[Scarlett PoV]
We have been waiting for Captain Raul at the dwarf labyrinth for over an hour, but he has yet to show up.
Previously, Captain Raul ordered us to retreat back into the labyrinth while he distracted the enemy. All the members initially questioned the Captain's decision—asking how he would escape later or how he could face the enemy alone—but he only answered our questions with, "Nah, I'll be fine."
Viera even asked why we couldn't all stay to help him fight. In terms of numbers, we were superior after burying a portion of their troops with the landslide we created.
But Captain Raul didn't answer Viera's question and simply left us behind.
"It's been over an hour," muttered Eric—the person the Captain trusted to lead us while he was gone.
"What now, Eric? Should we immediately return to the Margraviate of Cataluna?" Viera asked.
Eric thought for a moment; it seemed he also found it difficult to leave the Captain behind despite having orders to do so.
"We are going back to the Empire," Eric answered. "Let's discuss this with the dwarves."
Having made the decision, Eric spoke with a dwarf who understood human language. Just like before, we were given special goggles so we couldn't see their city.
With this, our mission in the territory of the Venetian Republic officially came to an end.
***
[Ezio PoV]
After bringing back all the bodies of the fallen squad members, we returned to Avelino City, arriving at midnight. Out of the 200 people who went on this mission, only 20 returned.
All the Senior members of the Cavalier Squad died at that man's hands. At least, that's what Marcela told us. She was the sole survivor of the group that pursued him.
I don't know how a man who looks the same age as me could defeat all the Seniors. Could he possess magic that powerful? Even so, the Seniors were formidable, capable of fighting on equal ground with a Knight.
I think I need to ask Marcela for more details about this.
Currently, I am at the harbor after a full day of rest following our return from the mountain mission. The remaining 20 members of the Tigrenata Squad are lined up before 30 coffins containing the bodies of the Seniors who fell to that man yesterday.
I look toward Captain Siena.
At the time, I was shocked to find that Captain Siena had sustained injuries after capturing him. Until now, the Captain never struggled when facing someone. Only the Imperial Grand Espadas—the strongest knights of their nation—were at least capable of putting up a fight against her. The Captain even mentioned she was unable to use her magic to extract the troops buried in yesterday's landslide after fighting that man.
This is a first.
It's impossible for a man that young to be on the same level as the Grand Espadas, right?
After a moment of silence for the fallen Seniors, the ship's crew began carrying the coffins to be sent to their families in the Capital.
We then boarded the ship. On the other side, I saw the remnants of the Draconia Kingdom's forces also boarding their ships to head toward the western region.
That's right—after their forces failed to receive logistics supplies, they finally abandoned the eastern region of the Aragon Empire and returned to our territory. After some discussion, Captain Siena suggested that the remaining 30,000 Draconia Kingdom troops help us fight the main Imperial army there.
Before long, all the ships began sailing back toward Tusculum City. I stayed on the deck, fighting back nausea as I always do during sea travel.
"Ughhh... I wonder where Marcela is? I haven't seen her around here."
After asking other members, they told me Marcela was in the holding cells, guarding the man the Captain captured. I went there and found our sniper sitting while making adjustments to her rifle.
"Marcela, what's wrong with your rifle?" I asked as I entered the room.
"Ah, Ezio." She noticed my presence. "The scope on my sniper rifle was destroyed because of that man."
I looked in the direction Marcela pointed. There was a cell currently occupied by the man we were talking about; he was asleep and covered in wounds. Captain Siena had not allowed the Priests to heal him completely. Consequently, he still hasn't regained consciousness.
Captain Siena plans to interrogate him personally to find out how he and his troops were able to enter our territory so easily.
"Marcela, was he really that strong? To be able to defeat all the Seniors?" I asked.
Hearing my question, she stopped what she was doing. "It's not like he has some special power or anything."
"Then, if he doesn't have special magic like Captain Siena, how could he be so difficult to handle? To the point that the Captain took serious injuries and couldn't use her magic?"
Marcela then recounted yesterday's events. She said the man ambushed them with a smoke bomb and took down 10 Seniors instantly within two minutes, taking advantage of their limited vision in the smoke.
"He never faced the Seniors head-on. He moved to areas with many crevices to hide in, and when the Seniors split up to find him, he picked them off one by one," Marcela revealed.
So it was true. It's impossible for a man my age to face the Seniors fairly. He must have used tricks; otherwise, there's no way the Seniors would lose to him.
The war has only been going for nearly three months, but my life has changed drastically in this short time. From realizing the horror of war and losing the Seniors I admired, to the experience of killing another person.
"War changes a person" is a very true statement.
"I hope we can get through all of this until the end, Marcela," I said to her.
"Don't get your hopes up, Ezio," my comrade replied. "The war isn't over, and many more people will die."
What she said is true. We haven't even made the Imperial forces retreat from our territory. I suspect the next battle will be much larger and deadlier than before.
***
[Raul PoV]
There were many obstacles and challenges in the journey of my relationship with Liana.
After that heartbreaking event, when Liana's childhood friend beat me to a pulp, Liana always avoided me, even though I often greeted her when we met on campus. She just ignored me as if I were someone she had never known.
Could she be feeling guilty and wanting to keep her distance from me so the same thing wouldn't happen again?
I couldn't help but think so.
"Hey, Evans. Why are you daydreaming like that?"
While I was idling at a gazebo in the campus park, I was suddenly approached by a man wearing glasses. He is Marek—someone I've recently become acquainted with.
"It's nothing, I'm just thinking about the assignment the professor gave earlier," I lied.
"Hey, instead of spacing out like that, how about we go watch the inter-departmental basketball game?" Marek suggested.
I nodded, accepting his invitation. Besides, my class schedule was finished for the day.
We then walked toward the sports hall. Campus A has the most complete and modern facilities in the country. I suppose that's natural, considering this place is the top destination for higher education. Many wealthy people attend this campus; Marek and I were lucky enough to get in through the regular track despite our humble backgrounds.
"You're still fond of drawing character designs, Marek," I remarked, seeing him focused on several character designs on a piece of paper he held.
"Of course. Why would I enter the Graphic Design major if I didn't have a passion for it?"
Marek has a talent for drawing. I think he would be a suitable partner to achieve my dream later. I create the programming for the game I want to make, while he handles the character designs.
Before long, we arrived at the sports hall. The basketball court was already crowded with other students wanting to watch. We sat in a relatively empty section of the bleachers and watched the game in progress. I saw a handsome blond man I remembered all too well, dominating the game. He could easily steal the ball, bypass enemy players with his smooth dribbling, and perform a beautiful dunk.
"Aaahhh! Kevan is so cool!"
"Look! He smiled and waved at me!"
All the female students watching were crazy for his charisma on the court.
"He's that famous national athlete, isn't he?" Marek muttered. "I think he'd be perfect as a sample for a character I'm making."
"I suppose a man with a build and face like his would be popular with female consumers, right?" I said.
"The majority, yes," Marek replied. "But quite a few great women would be interested in a handsome 'sad boy' like you, Evans."
Sad boy? What did he mean by that? Even though my life is hard, I have never felt hopeless or blamed circumstances while living my life.
"You can't lie to me," Marek said. "Even now, you haven't looked away from her, have you?"
Marek's words hit the mark. For a while now, I hadn't been paying attention to the basketball game but was instead staring at a black-haired woman sitting in the opposite bleachers, playing with her smartphone.
"Alright, you win," I replied. "She has been the source of my distress lately."
"Sad boys are easy to read," the four-eyed man teased.
The game then ended with a crushing victory for Kevan's team. Marek and I left the court. However, Marek suddenly said he got a call to pick up an item left by a friend at the Faculty Building. He told me to wait and left his umbrella with me.
After waiting for a while, rain began to pour over the campus area. It was indeed the rainy season. Fortunately, my apartment was only a few hundred meters from here.
Suddenly, I received a message from Marek. He said I could go home first because there was a delay in the delivery he was waiting for.
I exited the sports hall. However, I saw a black-haired woman waiting at the exit. It seemed she didn't bring an umbrella and was forced to wait for the rain to subside. I approached her slowly and stopped right beside her.
"You didn't bring an umbrella?" I asked.
She only nodded in response. Her attitude hadn't changed at all, even though that incident happened a month ago.
"Use this. My friend isn't using it right now anyway." I offered the umbrella to Liana.
However, Liana remained silent and didn't take the umbrella from my hand. Still, I didn't pull my hand back and waited until Liana took it.
Ten minutes passed. Liana finally took the umbrella from my hand.
"Thank you."
"No problem," I replied while opening Marek's umbrella. "Just use it. You can return it whenever."
After saying that, I stepped away to leave the building. If she didn't want to talk to me, I wouldn't force her. If she wanted to distance herself from me, I would respect her decision. I didn't want to be presumptuous about Liana's condition, nor did I want to force her to tell me her problems. However, if she wanted to be open with me, I would always be by her side to help her as best I could. At least, that's what I could do for someone I considered a friend.
But suddenly, I felt something pull at my coat from behind.
I turned around; the hand pulling my coat belonged to Liana. I couldn't see her face because it was obscured by the umbrella she held.
"I'm sorry for what happened before, Evans," she whispered. "I... I..."
"If you don't want to tell me the reason, you don't have to force yourself," I cut her off.
Hearing my words, she tilted the umbrella up slightly, allowing me to see her face, as white as snow, and her eyes, as black as gems.
"Do you want to come to my apartment?" Liana invited, which took me by surprise. "I'll tell you why I've been avoiding you lately."
Hearing her invitation, I only nodded and smiled softly. We then walked side-by-side through the rain on this very dark day. Yet, contrary to the weather, my mood was as bright as springtime.
— Crack-boom!
Suddenly, a bolt of lightning struck; the blinding light forced me to close my eyes. But when I reopened them, I was no longer at Campus A, but inside a cell.
I was lying on a floor covered in stacks of straw. My body was still very weak, and my hands felt handcuffed behind my back. Inside here, I felt small sways and heard the sound of waves.
Am I on a ship?
"Ah, you're finally awake, Raul de Garcia."
Suddenly, I heard a woman's voice. Turning to the side, I saw a black-haired woman sitting in a chair with her arms crossed.
That's right, in front of me is the woman who defeated me earlier—Siena di Reginossa...
"It seems it's time to ask you a few questions."
Ughhh... It looks like I'm about to go through some hard times if I don't play my cards right.