We made our way down the stairs quickly and left the small courtyard behind us. The bodies still lay where they fell, and the smell was already starting to irritate the dogs in their cages. At least they did not bark as we slipped out. Good. Let the world wonder who carried out this raid. With every kill silent and no signs of a monster attack, they would probably chalk it up to an enemy ambush and move on. Either way, I knew we had to disappear fast.

We headed toward the large mountain ahead, passing through the thin stretch of woods that kept the hill's soil from sliding down. The outpost faded behind us, swallowed by the morning fog, and soon we found ourselves on the dangerous path forward. The wind and rain no longer hid us, which meant we had to move carefully now, watching every step and every shadow.

Ahead lay countless more hills, each one rolling into the next, forming the wide range that eventually connected to the towering mountain. This entire passage was strategically priceless to the Empire of Holy Knights. From here, they controlled the beast waves that crashed into the mountain lands. It had happened once in the book I read, and it would happen again soon.

The wave back then had been devastating; more than ten million beasts swarmed the mountain like a living tide, trying to reclaim it. They were led by none other than Lyssandra herself. The battle almost wiped out the empire's entire army. The only reason they survived was Hera's awakening in the middle of the chaos.

Her level multiplied threefold in a single night. It was the blessing of the northern star. She sprouted wings that looked like an angel's silhouette but carried the darkness of a devil. Holy power poured from her in silver flames, and she cut down hundreds of thousands of beasts with a single sweep of her fiery sword.

I remembered being speechless when I first read that part. She was too broken, leveling too fast, but the scene was so intense that I could not stop turning the pages. I never complained. Not until now.

Now I could only hope the empire would crumble with her. But I knew the story. I knew how it went. History wanted to repeat itself.

Or would it?

It still bothered me that Hera used Lyssandra's signature move, something she was never meant to have. My thoughts drifted toward the possibility I kept trying to ignore. What if Hera's path changed because of me? What if something in the story shifted after I entered this world?

Would that even be possible? No… no way. Right?

"What are you thinking about, Beatrice?" Elira's curious voice pulled me out of my thoughts. She stood with her hands clasped together, body leaning forward just a little, her eyes fixed on mine with open interest.

"Nothing. Let's keep moving." I brushed it off, and she let out a long, doubtful "Hmmm…" that told me she didn't believe a single word. She had every reason to be suspicious of my entire existence. There were moments when my words slipped, revealing things I should not logically know. Yet she never pushed too hard. She respected the lines I drew, and I loved that about her. She felt like the kind of friend you could trust with a secret. Or at least I hoped she was.

I lifted my hand and pointed at the line of outposts stretching across the hills ahead. They were positioned so that nobody could pass unnoticed, each one angled to cover the blind spots of the next.

It was a problem.

We would have to wait for night again, but in this heat with barely any cover? Impossible. If a wild beast stumbled onto us first, it would reveal our position to the guards in an instant.

What can I do…? I pressed my palms against the tall tree trunk, staring at the outposts ahead. The guards, the dogs, the towers, the clear sky now betraying us. My mind searched for a solution until something shot through my thoughts. It was risky, incredibly so, but…

My hand moved before I fully committed to the idea. I grabbed a fluffy little ball and lifted Beelzebub in front of me. His cute round eyes widened the moment he sensed trouble. He tried to wiggle out of my grip, but I held him firmly. He shook his tiny head as if pleading with me, a clear little "please no" written across his face. I shook my head in return, answering silently, there is no other choice for you.

If Elira and I needed to pass through unnoticed, then I needed something loud, chaotic, and perfectly timed. Something to make the entire hill range panic. A tiny but dangerous monster raid sounded like the perfect idea.

I cleared my throat and addressed him with the dignity of a commander preparing her knight for war.

"Listen, Beelzebub, my proud and powerful warrior." The words made him stop struggling. His eyes shimmered faintly under the sunlight as he stared at me with reluctant attention. "I need you to do something for me, a task only you can do."

Elira watched from the side, her lips parting as if to say something, but she held back, knowing that whatever I had in mind would not be changed.

"I need you to raid two of the outposts ahead," I whispered, holding Beelzebub close. "Just mess with them. Be careful not to get caught. Irritate the enemy dogs, bite a few guards, cause enough chaos for me and Elira to slip past. Can you do that for me?"

His tiny eyes trembled for a moment before settling with a spark of determination. Beelzebub squeaked in agreement, and I gave him a gentle pat on his small head.

"Make sure you slip away later without being seen, and return to me without fail. Got it?"He nodded in his own tiny way, then took off, little bat wings flapping against the air. Moments later, the distant bells of the outposts began to ring wildly, guards shouting in confusion.

"Let's go, Elira. This is our opportunity."

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