At that moment, the soldiers reached the Brilliant Emporium. Then, there was a loud knock on the door.
'Don't eat them.'
Giving Mimic a mental warning, Sunny sighed, put on a pleasant smile, and went to open the door.
"Welcome to the Brilliant Emporium! How may I help you?"
He was meat with an unfriendly stare.
Six Awakened warriors were standing a few steps back, while one was looking at him with disdain. The man was tall and sharp, clad in an enchanted armor, with a vermilion cloak hanging from his broad shoulders.
He was also an Ascended.
"Master Sunless?"
Hearing the deep voice, Sunny smiled a little wider.
"That's what they call me, yes,"
The Knight nodded.
"Please, come with me."
‘Uh
Sunny blinked a couple of times.
"...Why?"
The man glanced at him with badly hidden irritation, and then said coldly:
"I was ordered to escort you to the Castle. Please follow."
‘What the hell?'
Sunny hesitated for a bit, wondering if it wasn't too late to kill them and escape.
But he had to reluctantly abandon that idea.
"Why, by all means."
Exchanging a glance with Aiko, he shrugged helplessly and followed the Knight out of the Brilliant Emporium.
He tried to strike up a conversation a few times on the way to the Castle, but his escorts seemed to be in a foul mood. They were definitely not fans of Sunny, that was for sure.
With his sharp hearing, he could catch a few of the muttering under their breaths:
"Damned mongrel..."
No, really. What was going on? Was he going to get splashed in the face with water and be given a tidy sum of soul shards to never see Nephis again? That was what usually happened in dramas...
Sunny had thought of a thousand possible reasons for this unexpected visit, each more ominous than the previous one. However, he failed to learn the truth until the very end.
The escorts brought him across the lake, and then to the very heart of the Castle.
When Sunny was led to the main keep, where the direct line of Clan Valor resided, he was on the verge of collapsing from fright.
Half an hour later, he somehow found himself in a grand hall, facing none other than... Morgan, the Princess of War.
Morgan was leaning on a stone throne, holding a sharp sword in her hand.
Her gaze was piercing.
Suddenly, Sunny felt a chill run down his spine.
'She doesn't know. Does she?'
The last time they met was during the assassination attempt. Of course, back then, Sunny was wearing the persona of the Lord of Shadows.
Morgan's cold gaze traveled across his figure, making him shiver.
Then, her scarlet lips parted:
"Oh."
Morgan's voice sounded calm.
"I understand now."
Sunny struggled to keep a deep scowl off his face.
'What... what does she understand?’
Smiling faintly, Morgan descended from the dais and approached him. The sharp blade of her sword glistened in the rays of sunlight.
"Master Sunless, I presume."
Sunny nodded and forced himself to speak:
"Princess Morgan. It's an honor"
She stared at him with a strange expression, then cleared her throat.
"Indeed. Please kneel."
Sunny raised an eyebrow.
"Pardon?"
Her gaze turned a little dark.
"I told you to kneel."
He hesitated for a few moments, glanced at his escorts, and then elegantly lowered himself to one knee.
'Morgan has grown immensely strong after Transcending. Still... if she attacks, I should be able to dodge.’
She raised her sword slowly, and at the same time, he prepared to call upon the shadows.
However, to his shock...
The sword did not fall down to cut his neck. Instead, Morgan touched the blade to his left shoulder lightly, then repeated the same process with his right shoulder and the crown of his head Sunny was dumbstruck.
‘What... is going... on?’
Having finished the strange action, Morgan dismissed her sword and smiled in satisfaction.
"Master Sunless... I hereby proclaim you a Knight of Valor. Rise, Sir Sunless. May your edge never dull."
Sunny's eyes widened.
"P-pardon?!”