It was the second afternoon since Magisteria’s forces sent reinforcements to aid Karem Earldom, but they were still a day’s journey away, and with the road’s troubles, even that felt like a stretch.
"Too many damn monsters out here," Cassian muttered. He and his unit, along with a few others, had pushed ahead of the main group to clear out monsters slowing the reinforcements. The commander had ordered a few units to handle anything that might stall the thousand-man army, avoiding more delays.
For some reason, Lieutenant Alix had tapped Shera to lead the men for this job. The monsters were mostly low-star, easily handled with mana guns, and even two-star ones could be taken down with enough firepower. Their group of about thirty had plenty of that—four first-circle warriors, four Emberling mages, Shera as a third-circle warrior, and one Pyraxis-ranked mage.
"Back in the city, the early days of the monster wave had this many beasts, but Commander Julius and the high-circle warriors and mages cut their numbers down quick and set up defensive lines," Shera said, talking to a mage in robes clutching a hefty grimoire as he rode behind her. Cassian, riding nearby, caught their conversation as they kept a faster pace to stay ahead of the main group.
"I heard the current earl is a seventh-circle warrior with war armor. Why’s he not doing anything?" the mage, Carlo, a middle-aged guy with neatly trimmed dark brown hair and beard, asked.
"No clue," Shera replied. "But what I do know is the earl didn’t request reinforcements from our city—his younger brother did. Makes me think something’s off. If it wasn’t for direct orders from the commander, I wouldn’t be here. Dealing with nobles is always a mess, so I’d rather keep my distance."
"The earl’s brother asked for reinforcements? Why didn’t Julius tell me?" Cassian wondered, confused. Julius had tasked him with secretly investigating the situation in Karem Earldom, but hadn’t shared a damn thing—not even that the earl had war armor, which Cassian only learned from someone else.
’I’d rather take on the cult straight-up than deal with nobles already knee-deep in their own shit,’ Carlo said, his voice thick with disdain and a touch of anger. "They’re the type to stab you in the back, even if it means losing to the cult or, worse, joining them. All they care about is saving their own asses and getting stronger, even if it’s at the expense of their people."
Cassian nodded, agreeing with the mage. He’d heard plenty about nobles pulling shady moves—some for gold, others for power, and a few just to feed their sick, sadistic urges.
Not every noble was rotten—Cassian had met some decent ones, like Wanni, Julius, and Lady Katherine. They were alright, but they could be distant with those beneath them, the folks they didn’t deal with daily. Did that make them bad? Cassian didn’t think so; he was pretty indifferent to strangers himself. But nobles were different. Their subjects gave offerings in exchange for protection and aid, so ignoring them was like shirking their duties. In that sense, yeah, you could call them bad. At least Julius was out here fighting the war.
"What’s on your mind?" Lumine asked, noticing Cassian lost in thought.
He shook his head. "Nothing." Seeing Lumine’s face, usually bright but now looking drained, he added, "You okay? You seem tired."
Lumine nodded, brushing off her fatigue. "I’ll be fine," she said, her voice steady but low. "I’m not just blasting away with the mana gun like the others."
Cassian got why. Mana guns made killing one-star monsters a breeze—a few shots, and they were done. Without them, it took three to five regular warriors to handle one. But out here, everyone was mowing down monsters like they were livestock, not threats. In doing so, they were passing up chances to hone their weapon skills or push for a breakthrough to circle warrior. Lumine saw that, and so did a few others, sticking to their blades and only pulling mana guns when absolutely needed.
"Good thing—the more you use your weapons in real fights, the better your odds of pulling off something incredible with them," Shera cut in, overhearing their talk. "But if things go south, use every trick you’ve got to get out. Don’t try to force a breakthrough—they don’t work that way. Which means if you can avoid a bad situation with other methods, do it."
Lumine nodded, her eyes bright with understanding, then leaned in. "Sergeant, how’d you get your breakthroughs?"
The group fell silent, all ears on Shera. Breakthrough stories were like gold—each one a spark that could light the way to their own. Shera’s lips tightened, her jaw clenching briefly as if the question stirred something heavy. She let out a long, shuddering sigh, her gaze drifting to the horizon where the caravan’s dust trailed into the fading light. "You young ones," she started, her voice low, almost cracking, "always so eager for these tales. Mine... mine wasn’t some grand moment. I was a young adult, barely past my teens, out on a patrol gone wrong."
Her hands gripped the reins tighter, knuckles whitening, and her shoulders hunched slightly as she spoke. "This monkey-like beast—vile thing, all teeth and taunts—dropped a boulder on me. Pinned me down, crushing my legs. I could hear my partner screaming, not from pain but from what that monster was doing to him, mocking me while I was trapped." Her voice wavered, and she bit her lip, eyes narrowing as they glistened with the memory. "It just kept laughing, clawing at him, and I... I couldn’t move. Couldn’t do a damn thing but watch and listen to that cackling."
She paused, her chest rising and falling heavily, as if the weight of that boulder was pressing on her again. The group stayed quiet, the creak of the carriages and the clop of hooves the only sounds. "Something snapped in me," she went on, her voice steadier but thick with something raw. "I don’t know if it was rage or desperation, but I pushed. That boulder—had to weigh as much as a dozen horses—I shoved it off like it was nothing. Felt my whole body burn, like fire in my bones, and I broke through. Became a strength-type circle warrior right then and there." Her lips twitched into a half-smile, but her eyes stayed distant, haunted, fixed on some point beyond the caravan.
Cassian watched her, noticing the way her fingers flexed on the reins, like she was still pushing against that boulder.
Lumine and the others, buzzing with excitement, pressed, "What about your second one?" She pointed to the second-circle mark etched on Shera’s shoulder.
Shera grinned at their eager faces and started sharing her stories as they rode on. But unbeknownst to them, The place they were headed, Karem Earldom, was shaping up to hold darker threats than they’d expected—shadowy veil creatures and twisted humans.