Chapter 210: The Hero of Fre--

The people inside the carriage could not help but stare at Viel's eyes that were filled with nothing but utmost seriousness.

"Sofi, Miss Yinji, Miss Diao Mei, Miss Violet, Miss Diao Chan, Mister Lu Xun"

The people in the carriage could not help but flinch as they heard their names being mentioned by Viel.

"General Diao is outside…", he continued, "And then there's me…", he said as he placed his hand on his chin.

"W… what's wrong, Viel!?", Diao Mei could not help but slightly panic as Viel's tone became heavier.

"This carriage…", he muttered,

"...is too big"

"..."

Violet could not help but roll her eyes as the rest of the people in the carriage grunted as they looked to the side. Viel had been serious a lot lately, so they were expecting him to say something useful. But alas…

Viel… will always be Viel.

Charlotte once again stuck out her head to the window, and Diao Chan did the same.

"Think we can go ahead of the line if you introduce yourself?", Diao Chan suggested, "If we wait in this line, it would already be dark and we won't even be halfway to the gates"

Realizing that everyone was looking at her, Charlotte could only let out an awkward chuckle, "We… can try?", she stuttered.

She also wanted to do so. But she was afraid that if they didn't let them in, they would have to go back to the end of the line and would have to wait a long time again. But after letting out a long and deep sigh, she nodded her head.

"Alright, it is worth the try", she said.

Hearing her answer, Diao Chan quickly got off the carriage and talked to her father to go to the front of the line.

And as to their expectations, as soon as they got to the front, the guards quickly raised their weapons towards their carriage.

"Halt, go back to the end of the line!"

"We have an important passenger that Duke Erik would want to see immediately", General Diao said as he got off the driver's box.

"I said, go back to--"

The guard was about to repeat his warning, but when he saw how big General Diao was, he could not help but restrain his arrogant tone.

"Who… who is this passenger you speak of?", he stuttered, "I believe we have not received any information about a guest arriving in the city today"

"The Duke's sister, Charlotte Quinn", General Diao quickly said.

"!!!"

The guard's eyes widened in shock as he slowly lowered his weapon. He could not help but look around him, only to see all of the guards within the area staring at them with their eyes wide open as well.

"Who are you?"

It was then that a husky voice came out of the gates. It was an old guard. But unlike the other guards, he had a golden cape adorned on his shoulders. But the most important factor was that he was almost as tall as General Diao himself. One could say he even looks bigger because of his bulky built.

But seeing that the old guard only had a mustache plastered on his face, General Diao could not help but smirk as he introduced himself.

"General Diao from Choryu", he said while stroking his long and silky beard.

"Choryu…", the old guard quickly squinted his eyes as he looked at General Diao, "My name is Logan, Commander-in-Chief of the guards", he said as he stepped closer to General Diao, their eyes fiercely staring at each other.

"You say you brought… the Duke's sister?", he then said, his tone filled with doubt.

"Yes", General Diao said without batting an eye or moving his head, "She is inside the carriage"

"Then you don't mind letting her step out now?", Logan said, his tone filled with impatience.

"You want her to come out here?", General Diao squinted his eyes, insinuating that the Duke's sister should not be out in the public like this.

"Thousands of people have claimed that they have found the Duke's sister", Logan breathed, "So forgive us for being impatient"

"You just have to let her step out--"

Before Logan could finish his words, the carriage of the door opened. Logan could not help but squint his eyes.

A woman then slowly stepped out of the carriage, her long and luscious golden hair reflecting the rays of the sun and almost blinding everyone that was present.

And this light, it quickly brought a tear to Logan's eye.

"Hello, Uncle Log", Charlotte smiled, her eyes already red from all the tears that she was holding back.

Logan's strict eyebrows and his solid stance quickly melted away and his breath quickly stuttered. The woman in front of him might not look the same as he remembered.

But he was sure of it…

"L… Lottie?"

***

"What… what happened here?"

As Viel's group arrived in Quinn's city. Pam, Rudolf, and the rest of Violet's party arrived in the city that they were supposed to meet in a few months from now. But the sight they saw made them shiver all the way through their bones.

On their way here, they have already noticed the trees that were cut in half. And then there were the gates, and even the city walls which were also cleanly cut in half, the only reason why the walls were still standing was because of its weight keeping it together.

The houses too were ruined. But that wasn't the thing that made them shiver, no.

It was the countless dismembered bodies sprawled on the ground. Guards, men, women, old people, and even the small children had their heads lopped off from their necks.

Dead… The whole city was dead. Pam had no strength to move, as each of her steps rippled the pool of blood that drowned the city streets.

"What… what could have done this?", she could not help but stutter.

"Did a dungeon open up here?", Rudolf tightened the grip on his spear as he looked around, "Let's split up and--"

"There are still people… alive?"

"Who is there!?"

The group quickly raised their weapons towards the voice that suddenly echoed from afar.

"Wait, isn't that…"

"The previous hero?"

"C… Cortana!"

Pam's eyes quickly glistened as she quickly recognized the Hero of Freiden. She idolized Cortana from the deepest parts of her heart. The very reason she was using a huge hammer instead of a more standard weapon was because of her. After all, Cortana used a gigantic axe.

Pam excitedly ran towards Cortana, her smile almost reaching to her ears.

"H… Hero of Frei--!"