At the foremost line of Fidele Territory leading to the Elder Millie Peninsula, before the border zone gate.
The area in front of the temporary headquarters of the Council’s subjugation force was bustling busily again today, with the Hareth Knights and some support troops gathering in preparation for combat before heading to the peninsula.
Cordelia, having finished her meal with only a few pieces of bread, was checking the condition of the horses waiting for dispatch one by one while the knights finished theirs.
Some time ago, when the stable near Parren’s main camp was attacked, they had been forced to part with the horses that had long served the knight order and instead deploy those newly raised in the territory. Yet problems often arose, as these horses would sense the energy of monsters and break formation.
Though she couldn’t read the expressions in the eyes of the large, black horses, their gaze somehow seemed fearful, leaving her uneasy. Whenever the hot, humid wind blowing from the peninsula brushed across the border zone, the horses grew restless, kicking their hooves and snorting. So Cordelia kept stroking their noses and manes, trying to calm them.
Recently, as the air grew hotter and the weather harsher, it had become as rare to see a clear sky as to lift the heavy weight in her heart since hearing of the collapse inside the peninsula—and that Leonardo was among the missing.
Still, believing Leonardo Blaine would be safe, she turned to fill the feed buckets for the horses once more before leaving.
After a few steps, she saw Bruno staring intently at the sheets of paper scattered across the table inside his personal tent. Since the recent attack by Dermocas that caused casualties, followed by reports on the investigation sent by the 9th Battalion of the Southern Branch, Bruno had remained in that state.
Cordelia, thinking he too was immersing himself in work to forget his grief and turmoil, stopped walking and headed toward him. Leaning against the tent’s entrance, she knocked on the iron pillar to announce her presence.
At the crude clang of iron, Bruno, absorbed in thought, suddenly raised his head. Perhaps from concentrating too deeply, his brow was tightly furrowed.
“Ah, Lady Hareth. What brings you here?”
Seeing him like that, Cordelia felt a pang of guilt for interrupting his focus.
“Ah... no. It’s nothing, really. I was just wondering if you’d eaten. It seems I haven’t seen you rest much lately.”
At her words, Bruno blinked as if realizing something, then rubbed his forehead and relaxed his expression.
“There’s something troubling me in the reports I’ve received. I keep dwelling on it, so I must look lost.”
His face, shadowed by sunken eyes, stirred pity in anyone who saw it. Though he did not fight the monsters directly on the peninsula, he devised strategies day and night to support the combat personnel just as much.
He gathered every scrap of information brought by liaison officers to chart safe routes and distribute supplies to each battalion. He arranged for the injured to be returned quickly to headquarters for treatment or, in severe cases, transported to nearby medical facilities.
With the Council Commander out of contact during the search for the missing, part of the authority had fallen to Bruno, leaving all decisions concentrated on him. The weight was inescapably heavy.
Knowing this, Cordelia could not simply urge him to take care of himself.
“...Is there anything I can help with?”
“Pardon? Ah, no. Lady, you’re already of great help to strategy development by traveling between Parren’s main camp and the peninsula. Thank you even for asking.”
At his polite refusal, given with an awkward smile, Cordelia realized he needed more time alone to concentrate and nodded lightly.
“I understand. Then I’ll head out again as soon as the knights are ready. If there is other news, please let me know.”
“Yes. Thank you, as always, for your hard work.”
Exchanging salutes, Cordelia turned and stepped out of the tent. Just then, she froze—startled by a man running toward her, breathless, arms full of something.
“Lady Hareth, greetings!”
He shouted the words and rushed straight into the tent. Cordelia, startled, stepped aside, but her gaze followed him.
“Deputy Commander, please take a look at this!”
It was Gray Scott, commander of the 12th Battalion of the Council’s Southern Branch. Unlike his usual neat appearance, he was disheveled today—his clothes hastily thrown on, his hair pressed or blown every which way.
Though nearly everyone in the operations department looked that way these days, it still felt strange to see Officer Scott, usually so strict, in such disorder.
He spread out a huge sheet of paper, as tall as himself, across the table and said to Bruno,
“This is what you told me to find. I think it’s right—the shape of this half almost matches!”
“...!”
At his words, Bruno’s weary eyes widened. He bent over the paper as though to bury his face in it.
He said nothing, but his trembling hand brushed over the surface. Anyone could see that what Scott had brought was of tremendous importance.
Cordelia stood there, watching, wondering what could cause ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) such commotion. Then Bruno suddenly lifted his head with a grave expression and looked at her, making her flinch. She thought it must be confidential Council information she should not hear.
She was about to salute again and step away when Bruno quickly called out to her.
“Lady Hareth, may I ask your opinion on something?”
At that, Cordelia turned back, uncertain.
“Pardon? For what... reason?”
“Could you take a look at this?”
Bruno urgently grabbed the corners of the large sheet and spread it wide toward her. Drawn as if by a spell, Cordelia entered the tent and approached. Slowly, she realized what was depicted.
It was a map. A compressed rendering of the Elder Millie Peninsula’s terrain, so vast that even Bruno, tall as he was, had to stretch his arms to hold it.
The southern half was only roughly sketched with ridges and left incomplete. It seemed the Council’s operations department was painstakingly gathering information and drawing the map piece by piece.
Dark dots were marked here and there. Though she couldn’t tell what they were, it was clearly the most detailed and accurate map of the peninsula so far.
Cordelia was impressed but wondered if he merely wanted praise for its craftsmanship. While she hesitated on what to say, Bruno asked,
“Can you tell what this is?”
“Ah, yes. Isn’t it a map of the peninsula’s terrain? It’s quite... well done.”
“You’ve heard that ancient ruins have been discovered on the Elder Millie Peninsula. By order of the Council Commander, our forces have fenced off the ruins we’ve found to mark them.”
“...”
“These dots represent the tall pillars and statues serving as reference points within the ruins—marked so they could be transferred onto the map.”
As she nodded absently, Bruno signaled to Gray with his eyes. Gray then picked up a thin sheet of paper and placed both ends in Bruno’s hands.
When laid atop the map, the thin sheet revealed the drawing beneath.
On it was a sketch connecting the thick dots from the map with lines and curves. Seeing it, Cordelia’s eyes widened. At her reaction, Bruno spoke again.
“Unlike typical ruins, those on the Elder Millie Peninsula form curves rather than straight lines. Among the many patterns we tried, this is the most plausible. Now—what do you see?”
Cordelia stepped back, a few paces farther, until the entire image came into view at once.
The two men’s earnest gazes seemed to beg for a single answer.
Cordelia blinked slowly, lips parting in a daze.
“A magic circle.”
At last, she lifted her head and met their eyes. Steadying her trembling voice, she spoke clearly.
“I see half of a magic circle.”
