Chapter 314
Chapter 314: The Cat-Girl I Promised Last Time Has Arrived
Silver-clad figures bearing longswords surrounded the area, trapping the cloud-like mass of diplomatic ministers within a silver vortex at the center.
The Knights stood at full alert. The diplomats' faces were etched with gravity; they wore matching blue-black robes that resembled the night sky, arranged in formation around a single person.
The young woman at the center wore armor crafted from special materials, her pristine and slender skirt flowing like a swallowtail, swaying with elegant grace.
Heavy pauldrons lay over the skirt, their surface radiating a shifting iridescent sheen, magical patterns and ancient Runes appearing and vanishing within the crevices of the armor.
Her brilliant silver-white long hair melded seamlessly with the armor, like a silver star gleaming in the light of day.
Auréliane led a retinue of Knights and diplomats at the bustling Magic Train platform, quietly awaiting the imminent arrival of the train.
The platform around them was packed with people, shoulder to shoulder, all there to catch a glimpse of the Princess.
The Carencia Empire would never let diplomatic matters fall behind schedule.
Every year, neighboring nations sent delegations here.
The Kant Kingdom was no exception. As the adjacent great power on this continent, exchanges between the 2 nations were naturally frequent.
But this time, Emperor Aubrey's decision to have Auréliane accompany the diplomatic delegation to the Kant Kingdom was unexpected.
Even the most senior diplomatic ministers, upon learning of the Emperor's decision and catching sight of Auréliane, found all manner of speculations stirring within them.
It was apparent the Emperor genuinely intended for Auréliane to continue the Imperial family's rule.
Otherwise, why send her to visit a foreign nation in the Empire's name, on the very eve of her upcoming birthday?
In recent times, Auréliane Sorel's name had become thunderous and widely known—everyone was aware she was to be the Empire's future ruler.
The current Emperor seemed to want Auréliane to accumulate more political achievements before her accession, in order to demonstrate her leadership abilities to the ministers and the populace.
The train had arrived at the platform, yet no one had boarded; the diplomatic delegation continued to wait, and no one dared ask Auréliane about it.
After all, someone had yet to arrive.
At that moment, Auréliane's Knight escort noticed the crowd parting of its own accord on both sides, clearing a path for someone.
A silver figure appeared at the far end of the crowd.
She wore silver Beast-face Armor; sharp fangs jutted from the enormous maw on the chestpiece, glinting with a silver chill.
A longsword hung at her waist—though the blade remained sheathed, a scorching aura surged ceaselessly outward in every direction.
Her long silver cape billowed with the breeze, like a pair of radiant wings.
Gwen led a group of Demi-human guards and appeared at the far end of the crowd, commanding and imposing.
The moment the Knights caught sight of Gwen's familiar Beast-face Armor, they lit up with surprise and delight.
"It's Grand Knight Commander Gwen!"
"Show some respect—she's not Grand Knight Commander anymore, she's Countess Gwen!"
Gwen had already resigned from her position as Grand Knight Commander of the Royal Knight Company and returned to the Delin Family to inherit the head-of-household title. The Knights had all heard this news.
Yet precisely because of this, the Knights held even greater admiration for Grand Knight Gwen.
Every Knight knew that this Family was a legendary presence among Knights.
They guarded their region, stood as paragons of righteousness, governed their city from atop a snowfield, and repelled foreign enemies.
They were the protectors of the north—upright and unyielding.
The Grand Knights who hailed from the Northern Frontier—their names had long since resounded across the continent.
And Gwen, who had now inherited the head-of-household title, was the hero in the hearts of countless Knights.
Unreachable.
Yet the unit Gwen led appeared to contain not a single Knight among them.
Every one of them looked like a girl in her youth, each wearing a unique beast-shaped mask that concealed their features.
Only their mysterious eyes, noses, and mouths were left exposed.
Their slender frames, the different-colored cat ears and dog ears atop their heads—all of it imprinted itself upon the eyes of every onlooker.
Still, the distinctive armor they wore—a composite of beast bone and cold iron unlike anything the Knights used—confirmed their remarkable identities.
The Clavena Family's Demi-human guard unit.
Everyone knew the relationship between the Clavena Family and the Demi-humans ran deep.
After all, it was only the Clavena Family that possessed a special unit like this.
At that moment, Gwen walked to the front of the Knight Company, then turned around, her calm gaze fixed steadily on the Demi-human unit in the distance.
The Demi-humans moved their legs and struck the floor in a rhythmic cadence.
Thud, thud, thud—
The footfalls of dozens of Demi-humans were nearly perfectly synchronized, the sound of each step almost completely overlapping with the others; their movements were swift, forceful, precise, and imposing.
Their gazes remained fixed ahead, every movement flawless to the tiniest detail, their coordination with one another having reached a level that inspired something close to awe.
As they marched down the path the crowd had yielded, the sound surged up in waves, one after another.
The onlookers were struck by the discipline and uniformity of the Demi-human unit; they involuntarily stepped back a few paces.
It was as though each step of that powerful formation carried the cold edge of a drawn blade.
The Knights, too, stared in a daze.
They had never imagined a unit's conduct could be unified to such a degree.
The Demi-human unit before them—the rigid discipline visible to the naked eye—surpassed even these Knights.
Every one of them could not help but feel a pang of inadequacy.
This entire group of Knights felt inadequate by comparison.
To achieve this level of precision, one could only imagine the effort poured in, the sweat shed.
They had only heard rumors before about the strictness of the Demi-human unit; now, seeing it in person, they found the reputation entirely deserved.
Yet…the diplomatic ministers and Knights alike could not help but grow somewhat puzzled.
This was merely a trip outside the Empire, a visit to the Kant Kingdom.
Why bring along so many guards?
Setting aside the fact that the Knight Company combined with the Demi-human guard unit already exceeded their expectations in number—
Even Grand Knight Gwen herself had come in person. By the looks of it, they were perhaps intent on protecting Auréliane with the utmost rigor.
Was this really necessary just for a Princess visiting a foreign nation?
It seemed the Emperor truly was exceptionally protective of this daughter of his.
The diplomatic ministers' thoughts did not stop there.
If both Gwen and the Clavena Family's Demi-human unit had come here—
Did that mean…Viktor was coming too?
As they were mulling this over.
Suddenly, a gust of wind swept across the faces of everyone present.
Countless people instinctively looked up.
And there above—no one could say when it had begun—a turbulent hurricane had abruptly formed in the clouds.
The white clouds were whipped into a vortex-like enormous eye, the churning wind resembling a colossal coiling serpent descending from the sky.
Whoosh—
The storm arrived, the air all around whipping into rapid motion.
The armor on Auréliane's body clattered and rattled in the gale; the Knights felt the powerful wind pressure, their footing seemingly unsteady.
White billowing mist slowly gathered, only to suddenly scatter and burst apart.
As the storm receded, a pitch-black figure wrapped in white patterns appeared within it.
It was Viktor Clavena.
Beneath the astonished gazes of everyone present, Viktor descended before Auréliane and gave her an elegant bow:
"Your Highness."
At the moment they laid eyes on Viktor, the Demi-human guards likewise turned to face Auréliane and dropped to one knee.
The bone armor on their bodies clattered against itself, ringing out with a sharp and resonant sound.
Their voices were slender yet carried a quality of resilience; the heavy unified cry merged into one and poured forth from within the formation:
"Your Highness!"
The onlookers gathered nearby, the Knights waiting to the side, and the solemn-faced diplomatic officials all witnessed the scene before them—every one of them gave an involuntary shudder.
Viktor Clavena had truly come!
Everyone knew that Viktor was the publicly recognized most formidable 4th-Tier Mage in the Empire at present.
And the time since he had become a 4th-Tier Mage was no more than a few months.
That such a young and powerful Mage would now be accompanying them—
The diplomatic ministers and the Knights who had no idea what was going on both felt a creeping sense of unease.
Surely they weren't heading to the Kingdom not to pay a visit, but to go to war?
The procession gradually formed up. The Knights guided the horses toward the train carriages.
Viktor walked side by side with Auréliane.
Behind them followed Gwen and the entire Demi-human unit.
The Demi-humans encircled the diplomatic officials, as though surrounding them in protection.
The officials were somewhat unsettled; beads of fine sweat formed on their foreheads as they deliberately kept a certain distance from the Demi-humans around them.
After all, those beside them were Demi-humans.
Even if they appeared disciplined, to the diplomatic officials' eyes, Demi-humans always carried a bestiality difficult to conceal.
As Viktor walked alongside Auréliane and was about to step into the train, he offered her a word of reminder:
"Your Highness, on this trip to the Kant Kingdom, you hold the rank of Princess—mind your words and conduct."
"You represent the attitude of the entire Empire."
Every word Viktor spoke reached Auréliane's ears in full.
She gave a quiet nod, committing Viktor's words to heart.
The Kant Kingdom's national circumstances differed somewhat from those of the Carencia Empire.
The Empire was a state with a highly centralized Imperial authority; even if subjects held noble titles and responsibilities, all final decisions ultimately followed the Emperor's decree.
The Kant Kingdom, however, was somewhat different.
Beneath the Kant Kingdom's royal seat, there were hundreds of Lords.
When the King issued any command, it was not delivered directly to every subject's ears; instead, it was passed down through hierarchical rank to the Lords of the next level.
Orders were carried out one tier at a time.
Each Lord, within his own city, was like a minor king.
He held sway over the entire Territory's economic, cultural, and political direction—even the rules governing the Territory itself.
It was possible that commoners living within a Territory might go their entire lives without ever meeting an official of greater authority than their own Lord.
Auréliane nodded along as she walked to the foremost carriage.
Viktor continued:
"Ah, and Your Highness—this journey is a very long one. The train's comfort level may not be quite what you are accustomed to, and the environment after arriving in the Kingdom may differ from what you are used to in the Imperial Palace."
So he turned around and called out into the Demi-human unit:
"Xiangyilan."
As his voice rang out, a white-haired girl with cat ears stepped forward from the formation.
She stood before Auréliane and gave this esteemed Princess a deep bow.
Auréliane looked at Xiangyilan's appearance, and could not help feeling somewhat surprised inside.
A Demi-human wearing a maidservant's uniform?
This Demi-human maidservant's bearing and presentation were worlds apart from the traditional notions she held.
Her manners and her delicate features even prompted something close to fondness in Auréliane.
She had never seen such a refined and gentle Demi-human—this was entirely at odds with the savage image that circulated in common talk.
Yet the Xiangyilan before her, no matter how she looked at her, bore no resemblance to the savage figure described in those rumors.
Auréliane was somewhat puzzled, when she heard Viktor continue:
"Your Highness, allow her to tend to your daily needs for the duration of this period."