Cough! Cough!

Teri covered her mouth as wafts of dust and debris fell from the ceiling and the palace rumbled from the many fights happening within it as of the moment. She carefully kept track of where she was going and avoided any confrontation with armed grunts from the Kingdom; she had to find her Lady and make sure she was safe. 

That was her job after all.

The palace walls rumbled again and one of the chandeliers that hung above the halls fell indiscriminately towards her direction. Her eyes widened and she prepared for impact but thankfully she wasn't alone in her endeavor.

The chandelier was knocked aside by a whip of scarlet red that pushed the broken chandelier to the side before it could crash at her.

“This place is really getting wrecked, huh?” Ben gnashed his teeth at his surroundings. “You okay?”

“Fortunately so, thank you, Your Highness.” Teri pursed her lips and looked ahead once more.

“Are you sure we’re going the right way?” Ben asked. This would not be his first time wondering that same question but nonetheless, Teri responds with adequate professionalism.

“I trust in this ring, Your Highness. Her Lady gave this to me with her utmost generosity.” Teri spoke. She glanced once more at the ring she wore on her fingers.

Most people rarely notice she has one due to its simplistic look. It carried no design and was simply a silver band that had carved words on the inside portion of its craft, so you could say the only creative thing about this ring was still, even then, hidden from view.

The ring, gifted to her by the Lady some time ago when they were young, was a magical artifact that carried a small and useful enchantment. It allowed the two of them to know where the other person was through a link formed between their shared bands.

As a maid to Her Lady, this was not only useful in making sure of the Lady’s location but it also helped them a lot in finding each other amongst larger crowds. Who knew this simple ring would end up helping Teri find her Lady during such an event like this?

“Crap.” Ben grabbed Teri’s hand suddenly and pulled her to his chest before they could turn the corner. The Maid stiffened her body and she glanced up towards the Prince, who had a finger on his mouth telling her to stay quiet. 

Teresa Montgomery may have been a maid to the Grand Duke’s Heir and Daughter, but she was still, herself, the daughter of a noble. Albeit, a viscount. She quickly pulled herself away from the Prince and knelt down to peek at the reason the Prince snatched her backward.

“Have you found it yet?” An official-looking man dressed in a fashionable blue suit and black hair pushed to the back. 

“Not yet, Vice Captain Hemming.” A grunt saluted with his arm into his chest. 

“Find it quick, it won't be long before we get pushed back and soon be forced to retreat.” The black-haired man paced around. “We must make haste.” He had a menacing smile on his face.

Teri covered her mouth quietly and stayed behind the corner. She took a glance towards the Prince who met her eyes and shook his head.

This would be a dangerous fight to get into.

Both of them knew that the moment he was called the Vice Captain.

The two silently shuffled back in the other direction in hopes of finding another way towards the Lady. 

Still, Teri wondered what exactly they were looking for. It had to be something important if it warranted enough disposition as to invade the Empire.

“Who was that?” Teresa asked the Prince as soon as they were in the clear.

“I have no clue but…that man feels strong.” Ben winced as they tiptoed down a different corner. “Fighting him right now in my condition…won't be any good.”

…

“Did you hear something?” Sir Hemming, the Vice Captain, asked the grunt in front of him.

The grunt panicked and looked around the vicinity. “I shall investigate the area right away, Sir!”

The Vice Captain bit his thumb as he glanced at the corner across the hall. “First, my impersonation plan went to dust. Next, this ambush is becoming more complicated.” He drew his sword and headed toward the direction of the muffled shuffling he heard before. “I’d better get this over with.”

…

“Lady Teresa, grab my hand.” Ben helped the young Lady of House Montgomery up over the fallen debris blocking the path.

“We took quite a ways from the shorter path but it's still pointing towards a similar direction.” Teresa gestured at her ring. 

Then suddenly the hairs on her arm rose and she snapped her head back to take a look behind them. 

There was nothing.

Teri blinked, she could've sworn there was someone watching them.

“We can't dilly dally here, My Lady. Let's go.” Ben called to her down below. “I’ll catch you.”

Teresa rolled her eyes and jumped down on her own, landing on her own two feet. “I am not a simple damsel, Your Highness.” She turned her eyes behind them again. The gaze she felt from before had now disappeared.

It wasn't something to be ignored, but it also wasn't something she could heed much attention to at the moment.

“Over this way, My Lady.” The Prince opens a few doors and leads them ever so closer to the direction of the Lady of House Alejandra.

“If I may be curious, Your Highness.” Teresa raised an eyebrow. “Why do you refer to me as ‘My Lady’ right now?”

Ben blinked. He sighed from her very formal tone but smiled as he answered her question. “You are the Young Lady of House Montgomery, are you not?”

Teresa shrugged and the Crown Prince chuckled at her reaction. 

They made their way through the marble floors and white-coated walls of the palace but a scream stopped them from their tracks.

They immediately ducked down and crouched as the sound of yelling grew even more intense.

The Crown Prince looked on ahead to an oath that was divulged into two, with one of the paths being the source of all the noise. He turned his look to the young noble lady and personal maid of House Ramirez, who sighed and understood what he was gonna do.

The two of them sneaked until they could peek around the corner to see what was happening. It felt like that's all they've been doing tonight.

The scene consisted of a couple of grunts banging at a large wooden door as the scream for help came from inside the room.

“GET OUT OF THERE!” The grunts yelled.

“JUST LEAVE US ALONE PLEASE! SOMEONE HELP!” A woman's voice shrieked from behind the door.

It seemed like there were people hiding behind that room and the Kingdom soldiers were trying to break in. 

“IF YOU LET US IN, WE WON'T KILL YOU!” A grunt snickered.

“AS IF WE BELIEVE THAT!” A man, this time, yelled from the other side. “Don’t open the door, Janice!”

The place the people were hiding was the Imperial Library, a haven of knowledge and stories, and in this context, a general haven of safety.

Teresa had a pained look in her eye as the Crown Prince had the same expression. The direction of the library was the exact opposite direction the ring was pointing to.

But she had no choice.

Her Lady would be disappointed if she didn't help those people right now.

“Lady Teresa?” Ben mouthed towards her.

“Do it.”

The Prince smiled and drew his sword.

Away from the Imperial Library and in the hallway leading to the evacuation area, a certain one-sided battle was occurring.

“ARGH!” The Big Man, the one who gave the Prince trouble, was being thrashed down the hard floor. A looming hand gripped his collar then threw the Man into a stone pillar and broke it in half. “GAACK!”

The being who was one-sidedly winning this fight could never have been this Big Man, for as they say…there's always a bigger fish.

“You’re…You're not human.” The Man grumbled as he stared in horror at the looming dark figure ahead of him. Its silver hair shone like the scythe of the Grim Reaper.

“I can very much assure you.” The silver-haired man, Duke Bay, crushed the floor with his single step. “I am very much Human.” He arched his arm backward then without hesitation threw his fist down on the befallen Man.

The Man shrieked and rolled out of the way as the spot he was in was pulverized and then exploded into a heap of stone and marble that sent everything near it to its grave.

The Man felt the small pieces of rock pierce into his skin and one found its way and lodged into his right eye. “AHHH!” He screamed in pain.

In a moment of desperation, he placed his hand on the floor and casted vibrations that sent a fissure towards the Duke’s way.

The Duke, however, simply continued his walk and sidestepped away from the cracking floor that burst like a bomb once it got near him enough. 

Howard Bay was a kind man. Many would call him soft-spoken and benevolent. His soldiers treat him with respect and his children admire every bit of their father.

But all of that was not saved for his enemy. He was a cruel warrior on the battlefield, his mere presence heeded a warning of death amongst the Kingdom’s men. He killed hundreds to thousands of enemy soldiers, all without ever drawing his blade.

They say that no one has ever seen the Duke’s blade. Not even his people, associates, and even his family.

The Duke only ever draws his blade for one reason.

To Execute.

Shiiiiik

That was the sound of the blade of the Duke being drawn. 

The Big Man’s eyes widened. He knew who this monster was, he merely thought all the stories regarding him were nothing but propaganda and exaggeration perpetuated by the Empire against the Kingdom soldiers.

But he was wrong.

No, even the stories were wrong.

There was no way you could call this man a human.

“IF I'M DYING HERE! I’LL KILL YOU WITH ME!” The Big Man stands up and rushes forward. If he’s gonna die, he would at least try to bring the Duke with him. His Adjudicator magic allows him to increase the oscillation of what he touches, and he can match it with their natural frequency to break them apart.

All he needs is a second and touch and he can deal significant damage to the Duke.

Yes, that was all he needed.

“Blegh!” The man vomited blood as an arm was piercing through his chest. “What just…”

“You have become reckless.” The Duke sighed. “What is your name?”

The Man tried to speak. “Ezel.” he croaked.

“Then I shall add your name to the list of bodies that haunt my dreams.” The Duke took his hand out of the Man’s chest and let him drop to his knees.

In a swift slash of the Duke’s blade, the Man was beheaded and the blade was sheathed again.

The Duke then hears fighting somewhere off in the distance. 

“I suppose I shall lend my aid to my pupil.” He begins to walk towards the direction of the fighting but someone blocked his path.

“HALT!” A Kingdom soldier approached him and a few dozen more appeared behind the first.

“Why are you so eager to approach your death?” The Duke stared into the empty eyes of the Kingdom soldiers. “What?”

There was something off about them but the Duke had no time to think as the soldier swung their blade with tenacity.

Back in the first garden, the young thief stared at the dagger between her feet. 

“Kill him.” The Man behind her snickered. “Do that and you’ll live.”

With her shaking hands, she bends down and lifts the dagger up to her chest. Her fingers struggled to grab hold of the dagger, fear overpowering every other sense in her body. 

Her grip squeezed the hilt of the dagger and she tried to calm herself down. She just needs to kill this stranger…and she’ll be okay.

She pointed the dagger towards the young knight who barely managed to stand up and who was a few steps in front of her.

Why should she care about this random guy anyway? It's not like she asked him to protect her and save her life. She doesn't owe him anything…

She doesn't…

The girl fiddled with the hilt, her head was down and her body wouldn’t move. 

Why should she care?!

Just kill him already!

You’ll be fine as long as you do as you're told!

These thoughts collected themselves around her head and when she finally looked up, the knight who tried so hard to save her was now in front of her.

He reached his bloody hand over and wiped something from her eye. “Soyeon, right?” Asher smiled at her as he wiped the tears streaming down her face, she probably didn't even realize they were there. “Do what you must.”

Soyeon’s breathing went haywire. Her body suddenly felt hot and her hold on the knife had gotten tighter. “AHHHHHHHHH!” The girl stabs the dagger into the ground. “I WON’T DO IT!”

She lay helpless on the dirt and the Man who made them go through all this torture was now cackling before them.

“That was certainly amusing.” He walked over and grabbed the girl’s hair and dragged her to the side before kicking her in the face. “You’ve finished entertaining me. Now go die here.” He raised his hand towards the thief.

“No!” She braced for impact but it never came.

Asher had grabbed hold of the Tall Man’s arm.

“You have a surprisingly strong grip, especially since for someone about to die.” The Tall Man grinned and broke free from the Knight’s hold. “Why do you care for such a woman anyway? She's not even pretty enough to bed. Nor does she seem skilled with anything for the matter. Seriously, knights like you don't have a sense of practicali—” He was cut off by a fist of rock that smacked right into his face and sent him stumbling to the dirt. “Argh!”

“Will you…just….” Asher spoke in between breaths, not realizing that a gauntlet of rock covered his hand. “...shut the fuck up!”

Suddenly the rocks around the garden started moving before flying over and attaching themselves onto the young man’s body like a suit of armor. They molded perfectly and shaped themselves into a full body suit.

“You've gotta be kidding me…” The Tall Man looked on in horror. “He awakened his Adjudicator Magic!?”

The Knight in Stone walked over and picked up his sword. The girl stared on in awe as the air of the battlefield shifted in their favor. 

Asher took a look at himself. It was splendid, an armor molded from the stone around him. It was a miracle.

A miracle…

Bestowed by Asmodeus…

He smiled and thanked the Goddess by whispering a short prayer in the wind.

It was now time to grab hold of victory not only as the Heir of House Lewis but as a Knight of Honor.