"Before he went missing."

Louis had unmasked the unconscious opponent. Achilys was an older man with wrinkles and grey hair. His jaw was broken and he most likely had brain damage.

'Hope he's not dead. The men at the guard station won't be able to question him if he is.'

Louis thought to himself.

He changed the direction of his view, observing the deceased strangers instead. Something became apparent about the dead, they were all wearing the same white mask and dark robes.

'They dress just like those weirdos.'

Louis remembered the individuals he encountered on the road back to the capitol. All the collapsed figures on the ground were with that organization, there was no mistaking it.

While pondering further on the details, he rubbed his chin.

"Looks like this organization is abducting people who have combat value. Brainwashed, trained and turned into loyal subjects."

It was all just a theory he thought up, but Louis had hunch that he was right. He stared at Achilies who still laid unconscious against the floor.

The destruction of the man's magic orbs were devastating, even a Royal Knight could get killed if they're not careful. If projectiles weren't guaranteed to always miss Louis, there was a chance the fight would've been a bit harder.

Louis thought to himself, 'I'm curious about this now. I can just ask him for information when he regains consciousness. For now, I need to take him down to the station.'

A girls voice spoke as it came to his side, "Sounds like you know what this is about."

It was a girl with short brown hair and green eyes. She holstered the a revolver in her coat pocket. She continued, remembering to do introductions.

"I am Anna Betsie, a B-rank marksman serving the imperial military.

"Yeah, I know. I could tell." Louis replied.

Anna almost jolted back at realizing his perceptiveness. However, she too was perceptive about this kind of thing.

"That man Achily's was S-rank in power. You defeated him really easy. Who are you?"

"I'm just someone who was passing through the area, ended up being trapped in this barrier. Doesn't look like these people were targeting me though."

Anna looked at her surroundings after hearing Louis's words.

"Speaking of the barrier, it hasn't dispelled yet."

"Huh. I think you're right. We might have to leave by force." Louis responded, gazing forward.

He steadily walked a good distance ahead before stopping, poking is finger through the air.

His lips spoke a command into the wind, "Show."

One gentle vibration through the air, a bright dome appeared over the area.

It was the barrier keeping them in.

In the same manner as a detective, Louis walked over to the wall of the dome. Softly sliding his hand across its surface, he grasped the intensity of the magic behind.

He concluded, "Wow, this barrier is one of the most well-made I've seen. An expert made this."

"Going to take hours to get through, I assume." Anna sighed.

Resting her back against a wall, she lit a cigarette.

"Actually, I can get us out of here now." Louis claimed.

"But earlier you said you didn't have the skill do do that." said Anna before taking a long puff from her cigarette.

"It was a joke. Here, look at this."

Louis rested his finger tip on the barrier's surface. In the first couple of moments nothing happened, but finally the barrier tore apart and dispelled.

Being back to reality, Louis found the town to be covered in plain-white snow. It was the middle of a blizzard.

Anna was already trembling from the icy cold weather. Even with a coat on, it felt like being bare.

"It's...freezing." Anna muttered.

Louis on th either hand was not affected too much, he was using mana to warm his body was needed.

"If I wasn't using heat magic, I probably would've been freezing too."

A piece of Louie's mind still found it bizarre how the capitol was covered in a blizzard.

There was no hunch that something there was a threat, there was no hunch that anything was wrong. The reason he chose to keep questioning we simply because of his curious nature.

Before entering the barrier, it was only cold temperatures and strong wind.

Once he was out of the barrier, a disastrous blizzard had appeared. This was not a natural occurrence.

Anna tapped his shoulder, nearly making him jump.

Anna was quick to apologize.

"Oh, Sorry. Didn't Know you got scared easily."

"I'm alright. I was only deep in thought, you caught me a little off guard. What did you need?"

"Right, I was wondering if you give me a hand with taking that man to the station. You know, because you're pretty strong."

Her way of thinking was cautious. She knew it wasn't safe transporting Achilys to a cell while with no backup. Having a strong allies along would be an easy problem solver in case the suspect Achilys's regained consciousness.

"Sure, I guess I can help. Even though I'm not on duty."

Louis tied magic retaints to the suspect and lifted him with over the shoulder.

"On duty? Are you in the military as well?"

With one big sigh, Louis shook his head.

"I used to be. Armageddon wasn't exactly pretty."

'The Battle of Armageddon' - One of the most deadly battles in human history. It was a time where 787 soldiers were slaughtered by countless monster summons and their powerful leader. Only 1 soldier made it ut of the battle alive. That sole survivor was a Royal Knight known as 'The Royal Killer'

Ann gasped at disbelief.

"Wha? B-but, only one person survived that battle… And that survivor was was one of the best Royal Knights. Before he went missing."

Louis titled his head, "Missing? But I'm right here."

Ann completely shrugged him off as being delusional, "Yeah, whatever. Let's get the suspect to a cell now."