CW: injuries, mentions od dead bodies

A small echoing noise kept repeating itself. Heels repeatedly hitting against the rough floor. Gripping her dress, Lady Scarletborn couldn’t do anything, sitting idly as a knight was watching over her.

“I’m worried,” she said. “It’s been a while since we heard that scream, and anyone is yet to come back. Oh, I hope nothing horrible happened to those daring men.”

“You shouldn’t be concerned, milady,” the guard spoke out. “We all trained for years and faced many beasts and scoundrels on our way. This is nothing for us!”

"Still! It's a dragon! Who knows what it's capable of-"

“Help!”

Another knight came over, his helmet off, struggling to breathe as he leaned over the wall. “The general! He-”

“Hold on,” she got to him, letting him sit in her place, “Deep breaths my friend. When you calm down, you can tell us what happened.”

“Here you go.”

He was given a small sack of water to drink from. He told them the story of the fight within the jail. Them encountering the dragon and the old man, Nexus appearing before them, the general getting attacked and the dragon knocking them out.

“What?” Scarletborn almost lost her balance hearing all of this, “This can’t be!”

“My lady, wait-”

Ignoring the knight's wishes, she left to the cells. Taking off her heels to run better, her feet were struggling to keep up with the unsteady floor of the place.

She arrived. “How in the world?”

She entered the giant room, its entrance door torn down and the wall of the place crushed, the trees were leaking through what little of the room was left, for only the floor remained undamaged as throughout it were lying giant rock that fell from the ceiling, two unconscious men, and a dead body, covered in a white sheet.

“I-I can’t believe this,” she turns her head, seeing the soldiers take care of of the wounded.

“Lady Scarletborn,” they called out, “Thank the four you’re safe!”

“All of you,” some knights were left with minor wounds through their faces and arms, others suffered major injuries on their legs and chest, “You all need help this instant!”

She helped them get up. The soldiers who were better off began carrying those who had it worse, even with how they clearly struggled, stumbling in their steps. She stayed behind as they all left, watching over the two unconscious bodies.

The general, what happened to you? And is that… Graham of Asehol. His body is surprisingly skinny. A young man could have been able to fit inside his armor then. Maybe someone without magic? They said the impostor didn't use any powers during the fight, but to rival the general. Hm?

The wind from the outside had caused the blanket on the body to fly away. She was unable to keep her eyes away from it.

“Milady, is something wrong? We'll carry them over in a bit, so don't worry.”

“Oh, I know, my dear, I just want to check on something!”

She approaches the dead body. Closing in to see a calm smile on its face.

She was quietly glaring at the body, kicking it as she scoffed, “I should have known.”

---

Inside the infirmary, the beds bent and the matrices ripped in certain parts. All the knights tried their best to work on each other's wounds. They weren't professionals in any way, their bandages barely holding up the wound. Scarletborn meanwhile, slowly took off the general's armor, examining it.

“Hm, I don’t see any major would that could have caused them to be in this state, and their pulses are fine as well. So it must have been a spell of sorts. But of what kind-

“There you are!”

A young maid rushed into the room, her scream getting everyone's attention.

“Everyone! They’re here,” she shouted back to other, other maids and even knights coming over to see them.

“It’s you,” she recognized them instantly, noticing how their attire is filled with dirt all over the place, “What are you all doing here?”

“Milady, there’s a lot we need to tell you-but now is not the time. Let us handle this”

The maids didn't come in their best conditions, but they all decided to help the hurt soldiers. Preparing bandages and giving medicine.

“Milady," the dirty knights approached Scarletborn, ,"Can you tell us how they ended up like this?"

Scarletborn told them their version of the story, the other injured knights pitching in missing details as well.

“Damn it,” one of them threw his sword to the ground, “To think that impostor had gotten to you too!”

“So you encountered him as well.”

“He was the one to knock us out inside the tunnels. He must have taken the knight of miracles hostage while we were-we apologize!”

They all bowed down to her, some of the maids following after.

"Had we managed to realize it sooner, none of this would have happened. We swear that we'll bring him back to you no matter what!"

As their frustrations grew, Scarletborn kept thinking things over. She doubted he was taken hostage with how everyone said he acted throughout the fight. But why would they help the imposter?

“That's really kind of you, but there's something I want to make clear first. How did he manage to defeat all of you? Clearly, you all outnumbered him.”

“We-we don’t know," their gaze was removed from hers, "Everything about is just so blurry in our minds. We recall entering the tunnel, and then waking up for the knight of miracles being gone. We must apologize again!”

“Hm, so you don’t know how they did it?”

“No, none of us have clear memories of it so-”

“Wait!” a maid bandaging a soldier called out to them. “I think I remember something.”

“What is it? The smallest details could be mean the world.”

“It’s strange, but I think before they got me, I saw something strange in one of their hands.”

“Strange? Strange how?”

“I don’t know how to describe it. All I can say is that it was… glowing blue.”

“What,” Scarletborn was shocked, “What?”

She shouted. Everyone in the room startled seeing Scarletborn grab the young woman's arms. "Glowing blue? Are you sure about that? That's what you've seen, right? Blue flames! Please tell me you aren't messing with me!"

"I," she was shaking, "Milady, you're hurting me."

Realizing what she's doing, her dialed up eyes staring at the maids hiding away behind the hurt soldiers, some of the knights preparing to draw their weapons.

“I apologize," she let's go of her, cleaning her hands, "It’s just… this has been a misfortune for all of you.”

“The prison is destroyed, the prisoners have all escaped, the knight of miracles is missing, an impostor and a dragon are on the loose. Oh, how terrifying, to think what the emperor is going to think of all of this.”

She carefully looked at everyone, their limbs shaking at the mere mention of the emperor’s threat.

“Oh, don’t worry, my darlings. I wouldn’t do such a cruel thing.”

“You-you won’t!?”

She giggled. “Today felt like months! I couldn’t forgive myself if you all go through more trouble. I'll do my best to give the emperor a report defending all of you!"

“Lady Scarletborn,” they sighed out of relief, “We don’t even know where to begin in thanking you!”

“Then don’t my dear. Tomorrow I’ll be going back to the capital, where I’ll request for trained professionals to come your way. I’m off to pack. The rest of you can rest.”

Closing in the door of the infirmary, she could overhear the others gossiping about her.

"She’s really kind, isn't she?"

"What she did to her was weird, though."

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, just startled is all."

"That poor woman, the stress of the missing prodigy, must be getting to her."

"Can you blame her? She is his guardian. We need to form a search party to find him. I only hope he's safe away from the dragon-we really messed up tonight huh,"

They laughed, not in joy, but in a shared embarrassment, "Thankfully Milady is going to defending us against the emperor. This may sound cliche, but I am too young to die in his hands."

"Says the guy who enrolled to join the army."

"As if I had the choice."

She stopped listening to them, leaving with her step getting loud and quick, "Tch. I'll still see if you're worth the trouble or not."

She walked alone in the hallways, her steps becoming quicker and smaller. Scratching her hair as her frustrations grew.

I should have realized it sooner. She must have been the impostor. Hm, if the emperor finds out, he'll definitely call for his entire army to catch her. I can't have that. And Nexus. This will all be interesting.