A while later, the group from the Garveon Kingdom was neatly dressed in their special tournament participant uniforms and royal regalia. They immediately departed for the Larkvood Central Academy using the royal family's special spatial horse-drawn carriage, which was both luxurious and secure.
Inside the carriage cabin, which moved smoothly through the streets of the capital city of Ameryn, King Nalvon sat with great dignity. He looked at Kazien, Alvin, Allen, and Arken one by one with a gaze full of pride.
"Just do your best in the arena later, and make sure you control your strength. Do not let yourselves accidentally kill your opponents!" he advised the four of them, reminding them of the absolute rule of the tournament that forbade any loss of life.
Hearing the King's message, Alvin leaned back comfortably.
"Don't you worry, Your Majesty." Alvin answered with an overly relaxed tone and a thin smile on his handsome face. "At most, they might only experience severe broken bones in several parts of their bodies. And if that happens, the three of us can easily heal those serious injuries using our recovery magic."
Hearing Alvin's answer, which sounded so contradictory, being both cruel and responsible, King Nalvon could not hold back his laughter.
"Hahaha!" King Nalvon laughed loudly until his shoulders shook. "I am very certain that the participants from other kingdoms will never expect that the four of you possess a level of destructive power that is far beyond the normal limits of average humans."
King Nalvon's laughter gradually subsided. He then shifted his sitting position to be a bit more upright and looked straight at Alvin, who was the only existence of a non-human race on this continent.
"Especially for you, Prince Alvin." King Nalvon said, his tone casual yet carrying the firmness of a leader giving a green light. "Silence everyone with your strength in the arena later. Show them your greatness, so that in the future, no fool will dare disturb your peace when the four of you go to explore this continent."
"Of course, Your Majesty!" Alvin answered without the slightest hesitation, his eyes flashing with a spark of strong confidence. "Since the capital of the Larkvood Kingdom is not my future husband's hometown, I certainly will not hold back at all if anyone dares to look for trouble."
Laughter broke out again in the cabin. King Nalvon laughed heartily upon hearing the reason behind the High Elf youth's calmness all this time.
"Hahaha. So, all this time you have always held back and stayed calm because the Garveon Kingdom is the birthplace and hometown of your fiancé, Prince Alvin?" King Nalvon teased.
"Yes, Your Majesty, that is indeed true!" Alvin answered honestly, with no intention of hiding it. "I highly respect the Garveon Kingdom. I do not want to make my future husband feel ashamed, or even feel burdened to clean up the mess caused by my lack of restraint when so many people crowded around me and stared at me impolitely in our capital."
Alvin bowed his head slightly, giving a very sincere gesture of respect to the middle-aged man before him.
"But..." Alvin continued in a soft tone. "I am very grateful for your help and for Aunt Elisa's as well. Thanks to your protection and firmness in managing the people, I have been able to walk relaxed and comfortably in the middle of Wavern City without being disturbed."
"It is my absolute duty as a leader to do so, Prince Alvin," King Nalvon replied casually yet sincerely. "I also do not want to see my own people doing silly things and shaming the dignity of the kingdom just because someone of a different race lives among them."
The warm conversation in the cabin continued until shortly after, the carriage's pace slowly decreased and finally came to a perfect stop. The carriage door was immediately opened from the outside, and an elite soldier serving as the coachman bowed respectfully, reporting that their entourage had arrived at the central academy plaza of Larkvood.
Kazien and the others were momentarily surprised. They had been so engrossed in conversation that they hadn't realized they had truly arrived in front of the academy gates.
One by one, they all stepped down from the carriage. The atmosphere outside was incredibly boisterous. The giant plaza was filled with a sea of people, from participants and royal delegations to thousands of civilians who had come from various directions to witness the largest magic tournament of the century.
However, just as the Garveon group set foot fully on the marble-paved ground, many black shadows suddenly covered the sunlight shining on the plaza. A strong wind abruptly blew, making people's cloaks and hair flutter erratically.
In the clear sky of the Larkvood Kingdom, dozens of silhouettes of large winged creatures appeared, flying through the air. The creatures with lion bodies and giant eagle heads and wings shrieked loudly.
Dozens of Griffons had suddenly invaded the capital's airspace. And the most unique and nonsensical sight was the scene in the middle of their formation; there were four Griffons with the largest bodies flying while carrying a carriage tied firmly to their sturdy legs.
Everyone in the plaza, including the committee and academy guards, was instantly thrown into a frenzy and panic due to the sudden appearance of a pack of high-level wild monsters in the sky of their city. The academy security forces even began to unsheathe their weapons and chant protective magic.
Slowly and in a highly coordinated manner, the dozens of Griffons flew lower. They flapped their powerful wings, creating a strong vortex of wind before finally landing gracefully in the plaza area, which was forcibly cleared by the terrified crowd. The pack of Griffons turned out to be the group of Lidaz and Roviz, along with their entire pack members.
As soon as their claws touched the ground, instead of roaring fiercely or attacking the humans around them, Lidaz and Roviz bowed their eagle heads low.
The two of them, followed by dozens of other Griffons behind, spontaneously bent their front legs and spread their wings, giving an extremely submissive gesture of respect directly toward Kazien, who was standing calmly near the Garveon carriage.
"Long time no see, Master Kazien." Lidaz greeted with a deep, respectful voice, breaking the harrowing silence that had gripped the plaza. "We have come all this way because of your father's direct command, and we all also deeply wished to see you."
Hearing the baritone voice coming from the beak of a wild monster, the thousands of people in the plaza were instantly shocked, their breath catching in their throats.
For the inhabitants of the Azvel Continent, Griffons were wild monsters that were extremely fierce and could not be tamed. Hearing a Griffon pay respect to a human teenager was already impossible, let alone seeing the monster speak.
"Hello, Master Kazien!" Roviz greeted, not wanting to be outdone, her feminine voice sounding more cheerful. "Are you doing well during your stay here?"
"Master Kazien, we missed you!" several other Griffons called out in unison from the back of the line, flapping their wings happily like pets reuniting with their owner.
The sense of shock and horror affecting everyone in the Larkvood academy plaza grew even more intense. Their jaws practically hit the ground. They truly never expected that the pack of wild Griffons could not only submit but also speak in human language very clearly, fluently, and smoothly, like educated humans.
Ignoring the many disbelieving stares directed at him, Kazien walked casually toward Lidaz and Roviz. He raised his hand and gently stroked the thick mane on the necks of the two giant monsters.
"I am doing well, thank you for asking." Kazien replied casually, smiling slightly at his pack's enthusiasm. He then looked toward the luxury carriage that had been carried through the air by the four Griffons and had now been placed safely in the plaza. "So, is my family inside that carriage?"
"Yes, Master!" Lidaz answered almost without a pause, looking at Kazien with utter devotion. "Everyone has come to support you. Including your older sister named Virena, who is also in there."
Creak...
Just as Lidaz finished his report, the sound of a carriage door hinge creaking softly was heard, drawing Kazien's attention. The carved wooden door opened from the inside, and the figure who stepped out first with graceful yet intimidating movements was Virena.
The beautiful yet cold-looking girl stood on the carriage steps. Her sharp eyes stared straight at Kazien.
"Kazien..." Virena called. Her voice was not a shout, but her tone sounded quite heavy and filled with pressure.
Hearing that familiar voice that always carried an aura of absolute threat, the hair on Kazien's neck instantly stood up. His heart beat faster, realizing that his older sister had come to him, yet she looked visibly annoyed with him.