Asher simply nodded at the man's words, his expression flat and unreadable. His eyes shifted toward the side, where the woman who had attacked him earlier slowly rose to her feet with a low groan. Her black eyes flickered toward him, and for a brief, unmistakable moment, killing intent flashed within them like a sharpened blade catching a glint of moonlight.

But, just as quickly as it appeared, it vanished beneath a mask of forced indifference. Asher sensed it clearly, but he did not bother reacting. He merely observed her with detached calm. He would leave her be for now, an act of indifference rather than mercy, but if she acted against him again in the name of revenge, then he would simply kill her after the mission without hesitation or remorse.

"You may sit down," the man said, gesturing toward a couch at the side. His tone carried authority without effort.

Asher did not hesitate or pause. He simply walked toward the couch and lowered himself onto it, his movements fluid and silent. William and Finch followed behind him, mirroring his actions. Finch removed the hood of his cape the moment he sat down; there was no longer a need for concealment in this room, not now.

"So, I will fill you in on the mission details," the man began, folding his hands together before speaking. "My name is Norman. I am one of many soldiers stationed at various frontiers and outposts within the Zarethorne Empire. Our duty is simply to hold off monsters, Emovirae, and all that…" He sighed faintly. "In simpler terms, we wipe out every non-human entity we come across."

He spoke calmly, as though describing mundane chores rather than endless battles soaked in blood.

"Almost every frontier or outpost is overseen by a Knight," Norman continued. "Our job keeps us at these frontiers for an indefinite amount of time, sometimes weeks, sometimes months, sometimes days… and if things go poorly, even years. It all depends on when we are done wiping out every abomination we can find before we move to another location, establish a new frontier, and repeat the process again."

The woman who had attacked Asher earlier quietly walked toward Norman and stood behind him with a composed expression. Her presence lingered like a shadow, but Norman seemed unbothered by her tension.

"Hence," Norman went on, "the need for this mission. At my current outpost, food, water, weapons, and various essential supplies have dwindled drastically. Although some resources still remained when I left the frontier, I cannot be certain of the situation now. That uncertainty alone necessitates urgency."

Asher remained silent, his gaze steady. This was not the first time he had heard about the state of frontier outposts. He had once asked Lyra where his siblings went, considering none of them stayed at the Wargrave Estate. Had they simply moved out?

At the time, Lyra had explained that they were sent to zones where monsters or Emovirae either clustered regularly or were birthed frequently. Their task was to eliminate every hostile being they found. Lyra had also said something else, something that lingered in Asher's memory like an echo. Without these frontiers and outposts continually purging the threats, the Zarethorne Empire would face an Empire-scale invasion every few years.

Such was the unending cycle that kept the Empire alive.

Asher's eyes returned to Norman. Although he could not tell Norman's exact Life Rank, he could tell from the man's calm demeanor, the way he sat, the subtle weight in his voice, and the air he carried around him that he was strong, strong enough to be taken seriously.

"Any questions?" Norman asked, maintaining his composed tone.

"How did you return from your frontier?" Asher asked, his voice flat and steady. If Norman had returned from his outpost, then naturally there must have been a way for him to do so and also return to the frontier.

"Each outpost has a built-in teleportation circle that teleports the soldiers and the overseeing Knight back to whatever destination was set from the beginning," Norman explained gently. "But there is no teleportation circle leading back to the frontier."

"Isn't that a bit dangerous?" William finally spoke for the first time. There was concern in his voice.

Norman turned his gaze toward him. "Once a teleportation circle is created, everyone's Astra signature is registered into it. Therefore, no enemy can teleport through it from the other side. You can think of it the same way the Star Academy teleportation scroll works."

None of the three reacted at the mention of the teleportation scroll. The Star Academy and its Separate Dimension were massive and well-known. Naturally, countless people over the years had attempted to infiltrate it.

"The outposts and frontiers you mentioned…" Finch began, leaning forward slightly. "You said they are made up of soldiers and overseen by a Knight. But can an outpost be made up of multiple Knights? Or does it always have to be overseen by a single Knight?"

"An outpost can consist of several Knights or none at all," Norman said, nodding. "It depends entirely on the structure and needs of the outpost. And in this case, the term 'soldier' simply refers to anyone who isn't a Knight. Let's use the Wargrave family as an example. I'm certain they have various outposts, and I'm also certain one of those outposts is overseen by the First Sun. But the First Sun isn't a Knight, is he?"

Finch nodded slowly, understanding Norman's explanation more clearly now. Once he absorbed the information, he remained silent, having no further questions.

"Tell us about the mission," Asher said as he crossed his legs, settling more comfortably into the couch.

Norman was about to begin when a waiter entered the room carrying a tray. He moved carefully, setting down the refreshments in front of them. Everyone fell silent until the waiter stepped out, closing the door behind him.

Only then did Norman continue.

"The journey to the outpost will take three days," he said. "Meaning six days to travel there and back without interruptions. But according to the information I sent to the Star Academy, I requested ten days, just in case of delays, unexpected complications, or anything else that might slow us down."

He paused briefly, his tone becoming noticeably more serious.

"Although the mission details only mention the possibility of beast packs and bandits, reality is often far more cruel. Expect everything and anything. Even Emovirae are not off the table."

Asher, William, and Finch simply nodded. They knew this already. Just because something wasn't listed on a mission detail did not mean it wasn't a threat waiting on the road.

William's eyes drifted around the room for a moment before he asked, "I still don't understand what exactly we're meant to protect. Are all the supplies within your space ring?"

Norman smiled faintly and shook his head. "The amount of resources the frontier requires cannot possibly fit inside a single space ring. Everything is locked away inside a carriage downstairs."

William, Asher, and Finch stared at Norman as though he had just declared himself the wisest fool alive. After all, who would leave a carriage filled with valuable supplies just sitting downstairs, unguarded and exposed?

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.