The only sound marking the silence was the rhythmic dripping of water against the stone walls.

Inside the damp cell, the man chained to the wall—the leader of the bandits—slowly opens his eyes. Beyond his blurred vision, there is no one past the iron bars. But in the next moment, heavy footsteps echo through the corridor.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

A steady, unwavering pace. The walk of someone who knows the battlefield.

Eventually, the footsteps stop in front of the cell, followed by the short scrape of a key. The door creaks open. Standing in the shaft of light is a woman.

Silver-white armor. A cloak fluttering from her shoulders. And cold, blue eyes.

"...Are you awake, bandit leader?"

Serena Valdiere, the Captain of the 7th Valkyrie Knights, renowned as the strongest in the kingdom, steps casually into the cell.

Her gaze is sharp, looking down at the man as if appraising his value.

"Your comrades have been wiped out. There is nowhere to run."

Her voice is flat, devoid of emotion. A cold resonance that simply presents the facts.

The man at the end of the chains says nothing. But his eyes are not dead.

Meeting that gaze, Serena narrows her eyes slightly.

"...Those eyes. You haven't broken yet, I see."

She closes the distance by one step. The sound of her armor rubbing together echoes loudly.

"Now then—how long do you intend to resist?"

As she asks, she observes him intently. His breathing, his gaze, the tension in his muscles. As if measuring everything.

And for just a fleeting second—

The corner of her lip twitches slightly.

A faint smile, so subtle no one would notice.

(...You've still got that look in your eyes, Boss.)

Deep within, a different voice whispers.

(You haven't given up even in this mess... then—)

In the next instant, she returns to the perfect face of the "Knight Captain."

"Answer me. Silence only diminishes your value."

Though she speaks coldly, a testing light dwells deep within her pupils.

—The kingdom is beginning to be stolen. From the inside, without anyone noticing.

But as of yet, no one knows. Except for the female knights within these castle walls.