Before the Roar

The morning of the attack was a busy affair.

Medrauta reined in her horse gently, considerate of the fact that Viviane was riding with her. The noblewoman had elected to share a mount with her knight, and though she was already more than a consummate rider thanks to the rigors of war, Medrauta was still determined to provide her very important passenger a smooth riding experience.

Despite the ruined state of the city, the streets between each checkpoint were well-maintained and clear of debris, allowing them to reach Jestel Plaza without issue. Tall, circular walls of patchwork stone and wood bordered each passageway, reaching up to about twelve feet in height. According to Eirlys, it was the minimum height to deter the mindless witchspawn from taking such a route. Apparently, they prioritized attacking the academy and the academy only, causing them to seek out the quickest and most efficient route.

Thanks to such knowledge, Eirlys and the defenders of the academy had managed to create a system where the witchspawn army was funneled into specific chokepoints, nullifying their overwhelming numbers and allowing the knights to hold on for as long as they have.

Medrauta let out a low whistle as they entered the small outpost constructed in Jestel Plaza, looking at Brigitte with a gaze of awe and admiration. “You managed to build all this in thirty minutes?”

Brigitte shrugged as if it were no big deal, but the massive smile on her face and the swell in her chest told everyone that she was rather proud of her achievement. And rightly so. “Not by myself, though. I had Loretta and Emily to help, among many other knights. We were a group of around fifteen.”

Medrauta shook her head in amazement. “As always, you’re a genius, Brig.”

“You only just realized?” Brigitte grinned.

“She says that, but you should’ve seen her when we first started these missions. She was moaning all abou—”

“Alright, that’s enough out of you.” Brigitte quickly leaned to the side and clamped her hand over Melindra’s mouth, silencing the lavender-haired knight. Normally, it would’ve been a dangerous thing to do to someone on a massive warhorse, but this was Melindra. There simply wasn’t a chance that she’d fall off.

The group of knights made their way to the makeshift stables set up in the outpost, dismounting and tethering their horses before leaving. The rest of the outpost was bustling with activity as civilians, knights, and nobles alike worked tirelessly to prepare for the coming attack. Their eyes blazed with determination and every action they took was purposeful, though Medrauta was slightly worried about the seemingly crazed smile on the faces of those who were working on the massive siege cannon Eirlys had spoken about.

Its name was the Spirecrusher, which Medrauta thought rather fitting. It could only fire a single shot before destroying itself in the process, but that shot would pave the way for the Spire before them to fall at last. The silver-haired knight nodded approvingly as she watched a group of knights heft the heavy cannonball that would serve as the weapon’s payload. It was about time to rid the horizon of that ugly tower once and for all.

“This is where we split up,” Brigitte said. “I’ve gotta meet up with Levant and help coordinate the attack on the left flank. You two’ve got a meeting with Lady Scarlet, yeah?”

“Her and everyone else, yeah.” Medrauta nodded. “You and Mel ready to finish this?”

“Hell yeah we are,” Brigitte smiled, clapping Medrauta on the shoulder. “You should’ve seen Esme. She was out the door the moment the sun rose.”

“Explains why I didn’t catch her in the mess hall this morning.”

“I was gonna go too...” Melindra began. “But I couldn’t wake up! Teehee~”

Medrauta laughed, shaking her head. “Never change, Mel.”

The three knights stood silently, facing each other for a long while as they attempted to piece together the torrent of emotions they were experiencing and convey them through words. Eventually, the three of them simply resorted to a few awkward slaps on the back before parting ways.

Viviane shot Medrauta a concerned glance. “...Are you sure that’s all you wanted to say to them?”

Medrauta nodded. “‘Bout as much as I could, honestly. Besides, it’s not like that’s the last time we’ll see ‘em.”

“I suppose that’s true.” Viviane grinned. “Do you think we’ll still have to worry about exams after we’re done with all of this?”

“By Aluvsha, I’d hope not. There’s still the situation up north to deal with.”

“...Yeah. That, and the other duchies. I’m not sure what’s going to happen to the Rosenhall duchy seeing as Lady Isabella is still alive, but I can only hope that my temporary claim over the Revelo duchy helps dissuade any power grabs. Based on what Lady Scarlet has told me lately, I think we’ve had enough of those for a long, long time.”

Medrauta nodded in agreement. “Here’s to hopin’.”

When Medrauta and Viviane entered the command tent, everyone was already waiting. Other than Scarlet and Eris, Rosette and Estelle had been the first to arrive. They had been quickly followed by Rosaline and Leticia, and all six of their gazes now turned toward the silver-haired knight and her lady.

“Took the two of you long enough,” Leticia remarked.

“E-Eh!? Are we late?” Viviane asked. “We’re sorry!”

Rosaline smiled, shaking her head. “Don’t mind her. Lettie is simply pulling your leg.”

Scarlet snapped her hand fan open, drawing everyone’s attention. “Now that we are all in attendance, let us get onto business. The quicker we get this done, the faster we can begin cleaning up the capital and diverting our resources to the war that still rages in the north. I hope none of you have forgotten about that.”

The grim looks on everyone’s faces told Scarlet that they hadn’t. She nodded, gesturing to the diagram sprawled across the table before her.

“Thanks to the efforts of our very daring scouts, we have managed to acquire some rudimentary knowledge of the Spire’s layout. The structure consists of approximately a hundred or so floors, each one of them as large as the first floor of the Imperial Academy.”

“...That’ll be quite a problem for us to navigate even after we get in, no?” Rosaline asked, frowning. She wasn’t a student at the Imperial Academy, but she had visited her friends there quite frequently before chaos descended on the empire. As far as she could remember, the first floor of the Imperial Academy was downright massive, comparable even to the Imperial Palace’s grounds.

“Indeed. However, we will not need to progress through each floor. A magical apparatus lies in the very center of the structure, allowing for rapid transportation through nearly the entire height of the Spire.”

“How convenient...” Leticia murmured.

“Nearly the entire height of the Spire?” Rosette frowned. “Where does it terminate?”

“Honestly, we are not entirely sure.” Scarlet replied. “However, I believe we will have to climb the last three floors before the top on foot.”

“...Is that so?”

Scarlet simply nodded. “Indeed. I do not normally trust my intuition without first ascertaining the facts, but this time... I can feel it in my core. Whatever awaits us will be something we must all face together.”

“I feel the same.” Medrauta said. “I don’t know why, but there’s this burning feeling in my chest that’s telling me whatever waits for us at the top will take all of us to defeat.”

The others in the tent nodded, a moment of understanding passing through each of them. Each of them had felt the same burning sensation in their hearts, as if the knots of destiny were tugging at the ties that bound them to their ultimate fate. Scarlet’s hand fan snapped closed, as if to signal the end of this meeting and the beginning of their true battle.

“The attack commences within five minutes. Let us take our positions and prepare to rush down the opening created by the Spirecrusher. We will only have one chance to infiltrate the Spire, so let us make it count. Our destination lies within reach of our fingertips. All we must do is grasp it.”

One by one, each pair exited the tent. Rosette and Estelle were the first to leave and assume their designated positions. Their stride was brisk, almost as if there was something they were rushing to accomplish before it was too late. Leticia and Rosaline departed after them, exchanging brief words with Medrauta and Viviane as they promised to have tea after everything was over.

In the end, only Medrauta and Viviane remained, standing across from Scarlet and her knight, Eris. Viviane’s golden eyes met Scarlet’s violet. There were a multitude of questions that the blonde-haired noblewoman wanted to ask, but she knew there wouldn’t be enough time for Scarlet to answer all of them.

Instead, she would simply have to content herself with knowing the answer to one.

“...Lady Scarlet, please forgive me for my presumptions, but you know something, do you not?”

“I am not sure what you mean, Lady Viviane.” Scarlet said evasively.

“You know something will happen when we reach the top. What is it?”

A heavy silence was the only answer that followed Viviane’s question. It would remain for a minute and more until Scarlet was finally forced to bridge the impasse.

“Two will die. I do not know who.”

For a moment, Viviane’s hands trembled and her eyes wavered, but she felt the sudden warmth of Medrauta’s hand in hers and found strength once more.

“I won’t ask you how you know that,” Medrauta began. “But even if Aluvsha himself wills our deaths, I’ll find a way to save us. All of us.”

Scarlet lowered her head, remaining silent for a long while before finally meeting Medrauta’s eyes. They were a bright blue that shone with inner light far greater than anything she had seen. Though she had doubted Medrauta’s words a second ago, she realized it was because she hadn’t fully understood what the silver-haired knight had meant.

I see now. Those weren’t the words of a mere knight. Scarlet smiled. That... was the Oath of a Paladin.

“...Thank you, Dame Medrauta.”