He was displeased. The Traveler put back the half-eaten pastry on its plate like getting rid of something disgusting, while the whole room watched him muttering to himself about it. No one could react for a moment, except one.
Avir Fortis jumped up before anyone else, "What is this man doing here? Guards!" He reached his right hand out. He didn't need to say anything; one of the guards next to the door threw his sword at him. Two other guards stationed at the corners of the room came to their senses and quickly got in front of the Traveler, pointing their halberds toward his chest. The rest of them got into a formation behind Avit Fortis to protect the Royal Family and the guests. Elise also sensed a large amount of Energy gathering, possibly from the Head Magician Gustave Vorony. She hoped the situation would not worsen further.
The Traveler carelessly watched them while searching for another plate of food he could try. When he finally found a slice of cake, he grabbed it and turned to the two guards in front of him. Avir Fortis also had drawn his sword and was slowly approaching him. He took a big bite from the cake in his hand and waited for Lord Fortis to come.
"You should have been in the dungeon. How did you get out of your cell?" He asked while pointing his sword at the Traveler.
The Traveler looked at him while chewing on the cake he had bitten. "This one is not bad." He said, with a pleased expression on his face, before sticking the rest of it in his mouth.
"Are you mocking me?" Avir Fortis rushed forward between the two guards and got his sword closer to the Traveler's throat. "Answer the question." He was not someone who could be disrespected to this extent. Hopefully, the Traveler decided not to keep that attitude of his.
"Not that there were a lot to stop me in there." He said with a full mouth. "Even the man who came with me got out before me. One of the guards let him out, though, but you got the point."
A guard let the man out that Elise caught? He was crucial to her cause. They needed to interrogate him to get more information or maybe a confession. Elise was sure Lord Landa had a finger in this. Maybe this was the business he had in the Capital. Along with being an unbearable obstacle to her.
She took a quick look at him. He was still sitting in his seat, unlike most of the guests. But his facial expressions were giving away that he was not relaxed at all. It was obvious that he did not anticipate this. Good, these unexpected events could prove useful to her. But first, she needed to fix this situation.
"Send someone to the dungeons to confirm this. Be quick!" Said Avir Fortis, still pointing his sword toward the Traveler. One of the guards left to room and came back with three others. He must have informed the four guards in the hall. The Queen, with the youngest prince and the servants, were backing off to the other side of the room while Air Fortis continued to question the Traveler.
"What is your purpose for being here?"
"Well, I heard some people were giving a hard time to a pupil of mine. So, I decided to intervene before things got more complicated." He answered with a smug gesture. He was pleased by this situation.
"This is not someplace you can just walk in. This is a dinner for the Royal Family and high officials of the Kingdom." He was not even hiding his irritation. "I will kindly ask you to return to your cell, with some escort, of course."
"Oh, I will. Don't worry about it. After I am done here, of course."
"That, I cannot allow. If you insist on staying, I will have to use force."
Elise could see him getting ready to take action. If she could see it, the Traveler definitely could too. She was just hoping that he would not do anything unreasonable. She got ready to interfere if anything happened, but she felt a grip on her arm before she could even take a step. Her father was warning her not to interfere.
She could still try to interfere, but if things went awry, her already troublesome situation could become a lot worse. Her other option was to wait and see what the Traveler had in mind. He wouldn't have come here without a plan, Elise thought.
She chose to stay still and trust the Traveler. While she was struggling with her thoughts, the Traveler had slightly opened his arms to his sides. Elise assumed he was taking an unharmful pose to show them that he was not carrying any weapon with him. Not like he needed one, but it did relieve her that violence was not one of his intentions. Then, he did something even worse.
"Oh, come on. Do I look like I want a fight?"
He started to walk forward. The halberds pointing at him touched his chest, and Lord Fortis's sword pressed on his throat, but he didn't stop. When he realized it had no effect, Avir Fortis pulled his sword and took a step back to change into a stance. The guards tried to hold their places, but even though they were pressing their halberds to his chest, they had no effect, and they were being pushed back.
The Traveler was still in his weak, middle-aged man appearance, except for the beard, of course. So, the guards could not understand how they were being pushed back. However, they were the King's Guards. They quickly got themselves together and took a step back to get into a formation with Avir Fortis. The rest of the guards were also tensed up even more. It was too late for Elise to do something; a fight was about to break out. She could only try to stop the Traveler before he destroyed the whole Capital, but even that was not certain.
"Get the Royal Family out of here!"
Avir Fortis attacked after his command. He was charged with a strong attack from above. Elise sensed something she did not expect with that attack. A quick flash of Energy had gone through his body. His attack landed between the Traveler's neck and left shoulder. It caused a small impact that swung the tablecloths around.
The Traveler did not dodge or block. He only tilted his head slightly to open the area Lord Fortis attacked, making it easier to land. As Elise expected, the sword did not even scratch his skin. The chaos of leaving the room slowly died, and everyone looked at the scene in shock. An attack from Lord Avir Fortis, the best swordsman in the Kingdom, the Head of the Military, and the King's Guards, had no effect whatsoever.
"Lord Fortis!"
Elise turned to the owner of the voice. She had totally forgotten about him. She was so focused on the conflict with Avir Fortis that she didn't even sense the Energy he was emitting. Head Magician Gustave Vorony was preparing for an attack. He gathered his Energy in a single spot in front and then changed its property. Elise couldn't see what he did exactly, but the result was obvious.
He launched a condensed ball of fire at the Traveler. Avir Fortis had already gotten out of its way, so it went directly at the Traveler's chest. He, again, didn't make a move against it and took the attack head-on. The ball of fire dissolved as soon as it reached him. Elise again couldn't understand what happened, but the fire had turned back into Energy. It didn't even disperse; it was immediately sucked in by the Traveler.
"What the fuck are you doing?!" The Traveler yelled in shock. "Who casts a Fire Ball inside a closed room full of civilians? You low wisdom wizard."
And again, the whole room fell into silence. He not only took an attack from the best warrior in the Kingdom, but he also didn't take any damage from the best Magician, who was considered a genius in this era.
"He dispelled my spell." Gustave Vorony broke the silence and spoke with a visible shock on his face. "Such a level of mastery..."
He couldn't finish his words and just stood there with a half-open mouth. The Traveler looked at the crowd in front of the door for a moment. Their situation was not that different from the Head Magician's. He took a little step back while still showing his empty hands.
"Does anybody want to try their luck?" He slowly met the eyes of everyone. Elise thought he was challenging them at first, but after giving it some thought, it was just to make sure they were listening. This whole show was to gain acknowledgment by asserting dominance. An aggressive way to take a conversation in hand. Only Lord Fortis moved and took a defensive stance in front of the King, but even he didn't take action.
"Anyone? Good. Now, I will start again." He pointed at Elise. "I met this girl in the North. She managed to impress me, and I took her as my disciple. We have been traveling together ever since. Nothing less, nothing more. Any questions?"
Silence.
Elise thought no one would dare to say anything. Some still had scared looks on their faces, especially the Princes and the Queen. They were the ones who insulted her after all, and the situation they were in made Elise feel a little better. Her father, on the other hand, was still cautious. Elise couldn't even imagine what he was thinking right now. He sure had a lot of questions, but he sure knew this was not the time to ask them. But someone proved Elise wrong.
The King himself took a step forward despite the warnings of the guards. He reached Lord Fortis's shoulder and kindly pushed him aside and getting him out of his way.
"Why should we believe in you? You dared to barge into this place and cause a scene. How can we even trust you? You may as well say those things to clear her name, not to affect her family. We can see you are a formidable man, but can you prove she is your disciple?"
With the last question, a wide smile spread on the Traveler's face. "Ah, I am glad you asked." He seemed to be waiting for this.
"How about a duel? You could see her progression that way. And if she satisfies everyone with her power, you will have gotten your proof. What do you say?"
A duel? Was that what he was planning from the start? But with whom?
"A duel, you say." King Arteon looked thoughtful for a moment. "So, you are going to throw her into the fire without even asking her."
The Traveler made a hand gesture like he was shooing something. "I am her master. I think I have the right to decide when she will fight or not."
She had no problem with that, but... it would have been nice if he had asked, Elise thought. She wondered who her opponent would be.
"Fa-... My King!" The Second Prince, Aveon Alethani, took a step forward. "Allow me to do it. I want to help clear up this misunderstanding that fell on our family."
Him? The second prince was known to be one of the prodigies of this age. He was training under Avir Fortis since his talent was discovered. Elise took a good look at him; he had a great posture and build considering his age. It was obvious that he knew how to wield a sword; it was just a hunch, but... she felt like he could take down the leader of the bandits they fought in a one-on-one... barely.
Before anyone could say anything, the First Prince got in front of his brother. "No. If there is anyone who should do it is me." He turned to Elise. "I will be your opponent. We will see the sword skills you brag so much about."
The First Prince, Alber Alethani. Elise should have guessed it. There was no way he would miss the opportunity to humiliate the one who humiliated him. It was known he was below his younger brother in terms of sword skills, but he must have thought she would be an easy match. Well, it would be, but not for him. A duel with her ex-fiancé... was going to be awkward.
"No."
All eyes turned to the voice. Avir Fortis had lowered his sword, but he was still alert. He slowly turned toward Elise and weighed her with his eyes.
"I am sorry to inform you, my Prince, but you are no match for her." He looked at the Second Prince, "Both of you."
"What do you mean, Lord Fortis?" Asked the First Prince.
"I mean what I said. She is far stronger than both of you. I don't know her full capabilities, but if the Investigation officers' report was true, I can't let her fight any of my men either. If they lose, it would be bad for the King's Guards' reputation. That is why I would like to be the one to fight her. If Your Highness is also willing, of course."
He finished his words with a slight bow toward the King. A duel with Avir Fortis. She couldn't even imagine how something like that would end. It would be a dream come true to have a chance to duel with someone like him. But this time, she was unsure. This was a great chance to see how strong she really got, but she also had to win. While everyone was waiting for the King's answer, the first objection came from someone Elise was not expecting.
"My, King." Her father raised his voice. "Are you really going to approve this? She is still too young. A duel with Lord Fortis is unreasonable."
He was the last person Elise thought would oppose her. Even though it was a long shot, this was the perfect chance to clear her name. While she wondered about her father's reasoning, she noticed his expression. It was not about reasoning; he was just worrying about her daughter. Elise was kind of moved by it, but this was not to time for it. While she thought about what to say to convince him, Magician Gustave Vorony came to her help.
"Lord Vandeberg, I believe your worries are pointless." He looked like he had come to his senses after what happened. "As Lord Fortis, I can also feel some great power within your daughter. If she knows how to use that power, she will do just fine. She also had a Blessing, right?"
"What are you trying to say, Head Magician?" Her father had no way of sensing her Energy, so his confusion was understandable.
"Oh, didn't you know, Lord Vandenberg? I can feel a great amount of magical power coming from her. Did you ever think of appointing her under a Court magician, she could learn a lot."
"I requested someone from the court to check her affinity to magic when she was at that age, but the magician they appointed said she had almost none. So, we didn't go into it any further. But now you are saying she has great potential. Even if it is like you said, she is still..."
"Father!" Elise interrupted and looked him in the eye. "I am not a child anymore. Please, let me fight. This is our chance."
They looked at each other's eyes for a moment. Elise kept her stubborn expression like she always did when she wanted something from her father. And like always, he eventually let his guard down for her.
"Fine..."
Before her father finished his words, the doors they had tried so hard to open opened from outside. The guard they sent to check the dungeons had rushed in.
"The prisoner had escaped!"
All eyes turned to the doors. Some were relieved that they were finally opened and quickly headed that way. Elise noticed Lord Landa was one of them. He was trying to sneak out of the situation, but the King himself didn't let anyone leave.
"Nobody leaves! Let's first hear what this guard has to say, shall we?" He waited for a moment to let his words sink in and then turned to the out-of-breath guard. "Now, tell us how it happened. Are there any witnesses?"
"I questioned some of the prison guards; some said they saw him getting out of the dungeon with a man wearing an Investigation Bureau uniform. That is why they didn't question it."
"So, someone inside helped him escape. Inform the city guards, don't let him leave the city. We will have to question that man; he committed a great crime against one of the most prestigious families of this Kingdom, after all."
"He is heading toward the West Gate, right now." The Traveler joined the conversation.
"How do you know?" The King asked.
"I heard from them." He answered with a careless tone.
The King turned to the guard again. "Tell them to focus on the West Gate."
Just when the guard was about to leave, Lord Landa unexpectedly decided to speak out his opinion. "Your highness. Would it be okay to move based only on a prisoner's words? He may be working together with the runaway and trying to mislead us."
Of course. Elise should have expected another move from him. He would do anything to be a hindrance. But this was also confirming that the runaway prisoner was one of his men. This could be a problem. On the other hand, the Traveler didn't seem to be bothered at all.
"Believe it or not, your choice. Now that things were settled, I am heading back to my cell." He looked at Elise and added. "See you at the duel."
He performed an overly exaggerated reverence before he vanished just like he appeared in front of everyone's eyes and left the whole room open-mouthed.