Irmhild was even more upset:

'Then how do you explain that Lord Zargabaath asked me to lead the second battalion two weeks ago, and you to collect dust in the barracks? Would you dare to affirm our lord was wrong?'

'Certainly not', Brünhild retorted. 'Our dear lord is too pure to be stained by any flaw. He is the only virtuous man that exists, and next to him all other Judge Magisters are rough draft!'

I wondered what they'd say if they knew their pure virtuous Judge Magister was someone able to dismember a defenseless person, or bypass all formal legal processes to keep his cursed mercenary friend far from prison.

'That, Brün, is true. All the Judge Magisters around us are useless – especially the men.'

I had to prevent myself from laughing, since Petra was further to the left, but Zecht was right in front of us. Once again, he didn't move a finger. He was probably used to their remarks and mindset.

'Nevertheless, Brünhild insisted, 'it is only fair to admit I am the strongest commander here! My spear-wielding ability always crushes all enemies…'

'… backed by my green magic! Without it, and without me weakening the opponents targeting you, you would be…'

'Silence.'

Irmhild raised a concerned look at Judge Zecht.

'Their tribe is heading to western Argyllshire. It is a disaster. The divisions sent there didn't have enough time to secure the area… there are thousands of refugees in Rumi Nisqapi, down until Landis province.'

My heart began to beat much faster than usual. I… I remembered something related to what he said… but what was it? A tribe… ravaging some Landis areas…

'They initially acted as if they'd move to the east, to Radnor', Zecht pursued. 'However, from what we can see of their units' move – look at all the dust near the horizon! – it was a ruse. They are going back to the places they already sacked… to finish the work. We must not allow them to leave Argyllshire under any circumstance. Any. Understood?'

'Yes, my Lord!' the Zodiac Sisters said.

As a result, all the troops – including mine – had to ride faster. As the chocobo was carrying me to unknown lands, in order to protect the familiar ones… yes, the memories became more and more vivid. The group I was thinking about took something important from my childhood. But what was it? And suddenly, the answer came, from a heavy tap on my back that made me shudder:

'The Dark Masks are our targets', Judge Magister Petra gently said.

That was it. The Dark Masks. Basch's trainings and warnings. Cirla and Margit holding various types of white flowers for my mother. Singing a grieving song with Naria. Mom's first serious symptoms of illness. Realization that nothing in the future would be the same.

Judge Magister Rigel had said it very clearly in the meeting, yet my brain'd brushed the information away. Something inside this truth was hurting. Although I had lost the right to be called Noah fon Ronsenburg, and whether I hated it or not, I was a military man with the obligation to avenge his father.

'I'm not fighting.'

I turned to all the low-ranked soldiers around me to find out who spoke, before realizing that even if one of them had that wish, they'd never have dared to express it out loud. Archadia didn't really give a choice when it came to fighting as a member of her army. Therefore, the one who uttered it… could it be a general? A Judge? Which one? A complete turn around myself, cluttered with my complete dömavän armor and helmet, made the inconceivable clear to me: the one who refused fighting was the Order's head himself, Judge Magister Zecht.

'Judge Zecht is not fighting…?'

Chau-Anh had stopped her chocobo, which proved she had earned enough trust from her Magister to change her march without orders. We all had to halt ours as a consequence, before unmounting.

'Judge Zecht is not fighting', the man in question replied.

'Judge Zecht is not fighting…?'

Chau-Anh's repetition made him lose his temper, while her body language was clearly showing it was her goal:

'That will not happen. I shall observe the fights and make sure everyone receives proper information afterwards. There is nothing extraordinary in this.'

'How are we supposed to win against such an unpredictable opponent?'

Chau-Anh's tone switched to deeply concerned.

'They are not that strong', Judge Zecht said.

'"Not that strong", huh?' his dömavän instantly retorted. 'Then why have you been preparing this expedition for so long? You never come in person when the enemy is "not that strong"!'

There was visibly no exception to the "regular domestic quarrels" rule between Magister and dömavän. Zecht seemed overwhelmed by the attention focused on his role and brushed it away:

'I want to follow the operations in the north with my own eyes, and witness who the Dark Masks leaders are. I am not worried of their strength with Petra by our side. Zargabaath's zodiacal maids can be good diversion as well.'

'We are no maids!' Brünhild violently exclaimed.

'All men are the same', Irhmild added for my attention.

Chau-Anh was anxiously adding:

'Judge Petra alone is no warranty we'll make it.'

'Your pardon?'

Lady Petra had cleared her throat and surreptitiously jumped at her side.

'I… I believe we have fair chances of handling the situation thanks to Your Honor's fitting skills', Chau-Anh promptly corrected, her helmet lowered at the Magister's shining blade.

'Then I leave you here', Lord Zecht said.

'What do you mean?' his dömavän shouted. 'Judge Zecht is not fighting, but what about the expedition's commandment?'

'I leave the rest to you.'

The trust he put in her was even higher than I had thought.

He waited for her to nod and salute, then he nodded too and moved further north.

'When are we fighting?'

Judge Petra was losing patience.

'We have to…' Judge Chau-Anh began, but her voice got lost in a loud stampede coming from the east.

'What is this?'

Dozens, maybe hundreds of hooded beings riding light scale fishes were storming in our direction, in the middle of northern Argyllshire rock desert.

'Gabranth', said Petra's voice.

In order for her to be heard, she had come so close to me that our armors were touching. Still, I was supposed to sense her moves and not be taken by surprise…

'I am sorry for Landis.'

My thought process stopped, and nothing came out of my mouth.

'Sentia's orders were clear', she added. 'Focus on the capital's siege, and secure the other regions. Archadia earned a province out of the first mission's success, and eternal shame from the second one's utter failure. I am truly sorry.'

And, since there was still no reaction from me:

'I know Zargabaath's generals are Landisites as well, but by dint of observation it's obvious you are the most affected one by this tragedy. Drace told me you had a… confession time in which you expressed this concern.'

Thanks, Lady Drace. I'd probably taken 1% of said confession time.

'I have heard Landis province is recovering quite remarkably on many levels', I simply answered before a screeching briefly filled our ears.

'It is up to us to protect it now. As the sole supreme leader of the invasion's operation, I took all responsibility for the disastrous casualties and handed in my resignation to Sentia. But she refused, pretending I'd learn from the past and my strength was a major asset for the Empire. Let's see if she was right. As Judge Magister, I vow to never allow undesirable military forces to set foot in Landis again. Stay behind me!'

Her speech was carefully gauged to end at the first enemy's presence within our reach.

As the bursting opponent arrived in front of us, an axe appeared; Judge Petra grabbed it and let it fall on the threat, in a single natural gesture. The enemy reared and charged at us again immediately. We both parried its attack, as a gust of wind against the tide pulled the hoodie backwards, revealing a black mask atop a peculiar head shape.

'It's… It is Urutan-Yensa!'

'What are they doing here?'

Urutan-Yensa was a tribe of small humanoids with crayfish attributes, and known to ride the Yensa, the light scale fishes jumping from rock to rock as if they were forming a river. However, they were supposed to live in the Ordalian continent, southwest of the Archadian Empire, and close to the Dalmascan kingdom: the Yensa sandseas was their official territory – and no one else's.

I turned on all sides to observe the Urutan moves. Their Yensas were flowing on a specific kind of Mist, very thin and almost undiscoverable, which served as sea – or sand. All the Urutans mounting them were notably aggressive, and didn't act in small groups, like they normally did.

'They scattered!' Chau-Anh angrily noticed. 'If only they stopped for one second at the same area…'

And, as an Urutan was rushing at me, bow in hand, I took an item out of my reserve, and threw it in its direction.

'What are you doing?' Chau-Anh complained.

'Aero motes. Since I'm no good at close combat, I thought to bring motes of each element.'

Air was the elemental weakness of Ordalia's Urutan-Yensa. Were these ones, located in northern Valendia, born the same way? Or did this group secretly derive from the original one ages ago, evolving differently due to its environment?

'Ah!'

They could not speak, but their black-covered bodies clearly expressed pain. They were definitely the Urutan-Yensa from Ordalia. When did they come there?

I had little time to think about answers, as their innate group behavior manifested and at least ten other Urutans marched at me, leaving their fishes behind.

'Thank you!' the loud dömavän cried. 'They're finally all gathered! Good job, Gabranth!'

Thanks, Chau-Anh.

'Now look at the Red Battlemage's usefulness: Aeroga!'

To my knowledge, Red Battlemages did not have access to the Aeroga spell, but then she was Judge Zecht's dömavän – they sort of had unlimited licenses in the First Division. As I gasped in terror, all the Urutans ready to smash me to smithereens fell in front of me. Chau-Anh's magic was no joke.

'There are others coming this way, my Lady!' a general shouted.

'I know.'

Still recovering from the intricate situation I was in a moment ago, my arm was pulled by Irmhild to avoid an arrow storm, and Brünhild's spear blocked an Urutan strike aimed at my direction.

'The Arbiter's Asterism: Blue Meteor!'

I had heard of Asterisms as the supreme offensive skills on Ivalice, even more effective than the highest Quickening levels. Unlike Quickenings, they did not require Mist usage, and in that, were used like technicks. But learning one could take decades, and was only possible through a cryptic transmission ritual, which made Asterisms more of a legend than an actual combat tool. In Archadia's army, only Judge Magisters had access to that ability, and not even all of them.

'Nobody left! Good job, Petra!'

'I do not remind myself having raised cockatrices at your side for you to talk to me in this manner, Chau-Anh.'

'May I remind Your Honor that I command this operation following Judge Zecht's orders?'

As the two ladies were arguing, I contemplated the battlefield in a mix of dread and relief. The meteors had fallen from the sky as soon as she was done with her incantation. Hit the enemies one by one and carbonized them in an instant. Some of them who had tried to run had been rapidly caught by the phenomenal range of that ability, and sent to oblivion as well. So that… that was the strength of a Judge Magister.

I raised my head to analyze the look at Lady Petra's face, when my view was cut off by… what looked like the beginning of a sandstorm. What was going on? Who was behind this phenomenon? I could not see Chau-Anh either. As for Judge Zecht, he had been off sight for a while.

Where had we stopped? What did the attack mean? And… would I be alone to fight its source?