Eternal Night Doom City…
The capital city of the Doom family felt oppressive, as though the air itself was thick with unspoken malice. The streets were narrow, and Kent could sense that trouble lurked behind every shadowy corner.
The people continued to stare brazenly, people whispering in groups while many pointing fingers at Kent. Kent also saw several children playing on top of walls and roofs. While the distant capital seems luxurious, this outside area next to the outer wall is very poor and backward.
As the procession reached the main gate leading into the city, they were stopped by a group of wizards in dark robes, each bearing a symbol of a dog on their shoulders. The leader of the wizards, a tall man with a cruel sneer etched into his face, stepped forward. He raised a hand, stopping the group.
“Verification,” the man declared, his voice thick with contempt.
Lily’s eyes immediately narrowed, and she stepped forward, glaring at the wizard. “You know who we are. We have Royal Academy disciples with us. Do you really need to stop us here?”
The wizard smirked, clearly relishing the moment. The enmity between the Frost and Doom families was no secret, and it was obvious that this was nothing more than a petty attempt to cause trouble.
“Procedure is procedure, Lady. Even Frost family masters need to follow the rules here in Doom territory.”
Lily clenched her fists, holding back her anger. “Fine. Ask your questions.”
The wizard’s sneer widened as he began to ask the most basic, ridiculous questions, clearly meant to provoke her. “Name?”
“Lily Frost.”
“Family name?”
“Frost,” she answered, her voice dripping with cold fury.
“Purpose of visit?”
“Delivering disciples to the Royal Academy.”
The wizard’s smirk grew with every answer, enjoying how her irritation simmered beneath the surface. Finally, with a mocking smile, he said, “Show your proof of identity.”
Lily extended her hand and used mana circulation, and with a flicker of blue light, the Arctic Fox symbol of her family appeared on her forearm. The wizard’s eyes glinted with ill intent as he turned his gaze toward Kent.
“And what about him?” the wizard asked, his voice laced with false politeness. “What’s your name, masked stranger?”
Before Kent could answer, Lily stepped in front of him. “He’s with me. No need to ask questions.”
The wizard’s eyes narrowed as he stared at Kent, clearly displeased. “At least, he needs to show any Crest family symbol if he wants to enter. Rules are rules.”
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Lily crossed her arms, her glare becoming colder by the second. “He’s new to this planet, not registered yet.”
The wizard’s smirk returned. “Then, I’m afraid he can’t enter. Not without proper identification.”
Lily’s icy stare could’ve frozen the very air around them. She leaned closer, her voice a deadly whisper. “I’ll deal with this myself. He’ll wait outside.”
Kent gave a small nod, sensing Lily’s frustration. As she entered the city with the disciples, the Doom wizards allowed everyone else through, occasionally checking random identities before letting them pass.
Meanwhile, Kent decided to explore the area near the walls. His pets flanked him as he wandered along the perimeter of the city.
Beggars lined the walls, their faces ghost white and eyes hollow. Feeling a tug of sympathy, Kent reached into his pouch and pulled out several Superior mana stones, dropping them into the outstretched hands of the beggars. They fell to their knees in gratitude, their voices shaky with thanks.
While Kent browsed the small, rundown stores near the wall, curious about the new items and tools he had never seen before, the Doom family wizards were busy plotting.
Their leader, still standing at the gate, cast a glance toward his underlings. His voice was low but filled with malice.
“That masked fool with the dwarf dragon… he’s valuable. Go provoke him. Make him cross a line, and when he does, we’ll confiscate his dragon as compensation. Go. Make sure it looks like he’s at fault. Don’t worry, he belong to Frost family.
Master will only reward us for messing with this fellow.” The wizard’s smile was wicked as he gestured to one of his subordinates.
The subordinate, a younger wizard with excited gleam in his eye, nodded eagerly and approached Kent, whose attention was focused on a peculiar item in a nearby stall.
The wizard hurried over, sneering at Kent from behind. Just after reaching Kent, he directly picked Kent’s collar and pulled rudely.
“Oi, you! Masked guy!” he called out, his tone mocking. “What’s a shady character like you doing near the city walls? Got something to hide, maybe?”
“…PHAT…”
A loud resounding slap fell on the wizard face and he fell to the ground while making somersaults. Blood oozed out of his mouth and he lost consciousness in the next second.
“Hurry! Someone hit the Crest Wizard. Hurry!” [Crest wizards are family wizards.]
The wizard’s leader hurriedly ran forward while passing commands to his subordinates. In the next few seconds, all Doom family wizards in the vicinity gathered around Kent.
“Kneel! Now!” The wizard cried out while pointing spears.
Kent turned slowly, his eyes narrowing beneath the mask, but he remained silent.
“How dare you touch the Doom family Wizard. You can’t escape death today!” One of the wizards cried out while pointing a spear at Kent from a distance.
Several threats followed and many onlookers gathered to witness the interesting drama.
“This guy came with Frost family lady. The Doom family definitely take this chance for revenge.” The onlookers muttered in serious gazes.
The wizard leaders finally stepped closer, his smirk widening. “Nice dwarf dragon you got there. Doesn’t seem like a pet someone like you could handle.” He snickered. “Maybe you should hand it over to someone more… capable.”
Kent smirked with a mocking gaze. “I suggest you walk away,” he said in a grim tone.
The wizard leader quickly recovered, his sneer returning. “Or what? You don’t have a family crest, no identification. You’re nothing but a nameless wanderer in our lands. I could have beheaded you for causing trouble. How about you hand over that dragon as an apology?”
The tension in the air grew thicker, and Kent’s pets—Jabil, Ruby and Kavi—sensed the brewing conflict, stepping closer with low, warning growls. The surrounding people began to watch, curious but wary of the growing confrontation.