"The enemies have arrived."
And Mage Rosalyn looked forward at the mage's words.
In the distance, about five figures could be seen.
Rosalyn spoke up.
"I heard there are three inquisitors, and the rest are from the Knights First Division."
The First Division that participated in the initial expedition. The number of people, approximately half of the Knights, consisted of first and third-generation Dragon Half-Bloods. And now, in this new Eradication Team, there were three Inquisitors and two members from the Knights First Division.
"An estimated hundred people have crossed the border."
The mage continued speaking at Rosalyn's words.
"It seems they've teleported only key fighters here for a swift movement."
"Yes. And I heard that because they were in a hurry, not all members of the First Division could come."
Due to Dragon Kendall moving too fast, people were hastily sent to catch up.
Only five enemies.
Even though there were fewer people than expected, Rosalyn still looked worried.
She spoke, "At Dragon level?"
The answer to that question was given by someone who had been standing behind Rosalyn for a while.
"Yes."
It was Choi Han.
"They say the Inquisitors have that level of power."
Following Cale's directions, he came to give information to Rosalyn. Rosalyn let out a laugh as if she were amazed by the information.
"So, should we consider them as three Dragons?"
Rosalyn looked at the five figures in the distance. Though she couldn't see clearly, the enemy appeared calm and relaxed, without any signs of impatience or confusion. Rather, they seemed to be taking a leisurely stroll. Choi Han's calm voice was heard behind her.
"Can you handle it?"
To the response, a deep smile formed at the corner of Rosalyn's lips.
"Are you asking me that now?"
She turned around to look at Choi Han. From her look, Choi Han could sense Rosalyn's emotions: determination and a readiness to fight. Seeing the intense light in Rosalyn's bright red eyes, Choi Han smiled and nodded in agreement.
"I said something foolish."
"I am the commander of this operation."
Of Cale's group members, only three had experience as Commanders-in-Chief.
Cale.
Rosalyn.
And Clopeh.
One commanded in Roan Kingdom, another in Breck Kingdom, and the last one in the Indomitable Alliance. Although Cale had many responsibilities, the other two people also had a considerable burden for what they had taken on. And by carrying that weight, they also knew how to face fear.
"It's a good opportunity."
Choi Han, who was silent, directed his gaze toward the voice that was heard.
Rosalyn was looking straight ahead as she whispered.
"I should try an experiment this time."
Rosalyn's gaze turned to Choi Han. A challenging smile appeared on Rosalyn's lips.
"When you were traveling through various worlds to save them, I wasn't on vacation."
Rosalyn gestured with her hand. The mages who had been watching her understood the signal and began to move quickly. Everyone headed to their respective positions. From Roan and Breck. Mages who had followed Rosalyn especially in those places, as well as mages who hadn't been able to find a path after the Magic Tower collapsed, gathered under Rosalyn. Among them, 10 mages who followed Rosalyn as personal guards also came to this place.
Swoosh~
The wind blew.
The wind blew with a single gesture from the enemy in the distance.
The wind was gentle.
But it was astonishing.
As if giving a warning.
Rosalyn quickly tossed back her loose hair and spoke sharply.
"When you have such strong backup, you have to give it your all."
And then.
'Doesn't it bother you a bit?'
She revealed her inner thoughts.
'Among the strong I've met here, there are no humans.'
She saw the Beast People and Dragon Half-Bloods as human too. But after watching how regular humans were treated in Aipotu and how things unfolded, she realized that humans weren't considered very special here.
The Dragons and Elves have become stronger than before the Catastrophe Era.
The Dragon Half-Bloods, who are creatures similar to Living Golems, have appeared.
And humans who worship these beings have appeared.
'It's the first time I feel this...'
Rosalyn continued to feel a strange sensation as she watched this situation.
And then, she realized what it was.
'When I met the people of Har Kingdom and the villagers and talked to them, everyone treated me as best as they could.'
However,
'No one expected anything from me.'
Because she was Human. She wasn't a special presence like Cale, whose identity was suspicious.
This experience gave Rosalyn many meanings.
In Roan Kingdom or Breck Kingdom. No, in the world she lived in, everyone expected something from her from the moment she was born, and some even admired her.
And she lived up to those expectations to some extent.
Because she had the talent, ability, and background to do so.
Grateful for this fact, Rosalyn had always been greedy.
Because her desires were great.
'Because I am Human, nobody expects anything from me. Nobody believes I can do anything special.'
Those subtle thoughts infiltrated Rosalyn like water.
'No, that's not true.'
For them, those subtle thoughts were normal. It was an obvious fact. Rosalyn felt an incomprehensible sense of rebellion, but she couldn't say anything.
'And in this battle, I need Young Master Cale to create a domain so I can fight with all my strength.
Because she couldn't confidently say she could handle it alone in this situation.
And her subordinate mages had gone to do their work, and only Choi Han was by her side. As Choi Han was by her side, Rosalyn could freely express her feelings.
"It's really frustrating."
Choi Han continued his words with an indifferent tone.
"You'll overcome that frustration."
"Yes, you're right."
And Rosalyn also calmly nodded to those words.
"Because that's who I am."
Rosalyn felt the breeze blowing again.
The wind that carried the gestures of the enemy. It undoubtedly contained the enemy's power.
"It's probably an Elemental."
With the presence of the Elves, this wind was surely caused by an Elemental.
She had a rough idea of what kind of trick it was. She opened her mouth.
"I have to face my limits. That's how I'll overcome the barrier."
At that moment, Choi Han said softly.
"Don't push yourself too hard. You don't have to overcome the barrier."
She shook her head.
"You may think that. But I don't. I must do it, whether I overcome it or break it. I'm the kind of person who doesn't feel good until I do."
"True. You're strong in a different way than I am."
Choi Han and Rosalyn.
A Swordsman and a Mage.
Both were truly different in personality and path. However, they respected each other and considered themselves friends, allowing them to trust each other.
"Thanks for the support, okay?"
Rosalyn smiled and thanked Choi Han, then continued.
"If the half-dragons appear, Choi Han. I hope you, Sir Clopeh, and Hannah take care of them. Can the three of you handle it?"
"Yes, of course."
When she mentioned the two Dragon Knights, Choi Han responded without hesitation.
"Then, I'm off."
Rosalyn left Choi Han behind and set herself in motion. As she did, she also thought.
'In the future, stronger enemies will come.'
To not fall behind, she had to grow now. Pressure was a delicious prey for Rosalyn. At that moment, Tasha, the dark elf, approached her.
"It seems a Wind Elemental has been watching our camp."
And that assessment was correct.
Elf: "There are quite a few."
At the gesture of the elf man, the wind gathered around him and quickly disappeared. The green-haired elf man looked at a blonde elf.
"What do you plan to do, Ninth Inquisitor?"
Twenty-four Inquisitors. Among them, Yanni, the ninth-ranked, looked directly without saying a word. Then, Elf Peterson spoke.
"I haven't examined the inside of the tent, but I don't sense Kendall-nim's trace in that direction. It seems Kendall-nim is somewhere deeper."
"So why not just sweep everything?"
A lively voice was heard. Lingling, a red-haired elf with short hair, had a playful smile.
"They are all unknown, aren't they?"
Peterson responded by looking at Lingling.
"Yes. There are no significant forces on the continent that can afford to offend the Division. They are all unknown. That's the problem."
Peterson's expression stiffened a bit.
"...You said there are dark elves and elves there. They are also unknown."
Through the Wind Elemental, they observed the area where the enemies were supposed to be. They confirmed the presence of elves and dark elves. They weren't hiding. Of course, having observed them from a high position, they couldn't hear the conversation, but they clearly looked in the direction where Peterson's Elemental was.
"Unknown?"
Lingling said as if she didn't understand.
"Even if they are unknown, they are not on our side, right?"
She showed a bright smile.
"So, shouldn't we kill them?"
"Well, it's not that easy. An unknown force has appeared after 200 years, and moreover, the first eradication team is missing!"
When the first eradication team was mentioned, Peterson's gaze turned to the two Dragon Half-Bloods standing behind him.
"!"
One of them trembled under that stare, while the other stayed calm and unfazed.
"Damn."
One was too timid, and the other too tough. Peterson was irritated by the idea that the Temple's Dragon Half-Bloods were like this, but he held back. Both they and he had been dragged by Kendall-nim when they visited the Temple or its surroundings. There was no need to complain about the same situation. The first thing was to understand the current situation.
"And above all, Kendall-nim is silent."
For the first time, Lingling shivered at his words.
"Think about it. With his abilities, he should have already overturned the Erghe Mountains and swept through this ice wall. But now he's too quiet, don't you think?"
"Hmm."
Lingling said with a worried voice.
"So, is there a problem?"
"Yes. That's why I say we have to be careful."
The Seventeenth Inquisitor, Peterson, looked at Yanni, the Ninth Inquisitor.
"..."
"Yanni, say something."
"Yes, yes. Will we continue like this forever? I'm getting bored!"
Peterson and Lingling looked at Yanni successively. Of course, there was no tension toward the enemy among them. Yanni, who was watching this, opened her mouth.
"The Pope is weird."
"Eh?"
When a completely unexpected topic came up, Peterson looked at Yanni in surprise. And Lingling looked at Yanni with crossed arms.
"What's weird about it?"
"The Dragon Lord sent Kendall-nim north, didn't he? Just because an Eradication Team disappeared?"
The indifferent voice matched Yanni's cold expression.
"Dragon Half-Bloods can be recreated. Humans are weak, so there are many of them."
Whether the two Dragon Half-Bloods heard or not from behind, Yanni didn't care at all. In fact, Peterson was the only one who glanced sideways.
"Even if there was enough energy movement to disturb the rules of the world in the north. Pope's actions are unusual."
"So?"
When Lingling asked, Yanni's gaze turned towards her.
"After subduing the enemies, I think the Second Inquisitor should return and report this situation to the First Inquisitor."
Yanni spoke straightforwardly.
"Isn't that what the Second Inquisitor was already thinking?"
Smile~.
A cruel smile formed at the corner of Lingling, the Second Inquisitor's lips. It was a quite cruel smile. Not appropriate for an Elf known for loving nature and cherishing peace.
"Yes."
Lingling casually pointed forward.
"So, let's sweep through that ice wall and those kids we've never seen before, and then come back?"
Indeed, she's a viper.
Peterson was dumbfounded at Lingling's appearance.
She was like an elf doing all sorts of things behind people's backs, pretending to be immature and mischievous.
Then, Lingling's eyes met his.
Wink~
She winked at him and said:
"Our Peterson is too pure!"
"What are you saying?"
Is she crazy?
Peterson looked away from Lingling with a tired expression.
One of the Dragon Half-Bloods watching the scene thought to himself: 'They're crazy.'
Pure? That was nonsense!
But he kept a cold, indifferent expression on his face.
At that moment, Peterson waved his hand.
Boom!
The wind blew.
"I'll take a look on the other side of the ice wall, as well as the mountain range. Just in case."
Yanni nodded, and Peterson waved his hand into the air immediately.
"Swoosh….!"
The wind, slightly larger than before, rose into the air and headed to a more distant place.
"Wait a moment."
At that moment, Lingling stepped forward.
"!"
And Peterson stopped abruptly. Yanni's gaze turned to the plain between the ice walls rising on both sides. Lingling's mouth opened.
"…Force...? No, is it an Elf?"
It was a voice full of doubt.
Light but very subtly, a sensation of coldness approached them. It was different from the wind. Like the small ripples that form on a calm lake that extend to the end of the lake. As the energy spread like this, Lingling, she, stepped forward to the front of the group.
"Ugh!"
A short groan escaped from Peterson's lips.
Boom!
With a thunderous sound, the wind tore in the air. Peterson's eyebrows furrowed. Someone had blocked his wind. His gaze went straight ahead.
Step~
Wrapped in wind, a figure approaching became visible.
"Eh?"
The corner of Peterson's mouth lifted.
"A dark elf?"
A dark elf wrapped in wind approached. Its identity was Tasha. And walking lightly beside her was Witira from the Whale Tribe.
And between Tasha and Witira...
Swoosh~
A woman with red hair and eyes, wrapped in reddish mana. Rosalyn stepped a little further ahead and spoke kindly to the dark elf Tasha and Witira.
"Each of you will take care of one."
* * *
If you find any errors or have suggestions, please feel free to provide feedback.
Thank you for reading!
[Author – Yu Ryeo Han]
[Translator – Anowa]
[Proofreader – Rai_Mayank]