Disclaimer: I don't own Gate or Nihonkoku Shoukan as it belongs to its rightful owners.

Arc 1: Rodenius Special Chapter: A Secret Promise

Never ever he had felt this kind of silence in the air.

All throughout his young life, he himself had witnessed the glory that befell every Legion or Group that had set out the journey to battle enemies, slay demons, or conquer the new lands.

The Empire had always held these small ceremonies for departing men, and it was adorned with festivities, with families and friends bringing food, musical instruments, and even games to make this an unforgettable event. Some even brought a high priest to pray for the men themselves in order for the God of War to bless them with his own protection so that they would all be safe when engaged in battle.

The recent armies that had returned from their campaigns to expand the territories from the North, were a strong testimony. The Lands of Quila was slowly falling apart.

It was early in the morning when Darius, a young nobleman in the middle of his 20s, found himself at the southern part of the Empire's walls, specifically near the gates of an old watchtower.

He had already expected this calm and windy atmosphere that overwhelmed and the rest of the men. The usual Imperial soldier's clothing was nowhere to be seen other than the new garb with a very much different design exclusively provided by his home's finest tailors and silk makers. Whoever had the idea of changing the original design should be praised for the armor is much lighter than the standard bulky iron armors. Furthermore, a close friend from the Royal court had given him a small gift of some sort, contained in a wooden box with unique designs, to which he had decided to open later on the journey.

Right now, he had to oversee the rest of his group, which had been entrusted to him, and as a young leader, he was determined to ensure that everyone was prepared and had time to say their goodbyes to their own families.

A smile formed around his lips, seeing the proud eyes of these families towards these men. It was enough to cover one of the truths of humanity's nature.

There were men who were treated the same way when they left, but when they returned from their journey, defeated and having failed to achieve their goals, they were mocked, and only their families waited at the bridge or at the Gates to welcome them back, even in the midst of their disappointment.

It was one of the reasons the young man had asked for only a small ceremony for these men. They were ordinary citizens or even migrants who volunteered to train and serve the Empire simply to feed their families, and He always knew that these people didn't need glory or praises to achieve true happiness.

As he surveyed more of the surroundings and scenery, he deduced that there were about 80-90 men in armor that stood in the fields, gathering themselves and mustering up their old courage back that helped them accomplished the previous missions.

"Captain Darius!"

A voice then called to this attention and he shifted his eyes towards to much younger man in his teens.

"Most of the horses are ready and good to go, sir!" The young man informed the captain." Should I announce to them?"

Darius smiled." Just give them more time to spend with their families." He told the boy.

"Yes, captain." The boy nodded, as he left to tend to his own horse.

The day had welcomed him with open arms, though his mind went back to the report of a certain fellow noble, who had relayed on a message through a rare magic crystal. The supposed target was living in a village somewhere in the Alnus Region. According to further details, the individual formerly belonged to that of noble or royal status and is considered a threat when is forced to defend himself.

"Hmmm, interesting." He nodded to himself." Could it really be true that he is the one?"

In the midst of his thoughts, a new presence had entered the scene, and he immediately recognized the newcomer due to the distinctive scent of a certain rare perfume that belonged from the North.

"I didn't expect you to be here." He said as he turned around to face a beautiful white-haired beauty.

She was dressed in a more simple leather outfit that covered very few parts of her body and wearing a kind of strap, which was also made of leather, that covered her neck as a type of accessory. The bright red eyes the fluffy white ears were dead giveaway and at first glance, he thought he had seen that former glory of the fierce Queen hailing from the powerful Northern tribe.

There was a silence that followed after as the young woman had a slightly worried look on her face.

The young captain gave a small chuckle and shook his head." For the last time, I'll be keeping my promise." He said as he slowly approached her.

The beautiful young woman frowned slightly as she looked away, trying to avoid eye contact as much as possible." Just make sure that you don't get yourself killed there." she told the captain, her expression slowly returning to sorrow." You know that you're the only hope that she has, in getting away from that-"

"I know I know, as soon as I come back from this mission, I'll make sure that her slave title will be transferred to me, give the proper treatment that she deserved and somehow help her reach her home at Alnus Hill?" Darius ended his summary with a question that continued to baffle him to this day.

Of all the places in this land, why the sacred hill?

"Because that's where she came from and her home belonged to the other side of this world." She repeated her statement one more time.

A small chuckle escaped the young man's lips. "You seriously believed that story?" he inquired, much to his surprise, and much to his dismay, that story itself was nothing more than a fabrication to appease the majority of the people.

Although, the young woman could only give a serious expression as a response.

"Very well," he sighed, "but promise me you'll tell me the real story when I get back." He then requested a small favor.

The young woman didn't say a word but only nodded, as her thoughts began to cloud her mind. She felt this fear for the first time as she could see the rest of the people that would be going with him for their so-called mission, she considered herself as a witness to the cries of the women and children that echoed through the cities, and she didn't want to be part of the lines when these band of men returns only a few.

For the first time, she found herself afraid of the outcome.

No matter what she did to sacrifice every bit of what her power and status could hold just to keep the ones that she cared safe and protected from bad hands. Now she was doing it again for the sake of a friend, who had suffered enough and longed for her home.

The young captain just smiled as he placed his hand on her shoulder and that caught her attention immediately.

"Don't worry, a promise is a promise." He said while looking straight through her eyes." I'll be back." He smiled as he heard the call of the rest of the men, who were now waiting for his signal.

"See you around, Tyuule."

Darius smiled as he bid his farewell, proceeding and hopping onto his horse, and instructed the rest of the group to begin the first steps of the journey.

"Alright, men! Let's move forward!" He declared as the rest of the men marched with their captain while their families watched and also waved their temporary goodbyes to them.

The young woman found herself standing in the midst of the small crowd as she took a deep breath afterward. Her gaze only focused on the small Imperial Army as they headed to the vast lands and forests of the region.

A small smile appeared on her lips for the first time somewhere there. She was overcome with joy for her friend. That her friend would be liberated from the dark prison cellars and the occasional secret rooms that she had tried to sabotage numerous times in order for them not to touch her skin. By the time Darius returns from his journey, all of that will be over in an instant. She could feel the latter's story coming to an end, and as fate had placed her, she would resume the responsibility of keeping her safe from the scoundrels of both courts.

At least, that was her role in the story from the start.

However, in her case, a different story is to be told for another time.

CHAPTER END

AN: I've been really debating with myself whether I should introduce a certain character early in the story arc, but I thought why not write a sneak peek regarding it? thus this chapter came to fruition. With that said, Thank you for your support and giving time into reading the chapter :)