Calvin took a long drink of spicy ale and looked at Lid. "I really don’t get you sometimes. You could have finished us all with your sword the day you captured us. But you had to keep us alive, treating us to good food and drink."
He pointed at Anna. "And now you’re telling us all about your student... Aren’t you afraid we’ll go after her someday?"
Lid shook his head, his voice calm and firm. "You’re not that kind of person."
"You can’t be so sure," Calvin huffed, slightly annoyed.
Arthur nodded from the side, chiming in, "Calvin really wouldn’t do something like that."
Calvin: "..."
He snorted, ignored them, and went back to chugging from his wineskin.
Lid picked up another jug of wine warming by the fire and filled the wooden cup in front of Arthur. "By the way," he asked curiously, "can the Undead drink alcohol?"
The soulfire beneath Arthur’s helmet wavered slightly, as if he were seriously considering the question.
Then, he reached out a gauntleted hand, lifted the wooden cup, and poured the wine into his mouth.
HISS—
A soft sizzling sound followed as the wine instantly evaporated into white steam, which drifted out from the seams of his helmet and vanished.
"I guess not..." Lid said, his voice tinged with regret. It was unclear if he was lamenting the lost wine or something else entirely.
Before long, a Knight arrived to report on military matters. Lid nodded and led Anna out of the wooden cabin.
Glen watched them leave, stroking his chin in thought. "Strange. Logically speaking, we’ve been convicted of high treason. It’s one thing for that guy not to have us bound and under heavy guard, but he even treats us to good food and drink every time..."
He suddenly grew wary. ’Could there be a conspiracy? Or is he trying to pry some useful information from us?’
He immediately puffed out his chest and declared proudly, "Hmph! I, Glen, am Princess Louisa’s most loyal minister! I wouldn’t reveal a single thing, even if you beat me to death!"
Calvin shot a glance at the man lost in his own drama and said flatly, "The summer magic tide is approaching. Contact the Kingdom. We need the latest, most accurate intelligence."
To prevent their communication Gel from being confiscated again, they had entrusted it to Glen, who had little presence in the camp.
Now, he was the only one who could safely contact the Slime Kingdom.
"You’re no fun at all," Glen pouted, but he still carefully took the Gel out from a pocket close to his body.
He pressed his hands together as if in prayer and focused his mind, beginning to attempt contact.
Calvin’s gaze shifted from Glen to Arthur, who was once again staring blankly at the campfire.
He raised an eyebrow and asked, "Something on your mind?"
"You’ve been spacing out a lot lately. Are you missing your sister again?"
Arthur’s right hand subconsciously pressed against the Sunflower and the blessed feather from Count Brand over his heart. From there, a warmth radiated that even his undead body could feel.
He slowly shook his head. "It’s nothing," he said hoarsely. "I’ve just been wanting to take a walk in the forest lately, to see the flowerbeds."
There were some things he left unsaid.
Normally... the Undead don’t dream.
But lately, he kept dreaming he was back in that forest with Alice, watching over the flowerbeds, waiting for the little purple flower that always bloomed last to finally open.
Meanwhile, Count Brand and His Majesty stood on the walls of a nearby watchtower, discussing something he couldn’t quite hear.
Arthur had a feeling that once he could hear what His Majesty and Count Brand were saying, the flower would finally, truly be able to bloom.
He didn’t know what would happen after the flower bloomed.
Calvin couldn’t understand. He shook his head and went back to drinking his ale.
A short while later, Glen opened his eyes, a look of pleasant surprise on his face.
"Good news! The Demon Legion has completely occupied the Dark Land. They’re now massing in the direction of Storm Fortress, just waiting for the summer magic tide in a few days."
He rubbed his hands together excitedly. "As soon as the magic tide hits and Storm Fortress’s defenses are under pressure, that guy Lid will definitely be recalled to the fortress. That’s when we can take the opportunity to escape Shield River City!"
Calvin paused in the middle of a drink.
"They... occupied the Dark Land?"
Having dealt with those vampires for so many years, he knew just how troublesome and treacherous they were. He was even more aware of how grand and sturdy the graystone fortress was.
For His Majesty to not only breach the graystone fortress but also completely occupy the entire Dark Land in such a short time... To be honest, it was completely beyond his expectations.
No wonder Glen was excited enough to call it "good news."
He put down his wineskin and said in a low voice, "We need a detailed plan."
"A meticulous plan that will guarantee our foolproof escape from this legion’s garrison."
Glen immediately slapped his chest, his face full of confidence. "Leave it to me!"
He lowered his voice, a hint of smugness in it. "No one’s been paying attention to me these past few days, so I’ve already figured out the garrison’s patrol patterns, the sentry rotation schedule, and all the blind spots that are easy to miss. I guarantee that as soon as Lid leaves, we can slip out without anyone being the wiser. No one will find us."
Arthur nodded, his soulfire burning steadily. "We’re counting on you, Glen."
Glen held out his hand, a collaborative smile on his face. "Gentlemen, a pleasure working with you. I hope you’ll be able to protect me and get me to the rendezvous point safely."
"A pleasure," Arthur said, placing his gauntleted hand on Glen’s, then looking at Calvin.
Calvin glanced at Glen’s outstretched hand and snorted. "A meaningless gesture."
Despite his words, he eventually, and reluctantly, extended his own hand, briefly touching theirs.
...
But Arthur and the others weren’t the only ones who had received news of the Demon Legion’s movements.
Deep within a subterranean tavern in Shield River City, a place of intertwined clamor and shadow, the Chaos Believers of the Blade of Vengeance received the intelligence, their eyes glinting with excitement.
At the top of a Mage tower on a snowy mountain outside the city, one that overlooked the entire border, Princess Louisa stood before a window. She stared at the silhouette of Storm Fortress, barely visible through the curtain of rain, clutching the report in her hand, her gaze profound.
On the surface, the entire Storm Lordship appeared calm, but beneath, a turbulent undercurrent had long been raging.
The various factions—whether motivated by loyalty, ambition, revenge, or survival—had all begun their final preparations and secret mobilizations in unison.
All eyes turned, as if by common accord, to the west, toward the pass that held the Kingdom’s throat in its grip—Storm Fortress.
A storm centered on the fortress was quietly brewing beneath the ceaseless curtain of rain.
...
「Three days later. Storm Fortress.」
Even at noon, the surroundings were terrifyingly gloomy. Only the orange glow of torches could offer some small reprieve from the oppressive darkness.
The entire fortress stood like a silent, towering black presence, suffocating in its immensity.
On the walls, Knights stood firm as statues every few meters, their eyes fixed on what lay ahead.
As a figure walked past, they all bowed their heads respectfully. "Lady Alice."
Alice nodded slightly and stopped at the battlements. She held out her palm but felt no raindrops fall.
The wind had stopped. The rain had stopped.
It seemed like a good thing, but in truth, it was a sign that the magic tide had arrived.
Looking up, the once lead-gray sky had become an eerie swirl of deep purple and sickly green Magic Power.
Rampant Magic Power was gathering everywhere the eye could see, attracting countless pairs of glowing green eyes. The air was thick with the lingering stench of sulfur and a foul, rank odor.
’So it’s finally here...’
Alice took a deep breath, but her gaze drifted involuntarily to the area behind the fortress.
That was the direction of Shield River City, the place where Arthur was imprisoned.
As was her habit, she took out the silver pendant from around her neck and prayed to the guardian being it represented.
"Cadus above, please keep my brother safe."