The grand wedding hall buzzed with laughter, music, and endless chatter as nobles and guests celebrated the upcoming ceremony.
Elysia stepped into the kitchen and grabbed a tray of drinks.
One by one, she handed the glasses to the guests.
"Thank you."
"Over here."
"Another drink, please."
Elysia forced a polite smile.
I'm a soldier, not a servant...
Before she could finish her thought, a sharp voice called out.
"Hey! You, soldier lady! Come here!"
Elysia's eye twitched.
Oh no... another job
She walked over and bowed slightly.
"Yes, ma'am. Is there anything you need?"
The king's daughter pointed toward the hallway.
"Go bring my bridal dress."
Elysia blinked.
"Where is it?"
"In the guest room. Left side of the hallway."
"Understood."
As she walked away, she muttered under her breath.
"If I keep wearing this uniform, everyone will keep ordering me around. We haven't even had time to eat yet..."
She reached the guest room and quietly opened the door.
Creak...
The bridal gown rested elegantly on a stand.
Elysia picked it up.
Just then—
Click.
The bathroom door opened.
A young woman stepped out wearing an expensive party dress.
The girl froze.
"What are you doing here?"
"I came to get the bridal dress."
Elysia looked at her from head to toe.
Then she smiled.
The girl frowned.
"What?"
"Nothing."
THWACK!
Without warning, Elysia's palm struck the side of the girl's neck.
The girl's eyes rolled back.
She collapsed onto the floor.
"...Sorry."
A few minutes later...
The unconscious woman was hidden beneath the bed.
Meanwhile, Elysia stood before the mirror wearing the girl's luxurious dress and sparkling jewelry.
She spun once.
"Much better."
On the vanity table sat a decorative hand fan.
Elysia picked it up and opened it.
Fwoosh.
The fan concealed half her face.
Looking every bit like a noble guest, she confidently left the room.
---
Outside, near the stables...
Daiki finished tying the horses.
As he turned to leave, an elderly noble waved him over.
"Hey, boy! Come here."
Daiki sighed.
Why does everyone need something today?
He walked over.
"Yes, sir?"
The old man groaned dramatically.
"My legs are killing me. Take me to the guest room. I need to rest."
Daiki smiled.
"Of course."
A short while later...
The old man lay comfortably on a bed.
Fast asleep.
Or rather...
Unconscious.
Daiki dusted off his hands.
"Sweet dreams."
Nearby, a servant carrying a tray of elegant party glasses passed him.
Daiki pointed.
"Hey, stop for a second."
The servant stared at him strangely.
Without asking permission, Daiki grabbed one pair of glasses from the tray and put them on.
Instantly, he looked far more like a wealthy guest than a stable worker.
"Perfect.
He stepped into the hallway.
At that exact moment—
BUMP!
Daiki collided with someone.
His glasses slipped off.
At the same time, the decorative fan fell from the other person's hand.
Both crouched down to pick up their belongings.
Then...
Their eyes met.
Silence.
"Elysia?"
"Daiki?"
They spoke at the exact same moment.
For a second, they simply stared.
Then both burst into laughter.
Their ridiculous disguises had actually worked.
---
Present Day...
Standing inside the mansion lobby, Elysia suddenly narrowed her eyes.
A young woman stood nearby, holding the arm of a handsome young man.
Elysia stared at her.
Something felt familiar.
She nudged Daiki.
"Hey, Daiki."
"What?"
"Doesn't that girl look familiar?"
Daiki looked carefully.
His eyes widened.
"Wait..."
A memory flashed through his mind.
"That's the same girl who was with Yuki when we fought Weston."
Elysia's expression immediately turned serious.
The cheerful atmosphere around them suddenly felt much heavier.
Someone from the past had just appeared.
And that could only mean trouble.
---
Meanwhile...
Elsewhere in the mansion...
Michael and Raithasu continued their investigation...
The basement door creaked open.
A wave of cold air rolled out from the darkness below.
Michael and Raithasu carefully descended the ancient stone stairs. The sounds of the wedding celebration above became fainter with every step until only silence remained.
Water dripped somewhere in the darkness.
Drip...
Drip...
Drip...
The basement was enormous. Rows of rusted weapons, broken furniture, and old iron decorations stood beneath flickering torchlight.
Michael suddenly stopped.
His eyes widened.
"Raithasu..."
Raithasu swallowed nervously.
"What?"
Michael slowly pointed ahead.
"Look in front of us."
Raithasu glanced forward.
The color immediately drained from his face.
"No..."
His voice trembled.
"I can't."
Standing against the wall were dozens of life-sized iron soldier statues.
Their armor was dark and intimidating.
Their hollow eye sockets seemed to stare directly into the souls of anyone who looked at them.
Before either of them could move—
BANG!
The basement door slammed open.
"Search everywhere!"
Soldiers flooded into the basement.
"The intruders must be down here!"
Raithasu's heart nearly stopped.
"They found us!"
Michael's eyes darted around.
Then he noticed the iron statues.
An idea instantly formed in his mind.
"Quick."
"What?"
"The statues!"
Without wasting another second, Michael and Raithasu squeezed themselves inside two hollow iron soldier displays.
The metal was freezing cold.
The armor barely fit.
Their faces disappeared behind heavy iron masks.
Seconds later—
The soldiers arrived.
Boots echoed throughout the basement.
CLANG.
CLANG.
CLANG.
Raithasu remained perfectly still.
Through a tiny opening in the mask, he could see soldiers searching every corner.
One wrong move...
One wrong breath...
And they would be discovered.
His eyes shifted.
Across the room, he spotted Michael hidden inside another iron soldier display.
Only Michael's eyes were visible through the narrow visor.
Those calm eyes silently told him:
Don't move.
The search continued.
Minutes felt like hours.
Finally, the captain cursed.
"Damn it."
"They must have escaped."
Relief washed over Raithasu.
But it lasted only a second.
The captain pointed toward the basement entrance.
"Leave guards at the door."
"If they're hiding here, they won't escape."
Raithasu's stomach sank.
Great... now we're trapped.
As if things weren't bad enough—
Two servants entered the basement.
"Hey! We need two iron soldiers for the wedding decorations."
The captain pointed casually.
"There. Take those two."
Raithasu's soul nearly left his body.
His eyes widened in horror.
Those two?
Unfortunately...
Those two were him and Michael.
A few minutes later...
The servants struggled to carry them.
"Why are these so heavy?" one servant groaned.
The other rolled his eyes.
"Because they're made of iron, idiot."
"No, seriously! These feel heavier than normal."
Raithasu silently prayed.
Please don't drop me.
The servants finally carried them upstairs and placed them in a decorated hallway.
THUD.
The impact nearly knocked Raithasu over.
His balance shifted.
The statue moved slightly.
One servant froze.
His face turned pale.
"I-I saw that!"
The other servant blinked.
"Saw what?"
"The statue moved!"
Silence.
The second servant stared.
Then burst out laughing.
"You've been working too much."
"But—"
"You're imagining things."
The frightened servant nervously scratched his head.
"Yeah..."
"Maybe you're right."
The two servants eventually walked away.
The moment they disappeared around the corner—
Raithasu quickly lifted his mask.
Fresh air hit his face.
"Oh thank goodness..."
Sweat poured down his forehead.
"It feels like an oven in there."
Suddenly—
Footsteps approached.
Raithasu instantly lowered the mask again.
Several soldiers marched past.
After they disappeared, Michael carefully stepped out of his armor.
Raithasu followed.
Both breathed heavily.
"We should fight our way out," Raithasu whispered.
Michael shook his head immediately.
"No."
"We don't have time."
Raithasu frowned.
"What do you mean?"
Michael's expression darkened.
"The Great Civil War begins in less than an hour."
The words felt heavy.
"We still haven't found everyone."
Raithasu looked at him.
"What about your sister?"
For a moment...
Michael lowered his eyes.
Pain flickered across his face.
A brother's pain.
A brother's guilt.
"I want to save her."
His voice was barely above a whisper.
"More than anything."
"But if we fail here..."
He clenched his fists.
"Thousands will die."
Before Raithasu could respond—
A soldier's shout echoed through the hallway.
"THERE THEY ARE!"
Both froze.
Then chaos erupted.
---
"GET THEM!"
Dozens of soldiers charged forward.
Michael and Raithasu ran.
Their footsteps thundered across the castle floor.
Then the crowd of soldiers split.
Some chased Michael.
Others chased Raithasu.
The two friends exchanged one brief glance.
No words were needed.
Then they separated.
Raithasu sprinted toward the back side of the castle.
Michael dashed toward the lower corridors.
The soldiers followed.
---
The grand lobby exploded into panic.
Guests screamed.
Nobles scattered.
Tables overturned.
Glasses shattered.
Michael burst into the hall at full speed.
Behind him—
Dozens of soldiers.
It looked like an entire army was chasing one man.
Elysia's eyes widened.
"He's here too!"
Daiki turned sharply.
"What?"
Before either could react—
The soldiers surrounded Michael from every direction.
Swords pointed toward him.
No escape.
No openings.
No way out.
Michael slowly stopped.
His chest rose and fell.
His eyes remained calm.
But inside...
He knew.
It was over.
The soldiers rushed him.
Chains rattled.
A moment later, Michael was dragged away toward the prison cells beneath the castle.
---
Meanwhile...
Raithasu reached the stables.
He jumped onto the nearest horse.
"Move!"
NEIGHHH!
The horse exploded forward.
Raithasu burst through the castle gates and raced into the city streets.
The cold wind slammed against his face.
The castle grew smaller behind him.
Yet his heart felt heavier with every second.
Michael wasn't beside him.
For the first time since arriving in the past...
He was alone.
The horse galloped through the crowded streets.
But Raithasu's thoughts remained elsewhere.
Did Michael escape?
Or was he captured?
The answer terrified him.
Because deep down...
He already knew the truth.
And somewhere beneath the castle...
Michael sat alone in a prison cell.
With the civil war only one hour away.