A short silence descended upon the courtyard.
The King crossed his arms and spoke with a low, measured voice.
"So. The enemy leader remains within the capital."
Leonis nodded.
"Yes." He cast a brief glance beyond the castle walls. "Given the scale of this invasion, it is difficult to imagine it lacks a central commander."
"Then I shall mobilize the Knights," Noin Noctear declared.
However, Leonis shook his head. "I would not recommend that."
The eyes of everyone present fixed on him.
"The enemy is wielding an Original Tome," Leonis explained, his voice eerily calm. "Ordinary soldiers would likely be no match for such power."
Noin’s brow furrowed, and the King remained silent, weighing the words.
Leonis continued, "In fact, a smaller group will be far more mobile." He looked toward our group. "I will go." He gestured to Allen. "He will go." Finally, his gaze settled on me. "And we will take him. The three of us will handle this."
Wait, what?
Hold on just a minute. Me? Seriously?
The words almost burst from my throat, but I managed to swallow them down. I had only followed Leonis because I thought it would be the safest place to be.
"Your reasoning?" the King asked.
Leonis answered matter-of-factly. "I am the combat power." He pointed to himself, then looked at Allen. "He is the support."
Then he looked directly at me.
"And he is the key."
I have no idea what you're talking about. What kind of "key" am I supposed to be?
"Lord Luka is... a key?" Allen whispered, sounding just as confused as I was.
"I’m hearing this for the first time too, you know," I hissed back.
Leonis offered a small, mysterious smile. "Do not worry. You will understand soon enough."
That didn't make me feel even remotely better.
The King contemplated for a long moment before finally nodding. "Very well."
Noin took a step forward. "I shall accompany them."
Once again, Leonis shook his head. "The Commander of the Knights must stay and defend the castle."
"..."
"If this stronghold falls—or rather, if the royalty are taken as sacrifices—everything ends."
Noin fell silent, eventually giving a stiff nod. "I understand."
"We are counting on you," the King said.
Leonis gave a slight, respectful bow. "Leave it to us." He turned to the two of us. "Shall we go?"
Allen and I began to follow him out.
"Master!"
A familiar voice rang out from above. Standing atop the high courtyard wall was a small shadow. It was Fia. Beside her stood the white-haired Elf elder, Orbis.
Fia leapt from the wall, landing gracefully right in front of me.
"Master," she said, immediately searching my face. "Are you unharmed?"
"Yeah, I'm fine." She certainly arrived with a lot of energy.
Orbis approached at a slower pace. "Lord Luka," he said with a respectful bow. "I am glad to see you are safe."
Leonis watched the interaction with interest. "Heh." He looked at Fia. "Is this girl your attendant?"
I nodded. "Something like that."
Leonis chuckled. "I see. You certainly keep interesting company."
Fia stared intently at Leonis, her eyes filled with a sharp, lingering caution.
"Lord Luka, where do we go next?" Orbis asked.
I looked to Leonis, who was staring out beyond the castle gates.
"To find the enemy executive," he said, casually spinning his dagger. "They should be somewhere within the capital."
"Do you have a lead?" Allen asked.
Leonis smiled. "I do." He looked up toward the tallest structure in the city. The Clock Tower. "First," he said quietly, "I think we'll start there."
◇◆◇
A frigid chill permeated the mansion's corridors. It was unlike snow—it was a silent, predatory cold, as if the very air had been flash-frozen.
Elysia walked slowly through the halls. Bodies in black robes were scattered at her feet. To be precise, they weren't even corpses anymore; they were frozen effigies.
One man was caught with his arm raised to strike. Another was halfway through drawing a sword. A third had his face contorted in a silent scream. All of them had been entombed in ice at that exact moment, left as rigid statues where they fell.
These were the Apostles of Ash who had dared to attack the manor.
Observing the carnage, one of the remaining knights whispered, "Are you unharmed, Lady Elysia?"
"Yes, it was no trouble," she replied indifferently. Her voice was flat and chilling. "I was more than capable of defending the estate on my own."
The knights exchanged glances, but none dared to press further.
Just then, the heavy creak of a door echoed from a nearby room. A girl with gray hair in a maid's uniform appeared. It was Julie—or rather, it was another maid dragging Julie along.
Julie was bound, bloodied, and her face was twisted in a mask of pure terror. Elysia approached and crouched down to meet her eyes.
"Did she talk?"
The maid bowed her head slightly. "Yes. She likely gave up every piece of information she possessed."
"I-I was... I was just following orders!" Julie stammered, her voice trembling violently.
"I see," Elysia replied, her tone devoid of interest. "And?"
The maid continued, "One of the individuals commanding this attack... the name is Dia Alcion."
The moment that name was spoken, Elysia’s movement stopped. A heavy silence filled the room. Then, Elysia let out a soft, melodic laugh.
"Ah," she said, as if recalling a distant memory. "So it was that person."
"Y-Yes! That's right! It was her!" Julie cried out, desperate. "So I have nothing to do with it! Please!"
Elysia looked down at Julie. Her eyes were colder than the deepest glacier.
"I see," she whispered. "Then let me ask one last thing." She leaned in close, her face inches from Julie's. "That person... where are they now?"
"The Clock Tower!" Julie shrieked. "She said she would be directing the invasion from the top!"
Upon hearing those words, Elysia stood up. "Thank you."
She looked out the window toward the distant silhouette of the Clock Tower. "Fufu... I suppose luck is on my side today." She murmured softly to herself, "I wonder if Lord Luka is headed there as well."
She turned back to her staff. "Prepare a horse."
"As you wish," the maid replied.
Elysia began to walk away, a faint, simmering anger burning in her eyes.
"U-Um, what about me?" Julie whimpered.
Elysia stopped. "I did trust you once, you know."
"T-Then...!" A flicker of hope crossed Julie's face.
But in that moment, a sharp crack echoed through the hall.
"Eh?"
Julie looked down. The tips of her shoes, where they touched the floor, had begun to turn white. Rime frost spread rapidly across the wood.
"W-What is this...?" Julie tried to pull her feet away, but they wouldn't budge. Her shoes were fused to the floor.
Crack... crack...
The ice spread relentlessly—up her ankles, her shins, and her torso, moving with terrifying certainty.
"Wait! Stop!" Julie's voice was a frantic mess of sobs. "I told you everything! I—"
Elysia didn't look back. "Yes," she said in a detached voice. "You were very helpful."
The ice reached Julie's knees. She thrashed and writhed, her legs kicking uselessly against the encroaching frost.
"Help me!"
White frost crawled up her clothes. Her breath came out as thick, white mist.
"Lady Elysia!"
Elysia paused and looked back over her shoulder. Her pupils were as cold as death.
"To hear Lord Luka’s name spoken by an unfaithful person like you... it is incredibly distasteful."
The ice reached Julie's shoulders. Her arms stiffened, and her fingers seized up.
"No... no!"
Tears froze to her cheeks as they fell. Finally, the ice climbed to her throat.
"Ely—"
Snap.
The sound of her voice was cut short. Julie’s body was now a permanent statue, her face forever locked in a grimace of terror.
Silence returned to the corridor. Elysia looked at the statue one last time before murmuring quietly, "A noble must clean up her own mistakes."
Without looking back again, she walked away. Outside, the Clock Tower loomed over the city.
"Please wait for me, Dia Alcion," she whispered, a smile as cold as the ice she wielded touching her lips. "I’m coming for you now."