The room was dim, lit only by a few lanterns hanging from cracked stone pillars. Their soft light spread across the large map laid out on the table in front of you. Marks, arrows, and hastily drawn notes covered its surface — the entire strategy to defeat Rerir resting beneath your fingertips.

Everyone had gathered.

Lumine leaned over the table beside you, arms crossed, golden eyes focused on the map. Columbina sat on the edge of a broken pillar, legs gently swinging, humming a quiet tune to herself as if the situation were far less serious than it actually was. Lauma stood nearby, listening carefully, her expression thoughtful.

And then there was Dainsleif.

He sat slightly apart from the group, in the shadow of the far wall. Silent. Still. Watching.

You didn’t notice it at first.

“So if Rerir’s forces move through the northern passage,” you said, pointing at the map, “they’ll think we’re retreating. That’s when Lumine’s team circles behind them.”

Lumine nodded slowly. “And you’re sure the cliffs here are stable enough?”

“They are,” you replied. “I checked them myself. If everything goes the way we planned, Rerir will be trapped between both sides.”

Columbina tilted her head, smiling faintly. “My, my… such confidence.”

You ignored the teasing tone and continued explaining the final part of the strategy.

But across the room, Dainsleif hadn’t moved.

His gaze never left you.

Every gesture you made, every shift in your voice, every moment your hand traced over the map — he followed it all with quiet intensity. Not interrupting. Not speaking. Just observing.

Lauma asked a question and you turned slightly to answer her.

For a moment the lantern light caught your face.

Dainsleif’s eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly, as if he were studying something deeper than your words.

Lumine finally noticed.

She glanced toward him briefly before looking back at you with a small, knowing expression.

You continued speaking, unaware.

“And when Rerir realizes the trap, it’ll already be too late. The escape routes will be cut off here, here, and here.”

Your finger tapped the map three times.

Silence followed.

Columbina’s humming stopped.

“…Interesting plan,” she said softly.

But Dainsleif still said nothing.

He leaned back slightly in his chair, arms resting against it, gaze steady on you — thoughtful, calculating… almost as if he were trying to understand something about you that no one else had noticed.

The others were listening to your strategy.

But Dainsleif was watching you.