The crisp light of the morning washed over the white-plastered walls of Fugen’s highest seat of military power.
Inside the compound, the scenery bloomed into a lush garden full of thick clusters of green ferns and vibrant flowering bushes lining the pristine gravel pathways, while a gentle breeze rustled the towering bamboo stalks standing at the edges of the property.
At the center of the greenery sat a wide wooden gazebo in the middle of a clear koi pond.
Dove sat rigidly at the wooden table inside the gazebo, staring intently at the black pendant resting between her fingers.
Her thumb traced the carving of the world’s horizon with a new sun rising from behind it.
"This is the absolute worst time for Entropy to rear its head," Dove snapped as she squeezed the pendant tightly in her fist before looking up. "Didn’t the Crusader completely eradicate them from Fugen before last year’s Red Moon?"
Across the table, Amaya sat with immaculate posture, her raven-black hair cascading over a deep black kimono embroidered with golden flowers.
"Apparently not," Amaya said, taking an elegant sip from her teacup while her piercing golden eyes glinted in the sunlight. "And from their perspective, this is the perfect time to rear their heads."
Dove let out a heavy sigh before placing the pendant down onto the table.
"According to Elena’s report, Nico heard the assassin confess that an adventurer named Luger hired him," Dove noted, glancing at the paper resting near the tea tray.
"My men reported Luger missing this morning," Amaya replied smoothly. "He walked into an alley last night and never came out. The lingering traces of mana left behind point to Dark Magic from a completely unknown frequency. We interrogated his party members, and I am certain they know absolutely nothing about Entropy or Luger’s possible connection with them."
"A happy coincidence, maybe?" Dove offered before immediately letting out a dry scoff at her own words. "Doubt it. Nico and his companions are the talk of the city... we are the ones who deliberately made it happen to build their cover. My guess is Luger didn’t just stumble into them. He approached Nico and actively instigated that conflict."
Dove leaned forward as the pieces of the puzzle Nico had fabricated clicked into place in her mind.
"Luger was probably with Entropy from the start," Dove explained, tracing the logic with a hardened gaze. "He tried to force that Settlement, hoping to crush a mere Tier-1 mage in single combat. It was a calculated play to legally secure both Nico and the dragon’s servitude to him... before the eventual indoctrination."
"But he completely underestimated the boy’s Soul Armament," Amaya added, her lips curling into a faint, amused smile. "Luger got publicly humiliated. So he ran to someone much higher up the chain. Arlath took the job, and he also ended up dead. Once the cult realized the boy was a genuine threat, they scrubbed Luger from existence to cover their tracks."
Dove gave a firm nod of agreement before picking up her teacup.
The General who had been quietly sitting in his wheelchair at the head of the table finally spoke.
"The most important takeaway is this... Entropy is actively targeting Nico and his dragon. And maybe his sister, too. Their addition to our forces is simply too great a boon for the cult to ignore. They will either try to indoctrinate the kid or kill him,"
"Indeed," Dove agreed, setting her cup back down. "We need to either provide them with extra security or formally enlist their help against Entropy."
"His sister has already made their stance perfectly clear," Amaya countered with a serene smile. "They are only here to help defend against the Red Moon. She explicitly asked us to leave them alone."
"Still," Dove noted softly, "... if he had kept this pendant to himself, we would have been completely blind to the cult’s mobilization. We should at least provide some security to Nico."
"Do not mistake the boy’s cooperation for sincerity..." the General warned, his amber eyes hardening into unyielding stone. "This sequence of events is entirely too neat. The boy survived an assassination, uncovered Fugen’s greatest domestic threat, and dropped it perfectly onto our doorstep."
"He is simply using Fugen’s sword to cut his own weeds." Amaya chuckled softly from across the table before turning to Dove, "And given his background with Pantheon, I would not be surprised if he knew Entropy had once revived itself in Fugen."
"Whatever the case, we need Fugen cleansed of Entropy," the General nodded slowly, his expression devoid of any warmth. "From the very first glance, I knew that kid wasn’t simple. But never forget, Dove..."
He leaned forward, casting a long shadow over the tea set.
"...we are the ones holding the hilt."
Dove nodded before straightening her posture. "What are your orders?"
"We cannot lose that trio this close to the Red Moon. Because if the boy dies, so does the Greater Dragon," the General stated, tapping his callused finger against the table. "If Entropy actively seeks their deaths, we must ensure their safety, whether he wants us to or not. Amaya..."
A cold, terrifyingly serene curve touched Amaya’s lips as she placed her teacup back onto its porcelain saucer.
"Then I shall begin pulling the weeds," she offered smoothly. "The cult’s upper echelon is bound to consist of the wealthy elite seeking a place in their supposed New World. I will start there."
"Hmm. Get to it," the General commanded without missing a beat.
Getting up from her seat, Amaya bowed her head with a graceful tilt.
"With pleasure." She said before turning around and stepping toward the shadow cast by Dove’s frame, before seamlessly descending into it as though walking down a flight of stairs.
The General then shifted his heavy gaze back to his adoptive daughter. "Dove."
Dove immediately squared her shoulders, dropping her hands to her lap. "Yes, General."
"You will stick close to the boy..." he ordered. "Make him an honorary knight. Our deal with them only covers the Red Moon. So, it indirectly falls onto us to ensure he does not catch a cultist’s blade in his back before the Red Moon."
Dove blinked while a complicated mix of duty and annoyance flashed across her face. "You want me to babysit him?"
"I want you to keep him alive. This won’t be the last attempt at his life... And by extension the dragon’s," the General corrected while drumming his callused fingers against the table’s edge. "And who knows... Entropy may become his problem, too."