In the morning, at the base of the Nox River, all the knights gathered. Faiz said, "Hello, gentlemen. Thank you for gathering for this mission at such short notice. I am grateful for that. Today, we are on a mission to transport one of the greatest terrorists our kingdom has known. Failure today is not an option."
Elis from Black Lion interjected, "Mr. Faiz, with all due respect, this mission involves transportation on water, and the second phase will be completed by us. So, why is this mission being led by members of Existforger?"
Faiz replied, "I do not know. All I know is that this order was issued by the Assistant Grand Master himself. If any of you have any objections to this mission at all, say it now before we begin."
Amelia from Celestial Being chimed in, "We have no objection towards these orders and will follow orders directed by Existforger members."
Leo from Nebuleye added, "Even though we received orders that our knighthood will follow Existforger, we must side with Black Lion as they are more experienced in this terrain."
Dearka from Avalon stated, "We believe that this mission was assigned to Existforger for a reason and will, therefore, follow their lead."
Faiz referred to the Knight's Guidebook of Conduct, "Chapter 5, Section 4, Page 12 clearly states that if there are any major disputes between knights regarding orders received, it will be decided democratically by every knight involved. As of now, all authority as the leader of this mission is transferred to members of Black Lion."
Everyone agreed, and the Black Lion elite replied, "Okay, then everyone please kindly board all your designated ships."
Faiz instructed, "Got it. Ma'am," while Anew said to Astrea, "This doesn't seem right that Faiz is being disrespected like this."
Astrea concurred, "Yeah, those Nebuleye members definitely have something planned."
Faiz, sensing the tension, asked, "What are you guys up to?"
Riruru responded, "Sorry, sir. You were removed from authority like this."
Faiz brushed it off, "It's just politics anyways. And listen, Astrea and Anew, we, the knights, are the defenders of order. If we do anything to disrupt that order, it will surely blow up in our faces. Plus, we got the best ship right at the center. So, I am gonna be on the top deck since I like the fresh air. Riruru, you take the underground floor where the prisoner is located. Astrea and Anew, you two are on the lookout. Got it?"
Everyone affirmed, "Got it, sir."
Faiz thought to himself, "Well, I guess it's time to spread a bit of my mana around just because of it." Soon, the fleet of 7 ships started to move towards Cele City. As the ships started to move, Elis made an announcement, "Listen, all ships from Team BL Fleet, at our current speed, we will be sitting ducks for the enemy to attack. So, in case of any attack, all ships accelerate with the help of our water magic."
After a while, Faiz stood up to guard. Astrea asked, "Sir, is something wrong?"
Faiz replied, "We are near an ambush point. If they attack, it'll likely be around here. Stay vigilant."
But even after waiting for a while, there was no attack. On the front ship, Elis was talking with Leo. Leo asked, "Ma'am, what are our current plans in case of an attack?"
Elis replied, "We are currently in a fleet where any forms of attack, whether from shore, air, or underwater, can be easily deflected. Currently, on our radar, we aren't picking up any ships in a 300-meter radius."
Faiz went to the deck of his ship and asked the captain, "What's the distance between this ship and the other ships of our fleet?"
The captain replied, "Based on the current route, it's around 50 meters each."
After a while, it was noticed that there was no attack on the transportation fleet. Faiz said, "The Zeres isn't an organization that would let one of its finest members be lost that easily."
Astrea asked, "Be lost? What does that mean?"
Faiz explained, "It's a prison where when someone goes there, they almost never come out. Most of the prisoners there are almost always serving life sentences. That's why if someone goes there, they almost never see the sun again."
While at the halfway mark, Elise noticed that for some reason, all the fishes were moving away from the water current as if they were running from something. The same with the birds; it was as if both the fishes and birds were fleeing from something.
Elis quickly ordered, "All ships, take battle formation! Be ready for a direct attack!"