The morning sun was beginning to rise, painting the sky orange and pink as our carriage left through the gates of the capital of the Kingdom of Vailor. We were heading straight for the most remote regions, those border areas where civilization ends and the wilderness and danger begin. Sitting there, quite comfortably and surrounded by all my girls, felt really good, especially because outside the terrain was rugged and full of uncertainties. The idea of personally taking a look at these lands before returning to the tower for good came about because I needed to make sure that the enemy was not preparing any surprises behind our backs.
These border regions had always been troublesome. The line between the safety of the cities and the chaos caused by monsters was very thin, and any carelessness could come at a high cost. Liriel sat right beside me, reading some reports that the scouts had sent shortly before we left. On the other side, Scarlet took advantage of the carriage's gentle swaying to run the sharpening stone along her favorite dagger, completely focused on the rhythmic sound of the metal. The atmosphere inside mixed the focus we needed for the mission with the lightness of being together.
"The scouts' reports show that the monster camps remain stationed in the dry areas, far away from here," Liriel commented, raising her eyes from the papers with a thoughtful expression. "They haven't launched any recent attacks against the villages. It seems they have concentrated everyone inside the tower."
"This only confirms what we already imagined about the Demon King," I said, crossing my arms and looking out the window at the passing landscape. "Instead of spreading his troops around to attack our villages and waste energy for nothing, he prefers to wait for us to go there looking for him. He wants to settle everything on his own territory, where the shadows work in his favor."
"A very predictable tactic for someone with so much arrogance," Rai'kanna said with a small sideways laugh, leaning back against the seat calmly. "They think luring us into that labyrinth guarantees victory, but they forget that the deeper we go, the tougher we become by fighting them."
"The arrogance of these monsters is the first step toward the grave," Elara said, adjusting her glasses on her face while putting some healing potions into a small leather pouch. "But we can't lower our guard. Just because they're quiet doesn't mean they aren't preparing even worse traps on the floors we haven't stepped on yet."
The conversation flowed freely, mixing battle plans with light jokes that helped ease the tension of having to return to that dungeon. Vespera and Lyannis quietly talked about the energy of the magical stones we would soon find, while Liriel's assistant wrote everything down in a small notebook. Each one there had an essential role, forming a very strong team that was a sight to behold.
After about three hours of travel, the carriage gradually slowed down until it stopped in front of the army's forward outpost, right at the entrance to the Isolated Lands. The sound of the wheels stopping on the dirt mixed with the clinking of the soldiers' armor as they guarded the place. As soon as I stepped out of the vehicle, the base commander came running over to salute, his face marked by the scars of someone who had already seen plenty of trouble.
"Lord Takumi, it is an honor to receive you here," he said firmly, straightening his posture before giving his report. "As the messages said, everything is calm around here. Our patrols have searched everything within a fifty-kilometer radius and found no sign of an enemy army. Just a few stragglers near those old ruins, but the knights dealt with them quickly."
"You did an excellent job, Commander," I replied, firmly shaking his hand to show that we valued the effort of those people. "Knowing that the rear is secure gives us much more peace of mind to focus on the tower. Keep watching and let me know if anything strange happens."
While the commander gave orders to change the horses' water and check the carriage axles, I took a quick walk on foot to breathe in the fresh air coming from the mountains. Looking out at that vast expanse brought an enormous sense of peace. The responsibility of carrying the future of so many people on my shoulders could be heavy, but knowing that I had that group with me made any burden easy to carry.
Liriel came walking slowly and stopped beside me, matching my pace. She looked toward the horizon, where the top of the tower cut across the clear sky, reminding us why we were there.
"Thinking about what we'll find after the thirtieth floor, right?" she asked quietly, guessing what was going through my mind.
"Yes," I replied, looking at her with a slight smile. "Up to the thirty-fifth floor, we got by through planning and combined strength. But the one in charge there is saving the worst for the end. We'll have to tread carefully."
"Don't worry, we'll be together every step of the way, Takumi," she said firmly, holding my hand for a moment before we returned to the others.
The visit to the outer lands ended quickly and without any surprises, proving that everything was peaceful there. We returned to the carriage and took the road back to the mansion just as the sky began to darken with shades of purple and blue. All that calm on the road was the rest we needed before facing the tower's gate again.