After several hours of waiting, the square was packed with family soldiers. With no orders forthcoming, the warriors began to grow restless, whispers spreading through the crowd like the buzzing of a swarm of bees.
Complaints and speculation filled the air. Some quietly took off their heavy helmets to escape the stifling heat.
Not a single priestess of Lolth was present to take charge. Renato could offer no reasonable explanation either, so he could only stand silently before the chapel doors.
Just as the army's unrest threatened to spiral out of control, the chapel doors suddenly opened.
The one who emerged was neither a priestess of Lolth nor a member of the family's personal guard, but a fully armed drow warrior with a somewhat melancholy expression.
It was Aknath. Wasn't he outside the city with the council's army, clearing out the monsters stirred up by the earthquake? Why was he in the chapel at the family compound?
Renato's gaze settled on the weapon master, his mind full of questions. The man's armor was spotless, its plates gleaming as though new. He did not look like someone who had returned early from a mission. Rather, he looked as though he had never left the family compound at all.
The legendary warrior said nothing, simply walking toward Renato in silence. His steps were steady, his face calm, and the Silver Sword was strapped to his back. He showed no sign of hostility.
Yet that silence carried a pressure of its own. To the drow soldiers nearby, it felt like standing before a volcano on the verge of eruption, filling them with dread.
The eight accompanying drow cavalrymen immediately raised their hand crossbows, aiming at Weapon Master Nightwind as he approached, and shouted a warning:
"Priestess Tristana has ordered that Lord Renato is