When Blackfire disappeared from the arena, all the Agarthians looked at the Giant Skeleton King, who stood tall and proud above them.
"Are you not entertained?" the Skeleton King asked, spreading its arms wide as if challenging anyone who would say otherwise.
However, someone did reply to its inquiry, and it came from the highest seat of honor in the Gladiator's Coliseum. The one who ruled over Agartha, and held complete control of this ancient Kingdom, King Septimius.
"We are entertained."
King Septimius looked at the Giant Skeleton King, and the latter looked down on the King of Agartha due to its height.
"Good," the Skeleton King replied.
A moment later, it turned into particles of light, leaving Lux in the sky, floating with his Draconic Wings spread wide.
The Half-Elf then slowly descended to the ground with a calm expression on his face. However, this was only a facade.
He was drained of his energy, and if it were not for the fact that he had to keep appearances, he might have laid down on the ground to sleep.
The members of his Covenant, whom he had called to help him, had also materialized on the ground beside him.
Bedivere, Zagan, ALL-MITE, Garret, and King Leoric.
Since they were part of Lux's Covenant, they could still fight alongside the Half-Elf, who could no longer summon the rest of his Undead Army for an entire day.
Bedivere and Garret, who were stationed in Leaf Village and Lux's Guild Headquarters most of the time, were quite surprised when they were summoned.
However, after witnessing the extraordinary battle for themselves, they were quite excited to welcome Leonidas as their comrade.
Currently, the Mercenary Leader and the other Gladiators were inside Blackfire.
As to when they would make their appearance, only the Black Coffin knew.
"Have we earned our freedom to go on an adventure in your mighty Kingdom, Your Majesty?" Gaap asked with a smile. "Or will you go back on your word and silence us, like what you did to the other Highlanders that had come before us?"
King Septimius snorted after hearing Gaap's taunt.
"Although the outcome is truly unexpected, my word remains the same," King Septimius replied. "You and Lux have earned the right to travel our lands unhindered. You will also be escorted by the Saintess Cleo, who will bear my decree.
"A decree that no one who calls themselves Agarthian will come to trouble you, unless they are bandits and criminals who don't recognize the law. If you are to meet these people, feel free to handle them as you see fit. For they are not my people and not bound by the laws of my kingdom."
Gaap nodded. "Ah, before I forget, you said that we can also visit Misfortune's Beloved in the Pantheon of Exile. Is that promise still in effect?"
"I already said it earlier, Halfling," King Septimius stated. "Do not make me repeat myself."
"My apologies, Your Majesty." Gaap bowed respectfully.
The Halfling's plan was to let the citizens of Agartha know why they had come to their Kingdom.
If everyone were to find out that they were here to visit the Misfortune's Beloved, they would pay extra attention to their journey, which would serve as an added layer of protection should King Septimius choose to go back on his word.
Lux, who had remained silent a moment ago, raised his right fist high up in the air for everyone to see.
"Today, I have witnessed the sheer strength and willpower of Agarthians," Lux shouted. "If all of you here today have a tenth of Leonidas' courage and determination, I believe that the Kingdom of Agartha would prosper forevermore.
"Know that even above in the Surface World, very few people have the same courage that he has displayed here today. If there is anyone here who is just like Leonidas, feel free to join my Guild. I am recruiting strong people like you!"
The corner of Gaap's and King Septimius' lips twitched after hearing Lux's shameless advertisement.
Clearly, the Half-Elf wanted to take advantage of the situation and get able-bodied warriors, who would fight alongside him.
Before the Half-Elf could continue his shameless act, King Septimius cleared his throat, catching everyone's attention.
"Before you wander our Ancient Domain, I invite the two of you to participate in the Birthday Celebration of my youngest daughter, Princess Shayna, which will take place in two days' time," King Septimius stated. "Also, you don't have the right to refuse my invitation, for that will mean disrespect to me and my kingdom."
Lux and Gaap glanced at each other and nodded their heads. Although the Half-Elf wanted to go to the Pantheon of Exile in order to see Aurora as soon as possible, he deemed that forming a good relationship with the current King was also important.
After all, King Septimius was still Aurora's father.
King Septimius then stood up and raised his hand, addressing his citizens.
"Today, we have witnessed a great battle of the wills," King Septimius stated. "The event has now ended, and all of you are free to spread the news of what happened here today. Also, if you happen to meet our two guests during their journey, feel free to show them how we treat our guests."
The corner of King Septimius' lips rose because he believed that after this day, Lux's fame would spread across his kingdom.
Naturally, this would also cause problems for the Half-Elf, and he was very keen to see what kind of trouble he would find himself in as he journeyed through the Ancient Kingdom, which had stood tall since time immemorial.
As if taking their King's words as a sign, all the spectators applauded the victors of the Gladiator Match.
Although they felt bad about Leonidas' loss, it didn't change the fact that the battle made their blood boil due to how awesome it was.
Of course, there were a lot of spectators who were looking at the Half-Elf in a new light, and some of them were thinking about forming connections with him in order to take advantage of his newfound popularity in Agartha.
'Although the King looks amiable right now, don't trust him too much, okay?' Gaap cautioned Lux through their Guild Chat. 'We don't know anything about this hospitality thing that he mentioned just now, so make sure to keep your guard up during the Princess' Birthday Celebration.'
'Understood, Master,' Lux replied. 'I'll make sure to pay attention to my surroundings.'
Now that they had cleared their first obstacle in Agartha, the two decided to stay for a while and join the festivities.
They were unaware that in one of the VIP Rooms of the Coliseum, Princess Shayna was looking at them with a sweet smile on their face.
'He's a good person,' Princess Shayna thought as she looked at the Half-Elf who had come to Agartha to meet her Elder Sister, Aurora. 'I hope I can talk to him during the party.'
The Youngest Princess of Agartha left her room with a smile on her face. She came to the Coliseum to see Lux, and what she had seen would remain in her memory and heart forever.
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