Valtz knew quite a bit about Zion Laird.
The youngest son of the Marquis Laird family, a swordsman who could wield sword aura, a knight capable of challenging Setinos Quasar, and someone who had caught the attention of the Silver Phantom.
But what intrigued him the most was Zion's fiancée.
'Bringing someone you love to the battlefield... that's dangerous.'
Valtz had witnessed countless deaths while wielding his bow and arrows.
Death was equal for everyone; being strong didn't guarantee survival.
The number of knights and soldiers who had perished was beyond counting, and even he could lose his life in an instant.
'Bringing a loved one to the battlefield... how foolish.'
Of course, being a mage, she wouldn't be easily defeated.
Moreover, with Zion Laird by her side, he would do everything to protect her.
But unexpected situations arose during battles, and sometimes, not even the bodies could be recovered.
'He must have his reasons...'
From his perspective, Zion Laird's decision seemed flawed.
But for Zion, it might be the right choice.
Zion Laird was a powerful swordsman who could manifest sword aura, and his fiancée held the title of a mage.
'There must be more to it.'
The Silver Phantom was quite peculiar but highly skilled.
He risked his life gathering information about the beasts for the current king.
If such a knight chose Zion, it indicated he had considerable potential.
'I should find out where he is. If I wander around, I might meet him.'
Valtz chuckled, signaling a group of knights.
One of his subordinates quickly responded, running towards him.
The frontier region of Alain Kingdom, Fort Teroden.
Fort Teroden was located a bit farther from Fort Alieard.
It was smaller in scale and had fewer troops compared to Fort Alieard.
However, because beasts rarely invaded, it was considered a safe zone at the frontline.
"It's too quiet here..."
Hanette continuously looked around as she entered the fortress.
Knights and soldiers passed by, but none seemed to be in a state of emergency.
Moreover, she couldn't find any dead or injured, making it feel like it wasn't the frontline.
"It's because there are no beasts."
"Oh, so they haven't attacked yet?"
"They don’t come this way. Occasionally a beast appears, but it quickly retreats."
"......?"
Hanette looked at Zion with a puzzled expression.
Zion gave her a nonchalant glance, slowly turning his head.
"Hanette, we're not here to fight. We're here for experience."
"But we need to fight beasts to gain experience, right?"
"Unauthorized troops can't participate in battles. Why would the lord trust us with a mission?"
"We're quite strong, aren't we? You use sword aura, and I'm a mage..."
"Being strong and getting authorization are different matters. How do you think we got into this fortress?"
"Because we're a knight order?"
"No. The lord allowed us in because we are a knight order vouched for by noble families. The Duke and Marquis vouched for us."
Forming a knight order didn’t automatically grant battle authorization.
The lord would verify the methods, reputation, and achievements of the knight order before granting permission.
From the lord's perspective, there was no reason to trust unknown individuals.
Hence, only knights with verified skills and status were allowed inside the fortress and given missions.
"Then why are we here?"
"I told you, we're here for experience."
"But there's nothing to do here?"
"Just being here is enough. We need to understand the environment before engaging in battles."
"Do you think I came here just for this? We need to at least pretend to fight!"
"Hanette, let me ask you a few things. What's your position?"
"My position? I'm the vice-commander."
"And what's my position?"
"You're the commander."
"Which position is higher?"
"The commander... is higher."
"Should the vice-commander follow the commander's orders or ignore them?"
"...I should follow them."
"Then why are you opposing my orders?"
"......"
Hanette closed her mouth, showing a displeased expression.
She had a lot to say but couldn't voice it.
For Zion's sake, she couldn't act arbitrarily.
"You're using your position to your advantage."
"It's not an advantage, it's the right method."
"Did you ask me to come with you just to boss me around?"
"I don't intend to boss you around. Just follow my orders."
"You're bossing me around with your position!"
"Telling you to stay put isn't bossing you around."
"Staying put won't give us any experience!"
"That's for me to judge. And how can we fight without any beasts?"
"This is your first time here too!"
"Even if it's my first time, I know what I need to know."
"Haa..."
Hanette crossed her arms and looked up at the wall.
Zion wasn't wrong.
Even with skills, lack of actual combat experience meant they couldn’t act rashly.
Moreover, she had come to the frontier trusting Zion, so as the vice-commander, she had to follow the commander's instructions.
"...You're not angry, right?"
"I'm not angry."
"I hope you understand my position. If you get hurt, how would Duke Adelaira see me?"
"He’d say bad things about you."
"And if I get hurt, what do you think would happen?"
"He’d scold me. He’d ask what I was doing while my fiancé got hurt, and question how I earned the title of mage."
"That's very specific."
"I've been scolded more than you. I can roughly guess what he'll say."
"You're a good vice-commander for listening to me well."
"Who else would listen to you if not me?"
"That's true. So, I need you, right?"
Zion smiled, slightly boosting Hanette's mood.
Hanette gave a faint smile before returning to her usual expression.
"Stop talking."
"Isn't it better than not being able to talk? I can make you laugh, right?"
"I wasn't laughing."
"I saw you laughing earlier."
"It wasn't because of you."
"Hanette, if you're going to lie, don't make it obvious."
"I wouldn’t laugh because of that..."
"Ah, there you are."
A middle-aged man in armor approached with knights.
Zion immediately recognized him and bowed slightly.
"Are you the lord?"
"Yes. You must be Zion Laird? And this must be Hanette Adelaira."
"That's correct."
When Zion answered, Hanette lightly bowed.
The lord greeted them politely and cleared his throat.
"I've heard a lot about you both. You've reached a high level, haven't you?"
"Not quite. There's still much to learn."
"Even so, it's an honor to have distinguished guests. I'm sorry I can’t offer more. It's difficult to host guests at the frontline."
"I understand. If we sought hospitality, we wouldn’t have come to the frontier. You must be having a hard time yourself."
"I can at least offer you quarters within the inner castle. Would you stay there during your time here?"
Zion and Hanette had anticipated the lord’s actions.
He couldn't leave the daughter of a Duke and the son of a Marquis in a remote area.
He would rather make an effort to leave a good impression on the noble families.
'For Hanette's sake, staying in the inner castle is better.'
Zion had no reason to refuse.
It was better than sleeping in the barracks or on the ground.
Most importantly, Hanette might not adapt easily, so he needed to accommodate her.
"Is that really okay? I wouldn't want to be a burden."
"I'm the one who should apologize. I wish I could offer more hospitality."
"No need. Since you've offered, I can't refuse."
"You're too kind. Allow me to guide you."
The lord moved first, heading toward the inner castle.
Zion and Hanette exchanged glances and followed him.
'We'll stay here for a while... then go meet the protagonist.'
Fort Teroden, atop the wall.
Zion and Hanette were walking along the wall with the knights.
The lord had provided lodging and convenience, and there were no beasts in the vicinity.
It was overly peaceful, making it easy to forget they were at the frontline.
But Zion remembered their purpose and closely examined the surrounding terrain and the layout of the castle.
'It's safe inside the castle. But if we go outside...'
Inside the castle, the troops of Alain Kingdom kept the peace.
But stepping outside the castle meant encountering various dangers.
Beasts were an obvious threat, but humans couldn't be trusted either.
'There are bandits... and mercenaries are problematic too.'
There wasn't much difference between bandits and mercenaries.
Some mercenaries switched sides and became bandits.
Most either disappeared naturally or were wiped out by the castle troops or knight orders.
Hence, the lords didn't trust mercenaries and only assigned missions to organized knight orders.
'The protagonist seems to be doing well.'
The protagonist of this world, Seran Sylase, was gathering allies and leading his knight order.
He had earned the trust of the lords and was performing missions with advance payments.
Though his knight order was small, every member was well-equipped with the necessary strength, maintaining the order effectively.
'Everything's fine except for Hanette...'
Zion looked up at the sky, hearing a cry.
Beasts with wings were approaching the castle.
The soldiers hurriedly moved, preparing for battle.
"It's wyverns!"
"Wyverns are approaching!"
Horns and bells sounded everywhere.
Knights climbed the walls, and soldiers drew their bows, aiming at the wyverns.
Mages appeared, preparing their spells.
The wyverns approached the castle, spewing fireballs.
"Hanette, I won't tell you to run. Just stay by my side."
"What are you going to do?"
"We need to kill them before they get here."
Zion summoned Exceed Rain, assuming a stance.
At the same time, Exceed Rain's blade turned pitch black.
He felt more relaxed than before, with enough magic left.
'With this, I can kill them. Even if I miss, I can strike again.'