So they were from Eagle's Nest.
As her gaze fell upon the crescent tattoo on the cheek of one of the white-robed knights, Semiramis pondered for a moment before asking.
"Who is in charge of Evening Bell Temple now?"
The leading white-robed knight thought for a moment, hesitated slightly, then answered in a low voice.
"It's... Lady Calamity Jane."
A youthful, immature face surfaced in the Empress's mind. She twirled the feather-like light between her fingertips, a teasing smile appearing on her face.
"Then let's go. Take me to your Hassan."
"As you command!"
The white-robed knights struck their right fists against their chests and bowed respectfully. They then mounted their horses, leaving two behind for Semiramis and Himeria Aozaki.
Their grueling journey guarding the holy land had finally come to an end.
The white-robed knights looked back at the closing gate of light and the desert beyond it with both reluctance and relief, then decisively cracked their whips and rode toward their nearly forgotten headquarters.
On the jolting horseback ride, Himeria Aozaki adjusted her glasses, and an imperceptible glimmer flickered deep within her eyes.
Taking the initiative to accept the Holy Grail War assignment in Tirifas seemed to have been the most valuable choice she had made during her more than ten years at the Clock Tower.
Himeria Aozaki's burning gaze swept back over the paradise hidden beneath the yellow sands and its gatekeepers. Her hands tightened around the reins without her realizing it, and the long-dormant tides in her heart gradually began to stir.
Something called "ambition," or perhaps "desire," began to grow within her.
For an employee of the Department of Law and Politics with neither power nor influence, the path to promotion and the world available to her had ultimately been far too narrow.
Now, she