Road Ahead

The atmosphere was heavy. That was probably the simplest way that Annabelle could put it, the best method of putting the environment into words.

It had nothing to do with humidity, though there was certainly a degree of it lingering through the crisp afternoon air. It also didn't have anything to do with the way everyone was behaving, a serious tone having encompassed the mishmash of Knights as they traversed through the deceased Oklainds desolate plains. The pressure was also not a problem, even if it was weighing down on her and making it rather difficult to breathe, forcing her to utilize some of her own magic.

It was the amount of mana circulating around them that she had an issue with.

Near the confines of the castle, the mana particles within the atmosphere hadn't caused her any sort of problems, the numerous plants within Castle Oklainds Maze Garden having absorbed most of it. Even when Annabelle, the twins, and their squad of foot soldiers had intially made their way towards the castle along the beaten path, there hadn't been any underlying sense of heaviness. While the wind had been rather chilly and the packed mixture of soil and gravel had been just as frozen, the mana had remained relatively thin. Having never actually travelled within that particular region, it was genuinely hard to say if such a development was natural or not.

Nevertheless, even with her general discomfort increasing as time went on, the young Litezo Princess grit her teeth and pushed ahead.

With her sister dangling right in front of her, she couldn't afford to turn back.

Not now.

That being said, she knew full well that they were strolling into a trap, even if WesLer hadn't announced the status of their given situation. After 2 full years of no leads, not a hint of evidence or even a rumor, a girl who looked like Alice showed up? Even using the full name of that same missing royal? Giving away her position and purposefully leaving witnesses? Aside from the obvious points of knowing Micelle's ability and drawing Annabelle and her two compatriots from Litezo, this alone raised major red flags that SHOULD have made her more cautious and tread much more carefully.

Adding the other bits of knowledge gained from snooping around the Castle and asking around, she was all too aware she was playing a fools game.

But again, it wasn't about to stop her.

Because there was also the chance that Alice possessed information on Itobake's condition.

Thats what was eating at her mind the most, probably since the moment she learned that her sister was alive.

The thought that Itobake Granz had survived along with Alice. Even the IDEA that the Crestless individual had wiggled his way out the Dungeon filled her with anger.

Anger, as well as fear.

"Hey. You okay?"

Annabelle blinked, torn from the inside of her own head. It hadn't registered to her but she had zoned out quite heavily and begun to steer off course, her horse moving towards the right side. Without a word, she immediately corrected her direction and tried to fix her own facial expressions.

"I'm fine," Annabelle replied, giving WesLer a side glance. "Or at least, I should be. Just need to get my barings on this increase in mana."

"You know that's not what I meant." WesLer let out a small breath. "You haven't been yourself since you got to Castle Oklaind. Obviously you're hiding it, but you can't exactly fool someone who spent four years of their life with you."

"Fours years huh?" The young royal replied, a smidgen of nostalgia flashing across her face. "Feels like so long ago. The Royal Class."

"I hear you. Feels like only yesterday I was pouring laxatives in Gretens drink." WesLer grinned as an old memory came up.

"That was you?!" For the briefest of moments, Annabelle grinned. "I always wondered why he seemed to possess liquid insides. Never imagined it was you doing that. Though I guess it fits you perfectly well."

"I dont think anyone except Hazel and Itobake knew about the laxatives." WesLer looked ahead, steering his horse accordingly. "I was very careful with it. Hazel saw me do it once but only laughed, and Itobake was able to figure it out after the third incident without even seeing it. Though he didn't bother stopping me obviously."

"Trying to get anything past Granz is an uphill battle." The Litezo Princess scoffed, shaking her head. "A freak of nature."

"Indeed." WesLer gave the princess a side-eye. "Do you still think he was the one who did it?"

Annabelle looked at the reins in her hands as the conversation came around full circle. Right back to her own internal debate. "I WANT to believe he didn't. Truly. But the evidence points to the contrary, and my own emotions dull any logical explanations that might convince me otherwise. Anger at his actions. A fear that I could have been killed as well. I have doubts but...."

Little by little, her voice trailed off, leaving nothing but a heavy silence. It was only after a minute or so had passed that the golden haired archer shattered it completely.

"Question everything. Assume nothing." WesLer recited something from the top of his head. "If we find Alice alive and well, then Itobake is sure to follow. If we find him, ask him yourself."

"Yeah. Ill do that." Annabelle breathed a sigh, a sort of weight lifting from her shoulders. "Thanks Judas. You aren't as bad as I thought."

"You thought I was bad?" WesLer raised an eyebrow in response.

Annabelle stifled a laugh. Without another word, the young royal went on ahead, leaving the golden haired noble behind with Micelle and Ariont, the same duo that hadn't uttered a single syllable that whole conversation. WesLer took that time to slow down, allowing the twins to catch up with him.

"Still as smooth as ever." Micelle beamed bumping into WesLer's horse as he drew in close. "You've mastered my teachings well. You just need to apply more pressure."

"What exactly did you teach him," Ariont questioned, riding up to the other side of the young noble.

"Quite literally nothing." WesLer shook his head. "Besides, she's like a sister to me. A sister that still owes me twenty gold coins and 16 silver."

"You mean from the bet you made 5 years ago?" The Thunder Knight raised an eyebrow. "The one where you challenged her to a race, the same one in which you rigged with snakes and spiders?"

"Hehe. Yeah. Good times."

"Uh huh.....yeah. Setting THAT side, what was on that note you recieved?" Micelle gestured to the note that was poking out from Wesler's pocket.

"I was wondering that as well," Ariont co-signed. "You had no interest in pushing forward. At least not as much as Lady Hresgeld. Then you recieved that letter from....Richor was it? Might I inquire on the contents of said letter?"

The young noble reached into his pocket and tossed the small piece of parchment over to Micelle, of whom caught it by the tips of his fingers.

Giving it a quick perusal, Micelle frowned before handing it off to his brother.

"CrestFallen? That's an interesting name."

Ariont folded the note up and passed it back over to WesLer. "Bringers of the Truth. That would imply that there's something they know that we don't. The note also gives us their endgame goal in clear words, no hidden messages or beating around the bush."

"This society will fall and a new one will rise. Sounds like they want to tear down everything." Micelle seemed to be in deep contemplation, an otherwise unnatural look for a person of nonchalance. "It raises the question as to why. Is it the hierarchy? A personal vendetta? World domination?"

"If we're to believe the validity of whats written, surely it's someone possessing immense power and backing-"

"I believe Itobake Granz is the leader of CrestFallen." WesLer dropped his own thoughts. "That's why I'm here."

Silence. That's all that could be heard as the twins immediately quelled their own theories, both sets of eyes narrowing in on the young noble. With the expression plastered on the Knights faces, it was as if WesLer had suddenly sprouted wings and begun to fly away, a mixture of incredulity and surprise free for the world to see.

"That's quite an assumption to make, Western." Micelle was the first to continue the conversation. "He died back in the Dungeon. There's no supporting evidence-"

"Did you SEE him die?"

Micelle seemed to pause for a minute, glancing over at his brother for assistance.

"With all due respect Sir WesLer, he's a Crestless individual. While he's admittedly the smartest and most capable one I've ever met, he still lacks a Crest." Ariont kept his voice deadpan and firm, speaking with zero emotion. Only the known facts. "No Crest. No Magic. No chances he could survive the cave in."

"Alice seems to have survived perfectly fine." WesLer glanced over to Ariont with an equally emotionless expression.

"Lady Alice has a First Class Crest."

"That she does. However, I'm confident in my deduction. I'm not just saying this in hopes of Itobake still being alive. This is something I truly believe in, even if there is no basis behind it."

"Okay. Itobake Granz is still alive." Micelle drew the conversation back on track. "Why would he want to overturn society? Heck, why would he want to draw attention to himself at all? He assassinated Lord Arthur and tried to do the same to Lady Alice. Litezo and RockLer alone would see him put to death for such a crime."

"Maybe-"

Before WesLer could properly respond to the Earth Knights question, Yeager made an entrance, leading a War Horse of his own in from the front of the pack. Wordlessly, the green haired individual, fell in line next to Micelle, expression just as unreadable as it had been when the group had first met him.

"Sir Micelle. Lady Annabelle wishes for you to take the lead." Yeager didn't even glance at the other two. "They would like you to identify more Traces and assure we're on the proper track."

"Very well." The brown haired Knight glanced over to his brother and young friend, giving them a small nod and a giant grin. "Duty calls. Try not to miss me too much while I'm away."

"Oh, how will I go on," WesLer said, words drenched with sarcasm.

Shortly after Micelle took the lead, lending the usage of his Artiface to properly relay the correct path, the band of Knights increased their pace from a casual walk to a full on sprint. With stretches of land filled with naught but a smattering of trees and shrubbery, there was almost no chances of their prey being within the vicinity. There was no longer any need to continue at the leisure pace they had been moving.

The sound of hooves slapping the ground was all Annabelle could hear as the small army pierced through Oklainds territory.

For a while, maybe a half hour or so, the area looked the same every which way. Acres upon acres of ice and rock, of fallen trees and cracked boulders, of rising hills and descending valleys. A landscape that had never seen the touch of another human nor the presence of most wildlife, no vegetation around to sustain even the smallest of critters. It was so far removed from everything that even the most recluse and withdrawn members of the human race wouldn't live in its vast depths.

It was only when the coalition of Knights had reached the edge of Oklainds territory, near the start of House Birends own territory, that things began to look different.

Very different.

"The Traces lead here." Micelle slowed to a stop, leading his horse near the edge of the slope blocking his path. "Though. I have to say. We might want to reconsider."

Everyone rode in one by one, halting their progress at the same place Micelle had, eyes glued to the sight expanding outwards before them.

"That is one big bowl." Richor let out a low whistle.

"We sure they're down there?" WesLer glanced over the scenery below him with analytical eyes.

"I'm sorry, but were you complaining about something, Western? I couldn't hear it over my still active Ability. You know? The one that allows me to see the immediate past of my targets along with their paths taken?"

"I think I might have heard of it," WesLer responded. "Hard to recall."

"I try not to," Ariont chimed in. "He sometimes uses it to pick up women."

WesLer raised an eyebrow. "That's kinda creepy."

Annabelle didn't even bother to interrupt the full on bantering that was erupting between the three individuals, still trying to take in the sight splayed out before her. As someone who had never ventured too deeply into RockLer territory, she was having trouble wrapping her head around what she was seeing.

It was a crater. An enormous depression within the frozen landscape that seemed to spread out for miles in a near perfect circle, reminiscent to that of a bowl. Sloping downwards at a rather steep angle, the edge of the bowl was comprised of some sort of smooth material similar to that of glass, only it was a murky grey rather than clear and translucent. The only parts of the slope that appeared to be traversable were a set of wide, crumpled areas running in a line from top to bottom, areas that didn't appear to be natural. Just as the rest of the landscape Annabelle had passed by, nothing of note apart from a smattering of weird looking trees and shrubbery grew on the slopes surface.

At the very bottom of the crater, some half a kilometer or so down, was an isolated forest, with twisting rivers, and intriguing rock formations.

Or at least from the miniscule parts visible.

The vast majority of the canyons floor was cut off by a thick layer of fog. A swirling collection of white shifted through the area, making it difficult to truly pick apart anything of note. Without any sort of tracking Artiface or proper magic control, getting through it would be no better than walking through a battlefield blindfolded.

Micelle's earlier remark made sense. If Annabelle's current goal wasn't so unequivocally important, she would've called everything off altogether.

However, even with the current state of things, she refused to be deterred as she slipped off her horse.

"Micelle. Ariont. Leave some men behind to watch the horses." The Litezo Princess walked over to the twins, War Horse by her side. "We'll descend on foot from here. Micelle will take point."

"My Lady...," Ariont looked like he wanted to say something. However, as if knowing how futile his words would be, he closed his mouth just as quickly. "Very well. It'll be as you say."

"Do you think we can wrap this up within three hours?" Micelle gave a sheepish grin as he handed off his own horse to one of his own subordinates. "I have a prior engagement."

Annabelle didn't reply, only giving the Earth Knight a firm glare.

"Right. I thought it was a dumb question as well." Micelle clicked his tongue in disappointment.

"If we find Alice, I'll retract the punishment I issued earlier."

As Micelle and Annabelle conversed, WesLer took the time to glance over the canyon, as well as the makeshift steps leading towards the foggy bottom. Golden hues darted betwixt the staircase and the chaotic mist that encompassed everything within the bowl. As someone who had lived within RockLer territory his whole life, the young noble had heard of the crater many times but had never laid eyes on it before that day.

(("Fog. An unnatural mist given its movements. Most likely a cloud deployed by an Artiface, or by advanced magical mediums. If it's an Artiface, it'd be foolish to dive into it even with a plan. Odds are Micelle won't be of much help since the adversary already knows of his ability and probably his capabilities as well.")) WesLer placed an index finger on the ground as he crouched, eyes narrowed in concentration. (("The party will move forward regardless. The question becomes, what can I do to ensure the safety of those within the party? What means do I have that will allow us to come out on top?"))

An image of a black haired individual popped to the forefront of the nobles mind, an image from seemingly long ago. Unlike the present, the image was accompanied by warmth and security, as if everything was going to be alright.

(("Ironic that I'm using your teachings, isn't it Ito?")) WesLer smiled to himself as he rose back to his feet. (("If it's really you down there, there isn't anything I can do anyways."))

"WesLer. You alright?"

Tearing his eyes away from the crater, the young noble met Annabelle's gaze. For the briefest moment, WesLer was met with an expression of worry and uncertainty. However, those emotions quickly vanished, replaced by an empty mask that gave nothing away, nothing except a strong determination and steel like resolve.

"Are you coming with us?"

WesLer let out a breath before giving a shrug of nonchalance. "I'd miss the fun if I stayed behind."

Annabelle smiled slightly. "Does anything ever faze you?"

"Sure. I'm obviously not gonna tell you though." WesLer gave a small wink. "A man's gotta have some secrets.