"The person who's supposed to go with me... turns out to be you?"
"Yeah, I was wondering who I'd be accompanying, but here we are."
An awkward smile followed. The person joining me on the gate subjugation mission was none other than Karna. We exchanged somewhat uneasy greetings; it had been a while since we'd last met like this, adding to the awkwardness.
âHowâs the Royal Guard? Still busy?â
âPretty much the sameâbusy and tough. It wasnât always this relentless, but recently, with the emergence of the gates, weâve been constantly on the move, closing them.â
The Royal Guard, being directly under the emperorâs command, primarily focused on protecting the royal palace. However, lately, they had been sent out on various external missions. They had been on the front lines during the undead uprising caused by the Elder Lich, had given up what little rest they had to find the Sword Saint, and now, they had the gate incidents to deal with.
Even for a group as loyal, honorable, and skilled as the Royal Guard, this constant pressure was bound to take a toll on their mental stamina.
âIn fact, the gates youâve been assigned to were originally our responsibility. I feel kind of bad.â@@novelbin@@
âItâs nothing. You guys are human too, you deserve some rest. Besides, if this is being given to me as an exam replacement, it shouldnât be too difficult.â
âYouâre probably the only person whoâd say that about gates that were assigned to the Royal Guard.â