“Are you truly sure about this, Nathan? Taking only five men with you—without me?”

After finishing his conversation with Yuder Aile, Nathan Zuckerman left the castle without hesitation, bringing only a single sword. He sought out Commander Weliven, who had been preparing to leave as support, and asked him to remain behind and guard Peleta. Instead, Nathan proposed that he would lead five agile knights to the basin himself.

Even if Nathan Zuckerman was the strongest knight in the Peleta Order—one who had never failed a single monster extermination mission since his first deployment—was this really okay? The plan felt far from the cautious and level-headed Nathan Zuckerman everyone knew. Even Commander Weliven, seasoned as he was, found this uncharacteristic boldness deeply troubling.

He caught Nathan by the shoulder as he saddled his horse and leaned in to whisper where no one else could hear.

“Even if you’re a Master who’s seen the end of the sword—this is dangerous. We don’t even know what kind of monsters we’re dealing with. How can you be this stubborn when our lord isn’t even present? If you get hurt—”

“That won’t happen.”

“What?”

“This plan wasn’t mine... It was proposed by our esteemed guest. No, by Lord Aile.”

“Baron Aile?”

Weliven’s eyes widened. Nathan gave a short nod and continued.

“Others only talk about how powerful the Cavalry’s hero is. But from what I’ve seen, that’s not his most terrifying trait.”

“Then what is—?”

“Yes. The reason he was able to block the Bloody Hail in the South and bring down a massive wall wasn’t just because of his power.”

Weliven understood. Though he hadn’t seen Yuder’s feats firsthand, he had experienced enough to know how uncanny his knowledge and administrative prowess were. Wasn’t it Yuder who had, just from one passing glance, immediately understood Weliven’s operational dilemmas and offered insight to help ease the burden of leading the Order? If such a man had proposed a plan, there had to be good reason behind it.

Still... no matter how brilliant or capable someone is...

“But anyone can be wrong. If you’re injured, we need contingencies. I still think I should come with—”

Nathan’s hand, finishing the saddle, paused. He turned and spoke clearly, word by word, so nothing would be misunderstood.

“We can absolutely handle the monsters—just the two of us. But there is only one person who can calm the people, keep watch over the castle, and organize incoming wounded—Commander Weliven. Each of us should do what we do best. That’s the most rational approach.”

“...”

“That’s what he said. He asked me to pass it on if you kept worrying.”

Weliven, who had been frowning, blinked as if caught off guard. Nathan’s expression remained unreadable, hovering between seriousness and faint amusement.

“And I agree with him.”

“But if you’re going together—why are you the only one going? Where is he now?”

“Up there.”

Nathan gestured quietly upward. Weliven followed the motion to see the small tower attached to the edge of the outer wall of Peleta Castle.

It was the eastern tower. Though the western tower offered a better view of the sea, the eastern one faced the interior lands and offered a broader vantage over the terrain. Unlike the west, it was directly accessible from the top floor of the inner fortress.

“When the Northern branch members arrive, please lead them there. Also... he asked that ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ you send up an extra bow.”

“A bow?”

“Yes. He said that would be enough.”

“What in the world...”

While Weliven was still trying to process this, Nathan finished his preparations.

“There isn’t enough time to explain every detail of his plan. But you’ll understand soon enough. I’ll be off, then.”

Even before hearing a reply, the horse neighed and reared. Nathan and the five young knights disappeared in a cloud of dust.

Weliven stood staring at the spot they’d vanished from until a soldier’s loud shout jolted him back.

“There! I see shadows—monsters in the sky!”

“Where?”

“Look up! There are several small dark shapes flying in!”

“Hmm... so there are...”

Weliven’s aging eyes couldn’t make them out clearly, but several sharp-eyed knights began muttering tensely.

“Flying ones? That’s a species we haven’t seen in Zilbang before, isn’t it?”

“Yes, and not just one. There are several of them... Even for Sir Zuckerman, fighting those in the basin will be difficult on his own.”

“What should we do?”

Weliven began to consider whether he should send reinforcements after all. But what stopped him was a young knight’s voice, stunned and shaken.

“He actually predicted it...”

“What? Marigo—what do you mean? Predicted what?”

The young knight, Marigo—the messenger Weliven had sent earlier—wore a look mixed with shock, awe, and a strange joy as he answered.

“When I went to fetch Sir Zuckerman, I met the guest briefly as well. He said the monster that would appear would be one that flies in packs—and... there they are.”

“Baron Aile said that? Are you serious? But how—”

“I don’t know. I was wondering the same thing until just now. But after seeing those monsters in the sky... I can’t doubt him anymore.”

All the knights turned to stare at Weliven. He felt the same, but as the leader, he forced himself to maintain composure.

Is he not just brilliant, but some kind of seer? Nathan wasn’t exaggerating, it seems.

Weliven had felt this before—when watching their lord lay in bed yet read the battlefield as if from above, understanding people’s thoughts with uncanny clarity.

The old knight shut his eyes tightly, then opened them and raised his sword high.

“Peleta Knights, formation! Prepare for airborne monster assault—deploy in Formation Three! Move to your assigned posts! No need to follow Nathan!”

“Yes, sir!”

“This is the formation the Duke himself designed for moments like this! And this is the battle we’ve been training for! Don’t worry about those already gone—just face forward!”

“Yes!”

The knights and soldiers responded with a roar and scattered to their positions. Weliven stood like a mountain in front of Peleta Castle. Before long, the steward Enk and the cook Shuseiner arrived, having heard the news.

“Weliven. Is there anything we can help with?”

“Not at the moment. Just make sure your young ones don’t act recklessly.”

“Hah. That’s a given.”

They didn’t need to say it aloud. All three of them knew why they were there and what they had to do. After Enk and Shuseiner left, Cavalry members from the Northern branch arrived, running hard.

“Commander Weliven! Sorry we’re late! We felt the tremor and rushed over. Is something—”

“Go to the eastern tower of the outer fortress.”

“Sorry?”

“Baron Aile asked that you be sent there. Also, take this.”

Weliven handed over a spare bow he had retrieved from the armory earlier.

“A... bow?”

“He asked for it. Just bring it to him.”

“Yuder asked for this?!”

It was a simple wooden bow—well-maintained, but nothing special. It wasn’t even a crossbow. What could Yuder Aile possibly plan to do with it? The Cavalry members looked just as baffled.

“Did Yuder ever use a bow before? I thought he only fought with a sword?”

“He did. Back when they taught us how to use different weapons.”

“I skipped everything but the sword classes. How was he?”

“Well, he hit every target dead center, not a single miss. But then again, he’s good with everything. So I never thought of him as a bow expert in particular...”

“Who knows. He asked for it, so let’s bring it.”

They bowed to Weliven and dashed off toward the inner fortress. Weliven watched them go, then turned his gaze skyward—toward the basin far in the distance.

And at that moment, another ominous rumble rolled through the earth.

Ruuuumble...