Ch.265Chapter 265: Unreturned

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Since its establishment along the precarious border between the Solarium Empire and the Demon Realm,

The impregnable fortress of Night Haven had unfailingly repelled the demon forces dreaming of southward expansion.

After this year’s unprecedented great battle against the Demon Realm had barely concluded with the Empire’s victory,

Imperial Knights Vice-Captain Iriana Lanos still hadn’t returned to Night Haven.

And due to the non-return of three senior knights who had been urgently dispatched to assist her return,

Late at night, as opinions regarding additional personnel deployment were being exchanged among those in charge,

Iriana and her Imperial Knights personnel finally managed to return, gasping for breath.

Only three people returned out of the four who should have come back.

Upon confirming that three rather than four had returned, tension permeated the fortress as everyone sensed something had happened.

But it was too late to dispatch large-scale forces to search for the missing person,

And the condition of the three who had returned was far from good, making it necessary to debrief them first to gather information for the search.

All measures regarding the missing person had to be postponed until morning.

As mentioned earlier, the appearance of the three who barely made it back could only be described as haggard.

Evidence of numerous fierce battles with demons during their return journey was clearly visible all over their uniforms.

Though their faces and skin bore no wounds, the indescribable fatigue and indefinable emotions etched in their expressions

Were enough to imagine what they had endured on their way back to the fortress.

Most likely, the non-return of Karl Lanos, one of the three dispatched to assist Iriana’s return to the fortress, had worsened the condition of these three who barely made it back.

Iriana Lanos, so exhausted that merely standing was commendable,

Excel Burnstein, with dejection plainly visible on his face,

And…

*Thud!*

Collapsing with a loud noise as if all strength had suddenly left her body,

“Ugh…”

Judging by Lillian Sizz Proxian’s current state as she struggled to suppress emotions threatening to burst forth, obtaining any information from them immediately would be a difficult task.

Even Nighthart Parsifal, who had overseen their return, and Third Prince Luca Bright Solarium, who was temporarily staying to support the fortress restoration and comfort the garrison troops, could see this.

As if the same thought had crossed their minds,

The two exchanged glances to conclude their discussion,

And completed their first measure for the returnees by sending the three to their respective quarters to rest their tired bodies.

The fact that Iriana Lanos fell asleep like she had fainted just as she was about to speak proved there was no fault in these two men’s judgment.

Everything would have to wait until sunrise when one of the three regained their strength.

Thus, as dawn broke, the soldiers and knights, rather than racking their brains over questions with no answers,

“Do we really have to take pickaxes to the quarry in this weather?”

“What choice do we have? To repair these walls, we need to mine and transport rocks from the Dragon Claw Mountains.”

“Sigh… I could cry at the thought of swinging pickaxes in this cold.”

“Be thankful it’s not snowing ash-mixed snow. Besides, even the knights are pitching in, so we can’t just stand around complaining.”

“That’s… true.”

“They’re organizing us into three shifts for half a day each, so let’s just focus on mining those rocks.”

They forced cheerful voices as they discussed the restoration of the fortress damaged by the Demon Realm’s unprecedented large-scale invasion.

To revive their sunken spirits while honoring the souls of comrades who had sacrificed themselves for the happy daily lives of people beyond this land, they needed to at least break a sweat.

Without exception, as soon as orders came down, soldiers and knights grabbed pickaxes instead of swords and spears and headed toward the quarry, united in thought.

Their movements, born from altruism believing their hardship would help someone, created a warmth that even the bitter northern climate of late December couldn’t penetrate.

But they didn’t know.

When the story about Karl Lanos, still missing, and something else that hadn’t returned to this fortress was announced,

It would cause tremendous ripples not only throughout Night Haven, which was barely overcoming the atmosphere of a brutal battlefield and gradually regaining vitality, but throughout the entire empire this fortress was meant to protect.

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In the headquarters located at the farthest corner of Night Haven,

Where the core personnel supporting the fortress, imbued with the essence of the Empire’s latest engineering technology,

Instead of the officials and knights who normally bustled about this place overseeing all military and administrative affairs,

A woman sat at the desk in the administrative office where the highest authority of this place should reside,

Attentively listening to another woman reporting to her from across the desk.

The seated woman had strikingly clear golden hair that anyone would describe as radiant,

And golden eyes that sparkled with intelligence, adding to her beauty.

Moreover, the woman standing opposite her displayed beauty no less impressive.

Though not as flashy, her silver hair contrasted well with the golden hair of the seated woman,

And her green eyes, reminiscent of fresh verdure, might have been less dazzling than the golden-haired, golden-eyed woman,

But possessed a beauty that, once met, was impossible to look away from—not much different from the seated woman.

Having described their appearances, it should be clear that the seated woman was Imperial First Princess Lucius Bright Solarium, no longer in her male disguise,

And the woman standing opposite her was Imperial Knights Vice-Captain Iriana Lanos, who privately was also the princess’s close friend.

Though the mere presence of these two beauties brought brightness to this place, earning them natural praise,

Unlike their usual cheerful exchanges when they met, the atmosphere between them now was heavy.

Normally they would engage in lively conversation with neither taking the lead,

But in this current setting, Iriana spoke unilaterally while Lucius maintained a position of silent listening.

Lucius would only be able to speak after Iriana had finished and she had processed all the information provided.

Though the fatigue that had marked her expression when she first entered the fortress had completely dissipated,

Judging by Iriana’s expression, which still maintained its grief,

It was highly unlikely that pleasantries would emerge from Lucius’s mouth even after Iriana finished speaking,

As evidenced by how Princess Lucius, who had initially displayed the dignity befitting royalty,

Grew increasingly pale as Iriana continued to speak.

“That concludes my report.”

Finally, Iriana finished reporting her matters.

Normally, Lucius would have offered words of comfort to her friend once the report was complete.

She couldn’t not do so.

The missing person who had gone to rescue her friend was none other than her friend’s only brother.

How could she not offer comfort?

Knowing how much Iriana cherished her brother, though she didn’t show it openly, Lucius had wanted to console her friend somehow,

And had prepared to do so even before Iriana entered the administrative office,

Planning to follow the consolation with a massive deployment of troops to find her brother,

Unfortunately, Lucius couldn’t offer such sincere comfort and measures to her friend even after the report concluded.

This wasn’t because Lucius was so dull as to forget what she had prepared in her heart,

But because her friend’s report about something else missing besides her brother

Made her imperial responsibility take precedence over treating the person before her as a friend rather than as the Vice-Captain of the Imperial Knights.

“Is that really true?”

Though her tone didn’t reveal her official capacity, Lucius’s expression showed clear bewilderment as she questioned to confirm what she had heard.

Her expression betrayed a slight hope that she had misheard,

“Your Highness, Sizz… no, Lillian Sizz Proxian told me this herself, so it must be true.”

Faced with Iriana’s attitude, which didn’t hide her grief yet firmly confirmed the truth of her words,

The solemn expression Lucius had been maintaining began to crack, and then,

“Haaa…”

A deep sigh, something that would never normally escape her lips, burst forth.

It was a signal that the solemnity that had never crumbled even when facing seasoned officials and weathered nobles had collapsed.

But as if she didn’t want to show such an appearance even in front of her friend, Lucius quickly covered her face with both hands and said,

“The Holy Sword… the Holy Sword… was seized by the Demon Realm…”

Her voice faded naturally as it filled with dismay.

In fact, even this level of reaction showed how excellent her ability to control her emotions was.

A thousand years ago, when evil gods tried to shake the world by implanting their distorted values,

The good gods forged legendary weapons from blessed primal metal for humans whose lives were worth less than flies,

And now one of the foremost of these, the Holy Sword,

Had left the hands of the Holy Sword Wielder who should have been wielding it and fallen into the hands of the Demon Realm.

It wouldn’t have been surprising if she had rolled her eyes and fainted.

“So. I imagine our Vice-Captain has prepared some countermeasures before reporting this to me, right?”

Lucius’s demeanor, asking her friend about countermeasures with a composed attitude as if she had never faltered in dismay, exuded dignity even without her male disguise.

Relieved by her friend’s composure, Iriana’s expression changed from grief to determination, and then,

“I’ve already consulted with Lord Nighthart before coming here and selected personnel.”

That was the moment she calmly recited the countermeasures she had prepared.

“…Personnel?”

However, Lucius didn’t quite understand the sudden mention of personnel and questioned her,

“Of course, a suicide squad to infiltrate the Demon Realm to recover Knight Karl Lanos and the Holy Sword.”

This was immediately clarified by Iriana, who spoke calmly as if wondering why such an obvious question was being asked.

…Separate from the clarification,

“…It’s reckless.”

The words to stop it automatically came from Lucius’s mouth.

What followed was a conversation that wasn’t really a conversation between Lucius and Iriana.

It was an argument between Iriana, who was burning to carry out what anyone would see as a reckless operation,

And Lucius, who insisted on waiting at least until the Royal Knights and Umbra personnel arrived at the fortress.

But this argument between the two didn’t last long.

*Creeeeak!!*

Without even knocking, someone hastily flung open the door to where the two highest-ranking people in the fortress were,

“S-Sister! Lily left this note and disappeared without saying anything!!”

It was because of Excel, who entered with a pale face, holding a hastily scribbled memo.

Though it was a breach of protocol that should have prompted a rebuke from Iriana if not from Lucius immediately,

“…”

Iriana’s gaze naturally fixed on the note in Excel’s hand before she could speak, and as soon as she saw what was written, her face turned so pale that Excel’s complexion seemed rosy in comparison,

“Even more reckless than me!”

She exclaimed in a voice filled with dismay, having no time to scold Excel.

It was a moment when the subdued atmosphere due to the missing person rose in an unexpected direction.