On the Way Back

The Emperor's birthday banquet had come under attack, and a prince along with a number of high-ranking military and political figures had nearly been taken hostage. The sheer severity of the incident plunged all of Hekar into a state of emergency. The last eyewitness testimonies from the scene became the garrison forces' final chance to salvage their failure. No matter what it took—even if they had to turn the entire city upside down—they had to locate that military convoy. If they didn't, no one would escape the Emperor's wrath.

But the high-ranking captives were still oblivious to their actual situation. As the convoy left the city, the prince even flaunted his identity at the checkpoint to ensure passage. This only added to the confusion among Luvina's search forces, misleading them into thinking the prince and his entourage were en route to the Thirty-Sixth Infantry Regiment's command post outside the city. By the time they realized the prince was not at the command post, the convoy had long disappeared.

"Where the hell are we? This isn't the direction of the Thirty-Sixth Infantry Regiment HQ!"

Many officers familiar with Hekar's defensive layout noticed the irregular route. They tried questioning the Night Knights guarding them in the truck bed, or demanded the convoy halt and that a commanding officer be summoned. But the guards behaved as though they hadn't heard a thing, ignoring them entirely.

"Do you hear me? Stop this convoy and bring your commander here!"

One officer finally lost his patience, barking at the guard in front of him. Similar confrontations were happening in other trucks as well. Slowly, everyone began to realize something was seriously wrong. The first outbreak of violence started in one of the trucks.

A few attempted to seize the guards' weapons, but even with only two guards per truck—and even without using combat stimulants—the Night Knights overpowered them with ease.

"Push them out! All together!"

Under the command of one particularly bold officer, a group surged forward to shove the two guards near the edge of the truck. But the Night Knights clung tightly to the metal frames supporting the tarp. No matter how they pushed, it was useless. The disturbance soon caught Trenchap's attention, and he personally ordered reinforcements from the troop transport up front to put it down.

The Night Knights moved nimbly between the trucks, leaping from one to the next with a grace that caught the attention of the captives. That level of agility—there was no mistaking it. Only Dazilet had soldiers like that. The illusion finally crumbled. They had been deceived.

"Those bastards…"

The prince trembled with rage. The lieutenant general who had initially suspected something was also forced to admit his misjudgment. Now, he focused on considering their next move.

"Seems like there's trouble in the back. Maybe we can use this chance…"

A colonel squeezed between the prince and the lieutenant general, shooting a meaningful glance at the two Night Knights guarding them.

"It's risky, but it might be our best shot. What do you think, Your Highness?"

With a superior present, the lieutenant general wisely left the final decision to the prince.

"Hmm…"

The prince hesitated but ultimately made up his mind.

"Do it!"

With the go-ahead, the colonel quickly moved to the rear and shared the plan with the others. The guards watched the whole thing unfold but didn't intervene, seemingly unbothered by whatever the prisoners were planning.

Then the attack came. Led by the colonel, a group lunged forward. Some went for the guards' legs, others their arms, and some reached for their weapons. But the two guards held their ground with just one hand, flinging the assailants back into the group. One even grabbed a prisoner clinging to his leg by the throat and tossed him deep into the truck bed. The rest were still regrouping for another attempt—until the trucks suddenly halted.

Realizing something new was about to happen, the prisoners froze.

Two platoons of Night Knights moved in from both ends of the convoy, forming lines along the left and right flanks. The tailgates were dropped, and the guards inside signaled for the captives to disembark. Those who hesitated were simply hauled off and thrown to the ground. The rest, seeing this, had no choice but to comply.

"Are they going to execute us…?"

"If that was the plan, they'd have done it already."

Once outside, the prisoners saw they had been taken to a clearing deep in the woods. No one knew what was coming next. Uneasy murmurs filled the air, though the officers who'd seen combat still managed to maintain their composure.

"Let's reintroduce ourselves."

The disorganized crowd turned toward the voice. Nemilic and Trenchap stood atop a large boulder, making themselves visible to everyone.

"I am Nemilic, Commander of the Second Platoon, Eleventh Company of Dazilet's Night Knights."

"I'm Trenchap, Commander of the Third Platoon."

Though both still wore Luvina military uniforms, no one doubted their words anymore.

"Now we ask for your continued cooperation. Rest assured—we will not mistreat anyone of your esteemed status."

Few believed that last part, but it made little difference. The Night Knights were already moving.

"What are they doing?"

Several generals near the prince were the first to be pulled aside. Under the watchful eyes of the other captives, they were injected with something—and within two minutes, they were fast asleep.

"Please don't be alarmed. They've simply been sedated. We've got a long journey ahead, and this will help reduce discomfort during transport."

No one bought Nemilic's explanation, but just like before, there was nowhere to run. One by one, whether compliant or forced, the captives were injected with diluted Type-3 stimulant.

Originally, the plan had been to sedate them back at the banquet hall, but that would have required time and effort to carry them all to the trucks—not to mention arranging them properly without simply stacking them like cargo. In the end, they changed the plan: wait until they were in the open countryside, where time and safety were on their side, and administer the drug there before transporting them.

The sedative's effects varied, but most would remain unconscious until around 7:00 p.m. After dinner, they would be injected again, lasting through the next morning.

Everything was going smoothly. Remarkably so. No unexpected setbacks. While the Second and Third Platoons were busy with this process, Otto's Fourth Platoon and Rogm's First caught up with the main group and joined in the loading effort.

"Where's the cat? She didn't run off, did she?"

Otto scanned the area to confirm everything was going according to plan—but Inaya was nowhere to be seen.

To ensure the operation went smoothly, Otto had ordered Inaya relocated in advance to a point near the current rendezvous. He understood all too well how dangerous and valuable she was—and the potential disaster Dazilet would face if she fell into enemy hands. He had to keep her under control.

"I've already dispatched a search team nearby. They may just be a bit far from here."

Five Night Knights had been assigned to watch her. Even with magic, she shouldn't have been able to escape.

Eventually, all the sedated prisoners were loaded onto the trucks. Around that time, Trenchap's search team returned.

"You didn't find her?!"

Otto was stunned by the squad leader's report.

"Not even a body?"

"None, sir."

That made it even stranger. Had Inaya fled and the Night Knights gone after her? If so, at least one of them should've stayed behind to contact follow-up units. Or had she killed them and hidden the bodies?

Either way, Otto needed to investigate himself.

"Trenchap, keep moving forward. I'll stay behind to search. I'll catch up later."

Trenchap understood the stakes. He said nothing more. After briefly consulting with Nemilic and Rogm, the three nodded to Otto and set off with the prisoner convoy.

"Edwin, how are you feeling?"

Edwin had looked much better along the way.

"There might be a bullet still lodged in me somewhere, but it's nothing serious."

He stretched his arms and rotated his shoulders.

"What's up?"

"Inaya's gone. We have to find her."

"Gone?"

Otto then gathered Nordhausen, Sennia, and the rest, and told them what the search party had found.

"That girl…" Sennia muttered.

It was just like Inaya to do something unpredictable. Truth be told, she had no real reason to stick with them in the first place.

"Let's check over there first. That's where she was last stationed—there were signs of activity, but nothing conclusive."

With that, Otto led his entire platoon off the road and into the woods.