Eastern Kingdom, capital Lunsenburg.
Within the royal palace, the lingering blood-red glow had everyone on edge. But constrained by the Old King's usual severity, most did not even dare stop to look for a moment.
In the study, the aged Old King, whose energy had begun to fail him, was sprawled over the desk in deep sleep. To his left sat a thick stack of documents awaiting review. The attendant beside him was uneasy; faced with such a bizarre phenomenon, he did not know whether he should alert the increasingly irritable Old King.
Fortunately, a series of footsteps came to his rescue.
"General Howell!" The attendant looked delighted.
"You may leave. I need to speak with His Majesty alone."
He was a burly middle-aged man. Though his tone was calm, the imposing aura rolling off him was still almost unbearable even for an attendant who had served the king for years.
Only a warrior seasoned by countless battlefields could possess such a chilling presence.
The attendant hesitated, but ultimately nodded and quietly left.
The king had suddenly felt inspired to be diligent tonight, staying up to learn about tax revenues from across the realm. Thus, he had brought only this one attendant with him. Ordinarily, the attendant should not have left. But General Howell's reputation was known to nearly everyone in the capital, Lunsenburg.
He was the Old King's most trusted man. Their bond had been forged when Howell had followed the king through campaigns north and south in his youth, and they had never turned against each other over struggles for power or anything of the sort.
That was precisely why he could enter and leave the palace's restricted areas at will.
"Don't go too far. I'll still need you to attend to us later."
As the attendant closed