This was the first time Hielaina had ever set foot in a small town of the Holy State of Davole.

The streets were paved with polished dark-blue stone blocks, a peculiar shrine stood at the crossroads, and the houses were painted in white and pale blue. Although this place was quite close to the Dazilet province of Tarang—and had changed hands several times throughout history—its architecture showed no sign of the Tarang style.

Religion, too, seemed to hold a significant place here, which made sense. Every household had the Holy Church's golden symbol painted by their doors. (The Holy Faith, after all, was the faith upheld by the Holy See. Though the Church did not directly govern Davole, its influence had spread even here.) Some murals and stone carvings on the buildings clearly carried religious motifs, and a church stood beside the square in the town center.

The exterior of this church was far more ornate than the other buildings in town, though its structure was simple—a domed main hall. The craftsmanship, however, was far finer: its coating evenly applied, the walls decorated with colorful low reliefs depicting stories, and the pillars and arches adorned with detailed carvings. Hielaina had seen photos of churches in Skolavo and Biskuhn (those not of the Holy Church), but none were as splendid as this one.

"I've only ever heard about Davole, but now that I see it, it doesn't look much different from a town under direct Church rule," said Inaya, glancing around and giving her impression.

"Was the place you lived before like this too?"

"Aimlenico? More or less."

Inaya answered casually, but when she noticed Hielaina's curious gaze lingering on her, she elaborated:

"The architecture's about the same. But cities, of course, are larger, with more grand structures. Honestly, once you live there long enough, it all feels ordinary—just like how, when I first came to the South, everything seemed new to me, while to you, it was just normal."

"Then what about Aimlenico—was there anything you thought was special? Doesn't have to be buildings. It could be... people's clothing, customs, or something like that."

It took Hielaina a bit of effort to pronounce that cumbersome name, but she managed.

"In those aspects... how should I put it..." Inaya thought for a moment. "Compared to the South, cities under the Church's control feel... dead."

"Dead?"

"Don't be fooled by how clean and pleasant everything looks—the bright houses, the spotless windows, the wide, tidy streets. People's lives and actions are tightly bound by doctrine. The Church sets clear ranks and occupations for everyone, and on the surface, there can't be any kind of entertainment. Every day, there's always a procession of people swinging censers and chanting hymns through the streets, and if you happen to be nearby, you have to join them. That old man treated us poorly, but at least under his command we had some freedom."

As Inaya spoke of her past, she grew unexpectedly animated, her words flowing one after another. Hielaina listened intently, her curiosity deepening.

"Wow... I've never heard of anything like that before."

She glanced instinctively at the locals walking by—their gray robes were uniform in cut and color. The only difference seemed to be the shade: some robes newer and darker, others faded and pale from washing and sun.

"Aimlenico's the same way. But it's a port city, so sailors and seafarers have a bit more freedom. Except for the ships owned by the Grand Vicariates," Inaya added, waving her hand as if to ward off an unpleasant memory.

"In the end, the only thing I truly miss about Aimlenico is the cool sea breeze on summer evenings. The warm, salty water, the gentle waves... I'm going off-topic, aren't I? But really, there's nothing else worth mentioning."

"No, that's perfect."

It was rare for Inaya to show such a sentimental side. Hielaina smiled warmly, though she could also sense the weight beneath Inaya's casual tone—the reality that wasn't so easily spoken.

Rulers always sought to control and shape the majority—the so-called "foundation of order." The Dazilet Empire was no exception, though it was far less strict about it.

"Hello. We were invited to attend the banquet hosted by Major General Leigfield."

The guard, upon seeing the visitors, straightened his legs, stood to attention, and saluted before taking the invitation Andrea handed him. He pointed them toward their destination.

"Please enter the hall and turn right. The commander is waiting for you there."

"Thank you."

It had been two days since the night of the raid. Because the operation had achieved significant results, the commander of the 136th Division had invited the Night Knights who took part in the mission to a small celebratory banquet at divisional headquarters. Only Otto's platoon and Nemilic's platoon had accepted the invitation, along with company commander Andrea.

The two platoons of the 32nd Company had received new orders yesterday and redeployed elsewhere, while Rogm and Trenchap's squads had set out that morning to carry out guerrilla operations behind enemy lines.

"Good afternoon, gentlemen."

Andrea pushed open the door at the front. Inside the room, three officers were already drinking and chatting, while a single orderly stood by a table in the corner where some fruit and drinks had been arranged. The room—though designed as a reception chamber of sorts—wasn't particularly large; if all six platoon officers came, it would likely feel quite cramped. The furnishings and decorations carried the distinctive style of the Holy State of Davole, filled with religious ornaments everywhere, making the large Dazilet Imperial flag hanging on the wall appear oddly out of place.

"Oh! Good afternoon! It's an honor that you gentlemen accepted my invitation."

Major General Leigfield set down his glass and came forward to greet the Night Knights.

He was a man in his fifties. His still-thick hair was combed neatly back, his hairline slightly receded, and streaks of white marked his temples—a very typical look for a senior officer.

"Allow me to make a proper introduction. These are the officers from the Night Knight unit who led the raid two days ago. May I have your names, gentlemen?"

Turning back toward the two officers from divisional headquarters behind him, Leigfield introduced Andrea's group. Not that he really needed to—any commander unaware of the Night Knights' presence at the front would have been derelict in his duty.

"I am Andrea Waldner, company commander of the Eleventh Company. This is Otto Farustein, platoon commander of the Fourth Platoon. This is Nemilic Berezaka, commander of the Second Platoon. And this is—"

Andrea went down the line, introducing each member. Those introduced either nodded or kept silent; even Inaya was introduced as an important external consultant.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Leigfield said, shaking hands with each of the Night Knights before introducing his own staff officers—Chief of Staff Colson and Operations Officer Kaldofen. They too shook hands with the visitors, and soon, everyone had been properly introduced.

"Please, take your seats. I had some fine wine prepared in advance—this sort of thing isn't easy to come by out here."

At Leigfield's invitation, they all took their seats around the long table covered in a white tablecloth at the center of the room. The orderly poured a rich, aromatic red wine for each guest. Edwin's eyes widened the moment he caught its scent, and Nordhausen, a regular drinker, nodded approvingly after his first sip.

"First, a toast—to the Night Knights, and to our soldiers. This is the first time in quite a while we've achieved such a significant breakthrough on the front."

The major general raised his glass for a brief address, and Andrea followed suit beside him.

"To the Emperor, to our soldiers, and to the victory of the Empire."

Everyone drank.

Half a glass in, Hielaina felt a pleasant warmth spreading through her stomach. When she had still been presenting herself as the imperial princess, she only drank on formal occasions; ordinarily, she wasn't much of a drinker. What surprised her, however, was that Inaya drained her glass in one go—no one had guessed she could handle her liquor that well.

"Would you gentlemen care to tell us about the details of that night's operation? For example, how exactly was the enemy's magic barrier destroyed?"

Colson set his glass down and examined the Night Knights across from him with keen curiosity. Truth be told, he had thought it a bit unwise when the general first suggested inviting the Night Knights to dinner. Aside from their politically sensitive identity as the Emperor's Guards, they were known in the army more as cold, efficient killing machines. Many had tried befriending Night Knight officers before, but all attempts had ended in failure. From generals to privates, most regarded them with a mix of respect and unease.

"It was what you might call a close call but ultimately a success," Otto said. "The enemy had already anticipated our move. We deliberately walked into their trap to destroy the barrier and ended up in a direct confrontation. But in truth, we weren't the ones who brought it down. We later learned from our... advisor, Miss Inaya, that the magic sustaining the barrier vanished after the earthquake—that was the real reason it failed."

"Those red-robed bastards were tough opponents too. Without enough firepower, even we could hardly scratch them," Edwin added, after which Leigfield continued:

"Indeed. Our anti-air battalion was moved to the front, armed with twenty-five-millimeter cannons, but it didn't grant us much advantage. We simply lack sufficient offensive means."

As he spoke, the orderly brought in the food on a small cart and began setting the dishes on the table. Bored since they'd entered the room, Inaya finally found something that piqued her interest.

"We feel much the same way," Colson said. "Our Fourth Army has little concern for air defense, so we redeployed most of our anti-air assets to the front line—but it didn't change much."

"Our soldiers are brave," Kaldofen added, "but without effective weapons, bravery alone can only take us so far."

A short silence followed. The major general and his chief of staff exchanged a knowing glance; everyone understood what they meant without a word. Then Leigfield continued:

"This victory might serve as a breakthrough point for the entire army. I've heard the assault artillery division stationed in Tagasi is already on the move toward our sector."

"Hmm. Our first opponents will probably be the 'Balan River Corps.' Those remnants we drove into the woods that night might have joined them too," Andrea replied.

"Baran River? Why that name?"

If Nordhausen remembered correctly, the Baran River was located roughly seven hundred kilometers to the north—he'd seen it once on a map.

"There's no special reason," Kaldofen replied, lighting his pipe. He didn't seem to have much appetite. "The reconnaissance planes first spotted that enemy corps along the Baran River, so we just went ahead and called them the Baran River Corps."

"Whatever the case," said Major General Legfeld, "this operation's success is owed to all of you. Even if the magic barrier fell for other reasons, you still eliminated the threat of Sevar for us. Without that, we couldn't have achieved such results."

"It was our duty," Andrea replied, picking up the thread naturally. "Fighting for the Empire is what we do."

He rose from his seat and raised his glass high.

"Victory to Dazilet!"

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