The Despair That Crawls Across the Sky, Rahav

The magical-beast outbreak was successfully suppressed.

The horde never breached the defensive line, and the Imperial Army suffered almost no casualties.

It was a complete victory.

A result worthy of celebration.

Yet no one spoke of victory.

The atmosphere in the Imperial Palace was even more serious than it had been during the magical-beast outbreak.

The Imperial Palace's conference room.

Emperor Kaiser and the Empire's high-ranking officials responsible for its defense had gathered there.

Richard, commander of the Second Knight Order.

Gareth, commander of the Third Knight Order...