It was a deep night when everyone was sleeping, but the sound of horse hooves echoed loudly across the plain.
Under the bright full moon, a horse advanced glidingly, followed by dozens of riders.
From afar, it seemed like a picturesque scene, but as one approached, the urgent shouts of men could be heard.
"Send the signal! Block their path!"
At the center of the scene was a knight with a large shield on his back, giving orders.
The man, with a square and imposing jaw, had even thrown away the torch he was carrying, fiercely chasing the man ahead.
"Now!"
Following the man's instructions, a fire arrow shot from behind.
The red arrow, which revealed its presence even under the bright full moon, silently signaled the other knights waiting ahead.
"Now! Charge!"
Following the signal sent by the fire arrow, the hidden cavalry soldiers began to rush out from the edge of the hill.
Although the situation was urgent, the disciplined and orderly formation clearly showed that they were elite soldiers of Arnstein.
-······.
The riders advanced without leaving any space, like a wave descending from the hill.
However, the man who was alone in front showed no reaction despite seeing the cavalry charging towards him.
-Neigh.
He only stroked his horse's neck.
Feeling the rider's touch, the horse's eyes began to burn with a blue flame.
"It's too fast!"
"Damn it! At least change its direction!"
The surprise attack was excellent, but the enemy was too fast.
The Arnstein cavalry was accompanied by excellent warhorses, but the reality was that they couldn't even keep up with a single horse.
"…What kind of horse is that!"
The cavalry commander who descended the hill gritted his teeth at the sight.
The speed was so fast it seemed like the horse barely touched the ground.
Even the experienced cavalry commander couldn't help but be baffled by the sight, making him wonder if it was even touching the ground.
"Somehow, at least change its course!"
If they couldn't catch up, they at least had to try to steer it.
"Fire!"
The cavalry commander, realizing that the tip of the sword wouldn't reach, quickly ordered them to shoot arrows, but even that was already too late.
Swoosh! Swoosh swoosh!
The arrows rose so high they seemed to reach the clouds, but what they really pierced was only a shadow left by an unknown man.
Hiiiii!
The mysterious man disappeared, leaving behind the sighs of the cavalry.
Pablo, unable to follow him, stopped and pressed his lips together in frustration as he heard the distant neigh of the horse.
***
"The walls look bigger than Sturma's."
"A bit."
Vlad placed his palm over his eyebrow and looked towards Valetta's gates when he heard Nibelun's words coming from his side.
As they approached, Valetta's walls seemed taller and taller.
Nibelung and Vlad, fascinated by the white walls they hadn't seen in the north, turned their heads from side to side.
'…But it has a strange shape.'
Valetta's walls were not only solid but also had an elegant and refined shape.
Each brick seemed to be in perfect balance.
"After placing the bricks, they joined the joints with mortar. That's why it has this elegant shape."
Vlad nodded at Nibelun's words beside him.
Indeed, as he said, Valetta's walls were made entirely of small bricks, unlike Sturma's walls, which were topped with large stones.
He didn't know how their durability compared, but it was certainly easier to give them the desired shape.
"Stop! Identify yourselves!"
However, unlike the beautiful walls, the guards in front of them displayed a severe and cautious attitude.
Perhaps due to the chaotic atmosphere of the central region, the guards' attitude towards strangers was as sharp as the spears they wielded.
"I am Rodrigo of the Imperial Guard."
Rodrigo, seeing their sharp demeanor, quickly began to step forward.
I know nothing of Bayezid, but the position of the Imperial Guard in the central region is special.
The guards, who already recognized Rodrigo's face, seemed embarrassed and began to raise the spears they had lowered.
"Welcome, Lord Rodrigo."
"Thank you. But I also want to ensure the safety of the people coming behind me…"
Rodrigo, looking back, only intended to guarantee Vlad and Nibelun, but Vlad, who had sensed his intention, was already near Joseph's carriage.
Although he wasn't sure how effective the name of Bayezid would be in the central region, he thought it would be better to use the name of the Imperial Guard here.
"…To that carriage."
"Understood, Lord Rodrigo."
The guard commander was puzzled when an unexpectedly large number of people arrived at once, but still, he couldn't go against the prestige of the Imperial Guard.
"You've become very considerate."
"I'm just here because there's shade."
Vlad scratched his chin while looking at Jager, who was laughing inside the carriage.
He was trying to conceal his discomfort, but it was also an effort not to hurt Joseph's pride.
"…It will be fine for the Imperial Guard, but we ask the guests not to go out at night."
However, the group's entry was more difficult than expected.
This was because when the Imperial Guard who preceded them passed through the castle gate, the guard commander secretly blocked the group's path.
"Why?"
Was this another discrimination against northerners?
When Vlad, who had already experienced this before, put on a somber expression, the guard captain quickly began to speak as if that wasn't the case.
"…Because cases of disappearances are frequent these days throughout the territory. So I hope there is no misunderstanding between us."
"Disappearances?"
Disappearances in such a fortified city.
Vlad's face hardened at the completely unexpected response.
"I can't give more details."
Although Bayezid was respected in the north, in the center, he was just a stranger.
Furthermore, now that the structure had become more complicated due to the Northern Union, it would have been difficult to hear the internal circumstances of the territory.
"Please, enter. Valetta welcomes you."
From afar, the city of Valetta seemed large and elegant, but upon entering, a sense of unease enveloped them.
***
"Welcome to Valetta, Joseph of Bayezid."
It was a space filled with the smell of old books.
In a place that looked more like a library than an office, an old man observed the group.
"...And Vlad of Soara."
He was an elderly man who seemed more like a scholar than a lord governing a territory.
However, the reason why his appearance did not seem weak was probably due to the intense eyes visible behind his low glasses.
"I regret not addressing you as Sir Vlad Aureo."
"No problem, Count. Call me as you wish."
"As you know, the name Vlad of Soara is more familiar to me."
Count Arnstein looked at Vlad and smiled as if he was happy to see him.
Although they had never met, Count Arnstein and Vlad already had a relationship.
The name Vlad of Soara was an honor earned by the knight Pablo, so the Count's gaze towards Vlad was filled with satisfaction.
"The honor of my knight is my honor. It is a pleasure to see that proof."
The Count's attention was more focused on Vlad than on Joseph standing before him.
They may be the lords of the northern border area, but Count Arnstein, the leader of the central region, was someone who did not need to worry about Bayezid.
"I feel the cold breeze of the north on your shoulders. What brings you to seek me from so far away?"
Although he was older, his bright eyes were already full of curiosity.
Vlad looked him in the eyes and thought that the Count and Nibelun would get along well.
"It is an honor to meet you, Count. The reason for my visit is..."
Having been eliminated from the competition for leadership, Joseph was seeking support.
Joseph tried to capture attention by even mentioning the name of his mother's family, the Oscar family, but the Count's gaze on him had already turned cold.
More than a look of disgust, it was a look indicating that his interest had waned.
"...We will talk about that later."
Although it seemed to leave a possibility, it was a polite way of rejection in the language of the nobles.
"Do you also come with the same intention?"
Joseph did not feel particularly disappointed by the Count's gaze that passed by him, as if he had expected that to happen.
He only looked at Vlad beside him and nodded as if telling him to hurry up and speak.
"...I have been following the dragon deaths, Count."
For Vlad, dealing with nobles was always difficult.
Especially in front of a great man like Count Arnstein.
However, Vlad did not seem to feel as much pressure as before, perhaps because Joseph was by his side.
"And even the evil beings that accompany that death."
"...Oh."
Vlad continued speaking as the Count wanted, and to achieve what he wanted, he chose only words that would arouse the greatest interest of the Count.
And the Count's cold eyes began to shine again, as if the choice was the right one.
"I did not expect much, but you bring interesting news."
Visitors from afar were always welcomed for the fresh news they brought.
"Following sinister entities..."
And if the news the guest brought was related to something that had been bothering him, it would be perfect for the host.
"Let's talk about it during dinner."
Vlad might not have known, but in the world of nobles, inviting them to dine together was the best greeting a host could give a guest.
"But there is something I want to ask."
"Tell me, Count."
And the hidden meaning of inviting a guest to dinner was that the host wanted something special from him.
"I have heard that the horses from the north are excellent. Are yours like that?"
Vlad was momentarily puzzled by the Count's unexpected question.
Although the Count had a clear intention, to Vlad it was a question without context.
"...Horses?"
"Yes, horses."
The Count's glasses gleamed white as he looked at Vlad.
"I want to know if the horses you brought are as fast as they say."
Vlad of Soara, an honorable name given by his knight Pablo.
The Count expected that the northern knight, Vlad of Soara, not only brought good news but also a solution to the current problem.