Five days later, the Imperial Knights finally arrived at the city of Veritas. The latter looked completely normal like any other ordinary city. Citizens were wandering freely through the streets of the city. Some were doing their shopping, others were immersed in their work while the rest strolled and had a good time. The atmosphere was the complete opposite of what the knights thought they will be finding.

The latters advanced slowly in the city's square, completely confused by its atmosphere.

Matthew wondered.

Eric replied.

he murmured, deep in thought.

While continuing to advance inside the city, the knights were even more amazed than before by seeing the streets very well decorated with garlands and flowers while merchants displayed their various products to the buyers.

Eric dismounted from his horse before advancing towards an old man who was passing by there and stopping him.

The latter had a wrinkled face with very pale skin, grayish hair and black eyes. He was short and thin and limped slightly when walking with his cane.

he asked.

said the old man with a big smile on his face.

The young knight froze in shock as he listened to this response before turning around to his teammates. He looked back at the old man once again and noticed that his eyes that had been black a few minutes before had turned green.

Eric approached him slowly, on his guard.

shouted the old man while transforming into a young man with blond hair and green eyes before attacking him.

The young knight quickly took his sword out and cut him into two pieces before turning back to his teammates. His eyes widened as he watched the supposedly townspeople also transform into the same young man.

he whispered to himself.

Matthew ordered, swinging his sword in all directions to savagely eliminate them.

The Imperial Knights killed one by one several clones that disappeared like dust each time they died.

Eric looked in all directions to try to find the real Jonaral when suddenly two clones came to attack him together before propelling him away.

Matthew exclaimed in concern, running towards them to attack them in turn.

Unlike the previous clones, these two were much stronger and much more agile.

Eric and Matthew stepped back to take a short moment to catch their breath as the other knights took care of the remaining clones.

Eric asked breathlessly.

one of the two remarked with a smirk.

the other added coldly.

The two young men were wearing the same clothes which consisted of a dark green tunic which covered the whole body of and a pair of black boots. They carried in their hands two small, very solid and very sharp axes.

Matthew said in a sarcastic way.

said one of them with a sadistic smile.

Eric remarked wryly.

exclaimed the other angrily.

Matthew replied, running towards him to attack him again.

Matthew and Eric each took care of one of the twins, fighting them mercilessly while trying to figure out which of them was Jonaral. A task that was very difficult because of their outfits that covered everything.

one of them said with a smirk.

Eric and Matthew took a step back to calculate their next attacks. Sir Lobelia attacked the two with his sword, swinging it in all directions.

they asked sarcastically.

They suddenly fell silent when Matthew attacked one of them from behind by completely tearing the top of his tunic, near the torso before being propelled by the latter a little further from where they were by a very strong blow of his leg.

congratulated Eric.

growled one of the twins angrily.

Eric concentrated on the tear in his clothes and saw, on his chest, on his right pec, the tattoo of the dragon that Hastia had told them about. He turned to Matthew and gave him a knowing look that the latter understood on the spot.

Matthew and Eric quickly advanced towards the real Jonaral as the latter and his brother prepared themselves to attack.

At the last moment, the burgundy-haired young knight turned to Dogadar and kicked him before swinging his sword at him and hitting him hard with it on the back of his head, knocking him to the ground, completely unconscious.

Then, he and Eric attacked Jonaral together. Matthew, with agility, got behind him, hitting him on the back before taking both of his arms from behind.

Jonaral growled in pain.

With these words, Eric took his sword and pierced it on his right pec, on his tattoo, making green light of the same color as his eyes emanate from it.

Jonaral screamed very loudly as his clones disappeared into dust, one by one. Light of the same color emanated from Dogadar's body before it also crumbled into dust.

The young man fell to his knees on the ground, coughing up blood.

he asked with eyes wide in shock as he trembled in fear.

Eric advanced dangerously towards him, followed by Matthew while carrying his sword in his hand.

he said with a menacing look.

With these words, Eric pierced Jonaral's heart and killed him instantly before turning to his teammates, smiling at them.

he announced proudly.

On those, the imperial knights warmly applauded their success while laughing together with joy.

══════ ∘◦❁◦∘ ══════

Five days later, Luana and Lucas found themselves in front of the gigantic portal of the abandoned palace of the Alphelos. The sky above them was completely greyish.

Lucas whispered.

replied the princess.

The large courtyard at the entrance was completely ransacked. The tree branches were dry and the bushes surrounding the place were completely destroyed and some of them were even uprooted.

The walls were cracked and the glass of the windows completely shattered. The two young people walked slowly towards the front door.

ordered the young knight.

The two animals nodded their head before their masters entered the palace.

The interior was disastrous. Everything was destroyed and reduced to small pieces. Luana remained frozen looking at her entourage that she instantly recognized.

she declared.

"

he whispered with a sad smile on his face.

The young princess gently took his hand before holding it tightly in hers in a comforting way which made the young man's head turn towards her.

she said, smiling affectionately at him.

Listening to the words of the girl, the young captain felt his cheeks turn red while his heart started beating very hard in his chest.

he answered, approaching Luana's hand to his lips before kissing its back.

After that, the two young people advanced into the palace to begin their search.

the captain suggested.

the girl whispered, looking straight ahead.

Following her gaze, the young man found himself staring at a white canvas that hung in the wall at the end of the main stairs.

he asked, completely confused.

she asked, guiding the young man by the hand before taking him to the stairs.

Once up the stairs, the two young people stood in front of the painting, looking at it insistently.

she explained.

he reminded himself.

With these words, the young captain placed his hand fully on the large white canvas while putting a little pressure on it. A few seconds passed by without anything happening.

Luana said, completely disappointed.

The ground beneath their feet began to shake as light began to stream from the edges of the painting. The color of the latter became a dark brown shade and a handle appeared on the side. The canvas became like a kind of door.

Luana wondered.

The young captain took the handle and tried to turn it, which did, in fact, open the door.

he replied, nodding his head.

Upon entering it, Lucas and Luana found themselves in front of a gigantic room. There were statues of knights who wore armors and held swords everywhere, along with thousands of treasures like gold coins, vases, and jewelry chests. The two young people advanced slowly in the room while contemplating them.

Luana remarked.

he replied, amazed.

At the back of the room was a statue of an old man who wore a crown on his head. On his hands, was a magnificent long sword. Looking closer at it, the princess and her bodyguard widened their eyes in shock and realization.

she began hesitantly.

Lucas replied.