Chapter 50: I’m late.

“Yes!”

The soldiers responded in unison, their suppressed morale reignited.

They quickly dispersed in squads as planned, heading into the pitch-black valley.

At the same time, messengers were sent to contact other units, requesting wider search support.

Lortisa placed her worry for Weiss above all else.

The anxious girl instinctively reached into the pouch at her waist and felt the hard, cold little black box inside.

How she longed to hear that “beep beep” call again.

Even if she didn’t know the exact location, at least she could confirm Weiss was still alive through it.

But she didn’t linger even for half a second; she prepared to set out herself.

With her speed, she could cover the canyon between the mountains in a single night of running at full sprint.

No one knew the exact condition of that rampaging malformation; she could only carry her anxiety and intend to conduct a carpet search by the dumbest but most effective method.

Yet, before she even stepped forward, Karin called out to stop her.

“Sergeant.”

Earlier, in front of all the soldiers, Karin had judged that some questions weren’t appropriate to ask.

But considering what was to come, she had to clarify.

“That mercenary sir and the knight captain—they aren’t among the casualties. What’s the situation?”

Lortisa opened her mouth but ultimately shook her head:

“I don’t know.”

The answer caused Karin to furrow her brows.

“Sergeant, weren’t you the first to arrive here? What exactly happened?”

Karin pressed on; she needed a fuller picture to assess the subsequent risks.

But Lortisa didn’t want to waste a single moment on explanations.

Finding Weiss as quickly as possible was her top priority.

She responded in a cold, unyielding tone that brooked no argument:

“I’ll tell you after this.”

Seeing her stubborn stance, Karin knew she couldn’t persuade her otherwise.

But as an adjutant, her duty was to consider every detail the commander might overlook.

She stepped forward and blocked Lortisa’s path.

“You can tell me later. But if I’m right, this isn’t going to be a minor problem. It’s understandable you don’t have time to think about what comes after, but at least prepare a contingency plan, okay?”

Hearing those familiar words, Lortisa’s raging heart calmed down slightly.

Before the operation began, Weiss had told her something similar.

It was precisely as a “contingency” that he had handed her this little black box that emitted strange sounds.

Thinking of this, the tension in her shoulders eased a little.

She nodded.

……

When she set out again, Lortisa searched alone along the canyon’s edge.

After all, no one could keep up with the young sergeant’s speed; she didn’t want to be slowed down.

But the more she searched, the more anxious she became.

Beneath her feet, the canyon gaped like an abyss; looking down from the cliff, it was pitch-black, seemingly bottomless.

Silent Sun Valley was already a place sunlight couldn’t reach—let alone at night.

If it weren’t for the uncertainty of whether there was a path below, and how much trouble climbing back up would cause, Lortisa would have jumped down without hesitation to search.

She ran swiftly along the cliff edge, the rushing wind stirring the grass and trees.

Suddenly, a faint surge of magic came from her own body.

It wasn’t her own magic.

She stopped abruptly and looked down.

The worn strap tied across her chest was emitting a faint, warm glow.

The light flickered like breathing.

A strange sense of resonance arose in her perception, as if pointing her clearly in a direction.

Without any hesitation,

Lortisa dashed off toward the direction indicated by the magic.

At the cliff’s end, she leapt fearlessly into the endless darkness of the mountain valley.

The wind roared past her ears.

When her feet touched the solid ground at the valley bottom, it was almost soundless.

She followed the growing sense of resonance, passing through a twisted grove of trees.

When she arrived, the sight before her made her heart skip a beat.

A characteristic black mist mixed with Malice swirled into a towering storm, merging into a curtain that stretched almost across the canyon.

But no matter how thick the veil, Lortisa could feel it.

—The person most important to her was right there before her eyes.

No raging mist, no dense Malice could stop her.

Golden radiance burst forth, shining in the blink of an eye.

The girl clenched her fist and swung it out, driving away the Malice that shrouded the canyon beneath the “Blightdark,” clearing the gloom.

When Weiss regained consciousness, accompanied by a familiar voice, he felt a warm breeze behind him.

With a thunderous rumble, the entire world seemed to fall silent for a moment.

What “Blightdark” storm, what “Moon Silver” armor, what Malice knights—all vanished like snow under the scorching sun in the face of that warm wind.

Light spilled into every corner of the dark space.

It was so warm and bright that Weiss almost thought he had died and ascended to heaven, almost mistaking everything for a dying hallucination.

But when he turned, tracing the brilliant light back to its source, the outline of the girl before him was unmistakable.

No matter what, that was not a figure one would see in the afterlife.

After all—if she was the strongest sergeant of the Holy Covenant Kingdom, it was unimaginable that she would ever be defeated.

The girl sergeant standing there slowly approached, her light armor shimmering in the glow. Every step shattered the lingering darkness beneath her feet.

“You’re okay?”

Her voice was soft, making one hold their breath to listen, yet it carried clearly into his ears:

“I’m fine…”

Faced with the usual question, Weiss widened his eyes and managed only those two words.

To be honest, he really wanted to ask, “How did you find me so quickly?”

But his throat felt blocked by something, and shock rendered him speechless.

Of course, saying “I’m fine” was a stretch by any measure.

His bracers and chest armor were already damaged, his cloak slashed in several places, and his body bore many obvious cuts.

If not for the painkillers, Weiss would probably be writhing on the ground from the pain.

—No, affected by the Blight, even non-lethal wounds should have caused normal people to collapse.

Seeing Weiss almost battered to pieces, Lortisa didn’t realize she was clenching her teeth.

It wasn’t duty or mission—it was the first time pure emotion stirred such a violent impulse in her,

Wishing to destroy something utterly, leaving nothing but ruins.

Yet facing Weiss, she spoke in the calmest tone:

“Sorry, I’m late.”

Lortisa gently placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Leave the rest to me.”

Then, the girl took a step forward and stood before Weiss.