The Eclipsed Order

Chapter 109: Chapter 109: The Price of Investigation

The royal council chamber had been unusually quiet that evening.

Several people had been summoned to the room, and none of them had been informed of the exact reason for the emergency meeting. The atmosphere alone, however, was enough to make it clear that the matter was far more serious than an ordinary report concerning border security or military affairs.

At the far end of the chamber sat the King of the Kingdom, his expression stern as he listened.

On his right stood the Royal Commander, a veteran who had spent decades commanding the kingdom’s armies. Beside him were several high-ranking knights, including some of the kingdom’s strongest warriors.

The Royal Mage stood on the opposite side of the chamber, surrounded by several senior magicians who had been summoned from the royal court.

There were also representatives from the intelligence division and several nobles who possessed enough authority to be present whenever matters concerning national security were discussed.

Then the doors opened.

Two figures entered.

The atmosphere immediately changed.

Larden walked into the chamber with a bandage wrapped around his shoulder, while Frey followed beside him, her movements noticeably slower than usual.

Both had survived.

But neither looked like someone who had simply returned from an ordinary mission.

Their clothes were torn, their bodies were covered in injuries, and the exhaustion visible on their faces was impossible to conceal.

The Royal Commander immediately frowned.

"You two were sent to investigate the organization known as Eclipse. Judging by your condition, I assume something unexpected occurred."

Larden exchanged a brief glance with Frey.

"It did."

Frey’s expression remained serious.

"We encountered one of them."

Several people in the chamber immediately became attentive.

"One of them?" the King asked.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Larden stepped forward.

"A young woman."

There was a brief silence.

"A young woman?" one of the knights repeated.

Larden nodded.

"She appeared to be no older than the age of a first year student, but her strength was completely inconsistent with her appearance."

The Royal Commander narrowed his eyes.

"How strong?"

Larden hesitated.

Then he answered honestly.

"Strong enough that the two of us were forced to fight seriously."

That statement caused several people to exchange glances.

Frey continued.

"We initially believed that we could restrain her. We were wrong."

She tightened her hand slightly.

"Her combat ability was far beyond what we had anticipated. She adapted to our attacks quickly, and despite fighting against both of us simultaneously, she maintained enough control over the battle to force us to reveal our full strength."

One of the kingdom’s strongest knights frowned.

"You are saying the two of you were unable to overpower a single young woman?"

Frey looked directly at him.

"We were not merely unable to overpower her."

She paused.

"We were pushed to our limits."

The knight’s expression changed.

Larden continued the report.

"The battle lasted for several hours. All three of us sustained significant injuries."

The Royal Mage’s expression became more serious.

"Then how did you survive?"

Frey’s eyes lowered slightly.

"We were about to capture her."

Several people looked surprised.

"Capture her?"

"Yes," Frey answered. "She had already suffered considerable injuries. We believed the battle had reached its conclusion."

Larden’s expression hardened.

"Then someone else appeared."

The room became completely silent.

"Who?"

Larden looked toward the King.

"Another woman."

"Another member of Eclipse?"

"Yes."

Frey’s expression changed slightly as she remembered what had happened.

"We did not sense her."

The Royal Commander immediately straightened.

"You did not sense her?"

"Neither of us."

Larden shook his head.

"There was no warning. No movement that we detected. No magical presence approaching from the surrounding forest."

Frey continued.

"One moment, we were standing over our opponent."

"The next..."

She stopped.

Her expression tightened.

"Neither of us could move."

A murmur spread through the chamber.

"What happened?"

Larden answered.

"We were restrained before we even realized someone had entered the area."

The Royal Mage’s eyes narrowed.

"Magic?"

"We don’t know."

Frey looked toward him.

"There was something around our bodies, but I couldn’t determine its nature. It felt as though invisible restraints had wrapped around every part of us."

"Threads," Larden said quietly.

Frey glanced toward him.

"You noticed them too?"

"I saw something for a brief moment."

He looked toward the table.

"Thin strands. Almost impossible to see."

The Royal Mage’s expression darkened.

"Threads?"

"Yes."

"And the woman?"

Frey took a slow breath.

"She simply appeared in front of us."

The chamber remained silent.

Larden continued.

"She looked at the injured girl first."

His expression became complicated.

"The way she spoke to her was not that of an ordinary superior. The woman called her by name and reprimanded her for allowing herself to become so severely injured."

The King leaned forward slightly.

"Then she maybe was higher-ranking."

"We believe so."

Frey nodded.

"Judging from their behavior, the injured woman was clearly subordinate to her."

The Royal Commander crossed his arms.

"And what happened after that?"

Neither of them answered immediately.

Frey finally spoke.

"She looked at us."

Her voice became quieter.

"And then we understood something."

Frey looked directly at the King.

"We had never been in control of that situation."

The room became still.

The Royal Commander stared at her.

"What do you mean?"

"Until that moment, I believed that if we were defeated, it would simply be because the two of us had underestimated our opponent."

Frey’s expression hardened.

"But when that second woman appeared, I realized the difference in strength between us."

She paused.

"We could not even move."

Larden nodded.

"She did not need to attack us."

The Royal Mage’s eyes narrowed.

"Then what did she do?"

"She released her killing intent."

The words caused several people to exchange uneasy looks.

Frey continued.

"I have experienced killing intent from powerful warriors before. Even from some of the strongest knights in this kingdom."

She looked toward the Royal Commander.

"But hers was completely different."

The Royal Commander remained silent.

"It felt as though death itself had entered the forest."

For the first time since entering the chamber, Frey’s composure visibly cracked.

"I couldn’t breathe properly."

Larden’s expression became grim.

"I’ve fought monsters capable of destroying entire squads. I’ve stood against warriors stronger than myself. But when that woman looked at us, my body reacted before my mind could."

He clenched his fist.

"I knew that if she decided to kill us, we would die."

The chamber fell into a heavy silence.

One of the kingdom’s strongest warriors finally spoke.

"Are you saying this woman was stronger than you?"

Larden looked at him.

"Yes, far stronger"

"And the first woman?"

Frey answered.

"She was strong enough that the two of us struggled to defeat her."

The warrior’s expression changed.

"Then the second woman..."

Frey slowly nodded.

"She was on another level entirely."

The Royal Mage remained deep in thought.

"Did you identify either of them?"

"No."

Larden shook his head.

"They did not reveal the name of their organization beyond what we already knew."

The King looked toward the two investigators.

"What happened afterward?"

Frey hesitated.

"We were warned."

"Warned?"

"She told us that if we interfered with Eclipse again, she would slaughter everyone involved."

The Royal Commander frowned.

"She threatened the kingdom?"

"Not exactly."

Frey shook her head.

"She did not make an empty threat. That was what made it different."

Larden continued.

"She spoke as though killing us, or even reaching those above us, would require no effort."

The Royal Commander looked toward the King.

The King remained silent for several moments.

Then he turned toward the Royal Mage.

"What do you think?"

The Royal Mage folded his arms.

"If their report is accurate, Eclipse possesses combatants who are considerably beyond the standard of ordinary knights."

"How far beyond?"

The mage hesitated.

"That depends on whether the two individuals they encountered represent the upper limit of Eclipse’s strength."

"And if they don’t?"

The Royal Mage’s expression became grim.

"Then we have a much greater problem."

One of the high-ranking knights spoke.

"We have already heard reports of Eclipse defeating bandits, smugglers, and the organization responsible for those laboratories. Now we’re hearing that two elite warriors were nearly defeated by a single member, followed by the appearance of another who could restrain them without being detected."

He slowly shook his head.

"This is no ordinary underground organization."

The Royal Commander nodded.

"Agreed."

He looked toward Frey and Larden.

"From your description, the second woman appeared to be giving orders to the first."

"Yes."

"Then there is a hierarchy."

Larden nodded.

"We believe so."

The Royal Commander looked toward the King.

"If that woman is one of their higher-ranking members, then we cannot assume the strength of Eclipse based on a single encounter."

The King leaned back in his chair.

"For months, we’ve been attempting to understand them."

His gaze moved across the chamber.

"Yet every time we uncover something, the situation becomes more complicated."

No one disagreed.

The Kingdom had initially regarded Eclipse as a mysterious organization interfering with criminal groups and illegal laboratories.

Then reports had begun arriving from different territories.

Eclipse members had appeared during conflicts.

They had defeated powerful opponents.

They had protected civilians.

They had destroyed laboratories.

And now, members of the kingdom’s own elite had encountered one of their higher-ranking figures.

The King slowly turned toward Frey.

"Are you certain they were young?"

"Yes."

"Both of them?"

"Yes."

The King’s expression became troubled.

"How young?"

Frey answered after a moment.

"Young enough that, under ordinary circumstances, I would have assumed they were students."

A long silence followed.

The Royal Commander finally spoke.

"Then we must revise our assessment."

The Royal Mage nodded.

"Eclipse cannot be treated as a minor organization any longer."

"Should we deploy additional forces to investigate them?"

The question came from one of the intelligence officers.

The Royal Commander immediately shook his head.

"No."

Several people looked at him.

"We have already sent two highly capable individuals to investigate them, and they barely returned alive. Sending more people without understanding what we’re dealing with would be irresponsible."

The King nodded slowly.

"For now, suspend direct investigations."

Frey’s eyes widened slightly.

"Your Majesty?"

"You have provided enough information for us to understand that Eclipse is not something we can approach carelessly."

The King looked toward the Royal Commander.

"Increase surveillance around the territories where Eclipse has been sighted, but do not provoke them."

"Understood."

"And regarding the two of them?"

The Royal Mage looked toward Frey and Larden.

"They should be placed under medical observation until we determine the extent of their injuries."

Frey bowed her head.

"Understood."

Larden followed.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

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