The two guardians waiting outside the Castle with Jonathan displayed distinctly different expressions.
Although the ease on their faces had diminished considerably after Gugat appeared, they still seemed composed compared to everyone else present.
Standing behind and to Jonathan's right was a crew-cut brute with a three-section staff wrapped around his waist and two Spiked Maces slung crossed over his back.
The brute had brown, slightly curly hair, and combined with his crew cut, his head looked like a neatly trimmed lawn.
Standing over two meters tall, he was a full head taller than the Duke.
He was impossible to miss at a glance.
What drew attention was that both his eyebrows and beard were white.
Even his irises carried a faint whitish hue.
It gave him a somewhat strange appearance.
His comparatively calm expression made him especially eye-catching.
He did not release any aura, but anyone with discerning eyes could easily sense the confidence belonging to a guardian-level powerhouse.
He wore only a suit of plain armor that could almost be called crude.
There were no patterns on the armor, nor were there any traces of flowing Runes.
It looked like an unremarkable suit of low-tier light armor.
Yet the plainer it was, the more it created a mysterious contrast.
Beside him, behind and to Jonathan's left, was a woman with a ponytail that fell past her waist.
She was petite and wore an earthy yellow mage robe embroidered with green vines and red flowering branches.
The robe came with a hood, which was pressed beneath her ponytail.
Though petite in stature, she looked exceptionally mature.
There were even crow's feet at the corners of her eyes, marks left by time.
Her skin was smooth and fair, glimmering faintly beneath the magical energy lamps on either side of the