By now, the Zaraam Plains must have been engulfed in the whirlpool of fierce warfare. The deafening war cries, the high-pitched clashing of swords, the incantations of magic resounding from somewhere, followed by explosions and agonized screams... Even though I haven't witnessed it firsthand, the scene unfolds vividly in my mind.

“Well then…”

Approximately two hours have passed since the start of the Dragon Slaying War. At the very moment the war commenced, we had slipped through the forest of Swylver and infiltrated the Imperial Capital, Shadeskade.

Setting foot in the Imperial Capital for the first time, the eerie tranquility stood in stark contrast to the battle raging in the Zaraam Plains. As the capital of a nation ruled by dragons, the city’s appearance carried an unnatural atmosphere distinct from other countries. Black dragon emblems adorned every corner, and due to the war, the only ones walking the streets were armed soldiers.

— No, perhaps the general populace had already evacuated.

It was only natural. No matter how selfish that damn lizard was in starting this war, not every human serving under him was devoid of a sense of ethics. Just like in the Kingdom… No, even more so, the innocent civilians living in the Empire, dwelling closer to the dangers of death, had no choice but to flee.

— Still, not everyone managed to escape…

In the district where the impoverished resided within the Imperial Capital, I caught glimpses from the alleyways—amidst patrolling soldiers, there were still traces of ordinary citizens.

“Clay-sama, let's move.”

“…Yeah.”

Suppressing the guilt that welled up from witnessing such a scene, I followed Levia’s lead.

Though we had smoothly infiltrated the capital without causing any commotion, ordinarily, entering the Imperial Capital required passing through one of the four gates located in the north, south, east, or west of the city walls. However, just like in the forest, we managed thanks to Levia.

As a member of an aristocratic family of assassins, she possessed knowledge of the hidden pathways and secret passages woven throughout the capital. Among these, she led us through an especially ancient, barely used tunnel that had long been abandoned due to its inconvenient location.

Of course, that damn lizard must have been aware that Levia, an imperial native, was part of our ranks. I assumed he would have tightened security around hidden passages, leaking just enough information to set up ambushes. Yet, unexpectedly, that wasn’t the case.

“I believe it would be impossible to monitor every hidden passage. I can’t say for certain, but it’s likely not worth the effort…”

According to Levia, there were hundreds of hidden tunnels and escape routes throughout the capital, making it practically infeasible to guard all of them.

— That doesn’t mean we can let our guard down.

With an uneasy feeling lingering in my chest, we continued our advance through the hidden pathways toward the Imperial Castle, where the Shadow Dragon resided.

We were currently in the impoverished district, precisely between the northern and western gates. From here, we needed to head towards the central thoroughfare of the capital and then proceed southeast to reach the Imperial Castle.

Since we had only just entered the capital, we had to take extra caution to avoid being spotted by patrolling soldiers. That meant moving at a pace more than twice as slow as usual. We would be passing through multiple hidden passages, carefully selecting those with known defects or those rarely used to minimize the risk of detection.

“These paths have deteriorated badly over time, so please watch your step.”

We traversed narrow tunnels with ridiculously low ceilings, unstable stone staircases that seemed ready to crumble at any moment, and waterlogged paths that reeked from their proximity to the sewers—truly, the kind of roads that made one question why anyone would even use them.

Worrying about dirt and grime would be a losing battle. Even though we had been issued magical cloaks imbued with enchantments to thin out our presence, I wasn’t about to be picky. Each of these cloaks was worth thousands of gold coins, but at this point, I couldn’t afford to care.

— Become a noble sacrifice for Alice’s rescue…

With a reluctant sigh, I pressed forward as Levia led the way. Although we had thoroughly studied the city's structure and mapped out our chosen routes in advance, losing sight of her here would be a major problem.

Moreover, as we neared the Imperial Castle, I was certain that damn lizard had set traps and ambushes. After all, the very path we were taking led directly to the castle, which also meant it served as an emergency escape route. The closer we got, the fewer available hidden passages there were, making it easier for enemy forces to anticipate our movements.

— Right now, the Empire is still focused on the large-scale battle in the Zaraam Plains...

But that damn lizard wasn’t just interested in the war—he was also waiting for his showdown with me. The closer we got, the more intense the security would become. I knew that all too well.

That’s why I expected the roads leading to the castle to be heavily guarded.

“I figured as much, but this is quite the spectacle…”

Our grueling journey through hazardous terrain finally came to an end when Levia, who had been leading us without pause, suddenly stopped.

We had passed through a drainage channel branching from the main thoroughfare, traversed a damp underground passage, and now, at the dead end, there was a staircase leading up. If all went according to plan, the exit would bring us right in front of the castle gate.

However, as I carefully peeked out from the shadows, I saw them—hundreds of knights and soldiers standing guard at the gate.

“W-what should we do, Clay-sama?”

Faced with this unpleasant “surprise gift” from that damn lizard, Levia’s voice wavered with uncertainty. We had expected enemies, but this was beyond what we had anticipated. Naturally, she was shaken—it wasn’t as if she had been brought along as a combatant.

“That bastard is clearly trying to wear us down from the start…”

Well, at this point, there was no helping it. If we stepped out, there would be no place to hide, and with those numbers, remaining concealed was impossible. That meant one thing: our covert mission ended here.

“—Alright, no need to hold back anymore. Whatever happens, happens… Let’s go wild.”

It was time to unleash all the frustration we had been bottling up. After all, thanks to this stealth mission, our resident battle maniac had been itching to cut loose.

“Yes! Let’s see who can take down more knights, Clay!!”

Once Freesia got like this, stopping her was next to impossible—and this time, there was no need to. She could unleash her full power as much as she pleased.