Chapter 25: The Eve of War

 Rui awoke to the gentle voice of a maid from Count Alphares’s household.

The maid had quietly entered her room, opened the curtains, and was now standing respectfully beside her bed.

Even after three days, Rui still hadn’t gotten used to this level of service.

“Would you like me to massage your shoulders if you’re still sleepy?” the maid asked.

“Ah… yes… thank you,” Rui replied.

She was exhausted from staying up late with Diyursil, learning gem crafting techniques.

The maid’s hands began to knead her shoulders gently.

“Ahh…” Rui sighed, enjoying the feeling of her fatigue melting away.

“It’s time for you to wash your face,” the maid said.

“Okay…” Rui answered.

A washbasin appeared before her as if by magic.

“May I wash your face for…” the maid began.

“Oh, no. I’ll do it myself,” Rui said, drawing the line at having someone wash her face.

“Cute…” the maid murmured.

“Excuse me? Did you say something?” Rui asked.

“No, nothing at all,” the maid replied quickly.

After washing her face, it was time to get dressed.

Another maid entered, carrying Rui’s freshly laundered clothes.

“Miss Rui, this time I’ll help you get dressed…” the new maid started.

“No, thank you. I’ll do it myself, as planned. Please wait a moment,” Rui insisted.

A brief commotion ensued outside the door.

Then, the original maid re-entered, looking slightly weary but triumphant, like a general returning from battle.

“I’m in charge of Miss Rui until she leaves the mansion, so there’s no need to ask other maids,” she declared.

“Okay, okay,” Rui conceded.

With the maid’s assistance (mostly in holding her clothes), Rui finished dressing and went downstairs for breakfast.

A feast prepared by the mansion’s chef awaited her.

‘Is this what it’s like to be a noble lady every day?’ Rui wondered.

Perhaps she should have been reborn as one.

“Rui, you’re awake,” Aswell greeted her.

“You’re the last one again,” Serin added.

“She must have been working hard. Please don’t overwork yourself,” Aria said with concern.

Rui joined the hero’s party at the table, sitting next to Serin.

“Rui, have some more of this,” Serin offered, pushing her bowl of carrot soup towards Rui.

Rui stared at her in disbelief.

“…Don’t you want it? The carrot soup?” Serin asked, a little flustered.

“Well, I don’t usually like soups,” Serin explained.

“Don’t change your mind now,” Rui said, quickly taking the soup and savoring it.

Alphares was known for its fragrant spices, and the carrot soup was deliciously savory.

‘I want more…’ Rui thought.

“Here you are, Miss Rui,” the maid said, appearing with a fresh bowl of soup.

“Eh?” Rui blinked in surprise.

Thanks to Serin and the ever-present maid, Rui devoured three bowls of carrot soup and barely touched the other dishes.

At least her stomach was happy.

After breakfast, it was time for everyone to head to their assigned gates.

“Aria, you’re going to the south gate today, right?” Raphilia asked.

“Yes. I heard there weren’t many injured thanks to you, Raphilia. Thank you,” Aria replied.

“It was nothing. I’ll buy you some delicious skewers later. I found a new place yesterday…” Raphilia offered.

Raphilia and Aria departed first.

Rui, Aswell, and Serin remained.

There was a palpable tension between Aswell and Serin, hinting at yesterday’s events.

“Aswell, work hard today,” Serin said.

“Uh, uh. Okay, Serin. You too… work hard. Don’t get hurt,” Aswell stammered.

‘Ooh,’ Rui thought, sensing progress.

Serin winked at her, a silent confirmation of success.

Still blushing, Serin quickly mounted her horse and rode off.

Finally, only Rui and Aswell were left.

“Lux. Come here,” Rui called her horse.

“Rui,” Aswell said.

As Rui waited for Nightlux to arrive, Aswell spoke again.

“Yes, Aswell?” Rui replied.

“Did you… learn the skill you wanted yesterday?” he asked.

Rui realized they hadn’t spoken properly since parting ways last night.

“Yes, thanks to you, I was able to learn it safely,” she said.

“…No problem. I’m glad you learned it,” he responded.

“Did you get back safely yesterday? Did you run into any trouble?” Rui asked, feigning ignorance.

Aswell’s reaction was odd.

“Ah, yes. I met Serin. We had dinner together and returned to the mansion,” he explained.

“Really?” Rui prompted.

“Yes. …But that was all. Yes, really,” he insisted.

“…? I see,” Rui replied, amused by his defensiveness.

She wouldn’t have assumed anything untoward had happened between them.

‘Serin is just very shy,’ Rui mused.

It was time to part ways. Rui mounted Nightlux, and Aswell mounted Tempest.

“Well then, Aswell,” Rui said.

“Huh?” he responded.

“Good luck today,” she continued.

“…Yeah, you too. Don’t get hurt,” he said.

“Of course. You too, Aswell,” Rui replied.

With that, they headed in opposite directions.

This was likely the last peaceful morning they would have for a while.

‘Today’s the day,’ Rui thought.

The Twilight Fortress would appear at dusk.

Roughly eight hours remained.

The Twilight Fortress would unleash a horde of monsters.

But only one type of demon.

This meant the fortress was a domain controlled by a specific demon race.

[A gigantic black fortress appeared, breaching the western gate of Alphares as the sun set.]

If fate followed its original course, the western gate would fall to the demons from the Twilight Fortress.

This would delay the hero’s party and the allied forces from accessing it.

‘Not this time,’ Rui thought.

With the mithril-like reinforcements, the gate would withstand most attacks.

She had thoroughly tested the prototypes and was confident in their durability.

[Mercenaries and adventurers tried to approach the Twilight Fortress. But each time, they were ambushed by monsters emerging from the ground, suffering heavy casualties.]

To counter this, Rui had buried several magic tools inscribed with detection and observation spells.

They would sense the monsters preparing for ambushes and visually display the vibrations, minimizing casualties.

[Determined to prevent further losses, the hero’s party finally entered the Twilight Fortress. Inside, they were separated by the fortress’s magic.]

The Twilight Fortress was like a labyrinth.

To defeat the demon lord residing within, they would have to navigate its depths.

‘I can’t dispel the magic itself,’ Rui thought.

Given enough time, she could, but time was of the essence.

She needed a way for them to reunite quickly if separated.

Her newly acquired gem crafting skills would prove useful.

And finally…

‘The biggest danger comes after the demon lord’s death.’

The demon, unwilling to accept defeat, would unleash a devastating final attack, causing mass casualties.

The only way to prevent this…

“…I’d rather not use you,” Rui murmured, looking towards the eastern sky.

Something shimmered high above, in the vast expanse of the sunlit sky.

Even if she used that, the demon likely wouldn’t die… but she would if necessary.

“It’s almost time,” Rui said to herself.

She needed to focus.

To save as many lives as possible.

“Let’s go, Lux,” she said, urging her horse forward.

She had to make the most of the remaining time.

The war was about to begin.

“Lady Serin! We’ve reclaimed all of the northeastern farmlands!” a soldier reported.

“Thanks to your hard work. We wouldn’t have won without everyone’s efforts,” Serin replied.

The North Gate had a higher concentration of guards than mercenaries or adventurers.

This was partly due to the harsh environment, which suited the Alphares guards better.

But Serin’s presence was also a significant factor.

“Lady Serin,” the Captain of the North Gate Guard greeted her.

“Glad to see you survived,” Serin replied.

“Thanks to your protection, Lady Serin. But also…it seems the number of monsters has decreased,” the Captain observed.

“Decreased? I’ve noticed that too,” Serin agreed.

Until yesterday, hordes of a hundred or more monsters had attacked relentlessly.

But today, the total number slain hadn’t even reached five hundred.

Perhaps this strange phenomenon was about to end.

Everyone thought so.

Suddenly, a guard rushed towards them, shouting, “Emergency!”

“What is it?” Serin asked.

“An unknown black fortress has appeared at the West Gate! The West Gate is under attack by a large number of monsters!” the guard exclaimed.

“What?! All available guards… Lady Serin?” the Captain started.

“Our mage is in danger. I’ll go ahead,” Serin declared, her face grim.

She mounted her horse and galloped through the city.

Every second counted.

“Lady Aria! My leg hurts too…” a mercenary whined.

“Hey, you! Cut it out! You’re bothering Lady Aria!” another mercenary scolded.

“Ah, ahaha…” the first mercenary chuckled nervously.

Aria looked on with a troubled expression.

Raphilia approached and kicked the bothersome mercenary away.

“Phew… thanks to you, the battle ended quickly today,” Raphilia said to Aria.

“It’s because the mercenaries are so skilled and you commanded them well, Raphilia,” Aria replied modestly.

“No, it’s your healing and encouragement that made those muscles work harder,” Raphilia insisted.

She was genuinely impressed by Aria’s abilities.

Zero casualties. Aria’s barriers protected the mercenaries before they could be seriously injured. No one had even collapsed.

Raphilia understood why Aria was chosen as the saintess.

“You not only use holy power but also have the quick judgment and awareness of a seasoned mercenary,” Raphilia praised.

“Really? Hehe, thank you,” Aria said, blushing.

“That’s right! Lady Aria is so talented, she’s more than qualified to be my br… oof!” another mercenary exclaimed before being cut off.

“Shut up!” someone yelled.

A mercenary on horseback galloped towards them.

“What’s the rush?” Raphilia asked.

“The West Gate’s under attack,” the mercenary reported.

“…What?” Aria gasped.

“A black fortress suddenly appeared. We need to send reinforcements immediately,” the mercenary explained.

The jovial atmosphere vanished as the mercenaries grabbed their gear and began to move.

Raphilia and Aria exchanged glances, both uttering the same name.

“…Rui!!”

“Miss Rui!!”

“Huff… huff… Aswell! The West Gate is under attack, they say… huh?” a young adventurer panted.

“If you’re looking for Aswell, he’s already gone! He took off with a grim look on his face! Seems like he sensed the tremors from the fortress appearing in the west!” another adventurer explained.

“What? Is that even possible?” the first adventurer asked incredulously.

“That’s why he’s the hero! Hurry up and get on! We got a call for backup too! The other adventurers have already left!” the second adventurer urged.

“I can’t believe something like this happened in the west… it’s usually so peaceful. Does Aswell have a party member stationed there?” the first adventurer wondered.

“Yeah, that new mage is over there,” the second adventurer replied.

“So that’s why he was in such a hurry? His comrade’s in danger,” the first adventurer concluded.

“Hmm… more than just a comrade…” the second adventurer mused.

“What? What’s so strange?” the first adventurer asked.

“Nothing. He had such a worried and angry expression; for a second, I thought they were lovers. Anyway, let’s go!”