The operation had gone smoother than expected.
Alice and I had managed to rescue the prisoners and regroup with the allied guerrilla unit without losing a single person.
"Thank you for saving us!"
The freed soldiers, led by their squad leader, bowed deeply before Alice, their voices thick with emotion.
"Rescuing you was the least we could do," she replied softly. "Please continue to protect the Balant Fortress. The north still needs you."
Her words carried that familiar noble grace—calm, resolute, and dignified.
For a moment, the grim-faced soldiers looked like awestruck children before their goddess. Even the freezing northern wind seemed to still in her presence.
…Except for me.
Normally, I might have joined in that admiration too, but something else was eating away at my focus.
[Luciana's Destruction Progress: 35%]
…Damn it.
The number had risen again.
