"Association Chair?" 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

Allerik, now changed into comfortable clothes, asked back.

The moment someone gave him an answer, Ribia immediately ran up to him.

"Ah! He said I should stay in the same tent as him!"

Allerik frowned.

The Association Chair’s tent had been assigned for single occupancy.

There were almost no women in the mercenary squads or the Holy Knights.

"Didn’t Leonardo, the commander of the united forces, deliberately separate them? Especially considering the Chair doesn’t show their face."

"Exactly!"

Ribia slapped Allerik’s forearm twice.

"But they just came in and told me to stay with them. And right in front of me, they took off their mask...!"

Tesetan froze again for a brief moment.

Lowering her voice, Ribia whispered:

"I really thought she wasn’t human."

Victor let out a drawn-out "Whoa" and sat down on a folding cot.

"That much?"

"Yes. It was completely unreal!"

Ribia ran her hands dramatically through her hair.

"Her hair went all the way down here, to her waist. I thought it was dyed!"

"Dyed?"

"I mean, the way it shimmered! And that’s not even all. Just from her eyes, I already thought she was beautiful, but... how can someone be that beautiful? Even my heart started racing, and I’m a woman!"

Allerik chuckled quietly.

He looked at Ribia and asked:

"And? You don’t know why she wanted to share a tent with you?"

"Huh? Ah, no idea."

"Go to sleep."

Smiling faintly, Allerik pushed her away.

She staggered back helplessly, glancing around in panic.

"What, you’re just kicking me out like that? Already telling me to sleep?"

"We’re up at dawn tomorrow. Go to sleep so you don’t complain later and show up late to the meeting by yourself."

"Allerik, you—!"

In the end, pushed out of the tent, Ribia let out an indignant snort.

"Fussy! You’re so damn fussy!"

Soon, her heavy, disgruntled footsteps faded into the distance.

When it grew quiet, Victor muttered:

"The Association Chair is also a noble, like a squad leader... no, like a deputy?"

Allerik, settling onto his bed, nodded.

"Most likely. Judging by how she refuses to show her face."

"Then why did she show it to Ribia? From how she’s acted so far, it would make more sense for her to stay alone."

Allerik slowly closed his eyes.

"No idea. There must be a reason."

Victor lay down as well.

"Yeah. Maybe she was just scared to be alone in the tent."

Silence settled inside.

After a few minutes, having finished tending to his weapon, Tesetan stood up.

He glanced once at Allerik and Victor, then quietly stepped out of the tent.

Before his eyes spread a circle of tents, with a bonfire burning at the center.

When he raised his head, he saw three layers of barrier covering the sky like a dome.

One had been set by Leonardo, another by Allerik using an orb, and the third by Astie.

"Kiiiiiiek—"

At that moment, a massive shadow shot across the center of the camp.

It was a flying monster that had emerged from a magic crystal located about fifty dio beyond the barrier.

Looking up at the rising moon, Tesetan murmured:

"So it’s active time."

The monsters only acted at night.

That was why the united forces began their investigations early in the morning.

Otherwise, it would be impossible to examine the magic crystal without encountering them.

Feeling the strengthening wind, he slowly began to circle the camp.

He walked along the outer ring of tents, checking for any nearby danger.

But soon, he stopped.

Tesetan’s gaze fell on one unlit tent.

"Interesting."

Muttering that, he raised his dagger and hurled it sharply.

With a whistle, the dagger sliced through the air and struck a small tree beside the tent with a dull thud.

At the same moment, something moved in the darkness, but a few seconds later, silence returned.

Tesetan slowly approached the tent.

His dagger was embedded in the tree, piercing a piece of unfamiliar fabric.

"He said I should stay in the same tent as him!"

Ribia’s voice flashed through his mind.

She had said she didn’t know the reason.

"...Looks like this is it."

Pulling the fabric off the dagger, Tesetan frowned slightly.

Soft. Elastic.

Exactly the kind of material used for specialized assassin suits.

He silently glanced at the neighboring tent.

From inside, a familiar sound... no, noise could already be heard.

Ribia was grinding her teeth as if the world were collapsing.

Tesetan thought calmly:

"I’ll mention it tomorrow."

If an assassin had slipped in here, their target would be the Association Chair.

Ribia no longer had any status that would make her a target.

And even if something did happen, she wouldn’t be the one to worry about.

Listening to the grinding — "krddd, krddd" — Tesetan grimaced.

"Tell them not to kill, but to capture alive."

Turning around, he headed back to his tent.

The next day.

Tesetan took a seat ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) in the meeting tent and slightly lifted the corners of his lips.

"Good morning! Aunt Ribia, good morning! Uncle Leonardo, good morniiiing!"

Apparently well-rested, the King of the Dead, cheeks flushed, waved energetically at everyone.

And beside her—

"Sorry. I grind my teeth a little. But that’s better than snoring, right?!"

Hearing Ribia’s voice, the Association Chair smiled wearily.

Dark circles lingered under her eyes.

"Alright, everyone, please take your seats."

At Nordix’s suggestion, those gathered began to sit down.

Leonardo, the commander of the united forces, also took his seat.

As he reviewed the materials, Allerik whispered:

"Look. The King of the Dead... no, our squad leader, is quite unusual."

Tesetan looked at him silently.

"We’ve been operating as a combined force for weeks, and she still hasn’t shown her true form. Though, it seems she enjoys it..."

Allerik’s gaze was directed at Astie, who was already sitting on Basto’s lap, doodling in the corner of the documents.

Tesetan let out a short breath inwardly.

"I should tell them soon."

He thought it was time to tell Victor, Ribia, and Allerik about Astie’s true identity, which he had recently learned.

The meeting ended before sunrise.

It didn’t take long, and it had started very early.

When Leonardo withdrew the holy power, a massive opening appeared at the center of the barrier.

In the direction of the clock tower entangled with the magic crystal.

With a serious expression, Leonardo looked over the Holy Knight unit.

"We are near the magic crystal, so standard portals cannot be used. We proceed on foot and return to camp no later than sunset."

"Understood!"

On the other side, Agavert was also preparing.

"So I don’t have to go, right? Raul and Enzo aren’t going either."

Bale’s voice carried uncertainty, but Basto nodded.

"This is only a preliminary survey. Since it’s a plant-type magic crystal, we only need to determine the scale of its spread."

"But still. The Chair is going, and I’m not..."

"Conserve your strength. The route is long. There’s no need to send too many people."

Bale nodded reluctantly.

Tie, sitting in Basto’s arms, waved at him.

"Bale oppa! Tie come back in evening!"

"...Alright, just be careful, kid. Stay close to Basto."

"Mm! Tie go check if tower has bone friends!"

This time, Bale looked at Ardiana, who was standing next to Ribia.

"Then why are you going? You barely slept yesterday."

Ardiana looked at him with tired eyes.

"I’m also part of the united forces. I’ll leave the camp to you."

Ahead, the Holy Knight unit had already begun moving.

Since they needed to ride, the participants mounted in pairs.

Basto and Tie together.

Allerik and Ribia together.

Victor, loaded with supplies in case of emergencies, mounted after them.

"You’re not going?"

At Tesetan’s voice, Ardiana flinched and raised her head.

She pressed her lips together, hesitated, then awkwardly climbed into the saddle.