I returned to the waiting room with Robert.
Selena was sent to the mansion. It seemed likely that there would be trouble here and there if Selena were around.
Since I told her to hide her body whether it was at the mansion or anywhere else, she must have gone somewhere on her own.
After all the knights, including myself, had gathered in the waiting room, a man entered.
“Nice to meet you. I am Sanders, the commander of the Shroud Knights. From today, I will be in command here in Tyburn. I ask for your cooperation.”
A solemn face with a sturdy build. The knights’ eyes briefly sparkled upon hearing Sanders’ introduction. It was more because of the mention of the Shroud Knights than Sanders’ name.
The Shroud Knights are one of the oldest knight orders on the continent.
In short, the order itself existed even before the heyday of Constel’s Chancellor Osprey, and was one of the knight orders that stood by when the other ‘Zodiacs’ were establishing boundaries between humans and monsters.
Although a lot of time has passed and they no longer hold the highest position on the continent, the knightly traits of valuing tradition and discipline still make them the object of many knights’ admiration.
It was an obvious statement. A knight without a command structure is not a knight. Everyone in the waiting room silently nodded.
Sanders looked at me.
“Frondier, you’re not a knight, but it’s the same for you. Be prepared.”
“Yes.”
“I don’t care if you’re a noble’s son or a student. This is Tyburn. There will be no special treatment just because you decided to come.”
“Yes.”
I answered twice with the same tone, without any variation in pitch. Sanders looked at me for a moment. His gaze was filled with worry and unease.
It was a look as if one were looking at a young child left by the water’s edge. Yet the situation was far more dire.
“…And today, Princess Aten herself has decided to inspect the troops and facilities here.”
This time, the knights let out a cheer of “Ooh.”
I secretly sighed to myself.
Aten, that guy, really came here.
“Since she will be arriving soon, don’t let your guard down and maintain discipline—”
Knock, knock.
Before Sanders could finish his sentence, a knock came from the door.
“It’s Aten. May I come in?”
It was a familiar voice. Clean and tidy, yet it carried a sense of comfort without the slightest hint of authority.
“Oh, yes. I’ll open it right away.”
Sanders hurried to the door, and a woman dressed in all white slowly walked in.
Ah, the knights marveled. I was also a bit surprised inwardly.
Aten was already as white as snow, but today she wore silver armor that suited her perfectly. Even when she wore her uniform, she was as clear as snow, but now she shone like the winter sun.
“I am Aten. I have come to offer whatever small help I can to you all.”
Aten was Aten, no matter where she was. Just as I first encountered her in Constel, her demeanor was polite and calm.
Aten glanced over the knights and then at me. But she naturally shifted her gaze elsewhere. It was to be expected.
“Let’s start by inspecting the barriers.”
* * *
Time passed, and it was late at night.
Ludwig felt a throbbing in his head as he looked at Sybil standing boldly in front of him.
“…Where did you come from again?”
“Wow! Isn’t the treatment difference between me and Aten too harsh?”
“So should I treat some nobody who rolled in from who knows where the same as the princess?”
Sybil bit her lips, unable to argue with that.
However, Ludwig was being polite in his own way. If it had been any other girl, he would have thrown her out.
‘Because the princess said she was a friend.’
Ludwig looked at Sybil for a moment.
Her expressions and gestures were strangely flirtatious. Since she was also blessed with good looks, most of the boys in Constel would go crazy over her.
……Come to think of it, I think I’ve seen someone like her before.
Creek-
At that moment, the mansion door opened.
Aten came in. It looked like it had started to snow. Aten shook the snow off his head once before he came in.
Tyburn gets snow even when it’s not winter. In Tyburn, the word ‘winter’ simply meant the time when the outer monsters became more violent due to the food shortage.
“Lord, the wall is in bad shape.”
“Hmm, I know.”
In fact, it was worse than bad. It was dire. The outer edges were already starting to crack, and the parts with holes were being patched up with whatever materials they could find.
Since the outer monsters were particularly intelligent, it was only a matter of time before they found the weak points in the wall.
“Shouldn’t we come up with some countermeasures?”
“Of course. However, Your Highness, there’s something I’d like to ask, even if it seems rude.”
“What is it?”
One side of Ludwig’s eyes creased deeply.
“I just wanted to ask if you have any sort of relationship with the Frondier people who arrived earlier?”
“Why would I?”
Aten responded quickly, as if the question was absurd. There were no emotions in his expression.
“Hmm, I see. My apologies. I suppose I’m becoming increasingly forgetful with age.”
“No, the wall is the main concern for now. Shouldn’t we reinforce it immediately?”
Aten quickly moved on from the previous topic and brought up the main issue at hand.
Ludwig stroked his chin.
“That’s right. But it’s not easy.”
“Not easy, you say?”
“The frequency of the monster attacks has started to shorten. There’s no room for reinforcement. However, the amount of monsters attacking at once has decreased.”
At Ludwig’s answer, Aten’s eyes narrowed.
“So, the monsters are intentionally hindering the repair of the wall?”
“It appears so to me. But no matter how smart these monsters are, their life is precious for them; I can’t understand how they can engage in such wasteful behavior…”
The frequent onslaughts of the monsters.
Though it was said there was no room to repair the wall, from a single monster’s perspective, such assaults are merely suicidal. With their high intelligence, they would be even more aware of this.
So how could this be possible?
“There’s a leader.”