As three Frost Arrow Scrolls were torn apart, Silver Fox witnessed Anna’s final magic.
His astonishment did not cease there; he perceived tremors from the ground. Some colossal entity was breaking through the earth. The first thing he saw was the head of a bird, its sharp beak almost touching his face. Even more bizarre was that he detected a human-like expression on this bird’s ice-elemental face.
It was a contemptuous gaze.
Humans, no, the entire block seemed immeasurably small before this giant beast.
Silver Fox was restrained by vines, and all he could do was tilt his head back and witness everything unfolding before him.
Anna used three magic spells, yet he couldn’t name any of them. It didn’t even seem like human magic. He faced the giant beast as if witnessing the vast disparity between man and nature.
Anna climbed onto the beast’s back, and it raised its head with an earsplitting screech.
The lamps across half the city illuminated with that screech, and Silver Fox felt the pervasive fear throughout the city, even those high-ranking nobles were not exceptions, nor was he.
For the scene before him awakened the deepest fears within every Imperial Capital person, forcing them to remember the city that was once ice-bound and an unmentionable being.
And also, that history named "The Fallen War" by the Holy Hall.
Silver Fox witnessed the beast spread its wings and carry Anna away from the ground, heading towards the military camp at the edge of the Imperial Capital.
The Knights of the Kingdom Army were also awakened by the beast’s screeching. Torches and gas lamps dispelled the darkness. Despite their fear, the Firearms Battalion aimed their guns at the sky as the beast rapidly approached.
"Wait, cease fire, there’s someone on the bird!"
A slender figure ascended the city wall using a grappling hook. Donning light armor and with a slim sword and musket slung across her waist, her orange-red hair was expertly tied into a single ponytail, providing the marksmen on the wall with their anchor.
The woman drew her gun and sword, standing ready before the array, her eyes full of excitement.
The beast did not attack the wall or the military camp. It landed steadily in the open space between the camps, lowering its body so Anna could slide down its wings like a slide.
The young man at the front of the lineup, already clutching a longsword, stared incredulously at the scene before him. Everything happening felt like a dream to him. The descending bird carrying his beloved to his side was a sight only found in fairytales, leaving him stunned and at a loss.
Anna shouted his name, running toward him.
Lance instinctively enveloped the figure who dove into his arms, the reality and slight chill telling him that this moment was indeed happening.
The Expeditionary Army stood in formation on the open ground before the camp. On any other day, they’d be whistling and joking about the relationship between this new knight and the noble lady, but not now, because everyone knew the nature of this expedition.
In fact, many were surprised at this boy who joined the expedition halfway through.
Their embrace lasted perhaps ten seconds, or even longer, until Lance’s face flushed red, stammering, "Miss, many people are watching."
Anna was unwilling to let go, looking up at him, "Can’t you not go?"
"Miss, please don’t speak nonsense."
"If you do, all of you will..."
Anna’s mind was filled with Silver Fox’s malicious curses. Every person she saw now would soon become cold corpse fragments cut by a villain’s magic.
Lance’s forefinger pressed against Anna’s lips, blocking the words she wanted to say.
These morale-shaking words, if taken seriously, could implicate Anna and her entire family.
"Over the years, thanks to the care of Miss and Steward Horn, now with turmoil at the Empire’s borders, it’s my turn to protect your Kingdom."
"Miss Anna, a knight cannot break an oath, you know."
The fiery figure from atop the city wall appeared behind Lance at some point, her arms crossed, watching the farewell before her with interest.
She noticed the tears at Anna’s eye corners, and her expression softened considerably.
So, the Way of the Knight is truly the most troublesome faith in this world. Once one goes against their heart or abandons virtue, the Divine Spirit will strip them of their power. Thus, even when knowing this would be a one-way expedition, knights still charge forward without hesitation. This is the legacy of the Neseriel Sanctuary.
Their armor bears the weight of this nation and its people.
"So, let’s make a promise. Entrust him to me, and I’ll ensure he returns alive. As for the conditions..."
The red-haired woman rested her chin on her hand, looking enviously at the beast in the military camp, her eyes almost sparkling, "Let me ride it around the Imperial Capital, no, even just five minutes will do!"
The beast seemed to understand human language. It lowered its gaze at this small yet vibrant figure, receiving her gaze full of longing.
That massive body shattered, transforming into scattered ice blossoms that vanished into the air in the blink of an eye, not even leaving a droplet of water behind. Before that, it gave the red-haired woman a proud look.
This was the message conveyed through its gaze.
The power of that gaze was overwhelming, freezing the woman’s hearty smile on her face. Her life seemed to pause at that moment: mouth agape, eyes losing focus, all dreams and joys of this world no longer belonging to her. She herself seemed to turn gray, becoming rigid under the watchful eyes of all, until she cracked apart.
A knight lost her dream.
This eerie scene lasted for a long time. Anna, at a loss, could only bury her head in Lance’s chest, avoiding the miserable sight of the woman.
The strange atmosphere persisted until the woman finished her self-shattering and restructuring, forcing a smile uglier than crying, saying, "Even so, our promise remains valid."
She heard footsteps approaching from afar, clearly, the commotion caused by the beast had disturbed everyone.
She also saw, outside the camp, a dignified old man in a red robe rushing toward the camp surrounded by a crowd.
Any fairy tale has its end, and after that comes the cold reality.
As the person who incited this series of disturbances, no one knew how Anna would be treated next.
"If there’s anything left unsaid, you must hurry."
The red pupils glanced at the two, masking all her expressions, brushing past them and returning to the Valkyrie image people saw her as every day.
She walked toward the grand procession outside the camp.
"In the name of ’The Other Shore,’ I swear for you."