On the next day's afternoon, Elizabeth and Christina were taking a carriage through the streets toward the infirmary. Benedict had woken up, and so Christina took a short break from her work to take Elizabeth there. What normally should have been a pleasant experience turned sour by the fortress's suffocating atmosphere. Whenever Elizabeth looked around, the streets consisted of either soldiers or homeless people. Along the way, there were probably more than a hundred homeless lined up in alleyways or street corners. They were utterly pitiful with their raggedy clothes, dishevelled appearance, and dejected faces. But what Elizabeth found scary was their gaze. It emanated the displeasures and unfairness of life. For them, every living moment was an extension of their suffering. She found herself in them. After what happened, even smiling was a difficult task.
"It's best not to look too long, Elizabeth," Christina warned. "Most may be harmless, but some would try to drag you down with them. Despite the number of soldiers here, there remains a level of lawlessness that cannot be suppressed."
"This, along with what's outside… What happened here? To everyone?" Of course, what she was referring to was the mountain of corpses just beyond the fortress walls in the desolate Dimorin Plains.
Christina frowned and stopped in her tracks. "It's not a pleasant story, but I suppose you should know," she said with a somber tone. "Yesterday, you've heard us talking about the Battle of the Millennium, no? Two years ago, it was the largest conflict ever between the Alzar Kingdom and the Xingyuu Empire in the entire Second Great Kingdom War. Multiple armies were gathered and fought here. The fighting got so severe that blood flowed like rivers and bodies stacks like mountains as you saw."
"Why was the fighting so severe?"
"The Dimorin Plains had access to the Seratein Pass, a very accessible corridor from the ocean. The main reason the wars have been going on for the past five hundred years is because the Alzar Kingdom and the Xingyuu Empire reside on two different continents, separated by the Desterina Ocean. If the Xingyuu Empire got control of it, then it would have an unshakable base of operations on the continent. The implications of Seratein Pass were enough that the Xingyuu Empire's Emperor Lianghu and our Alzar Kingdom's King Harth directly commanded the troops. Though we ultimately won the battle, both sides suffered massive casualties."
"Then…"
"You've figured as much. The homeless you see here were the original inhabitants of the Dimorin Plains before it was turned into a wasteland. There used to be far more than now, as they migrated towards the central provinces and the capital. In fact, there's a refugee crisis because of the sudden influx in a nonworking populace. The ones who remained here are those that are too poor to afford the trip or too hopeless to care."
"I don't understand," Elizabeth murmured. "How can there be such a disregard for life? Just like what happened to my home, does no one care about lives here? Why does no one stop this madness?"
Christina shook her head. "We did have a moment of peace sixteen years ago. Emperor Lianghu and King Harth ratified to end the First Great Kingdom War and we entered a period of prosperity. Just when we were beginning to think that the war was over, Emperor Lianghu did the unthinkable. He took his fleet, abused our goodwill, and ambushed our entire naval fleet! With the Xingyuu Empire's uncontestable naval superiority, they devastated us time and time again! It took a long time for us to rebuild our fleets and fend them off, but we lost too much."
Elizabeth clenched her fists and fumed. Again, the Xingyuu Empire was the villain. Every tragedy and disaster could be linked to them. They were truly rotten to the core. How could such a civilization seek out death and destruction so haphazardly? How could they seek out the misfortune and pain of others? She could not understand. Did they think of themselves as gods? Elizabeth further consolidated her resolve for revenge. Every single one of them deserved their just punishment! They could truly be called evil!
"My mother mentioned that I should be meeting King Harth. Why is that?"
"You still have your Holy Reingolian Medallion, right?" Christina whispered in a low voice. "That little golden lion trinket."
"Yes, I left it in my room. Is something wrong?"
"It's better not to have it out in public. If people saw it, they would let their head wander. Needless to say, you would only encounter trouble with it. Keep it hidden until we reach the capital. And as for King Harth… His Majesty was captured during the Battle of the Millennium and was subsequently executed. Right now, the Master of Strategy, Lord Korogin, is substituting in his stead. Honestly, this entire situation is a mess even now." Elizabeth snuck a look at her aunt and wondered. Christina caught it and chuckled. "You look like you're wondering who I am."
Elizabeth paused. "Who are you, Auntie Christina? You're not from New Havens, are you?"
"That's correct. I was born and raised in the Alzar Kingdom."
"But New Havens hasn't had contact with the outside world for five hundred years. How…?"
"Have you ever wondered why that is?"
In response, Elizabeth was confused. She really had to wonder why! According to the stories she heard, the world below was ravaged, and humans were brought to the brink of extinction. New Havens was born from a group of those few remaining survivors. Therefore, there was no one that could contact New Havens. But the reality was clearly different from what she heard! The world below had populations easily numbering in the millions, spread over multiple civilizations and continents. If so, then why did it take half a millennium before contact was made? The entire island was quite large. It should be very visible from the ground!
"In truth, there's some sort of large-scale magical spell that hides the island," Christina explained. "If you didn't know it was there, then you wouldn't find it, no matter how hard you searched. Moreover, since the island flies, it can move from time to time. Though it is usually restricted to be above the Windigo Ridge, it's still a large area to cover. So, it can only be found purely through luck. I was supposed to come find you years ago, but the Battle of the Millennium and that large-scale spell made that impossible. It's a blessing in disguise that Sir Benedict found you when he did."
"Magic? Magic exists in this world?" For some odd reason, something inside her reacted to that statement. However, she had not noticed the change herself.
"That's right. Even though Arcanists serve in our military, I don't know much about magic myself. The Zino Kingdom in the south is more suitable to answer your questions." The carriage screeched to a halt, bringing their conversation to a close. Christina smiled. "We can talk more during our ride to Nightwin, if you like. I may be Christina Kalmar, Lady Commander of Fortress Fallinard, but I will still be your Auntie Christina."
Inside the infirmary, Benedict was sat upright with a few nurses tending to him. Since he was malnourished, he was frantically eating food. Paying little regard for etiquette or manners, he happily devoured a chicken drumstick. The nurses could not help but exchange baffled gazes. They were specifically chosen for their appearances and personalities. Treating a Grand Noble was no laughing matter. Should they displease him, a single word could lead to their entire family's execution! Such was the power of the strongest households beneath the Royal Family! They were prepared to do anything to satisfy him, but rather than a haughty and insufferable noble, Benedict was none of that. Instead, he spared their pretty looks little more than a cursory glance and focused more on his food. How could they not be baffled?
"You seem to be doing well, Sir Benedict," Christina humored as she walked in.
"Commander!" Benedict coughed. Holding an oily drumstick in front of his superior was beyond embarrassing.
The nurses immediately stiffened for Commander Christina was also a Grand Lady! Moreover, while Benedict's Hawken Household was well-known, everyone knew the power of Christina's Household! They quickly bowed and left the room as Elizabeth poked her head in.
"I heard you were the one who escorted Elizabeth off New Havens. For that, you have done the realm a great service," Christina said. "When your combat standards improve, there should be no problems in you being prompted to High Knight, or higher."
"High Knight of the Realm, huh?" Benedict muttered in a daze. "I am undeserving of your praise."
"How are your injuries?" Elizabeth added.
"The doctors said I should make a full recovery in a month or two."
"The Hawken Household's vitality is something really enviable," Christina said ruefully. "I came here to tell you that Elizabeth and I will be headed to Nightwin, and then Algard eventually. I heard you made a vow to protect her as a knight. Will you accompany us or stay here?"
"Commander, you should know the answer to that already. I swore on my honor as both a Knight of the Realm and a Hawken that I would protect Elizabeth. I will protect her."
"You heard the boy. What about you?"
"Do as you please!" Elizabeth muttered with a slight blush. Her aunt really was crafty!
Christina grinned for a moment before returning to her authoritative self. "We'll be leaving for Nightwin tomorrow then."