The fortress gates swung open with a boom.
The knight order charged out first, their silver armor glinting coldly under the setting sun.
They formed a tight formation, spears like a forest, and advanced steadily forward.
The mercenary group followed close behind.
These hardened men, who lived by the blade, brandished various weapons, specifically targeting the frozen demons.
When their blades fell, ice shards splattered alongside spots of dark red blood.
Adventurers scattered across the battlefield, carefully clearing out any remaining threats.
Mages chanted spells, hurlings scattered fire and lightning at the demons still struggling to break free.
The entire valley instantly became clamorous.
The clanging of metal, the wails of demons, and the chanting of spells intertwined.
Most of the frozen demons had lost their ability to move.
However, a few powerful individuals were still struggling tenaciously.
They tore through the ice covering their bodies, letting out roars of indignation.
Yet, in the face of the well-trained allied forces, this resistance was quickly suppressed.
Freya gently closed the grimoire in her hands, the pages emitting a crisp sound as they shut.
She turned to the Guardian Knight beside her.
"Lord Rhode, my work is done."
Rhode respectfully performed a standard knight's salute.
"Miss Freya, the agreed-upon reward has been wired to your Alliance Bank account through an intermediary."
He looked up toward the distance at the few scattered demons still putting up a desperate last stand.
"Thank you again for your assistance. For now, I must lead the army to retake the first two defensive walls, so I will not trouble you further."
With that, Rhode leaped down from the city wall.
He landed steadily on the back of his warhorse, his movements as smooth as flowing water.
"Advance!"
Rhode held his longsword high, his voice carrying across the entire battlefield.
The surviving knights quickly converged on him, reforming their ranks.
The mercenaries and adventurers also consciously cleared the way.
This reassembled force pierced toward the depths of the valley like a sharp sword.
Twilight Fortress was built into the mountains and had three defensive walls in total.
The first wall had been the first to be breached by the demons and was now in ruins.
The second wall had held back most of the demons but had suffered heavy damage as a result.
This final wall was the sturdiest and served as the last line of defense.
Freya's single Legendary spell just now had almost completely wiped out the demon main force that had broken through to this point.
The remaining demons were mostly frozen in place, posing little threat.
The allied forces were systematically clearing the battlefield.
Every frozen demon was carefully checked to ensure no one was missed.
The setting sun dyed the entire valley golden, reflecting brilliantly off the pure white ice and snow.
This sudden crisis had finally come to an end.
The setting sun cast long shadows over Twilight Fortress.
The cleanup work below the walls continued, with the clanging of metal and occasional roars rising and falling.
Freya walked slowly down the stairs of the city wall, ice crystals shimmering slightly along the edges of her mage robes.
The North Wind caravan's base was already as busy as a disturbed ant colony.
The barbarian warrior Barton was checking the cargo straps one by one.
Every time his thick arms applied force, the ropes let out a creaking sound.
"Make sure every single thing is tied down tight!" he roared gruffly. "If a piece of cargo falls off, I'm docking ten days' worth of ale money!"
The beastkin brothers, Grom and Magrom, patrolled the carriages on either side.
Their gazes were sharp, and they occasionally tapped the wheel supports with the handles of their battle axes.
Eli the scholar crouched beside a supply crate, a thick ledger spread across his knees.
He cleared the inventory as he recorded rapidly on a piece of parchment.
Laisa the Forest Elf had already organized her quiver and was carefully sharpening her arrowheads with a whetstone.
The sound of metal friction was crisp and rhythmic.
The busiest was Betty.
Clutching her spellbook, she paced back and forth in front of the train, muttering to herself.
"The third syllable of Levitation should be light, and the fifth syllable should be heavy..."
Fine beads of sweat were already seeping from her forehead.
Freya walked straight toward Lin Gui, an apologetic look in her ice-blue eyes.
"I am sorry. The caravan departed early before, and I suppose we essentially stood you up."
Her gaze swept past Theia and Eve, her eyebrows arching slightly.
"I recall you saying that your companions were a Transcendent Ranger and a High Rank knight?"
Lin Gui bowed calmly.
"My knight friend had something come up unexpectedly, so this priestess friend is accompanying me to Shield City in her place."
Freya's gaze lingered on Eve for a moment longer as she scanned her and Theia.
She felt that this person's appearance was very familiar, but she wasn't sure who it was.
To avoid exposing Eve's identity, Lin Gui had applied a simple disguise.
Her waist-length hair now only reached her ears.
Her iconic purple eyes had also become dark brown.
This had been achieved using a certain expensive, specially-made potion.
Her exquisite facial features had been subtly modified.
Their contours appeared much softer, losing some of their holiness and gaining a touch of commonality.
"May I ask your purpose for going to Shield City?"
"To deliver letters," Lin Gui answered frankly. "For a dwarf friend in the Royal Capital."
What he said was indeed the truth.
More than half of the letters to be delivered to Shield City belonged to that dwarven half-demon.
"Oh?" A slight smile played at the corners of Freya's lips. "It seems you cherish this friend very much."
Lin Gui looked her straight in the eyes. "A friend to whom one can truly entrust their back is naturally worth cherishing."
Freya's smile deepened, but then her expression turned serious.
"Since we are to travel together, there are rules that must be followed."
She took a step forward, a chill radiating from her entire body.
"First, do not leave our line of sight."
"Second, do not act without my orders."
"If you violate these... the consequences will be severe."
"In the worst-case scenario, you will be abandoned directly in the wilderness."
This warning carried a bone-chilling coldness.
But Lin Gui merely nodded calmly.
"Understood. Aside from daily operation of the train, my companions and I will not do anything unnecessary."
He even proactively suggested, "You can send an assassin to monitor us."
This level of composure, which surpassed his age, caused a flash of surprise to cross Freya's eyes.
She studied Lin Gui for a moment and suddenly chuckled.
"Monitoring is unnecessary."
"I can see that you, little mage... do not seem like a lunatic who would drag the entire team down into mutual destruction with you."
Behind him, Theia had a strange expression when she heard this.
Mutual destruction?
The Lyon Knights had thought the same thing before.
Just then, Betty finally finished her preparations for casting.
The Wheelless Train wobbled as it floated up, less than half a meter off the ground.
A harsh grinding sound came from the carriage connections.
It was a stark contrast to the smooth and elegant way Lin Gui had operated it before.
The train moved forward swaying like a drunken giant.
Sitting at the front of the train, Betty was red-faced, her hands gripping her staff tightly.
Watching this, Freya rubbed her brow in exasperation.
"It seems this journey will be hard on you."
She turned to Lin Gui, her tone carrying a rare hint of gentleness.
"Once we reach terrain that is more complex, you can take over the controls."
The train slowly drove out of the fortress gates under Betty's clumsy manipulation.
The North Wind caravan members and Freya jumped expertly into the carriages.
Lin Gui also led Theia and Eve as they flew into their own carriage.
Looking through the back window of the carriage at the fortress as it gradually receded behind them, Lin Gui let out a soft breath.
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