Moriganne arrived at the monastery with Sanya and 150 Orthias behind them. The people who took refuge in the Sancticus nation, they were in awe and in disbelief when they saw the ancient race for the first time. They all prayed to Gods, both for giving human a chance to win and to bless the Orthias for the upcoming battles and wars.
"Mother, Lady Sanya," Monica greeted them outside the temple with Eveline and Maximilian. They looked at the Orthias behind Moriganne and Sanya, towering figures in full-body armor and weapons by their sides.
"The monastery seems empty compared to before. Where did everyone go?" Sanya asked as she looked around, finding not a single knight or anyone who had a weapon on their side. "Did something happen?" She asked.
"Yes, everyone left in a hurry because there was a report that a lot of demons were making a move toward the Veyer Kingdom. Approximately, there are more than a hundred thousand of demon army out there, on their way to expand their territory," Maximilian answered with a serious expression.
"And why are you here? Aren't you supposed to be out there and fight alongside them?" Sanya looked at Maximilian with her brows raised, her expression cold and unreadable.
"I wanted to, I even begged my father and my grandfather to bring me with them, but they wanted me to stay. They entrusted me in commanding the people here with Lady Monica," Maximilian answered, his hands clenched tightly because he knew that a man like him should be out there in the battlefield, not behind the desk.
Sanya hummed, her expression still cold and unreadable. She looked unconvinced, but she didn't say anything and just stood there staring at him.
"Lady Sanya, are you going to help us now?" Monica asked without hesitation and stared into Sanya's eyes.
Moriganne turned to look at Sanya, hoping that Sanya and the Orthias would join the fight. She wanted to say something, but ever since that conversation near the pagoda, she felt awkward.
"Ena, you come with me. The two of us will go there and observe, the rest of you, stay here and follow Her Holiness' orders. As long as I'm away, all of you have to obey her words," Sanya said and looked over her shoulders at the Orthias.
All the Orthias lowered their heads to Sanya, they obeyed her and didn't complain. Sanya then looked at Moriganne for a moment before she turned her gaze to Monica.
"Lady Monica, you'll come with me. You're going to be the future Saint, and I want to see if you're capable of replacing Moriganne," Sanya said, staring right into Monica's eyes.
Monica was surprised when Sanya wanted her to join the battle. However, she immediately nodded with understanding and excused herself to grab a few things. Moriganne looked a bit worried because she should be the one going out there to the battlefield, not Monica. She knew that Monica soon would be the Saint, and that was also why she would rather go out there and sacrifice herself rather than her daughter.
"Lady Sanya, can I join as well? Her Holiness is back and I don't think she needs me here because Lady Eveline is also here to assist her," Maximilian asked with a serious expression.
"There's a moment when a man has to follow orders. If you can't even follow a simple order, how can they trust you in the future?" Sanya asked back with a cold and stoic expression. "Do what you're told, understand the situation, understand your thoughts, and one day you'll be able to understand others who are in the same situation as yours in this moment," she explained as she fixed the fur robe that she was wearing.
Maximilian lowered his head and clenched his jaw as he nodded with understanding. He understood what Sanya was trying to say, to not do what he could do, or what he should do, but to do what he had to do, and that was to follow an order that his father and his grandfather had entrusted him with.
Monica came back with a spatial ring on her finger, ready to leave. She looked at Moriganne, giving her a nod of asking for permission. Moriganne with a heavy heart, gave a nod of approval and a gentle smile on her face.
"Go, and help the people, Monica. I will pray to the Gods for your safety with every breath I take. Good luck, my daughter," Moriganne said as she stood in front of Monica and gave her daughter a tight hug.
Monica wrapped her arms around her mother's slender body that felt so fragile in her arms. She could feel the fear, the worry, and the reluctance in letting her go to the battlefield.
"Yes, mother. I can't promise you that I will be back, but I can promise you that I'll protect them with everything I got," Monica muttered as she closed her eyes.
Moriganne's chest felt like being crushed when she heard Monica's words. It was the words that she always said to her daughter, and now she understood how it felt to hear that from her daughter's mouth.
Ever since that confrontation with Rasmus, Moriganne had been treating Monica dearly. It was the most precious gift that Monica got from Rasmus, to change her mother's perspective about her and the importance of understanding her.
"I understand," Moriganne nodded repeatedly before she let go of Monica and pulled away. "The Gods are with you," she smiled as she moved away.
"We both are proud of you, Monica. You need to know that," Eveline smiled softly and cupped Monica's cheeks and stared into her eyes. "Go, my niece. This will be the first step of becoming a Saint," she said as she pulled her hands and moved aside.
Monica nodded with understanding and walked to Sanya's side.
"I'm ready to go, Lady Sanya," Monica said with a serious expression filled with determination and acceptance.
Sanya nodded and immediately turned around and walked away with Ena. Monica walked beside Sanya, and she didn't want to turn around to look at the expressions of her mother, aunt, and friend. They left the monastery, just the three of them.
Sanya whistled, and three horses suddenly came to her side. The three of them got onto their horses and immediately went to the Veyer Kingdom which would take them at least three days. But little did Monica know that the horses weren't normal horses, they were Orthias horses.
In just half a day, those three arrived at the Veyer Kingdom territory. They went to where all the soldiers marched, the Yauren Valley, a vast and long field in between two mountains. It took them only two hours until they finally arrived where the human army had gathered and camped near the valley.
Monica got down from her horse and saw banners from different kingdoms in the far distance, united to fight the same enemy. She could see the big camp, with thousands of knights at the campfires. When the knights saw her, they were surprised to see her there, and one of them immediately went to inform Lazarus and Arthor.
"Lady Monica, what are you doing out here?! This place is dangerous, and soon it will become a battlefield," a knight asked, but then he realized Sanya was there and a man with long silver hair stood behind her. "Lady Sanya..." The knight lowered his head, but he couldn't hide his joy and relief to have someone like her near them.
"We are here to assist, to join the battle against the demons. Can you please bring us to where Lord Lazarus and Lord Arthor are?" Monica asked as she looked at the thousand big tents in front of her.
"Yes! Please come with me!" The knight said with a huge smile on his face.
Monica's arrival was heard by everyone, and the mood in the camp became more cheerful and joyful compared to before. They weren't worried about the battle anymore because Sanya was there, the one who managed to keep all the expedition members alive against the Prime Lords and their master.
The knight pointed at the big tent at the center of the camp where Lazarus, Arthor, and all the family headed from different houses. Monica, Sanya, and Ena walked into the tent and they were waiting for them. They all lowered their heads to Monica and Sanya before they prepared chairs for the three of them.
"Let's cut to the chase, ladies and gentlemen. There's no need to be respectful at this time and situation. Just give me all the information that you all know, and we will assist you," Sanya said as she walked past the chairs and went to the table where reports were scattered on it.
"You're going to assist us, Lady Sanya?" Lazarus asked, his body having already reached its limit from the countless battles that he had participated in the past few months.
Sanya could see the lack of energy around Lazarus that looked like a dying man, it was proof of how much he had pushed himself beyond the limit. She knew that he had no strength left to fight, but he had no choice, no right to be seen as weak.
"Yes, Lord Lazarus. We will assist you and eliminate as many of the demons as we can kill," Sanya said with a soft smile. "The Orthias race is here to assist you in fighting the enemy," she assured.
Lazarus exhaled deeply but quietly, he felt a relief that he hadnt' felt in months.