The express teleportation portal deposited Lock Fan's group onto the plane formerly known as Yuan Hua, now officially renamed the Plane of Holy Light following its integration into the empire's territorial structure."So this is where it all happened," one of the group murmured, taking in the landscape."Where do we start looking?" another asked, glancing at the small dog trotting alongside them with evident impatience."Don't look at me," the dog said. "The pact confirms he's alive. It doesn't include a convenient map function pointing directly at his location. If it did, don't you think I'd have mentioned that considerably useful detail already?"Mei Chuan, one of the younger students in Lock Fan's group, stepped forward with the particular confidence of someone who'd been thinking through the problem methodically. "East Look Mountain. That's where the last confirmed engagement took place, according to every official report. If he's genuinely still alive somewhere, that's the most l

Dawn broke slowly over the jungle bordering East Look Mountain, the four of them gathered in a small clearing far enough from the main camp to speak without listening ears.Julius settled onto a fallen log with the deliberate calm of a man about to deliver information he'd spent considerable time verifying."I know who she is," he said. "The woman who saved you, betrayed you, and left you frozen in a pit for six months."Marco's attention sharpened immediately. "Tell me.""The eldest daughter of Duke Reginald of the Eagle Alliance," Julius said. "His heir apparent. Placed inside the Black Pupil Order deliberately, years ago, to gather intelligence for the empire."Marco stared at him. "The empire placed her there.""Constantine's predecessor, technically," Julius said. "The arrangement's older than his current reign, though he's inherited the benefit of it. She's been feeding Sacred Empire intelligence networks information about Eagle Alliance operations and Dark Order activities for

The soldiers closed the final distance, and the mysterious figure made her decision in the fraction of a second remaining before contact.Ice crystals erupted from her body in a violent, expanding wave, the frost cutting through the nearest ranks with lethal precision, buying her enough space to break through the formation's weakened edge.She'd cleared barely thirty meters before something struck her from above with the force of a falling mountain.She hit the ground hard, her vision blurring, blood pooling beneath her from wounds that had opened faster than her weakened reserves could compensate for.A man descended beside her, his robes marking him as a Storm Priest, his aura carrying the particular density that spoke of decades spent commanding weather itself as a weapon."Towar," the surrounding soldiers murmured, stepping back with visible deference.The mysterious figure looked up at him, her breath ragged, and made a final, desperate calculation."Wait," she gasped, tearing a

The imperial court chamber carried its usual weight of ceremony, though the topic under discussion today made several of the assembled ministers visibly uncomfortable delivering it directly to their queen."Your Majesty," the eldest minister said, "the tradition must be honored. The Roland Knight Order has stood dormant for nearly a decade, its ranks depleted by the previous war. Rebuilding it, at full strength, three thousand elite members, is not merely ceremonial. It's the established benchmark by which any man qualifies to become the queen's consort."Nono's expression carried visible hesitation. "The tradition feels somewhat archaic given current circumstances.""Archaic or not," another minister pressed, "the empire's stability depends on maintaining established institutions, particularly ones tied directly to succession legitimacy. Without a properly rebuilt Order, questions about the throne's future will only multiply."Nono's eyes drifted toward the corner of the chamber, whe

Nono restored order to the banquet hall with the practiced ease of someone who'd absorbed considerable political training over the past year, addressing the assembled candidates with formal clarity that left no room for further confusion about the evening's abrupt disruption."The selection process for the Roland Knight Order begins in three days," she announced, her voice carrying across the entire hall. "Three trials will determine your standing. First, a team hunting trial within the Endless Forest, where danger and cooperation will separate the capable from the merely ambitious. Second, military achievement measured against our ongoing border conflicts. Third, a final melee among the surviving candidates, culminating in the selection of a knight leader who will guard my person for the remainder of their service."Murmurs rippled through the assembled candidates, excitement and apprehension mixing in equal measure as the reality of the coming trials settled over the crowded hall.D