8. Proof of Honor (II)

Karyl boarded the Wing of the Eagle at 6:21 in the morning on Chemos. By the time he had answered all those seemingly endless questions one by one, it was already 6:48 in the evening.

At that moment, the people in the groundside city could probably see only the last glimmer of sunlight before sunset. From the height of the Wing of the Eagle, however, Karyl could see that enormous orange-red fireball with perfect clarity.

It hung at the far end of the horizon, its radiance staining the endless clouds red, rather like a rain of fire about to descend.

Karyl absentmindedly put on his sunglasses, lest his now "fragile" flesh be harmed by the light and trigger some automatic reaction mechanism. He had secretly run tests by himself, avoiding everyone else, and the results had not reassured him in the slightest.

"May I ask if you will be coming again tomorrow?" Footsteps sounded behind him as Lonatister asked expectantly.

Standing in the broad corridor outside the Hall of Honor, facing the floor-to-ceiling windows with his back to him, Karyl let out a deep sigh before turning around.

".Of course I'll come. I still have a great deal of work left unfinished," he said slowly. "As long as you don't ask me any more questions about The Emperor's Dream."

"Thank you, Instructor!"

The Second Company Captain smiled brightly and sincerely, then jogged away with his brothers. Fully armed warriors of the Third Legion emerged from the Hall of Honor one after another, each offering him a respectful salute.

Yet all Karyl could do was stand where he was, accept this sudden reverence, and respond with a stiff smile.

"We must never betray the goodwill of others—I seem to have heard that somewhere before."

Please be quiet, Konrad.

"Would you please