Chapter 132: It’s Good To See You Again

A fit of giggles left Jiaoying’s mouth as she watched Bansha chase her own tail on the floor of her carriage.

Even after a full ten minute ride, the pooch had not grown tired and chased her tail with the same enthusiasm as when she had first started.

“I had never really considered myself to be much of a dog person, but you are steadily changing my mind, little miss.”

Bansha stopped dead in her tracks and stared at Jiaoying with a neutral gaze.

“Right, how can I forget. You’re no ordinary pup, are you?” Jiaoying smiled.

“Arf!”

Suddenly, the carriage came to a screeching halt. Jiaoying pulled back the curtain on the window to confirm they had finally reached their destination.

“Alright… looks like we’re here. You remember the deal, right?”

“Arf!”

“That’s my girl. Gimme paw.”

Bansha placed her paw in Jiaoying’s hand, and the knight commander gave it a gentle shake.

“Alright then, little miss. Let’s do this.”

The door to Jiaoying’s carriage was pulled open, and sunlight poured in from outside.

Bansha crawled up Jiaoying’s arm and established a secure perch on her shoulder. Once the two were ready, they climbed out together.

A large castle stood before them, it’s gallant walls were made from black granite and a soft, honey-colored limestone.

The watchtowers nearly pierced the white clouds overhead. The flying red banners sat upon their sharp points like ribbons.

“WELCOME BACK, GRANDMASTER!”

Bansha wrinkled her brow at the rows of men in armor standing at attention. Jiaoying scratched under her middle chin. “Pay them no mind.”

Jiaoying strode through the rows of soldiers with an extremely confident gait. Her every step felt purposeful and seemed to command an respect and awe.

If Solomon or Yari were to see her now, they would hardly recognize her. The suave, gentle, slightly lustful woman that they had come to enter a relationship with was very different from the Knight Commander of the Sunset Order.

She strode through the grand doors to the castle, her boots clicking off the floor at rhythmic intervals.

Jiaoying was dressed in simple traveller’s clothes. A pair of knee-length black leather boots, and dark pants with a white button-down shirt. A beautiful burgundy and gold coat was hung over her shoulders and flowed heroically in the breeze as she walked.

The thin, ceremonial sword stationed at her tip was more of a decoration rather than an actual weapon, and yet she was never seen inside the castle without it.

She passed by many attendants, maids, and knights on her journey to the main hall. In that time, she barely even acknowledged another person.

But that didn’t mean no one noticed her.

The gazes Jiaoying received were less about reverence and more about fear.

In the months that Jiaoying had been away, there were plenty of rumors surrounding her disappearance. But as time went on, they all began to fade away.

As such, it was rather stressful to see the woman show up out of the blue. It made the mood around the castle incredibly tense.

It didn’t help that Jiaoying had returned carrying a baby Cerberus on her shoulder. And was talking to it as if it could understand her…

“Have you ever thought about trying to grow stronger, little one? You’re very intelligent, I’m sure it wouldn’t take you long to start building a core.”

Bansha didn’t seem to understand the offer Jiaoying was placing in front of her.

“…Do you want to fight other animals, eat them, and grow big and strong?”

The flames on the back of Bansha’s heads kicked up once more. Jiaoying grinned.

“Excitable thing, aren’t you? I’ll tell you what, Solomon had better come back quick. Otherwise, I might just end up keeping you for myself.”

If anyone else had said something like that, Bansha probably would have bitten them.

However, she liked Jiaoying and Yari almost as much as Solomon. (Because they snuck her snacks and treats.)

Jiaoying pushed open two ornate double doors to enter a grand throne room.

As soon as she entered, every bit of chatter seemed to trail off. The dozens of attendants inside went pale almost as soon as they laid eyes on her. Something that amused her greatly.

“Knight Commander, you’ve… returned.”

Jiaoying stepped past a gray-bearded old man without even sparing him a second glance.

“Yes. Nothing seems to get past you, does it, Maester Rafa?”

The old man began steaming as Jiaoying strode right up to the large throne and dropped to one knee. She bowed her head deeply until it touched her chest.

“Your majesty. I greet you with reverence.”

“Mmm… Look upon me, child.” A deep, gravelly voice came from the throne.

The man before Jiaoying seemed hardly to resemble a man at all. At least, not from the neck up.

He was an true enigma in a word full of unorthodoxy. In all of her travels, Jiaoying had never seen another titan-blood like him.

His skin swirled with two melded colors, one part a reflective gold, while the other was like black basalt.

He usually wore very little, aside from the ceremonial jewelry around his neck, and the skirt that covered his lower body. It allowed the entire room to get open glimpses of his lithe, sharpened physique.

The emperor was very tall, even for a titan-blood. At 7’9, he was the single most imposing man that Jiaoying knew.

But the most unsettling thing about him, by far, was his face. Or rather, it was the fact that he did not really have one.

Aside from a pair of golden horns and shining yellow eyes to match, the emperor’s face was completely featureless. No ears, nose, mouth, or hair follicles.

Oddly enough, Jiaoying had seen the emperor eat before… but if she had to describe it, it was like food simply vanished as he brought it up to his mouth.

He also seemed to be capable of smell and hearing as well. Though how exactly his anatomy worked was something not even his wives and children were certain of. It had been a mystery that had eluded the world for all three hundred and seventy-six years of his life.

Emperor Jorre Na-Inna Eirbane raised his hand for Jiaoying to stand.

Once she got to her feet, he pointed to the pooch, who was now desperately trying to hide herself behind Jiaoying’s head. This was the first time Jiaoying had ever seen Bansha afraid of anyone.

Then again, most people would have that reaction if they knew they were standing in front of a silver-core knight.

“You’ve returned with something unique.”

Jiaoying smiled subtly. “A simple little friend I picked up along the way. She’s quite the sweet thing.”

The emperor turned his gaze toward his other attendants.

“Leave.”

Everyone, aside from Jiaoying, scattered from the room like rodents.

As soon as the double doors slammed shut, Jiaoying’s smile became much more visible, and her speech was no longer as formal.

“I see everyone is still as petrified of you as ever, my lord.”

The titan-blood let out a shallow breath that barely passed for a laugh. “There are very few of the same ilk as us, my sword. I become increasingly aware of that with every passing century.”

Emperor Jorre walked over to a nearby window gracefully. Despite being a presumably light man, his footsteps were actually rather heavy.

As he gazed out into the bright blue sky, he clasped his hands behind his back and let out a discontented sigh.

“These toothless little serpents… How I would relish seeing them face a Stalker from the Black Depths. Perhaps it would give them a bit more perspective as to what true fear is.”

Emperor Jorre turned back with a sigh. “Pardon me, old friend. I am babbling too much after your time away.”

He waved his hand, and a set of back doors to the throne room creaked open.

“Come. Join me for wine. Regale me with tales of your adventures, and explain to me why I can smell an unfamiliar man and woman all over you.”

Jiaying’s face turned beet red.

Before Emperor Jorre led the way to the meeting hall, he ’sniffed’ the air once again. His eyes seemed to convey a subtle shock..

“And an elven woman at that… My, someone has been busy.”

–

Jiaoying’s idle chatter with the country’s monarch did not linger much on Solomon and Yari. Emperor Jorre seemed content not to pry, but she could sense an underlying curiosity from him.

After all of these years, Jiaoying had hardly sniffed in the direction of any man or woman. None, least of all the emperor, expected Jiaoying to take an interest in companionship after all of these years.

The relationship between the Emperor and his Knight Commander was, on the surface, strictly professional. But behind closed doors, they were better described as close friends.

They seamlessly sifted between business and leisure topics without so much as a single change in tone.

That was, until Emperor Jorre said something that made Jiaoying choke on her wine.

“You’ve arrived just in time to help me with my latest headache.”

“Are your children lacking promise again?” Jiaoying chuckled.

“…Yes.” The monarch sighed. “But that is not the matter of which I speak. Lately, we have begun receiving requests from that group of fanatics. The Church of the Formless.”

Jiaoying fought hard to keep her eyes from bulging out of her head as her wine went down the wrong pipe. Meanwhile, Emperor Jorre continued talking as if he hadn’t noticed anything amiss.

“They’ve sent several inquiries about building some sort of holy sight within the city… I was inclined to ignore them at first, but… they have brought up an offer of very attractive compensation as of late. I wanted to hear your opinion on the matter.”

——————-

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