“It’s a pity to disappoint you, Cassiu, but they are already prepared.”
At Isavel’s reply, Leanna instinctively straightened her back, while Teresa, as captain of the Second Squad, cast a cold glance at Cassiu, her eyes darkening.
“Hurry up and discuss the plan of action. Your Majesty told me that for every day wasted, hundreds will die inside the fortress.”
Cassiu was about to say something more, but Isavel cut him off immediately. Seeing this, Mars quickly continued speaking.
Besides the action plan, he also explained some of the demons’ special abilities to the Rose Knights.
As for other demons, since they had little contact with them, he couldn’t provide more help.
“If you sense danger, escape immediately. I will order the Third Army to guard around the fortress. Cassiu’s words? You don’t need to take them seriously.”
Before the Rose Knights actually entered the fortress, Mars came before them and solemnly said these words, which significantly improved Nola’s impression of him.
Dong dong dong——
The military camp’s drums and gongs sounded as the Rose Knights, led by Leanna, surged toward the West Gate of the fortress. Almost all the nobles and deputies sat outside their tents, looking up at the sky.
There, the Eye of Divine Sight reflected the image of the Rose Knights.
Beside Cassiu, the obese figure of the Emperor of Norwich Empire appeared. At that moment, the nobles and deputies bowed slightly to him.
But compared to the nobles, the Emperor was more concerned about the Rose Knights.
“How is it? Have they gone in?”
“They have, Your Majesty.”
“Hmm, tell me, having seen the Rose Knights with your own eyes, do you really think they can defeat these Abyssal Demons?”
“Impossible, Your Majesty. They’ve only trained for a little over a month since gathering. To be honest, reaching level 15 in such a short time has already exceeded my expectations, but that’s where it ends.”
Cassiu recalled those girls and couldn’t help but smirk.
“Once they enter Sand Fortress, if nothing unexpected happens, they’ll face that demon directly. It’s terrifying and has cost the Third Army many elites. With these girls’ temperament, escaping that demon is impossible.”
“Your Majesty, just watch. Soon, the Rose Knights will fall into your hands.”
The Emperor nodded, his eyes filled with challenge as they turned toward Isavel standing beside him.
“Good. But don’t let them die too much; otherwise, such a Rose Knights unit won’t be worth inheriting.”
“Rest assured, Your Majesty. Once their spirits break, I’ll send someone to intervene.”
……
Leanna and the others had no idea their images were being reflected by the Eye of Divine Sight, but even if they did, they wouldn’t have cared.
At this moment, they were stepping through the West Gate of Sand Fortress, immersed in the stench of blood and corpses.
The once solemn fortress was now deathly silent. Human corpses scattered everywhere made the girls uneasy; some even grew pale.
Although they had endured the hellish Golden Dungeon training, inside the Golden Dungeon, corpses were mostly of monsters. Even human corpses had long turned to bones.
So it was normal that they found it hard to accept these fresh, bloody corpses.
But soon, Meilin noticed the surroundings had changed into a vast field of unopened lilies, and all her teammates had vanished.
Before her appeared a place she knew intimately—her home.
Creak—
The door to the house opened, and a woman stepped out, smiling warmly at her.
“Child, you’re home.”
“Mother?”
The person before her was none other than Madam Mariel.
Without knowing how she entered, Meilin found herself sitting at the dining table. Hot dishes were laid out before her.
A glance revealed these dishes were exactly the ones her mother often made for her when she was little.
“Hurry up and eat; the food is getting cold.”
Her mother’s urging came to her ears. Meilin held the cutlery but didn’t move.
She realized her memories of breaking into Sand Fortress with Leanna and the others felt so distant, so far away it seemed like a mere dream.
It was as if she had never joined any Rose Knights. She was just a girl living in Anna Town, enjoying an ordinary yet beautiful life every day.
“You’re spacing out, child. Did something happen at work today?”
Madam Mariel seemed worried, wiping oil-stained hands with her apron as she cautiously approached.
But in the next moment…
“I’m sorry, Mother.”
Without warning, Meilin stood and plunged the knife and fork deep into Madam Mariel’s chest.
The once gentle expression on Madam Mariel’s face twisted into a terrifying snarl as she collapsed.
Even her voice became strange.
“Y-you… Isn’t this the life you longed for most? How dare you harm your own mother? Isn’t it good to live in such a life?!”
“Madam Mariel” clutched her chest, gasping heavily. Besides the ferocity, her face was filled with confusion and disbelief.
Meilin looked down at her coldly, her eyes void of emotion.
“Precisely because such a life is beautiful, I must fight to protect it.”
This was the truth she had understood from Lady Celice.
Therefore, she always remembered that she was not yet at the point of enjoying such a beautiful life—she still had her goals to strive for!
And the Lily Bloom Pact she made with her mother.
Meilin placed a hand on her left waist, where seemingly nothing was visible—but now, a delicate Knight’s longsword appeared abruptly.
“Besides, Abyssal Demon, your ability to peer into hearts is far from enough.”
“…What do you mean?!”
“Without Lady Celice, you still dare say this is the life I long for most?!”
With those words, laced with boundless fury, Meilin unleashed a stunning sword flash toward the demon before her.
……
Military camp.
The Eye of Divine Sight showed the scene as the Rose Knights passed through the West Gate, suddenly freezing in place as if controlled—motionless.
At the same time, a small red demon appeared before them.
Cassiu grinned, saying:
“Heh, that’s a Nightmare Demon. It doesn’t have strong frontal combat abilities, but it can peer into the deepest desires of humans’ hearts, so the illusions it creates are terrifying. Almost no human can escape its illusions.”
“After all, few can truly recognize their innermost selves while resisting temptation. Hundreds of my elite soldiers and several squads of the Third Army have perished at its hands.”
“Being caught by it, tsk tsk… those knights probably…”
Before he could finish, three seconds after the demon appeared, one of the girls suddenly swung her sword down.
Shhh—!
Though no sound was heard, everyone vividly imagined the sound of the demon’s head being severed.
The nightmare demon staggered backward, its head flying off somewhere unknown.
Its neck was unnervingly smooth, and blood gushed forth, staining the ground crimson.
Its death snapped the knights back to reality and plunged the military camp into complete silence.