A few days had passed sihe st time Crice had heard ulus, and she couldn’t help but worry. She spent three years only hearing rumors about him and one day he suddenly appeared just fine, but she couldn’t help but worry a lot more than befiveuation… he was walking in a territory that was going to hold a rge war.

  Ohings get going, they probably won’t start because if the Elven forests start to suffer damage, all the elves will fight with eagero crush their eheir forests were that much sacred to them.

  As if that wasn’t enough, Crice was waiting for someo the entrance of the town that her brother was ruling over… she thought that he would keep hidden a lot of things from her, but he was being surprisingly ho… or maybe he was just messing with her telling to send a certaier and then receive this person who was ing as ambassador of the empire and also reinfort.

  “Envoy… What a joke. I am just an errand girl.”

  A few days had passed since she heard that a lot of war vehicles that the dwarves made had eheir territory through the northern and southern parts of the Aeloria Dominion. She khat a lot of Elves were unsatisfied with their society, but not to the point that they would allow that.

  They were taking a lot of risks with this… not only could it destroy a rge part of the forests in their nds, but if they fail, they might tarnish their names for the rest of the time. Such a thing never happened in their society and they would be sidered disgraces like never before.

  “Please… don’t let this war start…”

  Crice had no idea whom she raying to… perhaps it was because of the person that she was waiting for that she felt like praying, even though she never did that before. She was taught to thank the forest now and then for their good life, but only that much.

  While she was thinking about that, she saw a carriage and a rge group of padins approag in the distance, proteg the vehicle. The ambassador and the reinforts had arrived… Crice’s posture straightened up and her expression sharpened. She was supposed to wele this group, but she couldn’t help but feel her anger boiling. Someday, she will get her brother for this…

  A couple of mier, the carriage stopped in front of Crid from it, just two people emerged from it. The first was a fully armored man in his early twenties who had a ral expression on his face. He was wearing a full set of silver armor and a silver spear, and a rge shield was on his back.

  ‘They have the same eyes…’

  He had blond hair and green eyes. He looked like a normal and calm person, but he had bee famous retly thanks to his aplishments. Many called him the vampire syer. Despite his young age, he had killed and hunted dozens of vampires… his name was Jacques Dawnshield.

  Jacques had in front of his armor and the shield the emblem of the Holy Order. The emblem was a shield-shaped crest that embodies their mission to bat unholy creatures and their diverse position of padins, priests, and monks. At its ter is a radiant silver sword, pierg a bck crest moon to symbolize their triumph over darkness and abyssal forces.

  The emblem’s design reflects the Holy Order’s values and flexible philosophy. A braided gold and silver border surrounds the shield, symbolizing the unity between their warrior, clerid brawler traditions. Fnking scrolls bear the inscription “Faith, Sacrifice, Valor,” emphasizing their guiding principles. The shield’s slight curves soften its rigid form, suggesting band humanity within their purpose. The emblem as a whole captures the harmoween their unyielding faith and their practical approach to life.

  After Jacques, a young woman ie teens emerged as well. She was wearing light clothes only worn by the priests of the holy order. Crice wasn’t expeg this one, but she could tell by her eyes as well… this one was alsulus’ sister. Iri Dawnshield.

  “Greeting, I am the ambassador of the empire to help the Aeloria Dominion deal with ret matters. My name is Jacques Dawnshield, and this one is my little sister, Iri. Thank you for ing to receive us.”

  “I am Crice Urikas. It is o meet you both.”

  Jacques and Iri bowed slightly and Crice decided to act cordial to them as well… she didn’t hear a single bad thing about Jacques, it was a known fact that he nning to even abandon his family’s name and iao bee the leader of the holy order.

  Oher hand, she only heard bad things abulus… his attitude in the pces that he had been didn’t help him either. He was supposed to be the cowardly archer that killed one of the human anders during the skarnash tribends war with a sneaky attack from behind and then ran away. He actually used a sneaky attack, but it was from behind, and she khat.

  He was also supposed to be responsible for the death of a rich mert in the war against the Aquarians two years ago, but it was only a rumor that began to spread around now and Crice heard that he kept his face hidden back then, so it didn’t make any sense.

  “My brother asked me to guide you both to his office. Please, follow me.”

  “Uood.”

  Crice began to guide the siblings through the town. That was just basically formality. They didn’t o be guided, but it was still as nerve-wrag for Crice as it could be since she was trying to maintain her rality. Eaining those who saw his friend as a monster wasn’t something that she wao do, but Criew the value that he could get from them… besides, antagonizing them wouldn’t help anyone.

  Oher hand, helping them could give her some es and information that she wouldn’t receive using ordinary means. It was a bit annoying to act like that. She didn’t want to get involved with ahat could see a part of their family as a worm, but she had to be smart if she wao make some ge.

  “By the way, Miss Crice. Is it true that someone around these parts helped my little brother cause some chaos?”

  Crice looked over her shoulder and then saw Jacques’ expression. He seemed genuinely curious and still as calm as ever, so she wondered if that was a facade or not. His sister also acted like him, so both of them were hard to read.

  “That is right. I was the one who did that.”

  “You did? That is surprising. Is there any reason why you would help him cause problems in your own backyard?”

  Crice wondered what she should say at this moment. She stopped to think for a moment to sider some things and then decided to speak up.

  “Three years ago, I met Regulus while he was assuming another identity. Back then, I didn’t know who he truly was. We joined another party and quered a good party of the Hellbzer byrinth together.”

  “Really? It is hard to imagine Regulus w with anyone. He even killed our sword instructor, after all.”

  “He said to me a few things about that instructor. I am not sure that he was fond of him as you were. Didn’t he quit after teag just for a year?”

  “Rowan did that. Regulus wasn’t that eager to fight the way our instructor taught, so he didn’t feel the obligation of teag him for longer.”

  “That would expin why Regulus didn’t hesitate in killing him, when this Roersoered the dungeon aloo kill him instead of capturing him, right?”

  Jacques remained with his expression unfazed. It looked like he was traio remain like that no matter the situation, but his first teacher was killed, it was impossible for him not to feel anything about it.

  “Anyway, a lot of things happened and the group split after someone caused an i and tried to incriminate Regulus. I know that humans and elves were involved in that i, which made some of our friends also swear that they would take their revenge on him. So, I decided to iigate this matter and Regulus showed up here retly. When he learned about my goal, he decided to help me, but we failed and the issues of war began to get in our way.”

  “I see. It looks like the image that I had from my little brother is vastly different from yours.”

  “You are probably right. I am not sure if either of you tried to get along with the other, but five years is enough for people to ge a lot.”

  I ’t say that we tried… Back then, we were kids and sihen, we have followed very different paths. I ’t say that we are going to be able to see each other eye to eye. Even more so after he killed our sword instructor.”

  “Even if it was in self-defense?”

  “He could have just surrendered.”

  “He didn’t draw his on until when your other brother attacked him. Why do you think that your sword instructor would have acted differently?”

  “My other brother? Whie? I heard that Ulrid Remi met him in the Skarnash Tribends, but I didn’t ask for details. Without hearing their side first, I ’t say anything, aside from that your view oters is probably very biased.”

  “I ’t deny that, but you not do the same? You speak like when it es tulus, he is guilty until proven i.”

  “I am very aware of hoires operate. They tend to enjoy fooling their prey as much as possible and tasting their blood while they are shocked and suffering in agony. It is never a good thing to uimate them or think otherwise. They don’t live among others because when they see people like you ahey only see a walking barrel of blood.”

  Crice thought that she would be able to take a glimpse at Jacques’ nature and find some sembnce of about his brother, but there was no such a thing in his heart. He felt a deeper e to his sword instructor than his own little brother, whom he saw being ignored and treated badly from the moment he was born… For Jacques, his you brother was just anht creature that o be hunted down.

  WritingMaeGun