A Pursuer

"Hahhh... What a comfortable sleep."

Facing the morning sun, Ritsuka stretched lazily as the cool breeze wiped away the last traces of her drowsiness.

In the camp, soldiers and villagers were waking up one after another, starting fires, and cooking breakfast.

Amidst the bustle, laughter and chatter filled the air, creating a warm and cozy atmosphere.

Watching this scene, Ritsuka's gaze softened.

"Good morning, Senpai." Mash approached with a steaming bowl of thick porridge, smiling. "Did you sleep well last night?"

"Of course, knowing you're around, Mash, I didn't worry at all!" Ritsuka chuckled, taking the bowl from her junior and blowing on it gently before sipping.

The freshly cooked porridge warmed her stomach, bringing a sense of comfort and contentment.

"That's good to hear..." Mash ran her fingers through her own hair, smiling gently. "Seeing you so energetic puts me at ease."

"Hmm?" Ritsuka paused, looking at her junior with a puzzled expression. "Mash... you seem a bit, you know, different today..."

"Huh? Really?" Mash blinked, then checked herself in confusion. "Is it my clothes? Or is there something strange for me? Could you be more specific, Senpai?"

"Ahh, forget it, you're fine like this." Ritsuka nodded satisfactorily, returning to her porridge.

"???"

Mash tilted her head, confused.

Ignoring her junior's confusion, Ritsuka quickly finished her porridge without batting an eye, wiped her mouth, looked around, and frowned.

"Where's Arkhan?"

"Mr. Arkhan went on patrol around the surrounding area."

Mash took the bowl from Ritsuka's hands as she replied.

"He said he had a bad feeling, maybe someone from Camelot is catching up. He also said I should tell you to get moving soon, not to waste time."

"Does Arkhan have those 'Intuition' skills?" Ritsuka mused, rubbing her chin thoughtfully before her eyes brightened. "Well, let's go with what he said. Everyone! We should finish breakfast quickly and get going!"

Upon hearing about the possible pursuers, soldiers and villagers didn't dare to delay further, hastily finishing breakfast and packing their belongings.

Before long, Arkhan returned to the camp, nodding slightly at the busy scene.

"It seems you took my advice seriously, that's good."

Arkhan smiled at Ritsuka, appreciating having such a responsible comrade, saving him some worry.

"Ahaha, just doing what I can." Ritsuka scratched her head sheepishly, then asked curiously. "Arkhan, did you find any signs of the enemy?"

Arkhan paused for a moment, then shook his head.

"Not yet, but just to be safe, I erased our tracks along the way. Even if they do come after us, they won't catch up anytime soon."

"Phew..." Ritsuka breathed a sigh of relief. "With you around, it really puts one at ease..."

"No matter how much you flatter me, I won't give you any more primordial rune, y'know." Arkhan teased.

"Arkhan, you're really stingy~" Ritsuka followed along, catching his joke.

Arkhan shook his head, smiling, then turned to look in the direction he had come from.

He did feel something unusual before, but it wasn't from any 'Intuition'. It was a call from deep within his blood as if someone whispered softly in his ear.

He couldn't figure out where this feeling came from, so he decided to explore a bit. Yet, he also feared it might be a trap from Camelot, so he returned after walking only about ten kilometers.

'Maybe I'm just being paranoid...' Arkhan shook his head, casting aside the matter from his mind.

After a moment, he turned to Ritsuka and nodded slightly.

"Let's set off."

===

"Did that outsider erase all the traces...?"

Amidst the overgrown weeds and scattered rocks, Melusine's voice remained calm, despite the almost indistinguishable scenery before her.

"Sure, he's been cautious, but a little cleverness like this won't do much against me."

Beneath her face mask, her petite nose twitched slightly as she turned her head to the southwest.

"That direction... If I recall correctly, that's the place called the Holy Roman Empire, right? So, that's his destination..."

Melusine's brow furrowed slightly as if she had thought of something troubling.

"If he really gets into Nero Claudius's territory, it'll indeed be troublesome... No, I need to pick up the pace a bit. I have to intercept him before that happens."

Throughout her life, she had never let any prey she set her sights on slip away, and this time wouldn't be an exception.

*BOOM!*

With a sudden stomp, the ground beneath her feet exploded with a thunderous roar. Her delicate figure shot up into the sky like a shooting star, disappearing into the clouds in the blink of an eye.

===

After nearly a day and night of walking, by noon on the third day, Arkhan and the group were finally approaching the border of the Holy Roman Empire.

"We're about five hours away from entering the empire!" Ritsuka couldn't contain her smile, clearly in high spirits. "Maybe we'll even make it in time for dinner."

A virtual screen unfolded beside her, displaying Romani sitting back with a coffee cup in hand, appearing content.

"We're almost there, and you know what? It's been smooth sailing all the way." Romani chimed in, nodding.

Upon hearing that, Ritsuka fell silent for a moment before speaking softly.

"Doctor, do you know what 'flag' means?"

Hearing the sudden question, Romani looked puzzled.

"Isn't a flag just some kind of symbol or banner? Are you planning to use it as a signal to the empire and have them send someone to meet you?"

"In some ways, Doctor, your imagination is quite rich..." Ritsuka responded with a sarcastic tone.

"Did I misunderstand something?" Romani looked even more confused. 'Does the word 'flag' have another meaning?'

"Well, perhaps that's the tragedy of middle-aged guys... Doctor, you should seriously spend more time watching anime and playing games so you can become a man of culture..." Ritsuka sighed, looking up at the sky with pity.

"Hey! That's too much! I'm not even thirty yet!" Romani retorted strongly.

Mash stood quietly to the side, smiling as she watched the two banter.

Suddenly, Arkhan's deep voice echoed in everyone's ears.

"Mash, Ritsuka, prepare for battle, we have a pursuer."

""What?!""

Ritsuka and Mash were startled.

"See, Doctor?! I told you not to speak nonsense! Now you've raised a death flag!" Ritsuka exclaimed in exasperation.

"How is this my fault?! And what is this death flag anyway?!"

Romani was also taken aback, nearly spilling his coffee. He quickly accessed the detection system, and soon, a prominent red dot appeared on the screen.

His pupils contracted and quickly shouted.

"Be careful, Ritsuka! There's a massive magical energy signal heading your way, and it's moving incredibly fast! Damn it, what kind of speed is this? Did they launch a missile?!"

*Rumble—!*

As Romani cursed, a thunderous rumble echoed in the distance, and before long, a light akin to a meteor streaked across the sky, hovering above them.

Even from hundreds of meters away, with Arkhan and Mash's vision, they could clearly see that this meteor-like light was a person.

It was a young girl clad in azure armor, her waist-length silver hair flowing, her arms covered in arm guards almost as long as her arms.