[Next morning]

William sat on a stool as a nurse carefully unwrapped the bandage around his head.

Emma sat nearby, her heart weighed down with unease.

After all, she had barely seen the condition of his eyes before he fainted. The nurses had treated them immediately, and the bandages were wrapped almost at once.

William claimed he felt nothing strange in his eyes, but unless she saw them herself, the tight knot in her chest refused to loosen.

At last, the final strip was removed, leaving only two cotton pads resting over his eyes.

William lifted his hand, only for the nurse to stop him. "Be a little patient."

William groaned. He was eager to see his lover, but these heartless women surely wouldn't understand that feeling.

Finally, the cotton pads were lifted, and he was instructed, "Open your eyes slowly and don't look around. Let them adjust to the light first."

The caution was pointless. William opened his eyes immediately and turned to look at his beloved.

The sight of her silver curls pulled into a tight ponytail and those crystal blue eyes eased his heart at once. Her small, beautiful face was everything his eyes needed to chase away the lingering irritation.

Rising to his feet, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close.

"Finally… I can see you again."

Emma returned the hug despite the many eyes watching them and whispered, "It doesn't hurt, does it?"

William hummed softly in denial. "Not at all."

Just then, the nurse said, "Keep your eyes hydrated, and contact a medic if you feel any prolonged irritation."

William turned to look at her and nodded. "Thanks for your help so far."

The young nurse had not expected such a charming smile, paired with deep crimson eyes, so early in the morning.

The warmth in his tone sent heat rushing to her cheeks. She coughed lightly before replying, "Well, it was our duty."

Emma narrowed her eyes at the woman, who refused to move from her spot despite having finished her work.

Unable to hold back any longer, she asked, "Anything else?"

The nurse startled at the call and instantly tore her gaze away from William. "Ah, yes… someone wishes to meet Cadet Delimore."

William hummed. "Who is it?"

"It's me." A voice came from behind.

Everyone turned to see a lean young man entering the infirmary, a quiet smile on his face.

The third seated member of the Great Hall, Lancelot.

"You may attend to your other patients," he said politely to the nurses. They nodded and moved away, leaving the trio alone.

"How are you now? I heard you overexerted yourself and fainted right after the battle."

William grinned. "More or less." He had seen the Death Sink seal itself after he killed the Devil, and only when he spotted Emma among the others did he finally relax and let exhaustion take him.

Nodding, Lancelot said, "You can sit while we talk."

William shook his head, "I have rested quite long. Believe me, during the battle I was far from exhausted."

If not for those eyes numbing his mind, William wouldn't have even bothered coming to the infirmary.

But there was some good in the disaster too. Why? Well, it allowed him to realize how he had been limiting himself until now.

After a brief pause, "Sir Lancelot, would you mind answering a few questions?" Emma asked, her voice heavy.

The swordsman had expected this. He came prepared, so he nodded without hesitation. "Yes, of course."

That question had been weighing on Emma's mind for a while now. She did not waste any time. "Without filtering out the brutal reality, can you tell us what is actually happening in the world?"

If there could be someone who could answer this truthfully and knows everything transparently then it was him.

Lancelot chewed on his lower lip before asking, "And why do you think Guinevere didn't tell you the whole truth?"

Emma held back a scoff as she replied, "The Great Hall assigning the responsibility of an entire town to mere teenagers isn't something done just to prepare them for the future."

William hummed. "Yeah. It only means you're severely understaffed and are now gambling with civilians' lives."

Gamble was not the perfect word, but it summed things up well enough.

After all, when you use inexperienced students, who until a few days ago had never imagined being thrown into the dangerous side of the world, you are doing nothing more than betting on the best possible outcome.

Lancelot remained silent for a few moments before asking, "Would you mind joining me for a walk? That is, if you are feeling well enough." he asked while looking at the blond one.

William smiled, resting a hand on Emma's shoulder. "I might need some assistance."

Emma's cold front melted at his words. She stepped closer with a smile and said, "Don't worry. I won't let you fall."

Lancelot found himself struggling to react to the sweetness surrounding the pair. Completely inexperienced in matters of romance, the scene felt as though it had been lifted straight out of a novel.

Soon, the three of them left the infirmary side by side and began walking through the garden opposite the building.

The garden was serene with a soft breeze flowing. Flower beds lined beside the gravel path.

There was no one else around, so Lancelot felt comfortable speaking freely.

"Your academy accepts only two hundred students each year, and yet very few fail to secure a seat. Do you know why that is?"

"Lack of confidence and poor battle-oriented skills," Emma answered without hesitation.

"Correct. Now consider this. If an academy has such strict criteria, where anyone without skills useful on the battlefield is filtered out, then imagine the requirements to join the Great Hall, an organization built for a single purpose."

He paused briefly.

"To become the shield of humanity."

William hummed, "So you mean to say the reason behind this irresponsible decision making is the high recruitment criteria? Doesn't that mean you are limiting yourself by your own hands?"

Emma nodded, "You can send students to save thousands but can't compromise on the quality of cadets you recruit."

Lancelot sighed, "Well, there had been some talk about this but there is a certain limit to which the Great Hall could fall."

Taking a short pause he added in a matter-of-fact tone, "I mean, recruiting someone who can control the size of their nostrils could never be beneficial."

Emma and William glanced at each other…well, he was right about that.

Lancelot continued, "We anticipated this surge, but anticipation does not create manpower overnight."

Emma hummed thoughtfully before asking, "But are you trying to make a change?"

Lancelot gestured toward the two of them. "I mean… clearly."

William scoffed. "We were told we were being trained so that, in the future, we could protect our homes. Not the nation, or humanity."

Lancelot paused briefly before saying, "William, I don't believe you are unaware of where this world is heading."

The two younger ones turned to look at him, William's expression growing somber.

Lancelot continued, "This sudden surge we're witnessing is not the end. It's only the beginning. We believe it's merely an announcement… for something bigger, something far more dangerous."

That left William completely silent. Had it been anyone else, he might have dismissed it as overthinking. But coming from Lancelot, someone closely tied to the central administration, it carried weight.

Emma, on the other hand, found her thoughts racing in several directions at once.

Someone who understood what this world truly had to offer, and what kind of disaster was lurking in the shadows, waiting to bring it to an end.

She could no longer trust the timeline. All she could rely on now was her knowledge of the enemies they were bound to face.

Canonically, this sudden surge of Death Sinks only occurred near the end of the story, when the Monarchs returned to power.

It could not be that they had returned already. Their return would have been announced to the entire world. And it was not as if Kevin had grown strong enough to force their early awakening.

Then what could it be?

It's not just because Lancelot mentioned it, she had been thinking about this whenever she sat silent and alone.

But now hearing even from Lancelot, it was apparent that Emma needed not only to think but prepare as well.

"Emma?" William's voice broke her out of the daze.

She shook her head and said, "Nothing…just thinking."

William didn't need to ask her to know what she was thinking.

Lancelot also realized that he had over-burdened them so he said, "Anyway, for your contribution, you would be honoured soon. But still, if there is any request you would like as a reward-"

"Actually, I have." William instantly said, a grin spreading his lips.

He knew exactly what he wanted.

°°°°°°°°

A/N:- Thanks for reading. If you have been enjoying the story, drop a comment.

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.