Realm Lord
Chapter 89: Paintings of the Past

Chapter 89: Paintings of the Past

Arthur’s footsteps echoed softly against the polished marble floor as he wandered through the great hall. His fingertips occasionally brushed against the ornate edges of decadent tables that lined the space.

He methodically examined each table, searching for anything that might provide a clue, but found nothing of significance. Exquisite silverware, dusty plates, and tarnished candelabras—beautiful artifacts, certainly, but nothing that would help their investigation. Frustrated, Arthur straightened up and rolled his shoulders to release the tension that had built there.

It was only when he finally took his attention away from the decadent tables and allowed his gaze to drift toward the paintings adorning the right wall that something caught his interest. The great hall’s right wall was covered with numerous framed artworks, but one in particular seemed to call to him, drawing his focus like a moth to flame.

"What have we here?" Arthur muttered to himself, moving closer.

The painting commanded attention, hanging in a massive gilded frame that easily matched Arthur’s height. As he approached, the details became clearer, and a chill ran down his spine. The painting depicted a man seated regally upon an ornate throne, dressed in luxurious robes of deep crimson and royal blue, embroidered with golden thread that caught the light even in painted form. But it wasn’t the finery that made Arthur’s breath catch—it was the mask the figure wore.

"Creepy..." he whispered, studying the eerie golden sun mask that covered the man’s face. The mask was crafted to resemble a radiant sun with human-like features—almond-shaped eye slits, a sculpted nose, and thin lips curved into what could either be a benevolent smile or a menacing smirk. The ambiguity was unsettling.

Next to the masked man stood three figures that completed the royal portrait. Two young girls, appearing no older than eight or nine, stood side by side in matching pale blue dresses with white lace trim. Their copper-colored hair was styled identically, making it clear they were twins. Both wore grand smiles, their small hands folded primly before them. Beside them stood a statuesque woman in an eloquent gown of emerald green, her dark hair piled atop her head and adorned with jewels that matched the elaborate necklace at her throat. Her expression remained stoic, hands clasped together at her waist, her posture perfect and unyielding.

Arthur nodded to himself as he pieced together the obvious conclusion. ’The king and his family,’ eyes tracing the details of their faces, searching for some hint of humanity behind the formal poses.

But the royal family wasn’t what made Arthur’s eyes widen with recognition. It was the figures standing behind them—four knights clad in black armor, their helms fashioned to resemble the heads of sheep. The armor was intricately detailed, with plates that overlapped like scales, and each knight stood at perfect attention. Their weapons had their tips placed precisely against the ground, armored hands resting atop the hilts in perfect symmetry.

’...the sheepmen,’ Arthur thought as his heart rate rose.

Arthur slowly dragged his gaze away from the haunting image and called out loudly to his companions, his voice bouncing off the high ceiling and stone walls. "Hey... I might have something over here."

His words broke the contemplative silence that had fallen over the hall. Throughout the vast room, heads popped up from behind furniture and around pillars, expressions of curiosity and slight excitement animating his companions’ faces as they swiftly made their way toward him.

Lara reached him first, her boots making decisive clicks against the floor as she approached. She looked first at Arthur, then at the painting he was studying, her brow furrowed questioningly.

"You got something?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

Arthur didn’t break his gaze from the portrait, still captivated by the strange figures in the background. "I don’t know, maybe... look." He pointed at the painting with a slightly trembling finger. "This seems to be the royal family that ruled out of this castle... and look, behind them are the sheepmen."

Lara stepped closer, her eyes narrowing in focus as she paid closer attention to the details Arthur was indicating. The lines around her mouth deepened as she concentrated.

She was still looking intently when Kay’s voice suddenly broke her focus from off to the right, where he stood examining another section of the wall.

"Hey, it looks like there’s a bunch with the royal family in it on this wall, and a lot even seem to have the sheepmen," Jay called out, his voice echoing in the cavernous space.

Lara looked from Kay to the painting he was examining, her mind clearly racing with possibilities. She pushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear and addressed the group that had now gathered nearby.

"Look at the paintings for any sort of object that seemed to be important or hold some sort of significance to the family," she instructed, her voice taking on an authoritative tone. "While we don’t know for sure, research shows that the bigger and more intricate the spell, only totems with significant value to the caster would work well or efficiently. So if we see anything that might have looked significant to them, that object becomes priority number one."

Everyone nodded their understanding and began to fan out, examining any painting involving the royal family in heavy detail. The sound of soft footsteps and occasional murmurs filled the hall as they worked.

Arthur moved from one painting to the next, studying each with careful attention. He saw mainly pictures of the king or various family members in different settings—formal gatherings, hunts, and ceremonial events. In each one, the king wore his distinctive sun mask, never revealing his true face.

After looking past several portraits, Arthur paused before one that struck him as unique among the collection. This painting depicted one of the twin daughters playing alone in a garden filled with vibrant tulips of various colors. Unlike the formal portraits, here the child seemed genuinely happy, a cherry smile on her bright red face as she knelt among the flowers. Her small hands were busy picking blooms, a half-filled basket beside her on the grass. The sunlight in the painting gave her copper hair a golden halo effect, and the garden around her was rendered in loving detail.

At first glance, it seemed like a rare moment of innocent joy captured by the artist—until Arthur noticed the dark figure positioned at the edge of the frame. Standing silently among the trees that bordered the garden was one of the sheepmen, its black armor a stark contrast to the colorful scene. The sheep-headed knight stood motionless, watching over the child from a distance, its presence both protective and somehow menacing.

’These sheepmen must have been one serious security detail,’ Arthur thought sarcastically. ’They’re in almost every painting.’