CHAPTER 265: THE WAR-FORGED PAST [PART 1]

A few hours later...

"This is bad, Latifa," Alex said. "Like, really bad."

Their battle against the Barbarians had yet to end. The latter had merely retreated a good distance away from the Fortress, waiting for the next opportunity to attack.

It was fortunate that the Dwarven Warriors reacted in time and had sent reinforcements to the Western Gate at the crucial moment. Otherwise, the fortress might’ve fallen.

After all, the Barbarians had played tricks, catching them unprepared. No doubt that the defenders played their role well, but they were eventually overwhelmed from behind their ranks.

The Reavers from different teams had moved in unison, knowing this was a crucial time in the war.

Fokar’s team had been an exception, detouring for the Princess’ room since they were closest to it.

The Princess they initially failed to find in her quarters now sat in a room located within the inner part of the fortress, guarded by her two shield maidens, and Fokar and his subordinates.

Earlier, she had asked the others to give them space for a while, as she wanted to talk with Alex—or in their eyes, Kael.

Although her request seemed inappropriate—for she was a princess and the other was a mere apprentice smith, no one said anything and quietly complied. Those close to the pair knew that they were childhood sweethearts, and they also trusted that Kael knew what to and what not to do.

"You’re right." Latifa sighed. "This synchronization thing is scary. I can’t use my powers nor can I call out to Lotte and Lumi. My storage ring is also nowhere to be found, and I can’t use my items."

The young lady then looked at Alex, her face a little red, and her heart beating faster inside her chest.

"Also, I think this girl, Princess Yvraine, is rather fond of her childhood friend, Kael," Latifa said as she lowered her head to avoid looking directly at Alex.

Just being in the same room with him had increased her synchronization rate, which made her heart skip a beat.

"How high is your synchronization rate right now, Latifa?" Alex inquired.

"It’s 35%," Latifa answered. "How about you?"

"34%," Alex answered. "It increased by 2% after we hugged, and 1% after we entered this room."

"Yes, the same happened to me," Latifa stated. "And every time it happens, I feel like I’m becoming one with Yvraine. I act and speak subconsciously without meaning to. Alex, will we lose ourselves completely if the synchronization rate increases to 100%?"

"The possibility exists," Alex nodded. "Perhaps we need to do something in this trial before we completely reach that stage. Like a goal... or something that will complete a mission."

As if waiting for that moment, Alex once again heard a notification sound inside his head.

And this time, he saw a blue window screen appear in front of him.

———

[You Have Unlocked An Arcana Quest!]

[Quest Name: The War-Forged Past]

— First part of 3 Chain Quests.

[Mission: Defeat the Barbarian King and his army.]

— The mission will fail if Princess Yvraine dies.

— The mission will fail if Kael dies.

Mission Rewards: ???

Mission Failure: Death by Decapitation

[Optional Mission ]

— Awaken the Verdant Throne

Optional Mission Rewards: ???

———

"An Arcana Quest?"

The one who spoke wasn’t Alex but Latifa.

A confused expression graced the young lady’s face as this was the first time a blue window appeared before her.

Alex was just as surprised, albeit for a different reason. He didn’t think that someone aside from him would receive a mission notification in this manner.

Unbeknownst to Alex, all Arcana Quests had this format. Regardless of who, the ones who stumble upon them would receive a notification the same way he normally did as if guided by a higher power.

"Failure to do the mission is... huh?!" Latifa’s face turned pale when she saw the information written on the status screen.

"It’s death by decapitation, right?" Alex commented, reading what was written on his window screen.

"Oh... did you get this weird message too?" Latifa looked at Alex anxiously. "The penalty for me is different. If this mission fails, I will become the Barbarian King’s concubine and become his slave for life."

Alex shuddered after hearing Latifa’s reply.

’Barbarian King... I initially had no grudge against you. But you asked for it. It’s personal now,’ Alex clenched his fists. ’I’m going to kill you even if it’s the last thing I do!’

He was more concerned about Latifa becoming the Barbarian King’s concubine slave than his own death by decapitation!

——

Alex took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down despite the storm of emotions brewing inside him.

He couldn’t afford to lose his cool now. Especially not when his and Latifa’s lives were literally on the line.

"Alright," Alex said, his voice steady. "First, we need to figure out how to stop our synchronization rate from rising. If it keeps rising every time we interact, we’ll lose control before the real battle even starts."

Latifa nodded, clutching her chest where her heart was pounding wildly. "But what can we do? It’s not like we can stay away from each other in this situation."

Alex’s eyes narrowed as he mulled over their predicament. Then, a glimmer of realization struck him.

"This trial is called The War-Forged Past, right? It’s forcing us to relive Princess Yvraine’s, and Kael’s memories," Alex said. "Maybe the synchronization isn’t just a curse... maybe it’s a key."

Latifa tilted her head. "A key to what?"

"To understand the past of the people we are currently portraying. To unlock their regrets," Alex answered. "Maybe we need to resolve something they couldn’t. That might be the real condition for clearing this quest."

Suddenly, the ground rumbled. Dust trickled from the ceiling, and the distant sounds of war drums echoed through the stone halls of the fortress.

"They’re coming again," Latifa said, her voice tense.

Alex glanced at the quest window still floating before him. The optional mission caught his eye.

Awaken the Verdant Throne.

"What is the Verdant Throne?" Alex asked.

Latifa’s brows furrowed. "It’s an ancient relic... a living throne said to have the power to command nature itself. Yvraine’s family guarded it for generations. It’s located somewhere in this fortress, or maybe the mountain where this fortress is built. I just don’t have enough of Yvraine’s memories to know where it is."

"Then we’ll find it," Alex declared. "If we can awaken that throne, maybe we can stop the Barbarians and end this synchronization madness at the same time."

"But we’re running out of time," Latifa murmured, looking down at her trembling hands. "Our synchronization rates are already above 30%. Once we hit 50%, I’m afraid we’ll start losing control of who we are..."

"Then let’s make sure we finish this before that happens," Alex said firmly. "Latifa, you’re not going to become anyone’s concubine. I’ll stake my life on it."

The young lady felt her face flush but nodded with a determined glint in her eyes. She extended her hand toward Alex.

"Together?" Latifa asked.

Alex grasped her hand without hesitation. "Together."

The two stared at each other’s eyes, as if being drawn by something they had been holding back all this time.

The synchronization rate surged immediately.

———

Synchronization Rate increased by 2%

Current Synchronization Rate: 36%

Note: Careful there, bro. At this rate, something else might rise, and it’s certainly not the Shield Hero.

———

Although the familiar notification sound notified them of the increase, neither of them flinched. The warmth of each other’s hands was a promise, not a threat.

Alex even forgot about the weird note at the end, which never happened before.

A knock echoed from the door. Fokar’s voice followed. "Kael, the Barbarians have resumed their attacks. We need to go."

Alex’s eyes flashed with resolve. "I will fight to protect this place. For the time being, look for clues about the Verdant Throne."

Latifa nodded in understanding. "I will try to find it. I’m sure that it’s somewhere in this Fortress."

"Make sure to take Kara and Runa with you."

"I will. Don’t worry, and keep yourself safe as well."

The strong urge to hug Latifa washed over Alex’s senses, but he forcibly held back his impulse by jumping backward.

Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to land properly and lost balance falling on the floor.

Latifa, who was near him, reached out in order to stop Alex’s fall.

Although she managed to grab him, she didn’t have the strength to support his body, so she also fell on the floor with him.

The sudden thud alarmed Kara, Runa, and Fokar, which made the three force the door open, only to find Princess Yvraine lying on top of Alex, with the latter hugging her waist.

"..."

"..."

The two shield maidens were rendered speechless. However, the captain of the Reavers managed to snap out from his daze and glared at the young man, who was still holding the princess.

"... What the bloody hell are you doing, Kael?! Now is not the time for this nonsense!" Fokar shouted.

Latifa hastily propped herself up and backed away, prompting Kara, and Runa to come to her aid and see if she was alright.

Alex, on the other hand, was grabbed by an angry Fokar and dragged to the door, pulling him to the battlefield to fight the Barbarians.

Seeing his helpless form, a giggle escaped Latifa’s lips.

Although the incident just now had increased her synchronization rate by another 1%, she didn’t feel too bad about it.

Clearly, Princess Yvraine had deep feelings for Kael, and this accident was something that affirmed her of the princess’ feelings for the apprentice smith, who was her childhood friend.

The other Reavers gave Alex the "I know what you did last summer" gaze, and all of them had mischievous smiles on their faces.

But since they were headed for battle, these smiles soon disappeared as the sound of dwarven horns spread in the surroundings.

"Make sure they don’t slip past us!" Fokar ordered as he ran, holding his maul firmly with both hands. "If any of you guys die, I swear I’ll kill you a second time. So don’t die, okay?!"

""Aye!""

And with that, Alex, and Fokar headed to the courtyard, where the battle had once again started in full swing.