The longer King Garrie stood upon the silent battlements, the more uneasy he became. Something about this situation felt wrong.

The enemy had attacked too aggressively before this. Entire hordes of corrupted creatures had continuously assaulted the kingdoms almost without pause during the previous days. For all of that to suddenly stop at the same time felt unnatural no matter how he looked at it. Even if they had focused on the expeditions they should not leave the city completely silent.

His eyes slowly narrowed after that, while the cold wind swept across his cloak.

Finally, King Garrie turned toward one of the nearby battlement mages who currently stood beside a communication formation while monitoring the surrounding Magic currents.

The mage immediately straightened himself the moment the king approached.

"Send messages to the other kingdoms immediately," King Garrie ordered with a serious voice. "Contact King Darius of Valdros, King Sheron of Seraphelle, King Valor of Drakenmere, and King Seradin of Elaris."

The mage nodded quickly before preparing the communication Magic spirit he had.

King Garrie continued afterward.

"Ask them about the condition of their kingdoms. I want to know whether they’re still experiencing attacks or if their borders have also become quiet."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The mage immediately activated the communication formation after that. Several glowing circles appeared around him while streams of Magic energy spread outward from the battlements into the dark sky.

King Garrie waited silently after that while continuing to stare toward the distant plains outside Leonora’s walls.

Minutes passed slowly.

The silence surrounding the kingdom only became heavier during that time.

Then finally, the communication formation began glowing again.

Understanding the situation, the mage quickly focused on the incoming responses before turning toward the king with an increasingly troubled expression.

"Your Majesty..."

King Garrie immediately looked toward him.

"The replies have arrived."

"And?"

The mage hesitated briefly before answering.

"Valdros reports the same situation. Their borders have suddenly become quiet."

King Garrie’s expression hardened slightly.

The mage continued.

"Seraphelle reports no attacks either. Their battlements have remained silent for hours now."

Another pause followed.

"Drakenmere and Elaris reported the same thing as well."

The battlements suddenly felt even colder afterward.

King Garrie slowly turned his gaze back toward the darkness beyond the kingdom walls while the weight inside his chest deepened further.

All five kingdoms. Every single one of them had suddenly become quiet at the same time.

No attacks, corrupted hordes, or any form of pressure against the walls anymore. That was impossible to ignore.

Because if only one kingdom experienced this silence, then perhaps it could be coincidence. But all five simultaneously?

No. Something was happening.

King Garrie’s fingers slowly tightened behind his back afterward.

The enemy had not disappeared. That much he knew with certainty.

So where had the attacks gone? It couldn’t possibly all focus on the expeditions, right?

And more importantly, what exactly was the enemy preparing now?

King Garrie remained silent for several seconds after that while staring toward the dark plains beyond Leonora’s walls. The uneasy feeling inside his chest only continued growing stronger the longer the silence persisted.

Finally, he decided that he must act. The king turned away from the battlements and immediately approached the gathering of knight captains stationed nearby.

The captains straightened themselves the moment the king arrived before them.

King Garrie wasted no time.

"Double the alert status across the walls immediately," he ordered firmly. "I also want additional scouts deployed outside the perimeter. Send them farther than usual and rotate them continuously."

The captains immediately looked more serious afterward.

One of the older captains stepped forward slightly before speaking.

"Your Majesty..."

King Garrie looked toward him.

"Do you know something dangerous is approaching?" the captain asked carefully.

The other captains nearby also focused entirely on the king after his words. The tension around them visibly increased. They also wanted to know what made the king send this order.

King Garrie slowly folded his arms behind his back while the wind continued moving across the battlements.

"I’m not certain yet," he answered honestly. "But I don’t like this."

His gaze shifted briefly toward the dark lands outside the walls.

"It’s too quiet."

The captains remained silent while listening carefully.

King Garrie continued afterward.

"I contacted the other kingdoms just now. Valdros, Seraphelle, Drakenmere, and Elaris all reported the same situation."

That immediately changed the expressions of the captains.

Their eyes widened slightly while several of them exchanged uneasy glances with each other.

"All of them, Your Majesty?" one captain muttered quietly.

King Garrie nodded once. "Yes. The attacks stopped everywhere at the same time."

Silence briefly spread among the captains after his answer. Even the experienced veterans standing there clearly understood how unnatural that sounded.

The corrupted hordes had been attacking relentlessly for days without pause. For all five kingdoms to suddenly experience complete silence simultaneously could not possibly be coincidence.

The uneasiness among the captains immediately deepened afterward.

One of them slowly tightened his grip around the hilt of his sword.

Another captain quietly looked toward the darkness outside the walls as though expecting something to emerge from it at any moment.

King Garrie noticed all of their reactions clearly.

"That’s why I want the scouts moving now," he said firmly. "I don’t want us blind if something is happening beyond our borders."

The captains immediately straightened themselves afterward.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Without wasting another second, they quickly departed from the battlements afterward and returned toward their respective companies.

Soon, movement rapidly spread across the walls of Leonora.

Orders echoed across the battlements. The knights began repositioning themselves. Archers prepared additional ammunition. Several scouting groups immediately assembled near the outer gates while mages enhanced their detection formations.

Then one by one, the scouts departed into the darkness beyond the kingdom walls.

Throughout all of it, the silence surrounding Leonora still remained completely undisturbed.

King Garrie looked at the sky. It was gloomy and cloudy. Combined with the storm it felt like a storm was brewing right now.

—