"That wealthy noble was somehow acquainted with Old man Pond and asked him to kill us. But the Poisoned Pond couldn't kill me because I was a Mage undercover. We had a big fight, but it ended with him jumping away from my spell. When the dust cleared, the Mage had disappeared."
"I bore resentment towards the Old Man Pond because he forced me to use my Element in an area where Magecraft wasn't allowed. I got out but not without a huge mob chasing behind me..." complained the Slayer.
"We'll find a strategy when the time comes. But, for now, you should focus on your targets."
The group remained silent until Gillian abruptly stood up and rushed towards the window. The Mages looked confused as the Headmaster leaped out of the window and plummeted to the ground while he allowed the pages from his book to fly about.
The pages formed a large portal above the Aki, and out flew the last members of the group. Bryan and Rina knew who would appear and quickly flew out of the window. Midori and Duncan dropped out from the hole with the Slayer and Spearman Pillars catching them on time.
The Slayer caught Duncan while the Flower Mage caught Midori as both landed on the ground without any problems. Midori was happy they were finally home while Duncan was still in his Ankou form, prompting the Slayer to ask if both twins were themselves.
"Midori used too much strength for that last combined attack, so I would be controlling her until she gets her rest," explained Mordred, despite having Midori's appearance.
"Then why aren't you looking like your true form? Duncan over there looks like the Grim Reaper..." quizzed Rina.
"Our transformation to our true appearance would require Elemental Energy. But, unfortunately, Midori hasn't got enough at the moment, so I'm just the soul taking over. But I am still shocked that Duncan and the Reaper have enough Elemental Energy to go another round."
"Forgive us, but Midori would need at least a few Chimes of recovery before she is fit to go another round," replied Mordred, bowing down to Rina and Bryan.
"That won't be an issue since we are still trying to confirm the location of the Black Knight. That King has concealed himself somewhere that hides his Elemental Aura, so it would not be easy to find him. And because he's not counted as a living being like Ashley..."
"I cannot find the King using my books, and there might be some barrier around the King's lair since my Familiars can't find it. However, we might have a heading using Lady Rie's lead. But there's no point charging in there with a wounded soldier."
"Thus, we've got plenty of time to rest and talk about your battle against the Knight of the Lake, Lancelot," assured Gillian, patting the twins' heads.
Ashley was the last to hop out from the window, just in time for him to catch Mavislin. The Valkyrie flew out of the portal with her grown wings and landed in the Marksma's waiting arms. Luckily, Ashley wasn't human and could withstand the impact of the Valkyrie's landing.
"Welcome back, boss," said Ashley as Mavislin looked down at the man.
"I'm glad to be back and to hear that my First Seats have succeeded in their task. Unfortunately, although I felt several mysterious forces within your battles, I couldn't discern who the one with Bryan was. I was shocked to hear Vanoss was still alive and had come back to fight us."
"That man wasn't a friend, but I'm still shocked because he was dead before the fight against the Umbras. Oh, and sorry for this," replied Mavislin, moving away from the poor pancake.
Ashley was shocked before changing to a grim expression as he remembered the imposter's final Ticks.
"I'm used to being a landing pad, so don't worry... Vanoss used my brother's memories and appearance to fight me and instill anger, but I eventually noticed the differences and promptly defeated him."
"The Mage did tell me more about the King and the Knights of the Round Table within his final moments. But there's one thing to note about him... You are right about Vanoss dying before this battle, and the imposter was just a mix of dead personas and memories."
"The poor person was so lost in his personality that he had forgotten his true self. Because when he died, the imposter crumbled like clay. And when he was fighting, I knew the imposter was using an amalgamation of fighting styles that Minwoo had no way of practicing."
"So as the final respect, I did not tell the enemy the truth," Ashley sadly explained as Mavislin pulled the Marksman up.
"Why do you look so unease with your final choice?" questioned the Valkyrie.