Return of the Mythic Bloodline

After their heated argument, Ruru and Vyaghra started moving again.

They traveled for hours without uttering a single word.

Even as a mere observer, I was feeling awkward, stuck between them.

They passed forests, lakes, small villages, and forests again, finally reaching an open ground.

A cobblestone road stretched ahead, leading to an enormous stone wall with towering iron gates.

Following the road, they arrived at the entry where two guards in iron armour, holding spears, stood.

The guards bowed their heads and spoke in perfect sync,

"We welcome Lord Vyaghra and Lady Ruru to Nokhira: The city of Tails ."

"Open the gates," one of them shouted.

The iron gate cracked open, its rusted hinges shrieking, revealing the royal city inside.

"Woahhh! It's incredible," I gasped, beholding the scenery I had read about only in books and fantasy movies.

Each house was a double-story building, built by combining numerous white stones; their gable roofs were made of maroon-colored stone.

The streets were clean and bustled with people of different races.

As they entered, a battalion of knights in silver armour arrived before them.

One of the soldiers stepped forward, carrying a sword whose hilt bore the face of a fox. That must be their commander, I wondered.

He spoke in a loud but respectful tone,

"We did not have prior notice that the God of Hunt and Stealth and the God of Protection were arriving early, so we apologise that we are the only ones to welcome the esteemed guests."

The crowd started to gather on the streets and began murmuring.

One of them spoke, "That's Lady Ruru. She—she is so beautiful and divine. Just look at me once, goddess."

"How presumptuous! Why would a goddess look at you? You should be glad that you had the chance to be in her presence," another scoffed.

"Is he Lord Vyaghra? He—he is so handsome. Do you think I have a chance?" A lady exclaimed from the crowd.

"Hey, don't be disrespectful. There are rumours that you'd die if you stare at him for more than a minute," the one beside her whispered.

"Ahh! I would gladly die if Lord Vyaghra is the one taking my life," she responded, sighing.

"We came ahead of time due to an emergency. Arrange the meeting with the Queen right now," Vyaghra spoke, his tone firm.

"We will inform the Queen right away. Please follow us to the castle," the commander replied as he turned and stared at one of his soldiers.

The soldier slightly bowed and dashed off in a fluid stride—likely going to inform the Queen.

The knights walked at the front, their feet striking the ground in unison as Ruru and Vyaghra followed them. The people on the street moved to the sides, clearing the way for the Gods.

After walking for a few minutes, they reached another wall with a slope leading upward where a wooden coach with golden strips and silk curtains, attached to five silver-haired horses, was standing.

The coachman quickly placed a small wooden stair at the entrance and spoke, opening the door,

"Please grant this humble servant of yours the honor of taking the divine guest to the castle."

I mumbled, chuckling at the insanity, "Isn't it way too much?"

"Tchh, I don't have time for this," Vyaghra muttered and leapt over the wall.

"We cannot enjoy your accommodation. We really are in a hurry," Ruru spoke and soared as well.

As I reached the top of the wall, I realized it wasn't a wall but the upper part of Nokhira.

There were no houses—only mansions in this area—and each appeared more impressive than the other.

But behind them, there was a wall again, and on top of the wall stood the castle of the Queen.

The castle's dome was in the shape of a fox roaring at the sky, and it was surrounded by nine pillars—thin at the bottom, thick in the middle, and sharp at the end; exactly like the shape of a tail.

Vyaghra and Ruru, without wasting a second, leapt again, directly reaching the gates of the castle.

"Please wait for a moment. The Queen isn't informed of your arrival," the guard at the gate blurted.

"STEP ASIDE," Vyaghra spoke in a cold tone, gazing at the guard.

The guard's knees gave out just from Vyaghra's stare, his face covered in sweat, yet he still protested with trembling lips,

"But-but—"

"Let them in!" A dominant but soft voice of a lady echoed in the air.

The guard quickly dragged himself to open the door and fell unconscious right afterward.

There was a huge hallway inside, with stone sculptures of warriors lined up on both sides of the walls.

The moment Ruru and Vyaghra moved inside, the gate shut itself, and all the candles lighting the interior vanished, creating pitch-black darkness.

After a brief moment, the candles lit up again, but this time, they were placed in an inclined order.

The strange thing was, when the brightness increased, it wasn't the hallway where we stood, but an open space of a grand hall, and the inclined candles illuminated the stairs leading to a person sitting on the throne.

The person wasn't visible due to the dim light; only the hands and crossed legs could barely be seen. The nails on the hands were long, pink, and pointed, and the skin was like light pink jade.

This person, no doubt, was the Queen Gumiho.

"Is there something you want to convey?" The same voice I had heard at the gate echoed in the hall.

I knew the Queen was the one speaking, but still, I couldn't tell where the voice was coming from.

It felt like someone was speaking inside my mind.

"Long live Your Majesty and the Goddess of all beasts," Ruru and Vyaghra spoke in unison, bending down on one knee.

It was quite hilarious to see these two on the same page.

The Queen must have been authoritative, strict, and her demeanor had to be inflexible for these two to show such respect.

Well, that's what I was expecting before the Queen spoke again—

"Ughhh, I don't want these useless greetings. Just tell me how was my entrance, you idiots!"