Four days later,
Around the time when several knights clad in splendid armor left the royal castle with great fanfare, leading their servants and squires,
The 3rd Prince's palace, which had always been quiet, gained more vitality as the number of guests staying there increased by one.
Take the Prince's personal training ground, which had rarely been used before.
Recently, broken wooden dummies and sacks with burst sides spilling straw had been rolling around,
The dinner table was filled with a considerable number of people,
And occasionally, high laughter and low but non-angry scolding echoed together through the vast corridors.
However, from an outside perspective, they were merely lowly mercenaries.
Of course, the 3rd Prince wasn't one to care about such trivial information.
"They say he's an eccentric."
"Who?"
"Who else but His Highness the 3rd Prince."
During dinner time when everyone was together,
Dardin casually remarked while stirring his soup.
At his words, the gazes of those sitting at the table focused on Yurik.
Yurik nonchalantly answered while taking the veal stew dish that had been served for Yesung, who was sitting beside him.
"How unfortunate. Bring more useful information next time."
"But it's mealtime, Your Highness. Your Highness is even finishing Yesung's meal, so wouldn't light conversation be better than topics that might make us lose our appetite?"
"You want me to hear that I'm called an eccentric as a topic for 'light conversation'?"
"But it is true that Your Highness's reputation is declining. There were several interesting rumors, but which would you like to hear first?"
"It sounds like there are several."
"To be more precise, everyone here is connected to Your Highness."
Cellinne raised her hand while chewing peas and potatoes.
"Me and His Highness too?"
"Of course. Let's see, first, they say Cellinne is looking for opportunities to seduce His Highness with her beauty to rise in status."
"Ugh."
When Cellinne pretended to vomit, Yurik and Yesung stared at her.
Cellinne struggled to swallow the food filling her mouth and said.
"No, Your Highness. It's not that I dislike Your Highness. It's that I have tremendous respect for such a relationship to happen. You know my feelings, right? I love you, Your Highness!"
Despite her affectionate tone, none of the people sitting there believed her.
Dardin looked at Yurik, who seemed crumpled like he had chewed something, and continued with a deliberately calm expression.
Unlike his face, his words clearly revealed that he was dying of amusement.
"Eva is no different from Cellinne, but from some quarters, there were stories that she might poison the Queen because she's from the Primavera family."
"Poison. That's original. I had overlooked the fact that poison affects royalty too. Despite being a medical scholar."
Eva tore bread with her hands while speaking sarcastically.
Suddenly she looked at Yurik.
"But somehow I can't imagine Your Highness collapsing even if fed a bowl of poison. Your Highness, does poison affect your royal body?"
"Why are you asking me that? Wouldn't you know better?"
"I've tried medicine but not poison, so I was wondering. Does poison really affect you?"
"It does. Don't even dream of experimenting."
"Yes."
Though Eva answered calmly, Dardin and Cellinne could swear there was some regret left in her black eyes.
Dardin coughed briefly.
"They say the elder depletes the 3rd Prince's palace food supplies. There might be rumors that if Your Highness goes bankrupt, it will be because of the elder's food expenses."
"What, instead of respecting elders, they attack the elderly? Oh my, I dragged these old bones all the way here and these young folks!"
"For reference, I've become a human who, as a mere baronet, fawns beside Your Highness trying to get scraps, elder. And Yesung is."
"Me? There are rumors about me too?"
"You're the hottest topic in the castle. Just what I've heard includes con artist, unregistered illegal mage from the Mage Tower, scheming sorcerer, the century's worst bastard who backstabs His Highness, stimulating His Highness's sympathy with a young face to seek personal advancement and wealth..."
"Ah, I get it. I get it, so stop. The royal castle people really like provocative rumors."
Yesung, who barely stopped Dardin from rattling off his grinning list, muttered as if his mood wasn't pleasant.
Meanwhile, seeing Yurik's eyes sharpen, Dardin pushed away his soup bowl and asked.
"So, to quell such rumors, we need to move quickly. You've perfectly completed the preparatory work, correct?"
"Didn't you just say you didn't want to discuss topics that might cause indigestion? Anyway, it's done."
"This morning, knights departed from the royal castle. Considering their movement speed, they'll reach near the wasteland in three to four days."
"They won't enter the interior of the wasteland, will they?"
"They probably won't. They'll set up a temporary outpost outside and conduct command training in parallel."
"Then it's fine. Anyway, since I'm keeping the door to the Leng Plateau open, I hope ordinary people don't approach. I deliberately chose things that could affect from a distance."
Hearing Yesung's somewhat slow, thoughtful answer, Dardin said with great satisfaction.
"Good. There are no problems with the plan. Eva, please continue caring for Elder Valter's wounds."
"Of course I will. He'd heal faster if he did less vigorous exercise."
"I'm sorry about that, but isn't now the time to train with the dancing lady! I'm still not used to ice forming. Ugh."
Cellinne giggled while patting the back of Valter, whose head was bandaged.
Dardin watched this scene with his habitual smile while reviewing the plan.
This wouldn't be ordinary military training.
Three days from now, the army would camp near where the star had crashed.
If he were the Queen, considering the rumors about the Leng Plateau, he would have mixed in those who could reveal the plateau's location.
They would try to enter the wasteland as quickly as possible, but there was a high possibility they would encounter demons from the Leng Plateau before going deep inside.
Wouldn't they become good bait to lure the demons out?
Dardin suddenly became curious and asked Yesung.
"Yesung. What's the name of the demon you chose? What characteristics does it have?"
"Uh."
Yesung glanced at Yurik once.
When Yurik nodded as if it was okay, he mumbled somewhat embarrassedly.
"Ah, it's nothing special. Of course, as I said beforehand, it's not threatening. I deliberately selected for that purpose. They were basically starving ones, but still, each has their own... dietary preferences..."
"I don't quite understand what you mean."
Dietary preferences? Did he mean they weren't man-eaters?
Yesung's fingers fidgeted with the water glass saucer.
After pondering for a long time, he finally opened his mouth.
"What those things, no, what it needs is."
* * *
Three and a half days after the knights left the royal castle,
The place where 2 banners, about a hundred troops in total, had gathered was a wide plain.
Normally, there might have been ordinary small villages or towns, but now not even such things remained.
The soldiers nervously set up camp, uneasy about the fact that the ominous star was close by in the distance.
After setting up several tents and torches to light the night, they hurriedly entered the tents.
Not only were they tired from the long march,
But wandering alone outside in such a place seemed ominous.
However, there are always those who want to break taboos and show their bravery anywhere.
"That could be desertion!"
"Who says so? You're just scared of the ominous star and holed up in this smelly tent. That's just a rock that fell from the sky!"
"We're starting training tomorrow morning, do you want to cause unnecessary trouble?"
"Hmph. What trouble."
A soldier with stubbly beard scoffed.
He looked at his comrades trying to stop his outing and shouted confidently.
"Does it make sense to come all this way and go back with nothing to brag about? I'll bring back even a fragment of that ominous star or whatever, so just watch!"
Leaving those words, the soldier stepped outside the tent.
Behind him, voices calling him to come back could be heard, but he had no intention of doing so.
The soldier spat toward the tent he had come from. Cowardly riffraff.
They said there wasn't a single brave person among those who volunteered for the infantry, and it was exactly right.
Now that they were lucky enough to become part of the royal army and no longer worried about food and clothing, had they lost their courage too?
The soldier constantly touched his small beard while planning to break off part of that ominous star and make it his personal amulet.
He had told the guard on duty that he was going to urinate, then went far enough to easily cross into the restricted area.
The soldier couldn't believe he had left the camp and looked back several times,
But the guards in the distance seemed unaware that he was even here.
He sneered.
What had Knight Banneret said when they first arrived?
Hadn't he terrified them by saying the movable area was restricted and anyone who left would be dealt with according to military law?
But look at this. There wasn't even a fence set up, so what was this restricted area?
Feeling the thrilling sense of liberation in his chest, he spread both arms wide toward the vast wasteland.
Haha! Wait for me, ominous star. I'll come and break you apart nicely.
How rare would an amulet made from a meteor be? If he was lucky, he might break off a bigger chunk and sell it.
An ominous star that had devoured countless people. A fragment that fell from that ominous star!
Connoisseurs would definitely like it. He'd have to sell it at a very high price.
He was about to run into the wasteland with the corners of his mouth twitching.
But just as he took his first step.
"You there, wait."
Someone called out to stop him.
The soldier who reflexively turned around,
Realized that an unidentified suspicious figure on horseback had somehow approached right up to his nose.
Though he couldn't see the face of the suspicious figure wearing a black hood and cloak,
The hands revealed below wore very expensive, gleaming gauntlets that ordinary soldiers couldn't possess.
The soldier was stunned. Who could they be to come all the way here?
The suspicious figure asked those approaching, similarly wearing black hoods.
"Is this the one?"
"No. He appears completely unrelated."
Related? Unrelated to what?
The soldier was confident he would kneel and beg if they wanted.
But before he could even voice such thoughts.
-Slash!
-Thud.
His shoulders felt empty, and his body collapsed helplessly.
The suspicious figure looked down at the common soldier's head rolling on the ground and shook his sword once to flick off the blood.
"Let's go."
Hiyah! With a short command, the horses all began to run at once.
Led by the one who had beheaded the soldier, four cavalrymen behind him began to accelerate at full speed.
They had orders from their master, one of the most noble members of this country,
And for that purpose, they were approaching the ominous star that had damaged part of Aquilonia.
Those who had been silently running without a trace of wavering or panting seemed like they could smoothly reach the ominous star's impact site.
It certainly seemed like they would.
But after crossing a certain point, things gradually began to feel strange.
It wasn't that they witnessed particularly evil events or discovered unusual people.
Yet they couldn't easily shake off the bizarre feeling.
To explain it, it felt like performing a task whose conclusion was predetermined to fail.
Helplessness, sense of defeat, frustration, depression.
The negative emotions that were initially felt only faintly began to be felt more strongly as time passed,
And the further forward they went, the stronger they became.
The cause was unknown. It was unknowable from the start. But the results of 'something' could definitely be felt.
Their breathing became labored. Their breath was blocked as if someone was choking them.
Their shoulders grew heavy, their heads bowed, and they just ran without finding a way to drive out the despair that had settled in their chests.
The wind that had felt like nothing until just moments ago now felt like a wall pushing them back.
While no one could voice such sentiments, the one following at the very back suddenly stopped.
Those ahead stopped one by one and looked back.
The one at the very back, gripping the reins tightly while breathing heavily, said.
"I... don't think I can go any further."
The one who had been running third fastest in the procession scolded.
"What are you saying? Stop talking nonsense and hurry. There isn't much time left."
"I, I don't think I can go. Ahead is full of evil energy."
"I don't have time to play word games with you now!"
"But don't you all know! This, this is absolutely impossible! It will fail!"
"Do you know what you're saying right now?"
"I know very well. Should we go further? Am I the only one feeling this premonition? This is impossible. We'll all die. We don't even know what's over there, so do we have an obligation to go further from here?"
The one who had been shouting sharply and hysterically suddenly began to sob.
They couldn't believe that he, who had been loyal and showed no fear when they were near the camp,
Was suddenly showing such extreme emotional changes.
But what was even more unbelievable was the attitude of those dealing with him.
While sobbing echoed across the wasteland, they watched the crying one while maintaining heavy silence.
They were all shaken.
Because someone had voiced the thoughts they couldn't bring themselves to express.
They were all seriously reconsidering their assigned mission with grave expressions.
The ominous star, a suspicious place where nothing had been revealed yet.
The most likely point where the door to the Leng Plateau would open.
The very fact that a star that should shine in the sky had fallen was ominous,
And now they had to explore the place where the suspicious plateau that Acheron's founding Emperor had imprisoned demons would open.
What if... they got eaten in the process?
What if that 'demon' thing was like a formless spirit? What if it was already attacking them who had come here?
Wasn't that meteor a symbol of misfortune for being in Aquilonia in the first place? Would approaching such a thing truly be a wise decision?
Questions and doubts grew like a chain reaction.
And slight anxiety and tension amplified uncontrollably,
Eventually changing into despair and fear.
To the point where just thinking about the 'ominous star' made it impossible to breathe.
"Captain."
Someone called. It was a slightly trembling voice.
Everyone was looking at the person who had been leading.
It was also a request to order them to stop here and return.
The person called 'Captain' was hesitating uncharacteristically. He too was confused, feeling depression and despair he had never experienced in his lifetime.
The 'Captain,' who had been choosing his words for a moment, opened his mouth.
"We are."
[...Ah...]
"-Who's there!"
They looked around, but nothing could be seen.
The horses began to paw restlessly in place, reacting to their riders' anxiety.
A noise like whispering directly into their heads answered instead.
[We are... star... return...]
"Show yourself immediately, where are you!"
[Together... through... flight... longing...]
"Come out! Stop hiding cowardly and come out!"
Sighs, tears, pain seemingly bearing all kinds of grief struck their brains directly.
Those who heard that sound helplessly shed tears while tearing at their hair, not knowing why they were crying.
Ah, if living meant experiencing such despair, why should they remain alive?
If it was destined to fail anyway, why should they start?
They wanted to go back. They wanted to return to ■.
To the homeland this voice whispered about.
To ■ where they could throw away all hope and optimism and just live wallowing in despair.
Uncontrollable tears welled up in the 'Captain's' eyes too.
He wiped his tears and shouted with all his remaining reason.
"Turn back! Turn back!"
A different "Hiyah" sound from before was heard.
Very weak and even mixed with crying, the horses reluctantly turned their heads at the urging.
But even then, they didn't yet realize.
That this was the beginning of the incident that would drive the soldiers participating in the eastern military training into severe depression.
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