Early the next morning, just as sunlight brushed the castle's towering spires, Livia quietly returned.
She stepped through the heavy gates, her boots echoing with steady rhythm across the familiar stone floor. The air still held the lingering coolness of morning mist. And just as she expected, the moment she entered the inner courtyard, she saw Emma—dressed in armor, standing tall—softly instructing a few soldiers to adjust their formation. She looked every bit the part of a true guard captain.
Her movements were sharp, her words concise, her eyes calm and precise—flawless in every way.
Until now, neither Eryx nor the third, mysterious faction had made any overt moves, and the castle itself just happened to be nestled within Eryx's sphere of influence. Livia and Emma had agreed on a strategy: no rash actions, no startling the prey.
Thus, Emma had assumed the identity of a "guard captain," patrolling the castle grounds under a legitimate pretense.
At first, she only led patrols within the inner perimeter, following a strictly conventional route. But over time, her daily rounds "naturally" expanded—inch by inch—edging closer and closer to the castle's outer boundaries. Yet she always stopped just shy of any Eryx military outposts.
They were betting that Eryx would dismiss it all as routine drills.
And so far, the spies Eryx left to watch the castle had noticed nothing unusual—because what they saw was Emma, diligent and disciplined, leading her men with precision. If she ever patrolled farther than usual, it merely looked like an increase in training intensity.
But that was only the surface.
Emma's real target was the densely wooded, long-forgotten mountain rising behind the castle.
The terrain there was steep and wild, untouched for years. Thorny bushes, towering trees, and the presence of wild beasts gave it a raw, unwelcoming feel. More importantly: it was unguarded, and no one would ever think to look down on the castle from there.
Her patrols were just a cover—to conceal her "disappearance." At a fixed time each day, she would quietly slip away from her unit and follow a nearly invisible trail up the mountainside.
That path had been discovered by Livia, on an old map inherited from Marcellus. The weathered parchment detailed forgotten hunting routes and hidden lookout points in the forest. Using it—and her own agility and endurance—Emma had carved out an "invisible path" through the mountain's brambles and loose stones, forging a way to the summit.
That first ascent was no easy feat.
She slipped more than once. Her arms were scratched bloody by sharp branches. Sweat soaked her hair, and she had to shed her armor to move silently through the underbrush. But when she finally pushed past the last dense thicket and reached the top—the view took her breath away.
Before her lay the castle in full, the defensive lines, and even the distant edges of Eryx's encampments—all laid bare beneath her eyes.
Sunlight filtered through the clouds, casting long shadows across stone walls and roads. Far-off guard towers stood faintly against the horizon, and Eryx's camps spread out like miniature chessboards at the base of the mountain.
From that day forward, Emma ascended each morning with a high-powered telescope and a notebook in hand, quietly recording every movement: shifts in deployment, changes in personnel—even the rhythm of the soldiers' rotations.
And finally, over the past few days—something changed.
Eryx's forces had begun moving more frequently. Some units were clearly adjusting their patrol routes to skirt closer to the castle. There were even soldiers seen circling the area at irregular hours—less like a patrol, and more like counter-surveillance.
Emma immediately reported this to Livia.
In the castle's study, morning light streamed through the tall windows, landing on Livia's heavy wooden desk. She flipped through Emma's annotated maps, her expression dark.
"You're certain their patrol routes are alternating in a pattern?"
"I see it every day," Emma replied firmly. "And this morning, two teams quietly left the camp—out of uniform, moving cautiously. They looked like scouts."
Livia's expression grew heavier.
"Elias contacted me last night too," she said. "Red's team noticed someone watching their staged search mission—and after tailing them, confirmed they were Eryx operatives."
She paused, folding her hands on the desk.
"It seems Eryx has finally started moving."
Emma nodded. "Then what's our next step?"
Livia stood slowly and walked to the window, gazing into the distance.
"We'll need to reallocate personnel. Strengthen our surveillance of Eryx's area. Confirm that they've truly entered an active phase… But here in the castle, we can't afford to let our guard down either. Not if they plan to send infiltrators."
"I understand. I'll keep the 'patrol routine' going and continue watching from the mountain."
Livia nodded.
"Good. I don't think we're far from making our move either."
The sunlight grew brighter, falling across both their faces, resolute and calm.
The storm was coming—and they were already in position.