Back at the dwarf kingdom, after they got out of the labyrinth, Aurora talked to Ace for the last time.

"Thank you for your help," Aurora said. "I really appreciate it."

"You're welcome," Ace said with a grin. "Just told my brother I did a decent job."

"I will," Aurora nodded. "Sorry for leaving you with all this mess."

Ace laughed. "Don't worry, what we were doing didn't exactly align with the empress to begin with."

Aurora giggled. "I guess not."

As they exchanged parting words, Aurora made her way towards the waiting carriage. Ruby and Lumi already enter the carriage while Rita was waiting outside.

"Miss Aurora," Rita said. "Are we going to stop somewhere else, or should we head directly to where the fight happened?"

Aurora's gaze fixed upon the distant horizon, her resolve unwavering. "Let's go directly there," she said. "Even if we're late, we might still be able to help with something."

Rita nodded. "Understood."

With graceful movements, Aurora stepped into the carriage and settled onto the seat beside Ruby.

Rita wasted no time, pulling her sword and immediately using her magic to move the carriage at high speed.

As the carriage gained more and more speed, Aurora said, "We might be joining a fight later, so try to rest if you can."

"Okay," Ruby replied.

Lumi nodded, her expression implying that she didn't believe she could help with the fight even if it happened.

After what felt like an eternity of relentless riding, the carriage finally slowed down. The basecamp sprawled before them, bustling with activity. A guard, adorned in Prince Casper's emblem, approached Rita and guided her and the carriage to a designated area.

Aurora and the others get out of the carriage and immediately followed the guard. Rita soon joined them. In the heart of the basecamp, a figure emerged from the sea of guards. Prince Casper greeted them with a warm smile.

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"Welcome," Casper said, "you finally come back." He glanced at Ruby and Lumi, a mixture of familiarity and curiosity flickering in his eyes.

Aurora returned his smile with a nod of acknowledgment. "Long time no see, Prince Casper," she said. "How are things going?"

"Not too bad," Casper replied. "But it would certainly help if this lady knight joined us." He glanced at Rita.

Rita stood tall, her eyes meeting Casper's unwaveringly.

While ruby and Rita talk with prince Casper, Aurora interest shifted to where she heard several groan of pain. she immediately going after the injured and heal them. Lumi who didn't feel comfortable dealing with royalty, decided to followed Aurora.

That's when she meet with Serena.

"Retreated?" Aurora asked. "Really?"

"Yeah, that was kind of weird, right?" Serena said. "They might have been planning something. I mean, they had already made a decision to destroy us once and for all. I doubt that they would back down now."

Aurora nodded. "Indeed, that's weird. Now that they knew our kingdom had become an ally and we had secret weapons—a gun. If they retreated now, they would just be giving us more time to prepare for the fight with them under better conditions. Why would they do that?"

"That's why I believed they were planning something," Serena said. "But I wasn't sure what."

Aurora agreed. However, their suspicions were soon put to rest when Prince Casper dispatched a group of his most trusted knights to gather intelligence on the enemy's movements and they have returned.

"Prince Casper," one of the knights reported, his voice filled with urgency. "They really retreated all their armies back to their kingdom."

Casper's eyes widened in disbelief. "Are you sure?" he asked.

The knight nodded, his face etched with the certainty of what he had witnessed. "We're sure, Prince," he said. "Their forces are retreating, leaving our lands."

A wave of bewilderment washed over Casper as he tried to make sense of the enemy's sudden change in strategy.

"Weird. So they really gave up? But why?" he pondered aloud, his mind racing to uncover the hidden motives behind this unexpected turn of events.

The fact that they successfully stopped the attack from Samalanra kingdom could be counted as a win, but they couldn't really be happy with this. Everyone ended up feeling confused. The news of their supposed victory should have brought relief and celebration, but instead, it left an unsettling taste in everyone's mouth.

Prince Casper and Serena's group followed the elves to discuss matters further. They will engage in discussions that would shape the fate of their kingdoms. However, Aurora didn't feel the need to join them, so she decided to return to the academy. After all, there was nothing else she could do at the moment.

"Well, things ended quite absurdly," Ruby remarked from inside the carriage. "But at least we can finally get some rest, right?"

Aurora nodded, attempting to smile. "You're right. We've already done so much. Perhaps this might be exactly what we need."

Her gaze fixed on the passing scenery outside the carriage window as the academy's grand entrance came into view.

Still, even as they arrived at the academy, Aurora's mind couldn't find peace. It wasn't just the peculiar actions of the Samalanra kingdom's armies that troubled her. She was also bothered by the fact that Reiren, Eliphia, and the group of harpies still hadn't made their way to this kingdom.

Setting aside Reiren and Eliphia for a moment, Uta had promised to join them within a few days, but now more than a week had passed, and there was no trace of their arrival.

Aurora had actually expected them to be there upon her return, but it seemed luck was not on her side. Anxiety settled within Aurora as she realized that nothing was unfolding as she had anticipated.

A few hours later, Aurora found herself seated in her room, let out a weary sigh as she cradled her cup of tea, which had grown cold in her hands. The liquid offered little comfort as she mulled over the uncertainties that plagued her mind. Just as she began to delve deeper into her thoughts, the door swung open, and Lyra, her trusted maid, entered the room.

"Miss, there's a letter for you," Lyra announced, holding out a sealed envelope.

Aurora's curiosity stirred, momentarily diverting her attention from her concerns.

"Oh, from whom?" she asked.

"Nyx Graveshade," Lyra replied, handing over the letter. "Do you know her, miss?"

"No," Aurora replied, examining the letter. "Not personally."

Her fingers traced the embossed seal, a wave of familiarity washing over her as she recognized the name. Nyx Graveshade—it was a name she had encountered before, not in this world, but from a game called 'Demoness Monarch of the Eternal Night.' With anticipation building, she carefully broke the seal and opened the letter.

***