NOVEL WEB Chapter 16: Arrival
The convoy consisted of 18 great monsters belonging to the great tribes and 2 more belonging to the Skythorn tribe.
They were 21 in total, counting Raphael himself and every single one of them was level 80 or above, eliminating most of the risks they could face along the way.
Each tribe had its own cart pulled by the two lesser monsters, the ones serving as their servants despite being above level 60 at worst.
The distance between the two empires was as vast as the plains, forests, and mountains.
First, some of them had to use their skills to form a bridge where the convoy could pass through the river close to their empire.
Then, they had to cross the Elderclaw Woods followed by the Savage Expanse.
The first was dangerous because beasts such as Behemoths lived and on the contrary, the second was easier to pass through since it housed Drakes and lower.
Their only concern for the Savage Expanse was a venomous type of drakes reigned supreme.
Thankfully, such beasts knew whom to mess with and whom to avoid as the majority were awakened and retained a high degree of intelligence.
Once that point was crossed, the convoy arrived at the battlefield, now a large wasteland slowly recovering as time went by.
"Halt! We shall take a break and then proceed forward." Happiness rained on the lesser monsters pulling the carts, they stopped immediately upon hearing his order.
He took the chance and jumped down, his vision wandering around, capturing the beasts inhabiting the wasteland.
'Motherfucker,' His eyes flashed as he recalled the past. Back then, Taurus appeared out of nowhere before slaughtering the humans stationed around the area.
He led his beast army and introduced himself as Black Hand, they were thankful for his actions and eventually allowed him to enter their empire.
As a result, he brainwashed their beasts, corrupted the majority, and began executing his time-traveling plan not long after.
"Is there something wrong, Your Majesty?!" Azaren's representative spoke, his voice breaking Rapheal's train of thought.
"Nothing, I was just busy recalling something. Let us continue." Raphael waved his hands as the ones surrounding him returned to their carts.
Soon, they continued their march once again, passing through a swamp they did not know of.
"Faster, beasts! We can't be late for such an important matter!" Raphael spoke as the lesser monsters grumbled, given it was his idea to take a break in the first place.
However, they couldn't do much but follow orders due to the whips they feared.
After a couple of hours going through the swamp, the convoy passed by a lake before arriving at Tyran's borders.
Tyran was split into four Kingdoms, and Aurelia was one in the east.
The convoy was welcomed upon their arrival by Aurelia's knights, a Kingdom ruled by a queen serving under the emperor.
The great monsters were impressed by the warm welcome, imagining the bright future ahead since the knights were leading the way for them past this point.
After marching through a couple of roads and cities, the convoy arrived at Tyran's vast capital.
Those carts were simple and open, allowing the passersby and common folk to easily see the monsters.
Some were scared, some were curious and some were excited about what the future held.
Raphael saw their fear as something natural since they were mostly overpowered by their enemy or barely able to keep up and cut the gap with their magic and technology.
A few moments later, the convoy entered the royal palace, where the meeting was meant to take place.
Although it was disadvantageous for them, it was Raphael's idea to show their goodwill, an idea to prove their desire for peace or cooperation.
The decorations of the courtyard and towering tree formations captured the hearts of the representatives and their followers.
Far in the distance, a human could be seen standing high on the stairs leading to the palace's entrance.
Eight more humans stood slightly below him, four on each side.
Namely three kings and a queen on the right, and four dukes on the right, including Edmund Pendragon and Taurus Eastel.
One thing was mainly on their mind, the reason why Raphael sent them gifts on Taurus' birth.
Thankfully, the emperor's voice fell into their ears, bringing their attention back to their visitors.
"Welcome to Tyran. I trust your stay will be both pleasant and memorable." The emperor, Legio Terrowin spoke as great monsters stepped forward, leaving the lesser ones behind.
He was a bulky old man with a golden crown resting on his lush white hair.
He wore his armor like the rest, mostly made of black metal and red decorations.
A golden phoenix symbol took the armor's center covering his chest, representing Legio's heraldry.
"It is a pleasure to see you," Raphael spoke as he led the monsters forward.
'Identical! Well, mostly…' His vision darted to Edmund momentarily, noting the similarities.
If not for the damaged skull and silver hair this man had, he believed he could easily mistake him for Taurus.
He glanced, his vision falling on the rest.
He was familiar with most of them since they died before his eyes.
But just like them, his side knew nothing but the names they heard during the war they waged under Throne's rule.
"Please come inside, everything is prepared," Legio spoke before turning around as the nobles signaled the monsters to follow him. They hesitated for a moment before following.
Considering every one of them was on higher levels due to their physiques, they felt safe regardless of how unfamiliar this place was to them.