After passing through the wide corridor, their footsteps echoed faintly between the walls. On either side of the passage, massive rooms with dark iron doors were spread out. Some doors were tightly shut, while others were slightly ajar, revealing fleeting glimpses of the interiors...
At the midpoint of the corridor, they stopped in front of a huge door, wider than any other, made of sleek titanium.
With a light touch from Sir Claude, it slowly opened, revealing a spacious room with a high ceiling and walls adorned with the same golden decorations.
In the center of the room was a large, circular iron table with a polished surface, surrounded by several high-backed chairs. On the right side, there was a large stone fireplace, while the opposite wall was covered with shelves filled with books and ancient maps.
In the far corner stood an old golden armor mounted on a metal stand, glowing faintly under the dim light.
Claude walked over to the shelves filled with massive volumes. He reached out steadily and pulled out a heavy tome, then headed to the iron table and dropped it there.
"Well, this is the guard's record. There's one like it in all twelve fortresses," he said in a calm but weighty and responsible tone.
Egologia glanced at the tome before looking back at Claude.
"Adding you here doesn't mean you've officially become a guard. Things aren't that simple. It's... deeper than that, and not as easy as you might think."
Claude continued in a firm tone, "But there's a positive side to it. You're someone with no notable achievements... and that's exactly what we can exploit."
Egologia raised an eyebrow: "Hah! That's what I was getting at, Claude. You understand me!"
"Sir Claude."
"Oh yes, Sir Claude."
Frank entered the room after placing the unconscious guards in a suitable room. He noticed the record book and said in a protesting tone:
"Don't tell me you're just going to add him there, Sir! That's unreasonable, and you know it well!"
Then he added, patting Egologia on the shoulder:
"Why not just have him participate in the Battles of Joining? The Sky War is intensifying, and the war with those stinking monsters too. There are plenty of battles for joining!"
Egologia muttered to himself: 'Battles?' Then he spoke aloud: "Oh yes, Battles! What are they like? When... I mean, how do they start?"
Claude noticed Egologia's hints well. It was clear he didn't want to appear or draw attention...
But the shocking response came quickly:
"Well, no problem. Official entry then... I'll participate in the guard's battel!"
Claude stepped back slightly, whispering to himself: 'Wait! What is he planning? He's completely contradicting himself...'
Frank, with a wide smile: "See, Sir? It's simple, and the man is enthusiastic!"
Sir Claude, calmly: "Oh, yes... of course. Let it be so."
But inside, doubts lingered... "What is he planning? To showcase his blood maga? That could cause a stir! Does he intend to participate without using maga? Impossible, they won't accept him..."
But Egologia seemed completely confident in his decision. As if he knew exactly what he was getting into...
Claude, after a moment of silence: "Well then, so be it. I'll take you later to one... or request one to be made."
Egologia: "See? Everything is going exactly as it should! Well, I'm hungry... that disgusting monster food..."
Claude looked at him, then at the table in front of him. From an inconspicuous drawer, he pulled out a plate containing an ostrich thigh—or something like it—well-cooked but now cold.
Frank, surprised: "But... that's your personal rest meal!"
Sir Claude, indifferently: "Well, he won't eat all of it..."
But Egologia, with his usual speed, devoured the food before he could finish his sentence.
"Hey! Fuck your gluttony, you disgusting thing, you're devouring everything!"
Egologia, chewing with pleasure: "Cheers! Ahhh, it's really delicious..."
For the first time, Egologia felt the taste of food in [Life 0]... and it was an experience that carried with it a hint of longing...
A hint of life.
His first day there passed, or perhaps it was three full days. Three days during which he felt like a human being—eating, breathing, and moving under Claude's strict supervision. That supervision, that feeling of being alive, was something he had longed for.
But, by nature, he found it difficult to adapt to this place.
He was in the Guards' Fortress. A massive building bustling with coming and going in the night. He wondered to himself: Did they know who he was? How would he handle their conversations? These were always the first days in every new life he embarked on—days filled with caution, lies, intelligence, wordplay... and also attempts to live.
Perhaps not all his lives had started in such a constrained way, but he was always prepared. Someone who had lived a hundred lives, each with its own lifespan, must have learned how to control the early days and assert his presence in them.
He had answered Claude's questions—questions about the amphibious monsters, about the people of Vardisia. His answers were superficial, unsatisfactory, but enough to silence Claude.
Yet, through Claude's words, Egologia understood that he was in one of the fortresses. They were advancing, and that fortress was nothing more than a mobile battlefield. They were exploiting the Sky War to destroy everything.
At that moment, Egologia realized the magnitude of the disaster he had found himself in. He was in a true royal fortress. And despite escaping, he couldn't deny the truth—until now... this would be his greatest achievement in this life.