Fraun sized up Izroth upon his entry. According to Siege's report, this man before him came to deliver the sword that belonged to the First Knight, Prime. He refused to give out any further information until he had a face to face meeting, and the words he did provide were shoddy at best.
"You're dismissed, Siege," Fraun said.
"Lord." Siege delivered a knight's salute before he walked out the door and closed it behind him.
"Well, you're here. I'd like to know how you managed to get your hands on the sword of First Knight Prime. I should warn you; I do not believe in coincidences. Think carefully before you speak. Otherwise, I will not hesitate to kill you where you stand." Fraun stated with a cold look in his eyes.
Just like the other roles, Fraun also had to deal with tasks administered by Tale Immersion. One of these tasks was to send men to apprehend the Hunter Venare before he infiltrated the main palace. To accomplish this without error, Fraun sent Prime and some additional knights to ensure there was no room for failure.
But, not too long ago, Fraun received an alert warning him of the task's failed outcome. Now, this man just happened to visit this place moments after that occurred? He would be a fool to overlook the potential connection!
"That would be a problem. After all, you would be disobeying the first rule." Izroth replied nonchalantly.
Fraun narrowed his eyes at Izroth's words.
He then motioned his hand forward and said, "You two are dismissed."
"My lord, to leave you alone with this person of unknown origin is-" One of the knights protested; however, he fell silent when he witnessed Fraun's glare.
"…Understood." The knight replied reluctantly.
"Lord!" The two knights spoke in unison as they gave a knight's salute and left the room as commanded.
The moment the doors shut behind them, Fraun released a deep sigh.
"It's good to see another ally in this dreamworld. But, at least now, I'm sure of it. The First Knight's death was no mere coincidence. Were you the one behind it?" Fraun asked.
"It was something that had to be done for the ultimate outcome. I hope it did not cause you too much trouble, Captain Gritt." Izroth answered.
When Izroth entered the room and took a few steps forward, he arrived close enough in the range for his Eyes of Knowledge to take effect. He then discovered that the Nobleman Fraun was the War Brigade 2nd Unit Captain of the 4th Division, Gritt.
Although this was Izroth's first time speaking with Gritt, he knew of his name from one of the many messages he received from Maeva after escaping his first run-in with Zarolas.
"I see… If that's the case, it couldn't be helped. It's a bit of a loss on my part, but nothing I can't recover from. Since you can immediately discover my true identity, I take it you're the Dreamer? But, the way you speak is different from the Commander and the other woman. You don't sound like that man with the silver wings, either. If I had to take a guess, I'd say you are our famous missing Captain Izroth from the GSU. Well, I guess not so much missing anymore." Gritt stated.
'To reach that conclusion, after only exchanging a few words, I can see why the Commander chose him to follow her into Vostracane.'
Back at the Blue Heart Inn, during his conversation with the dreamworld's owner, Izroth was told that if he ran into the member of her unit, he simply had to mention the first rule to gain their trust.
The "first rule" referred to the first of Aurie's three rules for the unit.
Rule one, you will not take any action that may endanger the lives of your fellow troops.
Mentioning the "first rule" in the dreamworld to distinguish ally from foe was a safeguard that every Captain and Lieutenant in Aurie's unit had to be aware of. This was just in case, well, a situation such as this one occurred where she had no choice but to use her domain with allies nearby.
"Since you're already aware, it saves me quite a bit of trouble. I'm sure you know why I'm here." Izroth said as he placed Prime's sword on top of Fraun's desk.
"I can think of a few reasons. Please, have a seat, Captain. It would seem we have much to discuss." Fraun stated as he gestured towards the chair in front of his desk.
…
Meanwhile, inside the main palace…
Nixere held a dagger in her hand at her side as she stood with her back against the wall near the corner of a corridor. She slowly moved her dagger to the edge of the corner, using its steel blade to see if there was anyone present within the hall.
"It's clear. Remember, stay close." Nixere whispered softly to the person at her side.
"I'll be right behind you," Nixpera responded quietly.
After the ceremony ended, Nixere was granted a private audience with Nixpera. At first, Nixere only planned to discuss potential plans to escape with her elder sister, but circumstances evolved after her contact with her cousin, Viselo.
By now, Nixere believed that her cousin should have been successful on his end. At least, she could only hope that he had not failed. If they lost this chance, who knew when or if they would get another?
So, Nixere decided to act in the moment itself.
Thinking on her feet, Nixere feigned that something with wrong with Nixpera, which caused the two guards outside to rush in and check on the situation.
Having Nixpera pretend to be unconscious when the knights approached, with their guards lowered, Nixere removed the daggers she had hidden under her dress and mercilessly stabbed them into the neck of the guards.
Presently, Nixere was helping Nixpera escape from the palace while under cover of night. At the moment, they were headed to the palace's back garden, where they would meet up with their reinforcements. However, there were numerous guards scattered throughout the palace. Therefore, the two had to proceed with caution to avoid drawing any attention to themselves. The fewer eyes they came into contact with, the better.
"Now," Nixere said as she darted around the corner and rushed forward.
Nixpera followed Nixere down the hall, but just as they were almost to the next turning point in the corridor, Nixere heard the faint sound of footsteps coming from around the corner.
Nixere clicked her tongue to express her annoyance. She came to an abrupt stop at the edge of the corner before signaling Nixpera to halt her steps.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
A few seconds later, a guard on palace patrol duty walked around the corner.
Woosh! Phhtk!
Without hesitation, Nixere plunged her dagger into the guard's neck and covered their mouth with her hand as the life in his eyes faded. Then, in one smooth motion, she pulled her dagger out of the guard's neck.
The guard fell over motionless, but before he could hit the ground, Nixere caught him to eliminate the noise.
"Open that door," Nixere said as she gestured towards one of the closes doors in the hallway while dragging the guard's limp body.
Nixpera furrowed her brows as she opened the door as Nixere instructed.
Thud.
Nixere released the guard after hauling him into the small room used for storage before quickly shutting the door behind her.
"Was that necessary?" Nixpera questioned.
"Maybe, maybe not. However, I am not willing to perform that coin flip and gamble your safety. Your happiness and safety are more important to me than the lives of everyone in this kingdom, including that bastard king. I still can't believe father gave you away like a prize to be had…!" Nixere said as she contained her anger.
She then continued, "You have always supported me. This time, it's my turn to support you, dear sister."
〈System Alert: A task for «Tale Immersion» has been adjusted!〉
"It changed again?" Nixpera questioned to herself as she inwardly frowned. This was the third time in under an hour that one of her Tale Immersion tasks had been adjusted.
Skill Name: Tale Immersion
…
Current Task(s):
-(1)Reach the palace back garden with Nixere's assistance. [Incomplete]
-(2)Meet with Hunter Venare in the palace back garden. [Incomplete]
-(3)Escape from the inner town. [Incomplete]
-(4)Reach the border of the kingdom located on the other side of the forest at the town's outskirts outside the inner palace walls. [Incomplete]
