After spending most of the afternoon walking through the forest they found themselves back at a very familiar place. A yawning cave in the cliff that let out an eerie atmosphere.

  “Here we are…” Leona looked at the entrance with bitterness in her eyes.

  “We can try to go through the slums as well.”

  “No, this is the best way into the city.” She spoke as her feet carried her inside. “We can open the way even if the tunnel is still collapsed.”

  He nodded before leading the way inside the tunnel. Inside was the same as she remembered from months ago. Water trickled from the middle of the rocky path as they walked further. But the blue light that emanated from the walls was now gone.

  Although Leona was confident about their chances, her palm was becoming damp with sweat and her heart was beginning to beat fast.

  “What’s wrong, Leona?” Avalon’s voice rang in her mind with a tinge of worry.

  ‘Why are you asking such a thing?’ The tactician asked.

  “I can feel the tension all over your body. Is there something troubling you?”

  The princess remained silent for a moment before thinking aloud.

  “This is where I faced off against a slime trying to imitate Adele.” Her fingers curled around Avalon. “It was so similar to the real person that it was… terrifying.”

  “We’ll defeat it together then.” The prismatic orb in her clutches emitted a faint glow.

  Leona nodded firmly.

  With the light becoming gradually dimmer as they walked further, Leona raised her staff and summoned a mote of fire that kept swaying atop of Avalon. The flickering flame provided enough light that they could see a few meters ahead of them.

  Krieg kept both his shield close and Arondight close to his body as he moved forward. Each step the knight took, the more apprehensive he became.

  “Is something that matters, Krieg?”

  He stopped for a brief moment which made Leona almost bump into him.

  “What’s wrong?” Leona asked. “Did you see something?”

  “No, apologies. It’s nothing.”

  He tightened his grip on his gear and let out a discreet sigh before thinking.

  “Please Lady Arondight, don’t talk to me so suddenly like that.”

  “Haha, sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.” Her kind voice echoed in his mind. “But I couldn’t help but feel your nervousness. Are you afraid?”

  “Perish the thought.” He grinned to himself. “If anything, I want to put that thing to the sword. Leona shouldn’t need to concern herself with small fries.”

  “Very well. Come what may, we’ll slay it together.”

  The silver blade emitted a low hum of mana as if it was singing. Leona smiled quietly as she looked at her knight’s back.

  Once the tunnel started to widen, Krieg naturally readied himself for battle. Leona tossed the mote of fire ahead of them, illuminating the rocky dome.

  But something felt off.

  “There are no slimes…” Krieg spoke while looking above his shield.

  “Nor frostburnt silver.” Leona glanced at the side walls. The rocky surface had distinct vertical crevices all over it. “What are those marks?”

  The two of them approached the wall. Krieg furrowed his brows.

  “Pickaxes. Someone mined the metal off the walls.”

  The place was completely stripped off any frostburnt silver. Each crevice ran deep into the earth

  ‘Why would he need frostburnt silver…?’ Leona looked around, eventually settling her gaze on the tunnel that led to the upper parts of the mines. ‘They even went through the trouble of clearing the way.’

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  The makeshift tunnel was now properly supported by wooden beams on each side; there were also spent oil lanterns hanging from the ceiling of the low passage.

  Krieg had to lower his head slightly as he led the way. Leona on the other hand remained closely behind him, watching their backs.

  It didn’t take long until they reached the upper parts of the mine. There, they found minecarts, tracks, and tools still laying around. But that place was quiet, too quiet.

  “Do you think they could still be working in this place?” She asked.

  “I don’t think so. Miners end up leaving their tools for later if the job is a rushed one.”

  “Hmm…” While she was lost in thought, a glimpse of black sheen caught her attention through the corner of her eye. “Hm?”

  She glanced at it and noticed a familiar silhouette in the darkness. Approaching carefully, Leona raised her staff above it, shining enough light on it.

  “Is that… a geocyte?”

  “That seems like one.” Krieg spoke, standing by her side. “Though… it seems a bit too clean of a kill for a human.”

  He was right, the black carapace of the monster was clean as if only its insides were devoured by something else.

  “...let’s move.” A terrible chill ran down her spine. “I want to see the mansion once again.”

  “...” He glanced sideways at her before eventually turning around to lead the way. “Understood.”

  The way up and out of the mine was uneventful. Aside from the newly placed tracks, there wasn’t anything notable.

  The bright entrance was blocked by a chain that crossed both sides. Krieg vaulted over it and lent his forearm to Leona. After exiting the mine, the tactician noticed a distinct lack of buildings amongst the treeline.

  Her heart skipped a beat. Her fingers curled tightly around Avalon as her legs started to move by themselves. Each stride became faster than the last until it reached the point where she was jogging.

  After a few minutes of moving at that pace, she reached the outskirts where it used to be the Crossford household.

  “Nothing…”

  She muttered.

  The former large wooden mansion was now reduced to ruins. Not a single wall was left standing. Furniture, clothes, dishes, everything was either burnt to ash or broken beyond repair.

  “I see…” Her heart ached. Her teeth were clenched painfully tight as she closed her eyes. “So this is what my household was reduced to.”

  She could only recognize glimpses where her room used to be. What used to be the reading room was also reduced to nothing but debris. Although one thing she couldn’t help but notice was the obvious lack of burned books.

  ‘Did he take all of them before turning this place into a ruin?’

  She sighed.

  Krieg remained silent during the whole thing, but there was an awful bitter taste forming inside his mouth. Regret mixed with anger—a powerful and destructive feeling swelled inside his chest.

  ‘Never again.’ He thought with his arms tensing up. ‘This will be the last time someone will trample on her memories.’

  Despite the destruction, Leona lifted her head to the cloudy sky and let out a long, slow exhale. She then turned to Krieg. Their eyes met and the knight suddenly recognized her gaze.

  Sharp, determined, and serious. Any lingering presence of the inexperienced princess had now vanished. She now had the expression of a sovereign.

  “Let’s go, Krieg.” She walked over the debris of her previous life, leaving behind as she moved forward. “We must finish this once and for all.”

  He gathered his resolve before nodding firmly.

  “Yes, my liege.”

  They proceeded to the capital. The large trail through the woods would eventually lead them to the outskirts of the city. The southern part that used to be the slums, but what they witnessed next shocked Leona.

  “What in the world…”

  From the hill overlooking the capital, she could see chimneys of large brick buildings puffing out large quantities of black smoke. The city she knew was taking the shape of something unimaginable.

  The beaten dirt roads were slowly being replaced with paved stone. There were spots near said road that had piles of rubble from previous adobe houses.

  Her chest tightened, but her legs kept moving, she had to know what had become of the city that was once her home.

  It took her a few minutes to reach the outskirts of the slums. The first thing that hit her was the acrid scent from soot mixed with open air sewage. The awful smell seemed to be a common occurrence in that place as some homeless demi-humans were hiding amidst the rubble of the buildings not seeming to mind the polluted air.

  ‘What a disgrace…’ Leona curled her lip slightly. ‘A ruler shouldn’t treat their people like this…’

  She approached a horned man cowering in the corner of a ruined building.

  “Excuse me-”

  “No! Please! I have done nothing wrong!” He shrunk even further against the rubble while putting his hands in front of his face.

  “No, I’m-”

  Without saying another word, the man suddenly bolted through the ruins into another alley. Krieg was ready to unsheath his sword at the man’s sudden motion but it wasn’t necessary.

  “What happened here…?” Leona looked around and the demi-humans that were around them simply avoided all eye contact. “Who has done this to all of you?”

  None dared to reply to her question. They simply looked down to their dirty feet and remained silent.

  Leona walked forward. Each step she took prompted each demi-human to look away from her.

  ‘Why is no one asking for help?’ She thought. ‘Why are none of you fighting back?’

  Her chest ached.

  ‘Was the oppression so fierce that none of you have any strength left to fight?’ She looked around, but it was all the same. Not a single one of them looked her in the eyes.

  “Leona.” Krieg approached her. “It’s best if we don’t linger in this place.”

  She took one last look around her, but seeing how she wasn’t going to get anywhere with this—she replied.

  “...yeah, let’s go.”

  They kept walking through the street. The further into the industrial district, the worse the smell of soot became. The heavy air, the homeless people, the indifference of all. It made Leona curl her fingers around Avalon.

  “I must put an end to this…”