Two Letters at the Tear Knight Governor's Residence

Night had fallen deep, but candlelight still burned in the study at the Tear Knight Governor's Residence.

The thick stone walls shut out the cold wind, yet the Blood Moon's chilling touch still seeped into the room bit by bit.

Yasol had guarded the Eternal Night Wall for more than sixty years. He still felt a fierce revulsion toward the Blood Moon's corruption, and an old, hidden wound in his chest had begun to ache.

He sat back in his chair, took a drink of strong liquor, and prepared to finish his last task of the day.

A thick stack of letters lay on the desk, most of them sent by priests from the major fiefs.

Most amounted to some lord using a report as an excuse to angle for more resources and privileges.

Yasol's gaze soon settled on one from Emon. He drew the sealed letter from the stack.

The seven fiefs of the Graymist Defense Zone had fought battle after battle and were barely clinging to life.

Even an experienced adult lord might not have cleaned up that mess in a short time.

But Shien, a boy of just fourteen, was the one holding the line there.

Yasol had long been interested in him. He wanted to see how the boy would handle it, and how far he could go.

A thought occurred to him: Emon's letter was probably a plea for aid, asking the Governor's Mansion to keep the southern Graymist sector alive a little longer.

But when he unfolded the parchment, he found an extraordinarily detailed Gray Fog Defense Zone Joint Defense Outline.

In the letter, Emon reported Shien's actions over the past few months in detail.

He had repaired the fief, established a system, and put Blackpine Fief to work under it.

Yasol's brow twitched.