Chapter 218: A Heroes Welcome 

Leif walked alongside the train of carts as they approached the distant castle. It jutted proudly from a steep ridge, and it was constructed from a dour, grey stone. By contrast, the town it loomed over was far brighter in its diversity of colours and decorations, though even that was dulled by the shadow that fell over the houses and fields. 

The soldiers flanking the procession of volunteers, guards and adventurers steered them away from the settlement and up along a winding path made of coarse gravel that led up to the castle. The wheels of the carts struggled to gain traction, and Leif found himself walking up and down the length of the convoy, using his magic to help push things along. 

Wherever he went, the duke's soldiers shuffled away, more eager to posture and prod at those they no doubt saw as weaker. 

“They d’on like you.” Rou said as the large boy followed after Leif during his rounds. 

“I don’t think they like any of us.” Leif replied, not bothering to lower his voice. The nearby soldiers shot him and Rou looks that were hard to make out under their helmets, but the scion could tell through other means that they were approaching hostile. 

Rou, oblivious to this, continued. “Not friendly. Are these mean people?”

“They’re more used to punching down than battling monsters.” Leif commented. “They have duties, you understand? They’re simply too busy to protect those who cannot protect themselves.”

The large boy nodded seriously while the soldiers shuffled uncomfortably. Normally Leif wouldn’t provoke a group of armed men, but if they were going to act like they were escorting prisoners instead of heroes, then he would make sure they understood his displeasure. 

A trio of riders galloped down from the castle, the convoy coming to a halt as the Dukes herald rode out to greet them. Leif moved up the procession of now stilled vehicles, letting his presence be felt. One of the oxen owned by a group of volunteers was chuffing as it struggled against its bonds, clearly agitated by the sheer drop to their left. A soldier yelled for them to calm the beast, which only startled the animal further. It jerked to the side, its leg slipping on the loose stones of the path.

There was a nauseating snap as the beast's leg broke, the cart lurching to the side, its occupants crying out in surprise. Fortunately, Leif was already there, his will keeping the vehicle in place as his aura soothed the ox. Without needing to say anything, Rou stepped in to hold the cart, and Leif knelt to quickly heal the wild eyed animal. 

His magic, if he used enough of it, could both set and heal the bone, but there was little reason to be wasteful. With two arms of amber energy he pulled the leg back into place with a quick motion, then restored it to perfect form within seconds. The ox huffed, as if it wasn’t sure where the pain had gone.

“Good lad.” Leif said, clapping Rou on the shoulder. The large boy grinned guilelessly and waved at those they had just helped. Leif rubbed under the chin of the beast he had healed, though his eyes were on the rider’s who had come to a stop some hundred metres from their group. 

He couldn’t make out what was being said, but he could feel the aura strength of the newcomers. They were strong, equivalent in rank to his own, though without the raw attributes he possessed. Their strength indicated both a substantial amount of levels, but also age. One of the riders gave off the impression of a sword bathed in crimson moonlight, another a swarm of buzzing locusts. The third was deceptively peaceful, like something lurking below a still lake. 

An uncomfortable sensation, like a thousand tiny legs clawing against his very being drew Leif’s attention to the second rider, and judging by the panicked gasps and cries of alarm from those around him he was not the only one to feel it. A prickle of an analysis skill grated against Leif’s aura, it was intrusive and almost crude, and he had no wish to have his identity or ability revealed, so he swatted it away. With a flare of his own aura he lifted the skittering pressure away from those he was travelling with, much to their relief.

The rider’s head turned in his direction, and Leif stared at the individual, a man judging by his build, across the distance. It only lasted a handful of seconds, then the brightly dressed herald interposed himself between them, and the man’s presence faded. 

“I not like that.” Rou said, shuddering. 

“No… I can imagine why. Come, let’s get you to Silas.” Leif marched forward, but having projected his power out so forcefully, none of the soldiers seemed keen on getting in his way. He had to temper the feeling of satisfaction he got at seeing them scurry through the gaps between the carts to get out of his way. He may not like them, but revelling in overpowering others was not a path he intended to walk.

They passed Harriet, the aged woman was staring impassively up at the castle. Her eyes flicked to him, and her expression tightened in worry. They had predicted some sort of power play or show of force, and if their guesses were correct, the three powerful figures were high ranked guild members, if not outright leaders of their respective organisations. 

“abrasive, aren’t they?” She asked. 

“I’m sure they’ll be even more pleasant in person.” He replied, earning a slight smile, though it looked forced. 

He reached the front-most cart and stood beside Silas, the older man was grinding his cane into the gravel at his feet with enough force to turn the small stones to dust. 

“Continue on!” A skill empowered voice called, the words combined with an almost physical tugging sensation. “Do not dally, the day’s festivities will begin soon!” The herald added. The row of soldiers started moving a heartbeat before everyone else. 

The path sloped downwards, and a ravine with a bridge came into view as the group began their gradual descent. Silas kept shooting worried looks at the cart next to him, but Hylon was having little issues driving the vehicle down the incline. 

“I don’t envy any force trying to attack this place.” The old man eventually said.

“Assuming this is the only way to enter.” Leif said.

Silas shrugged one shoulder. “There’s probably a pulley system to get supplies up from the town below. Possibly hidden tunnels below the castle.” 

“Should I be worried that you’re planning an invasion?”

The man grunted. “Old habits. Forget I said anything.”

“Oh, you don’t think you could seize this castle with the mighty army you’ve assembled?”

“Not sure about mighty.” Hylon said. “Or ‘army’ for that matter.” The boy rubbed his chin in thought. “Maybe the younger kids could infiltrate up through the tunnels?”

“I could probably throw you up onto the outer wall.” Leif suggested. 

“Oh! We could build a catapult. Wood magic would make it pretty easy to make, no?”

“Hmm. I know, I’ve never considered it, but you may be right.”

“Lets not give our hosts any more reason to be pissy.” Silas sighed. He nodded towards where the herald and three riders were crossing the bridge ahead of them. There was a small tower on the other side, small compared to the castle, and a figure with a bow peered over the parapet. 

“What would you even do with a castle?” Hylon asked. “Just sit in it all day? Would this thing have even seen action during the war? The enslavers didn’t get anywhere near this far south.” 

“Not during that war. But borders change, and our relationship with the neighbouring countries have not always been so… favourable.” Silas said.

Leif could sense that his words held truth. There were invisible signs his [Sympathy From Experience] skill was picking up all around that this place had at one point in the distant past been the sight of a battle, perhaps multiple. But there were less invisible signs as well, the larger boulders that flanked the path were mired with small cuts and pockmarks, and the wooden bridge they were approaching had wear that wasn’t just from the passing of time. 

“You’d think people would have given up fighting among themselves.” Hylon said after a brief pause. A handful of soldiers had run forward to ensure that the bridge wouldn’t be over encumbered by those crossing it.

“I’ve found myself thinking the same.” Leif said, preparing to make himself lighter temporarily with [Gold Iron Physique]. “The conclusions I’ve reached are… depressing.”

“What are they?” The boy asked, but it was Silas that answered. 

“Human nature.” The man spat over the side of the bridge. 

“There is good in people.” Leif said, strengthening the wooden planks he stepped on. “But I find myself agreeing with your grandfather.” Hylon didn’t look convinced, so Leif directed his attention upwards with a gentle application of his aura. “A place like this wasn’t built to keep out monsters. It's a symbol of power, of authority, but not over the environment.”

“Yeah… I get that.” Hylon said. “Maybe if people built fortifications where they were actually needed.” There was a weight to his words, an emotion that hung in the air that reminded Leif of barely suppressed grief. 

He supposed that you didn’t become a war orphan without having lost everything. Leif didn’t know the boy’s story, but he could imagine. 

===

There was no celebratory entourage waiting beyond the massive iron portcullis, just two dozen men and women veiled in steel, what little light filtered into the shadowed courtyards of the castle glinting off helm and speartip. Plainly dressed servants scurried out of a side building constructed into the outer wall, and they ushered the subjugation force inside, their shoulders hunched and weariness plastered onto their expressions.

Their carts and animals were taken away, and Leif couldn’t help but notice that the stables and yards where such things were normally done were already full. They weren’t the first one’s here, but that wasn’t a surprise. The group Leif had travelled with was perhaps half of those who had assaulted the dungeon. He was proven right almost immediately as they were shepherded into a sparsely furnished hall barely large enough to squeeze everyone inside. 

Thirteen people were already milling around the hall, talking in hushed voices or sitting around the fireplace that had nothing but embers within it. Leif couldn’t name any of them, but he did recognise several as being from the subjugation. None of them were guild affiliated adventurers, nor were they related to the handful of minor nobility that had attended the dungeon delve. 

Several people shivered, and Leif could only imagine how poorly insulated the hall was. Two servants approached him, but they quickly took in his masked and ‘armoured’ appearance before deciding to attend to someone else. He was grateful for that, since he would have just sent them away if they had tried to help him.

The people of the subjugation force were grimy, their appearances ragged with torn cloth and battered armour. Their weapons were confiscated at the gate, though Leif as well as several others had ways of arming themselves anyway. Nobody had tried to pilfer through his storage ring, which showed wisdom. 

He sensed someone at his side, and a moment later Lucia materialised. She really was getting shockingly good at that. Leif guided them off to the side so they weren’t blocking the entrance.

“Do… Do I wear my mask?” She asked, and he glanced down to see her clutching it with both hands. 

He blinked, or whatever the equivalent was for his physiology. “I am, so it’s fine. Did you do up your hair?”

“Y-yeah. Cerri helped me with it. Does it look good? I can’t see it.”

Leif waved a hand, though he didn’t need to, and a golden echo of Lucia appeared where she had been standing only a moment prior. The girl leaned forward and studied the partially translucent copy of herself with more intensity on her face than he had seen on her during a fight. 

“I don’t know if I like it.” She said, sounding panicked. “It’s kind of, I don’t know, loopy?”

“As long as it doesn’t get in your eyes.”

“Right.”

The shrill voice of the herald suddenly echoed through the hall, making most people wince at the volume. The man had appeared from a previously closed door, and judging by the faint perspiration on his forehead and his laboured breathing, he had likely run through the castle to get there. 

“You have ten minutes, then you shall be led to the ballroom! There you shall be presented before the duke and his guests, and receive your reward! Any slights or insults against the lord of this place will be met with appropriate punishment, so try not to act like animals!”

They force march us for days, then don’t give us any chance to rest or recover. Leif thought, sensing the accumulating lifeforce somewhere up above them and deeper in the castle. A flicker of amusement passed through him, and he flexed his hands as he watched the herald spin around and leave the way he had come. This should be interesting. 

If the duke was expecting those he had called to be exhausted and off guard, he, and everyone else looking to take advantage would be in for a surprise.