In Fray's office the next morning, he sat at his desk when the door opened, and Rin entered. Rin asked, "Did you summon me, sir?"

"Yes, I have a mission for you," Fray said calmly. "I want you to follow Elisa for a period and report to me anything she does and anyone she meets, especially if she meets Oliver."

"Elisa!? Do you think she's a traitor?" Rin, confused by Fray's order, questioned.

Fray, his unease hidden behind a composed exterior, glanced at a letter on his desk containing a single message: {Elisa was responsible for what happened 9 years ago. Ask for your lost memories.}

This morning, upon entering his office, Fray had found the letter. Although he initially suspected it might be a trick from Oliver, the mention of lost memories piqued his interest. Fray had never disclosed his memory loss to anyone, making him believe that the sender knew more than he did.

Despite his reservations, Fray couldn't afford to trust blindly. Thus, he responded, "I'm not sure. Just report to me if she ever talks about an event that happened nine years ago or mentions anything related to me that you may find unusual."

"Understood, sir," Rin, though confused, affirmed the order before leaving the room, leaving Fray deep in thought about the mysteries surrounding his past.

After several minutes, as Rin left the room, a hurried knock echoed from the door. Without waiting for an invitation, Sina entered, her face urgent.

. . .

In one of Eldrom's villages, a group of villagers gathered in a circle around something with devastated expressions, and the sounds of screams and cries filled the air. Suddenly, Fray landed from the pegasus at the centre of the town, swiftly making his way towards the crowd.

As Fray reached the circle, a young girl stopped him, crying with a devastated expression. She said, "Master Fray, Master Fray, my grandpa Hae Hae, my grandpa."

Fray looked at the young girl with a complicated expression, continuing his path as the villagers made way for him, revealing what looked like white bloody cloaks covering something.

Approaching the cloaks slowly, Fray lifted one to unveil a beheaded body. Although the head was missing, and the clothes confirmed it was one of the four elderly, turning his eyes to the remaining cloaks, he found three more, signifying the bodies of the four elderly.

Sina approached Fray with a calm expression, saying, "They found them here this morning. No one knows who did it."

Fray gritted his teeth with cold eyes, stating, "I know who did it."

. . .

Meanwhile, at the Dalma family, Jared stood in front of a window, raising his hand as an eagle descended towards it. As the eagle landed on Jared's hand, he took the piece of paper attached and read it.

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

Then Jared turned to look at Oliver, who was lazily seated in the middle of the room with a drink in his hand.

"Fray arrived, they will move soon," Jared calmly informed.

"Good, I hope they torture him a little before they kill him," Oliver said slowly, his thoughts revealing a dark determination. (. I will show you that no one can face me in this family.)

. . .

In the gloomy atmosphere of the village, the villagers gathered in rows, entering the grand hall for the funeral. Fray stood, observing the expressions with cold eyes. He turned to Sina and said, "Sina, keep guard. They might be planning something bigger. Don't let any outsiders enter."

"Understood, sir," Sina responded. Fray entered the hall with the villagers.

Once all the villagers were inside, and Sina stayed back, a young man with brown hair and a round face— the guard of the village gate—approached urgently. "Young lady, the village is surrounded by knights from the Dalma family."

Hearing this, Sina reacted with urgency, leaping to the highest building in the village to assess the situation. She saw more than thirty knights, including three elite knights and the eleventh lady of the Dalma family with dark hair and fierce eyes.

Looking at troops approaching Sina understood she was unable to win against all of them, she contemplated summoning Fray but decided against it. (No, I can't always count on others. I need to prove that I'm useful. I will at least hold them until Master is finished.)

With determination, Sina landed in front of the guard and said, "We will stop them, and I will need your help."

Left with only Sina and the guard outside the grand hall, the guard, initially hesitant, mumbled in fear, "Me, but..."

"We should just hold them up until the funeral ends," Sina stated seriously. "We can do it."

(S-she think I can do it !!?) The guard, fixated on Sina's flawless face, widened his eyes and finally agreed, "Okay, okay. What should I do?"

..

Guided by the intense gaze of the young lady, three knights formed a protective cluster around her. She cast a commanding glance toward the rows of thirty knights encircling her and issued a stern directive, "You stay here and don't let anyone escape." The thirty ordinary knights, with weapons at the ready, maintained their vigilant position surrounding the village.

Meanwhile, the elite knights, recognizing the urgency of the situation, prepared for action. The young lady pivoted towards them and instructed with determination, "You follow me, and keep your guards up."

The elite knights fell in step behind her as they entered the village, weapons gripped tightly, expressions etched with a sense of alarm.

As Cecilia and her elite knights advanced into the village, they were confronted by Sina, who stood resolute with a short sword in hand.

"Apologies, but the villagers are occupied with a special event. No one can enter the village right now, please wait" Sina calmly declared.

Cecilia scrutinized Sina and, dismissing the need for introductions, commanded, "Whoever you are, it doesn't matter. Just eliminate her!" She signalled one of the elite knights to attack.

Obeying Cecilia's order, the knight accelerated toward Sina with lethal intent. However, in a sudden turn of events, he looked up to witness a watery sphere with a blurred energy trajectory hurtling toward him.

Despite raising his sword to block the attack, the force connected, sending the knight flying backward. Cecilia, taken aback, shifted her attention to the guard positioned atop the highest building—a blue orb of water energy enveloping him.

"Seems like you prefer the path of confrontation," Sina remarked, her gaze cold and unwavering. In a low murmur, she chanted, "Ifferit of Madness, Suffros, answer my call."

In a mystifying transformation, Sina's body underwent an eerie change. Two horns emerged from her forehead, her dark figure taking on a surreal, stylized form, and her skin shifted to a deep purple. A twisted smile played on her lips. { Image in comments}

"You should've exercised patience," Sina, her voice holding a strange hint of ominous excitement, stated with a smile.

At her feet, the ground cracked open, and a large gate emerged, adorned with symbols of eerie, otherworldly creatures.

Sina's twisted smile widened as she summoned her arcane skills. The ground beneath her feet trembled and split open, revealing a hidden gate rising ominously. The metallic structure bore strange symbols, depicting creatures that were neither human nor monster. Cecilia and her knights, initially watchful, became alarmed, raising their weapons in readiness.

The gate abruptly swung open, unleashing a torrent of dark clay that surged towards Cecilia and her knights. Panic set in as the group tried to evade the oncoming threat. Cecilia, quick on her feet, attempted to leap away, but the clay pursued relentlessly.

To their astonishment, multiple arms emerged from the clay, reaching out with an unnatural speed. Cecilia swung her sword with determination, attempting to cut through the encroaching limbs. Yet, the clay responded with an eerie resilience, multiplying its arms and seizing Cecilia and her knights in an unyielding grip.

"What in the hell," Cecilia muttered, frustration etched on her face. Despite her attempts to break free, the clay's relentless hold fixed her in place, leaving her and the knights entangled in an otherworldly struggle.