The Elf Journey In The Western Fantasy World-Chapter 32: The King’s Surprise Encounter

They had only taken a few steps when they saw a carriage already waiting by the roadside.

The emblem on the carriage was far superior to those of the other carriages nearby, making it stand out among the many waiting vehicles.

The black-haired knight’s eyes lit up, and he strode over to the carriage in just a few quick steps.

"Heh, heh, I had to submit multiple reports to my superiors before they finally approved this carriage for us. Just look at the carriages beside it, and then look at the one I arranged. Doesn’t it make a huge difference?"

Darius simply smiled without saying a word.

Seeing the black-hearted knight’s proud expression, he couldn’t bear to burst his bubble.

There was no way a knight could apply for a carriage of this caliber—not even a royal bodyguard.

The only possible explanation for securing such a high-spec carriage was simple.

The king himself had arranged it.

This thought flashed through Darius’s mind in an instant.

He quickly adjusted his attire, then bent slightly in a formal bow toward the carriage.

"Good afternoon, Your Majesty."

The black-haired knight was startled, thinking the king had suddenly appeared behind him.

He spun around in a panic, ready to salute—only to find nothing but empty space.

The black-haired knight: ???!!!

Illiya was briefly puzzled by Darius’s actions, but he quickly understood.

Darius’s former position was that of the former crown prince’s personal knight.

Naturally, he was familiar with the king’s behavior.

Moreover, having lived in the capital for decades, he had an intricate understanding of the nuances between nobles and commoners.

It didn’t seem difficult to deduce that the king was inside the oversized carriage.

Once Illiya realized this, he also bowed toward the carriage.

Eoryun and Drow didn’t understand what was happening, but they had complete trust in Darius and Illiya.

Whatever these two did, they would follow suit.

The black-haired knight was even more confused upon seeing this, having no idea why they were behaving this way.

"Eh? Eh? Eh? What are you all doing? You almost scared me—I thought His Majesty had arrived. But you really don’t have to do this; His Majesty is definitely in the palace right now. How could he possibly be here?"

Darius, with his head lowered, nearly failed to suppress the smile tugging at the corners of his lips when he heard that.

But he couldn’t afford to laugh out loud right now—after all, the person inside the carriage was an extremely important figure.

Showing any disrespect at this moment would be a grave mistake.

Seeing them still maintaining a solemn demeanor, the black-haired knight looked utterly bewildered.

"...Don’t be like this. You’re actually making me a little scared."

...Could it be that His Majesty was really here?

The black-haired knight swallowed nervously and instinctively glanced around, beginning to scrutinize each person with suspicion.

"It’s been more than ten years, and you’re still just as dull as ever, Darius," a faint voice drifted from within the carriage.

The moment the black-haired knight heard that familiar voice, his heart stopped for a beat—he nearly passed out on the spot.

This... This was his dear king, wasn’t it?!

Why was His Majesty inside the carriage?!

In a fluster, he quickly bowed his head toward the carriage, stammering, "Y-Your... Y-Y-Y-Your Majesty, g-good... good afternoon!"

The person inside the carriage sighed helplessly. "I’m not called Y-Y-Y-Your Majesty. Narae, you really need to work on your speech."

The black-haired knight—no, Narae—bowed his head once more, his tone aggrieved. "Yes, Your Majesty!"

For Darius, hearing this familiar voice and tone after more than a decade felt like stepping into a dream of the past.

Along with it, the sense of familiarity that time had eroded began to return.

Naturally, his tone when speaking to the King of Areuseon Kingdom became far less formal.

"Your Majesty, you really haven’t changed at all."

Still as mischievous as ever.

Of course, he didn’t say the last part out loud.

But who was the king?

Having spent over twenty years living alongside Darius, he knew all of his conversational tricks and habits inside and out.

Even the words Darius had left unsaid were perfectly deciphered.

Inside the carriage, a certain king ground his teeth.

More than ten years apart, and the first thing Darius did was gossip about him?

Annoying.

However, a king was still a king.

Having reigned for so many years, he had long since mastered the art of controlling his expressions.

The king pushed open the carriage door and stepped out.

A cloaked figure descended from the carriage, entirely shrouded in fabric—so much so that not a single bit of skin was exposed.

He reached up and pulled back the hood of his cloak, revealing a head of raven-black hair.

His eyes were also black, yet unlike Drow’s bright, clear black irises, the king’s eyes were dark and heavy, carrying an inexplicable sense of oppression and destruction.

Illiya was puzzled.

Wasn’t a king supposed to be the highest authority of a nation?

Why did his gaze feel so oppressive, as if it bore the weight of ruin?

But when he looked again, the king’s eyes were suddenly clear and unclouded, not the least bit tainted.

Illiya: ??????

Was he seeing things?

Before he could figure it out, a conversation had already started on the other side—and the topic was quite shocking.

"I heard, Darius, that you took all the shortcuts to the capital on your way here?" The king probed.

Darius, not understanding the intent behind the question, concealed part of the truth and gave an "honest" answer.

"That’s right. This time, I was in a bit of a hurry to reach the capital."

Hearing this response, the king’s lips curled into a hidden smile.

"That must have been exhausting. Could it be that you rushed back upon hearing that I was about to make my lover my official consort? I’m truly touched."

Darius: "Uh... Uh??!"

And just like that, he finally understood why, even after more than ten years, the rumor that Darius had eloped with the crown prince was still circulating throughout the capital.