A calm voice rang out, and a riot of flowers bloomed.
As Arthur raised his palm, flowers appeared beneath his feet. In an instant, their tender blossoms dispelled the bleakness of early autumn, and their rich fragrance swept everyone in the convoy back into spring.
But soon, the people in the convoy realized something was wrong!
Because-
Bones!
Beneath those flowers lay countless bones.
Stark white bones, without a trace of flesh.
At a glance, there were dozens of skeletons.
Even though everyone in the convoy was a seasoned veteran, they had to clench their teeth to keep from crying out.
It was not that their resolve was weak. The contrast was simply too great.
One moment, a spring breeze caressed their faces, and floral fragrance filled the air.
The next, pale bones lay everywhere, and deathly aura filled the surroundings.
At once, everyone recalled what Arthur had just said-
"Swordsmanship filled with pure killing intent and death!"
In that moment, their understanding of "death" grew all the deeper.
The scouts assembled from the various factions fared far worse.
First, they had been summoned together. Then the flowers that suddenly appeared left them utterly bewildered.
The bones that followed frightened quite a few into cries and strange shrieks.
Mr. Bernice's steward swept a vicious gaze over his shouting subordinates, before a look of helplessness finally crossed his face.
To maintain secrecy, he could not use only the Bernice family's elite. He had been forced to bring some of them and hire the rest.
Clearly, the hired men had boasted extravagantly about their abilities.
But when trouble came, they proved utterly useless.
The steward discreetly made a hand signal, and five of the Bernice family's elite immediately formed a squad and went to investigate.
The remaining men picked up their shields