Chapter 4: Preparation
Niveus put on his preferred knight armor, a light-type armor that came not in a full suit but in parts and plates such as cuirass, gauntlets, pauldron, etc., connected to each other, allowing for freedom of movement.
The armor set also showed the Glacend knight signature: silver colored with a blue accent, a wolf-inspired pauldron on the left shoulder, and the emblem—consisting of a sword, a wolf, and a snowflake—on the cuirass.
Underneath the intricately crafted white mask, golden eyes shone under its shade. The gazes gave out a calm and chill aura.
Niveus gave the full-face helmet on the table one last look before closing the door and heading for his would-be companion in the mission.
While walking in the hall connecting the living quarters and the library, where Eliana would likely be, Niveus checked his Beacon Status.
>>[8th Class]<<
Name: Niveus Albus
Race: Human
Forte: [Sword Master]
Boons: [Sword Mastery], [Sword Mind]
Perks: [Aura Channel], [Physical Enhancement]
Redux Skills: -
===
Niveus sighed. He thought for a while and then called Nono.
"Nono, can you revert this rewritten information to its original version? It's been a long time since I saw it. I might have forgotten what my skills really are..."
["No can do, Niveus. It's a one-time use, remember? If I revert it now, it can't be concealed anymore."]
Scratching his hair, Niveus sighed.
'Well, it would be a trouble if someone found out.'
"Fine, let's keep it hidden until someone actually exposed me."
["Wise decision. You have me, Niveus. If you want to refresh your memory, I can help you. Like many, you have one Forte, namely [The Twilight]. It's a very powerful Forte someone can get. And as it's above Transcendent-rank, it mean you are the sole owner of this unique Forte."]
["However, having a high-rank Forte means having a higher difficulty for your Ascension Trance."]
"Oh right, I remember it now."
["Is that so?"]
"Yeah. But, I still have no idea about my Redux Skill, [Summon]. The description is vague. Do you really not know something about that, Nono?"
["All I know is that it's a very dangerous ability. You're not supposed to know about it, yet. Not now."]
Right after turning at the fork, Niveus asked, "Hmm... are you hiding something from me, Nono?"
["No, I don't. Why would you think so?"]
"I~ don't know... It's just my feeling. You're so protective of me these days, and I wonder why."
["Of course, I feel protective. You're my... host, after all. If you die, then I too will disappear."]
While walking in the hall, Niveus made sure to talk in a whisperly manner. It made a couple raise their eyebrows when they passed him shoulder to shoulder, but those who were far enough couldn't even tell if he was talking because of the mask.
Niveus turned left at the second fork and walked further until he saw stairways leading to the second floor.
After taking the stairs—on the second floor, he turned around to see a double door waiting for him to open them.
Opening the door, Niveus examined the room filled with bookshelves.
The space straight from the door to the desk where a librarian usually settled was open, with some tables neatly arranged, allowing visitors to locate the librarian quickly.
But to the left and right, every time Niveus had a chance to glance, he saw the maze-like arrangement of the bookshelf towers.
When he saw it, Niveus thought about how someone could reach a book placed up there.
"It's empty," Niveus spoke.
"Sure, it is," someone responded.
It was Eliana. She sat at the librarian's counter. Books piled up on her desk. Also, she wore glasses.
Sensing Niveus was staring at her, or rather, the pile of books on her desk, Eliana smiled sheepishly.
"Well, it's only me who fancies this kind of thing since I'm... you know, from an aristocratic family and was a noble lady."
Niveus shook his head. "You're the same as the commander."
"Really?!" Eliana lightened up.
"If she isn't, this room won't be built."
"Oh... that's true. The commander is a member of a duke family, isn't she?"
Niveus nodded.
"My, that means you're also?"
Sighing, Niveus placed his hands on his waist.
"Does it matter?"
"Of course!"
"Well, I'm not... never mind."
"I'm glad there's an aristocrat besides me in this fortress. I'm not used to talking to the commoner. I'm afraid I'll offend them with my words, so I rarely socialize with others."
"They don't care about nobility titles here and rarely get offended. Don't worry."
"If you say so. Anyway, why are you here, Niveus? Do you want to read some books?"
He gestured at his equipment, tapping on his wrist guard.
"A mission from the commander. She told me to form a group to survey the Monolith in the nearby village. Get ready and bring Alphonso with you in an hour. I'll be waiting at the front gate."
Staring at Niveus's back until he disappeared behind the door, Eliana's smile widened as she settled back into her chair. She placed a diary on the desk and continued writing on the recent register before preparing for the mission.
After 30 minutes of writing a diary, returning the books to their respective shelves, and preparing for the mission, Eliana locked the door and was ready to search for Alphonso.
But...
"He didn't tell me where I could find Alphonso..."
Thus, Eliana began searching for Alphonso. After 15 minutes, she found him swinging swords in the training grounds.
Approaching and notifying him of the mission, they set out to the front gate where Niveus waited.
They found Niveus talking to three people. Looking at their attires, it was safe to assume they were villagers.
Eliana was quick to raise an eyebrow after she noticed that. Her gaze locked on Niveus.
'He said to survey, but the villagers' faces said otherwise. It's wrong for them to come here if it's just a survey. Then... it must be a clearance mission.'
She nodded and clenched her fists motivatedly.
'There are two reasons why the villagers come here instead of posting a recruitment notice for the Trailblazers. One is they don't have money to put as a reward, so they come to Glacend to ask for the knight's free services. Two is that the appearing Monolith is a special case, like in the edge of cracking.'
'But I was told it's a recently formed Monolith, so it must be the former. Even though they could have notified the Global Alliance for money in exchange for information... they must be worried about the situation.'
Shaking her head, Eliana hastened her pace and reported to Niveus.
"Good. Let's continue the discussion on the road," Niveus said to the villagers.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone