Eyolian walked outside the town’s borders, where about forty people were waiting for Lord Garrett to arrive with what they believed to be the target of the organization.

  Although the group appeared united, there was a clear division between the knights in their heavy armor and the mages in their long robes, holding wooden staffs.

  Eyolian herself wore armor that concealed her features, just like every other knight. She didn’t hesitate for a second before stepping toward where the knights stood. Even though she was also a mage—and a very capable one at that—she still preferred to hide that fact. Mages were rare, but being both a battle mage and a traditional mage was even rarer.

  The knights didn’t seem to recognize her, but they welcomed her, making space for her to stand.

  Eyolian nodded respectfully and held her ground, her gaze fixed—like everyone else’s—on the massive gates of the town’s outer walls, waiting for Lord Garrett.

  She knew that the strongest member here was the imperial knight. He had agreed to help since his time here was supposed to end as soon as Sir Nolver arrived to evaluate Noah’s situation.

  But no one had expected things to escalate to this point. So, he himself was now hiding under ordinary knight armor from the Borderward blacksmiths. Eyolian couldn’t sense his presence at all among the other knights.

  On the other side, among the group of mages, Sir Nolver was also disguised under an ordinary mage’s robe.

  Although he wasn’t the strongest, he was still providing his support, arguing that he was experienced enough with magical formations and artifacts.

  Originally, Mr. Eldric was supposed to handle that task. But his condition wasn’t the best after the last mission, where Eyolian had gone to protect him.

  If they had forced him to go despite his state, they would have faced Lady Aileen’s wrath. She could probably end the entire siege with just her scolding alone.

  Thinking about Lady Aileen, a shiver ran down Eyolian’s spine.

  The past few hours had been a blur of chaos.

  As expected, Lady Aileen refused to let Eyolian leave and wouldn’t even listen to any arguments. Every time Eyolian opened her mouth to say something, she would silence her and punish her on top of that.

  But Eyolian kept trying, and as a result, her punishment only grew longer and harsher.

  After countless failed attempts, Eyolian was forced to use the one weapon that could be considered Lady Aileen’s weakness.

  And that was Elowen’s innocence.

  All Eyolian had to say to the little girl was that if she didn’t go with Noah now, they wouldn’t be able to be together in the future.

  A new negotiation route opened, one where Eyolian could finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.

  But reaching that light had been a long and painful road.

  In the end, Lady Aileen gave in. But she didn’t surrender without enforcing her punishment.

  Eyolian was punished. MR. ELdric as well—just because he had been there and hadn’t supported his wife’s stance. Elowen was punished too, but she erased that with a single smile.

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  Even Noah himself was punished by Lady Aileen, despite not even being there. And unsurprisingly, his punishment was the worst of all. After all, Lady Aileen had already identified him as the problem.

  In the end, Eyolian was here. She still had to face her punishment—there was no escaping that. But she hoped that the reason she was here would be worth it after everything she had endured.

  After a few minutes, two figures emerged from the town’s massive gates. One was known to all—Lord Garrett. The other was a stranger.

  The boy in question wore ordinary civilian clothes over his slender frame. His facial features were striking—long, sandy-colored hair and bright green eyes.

  The boy walked with a calmness that betrayed his situation. Heavy chains bound his wrists and extended to his ankles, making his movements heavier and more difficult.

  Everyone who had been waiting turned to look at the boy with expressions of hatred and disdain. After all, this person was the reason for their town’s current suffering—how many had already died, and how many more would have perished if they hadn’t found him?

  But what few people knew was that the prisoner before them was actually Noah, his appearance altered by magic.

  Eyolian was impressed by the precision of the transformation—her sharp eyes couldn’t see through the disguise at all.

  But Noah had no such limitations. His gaze immediately found Eyolian among the knights, and he flashed her a smile.

  ‘How can he recognize me even under the armor?’ Eyolian wondered curiously.

  But the knights around her didn’t share her curiosity. They took his smile as an insult, and their hatred seemed to seep through the slits in their helmets.

  However, Lord Garrett intervened, cutting through the murmurs.

  "Silence!" he commanded firmly.

  "This person with me is the reason for our town’s suffering. And with him today, we will end this suffering—one way or another."

  His words were brief, but they ignited a renewed determination within the crowd.

  Of course, while most of the people here didn’t know that the prisoner was a fake, they did know that they weren’t here to simply hand him over and hope that the terrorists would keep their empty promises.

  They were here to fight their way to their town’s freedom. The Empire’s law clearly stated that negotiations with groups that threatened national security were forbidden.

  But pretending to negotiate while actually planning to strike back? That was questionable, but not entirely illegal.

  Everyone here was expecting a battle to the death.

  Lord Garrett stepped forward, dragging Noah alongside him.

  The crowd parted for him and followed behind, marching deep into the darkness of the forest.

  The mages in the group cast spells, creating floating orbs of light that hovered around them, illuminating the path ahead and driving the darkness away.

  The rain still poured heavily, but none of it reached them due to the invisible barrier surrounding the group. The only sign of its existence was the way the raindrops bounced off it and the sound of their impact. The supposedly invisible barrier was hilariously noticeable.

  Eyolian walked steadily, blending seamlessly with the knights as if she had been with them for years.

  The sound of footsteps squelching against the muddy ground was irritating to the ears, but everyone remained silent, preparing for what was to come.

  ———

  Deep in the forest, an old man dressed in a butler’s uniform sat in the chair of the Adventurer’s Guild Master. His eyes watched the heavy rain fall with a distant expression.

  His features were shrouded in darkness, but his cold blue eyes seemed to pierce through the gloom. There was a calmness in them that only came from years of experience.

  The creaking sound of a door opening echoed behind the man. Without turning around, he spoke in a weary voice.

  "What is it, Second Maid?"

  A woman dressed in assassin’s clothing stepped forward.

  "They will be here soon," she reported.

  "Is ‘he’ coming?" The man’s tone didn’t change, but he didn’t expect much.

  The woman hesitated for a few moments before admitting, "I don’t know, Head Butler... I saw him, but I couldn’t gauge his depth."

  For the first time, the man rose from his seat, and the darkness around him seemed to deepen.

  "So, it’s not him," he stated rather than asked.

  The woman didn’t answer. She truly hadn’t been able to see through the boy’s depths.

  The man seemed to understand as he nodded quietly.

  "I will see for myself when they arrive. Continue the surveillance."

  The woman left the room, closing the door behind her, leaving the man alone.

  Throughout the exchange, his tone had never changed.

  After all, he hadn’t expected to find him in this town.

  But the Second Maid’s uncertainty had sparked a sliver of hope within him.

  “Soon.”