Gawain's Speculation

The lead Amber found was somewhat beyond Gawain's expectations—he had once guessed that Salilendorf might have been some down-and-out noble, perhaps stripped of his title for a crime and forced to hide his identity. But he had never imagined that the man was a Royal Shadow Guard who had deserted while carrying out a mission to search for Gondor's legacy... That inevitably invited speculation.

It seemed the Ansu Royal Family was not truly ignorant of the secrets buried in the Dark Mountains. Though much of the relevant knowledge had been lost during the Mist Month Rebellion, they must still have possessed certain clues. At the very least, they knew there was something in the Dark Mountains.

Of course, that speculation rested on the premise that what Salilendorf had been seeking was truly the Fortress of Defiance, rather than some other Gondor relic.

"So far, we haven't found any other entrances to the Fortress of Defiance. As for the entrance we've found, there are no signs that it was ever opened," Gawain said as he pondered. "And even if he really did enter the Fortress of Defiance, that still wouldn't explain his desertion—it was merely an ancient research base. What could possibly have been inside that would make a Royal Shadow Guard betray his king?"

"I can't figure it out either... Thinking back now, he really was someone who never talked about his past, and his life was a complete mess," Amber said, shaking her head. Her voice was somewhat low. "He was always taking me from place to place, changing residences constantly, forging identities, and stealing under the noses of local nobles to make a living. Most of our energy went into that, and for a long time, I held it against him... But now that I think about it,