"Commander!" The men saluted Elias when he entered, with respect permeating their voices.

"As you were," he acknowledged them, then signaled everyone to return to their activities.

The interaction lasted merely a few seconds, yet it astonished Elaine—especially when she saw those bearing Croix's insignia on their armor also had the same reactions as the others.

He gained their trust, Elaine thought.

"Milady!" A Croix's knight in training dashed toward her—his countenance was a concoction of confusion and surprise. "How did you get here?" He noticed her tattered appearance and looked to the male protagonist for an explanation.

Elaine recognized the young man. If she recalled correctly, Cecil called him Roland. Similar to other Croix knights in training, Roland was an orphan chosen by the knight captain at a tender age with no family name. He had a broad face with high cheekbones and a strong jawline. Though only a couple of years older than her guard, the scar on his left eyebrow and the dark stubble gave him a much more aged appearance. Roland was a burly man with a muscular body that doubled Cecil's and was almost a head taller. The knight captain had appointed him as Croix's Commander. Therefore, along with Elias, he was Étoile's troops' Co-Commander for the joint expedition.

"I found her ensnared by a pack of wild beasts."

"Sir d'Amboise saved me." Elaine nodded. "And I am glad to see you again, Sir Roland." She forced a weak smile.

"It would honor me to be in your presence at any other time, milady. However, the current location is too dangerous for your ladyship." Roland's dark brows scrunched, his tone overcast by gloom.

"I am not here by choice," she clarified. "The outside world, too, unfortunately, is not safe." She again relayed the event at the nobles' encampment to the brawny young man.

"How could this happen?" His face and body tensed. "That tomb… We should have never entered it. Who knows what abomination we have unleashed?" Roland shook his head, sagging his shoulders.

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"It is too late for regret." Elias placed a hand on the Croix's knight in training's back. His was a voice of calm and reason. "Our main priority right now is to find our missing soldiers and inform the Léonas' troops, then retreat."

"You are right," Roland agreed. "We must hurry and find them, then withdraw our troops from this cursed forest." He shifted to Elaine. "Please do not worry, milady. We will protect you with our life."

"I believe you," she said. Elaine never doubted the Croix's knights' loyalty. After all, it was a trait entrenched inside them since their youth.

Roland addressed Elias. "Sir d'Amboise, I express my deepest gratitude to you for rescuing her ladyship, and the House of Croix will forever be in your debt. However, you can now entrust Lady Estella to us, and we will take care of her from here."

"Milady, if you would follow me." He motioned Elaine toward an area where the Croix's knights in training and soldiers gathered.

"Thank you, Sir Roland." She attempted to follow Roland but then halted and glanced back, realizing her hand was still captive by Elias'. "Sir d'Amboise, could you please release me?"

The male protagonist did not respond to her. His gaze instead steadied on the Croix's Commander. "The Lady is not anyone's sole responsibility. She is a citizen of the Empire and is currently under our troops' protection. Therefore, as Étoile's Co-Commander, I am also responsible for her wellbeing."

Roland's brows furrowed. He opened his mouth, wanting to argue, but Elaine raised her hand, stopping him. "Sir d'Amboise has a point. Right now, I am safer under the entire troop's protection instead of depending on only our soldiers. Besides, we are not exactly in better shape than everyone else." She jerked her head toward the Croix's direction, referring to the many wounded within their ranks.

The knight in training trailed her gaze back to his subordinates, hand rubbing his stubble while drifting into contemplation. Elaine could see the hesitation in his eyes. However, the young man chosen by Croix's knight captain as leader was no fool. Even if he disagreed with her and Elias, he could still discern the grave reality from his ingrained animosity toward the House of d'Amboise. In their current condition, the Croix would have difficulties fighting the monsters, let alone protecting Elaine.

Roland finally relented. "I understand, milady. But I simply cannot trust your safety in the hands of the d'Amboise," he grumbled in a low voice.

Sometimes, having too much loyalty can cloud a person's judgment, Elaine sighed.

"Sir Roland, I assumed you have been fighting alongside Sir d'Amboise for these past few days. Please, tell me your honest opinion. Do you think he is the type of person who would take advantage of me?" she inquired, ignoring the main subject of their conversation standing beside her. Though Elaine only had a few encounters with the male protagonist, and his personality differed from the book's description, his dignified manner remained the same. He never acted out of bound or disgraced her. And she was confident others around him would arrive at a similar conclusion.

"No." After a brief silence, he admitted.

"Then you should have no worry," she smiled. "Now, please go back and inform your men to prepare. We should leave soon."

"As you wish, milady." Roland sighed in defeat and bowed, returning to his previous location.

Elaine watched the young knight in training leave, then gazed back at Elias and their still joined hands. "You can release me, Sir d'Amboise."