"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.

“How’s the Royal Guard? Still busy?”

“Pretty much the same—busy and tough. It wasn’t always this relentless, but recently, with the emergence of the gates, we’ve been constantly on the move, closing them.”

The Royal Guard, being directly under the emperor’s 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.