The sunlight shining through the stained glass colored the white hallway.
The wind carrying the energy of autumn was refreshing, but the expressions of the two men facing the briskness were rigid.
Brigantes, the capital of the empire.
People were walking inside the pure white building erected in the midst of that glorious city.
"But still, now is not a good time, Bishop Pedro."
Two men dressed in red robes.
However, upon closer inspection, one would notice that the color of the collar around their necks differed.
"This meeting of cardinals is not the type of gathering that can raise the agenda you're talking about."
"But, Cardinal."
Pedro had the sense that things wouldn't be easy when Cardinal Eduard spoke firmly without even looking at him.
"I know. This meeting was convened because of the heretical religion promoted by the Northern Alliance. However..."
But there's much to say. Bishop Pedro arrived at the Barony of Utman following a strange energy emanating from the north.
However, what awaited him there wasn't an honorable temple, but only a suspicious battle shrouded in all kinds of doubt.
"What happened at Baron Utman was definitely different from any holy war we've seen before."
It was an army that arose according to God's will, yet simply relaxed even as it delved into darkness.
The central army, which didn't hesitate despite their threats and pleas, only began to move after hearing news of the Northerners approaching.
Their behavior, as if they were waiting until the North could no longer bear it, was enough to make Pedro suspicious.
"I suppose Dragulia suspects. Cardinal."
"Shh!"
Eduard was startled by Pedro's words and quickly pushed him against the wall.
Pedro was also a tall man, but he was defenseless against Eduard's urgent shove.
"...Didn't I always say that? Even when you follow God's will, you must always keep your eyes and ears on your surroundings."
Pedro could only nod as the cardinal spoke in a whisper. Dragulia, one of the empire's only four ducal families.
Even Cardinal Eduard couldn't help but feel overwhelmed as Pedro openly called Dragulia suspicious.
"I appreciate your loyalty, but think about what's happening around you."
"I'm sorry, Cardinal."
Though the Holy See follows God's will, it cannot completely separate itself from the secular world as it does among humans.
Among the cardinals, there were probably those who received Dragulia's support, so Pedro's direct comments were clearly dangerous.
"What you say makes sense, but let's first finish the northern part and think about it. The Northern Orthodox Church... What kind of strange thing is this?"
Eduard pulled out a handkerchief and began to wipe his sweat, as if he were truly troubled and not just saying it.
Pedro's report was clearly suspicious, but there was a clear threat looming before the Vatican that needed to be addressed immediately.
"Anyway, stay here quietly until this matter is resolved. Now you can't even return to Soara."
"...All right."
Pedro bit his lip as he watched Eduard leave, shaking his head as if feeling pain.
After all, they had no choice but to be sensitive to the threat looming ahead rather than the hidden darkness.
"The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it."
In the hallway where Eduard left him alone.
There, Pedro could only console himself by reciting prayers softly.
A suspicious darkness that I clearly saw but couldn't do anything about.
Moreover, that darkness was hidden under the glorious name of Dragulia.
"What should I do?"
The sunlight streaming in through the window was bright, but Pedro still felt like he was wandering in darkness.
The faithful Inquisitor, who had always followed God's will, could only hope that this time his will would fall upon his shoulders.
***
The port of Nassau would normally be bustling with people.
However, the port, which had become quiet and devoid of people due to the sudden invasion of Bayezid's army, gave Vlad a strange feeling.
"It left without any reason."
A feeling of helplessness and emptiness that felt as if something were missing.
No matter how much he tried to order his mind, his feelings for Godin would occasionally surface, and even now, Vlad would be colored in a somber blue.
"Hey. The blue-eyed one from Soara standing there."
There was a voice that pulled Vlad out of his thoughts as he gazed at the sea before him.
"...Lord Rutiger."
A dark-haired man approaching the port.
He was the proud successor of Bayezid, Rutiger Bayezid.
"It's a shame. Everyone's so busy, what are you doing here alone?"
"I'm sorry."
The blond and black-clad knight standing tall by the blue port were probably colors that couldn't be easily concealed.
Rutiger quietly smiled as he saw Vlad and Noir looking at him with the same movements as if they were one body.
"If you want to hide somewhere, it's best to cover your head first."
Rutiger's deliberate gesture of raising his hand and pointing to his head was amusing.
Clearly, Rutiger's reason for seeking out Vlad was to convey some sort of consolation.
As we were both knights, I could understand Vlad's melancholy and empathize by his side.
"Anyway, now that everything has concluded, it's fine. You handled the situation excellently."
"..."
What Rutiger wanted to tell Vlad was that he did a good job.
Although it was a fight that ended in vain, everyone present could see Vlad's determination to end it on his own.
"What's this?"
"You wouldn't know until you saw it. It's the emblem of the church."
Rutiger approached Noir as he stroked his back and handed Vlad an unfamiliar necklace.
"It's hardly a church emblem... It looks different."
What Rutiger held in his hand was clearly the church emblem, but there was another horizontal line engraved underneath.
The unknown engraved on the familiar.
Looking at Vlad, who raised his head as if asking for an explanation, Rutiger opened his mouth.
"This is the emblem of the newly born Northern Orthodox Church."
God's will was one, but there were tens of thousands of interpretations.
The interpretation of doctrine was clearly a delicate point in the religious world, causing numerous conflicts, but the Northern Union and the Diocese of San Logino del Norte decided to capitalize on it.
It happened in any world where you needed to have something of your own to be completely alone.
"I only believe what Priest Andreas says."
"He's now a member of the Northern Orthodox Church."
"Then this pattern would be correct."
Anyway, the shape of the pattern wasn't important to Vlad.
To Vlad, the closest entry to God was Priest Andreas.
The person who gave a name to me, who was simply wandering the alleys of the world.
Until I met him, no one had told the boy in the alley the word of God.
"Anyway, what are you going to do? Are you going to keep following me?"
"Yes?"
Vlad's eyes widened as he looked at Rutiger, who asked him if he would follow him ceaselessly.
"This advance won't stop at Nassau. It would be impossible to occupy all of the West."
As Rutiger said, Bayezid's army had no intention of stopping here in Nassau.
Peter had already outlined several areas that needed to be taken in this war, and that territory encompassed the three baronies of the west .
"I suppose we have to take at least the same amount of those places for the calculation to be correct."
Gaidar started it, but it ended with Bayezid.
The Western lords who sympathized with the usurper will have to pay a high price for it.
"But why do you follow me?"
"If you want to go back, I'll send you back."
It was a disappointing moment even for a knight, but Peter and Rutiger were paying attention to Vlad's condition.
It was a moment when he needed to manage it, as he was still not of age and there were enough opportunities for him to be shaken.
"Because Joseph is also ill. I think we might need a decent person to help him."
"..."
Although he was talking in circles, Vlad could understand the true meaning behind Rutiger's words. It's better for you to rest a little.
Things aren't looking good right now.
"It's been a while since I returned to Soara."
"Yes. Take this opportunity to rest."
He wanted to say something to protest against the forced vacation, but Vlad was no longer a child who would simply get angry.
He was one of those knights who had to be able to observe themselves and check their own condition.
"The ocean... It was good."
"If?"
Since the high moon he was looking at is no longer there, there's no choice but to face the blue sea naturally.
The sea was speaking. Now is not the time to climb, but to expand.
"It's been a while since I wanted to hear it again."
Although no one told him, Vlad decided to listen to the silent echo within his world.
The vibration of the sound felt familiar, reminiscent of a voice.
***
Deirmar still sobs for the wounds of war.
Even now, the reports that arrived one after another weighed on Alicia's nerves.
"...In the end, we ended up giving the battlefield to Bayezid."
Although he was a strong ally, the wounds were actually theirs.
By surviving the war, the family was able to survive, but now it was their turn to suffer festering wounds.
"Was that what you were looking for?"
"...Even so, it was an inevitable decision. Even the previous head of the family probably would have done this."
Bayezid may still be running through the west collecting loot, but Hainal is simply standing and catching his breath.
Alicia couldn't help but feel angry even as she saw Deirmar lying on the ground in such a lamentable state.
"In the end, we are the only ones you can trust."
As they are powerless, they are ignored, and as they cannot fend for themselves, they have no choice but to rely on them.
Many difficulties would await Alicia in the future, as she would have to endure this frustrating reality alone.
"I need to attend a meeting."
Alicia had no choice but to lower her head under the crushing weight, and there was an invitation in the old-fashioned style in front of her.
As Alicia looked at the invitation, her water-colored eyes began to glow faintly in a mismatched color.
"We cannot simply grow lemons forever."
"..."
There must be soldiers, there must be knights, and there must be power that others cannot ignore.
And the only thing that makes it possible is a shiny gold coin.
For the sake of the residents of Deirmar territory who are still suffering wounds, Alicia had to find a new route through this Northern Conference.
"...Now that I think about it, he left in such a hurry that I couldn't even bid him farewell properly."
The Hainal tree seen through the window just in time.
Under the tree, which now seemed even stranger to be alone, the knight who had always comforted her was nowhere to be seen.
It would have been great to have him at a time like this.
"My lord. My lord!"
While Alicia was silently gathering her will as she looked at the trees outside the window, someone suddenly shouted, and the office door opened loudly.
"Out now, out..."
"What's going on?"
Duncan couldn't hide his curiosity as he looked at the butler, bent and breathless in front of him.
The long-time loyal butler of Hainal.
Despite his age, he always assisted Alicia with a calm attitude, but now he looked somewhat different.
"Out? What's going on?"
"Lady Alicia..."
Even Alicia seemed nervous at the butler's unusual appearance.
However, the butler did not rush to visit her because of ominous news.
"Now... There are guests outside."
"Guests?"
Looking at the butler who had barely caught his breath, Alicia felt as if a fresh and familiar breeze blew behind him.
"They are elves. They say they want to see the lord."
"...Yes?"
A letter from the elves brought by a knight who is no longer here.
The wind that blew now felt the same as the wind I felt in the letter back then.
"Elf?"
The guests come from very far away.
They said they came from Ausurin, in the far east.
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