With their comrades' safety at risk and their patience worn thin, the mages were beyond the point of calm. Before joining the frantic mages, Yuder turned his gaze to Kishiar.

"What should we do?"

"We can't afford to lose the mages who've been with us so far. We need to rescue those still inside first and assess the situation."

"Understood."

Kanna, Emun, whose forte wasn't combat, the Priest Lusan, and Prince Ejein remained behind while everyone else headed towards the battle-ridden building. The sight of numerous monster corpses scattered around the building suggested that those inside were desperately holding their ground.

In the heat of battle, Yuder protected a mage, who was fighting courageously with his remaining offensive magical tools, that was about to be skewered from behind by a new monster by causing the ground beneath the monster to sink about a foot, ensnaring its ankle.

"Roaaar!"

The sudden shift caused the monster to lose balance and wobble backward with a roar, startling the mage who quickly spun around.

"Gah"

"Dodge to the side."

At Yuder's instruction, the mage rolled to the side just in time for the shadow clone of Gakein to spring forth, as if it had been waiting for this moment, and tear the monster's limbs apart. As black bodily fluids spattered and a tearing scream echoed, Gakein nearby frowned and covered his ears. Close to him, the Elder siblings were swelling their bodies, wrestling with the monsters.

The building, which had been eerily silent for a while, started to fire flames like cannons again, seemingly having realized they were allies. Not long after, all the surrounding monsters that had besieged the building were lying dead on the ground. Despite all of this, the one who claimed most monsters' lives was Kishiar, who hadn't moved much at all.

"Hah hah"

"Is is it over now"

The battle-worn mages, their surroundings smeared with black fluids, gasped for breath. Shortly after, the tightly shut door of the building swung open, revealing figures that looked just as battered.

A man stood at the forefront, wearing a mage's robe adorned with a pearl brooch. His unkempt, ash-colored beard and eagle-like, yellow eyes conveyed a sense of vigor despite his age.

"Master!"

"You're safe!"

"Good. You all made it back safely too. I regretted telling you to come back sooner... but it seems heaven was on our side."

The man was Micalin Punt, the leader of the Western Mage Union. He comforted the rushing mages with a fatherly pat on their shoulders, radiating the shrewdness expected of a leader who had shouldered a group for a long time.

"What on earth happened? Weren't you recovering the defenses after we left? How did our base get this devastated?"

"A few hours ago, monsters started spawning at an astonishing speed near the ruins. We never thought the number one defensive line that was breached at dawn would be breached again, especially since we hadn't fully recovered it. Who knows what would've happened if you hadn't arrived."

"We're really lucky we weren't too late."

"But who are these people who helped us?"

The gaze of Micalin and all the mages turned to the Cavalry members standing behind them.

"These are the members of the Cavalry who helped us to get here," said Lorna, speaking on behalf of the group.

Upon hearing her answer, the other mages who had followed Micalin out of the building gasped in unison.

"The Cavalry?"

"You mean the real Cavalry?"

The atmosphere, filled with the joy of mutual survival, froze over in an instant.

'So, it comes to this.'

Even if they had received help just moments ago, the preexisting negative impressions of the Cavalry and the misleading information spread by Baron Willhem would prevail. They would likely not believe immediately. The other Cavalry members also didn't reveal any signs of discomfort or surprise, each seemingly making a similar judgment for their own reasons.

Caught in the middle, uncertain of what to do, were Lorna and the mages who had come with her.

"I understand what you might be thinking. But it's all a misunderstanding."

"True. We were shocked at first too. But once we got to know them, they turned out to be great people!"

"A...misunderstanding?"

"Yes, a misunderstanding!"

"If it weren't for their help, we wouldn't have made it this far, we would be dead. You saw them assisting just now!"

Amid the chaos, the mages following Micalin fell silent and turned their gaze toward their leader. It was up to him to make the final decision. Micalin, who had been quietly observing the Cavalry, finally spoke again.

"Are you really the Cavalry?"

"Yes, we are."

Micalin scanned the figure of Yuder, who had stepped forward to respond.

"You look quite young to be a representative... May I consider you as such?"

Yuder glanced briefly at Kishiar before nodding.

"Yes, I am Yuder Aile, the aide-de-camp."

"I am Micalin Punt, the head of the Western Mage Union. Let's skip further formalities due to the circumstances."

Without a handshake, Micalin concluded the introductions and exhaled deeply.

"Lorna is a trustworthy mage. Since we've received help, it's only right to offer hospitality. Things are quite messy, but come inside for now. We can talk about this misunderstanding later."

They followed Micalin into the building. The moans of the injured echoed around the structure, which was apparently originally intended for research. The sight of the injured visibly darkened Priest Lusan's face.

Without asking for permission, he immediately approached an injured person and knelt down to assess the situation.

"Are you okay?"

"Uh...ugh..."

"The broken area looks severe. Can someone help me? I need to set the bone and use the Divine Power immediately."

His assertiveness surprised the mages. Micalin Punt was no exception.

"You said you are from the Cavalry, but you're a priest...?"

"He is a priest in our group. It seems he intends to start treatment immediately. Could you perhaps assign a few mages to assist him?"

Micalin maintained a strange silence. Taking his expression as doubt, Lorna once again stepped forward to speak.

"Master, there is no need for suspicion. That man is truly a priest of the Sun God. He saved Elvil from the brink of death. If we hadn't happened to meet in the village, and if he hadn't extended his kindness, we might have had to return after burying Elvil's corpse."

"...Elvil?"

"Yes."

Micalin alternated his gaze between Lusan and Yuder. His previously sharp expression finally softened. His eyes, which had been shaking as though filled with human emotions, briefly darted upward to the ceiling before he regained control.

"...Understood.Jean, Roca, Mule. Go help him."

"Ah, understood."

The atmosphere lightened as the mages immediately rushed to assist Lusan. Micalin swiftly repositioned the mages who were following him, instructing them to go outside to handle the situation, leaving only a few mages, including Lorna, by his side. He then turned to face the Cavalry members.

"What a mess. We've been fighting monsters non-stop since yesterday, unable to even catch a wink of sleep. I can't understand where these cursed creatures keep coming from."

Micalin took a big gulp from the cold water that a mage handed to him, and let out a rough sigh as he wiped his mouth. There was deep fatigue swirling above his wrinkled eyes.

"Now, tell me. What misunderstanding did I, Micalin Punt, have about you?"

"Before that, please accept this first."

Yuder offered a letter from Thais Yulman that he had kept hidden. Micalin accepted the letter, saw the name written on the outside, frowned, briefly set it aside, then brought it close to his eyes again.

"Where are my emergency glasses? Can someone fetch them for me?"

"H-here they are, Sir."

Finally wearing his glasses, Micalin once again scrutinized the letter before carefully opening it to read its contents. The mages, feeling tense at their leader's unusual behavior, focused all their attention on his fingertips.

"...There's no room for doubt. This is truly a letter from Thais."

Mixed emotions were evident in the words that Micalin muttered as he put the letter down after a while.

"You... were really from the Cavalry, weren't you?"

"Yes."

Rather than expressing annoyance as this point had already been clarified several times before, Yuder simply chose to give a brief response, void of any emotional change.

"I see. Thais was conducting some research over there... Can I ask what it was about?"

"I apologize, but I can't disclose that."

"No communication for several years and now I see his name again in a place like this."

A complicated look passed over Micalin's eyes. After a moment, he lowered his eyes and wore a weary smile for the first time.

"That's so like Thais."

Yuder could finally perceive that Micalin Punt, who had been as sharp as an eagle eyeing its prey, had slightly let down his guard. Micalin, who had been quietly looking at the letter, abruptly changed the topic.

"Thais and I share the same mentor, and we're of the same age. But because he entered the Pearl Tower six months ahead of me, he always tormented me. To be honest, the reason I relinquished my position in the council of the Pearl Tower Elders was because I didn't want to face that man."