105: Chapter 74: Why Does Azeryan Want to Keep the History of Being a Slave?
105: Chapter 74: Why Does Azeryan Want to Keep the History of Being a Slave?
This is the Imperial Embassy, no unauthorized persons allowed.”
The guard at the door, clad in black armor, halted the trio’s steps with a haughty expression, speaking in not-so-fluent Urian language.
Accompanying his companions towards the gates of the Athias Empire’s embassy, Leon was finally able to take a good look at these foreign soldiers he glimpsed in haste yesterday.
They wore cone-shaped helmets, distinctly different from those of the Western Continent, with face guards that did not cover the face but the neck guard was raised high, covering up to below the nose.
Around the forehead of each helmet, color-interlaced ribbons were wrapped, and the two leading soldiers, who appeared to be officers, had symmetrical feather decorations extending from both sides of their helmets.
The main body of the armor resembled the chest armor of the Felu people, being black with the distinctive golden one-eyed emblem on the chest, the circular shoulder guards stood high, and the edges and certain parts of the armor were golden, likely just some paint.
Leon merely glanced briefly, yet suspicions began to stir within him.
Each soldier’s armor, from decoration to design, even down to the number of plates covering the shoulders and arms, joints, and the held weapons, all clearly followed a uniform manufacturing standard.
At first glance, these heavily armored soldiers looked as if they were exact clones of each other.
He didn’t know if these individuals before him were the elite of the Athias Empire, and if a sizable group of armorers was especially crafting their gear, it wouldn’t be strange.
But if they were merely the most common foot soldiers… This might mean that the distant empire had possibly advanced far beyond the civilizations of the current Western Continent.
“The son of the Baron of Leding Castle, Aleya Casoles, comes at the invitation of Master Piriyeno to honor the appointment,” Azeryan stated with neither humility nor arrogance, presenting the invitation to the officer at the door.
The leading officer scrutinized the invitation carefully, then gave Azeryan an inscrutable glance.
The officer raised an eyebrow and dismissively gestured to his subordinates with a quip in a foreign language that Leon and the others could not understand.
“Walk straight in and inform the servant to see Master Piriyeno, just remember not to wander around, or you’ll bear the consequences.”
The black-armored officer casually warned them and then opened the iron gate.
No one was appointed to accompany them; thus, they were simply let into the courtyard by the guard.
Walking on the smooth path, Leon looked back at the guards outside the gate.
He wondered whether to consider the security here as stringent or lax; besides the black-armored soldiers at the main gate and the crossbowmen on the towers, he didn’t even see a single patrolling guard in the courtyard, only two or three servants tending to the garden in the distance.
Did these people truly trust the protection of their walls?
Leon recalled how easily he had climbed in from the outside the previous day.
If even an outsider like him could sneak inside, wouldn’t professional assassins find such security laughably inadequate?
However, this was to his advantage.
Seizing the opportunity, Leon surveyed his surroundings, committing to memory the environment both inside and outside the embassy buildings.
Entering the main building in the middle of the embassy courtyard, the quiet foyer felt even more spacious.
Apart from a maid who came forward to greet them, the large house seemed completely uninhabited.
“The master is currently resting upstairs; please follow me to the sitting room to wait,” the maid, with a pretty face, bowed slightly, gesturing with her hand, then turned to lead the way.
Leon, following her, glanced up at her neck.
Unsurprisingly, he too noticed a circle of red Demon Runes on her neck.
The maid servant led them into the sitting room and then left to notify her master.
The brief wait made Lokhak feel unbearably long; he was restless inside, eager to see his long-separated relatives, yet he had to endure the nearly within reach opportunity of reunion.
Thankfully, it wasn’t long before footsteps were heard from outside.
A red-haired man in an exquisite black robe, his face flushed, entered through the door.
As he came in, his face was filled with a friendly smile, looking towards Azeryan who stood up to greet him.
My friend, welcome, I’m so glad to see you again.”
Piriyeno opened his arms and approached Azeryan enthusiastically, even stooping to give the noble youth a “Qiao Laodeng” style cheek-to-cheek greeting.
Two smacking kisses echoed through the air.
Azeryan was not accustomed to such an overly friendly and eager manner, and his face was a bit uncomfortable from the man’s beard.
But now, whether playing a role or for his real agenda, it was not good to offend the man.
The young noble could only reciprocate the hug, reluctantly accepting the intimate greeting.
Leon watched from the side, amazed that his companion had managed to forge such a close, almost intimate friendship with this Athian in just a day’s negotiation.
He silently admired the noble son’s adept social skills.
Since the relationship was already so friendly, perhaps, the plan they considered earlier to ransom the captive might indeed be feasible.
“I deeply appreciate your proposal yesterday, and today I have come to discuss the details of a partnership on behalf of my family,” Azeryan said, managing a forced smile as he stepped back, struggling to cope with the other’s exaggerated demeanor.
“Good, good, of course, we must have a detailed chat, I always make it my duty to help friends in trouble, Lord Aleya, you don’t have to leave today, my place is rather big, plenty of rooms, just sleep over if we talk till we’re tired, no problem at all!” Piriyeno said, grinning broadly as he patted the young noble’s shoulder.