Chapter 116: The Ancient Palace and the Shadows to the North

Once the landing process and the unsealing finished, Dion, riding Gina alongside Luna, Sheila, Mei, Cleo, and Aria, touched down right in front of the Palace of Xandor, which had just burst up from deep underground. Upon landing, Gina immediately shrank back to her small form and perched on Dion’s head.

Meanwhile, they stared at the giant statue of Goddess Hestalia standing in the courtyard before the palace, a structure both beautiful and magnificent, yet so eerily mystical it gave them goosebumps.

Dion tilted his head back, gazing up toward the goddess’s head, though her facial features weren’t clearly visible from down where he stood.

"This goddess... she really is Nora... How in the world is that possible?" Dion thought to himself, holding onto both of Gina’s feet atop his head.

"How about we try going inside the palace?" Luna suggested, pointing ahead.

Dion stared at the grand palace before them. It looked empty, ancient, yet undeniably majestic, with several streams of water cascading like waterfalls from its windows. The structure was clearly damaged, and one of its towers appeared cracked and on the verge of collapsing. Seeing the sheer scale of ruin, everyone, especially Aria, realized something was off.

"Hmm... This palace is exceptionally sturdy... But for a structure this strong to end up this battered... There must have been a catastrophic attack in the ancient past that left it in this state," Aria noted, examining the architecture closely.

"What do you mean?" Luna asked.

"This palace took heavy hits from the outside. Otherwise, there’s no way the exterior would be this thoroughly wrecked. It definitely used to fly through the sky and wage war against whatever was out there back in ancient times," Aria explained.

"Hmm... That makes sense. The Kingdom of Xandor was also known as the Kingdom of the Sky. Looking at an ancient palace that hasn’t completely turned to rubble but is heavily damaged, it’s obvious this place went through something way beyond our imagination back then," Cleo murmured, studying the palace.

"Can it be repaired?" Mei asked.

"Of course it can. Though it looks like we won’t be able to use the palace anytime soon. There’s a lot that needs fixing and restoring. Besides, take a look at that," Aria answered, pointing at the windows spewing water like waterfalls.

Dion, Luna, Sheila, Mei, and Cleo looked over where Aria was pointing. Seeing water cascading from the upper floors when there was no natural spring up there, they realized the interior was probably completely wrecked and flooded from being buried underground for so long. They turned their attention to their broader surroundings—dense forest covered the entire circular valley, stretching a kilometer wide around the palace complex and rising right along with it.

"There’s no way back to the main city either unless we fly back with Gina," Cleo remarked.

"Yeah, you’re right. Deep inside the surrounding woods, you can see collapsed barracks, horse stables, and ruined buildings. Looks like we’ll have to clear out the whole area if we want to use this palace," Mei said, scanning the perimeter.

"In that case, we don’t really have to use it right now, do we? Let’s just treat the palace and the goddess statue as a giant museum and keep living in the mansion," Dion said casually.

Hearing Dion’s nonchalant suggestion, Luna, Cleo, Sheila, Mei, and Aria instantly whipped their heads around, narrowing their eyes in a sharp glare that made Dion flinch.

"How can you say that?! You’re the ruler! You have to live in the palace! We’re going to fix this place up, right, Aria?" Cleo scolded.

"Exactly. Don’t worry, we have plenty of golems, and now we have the craftsmen from Treevalley. Palace construction will go smoothly and quickly," Aria assured.

"You just sit tight and don’t lift a finger. Let me and the others handle everything. I’m going to hold a meeting with Sister Olga and Elrond to discuss our next steps," Luna declared.

"Fine... I’ll lend you a hand, airhead princess," Aria replied.

"Great! Looking forward to your help, dumb princess," Luna shot back playfully.

"I’ll handle security around this tower and scout out the surrounding woods. Don’t worry, the Shadow Hand is ready to help," Mei added.

"Ugh... Do whatever you want," Dion sighed lazily, opting not to argue.

"Kyuuu... kyuuu!" Gina cheered from atop his head, raising her tiny paws happily.

With that, Aria, Luna, Cleo, and Mei huddled together to brainstorm plans and deliberate among themselves. Dion glanced over at Sheila, who was still standing still, staring at the goddess statue ahead. He walked over and nudged her elbow.

"Why are you so quiet?" Dion asked Sheila.

Sheila looked at Dion, then turned her eyes back toward the goddess statue in front of them. "Sigh..." Sheila let out a heavy breath.

"Lord Sion is still interrogating General Dhorga... And until he gets concrete information from him, we can’t make a move regarding Northgard. It’s driving me crazy," Sheila said, her tone frustrated.

"We don’t have a choice but to wait, right? It’s not like we can just rush over to Northgard and start causing chaos," Dion reasoned.

"Yeah... I know. But I’m the princess of that kingdom, and I represent my people. I can’t just sit idly by. I know Gred and my stepmother all too well, they only care about power and their own greedy desires. They don’t care about the citizens, and they don’t give a damn about the kingdom. Case in point: they ordered Dhorga to launch an all-out attack on us. That’s way crossing the line," Sheila replied bitterly.

Dion looked at Sheila, who stood glumly beside him, her eyes glued to the giant goddess statue. He reached out and rested his hand firmly on her shoulder, prompting her to turn and look at him.

"We will do something about it. I’m more than willing to accompany you to Northgard, but right now, we need to focus on what’s directly in front of us... Like... what we’re going to do with this massive palace," Dion said gently.

"You’re really willing to help me?" Sheila asked, her eyes widening slightly.

"Of course. You’re my fiancée, too. How could I just stand by while my family is suffering? I’ll back you up with everything I’ve got," Dion answered with a warm smile.

Sheila stared at Dion, her heart swelling. Suddenly, she turned and squeeze! threw her arms around Dion in a crushing bear hug. Dion’s face immediately turned pale and slightly blue from the sheer strength of her grip.

"Urgh... L-Let go... You’re going to crush me!" Dion wheezed, frantically tapping on Sheila’s muscular arm.

"Oops! Sorry, haha!" Sheila laughed, releasing Dion right away.

"Huff... huff... huff!"

Dion gasped for air, taking deep gulps of breath after being deprived of oxygen for several seconds. As everyone continued talking and surveying the area, a shadow passed over them as a zeppelin hovered overhead, prompting everyone to look up.

The airship gradually descended right in front of them, coming to a halt just above the ground and flattening a portion of the surrounding woods. A gangplank lowered, and Haruto and Faramir stepped down onto the grass. Dion, Mei, Sheila, Cleo, and a levitating Gina walked over to greet them, joined by Luna and Aria.

"Hmm... So this is the Palace of Xandor?" Faramir asked, examining the structure from afar.

"Yes... Can your people repair this palace, Lord Faramir?" Aria asked.

"Of course we can. Mind giving me a tour up close?" Faramir asked, pointing toward the palace.

"Follow me, I’ll show you around," Aria offered.

"I’ll come along, too," Luna added.

Aria and Luna accompanied Faramir toward the palace, taking the paved walkway winding behind the courtyard statue. Meanwhile, Dion, Sheila, Mei, and Cleo stepped over to Haruto.

"How did it go, Lord Sion?" Sheila asked directly.

"General Dhorga refused to open his mouth at first. However, our operatives in Northgard managed to intercept a copy of the letter Dhorga received from Helga. When we confronted Dhorga with it, his face turned pale. He finally admitted that he only wanted to support his son and protect his son’s throne, exactly as instructed in Helga’s direct order," Haruto explained.

"So... the one who ordered the attack wasn’t even Gred? It was my stepmother, Helga?" Sheila asked, her anger flaring again.

"Correct. It appears Gred was completely in the dark. He’s still busy throwing banquets and acting like the world’s problems don’t exist," Haruto replied.

Haruto’s words hung heavily in the air. Dion, Cleo, and Mei fell silent, while Sheila stood trembling, her hands clenched into tight fists. But Haruto wasn’t finished.

"However, that’s not our biggest concern right now. Before heading over here, I received an urgent report from King Alexius of Lutherias. He spotted movements from the undead army, they appear to be heading toward his kingdom, preparing for a full-scale invasion. Furthermore, undead reconnaissance monsters known as damned beholders were spotted flying north in massive swarms. Most likely, they’re heading straight for Northgard. My spies in the city of Millfrost in the Kingdom of Thetor confirmed seeing them as well," Haruto revealed.

Dion, Cleo, Mei, and Sheila were rendered completely speechless. They knew all too well that those monsters were the reconnaissance arm of the undead forces, scouts used to spy on surrounding territories or deliver messages and missives. They had studied those creatures back at the academy, as they were commonly hunted inside dungeons.

"Damn it... Looks like things are getting way worse than before. One crisis after another keeps popping up in this world, choking the life out of everyone... How annoying," Dion thought to himself, glancing back toward the face of the goddess statue standing quietly in the distance.