“Everyone, on your guard!”
At his warning, the knights infused their blades with holy power.
The moment they felt a faint breeze blow from nowhere, the empty iron cage suddenly rose into the air.
“Scatter the holy water!”
Obeying Luand’s order, the knights hurled glass vials of holy water into the sky.
Only then did another creature appear, different in shape, bearing immense wings as it clutched the cage and soared.
“All units, attack!”
Luand condensed his holy power and unleashed an aura blade.
The aura struck one of the wings with absolute precision.
“Kroooaaar!”
The beast gave a deafening cry of agony, yet it refused to release the cage.
As the holy water slowly evaporated, its body gradually turned transparent once more.
When Luand unleashed another blast of aura, the creature spun in midair, flung the iron cage straight at him, and soared away without a backward glance.
Luand darted aside. In that exact instant, the cage slammed into the ground and the door broke wide open.
Kik-kik-kik!
“Ah!”
“Ugh!”
The trapped beast burst out of the cage, and the knights nearest to it were torn down, helpless.
Luand splashed his remaining holy water, but the throw missed, and the beast’s body remained invisible.
“Commander! We’re out of holy water!”
“Fall back for now. Tend to the wounded!”
“Understood!”
As the knights withdrew, Luand moved to face the beast, but a scream pierced the air from the flank.
One of the knights collapsed, a deep gash carved into his back. Luand sprang forward, bringing his blade down with tremendous force, wreathed in holy power.
Skreeeech—!
One of the beast’s wings fell to the dirt; severed parts seemed to lose their transparency.
Luand pressed the assault, but this time his strikes caught nothing but empty air.
Having lost its other wing, the beast appeared to have fled at once.
Adhering to the command to capture it intact had been a critical blunder.
From the start, he should have torn off both wings and severed its legs to cripple it completely.
Bitter regret filled his mouth, far too late.
Meanwhile, someone watched the scene from a distance before melting quietly into the depths of the forest.
Tap. Tap-tap. Tap-tap-tap.
A rhythmic tapping echoed against the window late at night.
“Enter.”
A man clad in black clothes and a black mask vaulted lightly through the window.
“Jack is baaack!”
Gray’s brow furrowed deeply at the affected, sugary tone.
“How terrifying.”
“Take it off.”
“Right away.”
Jack hastily slipped off his mask under Gray’s cold gaze.
Beneath it was a man with brown hair, sharp features, and a dusting of golden freckles across his face.
Jack was one of the fraternal twins of the Hart family.
The moment he or his twin sister, Hart, were assigned a mission, they turned into utterly exaggerated characters.
Yet their competence was beyond question, so Gray got straight to the point.
“What did the covert investigation on Commander Luand yield?”
Gray had dispatched Jack to trail Luand after the man’s false testimony in the audience chamber.
“There is something you should see first.”
Having removed his mask, Jack reverted to a dry tone and handed Gray a projection crystal.
As soon as it was activated, a battle scene captured from afar sprang to life.
The knights of the Holy Empire, Commander Luand, and an unprecedented creature were all visible in the recording.
The clash looked desperately fraught and dangerous.
Behind them, Ethan’s expression hardened as he followed the scene.
“Drawing close was difficult. Commander Luand is a Sword Master.”
Gray gestured toward the crystal with an impassive look.
“What is this?”
“By their terminology, it is called a ‘demonic beast.’”
Jack answered with utter gravity.
“Not simply a beast down from the mountains?”
“No. It is unquestionably no ordinary monster. Their bodies are transparent, and their true forms only appear when struck with holy water or blades coated in holy power. They are undoubtedly a new species.”
“Demonic beasts, then…”
Gray knitted his brows, eyes fixed on the projection.
“If the knights of the Holy Empire know the name of these creatures, we must broaden the investigation.”
His gaze drifted to the pile of unresolved reports stacked to the side.
For months, reports had poured in regarding villagers on the outskirts of the capital vanishing without a trace, with no culprit ever found.
Perhaps these creatures were the true perpetrators behind those disappearances.
Transparent creatures… no, demonic beasts…
That was why no one had ever seen them.
“We will require vast amounts of holy water.”
At Gray’s low voice, Jack nodded in agreement.
“Indeed.”
Coincidentally, on the occasion of the founding festival, the Holy Empire had sent a generous tribute of holy water.
“Jack, continue tailing the commander. Contact the Rooster agent embedded in the Holy Empire and order a deeper probe into these demonic beasts.”
“Understoooood! I’ll be back with a report sooon!”
Jack pulled his mask back on, offered a greeting drenched in exaggerated charm, and slipped out the window into the night.
Gray replayed the crystal, studying the image of the demonic beast with deliberate care.
He had hoped to leave his sister an empire flourishing in prosperity, but the emergence of such vicious beasts was an unforeseen variable.
“Ethan.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“The capital guard alone will not suffice. Order the deployment of the Imperial Guard from the palace. Double their rations of holy water. Have them move in squads of ten, and if the beasts prove too much to handle, they are permitted to withdraw. You will accompany them.”
“Sire…”
Ethan hesitated, but Gray cut him off with unyielding resolve.
“Even Halin’s Sword Master struggled. We cannot face them unless we deploy a Sword Master of our own.”
“Yes, Sire. I shall carry out the order.”
Ethan bowed in obedient acquiescence.
Duty bound him to the Emperor’s side, but Ethan was also the empire’s strongest knight.
At times like this, if he did not step forward, the Emperor himself might be forced to take the field.
“Begin preparations at once.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Ethan bowed again and left the chamber.
Silence reclaimed the empty room.
With practiced ease, Gray unbuttoned his coat and checked his back in the mirror; a shadow clouded his dark eyes.
The pattern seemed to have spread slightly more than it had that morning.
A borrowed life, watching his days tick away with every passing moment.
A bitter smile touched Gray’s lips, and his gaze hardened once more as he cast unnecessary thoughts aside.
Slipping his coat back on, he fastened his attention on the documents still awaiting his signature.
In the center of a quiet garden, Gray was reading reports, as was his custom.
“I came in response to your summons. It is an honor to see Your Majesty.”
Gray raised his head and calmly regarded the young lady—no, Princess Dalia.
He had no intention of letting on that he knew her identity. She was a point of leverage against the Wyvern Kingdom, and it was wiser to hold onto it until the opportune moment.
Gray offered a brilliant smile and motioned toward a chair with his eyes.
“Welcome, Miss Lia. You’ve arrived early. How about I finish what I’m reading, and then we begin our talk?”
“Very well. But… may I eat this chocolate?”
“You may.”
Gray’s gaze drifted down to the chocolates sitting on the table.
Despite the unusual crisis keeping him busy, Ethan had specifically prepared them for her before departing.
For all his stern detachment, the knight was surprisingly attentive.
Perhaps that explained his popularity among women.
Looking away, Gray returned to his reports.
‘How much time has passed?’
Suddenly, he heard the faint sound of something falling to his right, and his hand moved instinctively.
A soft texture and a gentle weight rested against his palm.
‘Could it be…?’
Turning in surprise, he found the Princess fast asleep, using his hand as her pillow.
‘Unbelievable. Did she grow tired of waiting and fall asleep again?’
‘What on earth does this woman do at night that she dozes off anywhere she sits?’
Sunlight filtered down onto her long, thick eyelashes, and a soft breeze carried petals dancing around them.
The Princess asleep against his hand, flower petals drifting through the air… the entire sight felt strangely surreal.
