In the shadow of the mountains, the two reached the gate of Kurani.

It was a massive gate carved into the rock, though open at the top.

'Maybe we could just jump over it? No, that would be too obvious.'

The gate itself was several meters thick and could be sealed with a steel grate. In front of the gate was a small plaza, where many soldiers were patrolling.

During the Third War of the Lost, the city was attacked from two sides—by sea and through the gate.

For a long time, no one dared attack the city due to its strategic trade routes and its ideal location as a fortress. But eventually, two nations united and attempted the attack.

The valley quickly turned into a battlefield, burning like a torch and spilling blood into the sea.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

At that time, the attack was barely repelled by a group of admirals and commanders from Kasaka, along with the help of various mercenary groups. The battle left a deep scar on the land and its people, from which they took a long time to recover.

Thanks to a former admiral, the gate was fully restored, as was the city.

But the sea in front of Kurani remained red with blood for days. For a time, the city was even called "The City by the Red Sea."

Now, only a few signs remained of the destruction from those days.

In honor of the admiral, a statue had been erected in the plaza. However, in recent years, under the new emperor, the statue had been removed. Now, only an impressive mosaic on the ground commemorated the history of that battle.

Kawao suspected that the mosaic must be telling the story of the battle that Kenzo had told them about.

They looked around, but there was no sign of their rescuer. They began to worry. What if the plan had failed? Could they escape on their own?

Shortly afterward, they heard a faint but increasingly loud whistling. Suddenly, their rescuer landed in front of them. She had several minor injuries and was breathing heavily. She was even bleeding!

"Good, you’re here! Let’s go!" she said.