The entirety of the Sanctus Brigade is gathered in a meeting room on the 2nd floor. They sit around a long table, keeping silent until the arrival of the person preceding this meeting. As explained by Sir Erik, it’s customary for knights to arrive at least five minutes earlier than the appointed time. And in the case of the one calling the meeting, arrive five minutes later.

There’s a tall-case clock in the room, so when they hear three knocks on the door, Arthur’s eyes turn to it to notice it’s right on time. He nods not himself in approval.

The door opens, and from it comes a young boy. His striking clothes, such as his shirt made of blue silk, along with his fair features and blonde hair make him easy to identify as the person who called them here.

The second son of the late king, Prince Eliot Ulster.

It’s amazing that, even though he’s only 14 years old, you can still hear his name all around the country for some reason or another. Arthur certainly has been hearing it a lot lately, but he has vague memories of one of his bosses at the farms saying he was glad the prince had lowered the taxes for Yellowseed for a couple of months after a particularly bad winter.

Wait. That was just last year! That means he was 13 at the time?

“Thank you for your patience.” The prince smiles politely and bows. “I hope I’m on time,” he says, looking at the clock to confirm it.

“On time as always, Your Highness,” Sir Erik says with an easy smile. He stands up, quickly followed by the rest of the brigade, and they all bow at the same time.

Arthur hears the prince chuckle shyly before he walks around the table to sit down at the head. Only when he does so do the knights return to their seats.

“Thank you for answering our call, and I apologize that we have to send you on a mission as soon as you come back,” Prince Eliot says with a regretful smile.

“We’ve had time to recover and have a bit of fun,” Sir Erik laughs. “We’re ready for work again and eager to put our new teammate to the test.” He eyes Arthur.

“Yes,” Prince Eliot smiles, “let me start by congratulating you on your triumph at the tournament, Mr. Arthur. They were all truly exciting matches.”

“Y-You were watching, Your Highness?” Arthur flinches. His body stiff, this being the first time royalty directly addresses him. “I apologize for showing you such… muddy fights,” he says, sheepishly scratching the back of his head.

“Please, don’t apologize for that,” the prince chuckles. “I am very inexperienced in the arts of combat, so I really appreciate the opportunity to watch a true battle. So again, I thank you.”

“Y-You honor me, Your Highness.” Arthur bows.

He can see from the corner of his eye Sir Luis nodding approvingly while Sir Edward gives him a teasing smirk.

“Okay, let’s get to business,” Prince Eliot nods. “After discussions with General Kain Grant and Vice-General Samuel Alba, it has been decided that the Sanctus Brigade will be sent on a new mission to Planta Village. More specifically, the Noble Woods.”

‘We’re going to Planta? That’s Marcus’ hometown.’

“Your objective is the search and capture of any type of monster that presents the following qualities: Unusually high strength for its type, overly aggressive behavior and any other characteristics that set it apart from normal monsters found in the Noble Woods.”

“How many should we capture?” Sir Erik asks.

“One should be enough, but two or three would be preferable. That said, we don’t know if you’ll even find one.” The prince sighs.

“What do you mean, Your Highness?” Vice-Captain Eliza asks.

“I believe some of you were involved in the monster incident from three years ago, correct?” The prince asks.

“I was,” Sir Erik nods. “So was Eliza.”

“I was still training as a cleric back then,” Lady Mary-Beth grimaces.

“And Edward, Lianne and I were not knights yet,” Sir Luis notes.

Sir Edward and Lianne nod in confirmation.

‘The monster incident three years ago…’

“Arthur?” Sir Erik calls him. “Do you know what we’re referring to?”

“I do, but… I’ve only heard stories,” he grimaces. “I’ve been told monsters suddenly became very powerful and aggressive. Both the knights and the regular army had to be mobilized to contain them in a conflict that lasted a full week.”

“That conflict assaulted the whole country,” Sir Luis says, frowning at Arthur with curiosity. “There is no way you could have missed it. What do you mean you’ve only heard stories?”

“I… I spent that whole week unconscious,” Arthur admits, smiling wryly. “My memories from that time are hazy, but I believe Sir Sa- I mean, Vice-General Samuel Alba could vouch for my story.”

“W-What?” Lianne suddenly exclaims, sitting across from Arthur at the table. “What does the vice-general have to do with this?”

The new recruit flinches. Lianne is looking at him with skepticism and disbelief. He’s certainly not making any progress in winning her over with this.

“I knew he was the one to recommend you to the tournament,” Prince Eliot nods, “but I didn’t know you knew each other from that long ago.”

“We don’t,” Arthur shakes his head. “Like I said, my memories are hazy. This is just what I’ve been told.”

That night three years ago, when something inside him made him go berserk and fight Sir Samuel, was apparently the same night the monster attacks started around the country. He was unconscious and his mother had just lost her arm, so she didn’t take part either.

“We can leave that story for later,” Lady Mary-Beth says, turning back to the prince. “So what does that incident have to do with this mission?”

“While all monsters were defeated at the time, there have been reports of new monsters exhibiting similar characteristics in different parts of the kingdom. They are rare, but worrying. What’s more, we’ve confirmed that monsters like those are inside the mines up north, which is what’s halted the mining operations for nearly two years now.”

“Ah,” Arthur exclaims, “you mean that nest of monsters that was found?”

“You know about that?” Sir Erik asks, raising an eyebrow.

“The blacksmith’s assistant told me,” he explains. “He said the production of steel was suffering because of that, and I understand making weapons and armor has been even more difficult with the lack of materials.”

“That’s correct,” The prince smiles. “We have knights on guard duty up in the mines and there have been periodic patrols around the entrance, but we dare not commit to a big operation with so many variables still unknown to us,” He sighs, “which is where your mission comes in. We need you to capture monsters with the previously mentioned qualities and bring them back alive for examination at Clock Tower.”

“I see,” Lady Eliza nods in understanding. “You want to learn what it is that makes these monsters so powerful and see if countermeasures can be created.”

“Precisely,” the prince chuckles. “Really, it’s always a pleasure working with the Sanctus Brigade. You always seem to be on top of everything.”

“We lack the numbers of other brigades, so we need to make up somehow,” Sir Erik laughs.

“And your lack of numbers is one of the reasons your brigade was chosen.” Prince Eliot says. “You’ll be staying in Planta Village for up to a month searching for monsters inside the Noble Woods. We hope for good result, but please don’t overwork yourselves.”

“We’ll keep our captain in check, your highness,” Lady Eliza chuckles with the back of her fingers covering her mouth. “Don’t you worry.”

Sir Edward turns to Arthur with a friendly smile. “We’ll be counting on you to help us lighten the captain’s burden, Arthur.”

“I’ll do my best to not hold you back,” Arthur nods, returning the smile.

However, his words make Lianne flinch. She looks down at the ground, trying to hide her face, but Arthur manages to see her biting her lip.

‘…’

“You leave tomorrow at dawn. I believe that’s more than enough time for you to get your preparations ready?” The prince asks.

“Yes, Your Highness,” Sir Erik answers. He then turns to the brigade. “Prepare your backpacks with the supplies you’ll need. The trip to Planta Village is only a couple of hours long by horse, so don’t worry about food. Check your weapons and armor to make sure they’re in good condition.”

“Yes, Sir!” the knights reply.

“Thank you very much for your time. You are dismissed. I wish you success in your mission,” the prince says with a smile.

The members of the Sanctus Brigade bow. Prince Eliot stands up from his chair, but before he leaves, he turns to Arthur.

“Mr. Arthur. Could I borrow some of your time? I realize you have preparations to make, but I’d like to speak to you for a moment. I promise it won’t be long.”

“M-Me, Your Highness?” Arthur swallows. He looks to Sir Erik, and when the captain answers with a smirk and a nod, he knows there’s no escaping this. “I-I’d be honored.”

“Thank you.” The prince smiles solemnly. “Please, come with me.” He starts walking towards the door, and with a quick bow to his teammates, Arthur turns to follow him.