Chapter 570: Mission Acplished
Later that day, the palace became noticeably more active.
News had already spread that Lucas had finally regained consciousness, and with Lechia now firmly back under allied control, people were moving with a renewed sense of purpose throughout the capital.
By afternoon, another group finally arrived through the palace gates.
Their arrival immediately drew attention.
The Emperor of Rus had reached Lechia at last.
Alongside him were Bartho, Darmian, the two Celestials from Blackmare who had acpanied the rescue operation, Patrick, and Patricia.
The journey had clearly taken its toll on all of them.
Their clothes bore signs of travel, exhaustion was visible on several faces, and the Emperor himself still looked frail despite having escaped Rus alive.
The moment they entered the palace grounds, attendants, guards, physicians, and servants moved into action.
The Emperor of Rus was immediately escorted away under heavy protection. Several healers were already waiting for him.
The old ruler had endured imprisonment, torture, starvation, and prolonged exposure to the suppressing collar around his neck. Even though he had escaped, his body was still in terrible condition.
The physicians wasted no time taking him away for treatment.
The allied rulers could not afford to lose him now.
Meanwhile, the rest of the group was directed toward the inner palace.
When they finally entered Lucas’s chamber, the atmosphere immediately became warmer.
Patrick was the first to spot him.
A grin spread across his face.
“You’re okay.”
Lucas couldn’t help smiling.
Patrick looked far better than the last time Lucas had seen him. The desperation that had haunted him throughout the Rus mission had eased considerably.
Patricia’s presence beside him explained why.
The young woman looked healthier than before, though the effects of her imprisonment were still visible.
When she noticed Lucas looking at her, she immediately bowed deeply.
“Thank you.”
Lucas shook his head.
“No need.”
“There is.”
Her voice trembled slightly.
“If not for you, Patrick would never have found me.”
Patrick looked away for a moment.
The mention of their mother still clearly hurt.
Lucas wisely didn’t bring it up.
Instead, his gaze shifted toward Bartho.
Then Darmian.
Then the two Blackmare Celestials.
The men looked worn but alive.
Which was honestly more than Lucas had dared hope for after everything that happened.
He nodded slowly.
“You pleted the mission.”
Bartho laughed.
“Barely.”
Darmian pulled over a chair and sat down heavily.
“I never want to sneak through another enemy capital again.”
That earned a few chuckles.
Even the usually serious Celestials from Blackmare smiled faintly.
Lucas looked around the group.
The memories of the operation returned clearly.
The infiltration.
The prison.
The rescue.
The pursuit.
The battles.
So many opportunities for things to go wrong.
And yet they had succeeded.
The Emperor of Rus was here.
Patrick had rescued his sister.
Lechia had been reclaimed.
The mission had worked.
Lucas nodded sincerely.
“You all did well.”
The room became quiet for a moment.
ing from Lucas, the praise clearly meant something.
After all, everyone in the room knew what he had sacrificed to make the mission succeed.
Bartho folded his arms.
“You did more than any of us.”
Darmian nodded.
The others agreed.
Lucas simply shrugged.
The discussion continued for a while as they recounted portions of the journey after escaping Rus. They described how Patrick had guided them through hidden routes, how they had avoided patrols, and how they eventually crossed back into safer territory.
The girls listened with interest.
Several details were new even to them.
Eventually, however, Lucas noticed something.
A missing presence.
His eyes moved across the room again.
Then once more.
A slight frown appeared on his face.
“Where’s Vorde?”
The question immediately changed the atmosphere.
The smiles faded.
The relaxed mood weakened.
Lucas noticed the shift instantly.
His stomach tightened.
Bartho and Darmian exchanged glances.
Patrick looked down.
The two Celestials became silent.
Lucas sat up slightly.
“What happened?”
Nobody answered immediately.
The silence itself was enough to make everyone unfortable.
Finally, Bartho spoke.
“We don’t know.”
Lucas stared at him.
Bartho exhaled slowly.
“When we reached the secret passage, the pursuit was getting too close.”
Lucas remembered.
Vorde had stayed behind.
He had insisted on holding them off.
Bartho continued.
“He wouldn’t let me stay with him.”
A brief bitterness entered his voice.
“I tried.”
Nobody doubted that.
Everyone knew Bartho.
If anyone would insist on staying beside a friend during a hopeless fight, it would be him.
But Vorde had refused.
Bartho looked toward the floor.
“He said he’d catch up.”
The room remained silent.
Darmian spoke next.
“He knew another escape route.”
“We waited for him,” Patrick added quietly.
“How long?” Lucas asked.
“As long as we could.”
Patrick’s expression darkened.
“We couldn’t remain there forever. We were escorting the Emperor.”
Lucas knew that.
The Emperor’s survival had taken priority.
If they delayed too long, they risked losing everything.
Still…
His chest felt heavy.
“So he never came.”
Bartho slowly shook his head.
“No.”
Lucas lowered his gaze.
The room had bee pletely silent now.
Even the Ice Belle had stopped talking.
Nobody wanted to say what they were all thinking.
Vorde had remained behind alone.
Against an army.
Against Celestials.
Inside enemy territory.
The odds were horrifying.
Yet…
Lucas couldn’t bring himself to believe Vorde was dead.
Not yet.
The man was stubborn beyond reason.
Too stubborn.
Too difficult to kill.
He had survived situations that should have ended him long ago.
Lucas leaned back slowly.
“Did anyone hear anything afterward?”
Darmian shook his head.
“Nothing.”
“Any reports?”
“No.”
“Rumors?”
“No.”
Again, silence filled the room.
Lucas stared toward the window.
The sun was beginning to set outside.
His thoughts drifted toward the last time he had seen Vorde.
The man had stood in that passageway pletely prepared to face impossible odds.
Not because he wanted glory.
Not because he wanted recognition.
Simply because someone had to do it.
And he had chosen himself.
Lucas clenched his fist slightly beneath the blanket.
A part of him felt responsible.
Another part refused to accept the uncertainty.
Finally, he looked back toward the others.
“Until we know otherwise…”
His voice was calm.
“…I’m assuming he’s alive.”
Nobody argued.
Not because they necessarily believed it.
But because they wanted to.
The conversation continued for a while longer, drifting away from Vorde and toward other matters surrounding the mission. Even so, the uncertainty lingered quietly in the back of everyone’s mind.
Nobody said it aloud.
Nobody wanted to.
The absence of Vorde was impossible to ignore.
Eventually, Lucas pushed those thoughts aside.
There would be time later to investigate, to gather information, and hopefully find answers.
For now, there were more immediate matters demanding his attention.
He looked around the room at the men who had acpanied him into Rus.
Patrick.
Bartho.
Darmian.
The two Blackmare Celestials.
Each of them had risked their lives countless times during the operation.
More than once, any one of them could have died.
The mission had only succeeded because every single person had fulfilled their role.
Lucas slowly sat forward.
His injuries still protested the movement, but he ignored them.
“I haven’t properly thanked all of you.”
The room grew quiet.
Patrick immediately waved a hand dismissively.
“There is no need.”
“There is.”
Lucas’s tone was firm.
He looked at each of them individually.
“We entered the heart of enemy territory. We rescued the Emperor of Rus. We escaped a city that wanted us dead. We got the mission done.”
His gaze settled on Patrick.
“You got your sister back.”
Patrick lowered his eyes briefly.
Lucas looked toward Bartho and Darmian.
“You both could have left Vorde behind long before that passageway. Instead, you stayed with him until the last possible moment.”
Neither man said anything.
Lucas then nodded toward the two Celestials.
“And without your strength, none of us would’ve even made it out of Rus alive.”
The two men exchanged glances.
One of them finally smiled faintly.
“ing from you, that’s worth hearing.”
A few chuckles spread through the room.
The mood lightened again.
Lucas smiled.
“Regardless, thank you.”
This time nobody argued.
Because they could tell he genuinely meant it.
The silence that followed was fortable.
For a brief moment, everyone simply enjoyed the fact that they were alive.
After everything they had endured.
After all the battles.
After all the losses.
Simply being alive felt like an acplishment.
Eventually, Lucas turned his attention toward another matter.
The King and the Empress.
They had undoubtedly been informed that he was awake.
More importantly, there were things he needed to discuss with them immediately.
The rescue of the Emperor of Rus changed everything.
The reinforcements arriving from other kingdoms changed everything.
And Ken’s defeat at Lechia had shifted the balance of the war.
Lucas slowly swung his legs off the side of the bed.
Several girls immediately looked concerned.
“Xavier…” Selene began.
“I’m fine.”
“You were unconscious for two days.”
“I’m still fine.”
“You were tortured.”
Lucas looked at her.
She wasn’t wrong.
Still, he couldn’t remain in bed forever.
The Ice Belle folded her arms.
“You should rest.”
Lucas looked at her.
“You literally flew to Rus, fought Ken, became a tornado, nearly collapsed, flew back here exhausted, and then told everyone you were the strongest. You should be the one resting.”
The room erupted into laughter.
The Ice Belle immediately looked offended.
“That’s different.”
“It isn’t.”
“It absolutely is.”
Lucas laughed.
Even the Ice Belle couldn’t stop a small smile from appearing.
Eventually, Lucas stood up.
His body felt weak pared to normal, but the healing he had received from Jennifer and the Empress was extraordinary. He was nowhere near full strength, but he could walk fortably.
Nyx stepped forward.
“I’ll take you.”
Lucas nodded.
“Good.”
The others remained behind while Lucas and Nyx left the chamber together.
For several minutes neither Lucas nor Nyx spoke.
Eventually they reached the section of the palace reserved for royal meetings.
Guards immediately opened the large doors upon seeing them approach.
Nyx stopped beside the entrance.
“They’re inside.”
Lucas nodded once.
Then he stepped forward and entered to meet the King and the Empress.
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