The estate of Savaniel Volduriaz, positioned in a well-off town near the border of Kaien, was a rather small estate for someone of his wealth. A simple mansion with three floors filled with elegant, yet simplistic furniture, it was a building that was usually devoid of guests. Savaniel, outside of a few specialized servants he employed for the upkeep of his house, lived alone, rarely staying in the building for anything other than to sleep, dine, and occasionally entertain any guests that may pay the Grand Master a visit. His estate ground were communal fields now, for the usage of the poorer citizens in that bordertown. It could even be said that his mere presence was what had caused the town of Isriel to go being below the poverty line to rising into more of the more influential towns in Kaien, with its close proximity to the battlefield, and thus, to loot. They were all still third-class citizens with no protection from the Church, but the simple fact that someone of his position had decided to make his home there meant that the town was 'safe', and could 'prosper'.

Such was the obligation, the duty of the nobles and knights. To protect those that were weaker than them, and to become stronger than those that were stronger than them. The young Grand Master had even began instructing the citizens of Isriel in the art of war, casually using his money and influence to purchase enough swords that every male adult citizen could be armed, as well as get some of his friends in the army to spare some time for their instruction. Of course, not all the sergeants he asked particularly enjoyed that idea, but then again, a large amount of them owed him favors.

And when someone who was under the direct command of one of the military leaders of the whole Kaien army asked you to do something, generally, it was a smart idea to do it.

It was hazy that day, the sun filtered by the heavy, gray clouds above Isriel, but for once, those clouds weren't caused by some massive conflagration of fire in the battlefield, and instead, were natural. On the balcony of his home, Savaniel leaned against the marble railings as he watched the town below move. It had only been a few years since he moved to this town, and already, there seemed to be improvements to infrastructure. The buildings were getting repaired, and dirt roads were being replaced by paved ones. People were dressed in clothing that didn't look twelve years old, and the filtration system for the once-muddy river was now clear, or at least clean enough to drink without risking your health. Things were improving. If it continued like this, maybe one day, the weak would become strong enough to care for themselves. He had already seen some potential in the militia he had trained and sponsored in his spare time. Maybe in another year, he could move in to a different town. God knows that he's already spent enough money on weapons.

Just continually fortifying the borders of Kaien. That was what Savaniel did in his free time now. Maybe the Church didn't see this, but he did. The stronger Kaien's borders were, the stronger the country was as a whole. It would do them no favors to make the boundaries of Kaien blurry.

As he took in a deep breath, Savaniel reconfirmed his noblesse oblige, a wind filled with the scents of fire and death washing over from the century-old battlefield of the three warring nations.

[b]“Master,”[/b] an elderly butler said, bowing as he stepped into the balcony, [b]“A message has been received from Her Holiness, Grand Priestess Heartford. Shall I place the letter in your study, or do you desire to read it immediately?”[/b]

Savaniel turned around, already confident in regards to the contents of the letter. Extending his left hand and allowing his servant to delicately place the sealed letter into his hand, the Grand Master held out his right, pinching his thumb and index finger together, before making a pulling motion. A thread of light seemed to appear, extending inbetween his two fingers, before a small opening was made. From within that 'hole' another location could be seen, that of an armoury filled with an endless assortment of weapons. Releasing the thread, he reached into that hole and pulled out a curved dagger with an obsidian blade, enchanted so that it was invisible when thrown.

He dismissed his servant with a slight nod of acknowledgement, and the old man bowed once more, before shuffling away. He ran the sharp blade against the seal and broke it, before extracting the letter within. A simple, military document, signed with the only signature that he needed to acknowledge. He scanned the contents of the message, and breathed deeply, sealing any reaction he may have had to the news. It was a mutual ceasefire between the three nations in consideration to the monster that had appeared amidst a skirmish between some soldiers. Even when provoked by the Thao soldiers, it had not given chase, so it was not just a mindless beast. There had been an agreement between all nations that they would work together to kill a common enemy before resuming their deathmatches, but still...something like that seemed to be...what was it again? Ah, that's right. Savaniel thought that the ceasefire was pointless. The recruitment method was useless, and would only serve to attract glory-hungry warriors who knew not the value of their lives, nor the limits of the strengths.

All future operations of the Priestess's Guard would be stalled for the duration of this ceasefire. That was also an order that displeased him. As long as the ceasefire continued, their true enemies would be able to recover during this time of peace, able to use this time-out to further their internal agendas.

His fist clenched, crushing the parchment in his hands. That was the only sign of displeasure the young master showed as he walked back into his study. Sitting down on a hard, wooden chair, he brought out a communication rune linked specifically to that of the Grand Priestess, overlapping it with the the sword-shaped mark etched on his desk. Running his mana through it, a white light radiating through the marks, the young man waited a few seconds, before his leader responded.

In a calm tone, like a glacier on a clear day, Roza Heartford said, [b]“Good day, Grand Master Volduriaz. I presume this is about the ceasefire?”[/b]

Though she couldn't see him, Savaniel bowed regardless.[b] “You presume correctly, High Priestess. I'll keep it brief then. Why is it that the extermination of the monster is left to volunteers? Surely, the faster we end the ceasefire, the less time Thao and Doniaeth would have to recover.”

“Oh, and what about our own recovery, Savaniel?”

“We don't need rest. Send the Grand Masters to take care of this problem. It should be more than enough to exterminate that monster.”

“It may not be wise for the Kaien army to reveal all their cards so rashly, wouldn't it?”

“But we will most definitely lose more soldiers if we do something as utterly inane as ask for glory-seeking volunteers to fight, Roza,”[/b] he said, his fist clenching, this time glad that she couldn't see his eyes.

[b]“Well, the decision has already been made, Grand Master. An old friend pitched the idea, and it was quickly accepted amongst those who had a say in our decision. Interesting, how such a method was decided before anything else was suggested, isn't it?”

“Roza...”

“But don't forget that this is based on a volunteer basis, Savaniel. No one will be barred from partaking in this hunt. Now if you would excuse me, I have other things to attend to.”

“...”

“Make sure you fulfill your noblesse oblige, my knight.”[/b]

And with that, the white light faded, leaving the room dark again, a monotonous study. Savaniel took in another deep breath, this time of the musty, stagnant air in the rarely used room. Then, he walked out, his green eyes clear and sharp. With a snap of his fingers, a younger, raven-haired butler appeared, draping a white fur cloak over his shoulders. He fastened the golden threads around his neck, before calling out to the red-headed gardener to prepare his horse. His shoes came on next, his feet sliding easily into the well-worn leather boots, before a blonde maid opened the down for him, bowing as the master of the house left. Taking the reins from the gardener, he hopped onto the spotted stallion's back and snapped the reins, sending the horse off towards the larger cities.

Roza Heartford, as always, was right. If no one else was going to listen to you, just to it yourself.

After all, that was how he reached where he was today.