lord, they will arrive within an hour."

"Good, everybody, return to your position, be ready to welcome them, and make sure that no problem happens now."

Instantly, all returned to their positions and waited for Lady Roseate and Sword Master Aaron.

At that time, an hour away from Fletcher Castle, inside a beautiful and extravagant carriage, two people were sitting there and talking with each other.

One figure exuded elegance and grace, a beautiful lady adorned with a crystal veil, radiating a regal aura that compelled others to unwittingly gravitate towards her. The other was an elderly gentleman in his sixties, bearing a cane and exuding a tranquil, serene aura that appeared to be in harmony with the very essence of nature itself.

"Uncle, what do you think? Do you think this time we will find something?" Lady Roseate asked, feeling uncertain about their trip.

"It's difficult to say, as what you want to find is not something easy to find; it has already been a thousand years since somebody last saw it, so you need to be prepared to face disappointment."

"I know, but even if the chances are low, I will not give up."

"Sigh. Let fate decide it."

And with that, they ended their conversation as their party continued to move towards the Fletcher family's domain.

Outside the castle of the Fletcher's soldiers, servants, with Baron William and his family were waiting.

"Look, they are here."

All of them looked in the distance and saw a small group of soldiers wearing high-quality armour with a carriage in the middle coming towards them.

Even when they were still far from them, all of them, whether they were servants or soldiers, felt huge pressure as the air around them became heavier, and even they felt it was difficult to breathe.

Apollo and his grandpa were alright, but that didn't mean they were proud; they understood how strong this twenty-something group of guards was.

Especially Apollo, who was the most surprised, as after he unexpectedly tried to open the mysterious gate in his mind, his senses became extremely sensitive, and that continued to grow over time.

Now he can be sure that except for his grandpa, his sharp senses should be second to none in the Fletcher family.

Because of this, he can judge the strength of the twenty guards, which shocked him.

Every single one of them was strong; their aura seemed to be just a little weaker than that of their grandfather, the strongest person in the whole Fletcher family, but such strong people were just guards.

If the guards are this strong, then he really cannot fathom what level of strength one of the strongest sword masters would have. He cannot seem to feel anything inside the carriage, as it seems to be made of special material, but he is now really looking forward to seeing it.

Slowly, the carriage came closer to the castle, where all of them were waiting for them, and it stopped.

The twenty guards instantly took their positions and divided into two, and then slowly, the door of the carriage opened.

Szzzzzz!

A powerful burst of aura swept through, nearly knocking out everyone. Even Apollo felt intense pressure and was sweating profusely.

He looked around, and his grandfather's expression was also different. This time, the whole thing was contrasting. It seems the stronger the person is, the more dread he will feel, which is why he, his parents, and even his grandfather were uncomfortable more than others.

Everything becomes so silent that he can feel and hear the deep breaths of everyone as someone slowly steps out of the carriage.

At that moment, an oppressive aura seemed to cover the whole castle. His mind went blank, his senses were overloaded with the danger signal, and even his body stopped working for a moment.

Swordmaster Aaron was standing in front of everyone, as he took a few glances at people here and smiled.

"That unexpected."

And all the pressure disappeared like that was just an illusion in their minds.

Apollo also returned to normal, but his back was trenched in sweat as that fraction of a second felt like hell for him. His body and mind were shocked. He felt despair again—the feeling of not being able to do anything, which he never wanted to feel.

He felt like an insignificant ant that could be crushed by a single glance. It was a terrifying feeling, but this experience further solidified his thoughts of becoming stronger.

When he was at Master Aaron with a determined look, Master Aaron felt something and looked back at him with a smile, as if there was some meaning hidden in this smile.

After that, Lady Roseate also came out of the carriage with a veil that seemed to cover her beauty, and then immediately Baron William came to them with a smile.

"Welcome, welcome to our Fletcher castle. It's an honour for us to welcome senior Aaron and young lady Roseate."

"It's also our honour to visit the famous Fletcher family, which has been standing tall for thousand years."

Lady Roseate also replied and said some good things, and then, with sword master Aaron, they entered the castle.

Apollo and others also followed them inside, where the servants had already prepared delicious food and drinks for them. The delicacies made today were the most extravagant food he had ever seen. Every single dish was made from the best and rarest ingredients that might have cost half a year's worth of tax money they get from their territory.

There were many tables, and at the centre of all, at the most magnificent table, Apollo and his family, Lady Roseate, and Master Aaron were sitting.

"Let me introduce them to you. This is my son, John Fletcher, and his wife, Louise Fletcher."

"Nice to meet you."

They greeted each other with a smile, and then finally, it was Apollo's turn.

"This is my grandson, Apollo Fletcher."

As Baron William said, both Lady Roseate and Master Aaron look at Apollo. Master Aaron seems to already know how special Apollo is, but still, he looks carefully at him, on the other hand, Lady Roseate feels entirely different as she weirdly feels an aura that seems too similar to her.

"Oh, Baron William has a successor," Lady Roseate said with a mysterious smile as she felt something unusual about Apollo from other noble kids of similar age.