"The map shows the best route to Ximu Town, as well as the approximate area where the monsters appeared and their direction of attack, as described by the messenger."

"These rough sketches show a simple layout of the town and the locations of a few sturdier buildings, drawn by the messenger from memory. They might not be accurate, but it’s better than nothing. As for the exact number of monsters... that couldn’t be confirmed. It was utter chaos by the time the messenger broke through."

He presented the scroll and sketches with both hands.

Murphy accepted them but didn’t immediately unroll them for a closer look, simply weighing them in his hand for a moment.

"Time limit?" he asked, his voice as level as ever.

"The sooner the better, Sir!" Captain Blake’s voice rose a notch before he quickly suppressed it, his tone laced with anxiety. "The messenger barely made it out alive, and he was pursued by small bands of monsters on his way here. Every moment we delay, the chances of Ximu Town falling and suffering more casualties increase! The Lord Duke implores you... to depart immediately and rush to Ximu Town with all possible speed. Clear out the monsters, rescue the civilians, and stabilize the situation."

He seemed to feel this was an almost unreasonable demand, for he quickly added, his tone a mixture of apology and helplessness:

"I know you’ve only just returned from a hard-fought battle and a long journey... you ought to be resting. But right now, we... we truly have no other choice. The fortress will immediately assemble a Light Cavalry Squad to follow. They’ll rendezvous with you and assist with the aftermath, but they are far slower than you and can only serve as support."

Murphy didn’t comment on the matter of his rest.

He tucked the scroll and sketches into his coat, walked over to the wall, and took down the Ancient Longsword. He carefully checked the scabbard’s straps and the hilt’s wrapping before securing it firmly at his waist.

His movements were fluid and methodical, as if it were just a routine gear check.

Captain Blake watched his efficient, steady movements, a complex mix of admiration, hope, and deep worry flashing in his eyes.

His lips moved as if he wanted to offer words of encouragement or a blessing, but all that came out was a strained, heavy sentence. "Sir... the journey is perilous. Please... be careful. The lives of more than two hundred families in Ximu Town... all depend on you. Thank you, Sir."

He spoke the last three words with exceptional gravity, even giving a slight bow.

Murphy, having secured his gear, walked to the door.

As he passed Captain Blake, he paused briefly and glanced at the anxious, weather-beaten officer.

"Tell the Duke," his voice was not loud, yet it resonated clearly in the quiet room, "I’ll handle it."

Before the words finished echoing, he had already pushed open the heavy oak door, his figure instantly melting into the thick, inky darkness of the courtyard.

Captain Blake stood alone in the warm room, which now felt cavernously empty. He listened to the night wind moaning through the doorframe and stared at the closed door. After a long moment, he let out a heavy sigh, as if expelling all the anxiety coiled in his chest.

He raised a hand and vigorously rubbed his stiff cheeks, recalling the scattered rumors about the Governor’s inhuman performance at Silent Pass. He replayed Murphy’s near-indifferent calm and his curt, decisive response from moments ago.

’I just hope... he makes it in time,’ he murmured.

...

The very moment Murphy closed his heavy oak door, the door to the adjacent stone house let out a soft CREAK and opened inward just a crack.

Elizabeth’s figure appeared in the doorway.

She clearly hadn’t gone to bed. She was still wearing the same ink-black traveling dress from the evening, only without the shawl, her long hair hanging loosely over her shoulders.

The warm yellow light from within the room spilled out from behind her, illuminating her pale face and her dark eyes, which held a look of startled suspicion and unabated confusion.

She seemed to have been about to come out and check on the activity in the courtyard, but she came face-to-face with Murphy just as he was about to leave.

Their gazes met in the darkness, lit by the courtyard’s fading torchlight.

Elizabeth clearly hadn’t expected to see Murphy heading out fully armed at this hour. A flash of astonishment crossed her face, and her eyes darted to the Longsword hanging at his waist.

"Lord Melfield?" she asked instinctively, her voice quieter than usual and carrying a barely perceptible tension. "It’s so late... Are you...?"

Murphy didn’t break his stride, merely turning slightly as his gaze rested on her face for an instant.

"A mission," he answered, as terse as ever, offering no further explanation. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Elizabeth pressed her lips together.

She was no child ignorant of military affairs; she knew full well what an urgent, late-night deployment meant.

Thinking back to the horrific scene in the Lower District that evening and Murphy’s frigid words, a sense of foreboding gripped her.

"Did... something happen at the front again?" she asked, taking a small step forward, nearly crossing her threshold.

"A village in the rear was attacked," Murphy stated without concealment, his tone as matter-of-fact as if discussing official business. "Ximu Town. Someone’s needed to clear out monsters and rescue civilians."

’Ximu Town... in the rear?’

Elizabeth was inwardly shaken.

’A situation that requires the urgent deployment of a combatant of his caliber has occurred even in the relatively safe rear?’

’Just how dire has the situation become?’

’Of course,’ she realized. ’The pass was breached, and monsters are pouring out like a flood. I myself experienced that hopeless ambush at Silent Pass, and the villages and outposts farther up have long since fallen.’

’How could the rear possibly remain completely unscathed?’

’In the end, the barrier of the Iron Ridge Mountain Range couldn’t completely seal off all the danger.’

Looking at Murphy’s profile, so calm and untroubled he could have been going on a routine patrol, a complex emotion welled up in Elizabeth’s heart.