༺ Advance Party (2) ༻
Four hours had passed since the advance party entered.
Vera stood still after the war ceremony and looked at the fortress.
He was waiting for the advance party to return.
The look in his eyes was filled with anxiety and desperation.
“Vera…”
Renee called out, concerned, but he remained steadfast.
Renee understood why.
Why wouldn’t she?
Just sitting there and not knowing what was happening inside was uncomfortable in itself.
“…Please go inside. I’ll inform you as soon as the advance party returns.”
Vera spoke, still staring at the inverted cross.
Renee’s forehead furrowed.
“If Vera stays, I’ll stay here, too.”
When Renee, who didn’t want to be alone, answered like this, Vera clenched his fists.
Then, he spoke.
“When the advance party returns, we will immediately formulate a strategy. Then you and I will have to move as well.”
“…Yes.”
“So keep your eyes peeled. His Holiness and I don’t easily get tired, but you are different.”
“It’s okay. I’ll get through it using my divinity.”
Vera looked at Renee.
Because his own anxiety was the reason why he was standing there, he didn’t want to burden Renee with it.
Vera asked her to go once more.
“I’m staying here out of my own stubbornness, so you should go inside.”
“That’s why I’m staying.”
”…What?”
Renee raised her head and continued with a smile on her face.
“Married couples are one in mind and body, right? When times are tough, it’s only right to stay by each other’s side.”
Vera flinched.
His slightly narrowed eyes were looking at Renee with a dazed expression.
Vera took a moment to process the implications of the sudden words before replying with a smile.
“Are we married already?”
“We’re going to be, aren’t we? Why? Are you planning to cheat on me or dump me?”
Vera knew that this was Renee’s way of comforting him.
His expression wavered.
His hardened heart began to melt away at her words.
“It’s good to take responsibility. Yes, Vera is the one who sent those people in there. That’s what’s bothering you, isn’t it?”
They didn’t need long words to understand each other.
Renee saw right through Vera’s reason for standing here and reached out her hand.
Their hands touched, and then their fingers intertwined.
“But you can’t dwell on that. Otherwise, you’ll become someone who can’t do anything.”
”…Even so, I can’t just ignore this feeling.”
“Accepting and dwelling on it are different.”
Renee held Vera’s hand tightly.
“Vera, you’re the commander. This was a choice that had to be made, so if you’re feeling responsible, that’s enough. You shouldn’t feel guilty.”
It might have sounded selfish, but that was what Renee thought.
War was brutal.
The idea that everyone would survive was almost a dream, and accepting it was the only way to reduce the sacrifices.
“Don’t drown in guilt. And since it’s already done, just believe in them and wait. You didn’t send people you had no faith in, did you?”
In such a war, Vera had undoubtedly made the best choice.
“The Second Prince and the Archduke went inside. Did they just get beaten when you faced Gorgan?”
He sent two of their best forces inside that place.
That wasn’t all.
Many high-ranking knights or above, who would be crucial in a full-scale war, were there.
“Are the knights you sent the type to falter to shallow tricks? And what about the priests who went with them? They are competent enough to oversee foreign dispatched temples.”
“Well…”
“And you vowed, staking your own soul.”
Above all, Vera himself bestowed blessings upon them.
Renee’s hand moved slightly higher, touching Vera’s forearm.
“No one will be corrupted. Lushan is fair, so they would have received blessings equivalent to the price Vera has set, right?”
Vera kept his mouth shut and looked at Renee.
He managed to calm his rising emotions.
“…Yes, you’re correct.”
A thought came to his mind as he answered.
There was the thought that Renee always seemed to steady him whenever he wavered.
“Trusting and waiting is the right thing to do.”
Did he want to be conscientious at this point?
Did he suddenly want to indulge in the virtue of humanity?
Vera realized that he almost abandoned his duty due to the unfamiliar feelings of guilt.
So, he steadied his wavering heart and looked straight ahead again.
At that moment, a figure swimming in the lake caught his eyes.
“…They’re coming!”
Vera’s body jolted.
The moment Renee rose to her feet, dozens of figures started to appear behind the first figure. They were all jumping out of the windows and into the lake.
Vera’s expression became serious.
The people who went through the main gate were now jumping out of the windows so hastily that he naturally became serious.
Vera turned his head towards the barracks and yelled loudly.
“Assemble!!”
It was a shout to gather those who were waiting in the barracks.
By the time they gathered, the individuals who had swum across the lake to Vera had already arrived.
Albrecht was not with them.
***
“…The Second Prince was left there alone.”
In the medical tent of the barracks, Hegrion spoke with a miserable tone as he lay on the bed. Instead of his usual white mane, his body was wrapped tightly in bandages.
The expressions of those present hardened.
Vera felt his heart pound as he asked again.
“What happened?”
Hegrion lifted his head and answered with worn-out expression.
“…It was a moving labyrinth.”
“What?”
“The castlewas alive. The moment we entered, the internal structure changed.”
Hegrion clenched his teeth.
The next words that followed were tinged with anger.
“We were not careless. No, rather, it was a disaster caused by thinking too much. We should’ve only considered two things.”
“What are those two things…?”
“That it was alive, and that there were spirits inside.”
Vera’s brow furrowed.
“Could you please elaborate?”
“It is exactly as it sounds. The interior was made up of a red membrane like the insides of a creature. Arms that looked like they were skinned were writhing between the gaps, and there was a continuous laughter ringing in our ears from the moment we stepped in.”
“…The laughter of the spirits?”
“Yes. The priests that came with us concluded that it might be an illusion spell and they cast mental protection spells for us. At that moment, the interior structure changed.”
Hegrion’s breathing became ragged.
“Arms shot out from the floor and ceiling, meeting each other to form walls. Then, a membrane covered those walls and tore our formation apart. After that, we didn’t have the luxury to scout. My head was throbbing with the laughter of the spirits, and the internal structure kept changing, so I thought that escaping should be our first priority.”
Flinch—
Hegrion grimaced as he continued to speak, then he stopped.
He paused because of the pain and took a moment to catch his breath.
Then, when the pain had dispersed a little, he continued to deliver the grim news.
“…Escaping was not easy. The Second Prince took the lead and pushed back the outstretched arms, while the other knights and I protected the priests from the rear. After wandering around like that, I thought, ’If we continue like this, there will be no end. We need to break through the walls.’”
“…And what happened?”
“We succeeded. Breaking through the flesh-like walls was easy, but what followed was the problem. The spirits began attacking us the moment they sensed we were trying to escape. So…”
Hegrion’s arm shook as he covered his face. What was evident from it was an unmistakable sense of guilt.
Vera knew what was coming next.
“…The Second Prince held off the spirits.”
Hegrion nodded.
His conscience was decaying, burdened with the knowledge that he had escaped at the expense of his comrade.
Vera looked at Hegrion with a heavy heart.
‘…Only the unit led by the Archduke returned.’
By count, it was about forty people.
Considering that the initial advance party was over a hundred, the statistics were devastating.
However, the information gathered was invaluable.
Vera steadied his wavering mind and continued his thoughts.
‘Entering with a large army is very disadvantageous.’
If the internal structure kept changing, then pushing with more people would be meaningless. Doing so would only serve to feed the enemy more.
What they needed was a small elite team.
‘Should we destroy the walls entirely?’
The moment he thought that, Vargo’s name came to his mind and quickly disappeared.
‘…It’s not possible. We can’t recklessly destroy it without knowing what happened to the advance party left inside.’
They might be held hostage inside, so he had to confirm the situation. That was why they needed to be cautious about any aggressive actions.
‘The Second Prince…’
Despite his appearance, he was a truly exceptional individual in terms of combat. He wouldn’t be easily bested.
Vera started to point out the important matters one by one.
‘…In that case, the people entering are decided.’
The Seven Great Souls, the Eight Legacies, and the Nine Apostles.
If we narrow it down to just the necessary people, that’s about it, and we can add Gorgan as well.
‘The remaining troops will guard the perimeter of the lake.’
We must consider if Alaysia’s plan is to force all the elites inside.
If the castle itself is a trap, she’ll certainly try to make a move outside the lake as well.
“How long will it take for his injuries to heal?”
“Around an hour.”
Theresa, who was treating Hegrion, answered.
Her stern gaze was fixed on Hegrion’s blood-soaked bandages.
“Go and prepare. I’ll make it like he was never injured in the first place.”
“Yes.”
Vera bowed his head, then turned his back as he spoke.
All the Apostles that came with him were there, as well as all those who were classified as great souls except for Albrecht.
“No need to delay. We’ll depart right away after an hour.”
A heavy atmosphere hung in the air.
In that environment, those present dispersed to make their preparations.
However, one person remained.
It was none other than Aisha.
Vera and Aisha’s eyes met.
Then, Aisha spoke.
“I…”
Her words hesitated and she faltered, her gaze momentarily dropping to the floor.
It made Vera wonder if she was scared.
After all, it wouldn’t be strange if she was.
She was just a fifteen-year old girl.
She was being thrown into a place that even experienced knights couldn’t get through, so it was understandable if she was scared.
If you’re scared and resent me, I will gladly accept it.
Such thoughts came to Vera, but then Aisha continued.
“…If I become a hindrance inside, you can abandon me.”
Aisha’s eyes pierced through Vera.
It stopped his breath for a moment.
“What…?”
“If I get in the way, just leave me behind. This is an important mission, right? If we can’t stop them here, everyone will be in trouble.”
Determination was clearly visible in Aisha’s eyes.
Vera didn’t know what to say to his disciple, who told him to leave her behind if he thought she would be a hindrance, and to such a young hero displaying this kind of resolve at such a young age.
He pondered for a while at what to say to the child who had been forced to mature far too early, and then took a deep breath before responding.
“…No one will be left behind.”
“What?”
“Don’t say nonsense. There are no knights who will abandon their comrades just because they’re struggling.”
It was his resolve.
The words he offered to the girl who aspired to become a knight were something he had only come to understand through a lifetime of experience.
“There is no great cause that can be achieved through a selfish sacrifice. A great cause is something you earn at the end of a difficult path, and if a comrade falls behind on that path, it’s only right to adjust your pace to theirs.”
Aisha’s eyes glistened.
For the first time since they met, she had received words from Vera that put her on an equal footing.
“Stop talking nonsense and finish your preparations.”
As Vera left the medical tent, Aisha fidgeted her fingertips and then walked out of the tent.
Her steps were noticeably lighter than before she entered.
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