Chapter 461 - 457: Departure
Ryder went through more of the accessories in the palace before he selected his second item. It was also a ring, but it didn't have a special history like the Hobbit Ring.
It also had some stats lacking, but Ryder still liked it mostly because of its abilities.
This ring was much cheaper than his bracelet as well. It only cost him three million coins.
"This would be all. Send someone to the Palace to collect the money. Rale will handle the stuff. Alright?"
The girl wanted to say no since it was better not to take the money from Ryder, but she couldn't do anything. In the end, she could only agree. "Yes, Your Highness."
"Good girl." Ryder nodded in acknowledgment before he turned back and left the place.
There were still many people outside who were looking at him, but he ignored them all. Instead, he looked towards the sky.
"A lot of time has passed. We should be getting back to the Palace," Ryder told Rale. He had told High Duke Oris to come in the evening, and it was almost that time.
He flew into the air and shot straight towards the Place. Rale also did the same, but he made sure to control his speed enough to be behind Ryder.
Ryder and Rale soon reached the Palace.
"Did High Duke Oris arrive?" Ryder asked the guards at the entrance.
"Since he left in the afternoon, he hadn't returned," the guards answered Ryder as they opened the doors for him.
Ryder and Rale stepped inside the palace and walked straight to the throne room where Miku was supposed to be with the bag, which Ryder was going to carry as per his commands.
As they entered the throne room, the two of them found it empty. "She's late?"
"I'm so sorry for being late. It took some time to find the clothes."
Right then, a voice came from behind. Turning back, the two of them saw Miku walking inside with a bag in her hand.
"It's fine," Ryder told Miku calmly. "Leave the bag here and get out."
"Your Highness?"
Even though Ryder's expression seemed calm, his words seemed sharp. Was he angry? Why was he telling her to leave?
"Did I do something wrong?" Miku asked.
"You duffer, I didn't mean it like that. I meant to leave for now so I can get dressed. I need to get ready to leave. You don't wish for me to get dressed before you, right?" Ryder asked as he smiled wryly.
"Oh, right."
Miku's face turned red as she heard Ryder's reasoning. Hearing his words, a visual of Ryder changing clothes before her also appeared in her head, which embarrassed her even more.
To hide her face, she instantly turned back as she left. She didn't forget to close the door behind him.
Even though Miku had left, Rale was still left behind.
"Rale?"
Ryder let out softly.
Understanding Ryder's words, Rale also started leaving. "It's fine. You're a guy as well. You don't have to leave. Just turn back, and that would be fine."
Rale did as he was told and made his back face Ryder.
Ryder walked towards the bad that Miku had brought. Opening the bag, he saw old-looking clothes inside.
The Demon Realm had many spies in the Death Domain who collected a few items, which they brought back with them when they returned. All the new items were given to the Palace while the used items were kept by them.
These clothes were also brought back by them. The clothes seemed rather ordinary but darker. He had seen a few people wearing similar clothes when he had gone to the Death Domain last time. He was certain that these were their clothes.
He took the Wind Boots that were given to him by High Duke and kept them in his inventory. He didn't use such things there. The same was done to the robe. One by one, he took off all the equipment from his body that he wore last time he went to the Death Domain.
These identified him as someone from the Demon Realm. He only kept the ring and the bracelet that he had purchased recently.
The Bracelet of Immortality was also something he couldn't take off. Fortunately, this was not a defining treasure of Demon Realm. The only few people who had seen this bracelet in his hand were the Prince of the Death Domain and a few Death Envoys.
As they were all going to be near their Royal Palace, he needed to be careful. He had decided to wrap the bracelet of immortality in an old-looking cloth. He also changed the clothes. The rest of the clothes he kept in his inventory.
"I'm done. You can turn back."
Hearing Ryder's command to turn back, Rale did so.
"How do I look?" Ryder asked as he spread his hands out.
"These dark clothes don't suit many people, but as it's Your Highness wearing them, they look good," Rale praised Ryder.
"Hahaha," Ryder couldn't help but laugh as he heard Rale's answer. "I should've expected this answer from you."
"Honestly though, I do like dark clothes but not this dark. I am one haircut away from looking emo," Ryder let out as he smiled wryly.
"Emo?" Rale asked curiously.
"It's nothing," Ryder answered. He didn't wish to explain to Rale what Emo was.
"Your Highness, are you prepared? High Duke Oris is here!"
Rale opened his mouth to say something, but a female voice fell into Ryder's ears first as Miku called out from outside.
"You can come inside. I'm done!" Ryder answered, keeping his tone high in return to make sure that his voice reached outside.
The door opened as High Duke Oris stepped inside. Miku followed behind him.
"You're prepared. That's good. Let's leave. If we go now, you won't have to look for a place to stay at night. It's better to go in now," High Duke Oris said softly.
"It's fine. It doesn't matter. I do have a treasure where I can spend the night. You don't have to worry about that," Ryder answered to put High Duke Oris at ease.
"That's good. Now you can at least be safe at night. Stay alert, though. The place is much riskier than you thought. In the Trial, I can't drop you straight at the Royal City. You'll need to begin from the farthest town on your own. I can only help to get you there. Are you prepared?"
"I know that. I was told about such things. I made my plan accordingly. Don't worry. I'll be safe," Ryder answered.
"I have a map using which I'll go to the Royal City of Death Domain and start my mission... The mission to kill," he continued.
"That's good. However, there is one more concern. You need to kill a lot of people. When one of them dies, they will start getting suspicious. The Death Envoys might get involved as well," High Duke Oris informed Ryder.
Ryder seemed confused. What was High Duke Oris trying to say? These were the things that he knew already. These were so obvious. What was the need to speak again?
"Think again. You don't have to be in such a hurry to go there. You're still young. You have plenty of time. You can get more experienced and a better understanding before you try. For someone like you, ten years are nothing," High Dike Oris said softly.
'Oh, so that's what he was trying to say. He's getting worried and doesn't want me to go and risk myself,' Ryder thought as he understood the hidden meaning behind the words.
"As I said, I'm fully prepared to go there. And if you're still worried about my safety, you can rest assured. I am leaving something behind," he answered.
"If I fail the trial and I am in life-threatening danger, Rale would find out. He will inform you, and you can come to the rescue," he continued.
"How is that possible?" High Duke Oris asked in confusion.
Ryder looked at Rale and commanded, "Rale, show him."
Raising his hand, Rale showed the ring that he had received from Ryder.
"Ah, the ring... So that's how. Clever idea. Even though the risk still remains, I can at least put my mind at a little ease," High Duke Oris acknowledged.
"Alright. Since I am ready, and I have already handled everything, we can leave."
Ryder stepped towards High Duke Oris and reached out his hand. High Duke Oris caught Ryder's hand.
"Are you ready?" He asked Ryder.
"Best of luck. I'm sure you'll handle everything in my absence perfectly. I'll be back soon," Ryder told Rale and Miku in a caring tone to leave a decent impression even when leaving.
"I'm ready."
As soon as he said that, he disappeared. High Duke Oris and Ryder disappeared from Rale's view. He wanted to say something back to Ryder, but he didn't get the opportunity; they left.