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Seletina couldn’t fall asleep. Her hands were trembling as if she were a new recruit. Much like the unreliable, delicate girl she appeared to be. She buried herself in the blanket, letting her deep-blue gaze fall onto her trembling hands.

(Pathetic.) She thought to herself.

In her past life, during her life as Orthus, she’d been able to sleep anywhere, at any time. Even in the heroic tale about Orthus, it was mentioned that the night before the Elugor Disaster, he had eaten much more than anybody else and had fallen asleep first.

Seletina was by no means an arrogant person, but she was quite confident about her ability to fall asleep. Yet, right now Seletina couldn’t sleep. The tension that filled her entire body made her excited, and she could hear her pulse clearly beating inside her ears.

This wasn’t the first time she’d experienced the feeling of preparing for one’s death. She had participated in countless battlefields. Yet, Seletina’s cultivated experience was shaken by this inexperienced body.

“……”

She reached her hand for the ceiling but grabbed only air. Her white, slender arms, colored by the moonlight, were smooth as silk and clearly far removed from those of a warrior.

Seletina ran her slender fingers down her arm as if tracing it. A soft sensation filled her fingers.

“Can I really protect them…” Her expression was grim.

It all stemmed from Seletina’s doubt of herself. During her fights against the Upper Ranks, she’d never once achieved a clear victory. And her confidence in completing this mission was shaken by these outcomes.

Her self-esteem and confidence as a knight, a warrior, and a hero of the past were gradually being lost in the shell of a mere girl that Seletina found herself trapped in. Her body was interfering with her soul and the result was making her anxious.

It wasn’t the fear of dying that troubled her. It was the worry that these frail arms would not be able to defend anyone from the approaching threats. The majority of Seletina’s mind was taken up by this worry, a worry as tiny as a seed, yet one that quickly grew, keeping her awake.

“Damn it,” muttered Seletina as she rose, absently scratching the back of her blonde hair. Yet despite this, Seletina’s hair, as if having a muscle memory of its own, returned to its original shape.

Seletina pulled off the blankets, reached for Elyutinias that was propped up on the bed, and jumped up. Sloppily, Seletina left her chamber, determined to catch a breath of the night breeze. Her eyes were tired but also excited.

◇◆◇

When she looked up at the sky, the twinkling of the stars filled her vision. The hard, cold spring air slid down into Seletina’s lungs and swirled around her entire body, cooling it down.

Seletina walked through the streets of Ulbdor, her breath white and smoky, a hint of red on the bridge of her nose. The area around Elva’s Floating Ship was designated as a special zone and was really peaceful. Only a certain number of dignitaries and military leaders were allowed to enter the area.

Seletina’s evening walk was filled with painful silence.

“I should be careful not to catch a cold.” Seletina’s high-pitched murmur wandered off into the night sky, not reaching anyone. Yet, she found that this was okay. This lonely walk was meant to help her relax her mind.

If she could, she would have loved to slurp down a glass of whiskey, but Seletina’s body was too weak for alcohol, and she couldn’t endure drinking on the eve of a decisive battle.

“……”

Seletina just circled the perimeter. It felt as if her solitary walk would last for eternity, but then Seletina’s body started to get cold.

Taking her fragile body into account, Seletina turned around. Any more would be detrimental to her health. She made up her mind to go back and try to fall asleep by forcing herself to get into bed.

Seletina looked up, having made her decision. When she did, she noticed something. Her heart suddenly skipped a beat. If she’d been slightly more relaxed, then she would’ve even let out a gasp.

There was someone at the end of the empty cobblestone-paved street. They had white hair, purplish-brown skin, muscular build, and were taller than average.

The individual’s face was hidden by a mask with a smile slapped on it. Although Seletina couldn’t see the person’s face, she could assume that it was probably a male.

The individual was dressed in a black outfit that hugged their body and hung down. They looked like they were ready to disappear into the darkness of night at any moment, yet their presence was so vivid that one couldn’t help but notice it.

“Who are you?” Seletina asked in an accusatory tone, piercing the silence.

She felt the person had an odd presence. Yet, she hadn’t even noticed them until she’d raised her head.

Given that they’d been able to approach Seletina without her noticing meant that the person was either on par or even stronger than her. Seletina’s alertness went through the roof.

She slid her fingers down to Elyutinias and took a deep breath, ready to draw it at any moment. The masked man, in turn, waved both his hands lazily, and before Seletina knew it, a pair of black swords appeared in his hands.

The blades, however, were no longer than that of a dagger, and rather than swords, they looked more like knives.

Noticing the man’s readiness, Seletina took a quick breath, and in the next moment, sparks flew between them. Although the masked man had been a considerable distance away, he closed the gap between them in the blink of an eye and thrust his black sword at Seletina’s throat.

Seletina yelled in desperation as she was pushed down onto the cobblestones, overwhelmed by the black sword’s formidable power. She’d received the blow with Elyutinias’ blade, but she was pushed down before she managed to divert it away.

Seletina grunted as she fell down but swiftly rolled on the cobblestones and stood up. She did not lose time in regaining her composure and grasping her Sacred Sword, and she was soon prepared for battle once more.

Just as she was about to point her sword at the masked man, she noticed that there was no one there.

“He disappeared…”

He hadn’t simply hidden his presence. The man had really disappeared. His presence, which had dominated the area until now, was nowhere to be found, and silence was roaming free once more.

“Just what happened…” Seletina tucked away the Sacred Sword in its scabbard and exhaled. Her breath was weak and trembled slightly, showing that Seletina was quite shaken up.

She still remembered the blow just now. The wildness of that blow, similar to that of a wild beast, was still fresh in her mind. Seletina couldn’t help but mutter a name.

“Lichter?”

The night grew deeper. It wasn’t long before the dawn that would spell Ulbdor’s collapse.