Their running wasn’t like an escape, it was like a breakdown.
No rhythm, no order. Feet pounded on the uneven forest ground, branches passed by them and sometimes scratched their faces and armor, but none of them paused for even a moment to react.
In their current state, they weren’t in a position to care about such things. Only one thing mattered, and that was running!
Breaths came up and went down broken, heavy, and uncoordinated, as if their lungs no longer trusted them.
None of them spoke.
Not because they had nothing to say, but because none of them knew where to start.
And behind them, the forest was silent, too silent. No sound of pursuit, no breaking branches, not even a whisper of a presence.
And this was more terrifying than any pursuit, as if nothing had remained there that wanted to follow them, as if... there was no need to follow.
The thing they were afraid of seemed to not care about them at all and didn’t consider them significant enough to bother following.
But even though they knew this, even though they knew that if that thing wanted to kill them they had no way to escape, they still kept running.
A few minutes later, when their distance from that point had increased and the pressure of that heavy silence had been slightly lifted from their chests, the first crack in the silence was made by Lumira.
"That... what was that?" But her voice was quiet and low, as if she subconsciously feared speaking loudly lest that thing hear them.
No one answered.
Elisira pressed her hand to her chest, her fingers gathered on the white fabric of her dress, as if trying to calm a heart that was still beating with uncoordinated pulses. Her gaze was forward, but her focus wasn’t there.
For the first time, in all the years she had lived as the princess of the Holy Empire, she experienced fear not as a concept, but as something real and alive.
Not fear of death, but fear of something that couldn’t even be defined.
Kieran pressed his teeth together, his jaw clenched, and finally he pulled out his voice, a voice that sounded more like a controlled growl than a sentence.
"He... didn’t move." A few seconds of silence after this sentence fell on them, heavier than before.
"He didn’t do anything..."
"Then... what killed them?" Saren, who until then had only been watching, slowly lowered his head a little and said under his breath.
Again, silence. But this time, a silence within which an answer had taken shape.
They had witnessed something they never thought would happen.
One of the most powerful mercenary groups on the continent, all of its mercenaries slaughtered simultaneously and in an instant... and their slaughterer hadn’t even moved.
What kind of power is that? Could a human even have such power?
"Could it be that his eyes were golden because he’s not human at all?" The princess whispered in fear.
What exactly had they faced? Could this be the very disaster the Divine Prophet was trying to prevent?
None of them had an answer to give her. None of them knew what they were facing. They could only be glad they were still alive.
And more than anyone, Kieran felt relief. Fortunately, the princess had stopped him back then; otherwise, if he had angered that monster, they might all be dead now.
They didn’t run anymore, not because they had calmed down, but because they realized they had created enough distance.
Gradually, the darkness of the forest receded, giving way to paved paths. Watchtowers appeared in the distance, and the holy lights shining from the crystals installed on the walls brightened the environment.
The borders of the Holy Empire.
The guards first reached for their weapons upon seeing them, but the moment they recognized their faces, their eyes widened.
"Princess?!"
But they received no answer.
The four passed by them without stopping, with dusty robes, scratched armor, and most importantly, faces that bore no resemblance to when they had left the capital.
They went straight toward the capital.
The capital of the Holy Empire, a city that from afar seemed like an embodiment of order and faith, with white towers and golden domes reflecting sunlight, and divine symbols carved into every street and wall.
But the arrival of these four was like a crack in that perfect image.
People moved aside, gazes followed them, and whispers slowly spread through the air.
Ignoring all of it, they passed through the streets and moved toward the heart of this order.
The Holy Palace.
The massive gates opened with a heavy sound, and high-level guards came forward, but before they could even have a chance to ask, two other presences entered the scene.
A man in a long robe with formal decorations, his gaze sharp and calculating.
The Grand Minister.
And beside him, a man in full armor, with a heavy aura of power, whose presence alone created pressure.
The Grand Knight.
Both were already aware of their absence, and now their gazes were locked on those four.
"Where have you been?!" The Grand Knight was the first to speak, his voice firm and full of authority, but something like concern was hidden in its depths.
Both he and the Grand Minister had been extremely worried and angry about the disappearance of these four. After all, all four of them were of great importance to the empire.
One was the emperor’s daughter, and the other three were their students. If something had happened to them, the responsibility would have been on them, and aside from that, they could never have forgiven themselves.
But fortunately, these four children were safe.
But when he stepped a few steps closer, his sentence remained unfinished. He saw their faces, their breaths, and the slight trembling of their hands.
It was clear they were scared and horrified, as if they had fled from a monster.
"...What happened?" The Grand Minister tilted his head slightly, his gaze sharpening.
Elisira opened her mouth, but no sound came out. Lumira lowered her gaze, and Saren remained silent.
"We... went to the forest..." Finally, Kieran stepped forward. His shoulders were rising and falling, his breaths still irregular.
"You went to see the tree?" The Grand Minister’s gaze sharpened. He had previously warned these children not to go near that damned tree.
But it seemed his warning hadn’t been strong enough to stop these children’s curiosity.
"Yes, and... there’s someone there..." Kieran nodded and added.
"Someone?" The Grand Knight frowned.
"He... was alone... We thought he was a traveler who got lost. He didn’t look like someone who belonged to this continent at all, but..."
"Iron Grave..."
"What do they have to do with it?" The Grand Minister raised an eyebrow.
Kieran took a deep breath, as if he had to say something he himself still hadn’t fully believed.
"They were all killed."
"...What?" The Grand Knight said quietly.
He couldn’t understand what this kid was saying at all. His explanations were fragmented and incoherent. But Iron Grave being killed?
One of the largest mercenary groups on the continent? How was that possible? How exactly? By whom? What had happened?
What had these children witnessed?
"Their leader... approached the tree and... exploded." Kieran said with a tremor.
"All of them... without that boy even moving... they died... He slaughtered all of them without moving."
The Grand Minister said nothing for a few seconds. Not because he didn’t have an answer, but because his mind was trying to piece together something that didn’t fit with his logic.
"What are you saying...?" Then, quietly and carefully, he asked.
"One of the largest mercenary groups on the continent was slaughtered by one person?" The Grand Knight stepped forward, his voice becoming heavier and full of seriousness.
As the Grand Knight and supreme commander of the Holy Empire’s knight order, he couldn’t kill that entire mercenary group alone.
Even if he could, it would be extremely difficult, and he would definitely be severely injured.
"He... didn’t even fight." Kieran shook his head slowly.
This sentence was heavier than anything else. The main shock for them was that that monster hadn’t moved at all.
"He’s... protecting the tree." Elisira finally managed to find her voice.
"And he won’t let anyone get close."
This was no longer a simple report, but an announcement that for the first time... no, actually the second time in history, someone had dared to disobey the Divine Prophet’s order.
"If this is true, then very few can get near that tree." The Grand Minister said seriously. He knew about Iron Grave’s power.
They weren’t the strongest, but they were among the best. They had great fame, and although the members of that group weren’t among the strongest individually, as a group they possessed great power.
"Then how will the order be carried out?" The Grand Knight said under his breath.
This question was no longer about a mission, but about the entire direction of the empire. The Divine Prophet’s order had to be executed.
And if the news spread that there was someone, and a powerful protector at that, for that cursed tree, it could cause chaos.
The Grand Minister narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze passing over them and staring into the distance, somewhere none of them could see yet.
"This matter... is above our level." When he spoke again, his voice was calm, but there was a finality in it that left no room for argument.
"It must be reported to the Holy Emperor."
A heavy silence filled the space.
What was supposed to be a simple mission to destroy a specific target had now become an issue that could upset the balance of the entire continent.
And at that very moment, without anyone realizing it, the name of someone no one truly knew yet... was on its way to becoming the greatest disaster of this world.