Beneath the moonlight, Roel looked at the smiling lady in front of him, pondered for a moment, and softly called her name.

  “Wilhelmina.”


  “Mhm.”


  The lady nodded in response before turning to the night sky.

  “I’m not too bothered about my name, but if something needs to be changed, I think this would be a good start.”


  “It’s a good idea. I can’t say that William is an apt name for a princess of the Knight Kingdom.”


  “I’ve been William for far too long; it’ll be hard to get others to start calling me Wilhelmina all of a sudden. So, I was thinking of starting with those whom I’m closer with.”


  “It’s my honor then.”


  Roel placed his fist on his chest and did a gentleman’s bow. The lady averted her gaze out of embarrassment. He smiled at the sight of that.

  “Wilhelmina, what are you planning to do next now that your plan to take me away has failed? Are you going to return to Pendor?”


  “No. We’re intending to stay here.”


  “You’re staying at Saint Freya Academy?” replied Roel in surprise.

  “What’s with your response? Do you not welcome us here?”


  “That’s not what I mean. I’m just… a little surprised. I think that it’s good that you’re staying here.”


  Roel’s heart was set at ease after hearing Wilhemina’s reply.

  The arrival of the transfer students from Pendor initially came as a distress to him, but his relationship with them had improved greatly after the Challenger Cup, especially with Teresa and Wilhelmina. Teresa had been friendly to him from the very start whereas Wilhelmina evoked his sympathy.

  Regardless of the reason, it was a fact that Wilhelmina had to undergo torturous training for him. She had to conceal her identity, and she lived her life prepared to die at any moment. Roel wasn’t the one who asked for this, but as the beneficiary of this set-up, he couldn’t remain unmoved to her plight.

  As for the others…


  He and Kurt had started on the wrong foot, but the latter had already apologized and promised to right Grandar’s name.

  Selina was connected to Peytra via her Saint Beast Bloodline, and he personally felt inclined to aid her in controlling her bloodline.

  Brittany had an agreement with him, and she was deeply intertwined with Geralt as well. It was likely that she would join the Request Club in the near future.

  As for Juliana and Stuart, he wasn’t able to forge much of a relationship with them yet. However, the former viewed Alicia as her clan’s progenitor and was very heeding of her will whereas the latter was quite amicable in the several exchanges they had.

  To be honest, Roel wasn’t able to make many friends in the academy due to the overwhelming amount of schoolwork and his responsibilities as a Ringbearer. It wasn’t easy for him to get close to the transfer students, and it would be disappointing if they left at this juncture.

  Aside from that, he also thought that the Knight Kingdom was too isolated. The descendants of the sequestered houses were prodigies in their own rights, and they could potentially become the top transcendents of the Sia Continent in the near future. It would benefit them to build their reputation and expand their horizons.

  “Personally, I believe that it’s a good thing that your group has decided to step out of your closed circle and let the world know you better. It was thanks to your spectacular performance in the Challenger Cup that we were dubbed as the golden generation.”


  “Golden generation, huh? There are indeed benefits for us to build up our reputation, but you are the main reason why we chose to stay here.”


  “Me?”


  “That’s right. Have you forgotten about the third prophecy? You claim that it has already been unraveled, but there’s no evidence to that. There’s a need for us to take caution, at least until you leave Saint Freya Academy.”


  “Aren’t you being too much of a worrywart?”


  “It’s a unanimous decision from all seven of us.”


  “… Oh.”


  Touched by their gesture, Roel felt a warmth in his heart. On the other hand, Wilhelmina hesitated for a moment before raising a familiar question.

  “About that… Do you want to join our Dawnbringer Order?”


  “Sure.”


  “Ah? R-really?”


  “What’s with your response? Do you not welcome me?”


  Roel returned the retort to her, causing Wilhelmina’s face to flush red. She quickly explained herself.

  “N-no, I’m just taken aback… What made you change your mind?”


  “I’ve never said that I wouldn’t join the Dawnbringer Order. I was just hesitant because I didn’t know your organization well. My reservations have mostly been dispelled now, and besides… in order to deal with the future doomsday prophecy, I believe there’s a need for us to unite our forces.”


  “Yes, I agree with that as well.”


  Wilhelmina nodded solemnly in agreement.

  The doomsday prophecy Roel mentioned referred to the prophecy made by the Tripartite Alliance and later affirmed by Wendy Arde about the upcoming catastrophe that would obliterate humankind.

  A sliver of hope had arisen in Wilhelmina’s heart following the unraveling of the third prophecy involving Roel. She wondered if the doomsday prophecy would somehow resolve itself too.

  However, Roel, who knew the truth behind the prophecies, dared not to let his guard down. Wendy had already proven her immeasurable talent as a high seer through her accurate three predictions regarding his fate, which lent credence to her affirmation of the doomsday prophecy.

  Not to mention, the doomsday prophecy initially came from the three of the strongest races of the Sia Continent.

  Despite the pessimistic situation, Roel didn’t lose hope.

  Prophecies and fate could definitely be changed, or else ‘Roel Ascart’ would have already been dead by now. The Tripartite Alliance wouldn’t have bothered prophesying the future and mentally torture themselves.

  Still, overcoming the doomsday prophecy wouldn’t be easy. For that reason, he needed to acquire greater strength and make more preparations, and he had ideas on how to go about it.

  “Mina, what do you think about letting others join the Dawnbringer Order too?”


  “Mi-Mina?! Don’t shorten my name at your own whim!”


  “My apologies. Your name was a little long, so I subconsciously… I’ll avoid calling you that if you detest it.”


  “N-no, I don’t detest it. I’m just not accustomed to it… Anyway, who are the ‘others’ you are talking about?”


  The flustered Wilhelmina quickly changed the topic.

  “I was referring to Nora, Charlotte, and the others. I wish to bring them into the Dawnbringer Order.”


  “…”


  Wilhelmina fell silent at that suggestion. She clearly harbored some reservations toward the women by Roel’s side. Seeing that, Roel tried to persuade her.

  “The doomsday prophecy came from the Tripartite Alliance. Don’t you think it’s weird to keep the descendants of the other two races in the dark? This is a fight for survival for us all; there’s nothing to gain from hiding the truth. It’d be better if we could pool our resources together and figure something out.

  “Be it the Theocracy or Rosa, they have resources that the Knight Kingdom lacks. They’ll be able to offer invaluable aid in times of need and complement the deficiencies of the Dawnbringer Order. They might be skeptical about the prophecy at the start, but I should be able to persuade them about it,” said Roel.

  “… I understand, but I have a condition.”