Since parting ways with Aaron, Godfrey had been focused on tracking down Karl.
“Ahh, how incredible.”
Before him were Karl and the heir to House Beckford, Russel. A large retinue of guards surrounded them. They were on high alert at Godfrey’s sudden appearance.
“Truly wondrous,” Godfrey said.
“Stop your babbling and get out of our way!” Russel shouted.
Godfrey ignored him, placing his hand on the ground. Just as he had earlier, he formed walls from the nearby dirt and rocks. “Do you not see the wonder yourself?” he asked.
They were all baffled by the sudden appearance of the walls, their minds struggling to keep up. With everyone at a standstill, Karl was the first to break the silence.
“Right, yes. Your magic is quite impressive.” Despite the smile on his face, the bafflement was plain in his eyes.
Godfrey seemed to not notice, laughing with glee. “My magic? Oh, don’t be silly. I’m not talking about that. I’m talking about Her Majesty and her associates. To think they’d so perfectly predict the route you’d use to escape! Thanks to them, I get to have so much fun.”
Karl froze at the mention of the queen. “Who the hell are you?”
“Right, introductions. Apologies. My name is Godfrey, head mage to the royal palace.”
Upon hearing the title, Karl looked as if he’d aged several years. “So you are the famed head mage…”
“You know of me? You’re well informed.” Godfrey beamed, delighted.
Karl, on the other hand, was clearly wondering how anyone could say such things with a straight face.
“Oh, this is no good. With your expression, you’re bound to make your men nervous,” Godfrey chided.
Karl said nothing in return, only forcing a smile.
“Now then. Lord Russel, Mr. Karl—will you turn yourselves in?”
“Turn ourselves in? Why would we do that?”
“If you truly don’t know what I’m talking about, why were you running away?”
“You dare say we were running away?” Karl said. “Master Godfrey, I don’t understand what you’re implying. Lord Russel and I are simply taking a stroll around the countryside.”
“Is that so?” Godfrey replied. “What fortunate timing! How about I join you for a sojourn to the capital?”
“Ah, I couldn’t possibly take up your valuable time.”
“Oh, no need to be so reserved. It’s an invitation!” Godfrey said. “Just come along quietly, and we’ll have a grand old time.”
Godfrey then took a deep breath and narrowed his eyes. Karl quickly understood what Godfrey really meant by invitation, and he braced himself.
“Guards! Protect Master Russel!” Karl shouted. He planned to abandon Russel and the other guards, ensuring only his own escape. The guards were fooled, rushing toward Godfrey at his command.
“Aha! Ha ha ha!” Godfrey laughed aloud in the face of his enemies. He crouched on the ground, his hand pressed against the dirt. In an instant, the walls surrounding them vanished. The soldiers he had hidden behind the barriers leapt out from their hiding places and clashed with Russel’s guards.
Having magicked his walls away, Godfrey willed the ground to swell. Countless pillars shot up from the bloated patches of dirt, battering any guards above them. Each man they hit was instantly knocked unconscious.
One guard managed to make his way past the assault of pillars, raising his sword to strike at Godfrey. “Aaaaugh!”
Even when facing mortal peril, Godfrey continued to laugh. “Ha ha ha! Ah ha ha ha ha!”
A steel ball in his hand took the shape of a shield, blocking the attack. Thorns burst forth from the shield, piercing the guard and bringing him to his knees. Godfrey then touched the steel thorns and morphed them into discs, tossing them with the greatest of ease and taking down the rest of the guards in one throw.
“Ahhh, this is so much fun!” he shouted toward the heavens with a crazed smile on his face.
The sight disturbed Russel so much that he tripped over backward. He desperately tried to run, horrified beyond belief. Godfrey noticed this, turning to look at the young lord.
“Oops, sorry. You’ve granted me the opportunity to enjoy such fantastic entertainment, yet I’ve been so rude! How could I ignore the guest of honor?” Godfrey smiled, his voice soft and kind. No reaction could have been less appropriate.
“You’re…you’re a monster!” Russel cried.
“A monster? No, I’m just a simple man. I don’t deserve such a prestigious title.”
Godfrey walked ever so slowly toward the terrified Russel, but he did not stop there. Instead, he walked past him to stand in front of Karl. The man was trapped between Godfrey’s earthen walls, unable to break free.
“How did you summon these walls from all the way over there?”
The head mage chuckled. “Looking to abandon your master and run away, are you?”
“Answer me! You took down the walls when the guards went after you!”
“I did. They would’ve only gotten in the way of dealing with your guards, after all,” Godfrey said. “But that didn’t mean I had to remove all of the walls. See?”
Karl looked left and right as more and more walls sprouted around him.
“Impossible! You made these in the midst of battle?!”
“That’s right. I did it while I summoned the pillars. I wanted to see if you’d abandon Russel like you did Bernard.”
“Y-you used magic over such a vast distance just for that? You…monster!”
“Russel called me the same, but I must reiterate that it is too grandiose a title for me. After all, I am but Her Majesty’s servant.” Step by step, Godfrey drew closer to Karl. “I do find you quite incredible, Mr. Karl. To think you’d be so bold as to challenge Her Majesty, someone whose power even I cannot possibly equal!”
He paused right in front of Karl, a smug grin on his face.
“Her Majesty has handled this whole situation flawlessly, I must say. Now, Mr. Karl, are you ready to receive your punishment?”
And so, Godfrey succeeded in capturing both Karl and Russel.