Ahead and Behind

Within Lunburg Base, Gawain met the group of Kingdom Army soldiers Sordelin had rescued.

Leading these soldiers was a northern man of medium build, with short brown hair and a prominent nose. He had already changed out of his tattered armor and into the comfortable clothes provided by the base. Though a trace of fatigue still lingered on his face, his spirits had clearly improved greatly.

When Gawain entered the somewhat spartan barracks, the knight who had narrowly escaped death immediately stood up. Along with several soldiers beside him who looked slightly bewildered, he bowed with nervous haste. "My lord, I am Balna Mitchell from the royal capital. My soldiers and I are deeply grateful for your generous protection..."

"Please, sit down, Mr. Mitchell. I have a few questions for you," Gawain said, gesturing for the knight before him to sit before casually taking a nearby chair himself. "First, an introduction—you can probably guess. I am Gawain Cecil."

This was that Legendary Knight, who only a few years ago had existed solely in heroic tales and historians' volumes, yet had now returned from the realm of the dead and once more taken command of the southern lands.

The nobles of the royal capital had all manner of descriptions and speculations concerning this ruler of the south. Most chose to keep a respectful distance, a small number regarded him as a threat, and an even smaller number harbored the malice of conspiracy theorists. Yet nearly everyone agreed on one point: this legendary pioneer did not fit this era. He possessed the pride of a Gondor man, the roughness of a pioneer, the savagery of the first nobility, and the incomprehensibility of one returned from death. This was the entire impression Balna Mitchell of the royal capital had formed of Gawain Cecil