Late at night, Tales sat alone on the observation platform atop Jackal Tower in Star Lake Fortress, gazing down at the distant Star Lake.
King Kessel and Captain Adrian had returned to the Royal Capital that very night, leaving only Sonia and her Starfall Guard behind to turn the main fortress's banquet hall upside down until things finally quieted down at dawn.
Marius and Nun Valencia were naturally run off their feet. As for the Duke of Star Lake himself, he had returned to his bedroom early, claiming he could not hold his liquor.
("Bullshit! I clearly saw him drinking juice!"—the Flower of the Fortress, drunkenly gripping Marius's collar.)
But only Tales knew that compared to welcoming the king's visit, he would rather have drunk himself senseless and slept without waking.
A cat's cry came from the distant rooftops, answered by dogs barking below. Along with the faint chirping of cicadas, Star Lake Fortress was filled with a wild, pleasant charm beneath the moonlight.
Why?
Tales gazed at the rippling glimmer of Star Lake, lost in thought.
Why now? Why Jann? Why Southbank Territory?
Tales lowered his head and drew a dagger wrapped in layers of bandages from its sheath. After returning from the Great Desert as a refugee, he had not removed the disguise on JC for various reasons. Instead, he had reinforced it, ensuring that no one could identify its origins.
More importantly, why him?
Tales casually drew out the Bone Ring "Gortaksa" and hung it on the dagger's tip.
The savage Bone Ring and the sharp blade complemented each other, appearing even more desolate beneath the moonlight.
What exactly did Kessel the Fifth want him to do?
Why was the king so confident, yet so carefree?
Where would Revival Palace begin, and how would it clean up