Chapter 87: A Fortress That Learned How to Walk

Ollie came down after them, also acting like he did not hear Silvy’s whining.

Several attendants had already arrived near the landing area, along with guards wearing the Holmes insignia.

Their demeanor toward Elinox was respectful, but toward Zishan? They became much harder to understand once they noticed the tiny black dragon sitting on his shoulder.

Then, Silvy looked toward Elinox and called out again. "Mama!"

Several heads turned.

Zishan closed his eyes. ’Why does she always do this around witnesses?’

But Elinox kept walking. "Come with me."

"Me?" Zishan pointed at himself.

"Yes," Elinox answered.

Zishan then glanced toward Ollie and Silvy. "What about these two?"

"They can stay here."

Silvy grabbed his hair.

Zishan winced. "Baby, release Papa’s hair."

Silvy released him.

One of the attendants approached, though Silvy stared at the woman suspiciously before moving closer to Ollie instead.

Ollie took her carefully. "I’ll watch her, Big Brother."

Zishan narrowed his eyes at him. "You better."

Silvy waved one little claw. "Papa!"

Zishan waved back.

Then, Elinox caught him by the arm.

"What—"

Gravity Mana surrounded him.

His feet left the ground.

Zishan’s eyes widened. "Wait!"

Elinox rose into the air.

Zishan followed because the Gravity Mana surrounding him gave him very little choice. "You could’ve warned me!"

"We’re going to the military grounds."

"That doesn’t explain why I’m flying like you are! Won’t others suspect us?!"

Elinox continued forward.

Zishan looked down.

The Holmes residence was already shrinking beneath them.

His hand moved toward Elinox’s arm on instinct.

She glanced at him.

Then, he quickly withdrew it. "I wasn’t scared."

"I didn’t say you were."

"I-I was making sure you knew!"

Elinox almost smiled.

They crossed several sections of the capital through the air, though Elinox avoided the primary Aether routes while keeping Zishan within her Gravity Mana.

Zishan gradually stopped worrying about falling and started looking around again.

From above, the capital appeared even larger.

Military facilities occupied a wide district separated from the noble estates by several fortified roads. Barracks, training grounds, command buildings, warehouses, weapon yards, and landing platforms stretched across the area.

Soldiers moved throughout the grounds.

Many noticed Elinox, and more than a few noticed the white-haired young man floating beside her.

Zishan became very aware of that fact. ’Great. First day in the capital and I’m already being carried through the sky by a High General. What an entrance!’

[The Host has experienced more embarrassing events.]

’Name one.’

[The System requires more specific parameters.]

’Fuck you.’

Elinox descended toward the central command complex.

Zishan’s boots touched the ground again. He adjusted his clothes and looked around. Several soldiers nearby saluted Elinox at once.

"High General!"

She acknowledged them with a small nod and continued toward the largest building.

Zishan followed.

He had expected her to bring him to some administrative office where somebody would stamp a document and formally confirm his promotion.

Instead, they kept moving deeper into the command complex.

The number of ordinary soldiers decreased. Senior officers became more common. Majors. Commanders. Men and women carrying insignias Zishan had not seen before.

Several stopped when they saw Elinox.

Others looked toward him.

His discomfort grew. "High General Holmes..."

Elinox kept walking, ignoring all the stares around them. "Yes?"

"Where exactly are we going?"

"To see the Crown Marshal."

Zishan’s foot stopped for half a second before continuing. "The Crown Marshal?"

"Yes."

"As in... the person above Commanders and basically almost everyone in the military?"

Elinox glanced at him. "Yes."

Zishan became quiet.

Elinox added, "I can issue wartime appointments and battlefield promotions within my authority, but a promotion like yours still requires formal approval once we return to the capital. And so now we’re here."

Zishan processed that. "Why does he need to approve it?"

"Because battlefield authority and permanent military registration are different matters," she answered.

Zishan nodded. He understood that much.

Then, another detail reached him. "You said we’re seeing the Crown Marshal personally."

"Yes."

"Why personally?"

"Because he’s my uncle."

Zishan stopped walking.

Elinox continued several steps before looking back.

His mouth remained slightly open. ’Of course.’

Then, he began walking again, noticing the confused look on Elinox’s face.

’Of fucking course the High General who owns Skyforge and is the daughter of a Duke also has a Crown Marshal for an uncle.’

[The Host appears surprised by the social connections of one of the Kingdom’s most powerful noble families.]

’I know it makes sense! Just let me be surprised!’

They reached another guarded doorway.

The soldiers opened it as soon as Elinox approached.

She entered and Zishan followed her into a large office that looked less decorative than he expected.

Maps covered one wall. Several weapon racks stood along another. Documents occupied a long table near the center, while military reports had been arranged into separate stacks.

Then, Zishan saw the man standing near the far side of the room.

His first thought was that the Crown Marshal looked like someone had taken a fortress and taught it how to walk.

The man was enormous.

Broad shoulders filled out a dark military coat reinforced along the chest and arms. His neck looked thick enough that Zishan wondered whether normal collars had ever worked for him, and the scars across one side of his face only made his expression harder to read.

His arms were folded.

Zishan felt the man’s Mana before he even took another step.

The pressure did not resemble Elinox’s Gravity.

It came from the simple awareness that the person in front of him possessed enough power to crush most people Zishan had encountered without needing to try very hard.

The Crown Marshal looked toward Elinox. Then, his eyes moved toward Zishan.

Zishan felt his instincts telling him to stand straighter.

Elinox stopped several steps away. "Uncle."

The Crown Marshal’s gaze remained on Zishan, but it was noticeably softer when he saw his niece. "So this is him?"

She nodded. "Yes, uncle."

Zishan looked between them. ’Why does that sound like they’ve already talked about me?’

Elinox stepped aside.

The Crown Marshal finally gave Zishan his full attention.

For a brief moment, Zishan understood why military officers treated rank so seriously. Commander Holtz had possessed authority. Elinox had possessed enough power that entire groups of officers became silent when she entered a room.

The Crown Marshal carried something different.

Years of command sat in the way he looked at Zishan, as though he had already judged thousands of soldiers before him and could decide within seconds whether another one belonged in the military.

But Zishan did not lower his eyes. He brought one hand up and saluted properly. "Captain Zishan Walker, reporting to the Crown Marshal."

The huge man’s eyes narrowed.

Zishan remained where he stood.

His heartbeat had picked up, though he refused to let it reach his face. ’So this is the Crown Marshal of a Kingdom...’

A green panel appeared.

[Be careful, Host.]

Zishan’s eyes stayed forward.

[With just a swat from the Crown Marshal, the Host might die an early death.]