The Stonehearted Knight
Chapter 367: Facing the Council (1)

Chapter 367: Facing the Council (1)

’Damn, that’s high!’

The building towered into the branches. Hex had noticed the building from afar. It looked like a massive pillar supporting the branches. But from up close, it looked even more imposing.

The main trunk was even more so, but up close it seemed more like a massive and wide mountain filling his entire vision.

Their arrival caused a lot of attention. They weren’t the only carriage on the road but they were the most eye-catching.

None of the other carriages had winged horses, or even beasts that could compare to these in size.

Having seen goats, sheeps, regular horses, and bulls pull carts and carriages, Hex believed that the winged horses were something rare and perhaps only something Elders possessed. And maybe, not even all the Elders.

"The Grey Feathered Steeds...Elder Marcella is here."

"It seems like it. Only her family has these beasts."

"But didn’t she leave shortly? I could swear I saw this carriage depart not so long ago."

"Has something happened?"

"It seems like it. Why else would she land on the land and not the roof. She has never touched the ground, regular people have sullied...her words not mine."

All kinds of murmurs and discussions erupted around him. They tried to be discrete and whispered to each other – they might have gotten away with it if the Elders were indeed present – but they couldn’t fool the senses of Hex or Jonathan.

The way the Enlightened Knight smirked showed he heard each and every word being said. But, just like Hex, he had no intention of reacting to the crowd.

By now someone had sent a message inside. The crowd, initially consisting of servants and guards of the Council, increased in size.

The way they stood in the middle of the entrance without making any other move, drew more and more curious eyes.

"They are here," Jonathan whispered.

Hex knew who he meant. He had sensed a flux of Refined and Transformation Stage Knight coming toward the lower grounds. Word had spread.

The crowd around them had increased considerably. At first it had been the carriage and the winged horses but now the sheer size of onlookers and noise of whispers attracted more and more people.

"Look. Who are those people on the ground?"

Someone had finally noticed the lump of dirt on the ground. They barely resembled their former selves.

’It was a matter of time.’ Hex stood still. The only thing he did when the door opened and a flood of regally-dressed people poured out, was checking whether the cloth he wrapped around his head was still in place.

Sensing hundreds of Refined and Transformation Stage Knights gathered around him with who knew how many higher staged beings around, he didn’t think it wise to draw attention to his black hair.

As soon as the Elders appeared, the crowd fell silent. They hurried to part, giving the members of the Council a free path to the carriage. The rest of the people scuffled backward, creating a distance between them and the Elders.

The people in the crowd, even those at the Refined Stage, looked worried and afraid. It was apparant that none of them dared to look straight at an Elder.

Hex observed all this and make mental notes to himself. In order not to draw attention to himself, he acted in accordance to the local customs. His experiences in Edune came in handy.

Plus, he didn’t need to look directly at someone to observe them. His enhanced senses granted him near three sixty awareness of his surroundings.

The group of Elders was led by a duo of extremely elderly men. One had a long, white beard that reached his knees and had sunken eyes and hawk-like nose. The other was bald and petite. He looked almost to have shrunken with age, not even reaching the waist of the bearded elder.

’Transformation Stage,’ Hex concluded in a second. He also sensed the saturation level of their powers. They weren’t ordinary Transformation Stage Knights. Their power seemed to have seeped into their entire being. Opponents like these two would be hard to defeat. Their experience and control should have surpassed the abilities of the majority of elites.

"Sir Jonathan," the petite-looking elderly started. "What’s the meaning of this? How come you are riding Elder Marcella’s coach?"

It didn’t surprise Hex that the Elders recognized Jonathan. An Enlightened Knight should be a powerhouse everyone, especially those in power, should be acquinted with.

"Elder Heron. Elder Zero," Jonathan greeted with a nod.

The proper respect he bestowed upon these two only cemented Hex’s observation about the position and power these two men wielded.

"There was an incident," Jonathan said with a wry smile.

"We know," Zero, the bearded elder, said. "First we received a signal that one of our own is under attack. Three elders left to assist. And then...we received a peculiar signal. The Elder’s Authority has been invoked?"

’So, that’s what this is all about,’ Hex finally understood why so many Elders hurried out to see them. The Elder’s Authority wasn’t something anyone could use without reason.

There was another peculiarity with this incident. Elize had said something about being targeted by those three. Did they know beforehand that Elize was with them? Or did they adjust their plans when they noticed her presence?

"Marcella!"

A shout disrupted the silence. Hex looked up. The person was a lady with similar features as Marcella. She stood on the second floor, alone.

Her wide open eyes and enraged face pointed at the heap of people lying in the dirt. Others, including Heron and Zero, followed her gaze.

The dilation of their pupils told Hex they started to recognize the people there. Zero’s beard trembled. Heron drew a sharp breath.

"Yeah. Those three and their henchmen are there," Jonathan said, chuckling dryly.

"Who. Did. This?" The woman on the second floor asked through gritted teeth.

Click.

Before Jonathan could reply, the coach walls and roof clicked open, revealing the people inside.