CHAPTER 288: THE URGENT AUDIENCE

"We have fifty. I will call everyone in the workshop right away. Please gather every magic stone you can find. The more the better. I will leave that to you, Master. Well then, I will start mass production! Ah, I am so busy!"

Aaron said everything he wanted to say and then ran out of the meeting room.

At this pace, he looked like he could make one hundred or even two hundred in no time.

Since it was originally an island nation with no threatening countries nearby, they probably never needed the fortress-like architecture seen on the Western Continent.

Dominic felt anger rise in him as he thought about how Isolde had brought unnecessary disaster into what should have been a peaceful country.

A guard on patrol noticed Dominic and shouted.

"Hey! Who are you? I’ve never seen you before. Don’t move!"

Several soldiers rushed toward him with weapons in hand.

They wore sleeveless linen tops, rough-woven knee-length pants, and simple leather chest and waist guards.

Their feet were in sandals tied down with leather straps that was suited for the heat.

Dominic’s long-sleeved silk robe, his belt, and the loose trousers that reached his ankles were not very practical.

Compared to theirs, his clothes looked high-class, it looks like something that usually worn by someone of higher rank.

When they noticed his clothing, the soldiers changed their tone in confusion.

"Wh-who might you be, sir? What is your business here? Someone, go call a chamberlain!"

All the soldiers had brownish hair and tanned skin.

Perhaps Dominic’s blond hair was rare here.

He felt their eyes flickering toward it again and again.

"I need to speak with the queen. Take me to her."

He spoke briefly because time was precious, but it didn’t work.

The soldiers stirred and the air immediately filled with killing intent, they’re pointed their spears and swords at him.

Dominic responded by placing his hand on his sword’s hilt and releasing his own pressure.

He glared at them with a sharp and cold stare.

The force coming off him was so strong that the soldiers faltered and stepped back.

Honestly, none of them could defeat him, even if they all attacked at once.

These fearful soldiers were no challenge at all.

"I am Dominic de Beaumont, Special Knight of the Kingdom of Rosaria in the Western Continent. I urgently request an audience with the Queen of Solmaria. Please take me to her."

Dominic raised his voice clearly toward the stiff and uneasy soldiers.

They had probably never heard of the Western Continent or the Kingdom of Rosaria.

The names meant nothing to them.

But they could sensed his authority and all of them shrank back at once.

"Ah, Sir Knight, we will prepare an audience at once. Please wait in a side room until then."

A man who seemed to be their captain or at least a higher-ranking officer stepped forward.

At that moment, Dominic did not miss the quick glance the man threw toward a certain direction.

"I don’t have time to wait. This is urgent. The queen is in her office, isn’t she? I’ll go there."

He climbed the stairs and stepped out onto the open corridor that curved around the outside of the building.

Without hesitation, he strode toward the direction he had judged earlier.

The captain panicked and hurried in front of him.

"I will guide you."

Since Dominic kept walking without hesitation, the captain had to almost jog to stay ahead of him.

When they turned along the corridor and walked into an inner hallway, they reached a door guarded by sentries.

Other rooms seemed the same, with large half-circle frames on the wooden walls filled with openwork carvings.

Both sides of the door had similar delicate carved patterns and the black door itself was covered with detailed designs of flowers and trees.

The structure valued airflow more than safety or airtightness.

Different countries and climates clearly shaped very different styles of buildings.

The guards stiffened at the sight of an unfamiliar man.

The captain who had guided Dominic began to speak, "We seek an audience with Her Majesty, so please wait—"

But before he finished the sentence, the door burst open from inside.

The guards and the captain stared wide-eyed at the opening door and quickly bowed their heads.

"I was looking for you. So you have returned!"

The queen with her face full of emotion grabbed Dominic and pulled him into the room as if urging him to hurry.

It seemed to be the queen’s office.

Five desks were arranged inside and four men were working.

All of them froze in surprise with their heads still lifted.

Another man sat on a distant sofa while staring at Dominic with a dumb and blank expression.

"Micah! This man is Dominic. He is my—"

"It is an honor to meet you for the first time. I am Dominic de Beaumont, Special Knight of the Kingdom of Rosaria on the Western Continent."

Dominic quickly spoke over Isolde’s words just as she began to say something to the thin elderly man who seemed to be the oldest present.

He had no intention of allowing her to create any misunderstanding.

"This is an emergency, so please forgive my rudeness. As the acting representative of the King of Rosaria, I have matters to discuss with the Kingdom of Solmaria and with Her Majesty the Queen."

Judging by the man’s age and the many strands of white in his gray hair, Dominic assumed he was likely the chancellor, and he directed his words to him.

Understanding Dominic’s position, the chancellor rose from his seat and stood straight.

"Dominic! Why are you being so formal? I—"

Isolde tried to hurry toward him, but Dominic turned a cold and hard gaze on her.

Isolde froze mid-step.

"I stand here in an official role. Please keep personal matters away from this."

Then, Dominic put even more coldness into his voice.

He wanted every word to strike like freezing wind.