In the days that followed, Spirit's Rest was swept up in a wave of martial fervor thanks to Blake's decree. Though Judy had initially thought recruiting five hundred soldiers would be no easy feat, she was caught off guard by the flood of applicants pouring in from the refugee camps as soon as the order went out—even many refugees who already had jobs clamored to enlist. It was hardly surprising. Displaced by the ravages of war, no one understood better than these refugees that strength was the only guarantee of survival. When powerless, they had been nothing more than helpless prey to be slaughtered at will. Now that a chance to gain power had been placed before them, they were not about to let it slip away.
Of course, Blake had no desire to bring Spirit's Rest to a standstill. After consulting with Judy, they ultimately conscripted two hundred young, able-bodied men as reservists, placing them under Judy's tutelage to learn combat skills. At the same time, Blake posted notices in the three towns outside the Twilight Forest, recruiting experienced, skilled adventurers and mercenaries to join his army.
This sudden flurry of activity in the Twilight Forest left the Byrd and Zach families thoroughly bewildered. They were well aware of the tense situation brewing on the borders, but the two clan leaders were at a complete loss to fathom Blake's motives. If he was preparing for the coming war by laying the groundwork in advance, why limit his recruitment to a mere thousand men? What fighting force could such a small army possibly hope to be? But if his sole aim was to strengthen the Twilight Forest's defenses, there seemed little urgency in making such a move now. Besides, with rumors swirling like wildfire throughout the kingdom, it was still unclear whether the Sith Empire would even go to war with Wester. Hastily raising an army at this juncture seemed nothing short of superfluous.
In the eyes of other nobles, Blake's actions perfectly matched his reputation as a "bumpkin lord." They surmised that the young lord had simply panicked at the first whisper of war and rushed to recruit soldiers. Youngsters would be youngsters—no matter how powerful, they lacked the composure of true nobility. A proper noble should remain unflappable even if a mountain collapsed before their eyes. To be thrown into such disarray by mere rumors was a clear sign that he would never amount to anything great.
For nobles who knew nothing about Blake, such judgments were understandable. But for the lords of the Zach and Byrd families, who had met Blake face-to-face, the developments in the Twilight Forest were clearly anything but ordinary. As the closest allies of the Twilight Forest, they had been the first to learn of the extraordinary changes taking place within its borders—including the sudden appearance of an entire city. In their estimation, the young lord was clearly not acting out of panic. If he had chosen to take such a step at this particular moment, he must have had a sound reason for doing so.
Thus, the two families dispatched envoys to the Twilight Forest almost simultaneously. On one hand, they sought to inquire whether Blake needed any assistance. The Byrd envoy was rather circumspect—after all, he was merely a trusted confidant of the clan patriarch, not the heir apparent. Keller Zach, however, had no such reservations. In recent weeks, he had eliminated all internal opposition within his family and firmly established himself as the rightful clan leader. He was therefore far more enthusiastic, even offering to send three thousand soldiers from his own territories to serve under Blake's command.
Faced with the overtures of the two noble envoys, Blake merely smiled and politely declined their offers. After all, Spirit's Rest had a total population of only a thousand souls at present. Maintaining an army of two thousand soldiers would have been more trouble than it was worth. What was more, these were all clan private troops—Blake had no illusions that they would swear absolute loyalty to him.
Naturally, neither envoy paid much heed to Blake's refusal. In truth, there was a second, far more pressing matter that weighed on their minds.
That was—whether war was truly imminent.
At this time, the Kingdom of Wester was split into two factions over the Sith threat. One faction argued that the Sith Empire was inherently aggressive. As Wester was not only a neighboring kingdom but also an ally of Orlt, the Sith would undoubtedly turn their attention to Wester next. Preparations for war must therefore be made at once. The opposing faction contended that the Sith Empire had no reason to attack Wester. After all, the two nations had no prior grievances or conflicts. To launch an unprovoked invasion would be to make an enemy of the entire continent. For an empire as shrewd as the Sith, such a move would be utterly foolish. Even with the Four Scourge Knights in their ranks, two fists could not hope to defeat four hands—a truth the Sith Empire surely understood.
While the arguments of the first faction were theoretically more compelling, the majority of people were far more inclined to believe the latter. It was only natural—after all, people always preferred good news to doomsaying. Moreover, vague rumors had begun to circulate in the royal capital suggesting that the Sith Empire might even form an alliance with Wester. Though unconfirmed, the fact that the rumors had originated in the capital lent them a certain degree of credibility. For this reason, the nobles of Wester were currently sitting on the fence, caught in a state of indecision. Preparing for war would be an enormous drain on their resources—if war never came, their losses would be substantial. But failing to prepare would leave them defenseless should the Sith indeed launch an attack.
Now, the envoys of the two families had come to Blake to seek answers to this very question. They paid little credence to the swirling rumors, but they did trust Blake. After all, as a high-rank swordsman of mysterious origins, Blake was clearly no ordinary noble scion. To the members of the Zach and Byrd families, such a man must have hailed from an extraordinary lineage. Furthermore, the appearance of Misaya and Semia at the Midsummer Festival had only fueled their speculations about Blake's background.
Families capable of producing three high-rank swordsmen were already rare enough. But two of them were girls no older than ten or eleven, and Blake himself was barely twenty years of age. To display such formidable strength at such a tender age meant that this family would undoubtedly boast three Born Knights in the future. What kind of power could possibly lay behind such a remarkable clan?
Adding to the intrigue was Euphoria, who accompanied Blake as his betrothed. That a woman of pure royal bloodline—a paragon of nobility—would agree to marry such a young, enigmatic man only deepened the mystery. In the minds of the two envoys, a fantastical narrative had taken shape. They were convinced that Blake was backed by an extremely powerful force, one that was undoubtedly connected to the royal family in some way. Though neither family had been able to uncover any concrete evidence to support this theory, their failure to do so only filled them with greater apprehension. The Zach and Byrd families were both powerful regional nobles with extensive intelligence networks. If even they could find no trace of Blake's origins, it could only mean that his backers possessed power far beyond their own.
It was precisely because of these suspicions that the two families had sent envoys to consult Blake about the impending war with the Sith Empire. After all, judging from the young lord's current actions, he was clearly certain that war was inevitable. If the family behind him was indeed as powerful as they suspected, then his certainty was likely not based on mere rumor—but on hard facts.
This time, Blake made no attempt to conceal the truth from the two envoys. He told them plainly that war would indeed break out, and that they would be wise to make preparations as soon as possible.
Armed with Blake's definitive answer, the two families wasted no time in setting aside their doubts and began making earnest preparations for war. Though both clans were well aware that their military strength was nowhere near sufficient to stand against four Born Knights, they knew that war was a matter of survival. Even a cornered rabbit would bite, and faced with certain annihilation, they were determined to fight tooth and nail to defend their lands.
For the moment, however, Blake found himself confronted with a far more vexing problem—one that he had never anticipated would give him such a headache. But now, he had to admit that a dull ache was beginning to throb behind his temples.
The reason was simple: the Princess of Orlt had woken up.
Upon returning to the Twilight Forest, Blake had arranged for the unfortunate princess to be placed in a guest room. He then instructed Misaya to wake her from her coma and handed her over to Euphoria's care. But he had never imagined that the princess would specifically request an audience with him.
"Are you certain she wants to see me?"
Staring at Euphoria, who was wearing an unusually bright and sunny smile, Blake could not help but suspect that she was taking some kind of petty revenge.
"I am absolutely certain, My Lord," Euphoria replied, closing her eyes triumphantly, her expression radiating the profound satisfaction of someone who knew that *heaven's punishments may be delayed, but never avoided*.
"…Lady Euphoria, you would not object if I asked what you said to her, would you?"
"Not at all. As you instructed, I informed her of our identities. Of course, I omitted the specific details—after all, this was all your doing. I am sure you know far better than I do how to proceed," Euphoria answered demurely.
Blake stared into her mischievous eyes and sighed helplessly. "Lady Euphoria, I would hope that a woman of your noble character would not stoop to petty vengeance. Would you not agree?"
"Certainly not, Your Grace. This is merely a matter of fulfilling your duties… do not forget that you will have to face her sooner or later," Euphoria retorted primly.
"Very well," Blake conceded, forced to admit that Euphoria had a point. After thinking it over carefully, however, he decided to ask one more question for the sake of caution. "By the way, what kind of person is our princess?"
"Hmm…" Euphoria tapped a finger against her chin, thinking for a moment before replying with a mysterious, unfathomable smile, her eyes narrowing playfully. "She is exactly the kind of 'princess' that everyone imagines. That is all I can say."
Blake frowned. For some reason, he had a very bad feeling about this. But Euphoria had already bowed deeply and gestured for him to proceed. With no other choice, Blake stared at the guest room door, hesitated for a moment, then rapped lightly on the wood and pushed it open.
Seated on a chair inside the room was the Princess of Orlt, fully dressed and groomed, gazing quietly out the window at the Twilight Forest. Her eyes were filled with a mixture of sorrow and unease, her gaze complex as she stared at the trees swaying in the breeze. At the sound of the door opening, she turned her head quickly. When she saw Blake enter, the young woman rose slowly to her feet, her eyes fixed on the young man standing before her.
"I heard you wished to see me, My Lady?" Blake greeted her with a polite bow.
"Yes. It is a pleasure to meet you at last, Sir," the princess replied calmly and gracefully, placing her hands before her and curtsying deeply. She then lifted her head to meet his gaze. "I am Fili Orlt, the first princess of the Kingdom of Orlt. Thank you for saving my life in my hour of need. I offer you my sincerest gratitude."
"The pleasure is mine, Princess Fili. There is no need for such formalities," Blake replied with an elegant smile, returning her bow with a perfect noble's courtesy. But inwardly, he was already groaning in despair. From the moment Princess Fili had opened her mouth, he had more or less guessed what Euphoria had meant by describing her as "exactly the kind of princess everyone imagines."
It was most definitely not a compliment.
"As an ally of your kingdom, we have a duty to protect the safety of your royal family…" Blake trailed off, carefully observing the young woman before him. To his surprise, she made no attempt to press him for further explanations. What was going on? She must have known that the royal family of Wester had wanted her dead. So why, now that she had been rescued by a Wester noble, did she not have a single question to ask?
"…Princess Fili… is there anything you wish to ask me?" Blake prompted finally.
"Indeed there is, Sir," Fili nodded, lowering her eyes and staring nervously at the floor before speaking. "May I ask… what became of my brother? And General Surt?"
"I am truly sorry, Your Highness. When I arrived on the scene, you were the only one who had survived the ambush. As for the others… I am afraid I have no good news to share," Blake replied gently.
"I see…" The young woman's eyes reddened at his words, and she let out a soft sob. Blake stood rooted to the spot, his brow furrowing almost imperceptibly. A sense of helplessness threatened to wash over him, but he forced himself to maintain his composure. "Please accept my condolences, Princess Fili. Death is an irreversible part of life. To honor the memory of the deceased, you must strive to live well."
"Thank you for your kind words, Sir," Fili whispered, wiping the tears from her eyes and rising to her feet. Her cheeks were flushed with embarrassment at her display of emotion. "I apologize for my unseemly behavior. I have not yet had the honor of learning your name, or of knowing where exactly I am."
"This is the Twilight Forest, a territory within the Kingdom of Wester. I am Blake Felix, the lord of this land. Please, call me Blake," he introduced himself.
"Mr. Blake…" Fili repeated his name softly, hesitating for a moment before continuing. "I know you must find my behavior rather odd…"
Blake spread his hands and smiled ruefully. "I am afraid I must ask you to remain in this room for the time being, Princess. Please do not misunderstand—I have no intention of harming you, fair lady. I must warn you that the outside world is extremely dangerous for you right now. There are many people and forces that would stop at nothing to see you dead. For your own safety, I have no choice but to impose this restriction. I hope you can understand."
"Understand? I am not angry at all, Sir Blake," Fili exclaimed, looking genuinely startled. She waved her hands in a flustered gesture, hastening to explain. "In truth, I have found my stay here most comfortable. I have no complaints whatsoever. The only reason I wished to see you was to express my gratitude for saving my life."
"It is an honor to have earned your thanks, Your Highness," Blake replied, bowing slightly once more. He was completely at a loss. He had dropped so many hints, yet the princess seemed to have noticed nothing at all—she had not asked a single probing question. He could hardly explain the entire situation to her outright… what on earth was going on?
"Then… if you will excuse me, I shall take my leave," Blake said finally.
"Of course, My Lord. Please do not let me keep you," Fili replied politely.
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Blake bowed once again and stepped out of the room. He closed the door behind him, staring blankly at the corridor stretching out before him, his face completely devoid of expression.
That was it?
That was the entire conversation?
She had wanted to see him just to say thank you?
Was she not the least bit curious about who had attacked her? About why the Wester royal family had wanted her dead? About why he had saved her? What was wrong with this princess? Did she not care about any of these things? Or was she hiding something?
"This is going to be a headache…" Blake muttered, pressing a hand to his forehead and letting out a long sigh. Now, he finally understood the true meaning behind Euphoria's words.
"It seems you have finally experienced the 'charm' of our 'princess,' My Lord?" Euphoria's amused voice echoed in his ear once more, as if she had been waiting for this very moment.
"I certainly have. She is indeed every inch a princess…" Blake sighed again, chiding himself for having made assumptions. But after a moment, he shook his head, brushing aside these unproductive thoughts. "But there is no point in regretting it now—it would not change anything."
He turned to look at Euphoria, who was still standing beside him, clearly having no intention of leaving anytime soon. "Lady Euphoria, I assume you are not standing here merely to gloat at my predicament?"
"Of course not, My Lord," Euphoria replied, clearing her throat and quickly wiping the smile from her face. Her expression turned serious as she delivered her report. "In fact, the first batch of mercenaries we recruited has arrived."
**A/N: Thank you to all the readers! Your support is the driving force behind my updates!**