Chapter 146
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 146
Chapter Title: Call of the Flames (8)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Silver Guard Knight let out a hum, frowning with a troubled expression.
"Ilenia was at the inn all night."
Aila answered in his stead.
"Seemed like she was drinking with Roth's crew. There was even a noise complaint... I was hoping she'd at least behave for one night."
From Aila's deep sigh, it was clear the night hadn't been easy on her.
This just added one more problem for us to mediate...
"Once we're done here, we'll head straight to the inn. We need to make sure the mercenaries don't cause any more trouble."
"No need for that."
Ilenia's voice.
Startled, I turned around to see her bursting through the office door.
Her red hair was down, and she was dressed in light casual clothes. A sword hung at her waist—the same as the last time I'd seen her last night.
Her face looked weary, but her eyes were sharp. She swept her gaze over everyone in the room.
"You!"
Shuren shouted in surprise.
Ilenia glanced at him briefly before turning to Silver Guard Knight.
"Roth's already left Peira with his squad. There was a summons."
"...A summons?"
"That pillar of flame last night. Apparently, it's the Gray Mercenaries' call to muster. It gathers every Gray Mercenary within sight of the flame pillar."
Ilenia explained as she looked around at everyone.
A pillar of flame visible even from this distance serving as the Gray Mercenaries' summons...?
"Roth said that?"
Silver Guard Knight asked, and Ilenia nodded.
"Yeah. He said the captain's calling, so he has to go right away."
Aila let out a weary sigh, her face pained.
"If Roth's crew has already left Peira, what about the messes they caused? How do we handle that, Silver Guard Knight?"
"The mercenary company will cover the damages, of course. Once they've mustered, they'll come back."
Ilenia answered Aila's question.
Aila looked back and forth between Silver Guard Knight and Ilenia, seemingly at a loss for words.
Ilenia spoke boldly, undeterred.
"I'll make sure of it, Silver Guard Knight. I'm going with them to the Gray Mercenaries."
"What?"
Shuren reflexively shot back, and Ilenia turned to him.
"Roth asked me to come along on the way. Said there might be more unfair trouble."
Her resolve seemed unshakable.
Shuren was speechless in shock, and Wedin and I were at a loss for words too.
Even Silver Guard Knight's face hardened.
"I can't allow that, Ilenia."
Of course he couldn't. Heading to a mercenary company's muster point with mercenaries?
Prius missions were rarely solo, and even those were only for veteran knights.
Even if she knew them, sending a young, inexperienced girl off with mercenaries wasn't something you could just approve lightly.
And we had too much else to do to go with her.
But Ilenia met Silver Guard Knight's gaze head-on. She wasn't about to back down easily.
"You can't give me orders, Silver Guard Knight. I'm not part of the Silver Moon Knights. Or the Red Guard, either. I quit ages ago."
Those were harsh words that perfectly captured Ilenia's reality.
The air in the room froze in an instant. Silver Guard Knight clamped his mouth shut, his face stiff.
"You're still with Prius, Ilenia. You can't be that rude to Silver Guard Knight..."
Shuren spoke up on his behalf, but he flinched under Ilenia's sharp glare and trailed off.
No matter the unit, as long as you wielded your sword in Prius's name, you had to follow superiors' orders.
That was the basic discipline of the knights.
"Then let's do it this way."
Ilenia stepped up to Silver Guard Knight and untied the sheath fixed to her belt. She also unwound Prius's insignia wrapped around her waist.
It happened in a flash.
Before anyone could stop her, she placed Prius's sword and insignia on the table.
"There. Happy now?"
With that, Ilenia spun on her heel and strode out of the office.
Her posture screamed that she needed no one's permission anymore—no lingering attachments or regrets.
"Ilenia."
Silver Guard Knight called after her, face twisted, but she didn't look back.
"That idiot...!"
Unable to hold back his anger, Shuren chased after her out of the office.
A bad feeling that they'd clash again had me following Shuren down the hall.
"Ilenia!"
Shuren finally caught up to her at the downstairs stairs.
"What the hell are you thinking?! Are you insane?!"
"Let go, Shuren."
Ilenia shook off his arm with a cold expression.
Her face was so icy that Shuren faltered for a moment.
"You're serious? You're really going after those guys? Even abandoning Prius?"
"I've always been serious. I gave everything my all! But Prius never saw me for who I am."
"Ilenia, that's..."
This was the moment Ilenia's pent-up anger exploded—the rage of someone who'd drifted on the outside of both the Red Guard and Silver Moon Knights.
Knowing that full well, Shuren couldn't find the words.
"The only ones who ever looked at me straight were the mercenaries. Without Prius, I'd be no different from them. For them, I can do anything."
Every word from Ilenia tore at my heart like fangs.
I rushed to Shuren's side and grabbed her other arm.
I had to hold her back somehow, make her stay just a little longer.
"Wait a second. Silver Guard Knight will think of something else. Right? You don't have to throw away your Prius insignia—there are other ways..."
Silver Guard Knight would prepare a new insignia soon. If we could just convince Red Guard Knight, I could go with her and talk her into...
I stopped as I looked at Ilenia's face. A flood of words sank unspoken.
She gazed back at me with a fragile smile. Tears welled in her green eyes and finally spilled down her cheeks.
"Sorry, Liberic. There's no other way. It was fun while it lasted—really. I wish we could've kept traveling together."
The fingertips holding her arm began to burn hot.
"Ugh!"
I yanked my hand away from the searing pain, like fire igniting my skin, and Ilenia shoved me.
The unexpected force sent me tumbling backward onto the floor.
Both hands that had gripped her were bright red and blistering.
"Lib!"
Shuren caught me in alarm. He whipped around to glare at Ilenia with fury.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?!"
"I'm really sorry."
With that, Ilenia turned and ran off.
Shuren, still holding me, couldn't chase her and just watched her go.
"Bro, go catch her."
I clenched my fists tight.
Cold sweat beaded from the burning pain in my skin, but I had to catch Ilenia somehow.
If she left like this, we might never see her again...
Shuren looked at my hands and shook his head curtly. His expression hardened at the sight of my inflamed palms.
"Wedin's probably still on the second floor. Let's go."
Shuren helped me up and headed for the stairs. I turned my head toward where Ilenia had vanished.
"But..."
"We can't catch her right now."
He wanted to hold her back more than anyone, yet he climbed the stairs without looking back.
I clenched my fists and followed him back to the second-floor office.
The pain in my palms hurt, but the despair in my heart ached far worse.
Aila, the guards, and Peltura Chief Clerk had already left. Only Silver Guard Knight and Wedin sat in the heavy silence.
Shuren dragged me straight to Wedin. When I showed him my palms, Wedin recoiled in shock and poured holy power into my hands.
Shuren relayed exactly what Ilenia had said to Silver Guard Knight, who sighed heavily as if he'd expected it.
"So that's what Ilenia said."
"Silver Guard Knight, can't we just give her a new insignia now?"
I asked while leaving my hands in Wedin's care.
The Silver Moon Knights' insignia was already being prepared.
It would be done soon—watching her leave without waiting was unbearable.
"What are you talking about? Insignia? She left her Prius one behind."
Shuren pointed to Ilenia's sword and Prius insignia on the table.
Silver Guard Knight looked at them with a pained expression.
He explained to Shuren and Wedin why he hadn't been able to give Ilenia the Silver Moon Knights' insignia all this time.
"Red Guard Knight opposed it."
Shuren muttered in disbelief.
"Ilenia knows that too. She knows her own mother opposes it. Giving her the Silver Moon insignia now to hold her back would just be deceitful."
"But what are we going to do? We can't just let Ilenia go like this."
Silver Guard Knight leaned on the table, lost in thought for a moment, then lifted his head. The pain and anguish in his eyes had shifted.
"We'll have to move fast."
We held our breath, waiting for his words.
"Red Guard Knight is in Delatria. I'll convince her. That way, we can fetch Ilenia with our heads held high... But first, we need to wrap things up here."
"We have to go to the Goddess Church."
His mention of things to do here reminded me of our business at the Goddess Church.
Silver Guard Knight nodded.
"Liberic, you're coming with me to the church."
Then he turned to Wedin.
"Wedin, mind watching the field clinic while we're gone? A few holy mages haven't shown up. Peltura Chief Clerk could really use the help."
"No problem at all."
Wedin shrugged.
Helping at the clinic was the least we could do for Peltura Chief Clerk and the branch.
Silver Guard Knight turned to Shuren next.
"Shuren, prepare for the trip. There's still the travel report and expense paperwork, plus restocking travel supplies and food. We'll head to Delatria right after the church, so finish it up before then."
"Leave it to me, Silver Guard Knight. It'll be done before you get back."
Shuren's boundless confidence softened Silver Guard Knight's stiff expression a bit.
He rose from his seat.
"I'll show you how to handle the paperwork. Ask another clerk if you're stuck. Wedin, will Liberic's treatment be done by then?"
"I'm fine."
I pulled my hands from Wedin.
They were still reddish, but the searing pain had mostly faded.
It'd take time to heal fully anyway. This was good enough for now.
"Alright, then. Wait outside."
"I'll tell Ashy and head down."
"Do that. Be down soon."
Leaving Silver Guard Knight and Shuren behind, Wedin and I left the office.