Lane could not recover from the shock he had experienced. He had left the church so quickly that he had not even paid attention to what was happening around him. He went straight back to the tavern and headed up to his room. Even the men downstairs were looking at him strangely. It was as if the same question was written on all their faces: Why did this guy come back looking like he had fled from something?
When Lane entered his room, he sat down on the bed quietly. He brought his hand to his mouth and took a deep breath.
"What the hell did I witness all night long... What kind of level of brutality was that?"
He paused for a moment, then his thoughts became even harsher.
"I need to find the Saint as soon as possible. Otherwise, they will infiltrate the entire planet and destroy everything."
Lane slowly began to regain his composure. After that, he took a cold shower and got into bed.
"I did not sleep all night. I need to get some sleep."
The moment he put his head on the pillow, he fell asleep.
He woke up around nine at night. As soon as he opened his eyes, he let out a deep breath.
"Oh, I finally feel a little better. I should go down to the city and eat something. After that, I need to go to the battlefield because of the mission."
But what he had seen the night before was still gnawing at his mind.
Lane went down into the city. Even though it was night, the city was still quite lively. After wandering around alone for a while, he stopped in front of a restaurant and went inside. It was a tall, showy place. The interior was more beautiful than he had expected. Lane chose one of the tables at the far end and sat down, then ordered food from the menu.
After placing his order, he began looking around. Many war portraits were hanging on the walls of the restaurant. The lighting came from old-style lamps hanging from the ceiling. The atmosphere of the place was heavy, but striking.
While Lane was observing the place, his eyes suddenly landed on someone.
The person he saw was none other than the Sword Saintess herself.
Lane immediately muttered to himself inwardly.
"Why does this woman keep appearing in front of me every single time? Even eating has become a problem now."
He lowered his head and suppressed his mana as much as he could. Right at that moment, his food had also arrived. Without raising his head too much, Lane focused on his meal. All he wanted was to finish eating quietly and leave without getting into trouble.
But in the middle of his meal, someone came and stopped beside him.
Lane did not lift his head. Cold sweat began to run down from his forehead.
"Why did this woman come here..."
He was truly wary of the Saintess.
At that moment, the Sword Saintess drew her sword, placed it on the table, and asked:
"Hey you, kid. Who are you, and why are you trying to suppress your mana?"
Lane pushed his chair back and stood up. With a serious expression, he looked at her.
"Why are you interrupting my meal?"
The Sword Saintess was surprised for a brief moment, then asked the same question again.
"Why are you suppressing your mana? And why are you trying to hide your face from me?"
When Lane finally realized there was nowhere left to run, he stopped suppressing his mana. The Sword Saintess gripped her sword tightly.
"Who are you? How can you have dragon mana?"
The thing Lane had feared had happened. Even so, he kept his composure. Raising his hands, he spoke.
"Fine, you caught me. Take me wherever you are going to take me."
But the Saintess did not act the way he had expected. She only looked at him and asked:
"Then why were you suppressing your mana?"
Lane answered without hiding it.
"To avoid running into you. Could there be any other reason? Is there anyone else here besides you who can sense dragon mana?"
The Sword Saintess did not swing her sword. She remained where she was.
"I think you misunderstood something. I did not come to capture you. You were giving off the aura of someone I know. That is why I asked who you were."
Lane's brows furrowed slightly.
"What do you mean, someone you know? Is there someone in Solarin besides me who can use dragon mana?"
The Sword Saintess nodded in confirmation.
"There is a girl. She was five years older than you. She was a very intelligent girl."
Unable to stop himself, Lane asked:
"Was the girl's hair white?"
The Saintess looked at him with a surprised expression.
"How do you know that girl?"
After a brief pause, Lane answered:
"We used to spend time together when we were children. She was a close friend of mine."
But something entirely different was passing through his mind.
I cannot tell her who I am. I have to keep this hidden, just in case.
In response, the Saintess said:
"I see. I want to take her as my student. She has very high potential."
When Lane heard that, he felt happy at first. But right after that, he grasped the seriousness of the situation.
No... I cannot trust these people. I cannot sacrifice my sister to these bastards.
Outwardly, he remained silent. Then he brought his hand to his own sword and spoke in a cold voice:
"I should go now. I have duties I need to take care of."
The Sword Saintess did not stop him. Lane left the silver coins from his pocket on the table and walked away.
After going outside, he fell into thought as he walked through the street.
"My sister... So she is in the Solarin Empire. But why here? She was not supposed to be here..."
For a brief moment, his chest tightened.
I miss my family...
The moment he suppressed those thoughts, he sped up and set off toward the battlefield.
One day later, he had arrived at the battlefield.
The armies of the Solarin Empire had established a massive defensive line against the demonic creatures. Lane had arrived at Fortress N017, one of the fortresses protecting the walls. Its other name was the infamous Black Night Fortress. Compared to the other fortresses, this one was far stronger, and it was usually this fortress that received the most intense attacks.
Lane approached the gates of the fortress. The guards stopped him and asked:
"What are you doing here? Do you have permission to enter?"
Lane took out the document given to him by the Crimson Guild and held it out.
"Heh, so you came as a mercenary. You may pass."
Lane entered the fortress. There was no normal life inside. There were only soldiers, blacksmiths, and the harsh order of war. Not even the slightest trace of civilian life could be found.
A stir rose inside Lane.
This is exactly the kind of place for me. I will improve myself here. With the teachings of my master and the Dragon Sword...
He headed toward the main building of the fortress to find the military commander. Along the way, he saw many wounded soldiers around him. From the very moment he stepped into the fortress, the smell of war could be felt.
At last, he reached the main building and entered.
Everyone inside suddenly turned and looked at Lane. Lane calmly swept his gaze across those inside as well. The silence in the room was strange. Everyone was looking at each other, but no one was saying the first word. Finally, one of them stepped forward and asked:
"Who are you? How did you get in here?"
Lane answered briefly and clearly:
"I am a mercenary. I was sent by the Crimson Guild."
At those words, the commanders began whispering among themselves. Then one of them stepped forward. The moment Lane saw the spear behind the man, he recognized him. It was almost exactly the same as the spear he had seen in the book back when he was in his own fortress.
This man was Stoney Thraft.
He was one of the seven-star spear masters. In fact, he was clearly regarded as being above the other seven-star spear users. He was one of the best spear users on the western continent.
Lane immediately stood with respect.
"Greetings, Commander. I am the mercenary assigned by the Crimson Guild. I await your orders."
Stoney placed his hand on his chin and examined Lane.
"You... do you know how to use a sword or a spear? Or magic?"
Lane realized there was no point in hiding that much from him.
"I am at three-star beginner level in swordsmanship. As for magic, I am currently at three stars."
However, he deliberately hid the fact that he possessed dragon mana.
Stoney looked at Lane for a while. Then he suddenly burst into laughter.
"Welcome among us, rookie... But know this, I have not forgotten what you did."
After that, Lane talked with the other commanders for a while. In the end, Stoney brought the matter together.
"Lane, tomorrow there will be an assault by the demonic creatures. I want you to defend the right flank of the fortress. Do not forget, the lives of the soldiers are very important. The number of units we have is low."
Lane nodded and accepted. Then he left the main building.
Inside, however, a cold thought passed through his mind:
Stoney is testing me. He is clearly putting fewer soldiers on the right side and trying to measure my strength. Heh... I am not falling for that.
From that very moment on, he had already begun forming his own plan.
There were many child soldiers in the fortress who could be considered around Lane's age. Because of this, he did not feel completely like a stranger. Even so, only one thought weighed heavily inside him.
I need to improve myself a lot here.
In the end, he went to the dormitory that had been shown to him. There was no proper bath area here. Everyone washed themselves in communal bathing areas. The level of hygiene was quite low.
Lane grumbled.
"This is exactly why I hate military bases. It has always been the same shit in my life."
He brought his hand to his head and let out a sigh. Then he entered one of the communal bathing areas. Everyone was washing naked. Since Lane had experienced something similar in his past, he did not feel embarrassed. He washed quickly, stepped back outside, and then returned to his room.
Throughout the night, he began making plans in his mind for what would happen tomorrow.