Chapter 6
Chapter 6
The Fourth Frontline Outpost Construction Expedition
At noon two days later, the sky was clear without a single cloud.
The marble floor reflected the sunlight so brightly it was almost blinding.
Under the massive arched gate of the central corridor’s eastern entrance, the meeting point, someone was already waiting.
A middle-aged man of imposing build, his entire body wrapped in heavy armor except for his face. At the center of his massive breastplate was a proud, roaring lion emblem.
Behind him stood a saint, slightly withdrawn. The black religious robe she wore was embroidered with patterns like scattered embers, marking her church of origin.
“You arrived quite early, I am Ru—”
“You’re late. Second-rank knight.”
The armored man cut me off bluntly. His gaze from beneath thick brows carried an oppressive weight.
“I am Gideon, first-rank knight of the western district. This is my saint, Sienna. As you can see, she belongs to the Ashen Church.”
“Yes… I am Ruvel. It is an honor to meet you, Sir Gideon.”
“I am Adela of the Moonlight Church. I look forward to working with you.”
While we exchanged brief introductions, the saint named Sienna said nothing at all.
“Now then. Let’s begin.”
Ignoring the greetings, Gideon casually sat down against a nearby wall and spread a map across his knees.
Dust scattered from the leather map tied with a red ribbon.
“Here. This is the eastern district gate where you and I will depart from. Memorize it.”
He tapped the gate marked on the map with a thick finger, then drew a line toward the destroyed temporary outpost.
“If you ride fast, it’s half a day’s distance. But we’re escorting a construction corps. Do you understand what that means?”
“It will take much longer… and there will be more things to protect.”
“Correct. Longer means more danger. That also means more encounters with wraiths or those lost to the darkness.”
Wraiths… just thinking about those things crawling in the dark made my skin crawl. And something like the Night Lantern was beyond what most could handle.
“Especially that Night Lantern you mentioned encountering. That kind of thing should be faced only with full sacrifice in mind. But don’t worry. It rarely appears where we are going. It’s not supposed to be there in the first place.”
“Be cautious of enemies drawn to light. Understood.”
“That’s precisely why the saint’s role is crucial. Make sure she is properly managed until then.”
“Managed, you say?”
“Being able to deploy a saint at the right time and place is part of a knight’s ability. You still seem inexperienced.”
Managed a saint.
What kind of ideology was that?
I knew many knights saw saints as tools for survival, but this man took it to another level.
“Adela is not a tool I use. We will prepare in our own way, Sir Gideon.”
“Tch. A second-rank knight getting arrogant. Don’t drag me down. And that thing on your back… can you even handle it properly?”
He pointed at the massive shield strapped to my back.
“Not yet… but I intend to show you soon.”
“Hmph. Just don’t end up begging for your life behind that shield. I’ve heard you took down a Cassius from the Barnein family. I’ll take that at face value.”
Barnein’s son… Cassius. So the rumors had already spread.
Suddenly—
Rapid footsteps echoed in the distance.
“I-I-I’m not too late, am I?!”
A young girl wearing a green cap appeared, panting heavily, her face still youthful and anxious.
“Are you the trainee archivist assigned as the scribe?”
Adela gently patted the girl’s back.
“Yes, yes!! Trainee archivist from the eastern district Great Archive! My name is Lete!! It’s an honor!!”
“Tch. Late. I have nothing to say to a scribe who only writes what she hears. Let’s go, Sienna.”
“Yes… Sir Gideon.”
Without acknowledging Lete’s greeting, Gideon turned away and left with his saint.
“Miss Lete, you can lift your head now. Sir Gideon is just… that kind of person.”
I offered her a small reassurance while she stood flustered.
“I-I-I’m really okay!! I just came to greet everyone quickly!!”
Her frantic energy made me smile a little.
“I’m Ruvel. Nice to meet you.”
“I’m Adela. Nice to meet you, Lete.”
“Y-Yes!! Sir Ruvel!! Lady Adela!! It’s an honor!!”
She shook our hands enthusiastically with both of hers, then we parted ways.
“Lete’s kind of cute. She seems like she could fly off in any direction.”
“Yeah… she does.”
Lete… even someone that young is sent into the darkness. Necessary, maybe, but still cruel.
A brief thought crossed my mind—Adela getting hurt, Lete dying because of my mistakes.
In the past, I would have drowned in such thoughts.
But not anymore.
I would protect them with my own hands.
“I’ll head in now!”
We said goodbye at the northern district boundary where I always parted from Adela, and I returned to the barracks.
There were 11 days left until departure.
After a brief rest, I headed to a secluded, messy open lot behind the encampment.
A place filled with discarded materials, broken equipment, and scrap no one cared about.
An ideal training ground.
No one came here. No one cared.
I placed my hand on the shield strapped to my back.
Huu—
A jolt ran through me.
The blood-stained memories of the shield flowed into my fingertips.
The battles it had witnessed. The fear it had endured.
The more I absorbed, the more familiar I became with scenes of slaughter. The nausea slowly dulled.
I repeated it again and again until my body learned to move as if it had lived those moments itself.
The shield was unbearably heavy.
Just holding it was difficult, so I always kept it on me.
Each contact let fragments of memory seep in, splitting my head with pain.
But I endured.
Swinging it. Blocking imagined attacks in darkness.
I closed my eyes, and the shield’s memories unfolded vividly.
And for two weeks, I stayed in that darkness.
I collapsed countless times, waking on cold ground.
Nightmares came every time I slept.
But I endured it.
Because this, I believed, was the first step toward finding my path.
On the day of departure for the Fourth Frontline Construction Expedition, people gathered at the eastern outer gate of the capital.
“Over here!! Ruvel!! Adela!!”
Lete waved excitedly, having arrived first.
Soon, construction wagons carrying materials arrived with heavy rolling sounds. The corps was large.
This would be slower than expected.
“Are all units ready?”
Gideon approached casually, holding a massive halberd larger than himself. Sienna followed silently behind him.
The formation slowly came together.
“Second-rank knight. You and I will guard the flanks. If one side breaks, the other will suffer double the pressure. Understand?”
“Yes. We must both remain vigilant.”
“Tch. Don’t slow me down.”
He turned away. Sienna’s faint light trailed behind him.
“Let’s go, Adela.”
We took our position at the front line.
Behind us, Adela’s gentle blue light and Sienna’s burning ember-like glow illuminated the formation.
The wagons hung with saintly lanterns, forming circles of light like constellations.
Then—
A horn echoed from the watchtower above the wall.
The massive gate began to rise with grinding chains.
And beyond it… darkness.
Cold fear took root in my chest.
But I placed my hand on the shield.
I can do this.
We stepped forward into the darkness.
At first, everything was slow and tense.
Then the wraiths came.
Twisting shapes emerged from the dark, drawn to the light.
“Ruvel!! Incoming from your side!!”
“Got it!”
I raised my shield.
The memories inside it surged again.
Not mine—but I moved as if they were.
Steel rang out.
And for the first time, I understood what it meant to stand at the front line.
Gideon’s voice roared from the other side.
“Watch and learn!! This is a knight’s battle!!”
He did not dodge.
He did not hesitate.
He only advanced, letting pain and damage fall onto his saint.
Sienna coughed blood, suffering every wound he ignored, yet continued sustaining his overwhelming light.
A method of battle where the saint burns herself to fuel the knight.
That was what it meant to “use a saint.”
I tightened my grip on the shield.
No.
I would not fight like that.
I would find my own way to protect Adela.