[Vol. 9] Chapter 6: The Forbidden Domain of the Lord of Restraint
As if she had already expected this, Menna, who had purposely revealed her identity earlier, stood up at just the right moment. Her young yet commanding gaze swept across the room, and in an instant the small commotion was pressed down. She spoke calmly.
“Everyone, the world is now in chaos. Evil from beyond is invading, and the great nations are fighting each other. More than ever, we need unity and cooperation. Our Human United Kingdom has formed an alliance with the Eastern Holy Empire, standing together in these troubled times. This is the national policy personally set by Her Majesty the Queen.”
“As partners working for mutual benefit, our country and the Holy Empire should respect and support each other. Sir Bowen, chosen by the Goddess, and his group are honored guests appointed by Her Majesty herself. One of the main reasons you were all called here today is because of their arrival. So I ask that you give our friends the most basic respect.”
“Our kingdom has always worshiped the ancestors, and I know many of you here look down on the Goddess Church and its deity. I do not intend to interfere with your beliefs. But Sir Bowen is both powerful and noble in character, something clear for all to see. On behalf of the Melchior royal family, I am willing to vouch for him.”
As the Princess of the Human United Kingdom and a true royal heir, Menna’s personal guarantee carried undeniable weight. No one dared to ignore it. Seeing her speak out openly, the many kingdom elites and faction leaders looked at each other. Whether they liked it or not, they could only withdraw their earlier attitudes and stop acting rashly.
“If this is the Queen’s will, then of course we cannot refuse the Hero’s presence. But then, Your Highness, can you now tell us the exact reason? So many powerful people have been gathered here, even a legendary Chosen Hero himself has come in person, what exactly has happened in the capital?”
“Of course.”
Answering the question, Menna clapped her hands. Immediately, several shadow guards disguised as tavern waiters came out from the back, carrying trays with certain items. They stood in front of the counter so that everyone could see clearly what they were holding.
“Your Highness, what are those?”
“Please, do not rush.”
The Princess’s mysterious, otherworldly eyes swept over the gathered elites, her tone solemn.
“One month ago, a giant serpent appeared in the skies, and the heavens and earth sank into an eternal twilight. This strange event is already known throughout the world. You should all have your own sources of information and opinions. But what I will say now is not speculation, it is about confirmed events that have already happened.”
“You may wonder why, even though there are reports of a massive invasion, there seem to be no monsters from another world in our kingdom’s lands. The truth is, they do exist, and they have already caused great effects. But for now, it is difficult for normal people to notice them directly.”
“Words alone may not be convincing. Sir Bowen, if you would.”
“This is my duty, Your Highness,” Bowen replied.
As if already arranged, the Hero of Mankind nodded slightly and placed his hand gently on the holy cross at his chest. The next moment, a glowing light burst out, covering the entire tavern!
The brilliance came quickly and faded just as fast. But when it disappeared, the lively tavern was gone without a trace. In its place was a silent street covered in thick white fog.
The mist came from nowhere, and aside from the few dozen meters around Bowen where his light pushed it back, nothing outside could be seen clearly. This sudden change made nearly all the kingdom’s elites immediately draw their weapons, their eyes sharp and alert as they scanned their surroundings. Yet very quickly, their gazes turned back to the young Holy Knight, clearly the cause of all this.
“Hey, hey… what is this place?”
“Space magic… no, this feels more like a special domain. Hero, is this your doing?”
‘Those not of our race cannot be trusted’, this idea is deeply rooted in the Human United Kingdom. And Bowen was not a pure-blooded human. If not for the fact that the Princess and those strong “waiters” had also entered this place with them, the others would probably be doing much more than just staring and questioning him right now.
While maintaining the protective light from the [Saint’s Cross], the Hero of Mankind exchanged a glance with Menna, then calmly spoke.
“Everyone, please don’t panic. You should already recognize this place. Didn’t you just walk through here not long ago? Have you forgotten so quickly?”
Hearing this, the crowd looked around the fog-covered street in confusion. Soon, cries of surprise spread.
“Eh…? Wait, it really does look like it! Isn’t this the same main street outside the tavern we were just in? I remember it was full of people and very lively. How did it suddenly turn into this?”
“Your Highness, please stop keeping us in suspense!”
“Hmm…”
Seeing the time was right, Menna finally stopped hiding the truth and nodded slightly.
“This kind of place has been named the [Lost Domain] by our kingdom’s scholars. The so-called [Lost Domain] is actually a special small dimension. Its creation comes from a powerful being from another world, one who holds extremely high authority. It is called the [Lord of Restraint], and it is the mastermind behind the invasion of our Kingdom.”
“The existence of the [Lord of Restraint] is vast and terrifying. It controls one of the rules that make up the foundation of the world itself. Although beings of equal rank are blocking it, preventing it from entering this world directly, its servants cannot be underestimated. They also possess powers granted by the [Lord of Restraint]. And these [Lost Domains] are one of the most obvious signs of their power.”
“Wherever one of the [Lord of Restraint]’s servants appears, a [Lost Domain] will always form. These servants themselves are not especially strong, but they will drag their targets into this small dimension.”
“Inside the [Lost Domain], the authority of the [Lord of Restraint] completely suppresses its victims. Not only does it weaken their fighting strength, making it hard to resist, but even if they manage to win, if they remain trapped here too long, their very being will slowly change under the Lord’s power. Their essence will twist, and they will turn into new servants. This is how It increases Its followers.”
“So, although it looks like our real world hasn’t suffered a large-scale invasion, in truth, within the past month, there have already been over a thousand disappearances across the kingdom. The higher-ups have been suppressing the news, which is why there hasn’t been widespread chaos and fear.”
The Princess paused briefly, then added coldly.
“Also, based on current investigations, aside from killing the servant who created the [Lost Domain], there is almost no way to forcefully escape from such a place… unless one has reached the legendary level.”
“Hiss…!”
At these words, all the gathered elites drew in sharp breaths of cold air.
What Menna had just said basically meant that, if in the future they were pulled into one of these domains by such monsters, and they tried only to hide or avoid fighting… they would have no way to resist and would be left with only one outcome...
Death.