Chapter 191: Standoff (1)
Lysaria stood in front of the Knight-Captain, unflinching. She met the captain’s gaze without hesitation.
"Senior, I am Lysaria. A Vestal of the Inner Flame, from the Church of Light of the Korvan Kingdom."
The captain’s expression softened slightly. A Vestal was not someone she could dismiss out of hand. "A Vestal? What is a servant of the Light doing in this backwater, consorting with dark mages and peasants?"
"I am here," Lysaria said, her voice ringing with conviction, "because this ’peasant’ has done more for the Light than any man I have ever known."
She pointed a hand back at Riku. "He is Riku. That is the man who single-handedly exposed the corruption of Vestarch Elian in Vintross. This is the man who saved the city of Luxia from the Crimson Creep. This is the man whose Lifewell Project has been given the full blessing and funding of King Harius himself to end the famine."
She took a deep breath. Her voice did not waver. "You stand before a hero of the Korvan Kingdom. He is a guest of our King. And he is a true friend of the Light. You will show him the respect he has earned."
The Knight-Captain stared at Lysaria. Her glowing eyes narrowed slightly. The impassive mask of authority wavered. It was replaced by a flicker of genuine curiosity.
"Riku," she repeated, the name sounding strange on her. "The hero of the Korvan Kingdom?"
She looked past Lysaria. Her gaze settled on Riku once more. This time, it was not the look of a judge. It was the look of an investigator who had just found a major, unexpected piece of the puzzle.
"We have heard reports," the Knight-Captain admitted. Her voice was still firm, but it had lost its earlier condescending edge. "Reports from the capital of the Korvan Kingdom, Luxia. A new Grand Luminar has risen. A plague was purged. A man named Riku was at the center of it all."
She looked from Riku to the prosperous village around them. "We assumed they were exaggerated tales. The fanciful stories of a backwater kingdom."
Her eyes met Riku’s again. "It seems we may have been mistaken."