Lumen didn’t even expect it. If he said he was leaving, he didn’t think Cadel would stop him. Even if he knew the reason, Lumen thought Cadel would turn his back, saying ‘Do as you please’.

It wasn’t that Lumen thought Cadel was a man without a sense of loyalty. He just didn’t think he was worth it to Cadel. Because Cadel was a great man.

‘I’m going to be a big shot, Lumen. My goal isn’t just to put one family down.’

When Lumen first heard it, he was a little shocked and thought it was a very arrogant statement. He approached Cadel with an uneasy curiosity, wondering how far his confidence could go.

But the more time Lumen spent with him. The more he walked beside him, side by side, taking in the changing landscape. He realized Cadel wasn’t bluffing.

Cadel would surely become a big shot. His abilities would light up the world, and everyone would reach out to help him. As confident as Lumen was in that future, his confidence in himself had faded.

Was he really worthy of being next to a man named Cadel Lytos?

‘I thought I would never be.’

In his own mind, he was of little value to Cadel. He was stuck in the middle of his own family and now the mercenary corps, and he owed his life to Cadel more than once in battle.

Such a pathetic fellow, Lumen thought, Cadel would let him go without regret. Even if Cadel did regret it a little, Lumen didn’t expect Cadel to hold on to him.

That was why Lumen consciously avoided Cadel. If the word ‘goodbye’ came out of his mouth, if Lumen could see a sense of refreshment without the slightest bit of regret in Cadel’s face seeing him off. He didn’t think he could handle it.

But it wasn’t.

‘I’ll wait. Until you get back.’

Cadel wanted him, and he promised to wait forever for him to return to his side. Everything about that moment was unforgettable. The texture of the breeze, the warmth of his body, the steadfastness of his gaze.

Just thinking about that moment made one side of his chest feel heavy. He felt full, like he could accomplish anything.

Lumen gripped the ship’s railing and stared out at the churning waters. Cadel’s face loomed above the foam of the waves.

As Lumen reminisced about the past, a man approached him.

“Young Master Lumen. Young Master Joseph has sent you a letter. If you write a reply, I will send him a telegram as soon as we cross the continent.”

The warmth of the memory faded in an instant. Lumen looked back at the man with a cold stare.

A knight of the family that had followed him from the White Kingdom. To be more precise, a servant of Joseph Dominic, Lumen’s older brother.

Instead of taking the envelope the man held out to him, Lumen stared down at it.

“Is Father in the fief?”

“Marquis Dominic is staying at the royal palace. He has been informed of Young Master’s return, and is expected to return as soon as his duties are completed.”

“Is Older Brother…… No, I don’t think so, he’s probably holed up in his mansion.”

Instead of replying to Lumen’s words, the man only bowed his head deeper. Lumen made an insincere gesture toward him as if chasing a nuisance fly.

“Throw the letter away. I’ll see him as soon as I get back, and there’s no point in reaching out from so far away.”

“If the contents inside―”

“Throw it away.”

Lumen’s curt reply stopped the man from pushing the letter further. Once Lumen was satisfied that the man was completely gone, he let out a light sigh and shook his head.

“I don’t want to keep Leader waiting long.”

He had a vague hunch that breaking away from the family would not be easy.

* * *

Cadel ate combatively. He ordered things he had no idea what they were, and shoved them into his mouth, flavorful or not. If Lydon had been present, he would have found it an amusing sight, but for now, he was being held down by Mamil and bombarded with questions, and nothing was going to stop him.

Van looked from one to the other of Cadel’s puffy cheeks and gave him a quizzical look.

“Are you sure you’re not eating too fast? It’s not like anyone’s stealing your food…….”

With a worried look, Cadel alternately pointed to the table filled with food and Van. Eat with me, not watch me.

Van picked up his fork in frustration and pushed a cup of water in front of Cadel. He stared at him for a long moment, then finally spoke.

“……Is it because Lumen left?”

Van took a cautious bite, glanced up, and immediately made eye contact with Cadel. His jaw worked furiously as he gripped the fork with the meatballs in it, and he stared at Van until he’d chewed through the entirety of the food in his mouth. Then Cadel spoke, his tone quite matter-of-fact.

“If you’re asking why I’m recharging my energy so hard, it’s because of Lumen, but not because of Lumen.”

Overnight, Lumen left the mercenary corps, and when Cadel awoke in the morning, his face was puffy and swollen. The corners of his eyes still looked sore. He must have cried a lot while saying goodbye to Lumen.

How dare he made Commander cry. Van didn’t know where Lumen went, but he didn’t think he would be satisfied unless he made Lumen’s eyes shed tears of blood.

Biting his lip, Van looked down. He wished he could do something for Cadel, who was obviously depressed, but the words wouldn’t come easily for fear of provoking him as he struggled to get over the separation.

“Umm…….”

Cadel looked at Van, who hadn’t eaten since earlier and was in a hurry to see how he was feeling. It was obvious what Van was thinking.

“I’ll give you a heads up, Lumen didn’t leave, Van. He just had to run some errands around the house.”

“……Pardon?”

Van turned to Cadel, his face pale, as if he’d been told something he hadn’t heard. The awkward Cadel put down his fork and scratched the back of his head.

“I can’t go into the details, but that’s what happened, and Lumen will be back.”

“He will……be back?”

“Well, you and Lumen have been a bit of a pain in the *ss, but we’ve managed to work things out, don’t you think it’s better to have him back?”

“That’s…….”

Van would like to say no, but the thought of Lydon left me speechless. He would rather have Lumen with a normal mindset than struggle with a mindless fairy.

It pained him to even think about it, and Van rubbed his forehead in despair.

“A guy who is double-dealing is not a man, Commander. When he returns, he’s your sword, nothing more, nothing less.”

“That’s a shame. I’ll make him an official member when he gets back. You’ll have to get along better then.”

“Haa……. I never thought I’d say this out loud, but if he’s coming, I hope it’s soon because I can’t take any more of this since Lydon got his powers back.”

“That’s just the way he is.”

At least with Cadel around, Lydon could at least make a show of listening, but Van didn’t want Lydon by Cadel’s side. As Van let out an unconcealed sigh at the upcoming hardship, Cadel picked up his fork, which he had put down for a moment.

“And we’re going to the Osma Empire.”

“Osma Empire? That’s where…….”

“I’ll have to go back soon. My hometown.”

To be precise, the home of the in-game Cadel Lytos. The land of the emperor who exterminated his family.

Knowing Cadel’s past, it was an unwelcome destination. The Lytos were still viewed with suspicion in the Osma Empire, and if anyone recognized Cadel, bad things would happen.

Cadel faced Van with a cautious look as if he understood his concern.

“There’s something I want to solve. I’ll never get caught, so don’t be nervous.”

The biggest problem, the power sealing of Lydon, had been solved. He had also gotten Lumen to promise to come back, so all that was left was for them to be promoted to knight order.

‘I just need to get promoted to a knight order so I can finally get to the Demon Realm Seal storyline.’

A time when the seals of the Demon Realm were broken and demons were unleashed upon the world. The mercenary corps, now knight order, would use their skills to reseal the Demon Realm and eventually became the heroes who had saved the world.

This concluded the game’s story. Although he didn’t know how much time would pass between now and then, there was definitely a looming end in sight.

‘When the story ends…….’

The system would show him the promised perks. Go back or stay.

‘Of course, I’m going back.’

Despite his confidence, he felt strangely uncomfortable. Even though everything so far had been a struggle to return to the original world, was it because there was Van who only looked at himself in front of him?

Unwittingly avoiding his gaze, Cadel ducked his head over the bowl.

‘Anyway, from Van’s point of view, it would be better for the original Cadel to return.’

It wasn’t intentional, but he didn’t stop Van’s loyalty from pointing to the wrong target. So even in the distant future, he had to straighten out the misdirected arrow.

Taking a deep breath, Cadel pressed the corners of his mouth together. Even with the end in sight, there was still a long way to go. One day at a time, he must aim to move forward. It was good to put his thoughts aside for a moment.

“So you should eat quickly, too. You need to eat a lot to stay strong.”

As if to prove the point to himself, Cadel shoved food into his mouth.