Three days later, the emperor gathered all his loyal friends and servants in the great hall. They all sat around the table with Arthur at the end. He had his fingers intertwined under his chin, his elbows on the table, deep in thought.

he declared gravely.

asked the young princess who was on his left, confused.

"replied Angus who was seated to the Emperor's right.

she wondered.

Edgar replied.

she added, horrified.

Lucas replied thoughtfully.

Elion said.

Matthew replied.

Angus added in astonishment.

Eric suggested.

Lucas retorted, confused.

Arthur declared.

Eric replied.

Edgar asked.

the emperor answered with determination.

suggested the young Sir Lobelia.

Matthew added.

After a short moment of reflection, the emperor nodded affirmatively.

Eric replied.

Edgar asserted.

Arthur declared as he stood up, followed by everyone.

══════ ∘◦❁◦∘ ══════

After dinner, Luana went to the palace library. She was dressed in a small white shirt and dark green pants with a pair of brown boots.

Arriving there, the place was completely deserted as everyone had gone to bed to rest from their hard day and get ready for the next one.

The young princess stood in front of the shelves which were lit with small lanterns to read the titles on the spine of each book.

'Where should I start? Something that's related to an organization... A guild or a sect for example...' she thought to herself.

a male voice called out to her from behind.

The girl turned around hastily in surprise to find herself facing Lucas. She sighed in relief when she saw him.

The young man nodded. He was dressed in a very casual outfit consisting of a simple midnight blue shirt and black pants with boots of the same color.

he asked looking at the books on the shelves.

With these words, Luana turned to the shelves and took two books in her arms then continued her search.

the young knight said, taking the books from her hand.

she replied with a small chuckle.

he retorted, smiling slightly.

After about twenty minutes, Lucas found himself with a large stack of books on his arms that practically covered his face.

the girl said.

he remarked.

The young captain put the books on one of the tables near the shelves before sitting down on the chair.

she thanked, smiling warmly at him.

he replied with a small smile, his cheeks slightly rosy.

══════ ∘◦❁◦∘ ══════

Hours passed by, the young knight searched book by book without finding anything interesting. No mention of a guild or sect that might have any connection or resemblance to their enemies.

He massaged his temples gently while sighing with fatigue. His eyes were starting to get heavy with sleep and the writing was starting to become blurry to him.

He fell silent once he saw that the young princess had fallen asleep, resting her head on her arms on the table.

The young man smiled affectionately while looking at her. He got up to fetch a small blanket for her that was folded over one of the chairs. Surely one of the staff who took care of the library's maintenance had forgotten it there.

He gently covered her with it before sitting back on his chair and continuing his search.

After about twenty minutes, he finished looking through the books they had chosen. He leaned his back on the back of the chair, sighing.

'All these books say pretty much the same thing... There hasn't been a guild or a sect for decades... But then, if that's not what we're dealing with, then what?' he thought.

the young princess whispered sleepily.

he replied, jumping slightly in surprise.

She raised her head slowly, looking at him before rubbing her eyes lightly.

he reassured, smiling at her.

he replied, looking at the large clock hanging on the wall.

she said hastily.

he reassured, chuckling slightly.

The girl's face flushed with embarrassment.

she retorted, smiling affectionately at him.

The young knight remained silent for a moment before displaying a small smile while blushing.

he whispered.

══════ ∘◦❁◦∘ ══════

The next morning, the Imperial Knights who have been chosen for Avigona's mission gathered in the palace courtyard, awaiting orders from Sir Carter and Sir Lobelia.

asked Eric.

replied one of the knights.

Matthew ordered.

The two young men turned to bow to the emperor who stood before them accompanied by Angus, Lucas, Luana and Azusa.

Eric said.

Arthur replied, smiling slightly at them.

Matthew added.

After that, Eric addressed his father and his sister to say goodbye to them. He started with Azusa.

she said, a sad expression on her face.

he replied smiling.

He hugged her tightly in his arms. Then, he approached her ear to whisper to her.

he said, smiling slightly.

The girl's face flushed with embarrassment and surprise. She looked at her big brother with wide eyes which made the young man chuckle slightly.

he added, smiling affectionately at her.

the girl whispered, tears in her eyes.

The young girl nodded before advancing slowly towards the knight with burgundy hair who had his back turned, caressing his horse's coat.

she called softly.

The latter was surprised to hear her voice and quickly turned around to her while blushing.

he said nervously, bowing.

she said nervously with rosy cheeks.

The young man remained frozen on the spot, listening to the young girl's words. His heart started pounding so hard in his chest that he was afraid she could hear it.

he hesitated.

she asked, confused.

he added, looking at her determinedly.

The girl was taken by surprise for a short moment.

she answered, smiling warmly at him which made the young man nod.

After that, the knights mounted their respective horses before taking the road to Avigona.