The day before the war between the Rnel Empire and the Kan Kingdom began.Kasallin had arrived at a small detached palace slightly removed from the Great Plains.

Vincent instructed his squire to go out and assess the situation,and a few hours later, he returned to the palace to report.

“It seems we’ve arrived just in time. I’ve learned that the second round of negotiations broke down long ago,and the battle will start as soon as the sun rises tomorrow morning. The atmosphere is tense.”

“So it’s come to that, as expected.”

Kasallin murmured softly.One of the knights, lost in thought like the others, cautiously spoke up.

“Your Majesty, the Empress. It may be presumptuous to say this after coming all this way,but would the King of Kan truly resort to such cowardly tactics, even at the cost of his pride and honor?”

“…I’ve been thinking about it the entire way here in the carriage.About why the Queen of Kan sent me that secret letter.”

Kasallin narrowed her eyes and continued.

“Up until now, she has been utterly devoted to King Shallen.It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say she followed and supported him blindly.So why would someone like her send me a secret letter to tip me off?It must mean that if King Shallen fails to achieve results in the Battle of the Great Plains,he’ll be in a precarious position, unable to maintain his throne—a situation where he’s truly on the edge of a cliff.”

“So, with Princess Rillen Riche acting as regent now,are you saying the Queen foresaw the King’s downfall and betrayed him early?”

Betrayal.Kasallin mulled over that word in her mind, a word that grew more incomprehensible the more she heard it.

She couldn’t tell what—or whose words—had broken the Queen’s steadfast heart,but it must mean the Kan royal court is in a highly unstable state for her to change like this.

“We need to secure the person of that squire, Alonzo Laugel,to ensure King Shallen cannot solidify his position.”

Vincent added. Kasallin nodded.

“For now, I’m the only one here who knows what Alonzo Laugel and the key knights of Kan look like.If he makes a move, I’ll be the first to notice.So, I’ll head to the Great Plains as soon as the sun rises tomorrow.”

“But isn’t that too dangerous? Your Majesty, you’re currently…”

A bearded knight raised an objection, but Vincent cut him off.

“On the contrary. It’s safer for Her Majesty to move with usthan to stay alone in this detached palace.And just before entering the Great Plains, there’s an evergreen forest.If we go there, we can safely conceal ourselves while observing the plains.”

“Thank you for saying what I was about to say, Vincent.In that spirit, Sir Vincent, I know it’s difficult, but before sunrise tomorrow,please scout and prepare a suitable spot.It needs to be a place where we can all lie in ambush and have a clear view of the battlefield.”

“Understood, Your Majesty.”

Vincent bowed reverently.The other knights, seemingly convinced, nodded silently.Kasallin looked at each of the knights standing around the round table.

“I will entrust tasks to you as well.Sir Ellis, handle perimeter security and cover in case of surprises.Sir Mills and the others, stand by and move immediately if I spot anything suspicious.And Sir Vincent, focus on escorting me, but when I give the signal at a critical moment,target the mark alongside Sir Mills.”

“We obey your command, Your Majesty.”

Finally, Kasallin expressed her gratitude to the knights who followed her orders without hesitation.Vincent and the others responded with faint smiles, saying it was their duty.

After the meeting concluded, Vincent told Kasallin it would be best to get some rest.

Kasallin knew she shouldn’t overexert herself, so she lay down,but in such a situation, falling into a deep sleep was no easy task.

Kasallin spent the night almost sleepless.

Worrying about Parnes in various ways, she noticed dawn gradually breaking.The sounds of knights carrying equipment boxes and preparing bows came from outside the window.They, too, likely couldn’t sleep.

Kasallin dressed warmly, tied her hair tightly into a single bundle, and left the room.Everyone had finished preparations and was waiting in formation.

Under the strict protection of the knights, Kasallin left the detached palaceand entered the evergreen forest via a back path.

As the day brightened, the forest filled with the morning’s distinctive radiant light.And from not too far away, faint sounds like war cries began to echo.

“Your Majesty, this way.”

After walking eastward for some time, Vincent’s soft voice came from a temporary lookout post built in a tree.

The spot, cleverly concealed by the surrounding terrain,was perfect for hiding while offering a clear view of the Great Plains.

With the knights’ help, Kasallin carefully climbed the wooden steps.She sat behind a makeshift screen of planks and peeked over it.

The battle had already begun.

People clashed swords and spears, drenched in blood indistinguishable as friend or foe.Those falling with their final breaths and soldiers letting out frenzied roars filled her vision.

Amid the crossing of joy and sorrow, Kasallin steadied her breath and searched for one person.Her anxiously moving eyes suddenly froze at a certain point.

Parnes and Shallen were facing off at a fairly close distance.And not far from them, a few soldiers were sporadically engaged in combat.

“Do you see anything suspicious?”

Vincent whispered softly. Kasallin, suppressing her anxious heart, calmly surveyed the reed field.

Don’t get caught up in one detail; see the forest.And don’t look for what’s suspicious—look for what doesn’t seem suspicious.

“What doesn’t seem suspicious…?”

Kasallin closely examined the body of a soldier she had casually overlooked minutes ago.

Beneath it, strands of hair in a strangely familiar color poked out.Kasallin realized it was the same color as Alonzo Laugel’s hair.

The moment she realized this,the supposedly motionless corpse twitched slightly,and a small metallic glint under his chest caught Kasallin’s eye.

“Now!”

“Three o’clock!”

By a stroke of fate, Shallen and Kasallin shouted almost simultaneously.Kasallin’s cry was entirely impulsive.

Vincent, standing beside her, hurriedly drew his bowstring,and an arrow shot out from the bow of Alonzo, who had been disguised as a corpse.

Amid it all, Parnes, who somehow heard Kasallin’s cry, swiftly twisted his body.It was almost instinctive.

Thanks to this, Alonzo’s arrow, slicing through the air at high speed, narrowly missed Parnes’s neckand thudded into a nearby tree trunk.

Meanwhile, Alonzo Laugel was struck in the shoulder by Vincent’s arrow and collapsed.

All of this happened in the blink of an eye.

“Sir Mills, Sir Ellis! Go protect His Majesty and join Sir Antonio!”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

As Kasallin issued her command, the knights swiftly descended from the tree.

Parnes, with a shocked expression, started to turn toward where Kasallin’s voice came from,but gritted his teeth and fixed his gaze on the man before him.

Taking advantage of Parnes dodging the arrow, Shallen gripped his sword and charged with a shout.

Their blades cut through the air swiftly, clashing with a sharp, explosive sound.A flash of lightning-like light sparked between their swords.

While barely parrying Parnes’s blade, Shallen glanced at his face.Despite nearly dying moments ago, Parnes wasn’t startled but rather fought with ferocious intensity.

His overwhelming aura, as if proclaiming he wouldn’t let Shallen leave unscathed,drew a coarse curse from Shallen’s mouth.

“Damn it!”

Perhaps thinking he’d ruin everything if this continued,Shallen twisted his blade half a turn, deflecting Parnes’s sword at an angle.Then he quickly turned and climbed onto a broad rock.

Contrary to his plausible plan of securing high ground for a decisive strike,a shrill scream soon burst from Shallen’s lips.

“Agh!”

In the blink of an eye, Parnes closed the distanceand unhesitatingly stabbed the leg of Shallen, who was climbing the rock.

The moment the icy blue blade pierced his flesh,Kasallin couldn’t bear to look and shut her eyes tightly.

“I’ve imagined driving a sword into your leg for a very long time.I thought if I landed the first blow on you, it had to be your leg. Do you know why?”

Parnes muttered as if to himself, pulling out his sword.Something dark red, almost black, gushed out, soaking the beautiful reed field.

Shallen clutched his leg with both hands, writhing in the mud and screaming.

His pain was evident from his face alone.His complexion turned ashen, thick veins bulged on his forehead, and his toes trembled faintly.

Parnes looked down at him, as if savoring the sight, and said,

“I don’t know if you remember.That time you forcibly put Kasallin in a carriage and took her away.You left her leg in that state and showed no remorse or guilt.”

Though far away, Kasallin knew.With this injury, Shallen would never walk on his own again.

“Do you have any idea how much pain she was in back then?How many tears she shed to recover from her injured leg?You need to feel it too. Though I doubt you’ll understand even a fraction of it.”

“Ugh…”

“Why are you in such agony? She was hurt far worse than you.Not just her leg—her entire body was on the verge of breaking.Yet, determined not to show weakness, she didn’t utter a single complaint.”

Parnes looked down at his sword-holding hand, continuing in a dissatisfied tone.

“Why is it? This isn’t satisfying at all.I thought watching you writhe and scream would wash away my old grudges,but my anger hasn’t subsided in the least.”

Letting out a long sigh toward the sky, Parnes took a heavy step toward Shallen,as if he’d made up his mind.It was clear what he intended to do next, even without asking.