“The Dark Exodus is what we called our journey to this new world. The Keeper ripped his city from its foundations and carried us through the Void. It was a difficult time and many lives were lost in the process, but it has only made us better. We are no longer bound by the forces of our old world, but that does not make us weaker. Any strength we gain here is truly our own.”

-An excerpt from a religious text of Ir’rah.

...

As evening rolled around, Liliara gathered the two sisters for supper. Much to their surprise, their meal included roasted boar meat which seemed like a luxury, considering the current state of the city.

Mara was visibly anxious but clearly hungry. Inwardly, the young girl suspected Liliara of poisoning the enticing meal laid out in front of her.

“... Eat up, Mara,” Margo whispered before glancing at Liliara who sat at the head of the table.

“Are you perhaps curious as to how I procured the ingredients for this meal?” Liliara asked as she began eating.

“Yes… a little, Sovereign.”

“You should know where most of the vegetables came from, after all, your town provided them. The boar is something I hunted myself, I found a little burrow on the edge of my territory and killed one,” Liliara explained.

Margo simply accepted it with a nod and they continued eating in silence. Mara’s hesitation was wiped away with the first mouthful of food she had and she began eating without reserve.

“Do you want to know why I burned your town and captured its people?” Liliara started as she finished her meal. She pushed her empty plate off to the side and a servant who was previously standing in the corner quickly came to clear it.

The sudden question caused both Margo and Mara to slightly tremble.

“...N-No, Sovereign,” Margo replied shakily.

“I assure you I did not do so without purpose. While we could’ve simply stolen your supplies and retreated, there’d still be the problem of those who witnessed our deeds. A retaliatory attack wouldn’t come immediately but eventually, some ignoble lord would send forces out in an attempt to deal with me. I haven’t completely consolidated my territory yet, so I cannot afford to face anyone in a direct battle at the moment. By burning your town and capturing its people, I’ve temporarily eliminated the possibility of that situation occurring. Though, I can’t say for sure if one of your people managed to escape.” Liliara raised a glass of red wine and took a sip.

“Ah, there is also the matter of the lack of manpower we have avaliable. You see, I’ve found there is one thing that redeems this barren land and that is an old silver mine. A few decades ago it caved in and hasn’t been operational ever since. The people I’ve captured from your town will assist in excavating it. Once that’s done, I can take steps to completely revitalize this place. Hmm, I suppose you didn't know about that before? I previously sent an offer of cooperation to your town's lord. In exchange for food, I would've offered a small share of silver when the mine is restored. He, of course, refused, quite rudely I should add.”

“... I see.” Margo lowered her head in contemplation. While she could understand the general outline of Liliara’s plan, she was even more curious as to why she of all people was the one being told. Maybe she was granted a certain level of trust or maybe it wasn't sensitive information that needed to be kept hidden.

“I hope you two enjoy your meal.” Liliara stood up as she prepared to leave. “Oh, there is one more thing, Margo, your training will start tomorrow so you should prepare yourself and rest well as it will not be a very pleasant ordeal. While you’re busy, your sister will be in the hands of a tutor.”

“My… training?” Margo chirped back with confusion.

“Yes, how do you expect to be my knight without any training? You should learn how to defend yourself at the very least,” Liliara replied before letting out a gentle laugh. She soon disappeared into the inner corridors of the manor, leaving the two sisters to finish eating in peace.

“... That woman scares me, Margo,” The small Mara said.

“Ah!” She exclaimed as she received an angry glare from one of the servants standing in the corner.

“You should watch how you speak of the Sovereign, child.” The brown-haired woman practically hissed.

“Apologies! She’s only a child so she doesn’t know things like that. Right, Mara?” Margo hurriedly defended her sister.

“Yes... I’m very sorry.” Mara bowed her head fearfully.

The female servant’s face softened before she spoke with a much calmer tone, “Whatever you think of our Sovereign, it is not true. She is someone who cares for her people much more than the previous lord ever did. Before she arrived, the lives of servants meant nothing to the nobles of this city... we were nothing more than a source of entertainment.” A pained look appeared on the servant’s face.

“There are a lot of us who owe our lives to her so you should be more careful with what you say, especially around the Sovereign’s Army. They are not so kind as to let comments go unpunished,” She warned.

“We will keep that in mind from now on, thank you.” Margo bowed.

“Please, do not bow to me! You are one of the Sovereign's knights so it's beneath you to do so. You’ll put me in a tough spot if someone sees you so please raise your head.”

“Ah, sorry, um… I don’t know your name.”

“I am Beatrice, one of the head servants of this Manor... If you ever need anything, call for me and I’ll assist you as best I can.”

Since Margo was once in a servile position she found Beatrice easier to speak to and they conversed for quite a while until the meal came to an end. After that, Margo and Mara were escorted to their room where the former would wait for her training to begin.

…

Much to her surprise, Margo's training began at the very crack of dawn, as the reddish-orange haze of morning barely began to cover the sky. Margo was taken off guard when a soldier suddenly appeared in her room, threw a set of coarse leather training armor at her, and then ordered her to get dressed and head to the courtyard before leaving just as quickly as he arrived.

She did as instructed and left behind a sleeping Mara. The typical day of a commoner started very early, so she wasn’t too tired as she stepped into the courtyard. Her body had long since adjusted to rigorous schedules after serving her former lord.

“Ah?!” A strange shout emerged as she laid eyes on the figures within.

Incredibly beautiful humanoids with pointy ears and pale greyish skin were busy sparring with each other. There were also those who seemed to be a cross between man and beast as well as those who seemed to be humans. Although in the case of those with the most human-like appearance, both the men and women had a very tall stature, a body full of well-defined muscles, and prominent canine teeth.

“Surprised?” Liliara’s voice emerged from the side, giving Margo a scare.

Everyone in the courtyard immediately knelt but quickly stared daggers at Margo when they noticed she didn’t do the same.

“It’s fine, she is a newcomer so you cannot expect her to adopt our practices so easily. Don’t mind her and return to your training,” Liliara said as much, but the soldiers familiar with her knew that was her way of telling them not to bother Margo too much.

“What… Who…- Just what are they, Sovereign?” Margo asked.

“Dark Elves, Beastkin, and Lycanthropes. These are races native to the City of Ir’rah… There are also a few Dragonkin among my soldiers, but they’ve been sent on a mission for now.”

“The City of Ir’rah? Wasn’t that place just a myth floating around?” Margo asked, completely astonished by the appearance of creatures she had never seen before.

A few of the soldiers in the courtyard laughed while others seemed to be insulted by Margo’s comment.

“It is indeed a real place, Margo.” Liliara smiled. “I’m sure you’ll be learning more about it later, but for now you should focus on your training.”

A female lycanthrope, a tall and imposing woman dressed as a gladiator, stepped forward. Even though she appeared to be in her early twenties, her braided hair was a dark grey color.

“This will be your teacher, Reva of Clan Greymoon, one of the rising factions within the City of Ir’rah.”

“I will be in your care,” Margo said, but just as she was about to bow, Reva spoke.

“Do not bow to me, girl,” She growled.

It was only then that Margo remembered Beatrice’s instructions not to bow. Apparently, it was seen as an insult to bow to anyone other than Liliara.

“Now, now, Reva.” Liliara waved her hand with a slight smile. "At least try to be nice."

“Apologies, Sovereign.” Reva bowed, but her intense gaze never left Margo.

“Yes, well, I will leave you to it then, Reva.”

The soldiers bowed once more as Liliara departed before going back to their own training. Loud and violent shouts began to ring out as they sparred without reserve. Their fighting was downright brutal as they punched, kicked, grappled, and slammed each other without holding back. Wooden staves and swords jabbed into their opponent's sides repeatedly. Those who didn't fight were either lifting large logs or stones over their head as a form of weight training.

“I’m told that you raised a weapon at the Sovereign. Is it true?” Reva asked coldly.

Margo unconsciously gulped as the answer became stuck in her throat.

“That must be a yes.” Reva’s eyes narrowed sharply as she walked over to an empty space in the courtyard. “Come, we’ll start your training immediately. You have much to learn about discipline.”

An ominous feeling began creeping into Margo as Reva cracked a wolfish smile. At the same time, the other soldiers in the yard began grinning with anticipation.