Part 2
Riku's words finally made the king and the council of nobles pay attention to Montero.
The meeting no longer felt like a simple military report. Little by little, it had turned into a trial against the general who had led the expedition.
"General Montero... explain exactly what your army found," the king ordered.
Far from feeling intimidated, Ulises met everyone's gaze with complete calm.
"Just as the scouting report prepared by Hero Junya Mori stated, Mist Valley is not an uninhabited land."
The chamber fell silent.
"The true one responsible for the fall of Arkenfel is the ruler of those lands filled with death..."
He paused briefly before looking the king straight in the eyes.
"He calls himself... Yamato, the Void Lord."
The name alone was enough to send a chill through Riku's body. His hands began to tremble as he relived that encounter.
The High Pontiff of the Church of Yoru frowned.
"'Void Lord'? That sounds like the title of a heretic. I've never heard of anyone calling himself that. Are you sure you didn't make it up?"
Montero clenched his jaw to hold back his anger.
"I wish you had been there, Giovanni..."
His voice was heavier than ever.
"Hearing the screams of our soldiers as they were devoured by the undead."
His eyes hardened.
"Watching them get beheaded with terrifying ease, falling one after another like grass before a scythe."
"They couldn't even defend themselves..."
Silence once again filled the chamber.
However, one of the young councilors seated to the king's right finally broke it.
"So it all comes down to a tactical mistake."
He rested his elbows on the table and laced his fingers together.
"In other words... incompetence."
Montero answered him with an icy stare.
"Damn brat..."
"With all due respect, Your Highness... we didn't have enough information before launching the operation, and..."
"Yeah, yeah... Blah, blah, blah. All I hear are excuses."
"So that's it... He wasn't looking for answers. He was just waiting for the moment I'd fall."
The king raised a hand, bringing silence back to the chamber.
"Enough, Adriano. If you interrupt again, I'll have no choice but to remove you from this meeting."
The young prince said nothing. He simply kept a confident smile as he looked at the furious general.
For years, he had wanted to take Ulises Montero's position, and this defeat was the perfect chance to prove before the council that the legendary "Eagle of the South" was no longer the man he used to be.
"I assume the soldiers didn't survive. But what about the Heroes and the other commanders?" the king asked, turning his attention back to the general.
"The commanders... are presumed dead."
A wave of murmurs spread across the chamber.
"The army of Mist Valley showed no mercy. After all... we were the ones who tried to invade their land."
An elderly man with completely white hair raised his hand. Even though his uniform was old, it made it clear that he had once been one of the kingdom's greatest generals.
"That's impossible. Colem and Diries were two of the academy's finest officers. If they had realized the situation was hopeless, they would have ordered a retreat."
Ulises let out a long sigh.
"If you doubt my words that much, get on a horse and go see it for yourself. The camp is still there..."
He paused for a moment.
"You'll only find a deathly silence."
Then he turned back to the king.
"How many times do I have to repeat it? We faced an overwhelming force, a fog that wiped out all visibility, and monsters unlike anything I'd ever seen in my life."
The High Pontiff spoke again.
"And the Heroes who haven't returned? Did they also die despite the divine protection they received?"
"That's another matter I wanted to discuss..."
Ulises paused briefly before exchanging a glance with Riku.
"Haruto Kagawa was executed with a single strike by that man... Yamato."
The chamber fell silent once more.
"His shadow solidified and took the shape of a massive sword. Then... it turned back into a mass of darkness."
He slowly shook his head.
"I don't know how to explain it... It didn't seem like magic."
"Then... what was it?" one of the councilors asked quietly.
No one had an answer.
The High Pontiff frowned.
"A shadow that becomes solid... and then liquid again..."
He remained deep in thought for a few moments.
"Is there any record of something like that?"
The elderly man slowly shook his head.
"Not that I can remember. I'll search the Grand Library, though I doubt I'll find anything like it."
Montero spoke again.
"There's something else."
Everyone turned their eyes back to him.
"Heroine Kaede Minazuki deserted... and chose to join the enemy."
"What?!" the king roared, slamming his fist onto the table. "That's unacceptable! Why didn't you stop her?"
"Because it was her decision, not mine."
His answer came as coldly as it came immediately.
"And with all due respect, Your Majesty... I warned you that this expedition was a mistake."
The tension in the room rose once again.
"If you had listened to my recommendations... none of these losses would have happened."
"Who do you think you are to speak to the king like that?!" Adriano shouted.
Ulises let out a short laugh filled with resignation.
"You're right..."
Slowly, he unfastened the belt holding his sword.
The sword fell onto the table with a heavy metallic clang.
Then he removed the emblem that marked his rank and placed it beside the sword.
"I don't belong to a noble family like the rest of you."
Not a single person spoke.
"If you're not going to listen to me... then there's no point in continuing."
His eyes moved across the members of the council, one by one.
"We provoked a monster..."
His voice sounded tired.
"And sooner or later... we'll pay the price."
At last, he turned to face the king.
"Thank you for allowing me to serve the Kingdom of Valheim for these past twenty-five years as commander of the Southern Army."
He gave a slight bow.
"But it's time to make way for the next generation."
He took a deep breath.
"I hereby resign as General."
Father Giovanni jumped to his feet.
"So you're running away like a coward! You must answer for these losses! What you deserve is the gallows!"
However, the king raised a hand before anyone else could speak.
He stared at Ulises for several seconds.
"General Ulises Montero..."
His voice regained the dignity expected of a king.
"Thank you for your twenty-five years of service."
He paused briefly.
"I accept your resignation."
Ulises bowed his head one last time.
Then he turned around, and as he passed by Riku, he placed a hand on his shoulder.
"If there's still something you want to tell them..."
He spoke so quietly that only the young Hero could hear him.
"This is your moment."
A faint smile crossed his face.
"Good luck, kid."
Riku took a step forward.
His legs were still trembling, but this time, he didn't back down.
He slowly raised his eyes toward the king and the rest of the council.
"Please forgive my boldness... I know it's not my place to speak in a meeting like this, but..."
His voice faltered for a moment.
Then he reached into one of his pockets and pulled out a strange metallic bracelet.
He held it up for everyone to see.
"I'd like to know... why you gave us this."
"What exactly is that bracelet?" the king asked.
"The Void Lord said it was a control bracelet."
A heavy silence fell over the chamber.
No one answered.
The members of the council began exchanging uneasy glances, but no one dared to say a word.