Chapter 79 - The General Intimidates an Army

Phill:

We were walking through the forest with all the camped soldiers. After I told the story of how I let the boy wander into the tiger territories, we decided to gather everyone to search for him before things went south.

If that kid dies, I'm screwed!

I was sweating bullets from how nervous I was.

Thank goodness I followed that boy, or my cousin would have taken the blame, and that could have tainted my record.

I was still just a newly appointed royal guard who had the luck to become a sergeant and help train the new recruits. My family wasn't from high nobility, but we had some presence in the palace because my ancestors were accomplished soldiers.

As a fire element mage with Emissive abilities, I stood out even more. I was fortunate to have awakened with a strong magical bloodline. It wasn't by chance that I reached my position; I had to demonstrate power and strength. With my magic and spells, I was deadly in combat, combined with my sword training.

I'm skilled in close combat with a sword, and at long range, my element is lethal.

Fire magic is the pinnacle of offensive power among the common elements. A good fire mage could make an enormous difference, especially if their mana category was Emissive. The problem was that we couldn’t do anything against these tigers because they belonged to the royal family.

Not that we’d stand a chance anyway…

These were special tigers that even used elemental powers. They were Earth or Wind Transmitters. They were domesticated S-Rank beasts, and even I would be killed if I faced just one of them.

"Are you sure these whistles will work?" I asked Joe as we walked through the forest.

"They're special whistles, cousin. The royal family gave them, and these tigers were trained from a young age to obey their commands. Obviously, the whistle doesn’t override an order from their owners, but it’s enough to at least scare them off if they decide to kill us."

"I hope we at least see them before we have to blow the whistle," I said.

We kept walking nervously through the forest.

“Good thing you came to warn me; otherwise, I’d be in deep trouble,” Joe said.

I only went there to drink…

My excuse was that I went to warn people about the boy, and luckily these guys were already equipped to deal with the tigers, so my excuse fit their situation.

If that kid dies, I’m finished. I’ll at least try to argue that I went there and rallied the army to save him.

"Let's hope the boy turned back and didn’t go too far into the tiger's territory. They don't listen to the whistle once they start killing..." one of the soldiers said.

In the middle of that forest, hundreds of soldiers were walking with me, holding torches. We weren’t shouting to avoid disturbing the party and revealing our mistake, but at least the torches would help the boy find us if he got lost.

I'm going to give that kid a beating when I find him. He's tightening the noose around my neck.

Everywhere I looked, I saw men with swords in hand and mages ready to act. Everyone was anxious about being in the tiger's territory, and some had the whistle in their mouths, ready to blow if they saw a tiger.

"Cousin, if that boy dies..."

I stared at Joe.

"Don't even mention the consequences. We’d be screwed, and our name would be dragged through the mud. If you’re expelled from your post… I don’t even want to think about it." I quickened my pace, charging deeper into the forest.

"Fuck it, I’m stronger with the fire element!" I shouted, gripping a sword in one hand and raising the other, ready to unleash a flame.

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I started pushing some men aside, rushing madly toward the deeper part of that territory.

That boy! I’m going to kill that boy!

I saw a group of men standing still, almost forming a line. They had all stopped in the same spot.

"What’s wrong? Don’t tell me you found a body," I asked the line of men, but they all remained silent.

"Is the boy dead?" I asked, and they still said nothing.

What the hell are they doing?

I approached one of them.

"Why are you all standing here like idiots?" They all looked at me, and some of them were trembling, their teeth chattering.

"I don’t know! I’m scared," one of them stammered, trying to salute, but his hands were shaking.

Shit! What the hell did they put in the soldiers’ drinks?

I observed the line of men; they were tense, clutching their torches.

"I can’t move forward any further, sir. My body refuses to go down this path."

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

"Your body refuses to walk? What the hell happened to you?"

They all looked at me and answered in unison:

"FEAR!"

Another one next to me spoke up:

"I went past those trees and felt an overwhelming urge to hide. My body tells me not to face whatever’s on the other side of those trees," he said, trembling, as his torch fell to the ground.

When the torch hit the ground, another soldier jumped in fright.

I’m surrounded by idiots!

"Cousin, what good is the whistle if your men are scared of the tigers?" I asked Joe, who had stopped next to me.

"I’ve seen these guys walk side by side with the tigers. Whatever they’re afraid of, I don’t think it’s the tigers," Joe replied.

I sighed.

"I’ll check it out myself!" I said angrily, and just as I was about to cross the line they had formed, there was a shout.

"KNEEL BEFORE YOUR GOD!"

‘KABOOM!’

A terrifying voice boomed as the sky exploded with lightning, turning everything white. The deafening sound of the voice mixed with the thunder was indescribable.

I looked around, and all the soldiers were collapsing to the ground.

I tried to speak, but my voice faltered as if my body refused to offend that authority. It was as if breathing was forbidden in the presence of such power.

"Wh-why… are you… kneeling?" I asked with difficulty, seeing everyone fall to their knees.

There was an overwhelming presence, like a living mountain staring down at me, and to that existence, I was nothing more than… a rat.

"I-I-I don’t know, sir! My body just knelt on its own," one soldier stammered.

Some had dropped to their knees so quickly that they were practically prostrating, unable to look forward. Every soldier was on the ground before that terrifying presence.

“Wh-why? Why are you kneeling, Joe?” I could barely ask my cousin, feeling my breath tighten. It was as if my lungs refused to give me air if I dared to speak, as though my body was taking control of me due to the overwhelming fear.

My cousin remained silent, gathering the strength to speak.

“Y-you’re kneeling too, Phill.”

The moment I heard those words, I looked down and realized that I was indeed on my knees.

How is this possible!? Did my body kneel on its own? What kind of power is this?

I looked up, and lightning danced across the sky, and suddenly, it started to rain.

Rain? It can’t be! It must be a coincidence. Nothing can bend nature to its will.

We remained kneeling for what felt like an eternity, and no one dared to speak out of fear. The presence seemed to be moving, and the closer it got, the more my body urged me to bury myself in the ground and hide.

“What the hell is going on here?” A knight-mage descended from the sky on an Asalon, a winged horse.

Everyone stayed silent, still kneeling on the ground.

An Inquisitor!? The pinnacle of the kingdom’s mages.

“What happened here? There was an explosion from this area, and I had to rush over. When I observed the area from the sky, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Why is an entire army kneeling on the ground?” the Inquisitor demanded.

We tried to speak, but couldn’t, and then suddenly, the crushing pressure lifted.

Can I move my body?

I moved my hands, and though they were trembling, I had control over them again.

“You! Royal Guard Sergeant,” the Inquisitor pointed at me. “What happened here?”

“We were on a mission to rescue a boy, sir!” I replied to the Inquisitor. Despite his youth, he held the highest rank and power.

“A boy? What do you mean, rescue?” he asked, and at that moment, many people began to emerge from the forest.

Nobles were appearing.

“What happened here?” asked a familiar voice.

Queen Agnes!

“I’m trying to find out, my queen. These men here were acting crazy; they were all kneeling on the ground,” the Inquisitor said.

“Kneeling?” the king asked, appearing on the scene.

More people began to arrive, the guests from the party.

“Is this some kind of joke or prank on my birthday?” the prince asked.

All the soldiers looked at each other, unsure of how to explain that our bodies had automatically knelt before an overwhelming presence. Even if the king repeated those words, he couldn’t make them sound as authoritative as that voice.

That wasn’t even close to something that could be called a king. The title of ‘king’ would insult such authority; that voice felt more like…

A god…

The rain was stopping, and everyone looked up in surprise.

That power dissipated a cloud in the sky!? Impossible!

“Nathan Evenhart!” a voice shouted.

Many nobles were emerging from the forest, but what caught my attention the most was…

The boy! Could it have been him?

The troublesome boy was having his ear pulled by his mother.

“What have you been up to!?” she demanded.

“Sorry, mother!” he said, trying to free himself from her grip.

No… this is madness. In the end, the little shit must have just turned back and been found by his mother.

“Your Majesty, it seems something happened with the tigers,” one of the guards said, coming out of the forest.

“Don’t tell me they injured someone…” the queen said, looking at us.

The boy is alive, so did they kill someone else?

“It’s not that, my queen. Most of the tigers are unconscious… but their leader is acting strange,” the guard reported.

“What do you mean, strange?” the queen asked.

“The tiger is trembling with fear.”