Chaos had already reached there. Going through the gate to Conote, the Thracian soldiers invaded from the backs of their dragons, one after the other. The old soldiers fell, unable to even close the gate.

“This is way too early!”

Fin saw the flock of dragon knights spreading out in the sky, annoyed.

“Hurry, Fin. We don’t have any time left!”

Pulled by Lachesis, Fin ran through the castle with her.

“Lady Lachesis, I’ll take Lord Leaf…”

“I am alright. We won’t be able to break through this siege if you don’t fight well, Fin.”

“Yes.”

“My horse is already prepared. Fin, hurry!”

“Take this, Lady Lachesis… it’s Lord Leaf’s luggage. We’ve included a staff Lady Ethlin left behind, so please use it.”

“Thank you. You too must escape, quickly.”

“Good luck, Lady Lachesis, Lord Fin.”

“Thank you. May the blessings of Noba be with you too…”

After saying this to the maid, Fin ran to get his own luggage.

Together with the small luggage he gathered was the lance he had received from his master, Cuan. Called the Hero Lance, it had allowed Fin to get out of countless predicaments. It was the lance he always brought to battle, together with the iron lance attached to his horse.

“Lord Cuan, may Lord Leaf have Noba’s blessings… please protect him.”

He closed his eyes for a moment, offering a prayer.

The timid young knight changed his expression in face of battle.

“Fin, what are you doing here?”

“Glade? I’ll have Lord Leaf escape, together with Lady Lachesis.”

“I’ve heard. Do it quickly, it seems Thracia’s main troops are coming here already.”

“Already…”

“If they come, they won’t let you escape.”

Glade, who always talked calmly about everything, now talked fast, as if agitated.

“Are you going to stay in the castle?”

“No. All of General Dorias’s subordinates received a mission of protecting Lord Leaf. We’ll leave separately at first, in order to confuse our foes, and converge again later.”

“Then, that time…”

Fin separated from Glade and went towards the place where Lachesis waited, in the courtyard. Passing by a servant in the corridor, he asked him to get his horse ready.

Lachesis, already on horseback, watched Fin running. In her arms was Leaf, who stuck out his head from the shadows of her mantle. Surely he was worried about Fin.

“Quickly, Fin!”

“Forgive my delay, Lord Leaf, Lady Lachesis.”

“Lord Leaf, it’s dangerous so please don’t stick your head out. Watch Nanna well, alright?”

“But Fin…”

“Fin will be by your side without fail, Lord Leaf. Hold on to Lady Lachesis firmly, just like she said.”

“Okay.”

“We may shake a bit, but please stay hidden within my mantle, Lord Leaf. If somebody sees us, we don’t know what…”

“Okay, got it.”

Probably relieved after confirming Fin’s presence, Leaf hid inside Lachesis’s mantle and couldn’t be seen from outside anymore.

It had been a long time since Fin last saw Lachesis’s gallant figure –
and it was a first for the other people of Lenster. Many couldn’t believe that apparently fragile princess held the title of Master Knight; however, those who saw her like that had no doubts. Lachesis, who still rode the horse she had received in Silesia, wasn’t wearing anything unusual except for her mantle; yet, her long flowing hair made her look like a battle goddess.

“Fin…”

“Then, I shall lead the way. Lady Lachesis, please follow me closely so you don’t stay behind.”

“It’s alright, Fin. I’ve improved a lot since that time.”

As Fin said they were to go, the two horses began galloping.

Lenster Castle, short on archers and mages, was an easy target for attacks from the sky. The vanguard dragon knights of the Thracian army prioritized removing the soldiers guarding the castle gates in order to ease their allies’ entry. Their good performance indicated they had been practicing such tactics.

“First, focus on conquering the castle. I want to finish conquering it before Lord Trabant comes.”

“Captain, what should we do with the fugitives?”

“Ignore them for now. However, don’t let the royal family escape; it’ll become trouble later… either way, it’s said there’s a prince among them. There will be a reward for the one who captures him alive.”

There was a commotion among the dragon knights. The only members of the royal family remaining in the castle were the queen and Prince Leaf… to them, capturing the young Leaf alive probably sounded pointless.

“Prince Leaf will probably be protected by the knights. They’re tough, don’t let them beat you.”

The captain warned the overconfident soldiers. Although the main forces weren’t there, the old soldiers putting up a good fight and threatening the plan’s good flow came to his mind; besides, there was the possibility that his young knights would overdo it, seeing this opportunity of gaining fame.

“For Lord Trabant!”

“For Lord Trabant!”

Saying this, the dragon knights started their descent upon Lenster Castle.

“Our main objective is to conquer the royal castle. Find and capture the royal family. There should be almost no archers or mages. However, aim to take the minimum possible damage.”

The leading dragon knight’s voice echoed. The descending dragon knights sallied forth, their lances aimed at Lenster’s knights. Some dodged those attacks, but they were mostly old or inexperienced soldiers; thus, those who stood outside of the buildings fell one after the other.

Dragon knights descended upon Fin and the others, who had exited the castle and entered the town around it, as well. Fin skillfully maneuvered, riding beside Lachesis.

“Fin, be careful. Once we leave the town, they can take on us anytime. Just a little more.”

“When the time comes, please leave me behind and escape. I’ll serve as decoy.”

“No. You must come with us… you’re a knight of Lenster, aren’t you? Don’t even think of dying and leaving behind your master, Lord Leaf…”

“Lady Lachesis…”

“I don’t know for how long I’ll be able to stay by Lord Leaf’s side. You are the only one who can… okay?”

“Yes. But for the time being, let us run at full speed.”

“Indeed, that’s what I expected from you, Fin. Truly a knight of Lenster!”

Those often repeated words… “Fin, you’ll protect Lord Leaf” seemed to put him under a spell as they were repeated, sounding like “don’t desire death, think only of Lord Leaf.”

A female Master Knight clad in white armor, and a blue-haired knight of Lenster… there was no way they wouldn’t stand out. Moreover, they were quite skilled, and the female knight seemed to be protecting something in her flight. The dragon knights pursuing them estimated that taking them down would be an achievement, so they were attacking them in succession.

“Fin, this way!”

“Reinforcements?”

A knight of Lenster called the two from one of the town’s alleys. The dragon knights couldn’t enter the narrow alley, so they started patrolling the area from above.

“Lady Lachesis, please use this mantle.”

“You…”

“You two stand out. If you use this dirty mantle, we’ll be able to confuse their eyes. We’ll go out and serve as baits. You’ll escape afterwards.”

“Sorry… I’m counting on you.”

“Yes, Lord Fin…”

“Hurry, Fin. You must at least reach that hill before the reinforcements from Conote come.”

“Yes, good luck…”

As they saw the knights off, they soon spotted the dragon knights pursuing them.

“Let us go, Fin. We can’t let their efforts be in vain.”

Urged by Lachesis, they exited the town from a different alley. They could see a cloud of dust in the east; Thracia’s main forces were probably coming.

“Having no choice but to flee is…
quite painful… isn’t it?”

“It is, Fin. However, as long as you stay alive, you can still pull it off sometime. If you believe this, surely a way will open.”

“I wonder…”

“My, of course. We, who are alive, are the ones who start them. If you say you can’t do it, you won’t go forward. That’s something I learned…
when Lord Brother couldn’t go on anymore… so…”

“Forgive me…”

“You don’t need to apologize, Fin. Look, there’s the hill. It seems there are some people from the town there, too.”

A hill could be seen in the direction Lachesis pointed out; there, a few human shadows were spotted. Hiding their horses under the trees at its base, the two went up the hill – Lachesis carrying Nanna, and Fin carrying Leaf. There, they had a full view of Lenster Castle.

“It’s burning… the town… and Lenster’s castle…”

“Our town has fallen…”

Fin was unable to listen to the voices of the people around him.

The scenery in front of their eyes now was certainly the fall of Lenster. The fire that rose from the back seemed to cover the entire castle, painting it red. Inside of it, the dark shadows of Thracia’s dragon knights could be seen, as if insects drawn to a fire.

The following infantry troops appeared as well, raising a cloud of dust to their right.

Lachesis, who should have been by Fin’s side, had used up all her strength and was on her knees. Leaf, who was in his arms, watched the scene together with him. Some of the townspeople cried. However, Leaf didn’t cry, firmly staring at the castle.

“Fin…”

Coming back to his senses thanks to Leaf’s call, Fin urged Lachesis and left that hill.

That was the start of their road of hardships.

As Lenster Castle fell, the kingdom was destroyed with it. There was a rumor that its young prince escaped alive, but it was something hard to confirm.

The Thracian army, after felling Lenster, regrouped and changed its aim to the Kingdom of Alster. Taking their entire army, they sought to fulfill their ambitions at once.

However, anticipating an attack, the Kingdom of Alster had requested reinforcements from House Freege of the Grandbell Empire, and after a long time they arrived to the Thracian peninsula. However, terror came with them; namely, a group of mercenaries linked to the Lopto Church.

The Thracian army had the momentum, but had to retreat in the face of House Freege’s prized Mage Knight squad’s and the mercenary squad’s offensive. Noticing he was at a terrible disadvantage, King Trabant reluctantly withdrew from the Manster District. House Freege stationed itself at the north of the district, effectively turning it into a territory of the Grandbell Empire.

That was the start of a time of trials.

Written by Fuuju Haruka

This story was written as a basis for the game’s setting.