Chapter 443 Entering The Miasma
"Your Majesty, everyone has finished breakfast and is ready to march into the miasma; shall we begin marching forward?" One of the royal knights escorting King Richard inquired, as a couple of other knights assisted King Richard in donning his royal armor.
"Oh! Has everyone eaten their breakfast? King Richard lifted his brow as he heard, and the air was dense with suspense and tension.
"Indeed. Everyone got up early, had breakfast, and many had already disassembled their tents," The Royal Knight responded promptly. "Some people even started preparing to enter the miasma. However..."
"Oh, what is it? King Richard raised his eyebrows at the Royal Knight Captain.
"It's about them. The Celestial Blades haven't come out of their tent yet; perhaps they're still asleep as we speak.
"Is that so? Is there anything else you'd like to report?"
"No, Your Majesty. That was everything I had to say." The Royal Knight Captain replied with a short bow, and King Richard nodded.
"By the way, ask the delegates of the other nations to meet in the center of the encampment; once Yuan and his ladies are awake, we will enter the miasma immediately." King Richard commissioned the Royal Knight Captain.
"Also, please warn everyone not to disturb Yuan or his wives in any manner."
"I understand, Your Majesty!" The Royal Knight Captain bowed and exited the King's tent, slightly bowing his head.
Once the Royal Knight-Captain had left the tent, Prince Tristan looked at his father, puzzled, and questioned, "Royal Father, why did you instruct Captain Jack not to disturb Yuan and his wives? Shouldn't we wake them up so we can get into the miasma as soon as possible?"
"Well, you have a lot to learn, son," King Richard groaned, and began explaining.
"Yuan and his wives are the most powerful individuals we have, and if they are unhappy with us...You should be able to guess the rest by yourself, right?"
"Yes, Father. I absolutely understand it." Prince Tristan nodded seriously, and the air became thick with tension.
If Yuan and his women decided to abandon them, they were done with this godforsaken jungle; they'd all die at the hands of mighty corrupted monsters because Yuan and his wife were with them.
Most people were confident in their ability to do the task. However, if Yuan abandoned them, the people would lose confidence, and their purpose would fail.
Furthermore, King Richard understands that he cannot rely on the might of the representatives from other countries, particularly the Holy Son of the Holy Light Empire.
They have encountered numerous formidable monsters up to this point, but Aurther has not engaged in a single battle, nor has he sent his Holy Knights to fight them; this demonstrates how cowardly he is.
'I can only rely on Yuan and his wives to do the assignment. They're incredibly strong and can take on any monster; also, Prince Daniel and Archmage Isadora are quite capable.
King Richard grumbled quietly and glanced at his son for a moment.
Meanwhile, Yuan and his wives awoke from their slumber and immediately washed their faces to revitalize themselves before eating breakfast cooked by Anna and Emma.
"I hope the king is not furious with us for waking up late...After all, today is the day we will enter the miasma!" Yuan laughed as he talked, noticing the uneasy glances of others looking at them with displeased expressions.
Mireya, Sylvia, and Valeria's faces grew scarlet when they heard this, and they remembered the passionate moments they had with Yuan, which made their hearts race.
"I'd like you to keep an eye on us when we enter the miasma and defend us from any corrupted monsters we may find there." King Richard said.
"Is that everything you want us to do?" Yuan inquired, still shocked by his request.
"Yes, that's all I want you to do; I don't want many people to perish at the hands of those corrupted monsters," King Richard said, nodding and looking up at the sky with a bewildered expression.
"After all, everyone has family waiting for them when they return."
Yuan pauses for a moment before responding. "Yes, we can accomplish that but don't expect us to keep everyone safe. We'll do our utmost to fight the corrupted beasts and eliminate as many of them as possible."
"That's alright with me. Keeping the Corrupted Monsters away from the populace is enough; we can handle the rest ourselves." King Richard spoke after considerable contemplation.
Sometime later, everyone was standing in front of the miasma, waiting for King Richard's order to enter; the air was thick with expectancy and an unsettling mood, instilling fear in everyone's hearts.
Everyone remained silent, staring at the miasma with an uneasy expression on their faces as their legs trembled from the terrifying aura of the miasma.
GAAARRRRR! GHAHRRR!
Suddenly, everyone heard a tremendous scream of powerful monsters from inside the miasma, making everyone shudder in horror.
The atmosphere got even more scary and horrible, making everyone afraid to approach the miasma.
"W-What kind of monster could give such a terrible and scary growl?"
"Is this the wail of a Corrupted Monster? This must be it, right?"
"What a powerful roar... I feel my legs trembling."
Many people's murmurs quickly filled the air, and everyone trembled with horror when they heard the powerful growls of beasts inside the miasma.
Even King Richard and the delegates of the other nations were taken aback by the tremendous roars of the beasts that lived within the thick crimson miasma, and they could feel their legs shaking.
"All right, everyone, the time has come! We'll now enter the miasma. And, as directed, everyone uses their mana skin to prevent the miasma from invading their bodies!"
King Richard's voice resounded, forcing everyone to gulp uncomfortably, knowing that they would be entering the miasma any minute now.
The air was thick with anxiety and suspense.
"Everyone! Follow me and march forward; we have a mission to complete."
As King Richard spoke, he pushed forward on his horse and approached the dense red miasma, and as he did so, his entire body became covered in a thin layer of light.
'Is it the "mana skin" he was talking about? It's very similar to Qi protection.' Yuan paid particular attention to the mana skin that wrapped King Richard's body, shielding him from the toxic miasma.
And soon, everyone's bodies began to glow in different colors, each symbolizing the nature of their mana; Valeria, Mireya, and Sylvia's bodies were all coated in a similar mana skin.