Return – 1

“We’ve finally arrived. I see the city gates over there.”

Claudia, who was riding at the very front, stretched out her hand. The familiar sight of the checkpoint in front of the city gates, which we had long grown accustomed to, greeted us.

The line was definitely longer than when I first arrived here after escaping from prison. It was proof that the city was gradually becoming more vibrant.

‘I wonder if the blacksmith’s will reopen? It feels like I’ll need to visit soon.’

True to the Order of the Silver Dawn Knights route, which was said to be the most beginner-friendly in Brdk 4, if one proceeded through the story in the orthodox manner, most of the elements needed for the journey ahead could be obtained in this one city.

A blacksmith’s for enhancing armor and weapons or imbuing them with attributes, shops that handled most mid-to-low-grade items, and even a Magic Tower where one could learn magic of intermediate level or lower.

If one installed Aurora as the lord and maintained a continuously friendly relationship, knight or warrior-type characters who used melee weapons could simply handle all their enhancements here.

Of course, this only meant that most elements could be obtained; it remained unchanged that top-tier magic or items, divine spells, and blessed weapons had to be acquired elsewhere.

“What are you thinking so deeply about?”

A head suddenly popped in. Blue hair filled a corner of my vision. Rije was looking at me with her characteristic playful smile.

Her chest swayed as if dancing to the rhythm of the horse’s gait. Since her armor had been discarded in Arachnainera’s boss room, all she wore on her upper body was a white sleeveless top.

For reference, they say armor can be supplied infinitely. It’s said that the magic cast on the castle considers even armor as originally existing items, so if you just take it out, it automatically replenishes itself?

By this point, it was a mystery what kind of curse the lord had mistaken that magic for.

According to Aurora’s explanation, it was originally a magic applied only to some of the highest-tier Magic Towers. I thought it was truly amazing that they managed to find something like that.

Because it was said that only one person, the empire’s greatest mage and concurrently the master of the Grand Archives, could actually use that magic. It truly seemed like they held a significant grudge against the Order of the Silver Dawn Knights.

In a way, it was actually fortunate. Even though they hated the Order of the Silver Dawn Knights enough to find such magic, they had no justification and couldn’t achieve their goal, eventually kicking the bucket first.

It was probably quite a headache for them as well. They couldn’t just arbitrarily execute a knight order directly under the Emperor simply because they didn’t like them.

After tearing the Order of the Silver Dawn Knights to shreds, making only four knight-captain-level individuals follow them was probably the most revenge they could exact at the moment.

‘But then they just up and died.’

“……You’re not thinking about that woman’s chest, are you?”

As my thoughts spiraled one after another, my reply was delayed, and Rije gave me a suspicious look. The distance between us narrowed even further. Before I could be interrogated further, I quickly replied.

“No. I just had something to think about.”

“See? I told you to touch mine. I could make you forget that woman’s chest instantly.”

“……How many times do I have to tell you I won’t?”

Ever since the heresy judgment incident with Stella, Rije’s actions had become increasingly blatant. Just now, it was clear that she deliberately twisted her body slightly, emphasizing her chest.

My patience was rapidly wearing thin in response. If such temptations continued, I wasn’t confident I could endure much longer. At most, I probably had about a month before hitting my limit.

“Alright. I know, I know. Of course I do. I was just kidding.”

Rije grinned at me.

I had refused her offer to touch her chest after it was over. Upon hearing my refusal, Rije jumped up and asked what the problem was, and I just honestly confessed.

That once I started, I wasn’t confident I could stop at just touching her chest.

Upon hearing that, Rije was momentarily dumbfounded, then, with her characteristic playful expression, she said she understood and willingly backed off. Since then, it had been like this.

“You’ve arrived, Knight Captain-nim!”

As we approached the city gates, the procession split left and right, clearing a path. A guard, who had been inspecting a wagon at the checkpoint in front of the gates, saw Claudia and saluted with a rigid, disciplined posture.

“It’s a relief you returned safely! Was the subjugation successful?”

“Yes.”

Claudia lightly tapped Arachnainera’s head, which was tied to her horse’s saddle. Even though a considerable amount of time had passed, it maintained the exact same form as when its head had just been severed.

While it might be different for ordinary monsters, monsters with powerful abilities like Arachnainera are said to barely decompose unless some special circumstance occurs.

They say even if you just leave it lying around outside, it would take half a year for it to start rotting little by little. The Human Butcher, who melted away completely and dropped a blood-stained sword as soon as it was subjugated, seemed to be a rather special case.

“Don’t get any strange ideas, okay? This was a humanoid monster, after all.”

As the guards flinched upon seeing Arachnainera’s head, Claudia preempted them before any strange words could come out.

Even with its head severed, its tongue lolling out, and its pupils half-rolled back, its beauty remained unchanged, so it wasn’t strange at all to mistake it for a human head at first glance.

“Yes! I understand!”

The guard immediately cleared the path. It was a relief that no unnecessary squabble occurred.

“You’re going straight to report to the Lord-nim, right? It’s a bit awkward for all of us to stop by the castle together.”

“That’s right. I’ll go to Iris. Unnie, Claudia, and Delta-ssi, please go to the Lord-nim’s mansion first.”

Erica turned left at the fork in the road, and we continued along the main street. Perhaps it was because she was conscious of other people’s gazes, but Rije also rode her horse quietly without clinging to me.

We soon arrived at the mansion. A knight standing at the main gate stopped us. He was a newly appointed knight after all the former lord’s servants had been replaced.

Thanks to that, he didn’t treat us with utter contempt like the previous guys. On the contrary, upon hearing ‘Order of the Silver Dawn Knights,’ he even made a fuss, asking if it wasn’t the knight order that served the Emperor.

“What is the matter?”

“We came back after subjugating a monster. To report to the Lord-nim about that.”

“I see. I understand. Please enter.”

The knight exchanged a few formal words and then immediately stepped aside. At the mansion’s main entrance, the usual maid was waiting for us.

She was the maid said to be the most trustworthy, having served Aurora since childhood. The woman, dressed in a maid uniform that meticulously covered her from neck to toe without a single exposure, politely bowed her head.

As we dismounted our horses, a few servants approached and led the horses away somewhere. As a bonus, they flinched for a moment upon seeing Arachnainera’s head tied to the saddle.

“We’re going to wait for the other two here before going in, is that alright?”

“Yes, there’s no problem at all. In fact, it’s something we would recommend. As the Lord-nim also needs time to ‘prepare.'”

At Claudia’s words, the maid glanced at me, emphasizing the word ‘prepare.’ Then, out of nowhere, Rije clung tightly to my arm. A fierce gaze passed between the two of them.

After some time had passed, Iris and Erica arrived. With a blunt personality and a quiet personality combined, it was so silent between them that not even a single breath could be heard.

Rije and Claudia shook their heads, saying it was a suffocating sight just to look at. Honestly, I somewhat agreed.

“Aurora-nim is waiting inside.”

The maid, who had guided us to the reception room, opened the door with precise movements.

As we stepped inside, we saw Aurora sitting in the seat of honor, sipping tea in a dress that, as usual, clearly revealed her side-chest, armpit, and collarbone. Aurora’s golden eyes turned directly towards me.

“How was the subjugation? Did it end well?”

“We all came back alive, didn’t we? So it probably ended well.”

“Hmm… Seeing as you all broke your armor, I don’t think so?”

Perhaps startled by her words, Erica and Claudia simultaneously cleared their throats. One had been poisoned and wandered near death, and the other had been captured by Arachnainera and almost died.

“Let’s say Iris, the Knight Captain, didn’t even participate in the subjugation, and Delta, you don’t wear armor in the first place, so let’s set that aside too. But the other three went wearing their armor, didn’t they? Yet they came back without armor, doesn’t that mean they lost it somewhere? If their armor was intact, they would have worn it in here.”

“You’ve hit the nail on the head. Well, quite a lot happened.”

“I definitely want to hear about it, so tell me one by one later. For now, I have some things I need to say first. First, sit down. You can’t talk standing up like that, can you?”

Aurora gestured. We sat down, appropriately spaced, on the sofas surrounding the table. Then, maids swarmed over, placed teacups and small plates in front of each of us, and poured tea.

“Delta. First, there’s something you need to hear as a top priority.”

“For me? Ah, that thing I asked you to investigate last time-“

“I did finish investigating that, but that’s not what I want to talk about right now. If it were that, I wouldn’t have called it a top priority.”

“……?”

“What I want to tell you now is this.”

Aurora carefully picked up the parchment that was on the table and handed it to the maid next to her. The maid bowed deeply, received it with both hands, then approached me and extended her arm.

“Take it. It’s yours.”

“Can I open it here?”

“I gave it to you for that purpose, but the other Knight Captains shouldn’t see it. Delta, you absolutely must check it alone first, and only when your permission to view it together is given, can we also see it.”

“……What is this that you’re being like this?”

“Flip it over.”

At Aurora’s words, I flipped over the rolled-up parchment. A string tied with a knot, and a golden seal depicting a pair of dragons stamped on it.

It was a very familiar emblem.

“Oh, this is……”

My words caught in my throat. Rije, sitting right next to me, leaned her head forward, wondering what it was, then returned to her spot with a deathly pale face. The other Knight Captains who looked at the parchment were the same.

“That’s right. It’s the Emperor’s seal.”

Aurora sipped her tea.

“His Majesty Emperor Kaikilia sent you a personal letter.”