“Are we actually doing the right thing?” Claire asked, her face hardened into a stoic yet strict expression.

“What do you mean?”

“I’m not blind, or deaf. The Deadlands expanded again,” she stated. “I’ve seen Pelkesk and even Kaldstein’s military arrive at HQ, and let’s not talk about Chimera and Hydra. They arrive with claims of negotiations, but they always come heavily armed and in great numbers, textbook intimidation tactics.”

“I understand your doubts, but something like the eradication of the specters is not something you achieve in a day.”

“But we are losing,” the lieutenant’s voice grew stricter.

“Not in my eye.”

A quick sigh escaped Claire’s lips, who replied, “What about the gladean knights?” she clicked her tongue before proceeding. “Why are they fighting us? Why would they…” the memory of King crushing her bones and breaking her arm suddenly flashed through her mind, prompting her to stop.

“Things are far more complicated now than what the legends tell you, but I am doing what I can to guarantee the world’s safety. Not only for a few hundred years or a couple of generations as it’s always been. I am ending this conflict forever, Claire.”

“I get it, I just thought… I thought the knights were legendary heroes like in the books.” The lieutenant expressed with a mix of sadness and disappointment, furrowing her brows.

“They are, although things have changed a little, knights like Ninigi still exist.”

“Right… so, they really are almost extinct?”

“Outside of the few I talked to you about… yes, what once was a proud army following the goddess, has turned into nothing more than a small divided group.”

“What about you being a specter?” Claire expressed with curious eyes. “If we are to kill them all then…”

“Are you worried?”

“I’m leaving.”

“Haha, don’t worry about it. I got things under control, so you should probably wake up now.”

“What?”

Gladean Empire, Capital City of Ksatria: 936, August 12th, Sunday, 12:00 PM.

“Lieutenant! Lieutenant!” Tori rocked Claire on her sit as she slumbered peacefully—her dropped head swaying left and right. “We’ve arrived!”

“Uh…?” the girl’s heavy eyes opened slowly. She lifted her head to look at the redhead next to her. “Where am I?”

Having arrived through sea at the gladean empire, Bloodhound continued to travel towards the capital of the continent with the help of the Blue Lobsters—who rented a bus to attend the festival. Claire and her team were seated in the back, with the lobster’s captain—Jean, driving the bus.

Tori giggled, answering the lieutenant’s question. “We are back in the empire, remember?”

Eric—who sat next to the window nodded, chiming in into the conversation. “We celebrate the liberation of earth by the champion nine hundred years ago during this month, so we’ll be seeing a lot of movement on the streets.”

“It is an old tradition,” Gaspard said—continuing with the noble’s statement. “I wonder if your father will participate in the festivities this year, young master.”

“Are you all gonna get out of my bus?” Jean turned to look over her shoulder from the driver’s sit. “I got clients waiting for me to pick’em up!”

“The blue lobsters are never late!”

“We bring people to their jobs, homes, schools and festivals in time!”

“Always!”

“Go, Blue lobsters!”

The pirates began to chant—filling the rest of the seats.

Quickly stepping out of the bus, Bloodhound was dropped near the closed streets of the festival—where the group proceeded to be checked by security in order to assist. Having been informed of Cerberus’ presence beforehand, as well as the presence of Eric—the son of duke Albury, the empire’s soldiers allowed entry to Bloodhound without much resistance.

With the mission in mind, Claire guided her team across the busy streets of Ksatria towards the large plaza guarding the bridge of the palace—taking an absurd amount of effort to keep Bloodhound from wandering off to check on the stalls and attractions.

“Are you children!?” the lieutenant snapped at the trio—with Gaspard smiling behind them. “We are not here to participate in the festivities, our mission is to head towards the palace and protect the emperor.”

“Can I buy one of those popsicles with a knight’s shape?” Scott asked.

“I’m going to shoot you.”

Tori lowered her head, keeping her hands in front with one on top of the other. “I’m sorry, lieutenant…” the girl bowed.

“It won’t happen again,” Eric claimed as he took a bite of a corndog.

“Where did you get that?” the lieutenant inquired about the source of the snack.

“Someone gave it to me.”

“And you just-!” Biting down on her own words, Claire interrupted herself to brief her team on their next move—leading them towards the guards protecting the gates to the bridge. “I want all of you focused from now on, got it?”

“Yes, ma’am!” the team chanted in unison.

Approaching one of the guards, the lieutenant introduced herself and Bloodhound to the imperial soldier—who allowed them free passage towards the gates of the palace after a thorough inspection. The group strode across the enormous bridge, crafted in stone and built over the deep waters surrounding the palace. They observed in awe while approaching the gigantic structure, admiring its white and blue colors—eventually reaching its gates, which were unsurprisingly heavily guarded by multiple soldiers.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

The men and women guarding the gates wore blue and golden tunics, with gold helmets that protected their heads and concealed their faces. Although their looks were very old fashioned, the imperial soldiers protecting the home of the emperor carried both swords and firearms with them—keeping a close eye on anyone who approached.

“Claire Lionheart,” the lieutenant introduced herself. “Me and my team have come under direct orders from Cerberus to assist in the emperor’s protection.” She handed a paper with her orders to the guard, signed by Arwen himself.

“You are not allowed to come in,” the man replied.

“What?” Claire flinched slightly, raising an eyebrow. “We are Bloodhound, we were called here to offer our aid.”

“You are not allowed to come into the party the way you are. Please leave immediately, or continue to enjoy the festival outside.”

“The way… we are?” Tori looked at her uniform with a saddened frown.

“Ah, of course.” Eric said as he raised both brows, explaining to the group about the party’s rules over the years. “Each year there’s a private party with invited guests only, to which a theme is decided upon.”

“That is correct,” Gaspard chipped in. “If I do remember correctly, the theme for this year was ‘couples’ and the guest are only allowed to enter in pairs.”

“What!” Clarie snapped. “Why didn’t you tell me before? And why should we abide by those rules? We are staff, not guests.” she spoke her last words while redirecting her attention towards the guard.

“I am not allowed to let you in.”

“Great…”

“W-well, at least we know what to do… right?” Tori smiled nervously. “Should we decide on pairs?”

“Sounds like the reasonable thing to do,” Scott agreed with a nod and smile.

Despite the situation deviating from the original plan, the lieutenant hummed with a distant look as she prepared a new course of action for her team. “We could send two agents inside, while the rest covers the perimeter… we have access to the gardens, and the area around the palace… if we can cover all angles then...”

Eric, Tori and Scott fixed their gazes on Claire as she devised a new plan. A strange feeling suddenly ran across the lieutenant’s skin—prompting her to turn and look at her team from over her shoulder, noticing the unblinking eyes of Bloodhound glued on her.

“What?”

“Who’s going in?” the trio said in unison—smiling with eager curiosity.

Scott pushed the bridge of his glasses, lighting up the lenses. “Surely, you can tell I am the best option, lieutenant. My eyes and ears as a sniper are the sharpest in our team, so I’ll be able to report any sort of faint and suspicious movements from the guests. Take me with you, and this mission will be a cinch.”

“You are as naïve as you are dull, Foley.” Eric responded while crossing his arms. “I’ve been inside the palace and assisted these parties before, so I will know when something is out of place. Take me with you, lieutenant, and I’ll show you the most important areas where security might falter.”

“W-wait!” Tori chimed in, pumping her fists nervously. “I can help too! Maybe my medical skills aren’t the most useful when preventing an attack, but I’m good at collecting information! I’ve been at parties like this before, and know how to mingle and treat guests.”

“It sounds like a hard choice,” Gaspard said with a smile. “Whatever you choose, young miss. I am sure the team will not disappoint, but you must voice your decision with haste.”

“Right…” Claire contemplated her options one last time, eventually making her decision on who to bring inside the palace.

“Names please.” The guard requested as the pair approached.

With a bit of preparation and time, Bloodhound put their plan in motion by injecting two of their agents inside the palace, while the rest patrols and keeps a watchful eye from outside. Scott, who was chosen to enter the party approached the guard. He was dressed in a black suit with a white shirt inside, a black bowtie tied around his neck.

“The name’s Scott, Scott Foley.” the man said with confidence while fixing his bowtie. “I’ll be assisting the party with my partner.”

“Eric Albury, heir of the Voyin province to the west, and son of the duke.” Eric, Claire’s second choice to enter the palace was dressed in a more feminine outfit, exhibiting a beautiful long green dress and white gloves. The getup covered most of his skin, with only his face showing as even his eyes were covered with a domino mask. “We are here for the party under direct orders of Cerberus, the paramilitary company fighting the specters on the west front in Hemel.”

As the guard moved his head from side to side to inspect the guests further, another soldier looked into an electronic device in hand before giving the green light to allow entrance to the pair—offering a quick nod to his companion.

“Right, you are allowed passage.” The guard said. “Please, enjoy your stay, lord Albury.”

Eric strode through the entrance as the guards pushed the massive stone gate open, beautifully crafted with images of the emperor and Gladea. Scott waited to be addressed as well, but his cocky smile quickly faded into a frown—pressing his lips together.

“So, no lord Foley?”

“Hurry up, Foley!” the noble called from inside.

Observing the pair from the outside was Claire, who smiled in satisfaction as the first step was successfully carried out by the pair. “Great, now to do our part.”

“W-where the outfits necessary?” Tori asked with furrowed brows, keeping a soft smile in her face.

“No, but we must continue.” The lieutenant replied. “Follow me, Tori, Gaspard.”

“Yes, lieutenant!”

“Right behind you, young miss.”

Gladean Empire, Ksatria’s Palace: 936, August 12th, Sunday, 12:00 PM.

Inside the sturdy and gigantic walls of the emperor’s palace, the main lobby was brimming with guests mingling and exploring the beautifully decorated interiors. A pair of large staircases allowed passage to the second floor, an azure carped laid down to provide an elegant look that blended perfectly with the curtains, flags and tablecloths decorating the place.

“I can’t believe you took me to Paradise just to bring me back down to this hell…” a blonde girl wearing a red dress pouted. She wore a domino mask, and a small pink flower in her short hair. “Not only that, but you forced me inside this place too. Ugh… and now I have to wear this stupid mask as well.”

Euthemia was seated at one of the tables in a corner, observing the crowds enjoying their time at the party—the party Loki brought her to as a small favor. The black-haired knight was sitting in front of her, playing with a glass of wine on the table as he ran his finger around its edges—keeping a watchful eye to hide his face from all present.

“Relax, princess.” Loki said. “I thought this type of place was your thing, and who knows? You might find something interesting to do in the meantime.”

“I was fine by myself at home,” Euthemia snarled. “Where is father by the way? You of all people should know. I haven’t seen him in months.”

“Your old man is doing fine, stop worrying so much.”

“You don’t get it, brute. I need to talk to him about Eutychia.”

Raising an eyebrow with his mouth slightly open, Loki offered his reply to the princess. “Uh? Whatever did she do? Isn’t she the most obedient pup out there? She is King’s favorite after all.”

“Hmph,” Euthemia hummed while crossing her arms—avoided her gaze with an angry frown. “You brainless rat, this is why I don’t like talking to you.”

“Whatever, we are not here to discuss the eldest princess misdeeds.” One corner in the knight’s lips curved upwards, baring his teeth into a threatening grin. “It’s been a while since I got a good fight… I wonder if the Cerberus girl will be able to harm me.”

“Yech…” one corner on the princess’ lips raised with disgust. “I don’t want to hear about that filthy woman. I can’t believe she dared to touch my beautiful royal skin with her stained greasy hands!”

“Relax…”

“Hmph! Why are you so obsessed with struggle anyway, you lout?” Euthemia quickly changed the subject. “With the strength you possess, one would think you enjoy stepping on the little guy. Instead, you go out there looking to be killed like a nitwit.”

“Heh,” a quick chuckle escaped from between the knight’s lips. “It’s a big world out there, princess.” Loki said. “But we all look for familiarity in the end, and this… this is just what I live for.”

“Just focus on your mission, meathead.”

“There’s nothing else on my mind at the moment,” the man’s lips curved further up into a wide grin—baring his teeth with a smug and eager smile. “Today is going to be fun.”

END OF CHAPTER