At the top of the Tower of Enchantment, in that empty place, Hyron sat alone, staring vacantly into the crystal orb. His expression was devoid of life, his eyes clouded and dull.

Inside the crystal orb was his only son. Lydon, alone in the garden where everyone had left, was kneeling.

“……You deceived me, Cadel.”

There was no resentment or anger in his quiet muttering. It felt as though all his emotions had dried up, hanging on by a thread, barely holding on.

He never thought such words would come from Lydon’s mouth. If he had returned to the forest, Hyron expected him to come back with a smile instead of tears. He thought Lydon would tell exciting stories of triumph instead of a sad plea.

At worst, he had imagined that Lydon might return to the forest, vowing never to leave again, bearing the wounds from Cadel’s harshness.

‘But to ask us to fight for humans……’

It had taken a great deal of resolve to give up Lydon. The decision had been made solely from his own selfishness, and as a result, the Pinhai Tribe had lived in constant uncertainty. He could not make such a decision again.

With his eyes tightly closed in agony, Hyron’s thoughts lingered on the conversation with Lydon.

“If everyone leaves the forest following your words, as the Fairy King, I won’t be able to protect my people. The seal is in place. Are you telling me to send my people into the jaws of death and remain here alone, guarding an empty forest?”

“……I can break your seal, Father.”

“Are you being bold now?”

“The Fairy King of the Tophem tribe, Hesonia, who is now gone. The first fairy to wield the power of the seal…… that fairy’s power is in me. ……You can leave this forest, Father.”

‘Hesonia…… it’s been a long time since I’ve heard that name.’

Back when he lived as the heir of the Fairy King, the fairies died easily and quickly, so easily that their long lifespans seemed pointless. Hyron himself spent his days with eyes wide open, afraid he might fail to protect the forest.

It was then that Hesonia proposed a deal. Hyron had witnessed the loss of eternal freedom not only for his father but also for himself and, eventually, his future children.

He did not resent him. Thanks to Hesonia, the fairies were able to live much safer lives.

‘……It feels almost like fate.’

Lydon had received the power of liberation from Hesonia. If he so wished, he could leave the forest at once and roam the vast skies freely.

It was a maddening temptation, a dark conflict. Beyond the slowly raised eyelids, the painful struggle flickered.

* * *

“Maybe you should have never come back.”

By now, rain had begun to fall from the sky. Was it to cast an even more pitiful light on this poor child? Even as harsh words were thrown out, the gaze that looked down at the lowered blonde head was filled with an undeniable sense of pity.

“……Grandfather Melphis.”

“Get up. Get up and smile like nothing happened. Forget about what you asked of me, and go on like you always do, playing around.”

“It was really enjoyable outside.”

Lydon slowly lifted his head, and Melphis stood before him as if to block his view. Transparent raindrops ran down his pale face.

“I was loved. I also gave love. You know, Grandfather, the sea…… it was even more beautiful than what I read about in books.”

“……Enough.”

“I wanted to show it to Henge, to Aiden. I know you’d want to see it too, right? My father would want to see it as well. Living on with just the desire to see them again, I can’t do that anymore. So, more than anyone else, I can understand. Spending a lifetime trapped in the forest—that is real hell.”

This child doesn’t understand. How vile and wicked humans can be. How cruel they can become for their own gain. Lydon was simply fortunate enough to be by the side of a useful human, to see the world. The other fairies could never truly experience happiness, because they lived under the constant threat of death.

He needed to make him face reality. But Melphis couldn’t say a word. The wet face looking up at him was smiling so brightly. The sadness in those eyes was aimed solely at the kin who had never felt the same kind of happiness.

Melphis loved Lydon. He had never spared a single day of affection for this reckless little prince. But because he loved his kin just as much, he could not bring himself to say anything.

In the increasing downpour, Melphis and Lydon simply gazed at each other, lost in silence.

* * *

Aiden and Henge, tired of the uproar from the elders, took refuge in Lydon’s hideout. Sitting by the lakeside, they threw flower petals onto the water, recalling their friend’s sad request after his long absence.

“You know, Lydon…… I’ve never seen him like that before. I never thought he could make such a serious request.”

“…It hurt.”

“Hurt? What hurt? He’s asking us to fight for humans…… He doesn’t even care whose fault it is that my wings ended up like this.”

As Aiden pouted, Henge’s gaze turned to his back. The ice wings, crafted in place of his cut ones, were delicately positioned, as if real, through the fine manipulation of mana.

“Humans are terrifying. I don’t want to fight for a race that only harms us.”

“Well, there’s probably no need to fight anyway. Lord Hyron won’t allow it. Neither will any of the other elders.” 

Aiden said sharply, though his face was full of worry. He tossed a leafless twig carelessly into the water and sighed deeply.

“But…… do you think Lydon’s words were true?”

“What do you mean?”

“About the seal being broken. He said he broke his own seal, and that he even has the power to break the Fairy King’s seal.”

“Hmm.”

“If that’s true, then Lord Hyron could protect us even from outside. If the resources of this forest run out, we could relocate……” 

Aiden rambled on before clicking his tongue and running his hand through his messy hair. 

“I don’t know. Honestly, I was a little jealous of Lydon. I wanted to see the outside world too.”

“Even though it’s full of humans?”

“I’m not interested in humans. I want to see the world. We deserve to experience freedom too.”

“……”

“It’s not fair.”

His murmured complaints ended with another long sigh. After a long pause, Henge, who had been hesitating beside him, quietly spoke.

“Still, I’m glad Lydon came back.”

* * *

「The bond between body and soul is weakened. Recovery mode is activated.」

「Recovery progress: 81%」

「Time remaining to complete: 6 minutes, 50 seconds」

Cadel entered the space of nothingness but did not feel a rush to leave. Since entering, he had shown no signs of anxiety. On the contrary, he calmly and carefully observed the system window.

‘I distinctly felt demonic energy touching my palm just before the red-haired one’s attack. If I can time it right……’

The demonic energy was practically the red-haired woman’s physical form itself. It was a strange attack, one that transformed her body into demonic energy. Furthermore, it was an attack that recklessly exposed her life right in front of her enemies. Cadel believed the key to her weakness lay in that fleeting sensation he had experienced.

‘If I can strike at that moment, I might be able to land a hit. The problem is that enemies rush in without giving me time to measure the timing.’

As Cadel had feared, Arpa seemed to have devoured Yozen’s energy excessively. Although he couldn’t manipulate it as freely as Yozen, the power he wielded was still deadly enough.

‘Yozen needs to detect Arpa’s attacks and block them. During that time, other knights must pressure Arpa.’

Given that he could absorb even the mana of the barrier, any knight facing Arpa needed excellent evasive skills. After thinking it through, Cadel realized that only Lumen could face Arpa head-on.

‘The problem is that when Arpa gets cornered, Rodin will appear.’

Rodin was a demon who had casually tossed Van aside. She could not be dealt with through ordinary methods.

‘She doesn’t have remarkable regeneration. Physical attacks wouldn’t work, though.’

That meant Cadel needed to find a way to bypass her tough exterior with magic. After reaching this conclusion, Cadel bit his lip with a low sigh.

‘A magician is needed. Someone who can assist the knights and disrupt the demons in sufficient numbers.’

He suspected that the other allied forces were likely facing similar problems. He couldn’t ask them for help. Thus, he had no choice but to seek the aid of the Pinhai Tribe, as he had thought before.

‘I need to ask Lydon.’

Though he hadn’t received an answer from him yet, it was urgent now to borrow the power of the Pinhai tribe. Cadel focused on his diminishing recovery time and steadied his mind. Even if it made him a sinner in Lydon’s eyes, he had to save their world to the very end.