Grant rushed out of the tent in an instant.
Outside the tent, the soldiers on both sides still looked shaken, all staring in the same direction as if by unspoken agreement, with no idea what had happened. Following their gazes, one could make out a blurry figure speeding away into the distance.
"Quick! Stop him!"
Seeing this, Grant first wanted to fly after him himself, but then seemed to think of something. He stopped and began directing the camp's soldiers instead.
The soldiers froze for two seconds before lifting their legs to give chase. But unfortunately, in those few seconds, the figure accelerated and fled straight out of the camp, vanishing beyond the distant horizon. By then, the soldiers had barely taken their first steps. They could only stop, turning back helplessly toward Grant, unsure what to do.
Grant hovered in the air, staring in the direction the man had vanished, his expression turning exceptionally grim.
Only then did the bishop emerge from the tent after him.
"W-what happened?"
"...That mercenary." Grant was silent for several seconds before speaking in a suppressed voice. "That mercenary who's with the Magic Academy—when did he sneak in here? Why did no one notice him? What about the alarm bells?"
At once, the surrounding soldiers fell silent as cicadas in winter, not daring to make a sound.
The bishop realized what had happened, and his expression changed drastically as well. "Th-this... How much did he overhear? Then our battle plan... This is bad, Your Majesty. We must act immediately! If he found out about that, our entire operation will fail completely!"
Grant had clearly realized the severity of the situation as well.
"There's no time to rest. Quick! Everyone, move! We depart in ten minutes. We must reach Koester tonight!" he immediately ordered. "Also,