It was a beautiful morning. The skies were clear, the Sun shone, and we were on our way to Fort Zaraban. Before the modifications, I wouldn't have been able to see much outside from inside the tent, but the windows designed by our lovable, OP Sage changed things.

  "W-why are you looking at me like that?" Lucia said, slightly shifting her body to hide from my gaze.

  "Lucia, darling," I began, pcing my hand around her shoulder like an old friend. "I'll need your help fine-tuning some other magic items in our storage."

  "R-really?! What items?!" She asked with beaming eyes, the excitement palpable in her voice.

  "Shh, you're a bit too loud," I softly chastised her, thinking, Should I tell her? I don't know how she'd react to such a thing, so I'm probably better off keeping it under wraps for now.

  "You'll find out soon enough, after this battle," I said with a smile as I went over to where Arnaud was and sat down next to him.

  "Commander—"

  "I told you to drop all that Commander stuff, didn't I?"

  "S-sorry," He said.

  "It's crazy what magic can accomplish," I began. "Hertz is running at full speed, but we can't even feel it."

  "I'll try my best to live up to your expectations," He said while bowing his head to me. So formal, I thought, but I could understand why. Nothing good ever comes out of forcing retionships, so I'll let him open up to me naturally over time, I thought to myself as I expined, "Today's lesson will be a bit more practical."

  He widened his eyes at this and asked, "You'd still try to teach me in this situation?"

  "Of course! I'd never pass up this chance!" I replied energetically. "You will see the essence of a decapitation tactic with your own eyes,"

  "Decapitation tactic?" Arnaud asked as he brought out his notes, eyes ready to learn.

  "Yes, Arnaud. Armies turn to unruly, disorganized mobs without a Commander issuing orders. So, in situations like these?" I passed the mike over to him.

  "Taking out the Commander wins the battle," He muttered, looking like fireworks were going off in his mind.

  "Correct! We'll infiltrate the Keep, eliminate his personal guard, and kill him and any other officer that could assume command!" A shocking dispy would probably aid in confusing and demoralizing the soldiers, but that could also backfire. Let's just keep that one to ourselves, I thought to myself. I happened to look outside then and caught a glimpse of the Fort we'd be conquering.

  It was colossal, majestic, and imposing, a true treasure of the Empire. And a perfect target for our debut, I added mentally as Hertz picked up the pace. The other soldiers and even Arnaud showed signs of worry, but I was fully confident in this pn. I wouldn't spare any other officials or give the soldiers time to organize themselves. My actions were geared toward maximizing chaos, and it would all begin the moment we entered the Keep.

  I took the little time we had left to expin the mission to the soldiers and adventurers in our Trojan horse, trying my best to assuage their fears. I described the prime targets, assigned roles, and handed out supplies as needed. Rapiers? Check. Hammers? Check. Long Distance Staves? Check. I ensured we had everything necessary to carry out our mission, and after a few more minutes, Hertz whispered,

  "We're here." The next thing I knew, the tent was back to its normal size, and we rushed out of the newly designed four entrances, quickly flooding the courtyard. We killed all soldiers in sight, including the Knights guarding the entrance to the Keep. From there, the Company would stay back to prevent soldiers from following after us while the assault team, basically me, the party, Arnaud, and Geiter would head inside. We must hurry while we still have the element of surprise on our side...

  As we rushed inside, Hertz ran up to me and said, "I've gotten a good scope of the surroundings."

  "Do you know where the Commander is?" I asked while sprinting through the corridors.

  "Yes, he's in a War Room with the rest of the officials. I could lead you there." Perfect! I thought to myself with a confident smile.

  "Thanks, Hertz! You're a one in a million!" I turned to the rest and said, "Everybody! Follow Hertz!"As we inched ever closer to the War Room, Phildina came up to me and asked,

  "Daphne, can I handle the other officials?"

  "I mean, sure, but..."

  "Okay!" Phildina said as she flew back with a big smile on her face. It never fails to impress me how she can fly in cramped spaces like these. Kimmel and Sarde left their horses inside the tent, but there she was, flying within the Keep without a care in the world. Eventually getting to the War Room, we exchanged understanding gnces and nods before Batti broke down the door with a powerful swing of his axe. After him, Phildina blitzed into the room at speeds I could hardly follow with my eyes, almost blowing all of us away in the process as she took out every single official with quick, sophisticated nce thrusts.

  It all happened so fast, so I couldn't be sure about the st thing I saw, but... Did she go after the Commander? I wondered, my eyes fixed on the General who sat unmoving at the farthest end of the table. Is he dead? However, just then, he patted the pce she struck him at and slowly rose from his seat. His heavy armor covered almost every part of his body, revealing only his bck eyes, which were resolute and powerful. He held a massive sword in his right hand, and something about his aura sent chills running down my spine.

  "That actually stung a bit. What's your name, Pegasus Magic Knight?" His voice was deep, and something about it commanded respect.

  "Phildina," She answered, probably feeling the same thing.

  "It's a good name," He remarked before gulping down some Holy Water from a vial he always kept on his person. Oh, no. "Are those your companions?"

  "Yes," She answered while tightening her grip on her nce. Everything about him screamed danger. Phildina took out all the officials with her [Killing Mastery] and used it on him, yet he was talking to us, completely unfazed and unafraid. Then, he took one look at Lucia and drank Holy Water to strengthen his resistance against magic. He moved like someone with years of experience on the battlefield and was probably the enemy with the highest level we'd ever encountered. This is going to be rough, I thought as we began to surround him.