Even in the dream he saw that night, Lilica's profile appeared. That face glimpsed through the gap in the communications room door. An expression she never showed during training. Not calm, not cold—something desperately held back. That kind of face. Yuri sat up from his bunk and looked out the window. The sky was still dark. To the north, he thought he could see a faint reddish glow. The direction of Volga Zenom. That light was flickering again. (I can't afford to think about unnecessary things.) He shook his head and rose. ── The morning of the third day of training came unusually early. The central training grounds before the sun fully rose—the stone plaza spreading across the fortress courtyard—had almost no people yet. Yuri, wooden sword in hand, began his usual practice swings. The blade cut through the air with a whistle, swallowed by the morning mist. After about thirty swings, a voice came. "[cold]Yuri. Come here." He turned around. Lilica stood at the entrance to the training grounds. Her usual posture—long silver hair tied back, black mesh strand wavering faintly in the morning light. Golden eyes looking straight at him. "[serious]Ah, yes. Where to?" "[cold]The north watchtower. Practical reconnaissance training." Yuri started to go put down the wooden sword, but was cut off: "Bring a real blade." At the edge of the training grounds, Georg was practicing swings. Had he noticed when Lilica arrived? He glanced over. Their eyes met, but Georg said nothing. He just continued swinging. The sound of the blade cutting air kept a steady rhythm. (Why just me?) Yuri thought it, but couldn't ask. Lilica was already walking. ── Beyond the fortress's north gate, the Garg Wasteland spread out. A barren land of nothing but rocks and dead grass. Colorless. The sky hung low and clouded, the same gray stretching to the horizon. The wind was strong, whistling past his ears. Much colder than inside the fortress. Yuri closed his cloak as he followed Lilica's back. Lilica was fast. Whether it was her stride length or her walking speed, if Yuri walked normally, he'd gradually fall behind. Chasing her at a light jog, he finally spoke up. "[serious]Um... why just me?" Lilica turned around. She didn't slow her pace. "[cold]Because you're the furthest behind." An instant answer, without a moment's hesitation. (…That stung.) Yuri fell silent. He tried to argue, but the words wouldn't come. Because it was true. That was what hurt most. Silence continued for a while. Only the sound of dead grass swaying in the wind. Every time Yuri tried to say something, a certainty bloomed in his mind—"but her reply will definitely be just one sentence"—and he'd end up closing his mouth. Along the path, there was an area where rocks jutted from the ground. Yuri was walking while distracted by the rocks. Around where the watchtower came into view, his foot caught on something. Oh, this is bad. His body pitched forward. He reflexively reached out—toward Lilica ahead of him. But Lilica had already stepped forward. Yuri's hand grasped empty air. Without turning around, Lilica said: "[cold]Falling during training results in a deduction." Yuri remained with his hand on the ground, breathing in the smell of dead grass, thinking: (That's not... the problem...) He stood up, brushed off the dust, and walked again. Lilica was already ahead. Her back never turned around. ── The north watchtower stood about two kilometers north of the fortress. A small stone structure, roughly ten meters tall. Lower than the fortress's north wall watchtower, but positioned further forward, allowing a view deep into the wasteland. A spiral staircase led to a small observation platform at the top. A single telescope was fixed in place. Lilica began adjusting the telescope, then spoke at unusual length. At first, her words were short. "Remember the north," she said, pointing with her finger. "Beyond that ridge is the deep Garg Wasteland. Sixty kilometers to the demon realm." Yuri nodded. But Lilica continued. "[serious]This fortress has a garrison of 240 soldiers." She paused slightly. "[serious]If a full-scale invasion comes, we won't last three days." Yuri couldn't say anything. "[serious]A request for reinforcements to the capital Cordina takes twelve days by carriage, one way. By the time the request arrives, the reinforcements depart, and they reach here—everyone will be dead." Her voice was matter-of-fact. Not angry, not lamenting. Just laying out facts. Like a weather report. But each fact was heavy, like swallowing stones. "[serious]That's why every single person must be fully capable. Everyone. That's all." She continued without taking her eye from the telescope. Yuri, leaning against the stone wall of the tower, looked at Lilica's profile. Her golden eyes were fixed to the eyepiece. The silver hair with black mesh swayed in the high wind. Her expression was unreadable. As always, a face cold as ice. But Yuri felt he saw something. (This person... has been carrying all of this alone the whole time.) 240 lives. The number three days. The number twelve days. Holding all that in her mind, standing here every day, training, giving orders. Never complaining to anyone, just doing it matter-of-factly, alone. He realized she wasn't blaming him. "I need you to hurry"—she was confiding in him with trust. Something deep in his chest grew warm. A different feeling. Not panic, not tension—the desire to support this person took clear shape in Yuri at that moment. "[serious]...I understand. I'll hurry." Lilica didn't answer. But for just a moment—just an instant—she took her eye from the telescope and looked at him. Then she looked back. That was all. "[cold]Then confirm what you see." He took the telescope. Yuri put his eye to the eyepiece and peered at the northern grassland. The wasteland spread out. Dead grass and rocks. Horizon. Nothing—or so it should have been. Yuri slowly moved the telescope. Left. Right. At three o'clock, something was there. At first he thought it was a rock. But it moved. Three large shadows moving on four legs. And slightly behind them—a humanoid shape, but far larger than human. A horned head. A build unlike any human. Clearly taller than 180 centimeters. Long arms. (Demons.) He knew it in theory. It was in the textbooks. An intelligent species inhabiting the northern continent. Larger than humans, with horns and pointed ears. Average magical power per individual roughly three times that of humans. Lifespan of 200 to 400 years. In the Calduna War, they inflicted 80,000 deaths on the human side—those— But now they were in the telescope. "[scared]...North, three o'clock direction. Demons." His voice cracked. Lilica immediately snatched the telescope and looked. Less than a second passed before: "[serious]Get down now." ── Running down the spiral stairs. Two sets of footsteps echoed through the tower. The moment they emerged outside, cold wind slapped their faces. They ran. Lilica led while briefly assessing the situation. "From the scout's scale, the main force is still distant. Right now, getting this information back to the fortress is the priority." He understood. His head understood everything. But his legs were heavy. He was running. He should have been running, but at some point his feet nearly stopped. The shadow he'd seen in the telescope kept moving in his mind. That size. Those horns. That exists in reality, and right now somewhere in this wasteland— His legs trembled. Lilica turned around three steps ahead. Without slowing. "[serious]It's okay to tremble. But don't stop." Not scolding, not encouraging. Just stating fact. In a voice cold as the north wind, but undeniably there. Something loosened inside Yuri. It's okay to tremble. It's okay to be afraid. That's not the problem. Just don't stop, that's all— His legs moved. Stepping on dead grass, avoiding rocks, the fortress's south gate came into view. Almost there. Almost— The moment he passed through the south gate, his legs gave out. He tumbled onto the stone plaza. Knees down, hands down, trying to say "Report, I—" but his breath was too ragged for words. His shoulders heaved with gasps. Lilica stood beside him and spoke in an orderly voice: "[serious]North watchtower, three o'clock direction. Confirmed one demon scout and three magical beasts. Cannot definitively state this is a prelude to full invasion, but reporting approach." A soldier at the gate said "Understood, connecting to the commander" and ran off. Yuri remained on his hands, catching his breath. Beside him, Lilica stood quietly. Not a bead of sweat on her face. (…Is this person human?) The moment he thought it, Lilica looked down at him and said: "[cold]Can you stand?" "[serious]...Yes." He pushed with his knees and managed to stand. He could feel his knees shaking. Shaking, yet that earlier word kept his feet moving. It's okay to tremble, but don't stop—he hadn't expected a single sentence to have such effect. ── The conference room—one room in the fortress's north wing with maps on the walls—already had Commander Baldus Koenig present. A solidly built man. Around fifty, with thick facial hair. The commander of the Seventh Borderland Regiment, leading the 240 soldiers of this fortress. It was Yuri's first time speaking directly with him. "Good timing," the commander said. His voice was low and calm. "Right before the general briefing. Listen in with us." When Lilica reported the scout sighting, the commander fell silent, eyes on the map. Then he flipped through papers at hand and spoke. "[serious]We were already aware of increased activity in the north. But simultaneously, to the southeast—at the Nerias border, large-scale military movements have been observed." The air in the conference room shifted slightly. Nerias. A military state in the southeastern continent. In territorial dispute with Feltrand, officially in ceasefire but effectively in cold war—that's what Yuri had learned at the military academy. About 210 kilometers southeast of Grandveld. "[serious]This could mean pressure from two directions. I can't confirm yet, but—as a possibility, I'm sharing this with each unit." Lilica's eyes fell on the map. Sixty kilometers north and 210 kilometers southeast. Yuri looked at the map the same way. The marker for Grandveld was caught between two arrows. Geographically, there was nowhere to run. The words he'd heard that morning pierced through his mind again. Won't last three days. What had been an abstract number suddenly took on real weight. "[serious]Each unit raise alert level one step, increase reconnaissance frequency. That's all." The meeting ended. People began moving. Yuri stood frozen near the exit. He watched Lilica's back as she left the room. That back—seemed slightly heavier than it had that morning. A helpless feeling came over him. He'd wanted to support her, but didn't know how. ── Night fell. The corridor of the west barracks—where junior officers and squad leaders lived—was dimly lit by the orange glow of magical lamps. Yuri walked the corridor, rehearsing words in his mind. (Just say thank you for today. That's all.) If not for that one sentence—it's okay to tremble, but don't stop—his feet would have stopped somewhere in the wasteland. That was certain. He just needed to say thanks. He stood before Lilica's door. He raised his fist to knock—and stopped. A voice came from beyond the door. Low. A suppressed voice. One he'd never heard during training. "...I understand. But I won't let it happen like last time. Just once. That's all." After that, silence. Yuri stood with his fist raised, unable to move. That voice wasn't calm or cold. It wasn't the voice of the "Ice Queen." It was a voice desperately holding something back with all her strength. (Last time? What does that mean?) He didn't know. But something was the