"If you're uncertain, I would be honored to take on the task of escorting him out of sight, and I don't think our guest here would have any discomfort with it," said Vaelis again, interpreting Baladoan's silence as an answer.

  "The honor is all mine," said little Thalric quickly, seeing the opportunity to escape. He was back on his feet with an energetic face, getting ready to leave and return to his cozy little house, hoping to forget all those gloomy, nightmarish memories he had.

  "No, you won't," said Balladona with a grumpy look, and there went Thalric's joyful face in an instant, and placed his butt back in his seat in a second.

  "I said he's our seventh member, and that’s the last of it. If any of you want to continue murmuring and get rid of the little fellow, then go on without the two of us." Her words were harsh, and her eyes were those of a beast, shutting almost everyone up, except for Vaelis.

  "Ahem, if you insist, but what about his right of passage item? If he doesn't have one, even if we agree, he won't be able to join us. And by the look of it, he doesn't possess any of sort with him," said him.

  "Of course, he doesn't have any with him. It's all with me," Beladona said. Then she took out a long sword from under her robe. It had a dark, shining blade that stuck tightly to a hilt curved with star patterns.

  "By the gods, don't tell me that's the lost treasury—Silent Night!" Vaelis exclaimed in shock, his words drawing all others' eyes to the blade, and Azren's eyes twitched upon seeing it.

  "Indeed it was, a fine craft of your ancestors and wielded by one of the most ingenious assassins I had ever seen, who also happened to be the mentor of our little Thalric," said Baldoan, handing the sword to Thalric.

  Thalric grabbed the sword without question (although he had many on his mind). The previously harsh words were still enough to scar him into obeying anything Balladona ordered him to do. In his hands, the sword felt light, but what he felt even more was the weight of the gazes from all those looking at him.

  "The previous owner of Silent Night... I never heard his name," said Kaito, gazing at the sword in little Thalric's hand.

  "How could you have known? He's an assassin, after all," Baldoan said, lifting Thelci up from his seat. "Let's begin, then."

  After that, they placed their specific items on the table. Thalric noticed that in front of him, there was a specific sword mark that looked like a perfect fit for inserting his sword. Looking at the others, he saw that they also had something similar in front of them on the table, and they placed their specific items in it. However, Baldoan and Azren did not; instead, they casually placed a feather and an animal scale on the table.

  The objects melted upon contact with the table, and the liquid flowed into the specific slots where the items needed to be inserted in their respective sections.

  It was well-known knowledge in Albion that the Round Table held thirteen thrones to honor thirteen great figures who appeared during the time of the Great Beginning War. Only someone with the acknowledged item from those figures could sit at the Round Table. The only other option was to offer a sacrifice as a sign of respect, which was especially done by individuals who did not belong to humankind.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  Following the others' movements, Thalric inserted his sword into the table until it hit the end and stopped. After a few seconds, a burst of fire erupted from behind, spreading throughout the area glowing in numerous colors.

  While Thalric panicked, the others calmly sat back in their thrones. Baldoan waved her hand for him to sit down, and so he did, though his mind was in total chaos. The temperature of the room was gradually rising, and the smoke from the fire was slowly overtaking the air in the hall.

  "Try breathing slowly and calmly," whispered Baldoan, leaning onto Thalric's side of the throne.

  "By placing an acknowledged item from the thirteen heroes who appeared during the time of the war, or a sacrifice item from someone like us, the Round Table would stay lit by igniting the sacred fire around it. The sacred fire makes the Round Table a more secure place, preventing anyone from prying into what goes on in the Round Table. It also tests those who sit at the Round Table, so try to stay awake as much as possible," she explained to Thalric.

  And then it started—the seventeenth round of the Round Table.

  The first one to talk was Vaelis, who started his words with a grateful greeting to those all who were at the table, one by one.

  "Mighty Solren from the East, and the gentle Kaito from the West, Riven from deep within these walls. Great Azren and Baldoan from beyond those walls of Albion. Our new unknown guest from somewhere hidden, and I, the blood of the great King Arthur, are here today to light a candle and brighten the once prosperous legacy of knowledge seeking and, if one would perhaps introduce it as, adventure-seeking, brave, and benevolent Pathfinders."

  Then he paused for a breath before starting again.

  "For the first business," said him, while taking out a large scroll tied to his knight armor. Placing it on the table, he revealed it to everyone. "This is what we have gathered until now, with the efforts of our old curious pathfinders and the new empowered oathfinders." (He especially nodded at Brladoam and Azrel when mentioning them.)

  The map stretched across the table, and much like the others, Thalric also peered into it. He saw a gray depiction of a fortress with thirteen people surrounding it, and in the middle was the name Albion. To the front, it was a wide-spread forest, and that was all there was on the map. There was nothing behind Albion except for a massive deep rift, which was written in surprisingly understandable language.

  "We are all done exploring to the north of Albion and have met with the never-ending deep chasm. Although our brave men are still exploring, trying to reach its bottom, none believe it would be possible. As we go deeper, the temperature becomes unbearable for us." Vealis explained, observing others. "That would leave us with only one path to explore." While saying this, he moved his finger and placed it at the edge of the map, beside the forest. "The land beyond the Great Forest of Feather God."

  "There isn't much knowledge of that area to us right now, but I believe wise Beladona could help us with that." Afterward, he turned to Beladona.

  "Although I did go beyond the forest, I cannot say all the road ahead for a certain reason, and bear in mind that I do not intend to tell you this reason, for it holds a valuable secret. All I can tell you is that after passing the Feather God's forest, there was a shallow land filled with rocks and other things. There were no intelligent living beings there, so I didn't have to worry much about threats, except for those mindless blood-sucking beasts. But it was years ago that I went to that area, and this information of mine couldn't be completely trusted now," said Beladona, looking at the map.

  "What about the area beyond the shallow land?" inquired Kaito, who had gotten much interest when talking about lands he didn't know.

  "It was a swamp, green in color, but no beast could get close to it. I believe it was highly poisoned, so it would be better if we have any means to resist that poison."

  "That would bear a problem. Without knowing what the exact poison is, we are unable to determine what poison resistance to bring with us. Is there any knowledge about that?" vaelis looked at Beladona.