The gates of the capital city slowly opened, letting the remaining members of the raid team walk through the archway.

The sun was starting to set while the merchants packed up their stalls for the evening. The knights didn’t even bother looking around, keeping their heads down while they walked. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

They looked completely exhausted and traumatized. They originally went into the Gate expecting a standard mutated zone, something a trained squad could handle with standard formations. Nobody expected a Mutated 7-Shard Anomaly that could vaporize a man with a single punch.

They didn’t even say goodbye, just breaking off from the main group and heading straight for the knight’s barracks to collapse in their beds.

Hajin stood there watching them go, letting out a slow breath while stretching his sore shoulders. He was also incredibly tired, wanting nothing more than to go back to his room, take a hot shower, and sleep for two entire days.

"Don’t get too comfortable," a rough voice said right behind him.

He turned around, seeing the Captain walking up to him with Helen right beside him. The older man looked just as battered as the rest of them, but his posture was still rigid and formal.

The Captain stopped in front of him, "you are coming with me to the palace," he said.

Hajin felt a sudden headache forming right behind his eyes, "do I really have to?" he asked, rubbing his temples. "I just want to go sleep, can’t you just write my name on the report and call it a day?"

Helen crossed her arms, letting out a short laugh, "you really don’t understand how this works do you?" she asked.

The Captain shook his head, looking completely serious, "you soloed a Beast King Anomaly and cleared a mutated Gate," he explained. "His Majesty personally sponsored your participation in this raid so the royal court is going to demand answers on how a rookie managed to kill a seven-shard monster."

He let out a heavy sigh, knowing the Captain was completely right. He couldn’t just walk away when the King himself was keeping tabs on him, especially after causing an entire Gate to vanish.

"Besides," the Captain continued, turning toward the palace sitting at the very top of the capital. "I am absolutely sure His Majesty will love to see you again after what you did in that Gate."

He felt a cold shiver run down his spine when he heard that.

He didn’t know exactly why the King was personally sponsoring him, but getting dragged back into the royal court right after his unique abilities caused a Gate to completely vanish felt like walking straight into a trap.

He let out another tired sigh, "lead the way," he muttered.

They walked through the upper district, ignoring the strange looks the wealthy nobles gave their battered and bloody armor. The palace guards recognized the Captain immediately, opening the massive front doors without asking any questions.

The moment they stepped foot inside the grand entrance hall, they heard the rapid slapping of bare feet against the marble floor.

"Hajin!" a familiar voice called out.

He stopped walking and looked up, seeing Princess Didi running down the wide staircase at full speed. She was wearing a loose silk nightgown, her long silver hair completely messy and flying out behind her while she ran.

"Your Highness, please stop running!" Elina yelled, chasing right behind her while holding a thick robe. "It is entirely inappropriate for you to be seen in your sleeping clothes!"

Didi completely ignored her maid, practically jumping down the last few steps before rushing straight up to him. She grabbed both of his hands, her ice-blue eyes wide and filled with genuine worry.

"You went on the Mutated Gate raid?" she asked, her voice cracking just a little bit. "Why didn’t you tell me? I only found out this afternoon when my father mentioned it to the council."

He looked down at her, feeling a little overwhelmed by her sudden appearance. She was squeezing his hands tight, showing just how heavily the news had weighed on her mind all day.

He didn’t know what to say for a second, "I didn’t think it was going to be a big deal," he said honestly, trying to give her a reassuring smile. "I’m perfectly fine, Your Highness."

She looked him up and down, taking in his torn clothes, the dried blood covering his arms, and the dark circles under his eyes.

"You look terrible," she whined softly, letting go of his hands and crossing her arms with a childish pout. "You could have died and I wouldn’t have even known until it was too late."

"I am fine, really," he said, rubbing the back of his neck while trying not to wince from the pain in his shoulder.

Elina finally caught up to them, breathing heavily while quickly draping the thick robe over the princess’s shoulders. The maid looked totally embarrassed when she noticed the Captain and Helen standing right there watching the entire exchange.

The Captain cleared his throat loudly, making the entire hall go completely silent.

He gave the princess a polite bow, "Your Highness," he said respectfully. "We are very glad to see you in good health, but we must present our report to His Majesty immediately."

Didi let out a small huff, pulling the robe tighter around herself while stepping back.

"Fine," she muttered, looking back up at Hajin with a serious expression. "But you are going to tell me exactly what happened after you finish talking to my father."

He just nodded, feeling way too tired to argue with her, "I promise," he said.

Elina pulled Didi back by the arm, still sending a sharp glare directly at Hajin while they walked away. She clearly still didn’t like him very much, but he just let out a tired chuckle while watching them head back up the stairs.

Even Juna and Loccy had separated from him the moment they entered the city walls, heading straight back to the inn to rest instead of clinging to him like glue the way they normally did. It just showed how incredibly long and exhausting the journey had been.

"Come on," the Captain said, turning and leading them deeper into the palace.

They walked through several long hallways lined with heavily armored royal guards until they finally reached a pair of massive, gilded doors.

The guards pushed them open, revealing a large circular room where the royal council and the King himself were sitting around a massive table in the center.

Every single person in the room stopped talking, turning their heads to look at the battered and bloody trio stepping through the doorway.

The Captain stopped right in the center of the room and gave a deep, formal bow.

"Your Majesty," he announced loudly, keeping his head perfectly still. "We have come to make our report."