The woman raised an eyebrow, her green eyes full of mirth.
"So what? You might be hellbent on staying loyal to the King, but I am not. In fact, I'm sick of him and his orders. I was already sick before being sent on this futile expedition, and now, after witnessing all our soldiers die senseless deaths, I don't even care to pretend that I'm not."
Gilead raised a hand and rubbed his face tiredly.
The deaths of the soldiers weighed heavily on his soul, as well. He was sick and tired, as well.
But he just could not understand.
She was a Saint. A Transcendent champion of the Sword Domain, the best there was. Sure, not all Saints were retainers of the Great Clan Valor like he was. And even among the Knights, not everyone took their oaths as seriously as he did.
Some people were guided by greed and self-interest. Most people were simply lost.
But most Saints still had enough composure to keep their wits about them. What was she hoping to achieve? Were there others like her among the Transcendent champions of the Sword Domain, ready to abandon reason?
"You... refuse? You can't refuse."
The woman seemed to grin.
"Can't I? What are you going to do to stop me, Summer Knight? I admit, you are far stronger than me. You can kill me. You can overpower me. You can even drag me to the Citadel against my will. But... even if you do, you can't force me to claim it. You can't do anything."
Gilead just stared at her blankly.
Then, a hint of exasperated anger ignited in his piercing blue eyes.
"And then what? What happens after you flee to the waking world? Do you think that the King will just let you be?! Or are you planning to fight him, as well?! It's useless!"
The woman stared at him for a while, then sighed and opened her parasol.
Hiding in its shade, she shook her head.
"Is it useless, though?"
Gilead laughed.
"You don't know anything. You haven't seen anything. If you think that you can fight a Sovereign... if any of us, or even all of us can... then you are delusional. It is nothing but an exercise in futility."
The woman smiled again.
"I think not."
He stared at her somberly, and she shook her head again.
"I think that you are misunderstanding something very important, Summer Knight. You are right, I can't fight the King. It's hopeless... if I do, he'll kill me. But what happens after he kills me? Do you think that I'll be the last one to defy him? Is he going to kill everyone who disobeys his orders?"
The woman scoffed.
"We mere mortals are powerless in front of a Sovereign, because a Sovereign is like a god. His will is the divine will. But gods are also powerless in front of us mortals, because their divinity depends on a Domain, and Domains consist of people. What is he going to be the King of if people turn their backs on him, and he slaughters the people? The King of Nothing?"
Twirling her parasol, she took a step closer to Gilead and looked him in the eye.
"We mortals are not as powerless as you think. And our will is not as insignificant as it seems. But even if it is... well, to be frank, I don't care. I just don't give a damn anymore. I'm done with this farce."
As Gilead stared at her, struggling to find words to retort, the woman gave him a look of pity.
"Oh, and also... for Spell's sake. You swore a knightly oath of fealty to the Great Clan Valor, did you not? Well, the Great Clan Valor consists of many people. Find a less rotten one to be loyal to, you fool. By the dead gods, even Changing Star is an heir of Valor these days..."
With that...
The woman disappeared into thin air, having pulled on her tether to return to the waking world.
The vivid green radiance of her eyes faded, leaving only shades of white and grey in the world.
Left alone, Sir Gilead, the Summer Knight, tiredly lowered himself to the ground.
He had done all he could... more than he could, even.
But despite that, his mission had ended in failure.