The Duke General Arondir is two days away from Matique on horseback. He is accompanied by only ten knights. They are highly experienced knights, handpicked for this mission. The other twenty thousand knights are returning to the Duchy of Kitonia. His order of knights is known as the Green Knights. They are recognized by their long green cloaks bearing the duchy's crest, which is an eagle holding a spear with its beak, and they also wear helmets with green crests.

Along the way, Arondir heard more about these invaders from another world. He still doesn't fully believe the reports he's heard. How is it possible for flying machines faster than Wyverns or steel monsters that breathe fire? None of it makes sense. However, he is wise enough to give some credence to these reports.

During the journey, he encountered some deserter soldiers from the empire who were looting villages. He defeated some of them and discovered that they were part of the large army that had been gathered in the south for the incursion into the other world.

He looks at his men; they all have confident expressions. He and his knights are riding through a forest with blood-red leaves. The path is quite narrow, so they are riding at a reduced speed. One of his most trusted men and his personal guard, Knight Condur, is riding beside him. "I can't believe the imperial troops in the south were defeated," said Condur, letting out a frustrated sigh. "From the reports, the rest of the imperial troops retreated and are now around Valehur, having practically abandoned Matique, which fell into the hands of these OtherWorlders."

Arondir looks at his friend and knows his frustration is justified. About 130,000 soldiers retreated to Valehur, a city surrounded by a huge military fortress and protected by a vast forest. The city was built in a large clearing in the forest. Its estimated population is 600,000 inhabitants, mostly humans. The city is enormous, covering 150,236 square kilometers.

"These OtherWorlders, it seems the empire underestimated them, just as it underestimated the northern alliance," said Arondir. He knows that at some point the northerners will be defeated, but if the empire does not pay proper attention to these new enemies that the empire itself created out of sheer greed and military incompetence, the empire will fall one day, and he fears that his duchy will be one of the most affected by this. He hates the empire, but he is forced to work for them; if the empire falls, the entire region will become barbaric.

"But I still don't understand what exactly we came here to do in the south; we are only eleven knights," said Condur, trying to understand the logic behind his lord's orders. Arondir looks at him and responds;

"We are not going to fight them, which is why there are only eleven of us."

Condur is confused by this statement.

"But what will we do then?"

Arondir gives a smile and a confident look to his friend.

"We are going to find out who they are and see if they are better or worse than the Hurdian Empire."

"I understand," says Condur, with his hand on his chin, thinking about his lord's words.

They continue riding through the forest, heading towards a meeting with these 'invaders.'

---

Princess Helena and her three knights are flying in a beautiful formation, each knight alongside the other, their griffins performing elegant aerial maneuvers. She realizes they have been flying non-stop for a day, and they still have at least another day until they reach the outskirts of Matique. They all agree to land their griffins in a field.

Upon landing, they dismount, and their griffins seem a bit hungry. "Let's feed them," said Helena. She takes out a bag with pieces of lamb meat. They all brought these supplies so they could feed their beasts for several days. They also brought provisions for themselves.

She strokes the thick feathers of the griffin while it eats. The beast is beautiful, one of the empire's prides. For centuries, these animals could never be tamed, but the empire found a way to domesticate them. Now they are as loyal to their owners as a Wyvern is to its rider.

Luiza approaches Helena, "I still can't believe we tamed these beautiful beasts."

Helena looks at her and smiles, "Yes, it was one of the empire's greatest achievements. These griffins are fantastic creatures and incredibly strong."

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Luiza laughs as she agrees with her princess. But she changes the subject. "How do you think they are?"

Helena looks at her confused, "They?"

"Yes, the invaders from another world."

Before Helena could respond, Milla joins the conversation.

"They are all humans, just like us."

"How can you be sure?" asked Luiza.

"I have contacts, I heard rumors. The empire invaded because their world is inhabited only by humans."

"It's true," says Martha, joining the conversation. "I saw some slaves captured from the other side of the gate in the capital. Some have an exotic appearance, but they were all human."

"We will find out what they are like and how they fight as soon as we reach Matique," said the princess. "Besides, we will most likely have a fight to defend the city."

They all exchange determined looks. The city of Matique is not just any city; it is an important commercial city in the south. Losing it to the invaders would cut off a significant source of taxes for the empire, which could harm the war effort as the empire drains its reserves. Of course, there are still hundreds of cities contributing tributes to the empire. But losing a source of revenue is still a major loss.

"Do you believe the city could fall?" asks Martha.

"The city is strong, our Grandmaster is leading the troops to protect the region and the city, so I don't believe that possibility. At least for now," the princess responds confidently.

After spending a few hours talking and resting, they decide to resume their journey. They still have a day's travel ahead, and they want to arrive as soon as possible.

Quickly, they all take flight on their griffins and, in a beautiful V-formation, fly away.

---

Martha is on her griffin, all four are flying at a reasonable speed. At this pace, they will cover half the distance before needing to rest again. Something catches her attention. To the east, she spots numerous creatures flying in formation. She recognizes this formation. The other three don't seem to have noticed yet. "Princess." She calls Helena's attention, who looks back directly at her. As soon as she has the princess's attention, she points in the direction of the formation. "I believe they are Wyvern knights of the empire," she finishes saying.

"There seem to be a few dozen of them," says Luiza, looking at that beautiful formation.

Helena looks confused at the Wyvern formation. She knows there are some garrisons of these knights in the region.

"Could they be heading to Matique, just like us?" asked Martha.

"Let's find out," the princess adjusts herself on her griffin and maneuvers towards the Wyverns. The other three do the same, following the princess.

--- Explorer 9, village. ---

Pedro is in this village in the middle of nowhere. He sees some curious looks directed at them. However, most people seem frightened. The villagers are mostly gathered outside a house. He, Gabriel, Bianca, and Corporal Lucas are outside the house, while the rest of the group went in with Dr. Luana to assess the health of the village wife. The four androids stayed outside the village, protecting the vehicles.

He notices that most of these people are thin. He's seen thin people before, but nothing compared to them. Especially the children. He can even count the bones of their ribs.

"This place stinks," Bianca grumbles while holding her nose.

"Well, we're practically in a village without basic sanitation. Just like some villages and cities in the ancient era of our civilization," says Lucas, looking around.

Pedro finds all this strange; it's like going back in time. These people and this place are almost a perfect copy of medieval Earth. He looks at Gabriel and notices an adventurous look in him, as if he wants to go out and explore everything. But at the same time, his gaze reflects empathy for these people.

"Hey," he calls Gabriel, who turns his attention to him. "Stay alert, and don't let your feelings get the better of you. Above all, we have a duty to fulfill here."

"Why are you telling me this?" Gabriel knows why; his friend knows him as well as his own mother. He doesn't want to admit it, but he feels pity and wants to help these people.

"You know why. The last thing we need now is for you to get lost or killed because you were too moved to help some stranger. Their situation is sad, I know, but we can't act without permission."

Gabriel has heard stories; he knows that trusting someone too much when you're in enemy territory is risky. He remembers a case during the war on narco-terrorism when a group of soldiers were lured into a trap in an alley in the slums. They went to help a child. She convinced them to go fetch her mother, who had been shot and was waiting for help inside her house. When they arrived, it was an ambush. They were caught in a firefight; half of that group of soldiers were killed in action. The rest were lucky to barely escape. Unfortunately, the bodies of the dead soldiers were used as trophies by the terrorists.

"Pedro is right," says Lucas, "we can't just go around helping anyone in enemy territory."

Bianca interrupts, "And besides, we already have two unwanted beings in our group."

Lucas looks at Bianca with disdain. She shouldn't bring her personal opinions into this.

Pedro disagrees with her on this point. That elf, apparently, decided to help and speaks Portuguese, proving to be a valuable member of the group so far, even though he doesn't fully trust her yet. He thought about contradicting Bianca but felt a bit scared; she is an officer and he is just an unlucky cadet.

---

Tiago is watching Luana try to figure out what is wrong with this woman. The woman looks pale, and has certainly been this way for some time. He concludes that this world seems to be a medieval society, and these people seem susceptible to all kinds of diseases; even a simple cold could become an epidemic. Besides, the whole village looks like an open sewer due to the horrible smell.

"Any news?" he asks Luana. Whatever this woman has, it seems quite serious. He doesn't believe it's contagious; if it were, everyone in this village would be in the same condition as this poor woman.

"Sergeant," Luana looks at Tiago, "I can't give a detailed assessment with the materials I have here, but given her symptoms and a small cut on her ankle that seems to have been made by something sharp, I believe she has an infection due to tetanus."

Tiago finds this conclusion reasonable. Anyone could contract tetanus in a place like this; it only takes a cut for the bacteria to enter the wound.

"Give her an antibiotic to take, and take a blood sample. The antibiotics will slow down the infection a bit until we can decide what to do to provide more extensive help."

"Yes, sir."

She does as the sergeant ordered and asks Thalassa to explain to the man how the medicine works and how it will help his wife's recovery. Tiago tells Thalassa to translate everything the man says to him. Then he looks at the man.

"Sir, I'll be direct with you: your wife is probably suffering from a disease you've likely never heard of." Thalassa translates for the man while Tiago continues to speak, "This disease, if confirmed, has no cure, but we have a treatment that can help your wife. With our medicines, I know you might not trust me and my team, and I will understand if you refuse more extensive help."

After Thalassa translates Tiago's last word, the man looks at him, and in his eyes, Tiago can see a dilemma. After a few moments, the man looks at Tiago and says some words Tiago doesn't know and then bows.

Tiago looks at Thalassa, who quickly says, "He accepted your offer." This news relieves him. He knows it's not his obligation to help this woman, but it is still hard for him to let someone die, even if they are technically an enemy civilian.

He looks at his team, "Let's talk about how to proceed."

Everyone leaves the house and meets with the rest of the group who were guarding the house's entrance.