176 Chapter 176: Return

Slowly, Spring turned into summer and the fox-kin gradually became closer and closer to Rahvin kingdom. A month had gone by and they were currently approaching the farmlands on the outskirts of the kingdom.

Due to the change in season, the temperature had drastically risen and most of the children stayed inside of the carriages to cool off. The blazing sun dehydrated the horses and caused the men to sweat profusely… even the wind that coursed through the air brought upon intense heat.

Thankfully, although it was extremely hot, it hadn't rained in a long while, thus, the humidity was at a tolerable level. This caused the group of fox-kin to breathe a sigh of relief as the finally neared the entrance of Rhavin kingdom, but first, Caesar ordered the fox-kin to temporarily stay put.

His orders brought some dissatisfaction to the citizens, however, they somewhat understood his reasoning. He didn't want to abruptly return with a huge group of people, thus, he would need to explain to Crowley and the nobles about the fox-kin before they arrived.

Ahri glanced at Caesar worriedly, "do you think they won't accept us?" she asked, the sadness in her voice nearly piercing his heart.

"I won't tell them of your race, I'll just simply keep that under wraps for now… as for whether or not they will accept you, I'm confident that they will. After all, they accepted the elves after fighting a hard-won war with them," Caesar explained with a reassuring smile and set off on a lone horse, leaving the others in the dust.

He approached the tall walls of Rahvin kingdom that was surrounded by a relatively thick moat, filled with water. The tall spikes hidden within were transparent and any normal lad would think it was simple sewage drainage. That being, of course, only half of the truth.

Whilst admiring the moat that he and his knights had crafted, he soon arrived at the front gates where a group of young, muscular men guarded. They were adorned in expensive armor which reflected the suns glare, however, the young men were clearly exhausted and hot from staying outside for an extensive amount of time.

As Caesar approached, they halted his raven black horse with their spears and scrutinized him closely. They had just joined the knight brigade after being enlisted into the esteemed military school, as such, they were noble children who had been sheltered their entire life.

Naturally, they were somewhat unaware of Caesar's appearance. Although they had heard many stories and descriptions, they were often exaggerated. They heard that he was a 10ft tall man with bulging muscles, long wavy white hair, demon eyes, and a huge spear was normally hoisted on his shoulder.

"Halt, you may not enter Rahvin kingdom without a permit," One of the young men said toward Caesar. He was deeply impressed by his beauty and could not even imagine him to be the feared demon marshall of Rahvin kingdom.

Caesar smiled deeply and inwardly thought that the knights would need more training, however, as he was about to state his identity, a large stream of women walked by him. They adorned even more extravagant armor and seemed to possess a strong holy affinity.

Caesar opened his eyes wide and was quite taken aback, he quickly sealed all of the mana seeping out of his body and asked the nearby young knight, "who might these ladies be?"

The knight was dazed by the beauty of the women warriors for a few moments before absentmindedly replying, "ah, they apart of the investigation group under Paladin Ginger… they're beauties aren't they."

Caesar squinted his eyes and didn't notice the sturdy, middle-aged man that walked out of the castle gates. He had a thick, black beard and scars running down his face. A medallion of honor was showcased on his breastplate and he was clearly an experienced knight.

Once he caught sight of Caesar sitting atop the horse, he rushed over and immediately fell to his knees, attracting the attention of everyone nearby, even the women. His mighty body trembled ever so slightly as he slammed his forehead against the ground.

The young knights were astonished at his behavior, "John Decken, what are you doing kneeling like that?" one of them asked, but was harshly criticized, "shut your trap you noble brat, how dare you not kneel before the Marshal!!" he roared whilst saliva inadvertently escaped from his mouth.

"M-marshall?" the young knights mumbled and turned their heads toward Caesar. Slowly, they started to shiver and joined John on the ground, "we greet the marshall!" they roared out in unison.

A small smile formed on Caesar's face as he gracefully stepped off of his horse. His piercing red eyes scrutinized the young knights before stepping over them and heading within the kingdom. He straightened his collars and wet his lips as he walked, however, his great mood was ruined by a rude woman who blocked his way.

"All visitors to this kingdom must be first interrogated by me on the orders of paladin Ginger," She spoke arrogantly and slowly approached Caesar as if she was one hundred percent confident he would do nothing after hearing the word "paladin".

Before she could approach him, however, John quickly stepped in and shielded Caesar… "I'm a bit apologetic lass, but he is a very important figure within the kingdom, I'm afraid I can't let you interrogate him" he spoke whilst the sweat on his back stained his clothes, Caesar's glare was powerful enough to make even the mightiest of men kneel.

The woman scrutinized John and Caesar for a few more moments before harumphing and walking away with a sway in her hips, "Hmph, I'll report this to Ginger later, we'll see how she deals with you" she said mockingly and joined in with the rest of the troops.

"Since when have our visitors gotten so arrogant?" Caesar whispered from behind John, utilizing every fiber of his being to hold himself back from giving the rude woman a beating. He hated the church, especially when they attempted to order him around, alas, he was a man who could control his emotions, probably.

"B-by the orders of King Crowley, we are required to treat them respectfully…" John replied with exasperation, even he was reluctant to be ordered around by women. Unlike the fox-kin, many human civilizations refused to let women fight amongst their ranks, as such, they were quite frequently looked down upon.

"I see," Caesar replied curtly and once again walked past John, entering the spacious kingdom. Large buildings and busy streets greeted him as he passed the dark tunnel. The citizens were happily purchasing food, clothes, horses, and other good from merchants and food-stands on the concrete streets.

Many more houses were built since Caesar was last here, presumably due to the increase in population. Seeing this, unbeknownst to him, a smile formed on his lips. His pace quickened as he approached the palace resting in the middle of the kingdom, on a small mound.

His figure that was adorned in a spectacular suit, on top of his dazzling appearance turned many heads. Of course, many of the citizens recognized his figure and cheered instantaneously. The men and women cheered louder than ever before at Caesar's return, smiles full of gratification, relief, and happiness were plastered on their faces.

Caesar returned their cheers with a smile and a wave on his hands, however, his pace didn't slow down and he soon arrived in front of the absurdly large fleet of stone stairs. He admired them for a few moments before transversing them and reaching the top.

The dozen or so guards at the top immediately recognized his appearance and kneeled right on the spot, "Welcome back Marshall!" they shouted in unison after opening the wooden double-doors.

Caesar nodded his head in recognition before stepping over them, entering into the main hall of the palace. Exquisite chandeliers, paintings, and a beautiful, red carpet immediately entered into his line of sight. Many maids were busily walking by carrying trays of food, perfume, and other strange condiments.

Caesar didn't pay them much heed and walked through the middle entrance, entering into a long hall with marble floors. Not a single speck of dust was present and the palace looked even more extraordinary than when Caesar had last been present.

He trailed the walls with his index finger and every step he made caused a loud echo as if he was purposefully signifying his presence. He continued walking down the halls until he reached yet another door, guarded by even more knights.

Once again, the kneeled down before him and respectfully opened the doors, leading to the dining room. A bright light temporarily assaulted Caesar's face as he walked through the doors, his white hair fluttering ever so slightly.

In front of him, a long, wooden table was set with an assortment of sweets, food, drinks, and even makeup. Crowley was sitting at one end of the table watching Elizabeth and Ginger try on make-up together, something that Ginger influenced Elizabeth to do.

Crowley and Elizabeth were not yet aware of his presence and continued to play around, however, Caesar's eyes squinted dangerously. He could easily feel the abundant holy magic within the red-haired lass, it was almost equal to the Alexanders.

Without wasting another moment, Caesar quickly approached the two girls and snatched the lipstick out of Elizabeth's hands. Before she could even react, he swooped her up into his arms and looked at her solemnly, "your beauty will slowly disappear the more redundant things you place on your face" he said with a slight smile, descending the room into utter silence.