A sound of galloping horses would be heard in a distance. A group of men came into view after the thick fog diminished. The royal crest symbol of the Iridescent Kingdom would be seen attached in the upper arm of their chain mail armor suit. They are royal knights that serves in the Bethelbert royal family.

The commoners made a way for them and the they swiftly passed through. The knight commander dismounted from the horse after reining it tactfully. Just a quick glance and you could tell that the man came from a highborn family. He is Ezra. The Marquess of the Beaumont family and Eleanor's older brother.

A knight companion immediately went by his side and handed him the royal decree.

It is an order from his Majesty that tells people to immediately evacuate within two days temporarily citing the reason of subjugation against the enemy faction who captures witches and mages to use them in the strife against the throne.

It also states that the knights will guide them to their temporary dwelling place and they must obey to the command for their safety.

Before the sun sets, an order of knights started to build their barracks near the side of the villages.

The Marquess created a bonfire while his right hand man, Sir Azai Benjamin and a few knights had gone into the nearby forest to hunt for food. They gathered thick logs around the fire and sat on it.

After the long journey of traveling day and night while only stopping to take a few minutes of breaks in between, they could finally relax a little before they get into the conquest of subduing the factious revolt tomorrow.

They couldn't let their guard down.

Enemies might be lurking somewhere and could appear any time.

He knows that few of them secretly long for their family that they left back in the kingdom and couldn't wait to meet again soon after all of these are over.

They hadn't even bathe for a few days now. They just need to get this done quickly and precisely so they could come back home as soon as possible.

His mother and sister are probably worried sick about him too. It has been days since he wrote them back a letter. He's too busy and pre-occupied with the plan and execution to make sure it will lead them to victory.

Moments after, Sir Azai and the others return with a deer they will feast on. They cleaned it and then grilled it in the fire.

After eating, they decided to take a short patrol to make sure no one would attack them suddenly when half of them are asleep.

"Knight Commander, the whole area is clear. We can rest up for a while before we get back to our track tomorrow." Sir Azai reported.

He is the most trusted man of Ezra.

They have known each other from they were younger until now that they grew up and decided to enter the knighthood. They are not just comrades but also a friend for a lifetime.

"Alright, I understand. Men, listen and gather up here infront. Tonight, we will take turns in taking a rest and patrolling. You decided by yourselves who will first take a nap and who will stay up to patrol first. Let's group ourselves into two. One will be led by me and one will be led by Sir Azai."

The knights started a head count then proceed to divide themselves into two. The first one to patrol is the Knight Commander Ezra together with half of the group. After three hours, they will return from their post and be relieved by Sir Azai and the remaining knights so they could take a chance to rest.

"We will be moving forward before dawn so let's gather here again tomorrow before that so I could brief you about the plan again. Make sure to maximize the three hours of your free time by sleeping. It will be a tough journey but after this we could go back home. So hold out until then. Understood?" Ezra said resolutely.

The knights agreed and then they dispersed.

Before the sun has even rise and the rooster even made their first sound in the morning, the order of the Knights had long waken up.

They started preparing and making their swords more sharper and slick to cut through anything before putting it back in their sheath.

After that, Marquess Beaumont had a morning call and they gather up in circles. Quietly, they were inform about the plan.

"Capture the foes alive, but your lives are more precious so you can defend against them. Use force if they resist. We just have to make sure one or two was breathing enough to be interrogated later. Make sure nobody gets to pass us. Search every nook and cranny, evacuate everyone if some civilians are also held captive. Rescue the mages and witches on-site if any one was to be seen. Understood?" The Marquess who was also the Knight Commander ordered.

"Understood, Sir." The order of the knights said enthusiastically.

Before departing from their journey, they ate the left over meal they had for dinner last night as breakfast before eventually going into their way to the deep and thick forest located in the northwest of the Kingdom.

This is the favorite spot of the revolters or even high ranking criminals. You put your guard down and you could be bitten by a venomous snake or get hunted by the wild bears so only skilled knights are granted permission to enter. Due to its landscape, it would be hard to track anyone once you lose them.

"Ya!" The knights saddles up and reins the horses.

The Knight Commander is on the lead while sir Azai is on the back to make sure no one was following them. The whinny of horses could be heard fading into the distance.

They had to reach their destination before the sunrise so they could get a good spot for hiding and laying low until they penitrate the inside of the forest.