"Remove Captain Fleur from the position of the reconnaissance team captain," A man in his late 30s with a thick beard and brown hair said with obvious contempt.
"I agree with what the lord has said. During her time as the captain, she has not done anything exceptional but put her men in danger. She acts rashly and irrational."
"Without a doubt, she is a threat to the people of this nation. Please consider her removal on her post, General Silvan."
Different opinions and arguments filled the 'Hall of Stars' as the ministers, representatives, and nobles representing their households expressed their sentiments. While, the king who was seated at the center of the long obsidian table silently observed his subjects without any hint of desire on participating in the discussion.
Important members of different factions and leaders have all gathered in the hall to protest to the general of the Black corps to remove a certain captain from her position.
Black corps is a military organization sanctioned by the King of Astre. The corps is responsible for protecting the Kingdom from the disasters brought by the curse of the Crimson moon. Aside from handling disasters, they also handle cases that are related to the royal family and at desperate times, they are even forced to participate in wars.
"I fear that's not something I could decide on my own. Captain Fleur has been bestowed of that position by his majesty. Are you suggesting that there's something wrong with his majesty's judgment?" General Silvan who had seven years of experience as the corps' general stated with arrogance and feeling of superiority.
Some raised their brows while some shook their heads aggressively to defend their selves from the provocation of the general.
"Heh, his majesty surely heed no mind to the captain. After all, he only appointed the lady as the captain for a good riddance."
The hall suddenly fall into a deafening silence after a period of arguments upon the words of the young looking man seated in front of the general.
Everyone dared not speak as they throw careful glances at each other and to the king who remained seated in the center, unaffected and uninterested. At this moment, everyone could only bow their heads and wait for someone to break the silence, afraid that the king might be angered at the man's disrespectful statement despite appearing calm. However, the king did not bother arguing with the sage at all.
The man who spoke without care let out a chuckle as if amused by the situation. The man has a unique silver hair. His eyes resembled that of a stifled glow behind a mist that seemed to obscure immense knowledge and mystery. It was none other than the Sage of the Silver tower. He is a mage with immense power who restored the ruined tower in the north, now called the Silver tower. Although mages were not commonly seen in other regions aside from 'Wisteria,' there will always be an exception.
The man who was brimming with spirituality and powerful aura continued to speak.
"Since his majesty seemed to not have any plans of removing Captain Fleur on her position until she's dead, it leaves us with only two options."
"What are yo-"
The words of the general were cut abruptly as the sage spoke again.
"First, kill her and make it appear like an accident."
The hall were filled with uproars once again due to the bold statement of the sage.
"haha that way, you will be able to appoint a new captain," the sage chuckled.
"How impertinent!" the ministers and nobles cried out.
However, the sage did not seem to care one bit.
"Now, now, surely his majesty don't mind right?" The sage said playfully before shooting a provocative glance to the king, only to be met with a glare.
The sage retracted his gaze as if nothing happened before speaking once again.
"The second option is to send her away. The outer villages in the north are suffering greatly from the disaster of the Crimson moon. There have been a number of missing person cases and attacks from different monsters and creatures. Although the Black corps have been diligently fending off the trouble, the root of the disaster hasn't been discovered yet, resulting to the unending attacks. Send her there. Her work will be to investigate. Let her venture deep into the woods and find out the cause," this time the sage spoke with more seriousness.
"No," the person sitting beside the corps' general said with a stern voice, strongly disagreeing to the sage's suggestions.
The sage raised his eyebrow in confusion and annoyance.
"I cannot put my men's life in danger. The performance of the captain in their recent expedition clearly shows that she doesn't care about the safety of her people and even uses them willingly as her shield to save herself. Our team is the one in charge of resolving the disaster in the northern outer village. I'm afraid she'll act rashly again and put everyone's life in danger." Andrail Ross, the captain of the advanced command team, also known as the 'Black Hounds' of the Black corps said in a stern voice.
The sage sighed.
"Cooperate man, come on," the sage said in annoyance only to be ignored by the cold captain.
Upon the obvious disagreement between the two gentlemen, a young man spoke gently.
"What about her Vice captain? From his previous performance, he seems to be quite skilled and reliable. He could monitor the captain while assisting her with the investigation," the second prince with a gentle look on its face provided a suggestion.
The prince's eyes twinkled with innocence, waiting for approval from the two party only to be met with an indifferent and cold look from the two. With that, the king finally had the resolve to settle his decisions, leaving the two with no choice and preventing others to object any further.
"Then, it is settled. Give orders to the reconnaissance team. Captain Fleur is to depart to the Northern village 'Aries' and cooperate with Captain Ross' team. She is not to return until the disaster is resolved."
"Meeting adjourned."
...
"What will happen to the lady now?"
Murmurs and muffled chattery filled Azrael's bed chamber as the servants tried to guess what the future holds for their master.
After a while, Azrael's eyes gradually opened, awakening from a deep slumber. Azrael adjusted to the lights on her bed chamber and her unfamiliar surroundings as she rise from the bed, removing the blanket covering her body.
Upon seeing this, the servants all rushed to her side to assist her.
"Lady Fleur, don't move yet. You should rest a bit more. After all, your body have suffered and weakened tremendously," the female brunette servant muttered in concern.
The corner of Azrael's lips twitched upon hearing this.
"What did you say?" asked Azrael.
The servant looked at her in confusion before repeating her words, "Don't move yet because your body hasn't recovered yet."
"No, before that."
"Lady Fleur?" The servant muttered while tilting her head with a questioning look on her face.
Upon hearing this, Azrael's head throbbed and pounded.
'This can't be. It's not just a dream?'
Azrael anxiously looked around, hoping to look for the answers she desperately needed.
Azrael couldn't hold back her curiosity any longer as she hurriedly get off from her bed and staggered on her way out of her room, slightly stumbling from time to time.
The servants all rushed to her side to stop her from moving as she was clearly not in a good state to be wandering outside her room yet. However, they couldn't do anything as Azrael stubbornly pushed the servants out of her way.
The servants couldn't help but to just lend a hand to their lady, afraid that they might get punished for going against her once she had regained her strength.
They encountered other servants along the way but Azrael couldn't care less. Upon walking down the hallway, she started to feel more familiar to her surroundings. Her feet completely knew where to bring her, as if she had been living in this place all her life and Azrael was completely aware of the reason why.
Azrael wanted to deny her logic about everything that was happening, however, the more she ventured into the palace, the more she couldn't deny that her deduction was right. Upon hearing the name 'Fleur,' Azrael no longer needed to ask to understand her situation. All she needed to do was to confirm it.
Despite stumbling from time to time, Azrael forced herself to walk in great difficulty. After some time, Azrael finally stopped on her track, allowing herself to fall to the ground.
The servants supported her but it was the least of her concerns now.
In front of her was a large portrait encased in a frame inlaid with intricate gold patterns. At the center was the king, wearing a crown and a cape. Behind him were seven children of different ages and different facial and body features.
Upon seeing this, Azrael fainted and collapsed.
...
On the other hand, the Black Hounds' captain who found himself facing a great dilemma with the King's decision chased the corps' general.
"General Silvan."
The general halted and meet his gaze with a raised eyebrow.
"What now?"
"Let me hand over the orders to Captain Fleur." The cold captain didn't beat around the bush and quickly said what he wanted.
The general opened his mouth in disbelief, his brows now furrowed in confusion. The captain was so reluctant to accept Captain Fleur earlier in the case, so what could have changed his mind?
Their conversation was cut short when a soldier run up to the general, whispering something in haste. The general turned to the person with a surprised look then turned to Captain Ross. He seemed reluctant at first but he still handed the scroll that contained the order for Captain Fleur's assistance in the northern outer village to Captain Ross.
The captain looked satisfied as he accepted the scroll before leaving with a bow.