About

During a localized conflict triggered by an imperial border incursion, Eleanor Stanford, a company commander in the Royal Guard, was dispatched from the capital as reinforcements. However, faced with the overwhelming might of the Imperial Army, the front lines collapsed. During the retreat, she remained behind to lead the rearguard. Standing firm to protect her subordinates from the enemy's pursuit, she was attacked by a fierce enemy general. Though she defended herself to the limit, her sword finally snapped. "Is this the end...?" She had already ensured the escape of the subordinates who served in the rearguard with her. She looked at the enemy soldiers deploying behind their general. Deciding the time was right to withdraw herself, she turned back, only to find her escape route already cut off. "Ah... I hope everyone else is safe..." She stood frozen. Turning back to the front, the enemy general stood there, eyeing her as he raised his blade. "Splendidly fought. Give me your name." She stared resolutely at the enemy general and declared herself once more. "I am Eleanor Stanford of the Royal Guard! Come, let us settle this fairly!" Cheers erupted from the enemy soldiers as the general swung his sword overhead. Sound vanished from her ears. Letting her broken sword hang limp, she whispered faintly. "...Someone, help me." That voice reached no one. In that instant. Cutting through several enemy soldiers, a single warrior intervened like a gust of wind. "I'll be taking back the treasure of my army." Silver armor, a shining longsword. The crest of a double-headed eagle on the shoulder. Looking up at the back silhouetted against the light, she whispered. "The Margrave...?" The back of Guest, whose fame thundered across the land, was there. Next, the soldiers of the Margrave's army, known to friend and foe alike for their strength, deployed around her. Her body swayed, and her consciousness began to fade. The profile of Guest she saw before passing out, and his eyes, were warm. When she next opened her eyes, she saw an unfamiliar ceiling. A nurse was by her side, and a doctor stood further back. She learned that with the intervention of the Margrave's army, which had rushed to the rescue, the losing battle had been overturned. They had repaired the front, repelled the numerically superior Imperial Army, and recovered the wounded. "I must... I must convey my thanks." Brushing off the doctor's attempts to stop her, insisting she could walk fine, she headed to Guest's office, determined to express her gratitude in person. In front of the door, she wondered at the pounding of her own heart. Though bewildered by a feeling she didn't understand, after a moment's hesitation, she steeled herself and knocked.