Sam spent a long moment just taking a deep breath and letting it all go. He had planned to do a few more things back in Ferabor, gathering maybe some more intelligence on the royals, and maybe get into contact with Nowhere for extra support.

Alas, it seemed fate, or rather the game system, didn't want him to do that…

Meanwhile, the woman who received him was still standing there and watching him with something akin to morbid curiosity. As if seeing someone like him was rare…

Finally, after shaking off the shock of forced relocation and the fact that he was thrown into a situation he didn't really want, he looked at the woman and bowed deeply. From this point on, he would have to be extra careful, as he wouldn't be able to easily determine who was important, or more importantly, who were the people who held grudges over petty matters. Like not bowing deep enough…

Straightening up, he fell silent, waiting for the woman to respond.

She sent him a searching look, but didn't look angry or condescending to Sam. Though she still looked mighty bored.

"Very well. You've arrived with just enough time to make you presentable for His Royal Majesty," came the clipped reply, then the woman turned around on her heels – making no noise on the marble flooring – and without a glance back, started walking away.

Sam, knowing how these things work, simply began following her.

Thankfully, he had thrown the clothing that was given to him back at the Silvercrest manor into his inventory, so hopefully that will get him a few brownie points.

A few minutes of walking later, he was standing on a stool with an eccentric man measuring him while woman – who still hadn't introduced herself – watched on impassively.

He hesitantly spoke up. "I had acquired a set of clothing for the audience. Perhaps you could take a look at it?"

The tailor scoffed but thrust his hand toward him, waiting for the garments.

Sam took them out of his inventory, and the man immediately began to riffle through them, holding up to the light, clicking his tongue all the while.

"Subpar work, but with little alterations here and there, I can make it work," he finally declared, causing the woman to let out a relieved sigh. Apparently, even she wasn't looking forward to the procedure.

Almost an hour later, Sam was walking along another corridor, clad in his new clothing, now blessed with the royal tailor's 'it will do for a rush job' and once again following the nameless woman. The clothing, while making him look like a dressed-up ponce or clown, was surprisingly comfortable.

While Sam was admiring his new threads, the woman stopped in a small antechamber before a great double door and turned to him.

Sam also stopped and waited for the instructions.

"Please return all your weapons, tools, and other lethal implements to your storage, and please make sure that no familiar is present in any shape, way, form, or state of matter. Any violations of these orders will label you an assassin, will cause the guards to seize you and execute you," she stated in a monotone voice, as if reading from a card for the one hundredth time.

Sam compiled, putting away a few hidden daggers and such, plus a few tools courtesy of Liz, before looking at the woman. "Not even if he is cute?"

"Who is cute?"

"My familiar."

The woman sent him a look that promised violent things if he did not desist with his foolishness – not unlike the looks Lucy gave him sometimes – and just stayed silent.

Seeing no reason to talk anymore, he continued to put away things before looking up and nodding in confirmation.

The woman frowned and pulled up a stick with an oval top and began waving it around his body like he was standing in line, waiting to get his security clearance.

BEEP

It even beeped. Sam closed his eyes, trying to resist commenting, and by the time he managed to get control of his mouth, the beeping stopped and the woman stepped back.

"Very good. I expected at least one holdout weapon," she told him as she put away her own tool. "For some reason, adventurers don't feel safe without their weapons…and then I have to punish them," she finished with a sadistic smile on her face that vanished within the blink of an eye. Then she cleared her throat while Sam watched her awkwardly, not knowing how to tell the woman he was technically a mage, and weapons for him were just accessories.

"Now, then, when you enter the audience hall with His Royal Majesty, please keep in mind that you must, all the time, follow the protocol. At its most basic: only speak when spoken to, never approach His Royal Majesty without an order, and make sure to use everyone's appropriate title. There are more things, but nobody expects such things from a man like…yourself."

Sam let out a relieved chuckle. "Thank the gods… I hate doing those things."

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She didn't smile. "Quite…now, please, follow me."

The doors opened, and Sam found himself in another corridor. However, this time there were guards, dressed in gaudy armor, standing every few meters, ramrod straight and staring straight ahead. Sam could feel the heavy presence of their mana in the air, ready to strike at a moment's notice.

'They would probably cut me into pieces before I could even fart…' he mused as he followed along his silent guide, looking curiously at the artwork lining the walls.

Another twenty minutes of walking led them, to his unsurprise, to another double door, though this one was more ornate than the first one. It was bracketed by two serious looking guards, dressed in more gold than some people saw in their lives.

"Stay here, and enter when you hear your name," came the instruction from the woman, who then pushed on the wall, which turned into a hidden door not far from them, and vanished into darkness, leaving Sam alone with the guards.

He stayed silent for a moment, awkwardly fidgeting before speaking up.

"So…uh…know any good jokes?"

The two guards glanced at each other before the one on the right smiled and nodded.

"Yeah! Heard one last week about a donkey and dragon…"

The other one just groaned in pain. "Not that one! That's so stupid…"

They were exchanging stupid jokes, laughing when Sam heard a small fanfare and his name being announced. The two guards immediately snapped into parade rest, gave him a nod, then, in unison, stepped toward the double door, each grabbing one wing and pulling it open.

"Good luck!" the one on the right whispered to him as he stepped forward. Swallowing his nervousness, he returned a nod, then fixed his gaze forward, taking in the sight before him.

The hall wasn't as grand as he expected.

Instead of a great dais, with a throne from where the king could look down on the petitioners, the throne – a simple wooden affair, enhanced with cushions – sat on the marbled floor. There were several tables at the edge of the room, some holding snacks and drinks with maids and servants standing ready to serve them, while in the middle of the room was a giant wooden table covered by all manner of maps, documents, and a few artifacts projecting see-through illusions showcasing three-dimensional maps of several different towns and locations. One even shoved a group of soldiers marching on a road…

Naturally, every item was visibly the highest quality, decorated by numerous carvings and other accessories. Sam suspected that just the tablecloth on the snack table was worth more than some of the rooms in the Heavenly Forest.

Then came the people.

Servants and maids looked impeccable, wearing understated but high-quality clothes in the colors of black and white, accented with a few spots of color, probably representing their positions.

A dozen or so guards, standing without any movement around the room and doors, all of their eyes focused on Sam, as the only outsider in the room.

Around the king were the advisors, all of them dressed leisurely, none of them in the fancy clothing he had expected from a royal audience. He saw shirts, black pants on the men – and on some of the women – while the rest of the women wore easy-to-wear dresses, more focused on the items on the table than their looks.

Sam really hoped that this meant all of them were professionals.

His escort was standing next to the throne, looking at Sam, waiting for him to finish his gawking and do what he was told.

Finally, finished taking in the room, Sam's eyes landed on the king.

As soon as he looked at the king, who looked back with a curious look, he felt as if a mountain of mana had descended on him, trying to crush him with indifferent strength. The king wasn't trying to hurt him; he was simply that powerful…

Using his own mana to reinforce his own body, he stood tall, though he could feel that the moment the king decided to actually try, he would be crushed.

The royal man looked at the end of middle age, graying at the temples, but still with golden hair covering his head, and also wearing a glorious mustache and beard of the same color. Dressed in the royal colors of muted green and gold, he cut a quite regal figure.

Remembering his thorough instructions, he dropped to his knees and bowed his head.

The woman who escorted him nodded imperceptibly and turned to the king.

"Your Majesty, may I present the adventurer Samuel," she exclaimed in a soft voice that nonetheless went around the room, causing the people softly murmuring around the table to look up and check him out.

Sam stayed on his knees, not looking up, waiting for the order as he was told.

"Rise," came the calm order from the king, his voice somber and deep, radiating authority.

Sam looked up, but did not get up from his knees. The king eyed him for a moment, then made a motion with his hand, and a chair was immediately hurried over by one of the servants.

"Join Us."

Sam got up from his knees and walked forward, especially aware of his hands, making sure not to move them in a suspicious way. Based on the look on the king's face and how his eyes crinkled, he knew exactly what he was thinking.

Taking a seat, there was a moment of silence before the king continued.

"So, my daughter told me that you have been the one behind many of the happenings in Our country," he spoke with a measured tone while glancing to the side at the stone-faced woman, who glowered back briefly before returning to being stoic. "Some good, some not as good, but from what We have heard, you were always at the forefront of the efforts to protect Our country, and for that, We thank you," he continued the speech before bowing slightly.

Sam awkwardly returned the bow, but stayed silent, not really knowing how to answer that.

"However, as you may have known, Our country is besieged from outside and from inside by nefarious actors, intent on bringing ruin and devastation," the king continued, casting an ugly frown toward one of the illusions showcasing a town Sam didn't recognize. "Thus, it was decided that We would ask you to share with us your knowledge about our foe so that We may strengthen our protections and… sharpen our spears better." The king finished the mini speech with a bloodthirsty grin that was mirrored around the table. Apparently, they were rather eager to fight…

Sam looked around and hesitantly spoke up, knowing that while it was phrased as a suggestion, it was anything but that. "Sooo…if I understand correctly, Your Majesty, you wish to hear what I know about the enemy? Numbers, tactics, and so on?"

The king nodded. "Indeed, young adventurer. While the information Our people have gathered, you have been in the middle of almost all of the biggest events they perpetuated, thus We feel, you may have a unique insight."

"Fair enough…" he responded, already thinking what to share when he felt a brief burst of killing intent from his escort, who was apparently the king's daughter. "…Your Majesty."

The killing intent vanished, and he looked around. "Can I have a blackboard, please? Would make it much easier…"

Instantly, a board that dwarfed his TV screen at home was wheeled in with plenty of chalk. He stood up, approached it, bowed once again at the king, and began talking.

"As you may know, the blood cultists are led by two people, who we call the Blood Brothers…"

Thus, Sam began to share his knowledge, leaving out a few things here and there, just in case, but making sure that the king and his advisors, all watching him with hawk eyes, understood the severity of the situation.

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