Byron couldn't learn Falcon Alvin's unconditional tameness, so he could only express his loyal admiration in another way.
He hadn't expected that Beatrice also seemed to have her own peculiar quirks.
She "respected strength over gentleness," and her attitude towards him had improved significantly.
She had even silently expanded the "use" of this confidant of hers in her heart.
She then whispered a seductive hint, "Alvin, once you return after this ritual, I will allow you to stay 'on watch' in my bedroom. Oh, and don't forget to bring your slave-catching ropes."
Of course, that was provided they could all make it back.
Byron acted as if he didn't understand at all what she was talking about. He couldn't help but silently pity Alvin, the Wild Hunt Servant who would gain nothing despite his sycophancy, for three seconds.
"Your Majesty, watch your step."
As he helped Beatrice out of the palace, the hundred-man honor guard that had been waiting outside for some time immediately came forward to meet them.
They might not have been very strong, but each one was tall and formidable, holding a long spear with a large gold spearhead.
Just these hundred golden spearheads alone demonstrated the immense wealth of this City of Gold.
It seemed only natural for the People of Castilia to target it as their number one priority.
At that moment, the dawn's early light cast upon the honor guard and the stunningly beautiful Queen in their midst. Dressed in a gold-thread gown and holding the Golden Code, she was an overwhelmingly splendid sight.
This was not hyperbole but a statement of fact.
Especially Beatrice's perfect 1:0.618 golden ratio figure, which shone even more brilliantly under the sunrise.
She was like a captivating Goddess descended to the Mortal World.
Even Byron, long accustomed to her exotic beauty, unconsciously squinted.
The young and vigorous soldiers in the honor guard were even more flustered.
One member at the front, closest to Beatrice, was so dazzled by the Versatile Enchantress's beauty that he carelessly and unknowingly let go of his spear.
The heavy gold spearhead immediately converted potential energy to kinetic energy and hurtled toward Byron... only to swerve toward Beatrice beside him.
If struck by it, an ordinary person could be left bloodied with shattered bones.
Of course, a powerful Third Order Transcendent wouldn't be harmed by such a thing.
Byron had anticipated this and, like the wind, stepped in front of her, effortlessly pinching the falling golden spear between two fingers.
"Ah!"
The member of the honor guard finally snapped back to his senses, his face turning deathly white.
Without even daring to beg for mercy, he was dragged away by two guards holding his head and arms.
No one doubted his fate; today, on the Skinflayer's altar, there would undoubtedly be one more strong and prime sacrifice.
Beatrice mounted a white horse obtained from outsiders, and the regrouped honor guard continued on their way.
However, though it seemed like a minor incident, Byron clearly knew that the spear had initially been falling in his direction. It was only because the butt of the spear got caught in a crack in the stone flooring that it 'accidentally' shifted its target toward Beatrice.
DING DONG! Bound to a source of danger first. Trust me, as your guard, if I say you won't die by someone else's hand, you absolutely won't.
...
The sun climbed higher. In the center of the city stood the most majestic Skinflayer Temple.
"No, please, have mercy on me! I'm one of the Empire's own!"
"Just you wait! You killed the Princess, and now you're going to kill us! Our Taya People won't let you get away with this!"
"..."
From the first streak of sunlight piercing the darkness, the shrill screams never ceased.
Normally, sacrifices were required to clear their bowels beforehand and be given a sedative to prevent shouting, or even incontinence, which would Profane God.
But today's bloody feast required far too many sacrifices.
A glance over the square and the central Avenue of Death revealed throngs of slaves numbering over 30,000.
Even if there were enough drugs, there wasn't enough time to waste.
All the permanent and temporary skinflaying altars around the pyramid were operating nonstop.
But the shaman-wizards here still found their actions not deft enough, their speed too slow; even uninitiated intern shamans were all sent to assist.
The scene was too horrific to describe. Even an artificial river that skirted the temple and connected to the lake water had completely turned into a Blood River.
The glaring red color was spreading rapidly across Lake Texcoco.
And it wasn't just the lake water changing color; even the golden sun in the sky above the city-state seemed to be stained blood-red.
In fact, the Blood Sacrifice in the Material World is just a surface phenomenon. As the ritual progresses, the greatest transformation occurs in the Spiritual World. The red sun is the overflow of Spirituality itself.
Byron had already followed Beatrice, the main officiant, to the very top of the Skinflayer Pyramid.
Compared to the nine-tiered pyramid of the Feathered Serpent God in Chichen Itza City he had once ascended, this one was evidently taller, enough to rival the Thirteen-Tiered Pyramid of the former Taya Empire.
Behind him stood the temple housing the Divine Statue of the Skinflayer.
From this dual pinnacle of the Material and Spiritual Worlds, Byron activated his Spirit Vision, allowing him to see the entire ceremony clearly.