Chapter 13: Chapter seven Become a hero in everyone's heart(one)
The red clouds tumbling in the air carried huge bubbles and whirled up vortices.
From Ryan's eyes, the large gathering of fire elements in the red clouds could be clearly seen.
Ignoring the hellish scenery around him, as if he was originally a part of it, Ryan stood alone in the middle.
The surrounding flames couldn't approach within ten zhang (a unit of length, about 3.3 meters per zhang) of him. Outside this range was a dozens - meter - high fire wall that tightly surrounded them.
The rumbling sound in the air sounded again and again. A huge bubble formed above everyone.
At this time, Ryan gently stretched out his right arm and waved it upwards. The long spear in his hand was immediately thrown out.
The long spear was like a black lightning bolt, cutting through the sky. In an instant, it dived into the cloud layer.
The bubble that was brewing above suddenly shuddered and then immediately shrank back.
The red clouds all over the sky suddenly became extremely abnormal. The bubbles that were tumbling just now disappeared in an instant and couldn't be seen at all.
The bright red sky became extremely calm. The originally boiling red clouds now turned into a magnificent silk fluttering in the wind. It was also like a calm bright red lake, gently undulating up and down with the gentle breeze.
All this was extremely strange and unpredictable in the eyes of the knights under the red clouds. However, they didn't feel that the danger had passed. On the contrary, from the aura emanating from Ryan, they felt that a real crisis was about to come.
Besides them, the Great Archmage Kobe Leo standing on the city wall in the distance also felt a strong sense of danger.
Since just now, he had sensed that an extremely powerful and concentrated magical energy had penetrated through a large number of fire elements gathering in the air, and now the fire elements were abnormally active and out of control.
"Quick, quick, all personnel evacuate Meikalus!" As soon as Kobe Leo sensed something abnormal, he immediately ordered.
He completely ignored the inquiring looks from his subordinates and quickly issued concise orders.
Soon, all personnel evacuated Meikalus Fortress. According to Kobe Leo's orders, all troops retreated ten kilometers to the right rear of Meikalus Fortress.
Everyone, including the princess, was extremely puzzled about this and didn't know what would happen.
However, the first one to ask a question was the first one to wake up among the twelve imperial guards.
As soon as he woke up, he asked in panic, "What happened? Why are the fire elements so abnormally active?"
No one beside him could answer this question.
The imperial guards woke up one by one, and almost everyone asked the same question when they woke up.
Of course, only the Great Archmage Kobe Leo could answer them.
Joel and the princess came to Kobe Leo's side, and the twelve imperial guards were also there.
"May I ask what exactly happened?" The princess asked. Due to her surprise, she temporarily forgot the diplomatic etiquette that she should strictly abide by.
However, Kobe Leo didn't notice these. He turned his head and said, "Just now, someone broke my forbidden spell magic, and now the magic is out of control."
There was no more shocking answer than this.
Originally, everyone thought that it was just that the Great Archmage Kobe Leo lacked strength for a moment and couldn't control and operate that forbidden spell magic.
Because this kind of situation often occurs in magic use. The more advanced the magic, the easier it is to get out of control. And the out - of - control magic often falls on the caster. Therefore, it was completely understandable that the Great Archmage Kobe Leo ordered everyone to quickly evacuate Meikalus.
And now, Kobe Leo actually said that someone had broken his magic, which was too unimaginable.
According to magical conventions, only magic of the same level can break magic of the same level. Therefore, if one wants to break Kobe Leo's forbidden spell, it must also be a forbidden spell.
And Kobe Leo is recognized as the only forbidden spell magician in the world. How could there be another forbidden spell mage?
While everyone was discussing animatedly, suddenly, the world shook violently. The originally solid and stable earth suddenly throbbed like a mad galloping horse.
The clouds that were floating quietly in the sky were torn into pieces instantly as if plowed by a huge iron plow.
Immediately afterwards, a huge roar sounded. Along with the roar, the entire Meikalus was smashed into countless tiny fragments.
Even though they were ten li away from there, they would still be hit by smaller stones.
As the smoke dissipated, everything finally calmed down.
Under the command of the Great Archmage Kobe Leo, the troop slowly walked towards the mountain pass where Meikalus Fortress used to be.
When they arrived at the entrance of the mountain pass, they saw that Meikalus Fortress was completely destroyed. This place could hardly even be called ruins. All the upright buildings were completely destroyed and scattered by the powerful shock wave to several li behind it.
The only remaining structures were those at the base of the walls.
The entire fortress now looked like a construction site that had just started.
When people came to the other side of the mountain pass, the scene shocked everyone present.
The place that was originally called Qisila Valley now had all its peaks completely leveled, with broken rocks all over the ground.
Only in the center was there an open space that hadn't been attacked at all. Strikingly, several knights were walking towards them from among the piles of rocks.
The Great Archmage Kobe Leo immediately dispatched two squads of holy knights to greet them.
Jack woke up from his coma and saw a waist-high stone wall piled up around him.
He slowly stood up and found himself among the piles of broken stones. He woke up his companions one by one, but no matter how he called, he couldn't wake Ryan up.
The knights looked around, and the scene terrified them. They could never have imagined surviving such a scene. Although these knights didn't actually participate in any battle, every knight felt weak all over and limp.
After resting for a while, Jack ordered the knights to stand up and continue moving forward. There shouldn't be any obstacles now, and they had to cross Qisila Valley.
Almost every knight was eager to carry Ryan on his back, as if serving this magician had suddenly become such an honorable thing.
It was really quite strenuous to move forward among these broken rocks. Some of the rocks were as big as small hills, some like millstones, and some as fine as sand.
All the way, it was undulating and difficult to move forward.
Just then, in the distance, two squads of holy knights from the Kingdom of Caoqi could be seen walking towards them.
When they got closer, the captain of that squad of knights solemnly performed a knightly salute to Jack.
As an honorable royal knight, Jack was quite polite and immediately returned the salute.
"Respected knight sir, please allow me to serve and escort you all. Mr. Kobe Leo, the chief magician of my country, requests your presence." said the holy knight.
When Jack learned that they were under the attack of the forbidden spell magic "Doomsday Catastrophe", he knew they were facing the Great Archmage Kobe Leo.
Because only this Great Archmage in the world had the ability to use such a powerful forbidden spell magic.
If it had been before, Jack would have been excited long ago, but after this magical confrontation, Jack faintly felt that Ryan's strength might be even higher than that of the legendary magician.
Looking back at his companions behind him, perhaps their thoughts were similar.
The captain of the knights personally dismounted from his warhorse and led the horse to Jack.
"Please mount." said the holy knight.
For a moment, Jack was at a loss. This was the most supreme courtesy in the knightly etiquette of all countries, used only for welcoming heroes.
Looking at the bewildered Jack, a knight behind the captain said, "Please mount your horse. To face so many enemies alone and survive such a battle, although you and I are not from the same country, your actions are still admirable. Please mount."
"Please mount!" As shouts rose simultaneously around them, all the members of the Holy Knights dismounted from their warhorses.
Each royal knight was escorted onto a warhorse by two or three holy knights. Ryan was carefully helped onto the back of a horse by two holy knights, with another two leading the horse in front.
Everyone received heroic treatment and was welcomed into the official territory of the Kingdom of Caoqi.
At the mountain pass, all the holy knights formed two lines to greet them. Each knight tapped his battle shield. Huge cheers resounded through the sky.
Seeing such a scene, several royal knights felt that the hardships and perils they had endured over the past few days had been best repaid.
At the very front of the troop, three people stood side by side.
Jack could never have imagined that the two people on his left and right were the princess and Commander-in-Chief Joel.
The tall magician standing in the middle, without guessing, must be the Great Archmage Kobe Leo.
Everyone quickly dismounted from their warhorses. Two royal knights hurried forward and helped Ryan off the horse. One on each side, they carried Ryan.
Before they could approach, the princess and the others came forward to meet them. Behind them closely followed a group of magicians and monks.
"My heroes, you have worked hard!" said the princess.
One could clearly see traces of tears on the princess's face, which excited Jack tremendously, and also every surviving member of Jack's team.
The beautiful princess had shed tears for them. In their hearts, they secretly vowed that as long as they lived, they would go through fire and water for the princess.
"Oh, great heroes. First of all, I would like to apologize for my earlier actions. If there is anything you need in the future, within my capabilities, I will do my best to fulfill it," said the Great Archmage Kobe Leo as he stepped forward.
"In the situation just now, we wouldn't mind the decisions you made," Jack said.
"Hahaha, thank you, thank you. However, what I said still stands. I hope there will be an opportunity to serve you in the future."
The Great Archmage Kobe Leo was very pleased that the knight in front of him was a reasonable person and continued, "By the way, I'm quite curious about what you all saw just now. Can you tell me?"
Hearing the Great Archmage Kobe Leo getting to the point, all those interested in magic around them pricked up their ears to listen. Among them, the most concerned and afraid of missing a single word, apart from the princess, were the twelve imperial guards.
Jack clearly didn't realize the seriousness of the situation. He casually pointed to Ryan, who was being escorted by the two knights behind him, and said, "It was our Mr. Ryan who protected us. And on the way, it was also him who defeated the attacks of those thieves and magicians."
This statement wasn't actually wrong, but for those who didn't understand the situation well, the shock this statement brought to them was no less than the big explosion just now.
Including the well-informed Joel, the princess who knew the ins and outs, and the Great Archmage Kobe Leo who had extremely profound and unique research on magic, they were all stunned by this answer.
Moreover, as Jack said everything, all the members of Jack's team nodded in unison, proving the reliability of this answer.
Looking at the child magician who couldn't even be considered a young man in front of him, the Great Archmage Kobe Leo had an awkward wry smile on his face. He turned around and asked the princess, "Respected Princess, what kind of magician is this Mr. Ryan? I seem to have heard you say that there was nothing..." The following words were really too embarrassing to say, otherwise it would be like exposing the princess's secret.
Still in a daze and not fully recovered, Her Royal Highness the Princess replied absentmindedly, "He is an apprentice trial student from the Magic Association in New Nada City of the Kingdom of Sophie. He hasn't completed all the trials yet."
Obviously, the princess didn't realize what she was saying.
Every single word she uttered deeply shocked the magicians from the Kingdom of Caoqi around her.
Some of the magicians turned pale, some turned green, and one or two even foamed at the mouth and fainted on the ground.
An apprentice?!
Still an apprentice trial student!
And he hadn't even completed the trials.
What kind of thing was this?
Such a powerful magician.
A magician who could contend with the most powerful Great Archmage in the world.
A magician who could break a forbidden spell.
Yet he was just an apprentice trial student and hadn't even completed the trials.
If it weren't for seeing the princess's distraught appearance, making everyone understand that this should be true, many magicians would surely have disregarded diplomatic etiquette and immediately questioned the princess.
At this moment, the only person who could stay clear-headed was Joel, after all, Joel knew the least about magic.
Therefore, he nudged the obviously abnormal princess and tugged at the slightly distracted Great Archmage, saying, "It seems that we should take a rest first. After everyone has recovered, we can inquire carefully about what exactly happened. You should be able to see that we are also unclear about this matter, and for us, it is also necessary to understand what happened."
"Oh, oh, ah, ah..." The Great Archmage, who hadn't fully recovered yet, answered vaguely and incoherently.
Joel helped the equally dazed princess back to the tent and ordered his men to settle Jack's team properly. For now, they didn't need to fulfill any knightly duties, and this team was designated as a special team with special nature, eligible for special treatment.
Actually, Joel didn't need to worry. Just the consolation gifts sent by the holy knights were enough to keep Jack's team well-fed and well-drunk.
It had been four days since Ryan woke up.
He never expected that when he stepped out of the tent, he would receive such a grand reception.
Not only was everyone treating him like a hero, but he also received the respect of all the knights, including Haomeng.
When he heard about his glorious deeds from Oliver, he could hardly believe they were talking about him. And what he couldn't stand the most was the almost hero-worshipping look in Oliver's eyes.
To be honest, Ryan really couldn't remember what he had done at all.
He only remembered that he used the "Chaos Crystal Wall" to block the forbidden spell at the end, and then he lost consciousness. Moreover, from what Oliver said about the black long spear magic he used later, he not only didn't know it at all, but he had never even heard of it.
However, not only did Oliver say so, but everyone in Jack's team also said so, which made Ryan have to believe that everything they said was true.
Furthermore, after hearing Jack's description, that thick black smoke, that black long spear, and that palm like a beast's claw, all these were so similar to the demon from the demon world, Most.
It seemed that the demon was not as useless as Chris had said. When he had time, he needed to find a way to call out the demon and ask for clarification, and he also needed to learn that long spear magic. It was a magic that could contend with forbidden spells.
Of course, after Ryan woke up, he was inevitably subjected to various interrogations.
Among them, the Great Archmage Kobe Leo's interrogation was the most polite and courteous. But the princess's interrogation was really unbearable for Ryan, almost like a fatigue bombardment.
Fortunately, Ryan now had the status of a hero. Otherwise, the princess would surely have resorted to private punishment to get satisfactory answers. But even without using violent means, the princess's persistence was still unbearable for Ryan.
For almost twenty-four hours, the princess stayed by Ryan's side.
"Think it over. Try hard to think it over."
"Maybe, in a hypnotic state, you can remember."
"Ryan, if you can remember anything at all, it will be such a great contribution to this diplomatic mission and to our country."
"In the name of the princess, I order you to recall it quickly."
"Don't forget that you are my royal private property, and your memory also belongs to the royal family. Recall it quickly."
"If you still can't remember, I'll send someone to write a letter to Aunt Chris. Aunt Chris will surely be interested in the forbidden spell confrontation. Aunt Chris has plenty of ways to make you remember something."
...
In the past few days, Ryan fully realized how close the blood relationship was between the princess and Teacher Chris.
Often, Ryan would mistake the princess for Chris. In his eyes, the princess and Chris were only different in appearance, but fundamentally they were exactly the same.
However, no matter how much they interrogated him, they couldn't get any answers from Ryan. Moreover, Ryan's inability to use magic due to his physical constitution puzzled all the high-level magicians.
Regarding all this, the Great Archmage Kobe Leo finally gave this explanation.
Ryan had temporarily lost his memory because he used magic beyond the limit his body could bear. Also, for the same reason, his mental power had become scattered and unable to concentrate.
Finally, he said he would do everything possible to help Ryan regain his memory and be able to use magic again.
Kobe Leo was indeed a commendable magician. He kept his word. Along the way, he did his best to cure Ryan's scattered mental power syndrome.
However, despite repeated experiments, there was still no improvement.
Ryan actually felt quite embarrassed about this and kept comforting Kobe Leo, saying that he could get used to his current situation.
This incident actually made the magicians of the Kingdom of Caoqi take a great liking to Ryan. From the Great Archmage Kobe Leo to all levels of court magicians, they all treated Ryan as an equal brother.
Of course, those knights - whether they were royal knights from the Kingdom of Sophie or holy knights from the Kingdom of Caoqi - still addressed Ryan as a hero.
For a while, Ryan became the most popular idol-like figure in the delegation.
However, soon Ryan began to feel the pressure of being a public figure.
First of all, the joke he made in the palace of the Kingdom of Sophie was quickly spread among the holy knights of the Kingdom of Caoqi with embellishments, and soon even the magicians of the Kingdom of Caoqi knew about it. Finally, it even reached the ears of the Great Archmage Kobe Leo.
Of course, in the following few days, almost every Caoqi person Ryan knew would come and interrogate him in detail. As a result, during this period, Ryan always had to find places to hide.
Next, Ryan's special identity as the private property of Princess Chris was somehow exposed. This made things even more lively, and for several more days Ryan had to constantly find places to hide.
It was for this reason that, although they were still halfway to the capital of the Kingdom of Caoqi, Videsc, Ryan had mastered a new skill - disguise. He learned it completely on his own.
However, mastering this skill didn't make Ryan's life much easier.
The princess, who couldn't get any information from Ryan, didn't let him go easily.
Seeing that Ryan was becoming more and more of a public figure and his influence among the holy knights and magicians of the Kingdom of Caoqi was growing, how could such a useful pawn be ignored?
However, the princess didn't forget the embarrassment Ryan had caused her in front of her father and ministers in the palace.
So, the princess decided to train Ryan into an expert in diplomatic etiquette in the remaining days.
Moreover, the princess personally formulated the training plan.
Of course, the princess herself also served as the training instructor.
In order to have enough time to train Ryan, the princess even asked the Great Archmage Kobe Leo to slow down the itinerary.
After that, the princess's residence was jokingly called the Royal Big Circus by those Caoqi people.
Ryan had never thought that one day he would miss the days and nights in the Dream Forest Laboratory. But now, sometimes he really missed those days a lot. He had now truly experienced the princess's methods.
Every day, the princess conducted etiquette training on him for up to twenty hours. The training content even included dozing off and sleeping. The princess's playful younger brother, His Royal Highness the Prince, often came to join in the fun.
Moreover, Ryan always felt that there was something wrong with this etiquette training. One could tell just by looking at how the holy knights always pursed their cheeks and turned their heads away when they saw him.
And every time the Great Archmage Kobe Leo saw him, that half-smiling expression seemed to indicate that something was quite abnormal.
As for Oliver, Bena, Jiesitan, Jack and the other guys, whenever Ryan went to find them, they would definitely say they had urgent matters and then immediately disappear without a trace.
Ryan checked himself over and over again and definitely found nothing laughable about himself.
Due to the recent extensive etiquette training, Ryan's temperament had changed a bit. Now, no one would think that Ryan was the son of a grocery store owner. On the contrary, people who had never seen Ryan before would surely think that Ryan was a prince from some country.
The princess's etiquette training was really something.
With her effective and almost torture-like training method, the princess made Ryan deeply imprint every etiquette movement in his mind (in this respect, the princess and Teacher Chris used exactly the same method), and then, through a fatigue-bombing approach, made Ryan turn these movements into a living habit (yes, almost the same as Chris's method).
When the princess completed Ryan's etiquette training, the delegation had also arrived at the capital of the Kingdom of Caoqi, Videsc.
As soon as they entered Videsc, everyone immediately felt a strong festive atmosphere.
Ryan calculated the days and realized that the Victory Day celebration was coming soon. Thinking about it, this was his first time celebrating Victory Day in a foreign country.
Back home, on this day, his father would always close the store for a day and then take him to hunt and fish in the woods for a good rest. Then in the evening, there would be a grand bonfire party in the town square, and all the children had to participate in the Victory Day performance.
He remembered that when the Victory Day performance reached its climax, the town mayor would announce the start of the banquet. At that time, the atmosphere would reach its peak.
Everyone would eat and drink heartily and perform to their heart's content until they couldn't eat or dance anymore.
In his hometown, the Victory Day celebration would last for three full days. Although his father had to open the store as usual from the second day, he would let Ryan have a great time during these three days. So the Victory Day celebration was always Ryan's favorite festival.
He wondered what the Victory Day celebration in the Kingdom of Caoqi would be like.
Just then, the Great Archmage Kobe Leo came over. Seeing Ryan paying attention to the busy crowd preparing for the Victory Day celebration, he walked up to Ryan and enjoyed the busy scene with him.
"Ah, the Victory Day celebration is here again. I really miss the days when I was a child. The happiest ones during the Victory Day celebration are the children. Ryan, you're not over sixteen yet, right? Don't forget that you have to perform a program in a few days," said the Great Archmage Kobe Leo with great enthusiasm.
"You also have this custom here?" Ryan asked curiously.
"Of course. The origin of the Victory Day festival is in our Caoqi," said the Great Archmage Kobe Leo happily. "By the way, the princess is looking for you. Hurry up. Be careful. She might test your training results."
It could be seen from the strange smile on the Great Archmage Kobe Leo's face that it was definitely not that simple.
After saying goodbye to the Great Archmage, Ryan returned to the camp to see Her Royal Highness the Princess.
Before he even entered the door, he saw the princess glaring at him and scolding, "Ryan, we are already in Videsc now. I hope you won't run around casually anymore. You have your duties."