Chapter 90 A Diplomatic Mission

She rearranged the army to suit all existing sentient races, from the Oni to the Arch Angels. The army in total now had about five hundred thousand (500,000) soldiers, two hundred and fifty thousand (250,000) of those were in the army itself while a hundred and twenty-five thousand (125,000) of the remaining were in the Airforce and the rest were in the navy even though it wasn't needed for now since there were no bodies of water around so they merely served as reserve, reserve forces.

The only group that wasn't doing anything for now were the Thrones but they were eternal guards so they were doing their duties. There were four of them by his side. Another two could be seen guarding the gates to his castle and the last four were standing guard at the two gates of the small city itself.

In general, the territory was slowly living up to its rank as a kingdom and it was all because everyone in said territory were all monstrous beings blessed with intellect beyond the normal. They learnt quickly and picked up the newly given tasks and positions at speeds even Kingsley found scary.

...…..

Inside the forest, a convoy of four carriages escorted by a bunch of what seemed to be Knights on horses could be seen moving through the forest as they all headed towards a specific location. The Group was quiet and the Knights on alert with a hand on their weapons in case of an attack.

Each of them had the very distinct feature of having greenish skin and long pointed ears. Their armor so exquisitely crafted that they looked more like pieces of art than actual armor. Mounted on horned horses, the knights looked fearsome and in their center were the carriages, each drawn by four horned horses.

The first in line was a decorated carriage and seemed to house an important individual or group of individuals while the other carriages were less impressive and even more knight could be seen inside them. Each one as fully equipped for battle though for now, they could be seen either sleeping or simply staring out into space.

"How long is this journey still going to last?" A knight asked while looking up to a tree beside them

"Half a day" a voice replied to which the knight nodded

"You scout troops are just as arrogant as always… when the real battle starts, you guys are always the first to escape"

"Thats enough" Another knight who seemed to be of a higher rank shouted as the knight immediately shut up

"Sorry captain"

"Before we approach this mysterious city, what can you tell us about it... Her majesty made us believe that it is special in some way" The Captain said

"Honestly none of us really knows, however the territory seems to be growing at a very fast rate. when we first discovered it, it had only a few hundred individuals living in it, now there are thousands of them if not millions"

"If it's just that then the Queen's Guards would be mobilized, they could have some artifact that allows them traverse space and time… The Jurik do it all the time"

"Yes. that was considered but they were of races we have never seen before and recently more than five dragons were spotted flying over there… Her Majesty is merely worried that whatever territory this is will not be so kind to us as we are to them"

"Five dragons… in one location, you know I find it hard to believe that, Dragons are notoriously known to be solitary creatures, they work alone so why would more than five dragons gather in a particular location if they aren't fighting"

"You believe what…. what's that?" The scout said when he spotted what seemed to be a blockade in the distance

There was a small fence made from wood that ran as far as his eyes could see but he guessed that the fence was built to surround something. On the small path that they were on, they could see a gate and guarding the Gate were two weirdly dressed creatures of unknown race or origin.

"Halt" the Knight called out to the others behind him and they all stopped immediately

"Do we approach?" The captain asked the scout since he was more familiar with the territory they were going to

"This wasn't there, the last time so honestly, I have no idea but they don't seem hostile"

"Spread out, ditch the other three carriages… if this gets ugly, I want some insurance" The Captain commanded as the Knights in the carriages dismounted and quickly hid the carriage then proceeded to hide themselves within the grass as they crawled their way to the gate

"Let's move" The Captain ordered as he and the rest began making their way towards the small gate

As soon as they got within a three (5) meters range of the gate, one of the unknown creatures began walking towards them with his weapon pointed down but the other guard had his equally strange weapon pointed towards them as though only he was enough to dispatch all the knights in the area.

"Halt…" The strange guard said before muttering something under his breath

The captain scrutinized the guard's every action searching for any signs that proves that it was about to attack. With his hand on his sword and his horse riled up for combat, the captain remained calm as the creature approached him. Now with a clearer view of the creature, he saw its pale skin that was covered in its unform and other strange equipment it wore on its body.

"May I ask who you are and where you are coming from, as well as what purpose you have to achieve here" The creature said in a surprisingly polite manner as it maintained eye contact with the captain

"My name is Garth Webfeather and We are from the Euroa Kingdom, we were sent here by the Queen to establish diplomatic relations between our two nations if possible" The Captain answered

"I see, if possible, can you agree to a search... don't worry, you can carry the sword in if you feel it necessary however other weapons aren't allowed past this gate" The creature said in its neutral but somewhat polite tone

"Sure, carry on" Garth said since most of said weapons have been taken away by the other knights

"Thank you and I would advise, you call your men back to be searched… if they remain here when you leave, you will meet them with a bullet in their heads" The Creature warned but Garth had no idea what the creature meant.

Was a bullet dangerous or was it just another term for a sword?... Garth didn't know the specific details of the threat but he still called all his men back either way because of a single reason and it was that he knew the look that the guard was giving him. It was the look of someone who saw it underneath them to deal with certain things. They had not only seen them when they separated despite being so far apart and all the blockades, they had used to ensure their stealth.

Garth would usually give the same look to assassins from the other kingdoms who thought they were smart or strong enough to go after the Queen. It was a look that said 'I can see through all your bullshit and i would appreciate it if you just cut it all'. It was a look you would give to children when they try fighting you.

"We are sorry for such conduct… we were simply wary of you because we have never encountered such a blockade" Garth apologized after the men were gathered together

"No worries" The creature said calmly as it gestured towards the other guard

"We would like you all to dismount for this search to go smoothly and as quickly as possible" The Guard said as they two began searched the carriages and the horses for any other weapons

Garth watched as all their secondary weapons were confiscated and dumped by side of the gate. The Diplomats within the carriage too were searched despite their disagreement with it. After a thorough search, all that remained were the Knights and the weapons they were carrying which they were allowed to carry in.

"Thank you all for your cooperation, you can proceed" one of the guards said as the other one went to open the gate

"No worries, you are just doing your duty" Garth answered politely as he and the other knights mounted their horses and began marching into the territory

As soon as they crossed the gate, the entire forest suddenly seemed clear and bright. The air seemed way much fresher and the trees even seemed healthier. A careful look, Garth noticed that the trees were all neat arranged and separated from each other to give each one enough space to grow. He may be a general of the Queen's Guard but he was also a Forest Elf and tending to the forest was in his blood.