A knight dressed in heavy armor and masked like Gray walked out of the hall and came step by step before Gray, heavily knocked on his chest armor, and said, "His Majesty invites Holy Knight Gray to enter the hall."
After speaking, he stepped aside and stood quietly.
Gray, from a distance, exchanged glances with Cedric V, then stepped forward, walking on the black carpet step by step.
"He’s so old." This was the first comment the Black Cat made upon seeing Cedric V.
Indeed, old was Cedric V’s most significant feature. An obese figure, a beard and white hair that draped down to the ground, and flesh all over him seemed to layer down like collapsed tiers. Even his eyes seemed cataracted, misty and devoid of spirit. It was an astonishing kind of old.
A black crown embedded with red gemstones, a black robe, and hands reaching out from his sleeves adorned with gem rings. This wasn’t surprising, considering he was the emperor of the largest human empire; his wealth was undoubtedly on par with the church. The bizarre part was his nails; all five fingers had nails that were ten centimeters long. Gray even doubted if he could live normally, or use his hands to hold a knife and fork to eat.
Black Dragon Hall was a dark place with lifelike murals and sculptures, intricate totems, and details so good they were startling. However, nearly all decorations in such a place were grayscale or black, like a black hole, devouring all light. Even the armor of the emperor’s close guards was black. The only warm color in the hall was the gemstones on the emperor.
Step by step along the black carpet, Gray finally came before Cedric V’s throne, stopped, and slightly bowed his head, piously drawing a cross on his chest.
"Honorable Emperor Gustav, Cedric Your Majesty, Holy Knight Gray is here to pay his respects! May the Holy Light be with you!"
"Honorable Holy Knight Gray," an elderly, hoarse voice echoed back. It seemed that due to special design, the voice resonated slowly within the hall, "Three years ago, I invited you to Black Dragon City. But you didn’t come. Three years, and this is your first step into Black Dragon Hall. To be frank, I’m quite disappointed. I always thought we could be great allies. After all, you dislike the church, and I need greater power."
The hall fell silent.
"Greater ’power’? This guy, indeed." the Black Cat mumbled softly within the armor.
Cedric V suddenly laughed, "Hehehehe, you even brought a cat here. A Ghost Cat. And also a Succubus."
Instantly, the Black Cat’s fur bristled, "He can see through the armor?"
Even Vivian, hiding her form, was stunned, eyes wide open, staring blankly at Cedric V, who resembled a lump of flesh on the throne.
Gray subconsciously wanted to grasp his sword handle, but found his sword had already been handed over.
"Miss Succubus, you might as well come out. There’s no sense in hiding," Cedric V said softly, "Also, Holy Knight Gray, I’m bringing this up just to make us more honest with each other. Please don’t be nervous."
Gray quietly looked at Cedric V.
Slowly, with reluctance, Vivian appeared behind Gray, kneeling on one knee, "Vivian pays respects to Your Majesty."
"Rise," Cedric V waved his hand lightly, "You don’t belong to the church, nor to humanity. No need to bow to me."
Vivian, stunned, slowly stood up.
The emperor’s guards had no reaction to Vivian’s sudden appearance, as if anticipated.
"Gray, I think this emperor is problematic," Vivian whispered in Gray’s mind, "Not just the emperor, this hall itself is problematic, and so are these guards. I believe everything here is problematic."
"I know," Gray replied softly.
"There’s no one else here." Cedric V dryly coughed twice, speaking softly, "Let’s speak openly. I don’t like the church because they are too controlling. I want... more freedom. That’s why I initially invited you here. I didn’t take sides with the church in your conflict despite Church Court Mountain being my territory. Other countries fear you, fearing your ecclesiastical power might threaten their royal authority. But I am not afraid, for the Gustav Empire is unique. I don’t believe other countries’ standards should necessarily apply to the Gustav Empire."
Taking a deep breath, Cedric V continued, "But you rejected me. Later you reached an agreement with the Pope, rendering you useless to me, so I no longer urged you to Black Dragon City. However, it seems you fell out with the church again. I believe there’s now a basis for our cooperation. And then, I heard an incredible news. You are a Lich? This is what the two cardinals who escaped from Church Court Mountain told me. They had nowhere else to go and could only hope for my protection, so they told me this news, swearing by their lives. Initially, I didn’t believe it, but with them in my hands, even if they lied, I don’t think they would pick such an easily debunked lie. Thus, I chose to tentatively believe them and started seeking confirmation. As a result, the Dragon God told me you indeed are a Lich."