The next morning, Edmond entered the knights' headquarters to select a group to be sent to the Whispering woods. Since the temple's goal was to take control of the area without conflict, they only needed someone to provide a general report, paving the way for the temple's diplomatic team to be dispatched. Therefore, at this stage, it didn't matter who was sent.
Edmond considered the available options and evaluated all possibilities. Should he send a holy knight, or would an ordinary knight suffice? He continued weighing the situation.
When he came to a general conclusion, the knights lined up in front of him. However, none of the holy knights were present. Edmond glanced at their stern, stoic faces and then announced his decision.
He decided that the mission would be carried out on a voluntary basis. This way, anyone genuinely willing could volunteer. This decision had two purposes:
First, venturing into the autonomous territory of the elves was dangerous, and knights usually avoided such missions. Second, if the elves killed the knights, Edmond could claim the mission was voluntary and that all necessary warnings had been given. Thus, he would shield himself from severe repercussions.
As expected, one of the young knights volunteered. His name was Gerard, a 24-year-old knight, a skilled swordsman with no interest in competing for status. Edmond was pleased with this choice, as everyone knew elves were very proud, and sending a knight who could be easily provoked was not a wise decision.
Gerard, along with two other knights known as the Nameless Knights, set off toward the Whispering woods. The Nameless Knights were a special group that served only the temple. They had no ties to the outside world and could not leave the capital without the temple's permission.
The three riders moved swiftly, crossing the northern plains of the Holy Kingdom. Gerard carried the temple's banner on his back, riding like the wind through dry fields and wheat farms.
A few days later, they reached Glisterholm Fortress, the place where it had all begun. After a brief meeting with the fortress commander and receiving additional information, they headed toward Rivenwood. They stayed on main roads and avoided shortcuts and dangerous areas as much as possible.
In this way, they bypassed the Shadow Valley and reached the border of the three kingdoms: Drak'thul, Rivenwood, and Aeloria.
Gerard pointed to a tall mountain and said,
"Isn't that the Broken Peak? The crescent-shaped mountain range that separates the Whispering woods from the Kingdom of Drak'thul?"
One of the Nameless Knights, who was holding the map, nodded and replied,
"That's correct. By that reckoning, we've now entered the Kingdom of Aeloria."
Long days of riding through winding paths and battling adverse weather had exhausted them. But the primary reason for their stop was not physical fatigue—it was to prepare for entering the elves' land.
Thus, they camped that night beside a small pond. Gerard gazed at the night sky, which shimmered with countless stars. The crescent moon, hidden behind the jagged mountain range, moved like a boomerang from west to east.
They camped at the mountain's base, where the whispering wind occasionally broke the silence of the night as it flowed through dark caves and deep valleys.
As Gerard chewed on a piece of roasted rabbit, he glanced nervously at the mountain slopes. In the middle of the mountain, he saw a shadow that seemed to be moving. But he reassured himself, knowing that monsters usually had little interest in difficult prey.
Most monsters nested in the darkness and wouldn't leave their hiding places unless provoked or threatened. This was reason enough for Gerard to continue eating and casually watch the sparks from the fire.
The night had passed its midpoint, and the moon now hung directly overhead. Gerard and his companions, who had stayed on the eastern side of the mountain for safety, contemplated the challenges awaiting them in the morning. Yet, it seemed as though this night would never end.
Gerard approached the fire, warmed his hands, and glanced at the two Nameless Knights on the other side of the flames. They were either asleep or pretending to be. The sound of the wind still echoed from the mountain's dark depths.
In a fleeting moment, Gerard sensed a shadow nearby. He half-rose and reached for the hilt of his sword. With anxiety, he glanced at his companions and then fixed his eyes back on the surrounding darkness.
It felt as though the night itself was toying with him, feeding his mind with terrifying thoughts. He muttered to himself,
"Could it be an elf or a dwarf?"
The thought seemed plausible; after all, he was on the border between the elves' land and the dwarves' territory. But if someone from either group was lurking nearby and watching them secretly, it likely wasn't with good intentions.
Gerard took a deep breath to calm himself. He had never ventured beyond the empire's territory before, and most of his missions had been near the capital. For a moment, he wondered if accepting this mission had been a mistake. Why had the other knights refused it?
With these thoughts swirling in his mind, he tried to close his eyes and get some rest, but the howling wind and the surrounding darkness robbed him of any comfort.
As he made one last attempt to sleep, a sudden snap of a dry branch jolted him upright. This time, it wasn't just him—the two Nameless Knights, who had seemed to be sleeping just moments ago, also sprang to their feet. One of them grabbed a flaming stick from the fire and pointed it toward the source of the suspicious sound.
The crimson glow of the fire reflected off cold metal, casting shifting shadows over Gerard's alarmed face. He shouted,
"Wh-who are you?!"
There was no response. The shadow kept moving closer. Gerard shouted again,
"I asked, who are you?!"
Suddenly, the shadow stopped. Gerard tossed a burning stick at its feet, trying to illuminate the figure in the dark.
The firelight revealed a man carrying nothing but a lute. His hair was as black as the night, and his large eyes gleamed in the flickering light. He appeared a few years older than Gerard. With a calm tone, the man asked,
"May I join you?"