Arminel went to the magic portal that led to the hideout where the leaders of the order always gathered. He stood in front of the huge rock, putting his hand in the middle of the big stone before reciting the magic incantation.

he whispered.

Once the purple light from the portal faded, the former captain entered it. He walked down the long hallway which was lit by small candles.

'I hate this place,' he thought bitterly.

A few minutes later, he found himself in the meeting room with the large round table that was surrounded by chairs.

greeted a slightly muffled voice.

The voice belonged to the person who sat on the throne at the end of the table. The chairs were all occupied except for three, one of them belonged to the former captain.

The latter advanced slowly before sitting down in his place between Marquis Kalmiv and Hastia.

the Grand Master added coldly.

The latter wore a mask that completely covered his face and a long hooded cape that covered his head. As for his clothes, they consisted of a black set with a pair of boots that came up to his knees.

he asked sarcastically.

Arminel replied.

The leader of the mercenaries, who was seated opposite to the former captain, banged the table hard with his fists in anger.

he exclaimed, enraged.

Hastia replied calmly.

asked the Grand Master.

he explained.

Solen asked in a sarcastic tone.

he replied.

exclaimed Velthur in anger and doubt.

he growled in displeasure.

Roxy remarked, very annoyed.

Hastia added.

The two men glared at each other before calming down a little bit.

the former captain explained.

the mercenary's leader replied.

he continued.

retorted Marquis Kalmiv in a provocative manner.

Hector replied dryly.

he exclaimed in rage as he rose up from his seat.

ordered the Grand Master while raising his hand in an authoritative tone.

The marquis reluctantly sat down again, glaring at the former captain with hatred.

he concluded in a very cold tone.

replied the latter.

Roxy muttered amusedly.

══════ ∘◦❁◦∘ ══════

Once night fell, the Imperial Knights decided to camp in the forest where they were. The trees were long and not very close to each other which made the task of setting up the tents pretty easy for them.

They lit a fire and prepared their dinner together while helping each other. After that, some knights entered their tents to rest while the others stood guard outside.

Captain Koraxos was seated, leaning against a tree trunk to stand guard. He sharpened his sword slowly, lost in thought. Once he was done, he straightened his weapon to gaze at it to check if it was well sharpened.

Suddenly, he remembered the gift that the young princess have him. He hurriedly searched for the small package that was hidden in the pocket that hung around his waist. He picked it up and gently opened it to find a nice, neatly folded handkerchief inside.

He removed the gloves from his armor and put them next to him on the ground before taking the small piece of fabric and gently unfolding it.

he murmured, amazed.

Turning it around, he could see the initials that were engraved on it, on the tip. He chuckled as he looked lovingly at them.

'I'm going absolutely crazy... Those initials clearly represent my first and last name... But I can't help mistaking the letter L for Luana... Luana Koraxos... Sounds pretty good...'

He blushed heavily from his own thoughts before burying his face in the handkerchief with a long, heavy sigh.

said a voice from behind.

replied another.

added a third.

answered the young captain, very annoyed.

With these words, the three knights burst out laughing before coming out of their hiding place behind the bushes and coming to sit down next to their captain.

Elion asked teasingly.

Matthew replied mischievously.

Lucas said, exasperated.

Eric said, smiling mischievously.

The young knight looked at them with boredom before rolling his eyes and resting them on his sword which he looked at again with insistence.

Elion added, patting him on the shoulder in a friendly manner.

he asked in confusion.

Eric added.

Lucas remained silent, staring at them with indifference as if they were crazy.

Matthew began.

Lucas replied sarcastically.

The other two knights couldn't hold back their laughter at the young man's remark which made Matthew blush in embarrassment.

he defended himself.

The young captain turned to Sir Lobelia, a mischievous expression on his face.

he asked.

Eric answered with complicity.

pouted the burgundy-haired knight.

With these words, the knights burst out laughing like children as they teased each other throughout the night.

══════ ∘◦❁◦∘ ══════

Luana was standing again in a place she didn't know. A sort of a big, abandoned palace. Almost verything there was destroyed. Walls, stairs, furnitures and decorations. Everything was in ruins as if a war happened there.

'What is this place?' she wondered, very confused.

Like last time, she noticed that she was dressed in her nightgown and slippers while her hair was styled in her usual braid.

'I don't understand anything anymore... Have... Have the mercenaries changed location?! Is that why I'm having this dream?' she thought with concern.

At the back of the room where she was, she saw the silhouette of a very tall and very muscular man. She couldn't see his face because of the darkness.

she called out, on her guard.

The person moved towards her slowly until her face became visible to her. The girl's eyes widened in surprise and confusion.

she whispered, not understanding anything anymore.

The knight didn't reply to her. Instead, he turned to the left before going up the large stairs which were half destroyed. The young princess followed him closely.

she asked, completely confused.

At the top of the stairs, he raised his hand to a painting that hung on the large wall, a canvas that was completely empty. All white. He pointed at it before turning to look at Luana.

he whispered, a sad expression on his face.

she wondered.

he said approaching her gently.

With that, he wrapped his big, strong hands around her neck before strangling her very hard.

she cried out in pain.

══════ ∘◦❁◦∘ ══════

The young princess woke up hastily to find herself in her bed, in her room. She was all sweaty and her breathing was unsteady. She clutched her head tightly, massaging her temples.

she wondered, very confused.

She got up to take a small glass of water which she drank quickly before lying down in her bed again.

'Maybe this time it's really just tiredness... I shouldn't think about it too much... Let's just forget about it...' she reassured herself.

After a few minutes, she fell back into a deep sleep. Completely unaware to the fact that the black mark on her neck was glowing brighter.

══════ ∘◦❁◦∘ ══════

Four days later, the Imperial Knights arrived at the city of Yrane. It was night, so the dark made it easier for them to pass unnoticed.

They divided into three groups. One to deal with the mercenaries that were prowling the city. Another to head for the big mansion and take care of those guarding it from the outside. And the last one was the one who was going to take care of the leader and his servants who protected him inside the house.

The first group which was led by Eric made a diversion to allow the others to advance while they fought with the mercenary ghosts.

declared the young Lobelia raising his sword towards the enemy, showing no fear.

The captain nodded affirmatively and walked through the dark alleys of the city, accompanied by Matthew, Elion and the others.

After twenty minutes, they found themselves a few meters away from the mansion. They stood there in silence, observing it. There were a huge number of mercenaries protecting the place outside.

Matthew asked.

Lucas answered with a glare.