Aleric was thinking about what to do when a soldier immediately came toward them and kneeled before him. "My lord! Someone wants to meet you."
Aleric felt confused, and the others also looked at the soldier in confusion. Who would want to meet Lord Aleric at this moment?
The soldier took out a crest. It was the crest of the direct lineage of the Valerius family. Aleric immediately understood. His eyes widened in surprise, and he asked at once, "Where is he?"
The soldier bowed and said, "He is here, waiting outside the city!"
Aleric immediately said, "Bring him here to the city wall. I can't leave my post . The enemy could appear at any time."
The soldier left to bring the person back.
After a few more moments, the soldier returned with the person. It was Aldric ; Silas's personal guardian, just as Zephiron was Aleric's.
Aldric kneeled before Aleric and said, "Greetings, Margrave Aleric."
Aleric immediately helped Aldric to stand on his feet and asked, "Aldric, what are you doing here? Why aren't you with Silas? Isn't it your duty to protect him?"
Aldric chuckled. "My lord, you know my master well. The moment he heard the news that you were disowned by the family, he became furious. He even said he'd change the rule during his ceremony a few days later. He asked me to come here and give you something..."
Aleric smiled. He knew his brother .Silas could even kill for him. He would never allow anyone to disrespect him. And Aleric believed in his brother completely.
Zephiron, Corvin, Lucan, and even Varrus were listening carefully. To them, Lord Silas had always been normal . He is sickly since childhood. What help could he possibly send?
Torin stood alone at the side, waiting to see what Aldric had brought.
Aldric took out a small vial of golden pills. "My master told me to give you this. He said it is a medicine that can even heal people on the verge of death."
Everyone sighed. Aleric was somewhat surprised. Just a few days ago, his brother had contacted the Sylveria Archduchy to send special medicines whennhe was in Tiger village. Where did he get the same kind of medicines again?
He opened the vial to check what was inside. But the moment he opened it, he froze. His hand shook. There were at least a million of those small golden pills inside. This small vial was actually a space artifact, like their space pouches.
He suddenly laughed out loud. "Hahaha! My brother really is something! He's sent me a truly good gift..."
Everyone looked at Aleric in surprise. What had Lord Silas sent that made him this happy?
Aleric immediately poured half the pills into a spare space pouch and handed it to Lucan. "General Lucan, immediately give this medicine to every injured soldier. You'll be surprised when you see what's inside."
He didn't fully believe in the potency yet, but they lacked medicine, and Silas had sent this. It would have to do.
General Lucan accepted the pouch, checked inside, and was also stunned. He immediately left for the city with General Varrus to distribute the medicine.
Inside the medical tents, the air was thick with groans. Men lay with deep sword wounds, broken bones, and burns from beast claws. Healers were pressing cloth to stop bleeding, but they were running out of everything.
General Lucan and General Varrus already reached inside the tent,
Lucan took out the first golden pill and placed it on the tongue of a soldier whose stomach had been torn open. The man was pale, barely breathing.
The pill melted instantly.
Golden light spread from his throat to his chest. In front of everyone's eyes, the torn flesh began to knit together. Muscle reformed, skin closed, and in less than ten seconds, the gaping wound was gone leaving only fresh pink skin.
The soldier gasped and sat up. "I... I'm not in pain anymore?"
Varrus's hand shook. He quickly gave a pill to another. A man whose leg had been crushed. The bone straightened with a soft crack, the swelling vanished, and the soldier stood up on his own.
Lucan's hands were trembling now. He moved from cot to cot. Giving out one pill per soldier...
Within half an hour, over three thousand critically injured men were walking. Not just healed ,they looked stronger than before, their skin glowing faintly gold.
General Varrus stared at the pouch in his hand, dumbfounded. "Where... where did Lord Silas find these miracle medicines?"
Lucan couldn't answer. His own hands were shaking in fear and awe.
They rushed back to the city wall and told Aleric everything. Aleric was stunned.
For the last thousand years, only the Sylveria family had been able to produce miracle medicines and even they could only make a few hundred a year, each worth a fortune.
Now Silas had just given them same kind of medicines in millions.
Aleric looked toward the north, where his brother would be, and felt immense respect swell in his chest. "Silas... you've truly grown up."
Torin, standing beside him, whispered, "My lord, with this... we won't lose a single man tonight."
Aleric said looking at him, "No. Tonight, we won't just defend. We'll crush them."
Aleric clenched the vial, his eyes turning sharp. He looked toward the desert and murmured, "I can't let my brother down... not after receiving this huge gift from him. If Silas believes in me, then I'll win this war for him."
***
In Argent Spire
Only 3 days were left before Silas's ceremony. He wanted his brother to attend it too...
So he was going to leave the academy today.
Draven stood beside him, looking like a sad puppy, while his friends Rhys, Jacob, Kael, and Theron all came to say goodbye.
After learning the terrifying truth from Silas that high-ranking nobles were involved in the attacks on academy students and the changes in the dungeons . They all became serious. They decided to fight alongside Silas.
Silas looked at Draven and chuckled. He said to him, "Why are you pouting now? I'll return after my work with my family is done."
Draven still frowned. "Babe! I'm telling you, let me come with you... I promise I'll listen to you in front of your family."
Silas shook his head. "No, Draven. It's not time yet. I'll take you there later. This time I'm going back for something I need to do."
Draven nodded, then leaned in and kissed him hard on the lips.
Kael sneered, "Heh! Stop ruining the atmosphere here... we're also here."
Rhys poked him with his elbow to make him stop, and Kael shut up from the pain.
Theron and Jacob just chuckled, watching them.
Silas pulled away from Draven. Draven sneered at Kael, "You're just jealous of us. You can't do that with Rhys!"
Kael looked at Rhys like a little puppy. Rhys sneered back, "Don't even think about it..."
Kael glared at Draven in anger.
Silas chuckled and looked at everyone. "Please take care of Draven for me. And make yourselves stronger if you want to fight against those filthy nobles."
Everyone nodded. Silas took a trained horse from the academy. He couldn't take a flying beast for himself... not yet.
He looked at Draven one last time, then nodded. Without saying another word, he left the academy.
Draven watched his disappearing figure with firm eyes. In just a few days, Silas had become a part of his life. Today, it felt as if a piece of his own body was being torn away.
The same thing happened to Silas. He didn't even look back at Draven. He knew if he looked at him for even a second longer, he wouldn't be able to leave.
After running his horse a long distance from the academy, a sudden gust of wind passed his mount then circled Silas and his horse, keeping pace steadily at his side.
Silas chuckled. "Zephyr, come out..."
The wind shivered.
Right next to his stirrup, the air tore like thin silk. No flash, no sound. Just a ripple in the void, as if the world took a breath in.
From that ripple, Zephyr stepped out.
He wasn't summoned like a beast. He arrived like weather.
A tall, slender figure made of living wind, his form half-transparent. He is a Sylph, a wind creature. His long hair that flowed upward as if underwater, the color of storm clouds at dawn. His skin shimmered faintly, etched with pale silver lines like wind currents. Two long, feathered ears twitched, and his eyes are clear, pale green held the quiet mischief of a sky before a storm.
He wore no armor, only loose wrappings of cloud-white cloth that never stopped moving, fluttering even though there was no breeze. Around his ankles and wrists, thin rings of air spun lazily, chiming softly.
Zephyr hovered a handspan above the ground, matching the horse's gallop effortlessly. The dust didn't even stir beneath him.
He tilted his head and grinned. "You took long enough to call me, Master. I was getting bored in the void."
Zephyr had actually came to him while he was still in the academy. But Silas couldn't order him to come out of the void in front of the others.
Now, miles away from Argent Spire, with only the open road around them, Silas finally let him appear.
"Stop messing around, Zephyr!" Silas said, his voice steady. "Tell me what happened. Why did you come to me?"
The sylph's playful grin faded. He hovered closer, the wind around him dropping to a whisper.
Zephyr described everything — the siege at the Red Fort Margraviate, the lack of medicine, the soldiers falling one by one, and how Aleric refused to leave the wall even when the enemy was at the gates. He even told him about the Presence of General Kaine and General Hadrian.
Silas listened in silence, his grip tightening on the reins. When Zephyr finished, his eyes were cold.
"Don't worry," Silas said quietly. "Selene and Aldric are there. They'll take care of Aleric. And I'm heading toward them too... come with me."
Zephyr nodded, his hair lifting as the wind around him stirred again.
Then, with a flick of his wrist, Zephyr placed his palms near the horse's legs. Pale green wind spiraled down, wrapping around the hooves and fetlocks like living ribbons.
The horse neighed in power...
In the next breath, they shot forward.
The world blurred. Trees became streaks, the road vanished beneath them. The wind screamed past Silas's ears, but around him it was calm . Zephyr's barrier holding steady.
They moved so fast that to any normal person watching from a field, it would have looked like a sudden gust of wind kicking up some dust on the road. Nothing more...
Silas leaned low over the saddle, his cloak snapping behind him. "Faster."
Zephyr laughed, the sound carried on the gale. "As you command, Master."