After Mary’s death, Lumen was completely transformed. He went from timidly living in the shadows to putting on the airs of a perfect aristocrat. He had no deep relationships with anyone, but he met many people.

After living a low-key life, he began to rise to prominence.

Confidently and elegantly. His dignified behavior and handsome appearance highlighted Lumen’s position in the Dominic family. For a boy who hated parties, he attended them all, large and small, and diligently accepted invitations.

“You have a truly remarkable son, Lord Froch. I envy you.”

Froch was busy dealing with people who showered Lumen with praises whenever he met them. They were not people that Froch could easily deal with, so he had to call himself a ‘lucky guy’ with an awkward smile.

Lumen’s swordsmanship also improved day by day. He devoted himself to his training by reducing eating time except for sleeping time. He asked the King directly and was introduced to competent swordsmen to receive instruction.

Even when it was clear he’d reached his limit, even when his battered muscles spasmed. Lumen didn’t stop. There was a deadly glint in his eyes that did not match his age.

Cadel felt sorry for Lumen, realizing that his easygoing, arrogant demeanor was a carefully calculated facade. The unconfident demeanor that made him so frustrated and angry at crucial times was actually his true self.

He felt sorry for the young heart that must have broken down next to the hottest desire for revenge.

Even when he was the center of attention, the center of praise, the center of envy. The sight of Lumen not looking happy at all made Cadel feel incredibly sad.

“Living as a noble was quite fun. I think it suited me unexpectedly. Once I learned how to live confidently, I can’t go back to how I was before. You should have seen this.”

At the end of the fast-paced scene, Lumen had grown into the handsome young man Cadel knew.

“……I’m leaving today.”

He bent down and placed a single flower in front of the white tombstone. A wave of unconcealed longing rippled through his blue eyes as he gazed at the tombstone.

“But I’ll come back, because all my precious ones are buried here, and this cemetery will always be my home. ……I can’t help but come back, Mary.”

He rubbed the rough surface of the tombstone carefully, muttering in a low voice.

“I wanted to take care of your last wishes, but you asked for something so difficult…… I don’t think I’ll be able to fulfill it.”

Straightening up, he picked up the bag he’d set down and slowly made his way out of the cemetery. Under the overcast sky, darker than midnight, with the first rays of dawn, his sunken gaze turned forward.

Cadel’s vision could no longer follow him. The story was coming to an end. As he made his way through the untidy graveyard, his eyes locked on Lumen’s back as it receded into the distance, Cadel felt more depressed than he had ever felt before.

‘Can I…… Can I really replace those people? Lumen.’

The honor Lumen gained by rolling around like crazy, that muddy wind. Was it okay to shake it off for just one man? Did Cadel really have that kind of value?

What Lumen threw away was literally his entire past. Every humiliation he’d ever suffered, every anger he’d ever felt, every hatred he’d ever harbored. He burned it all, never to be picked up again.

Cadel knew it was his choice. At the same time, he knew he had given Lumen that choice.

Cadel didn’t think a life of revenge was right, but he also didn’t think he could offer anything more shiny than that.

The kind, beautiful, precious one Mary spoke of. He didn’t think it was him. What Lumen deserved, Cadel couldn’t give him.

That was why he was scared and sad.

[You have completed the watching of Lumen Dominic’s Memories – Past Story (Favorability over 70).]

[Fatigue recovery is reduced by 50%. Be aware of your physical fatigue.]

As soon as he opened his eyes, he drank the potion. His weak body was quickly revitalized, but Cadel’s eyes were not as clear.

“……I must go. To find Garuel.”

As Cadel prepared to leave and opened the door, he saw his subordinates gathered in the hallway. Lydon was yawning with his eyes half closed, and Van was hitting Lydon with his elbow as he kept leaning in. And even Lumen looked at them pitifully.

As Cardell stopped holding the doorknob at the unexpected sight, the eyes that spotted him moved.

“You finally came out. I was gonna go in to wake you up if you didn’t, Leader.”

Lumen spoke naturally as if he had forgotten everything about last night. Cadel stared at Lumen quietly and showed a similarly awkward attitude.

“Unlike you guys who are strong, I don’t have enough energy. This is me being pretty diligent.”

“Commander, are you not fully recovered yet? Then take my potion. I left it without drinking it because I was afraid you would need it.”

“Um? Then give me that, Van!”

Among the subordinates, who had become twice as noisy as soon as the commander joined them, Cadel felt a strange feeling. Was it because he saw Lumen’s dark past a little while ago? The scene where people were gathered around him, this noisy atmosphere. It was very awkward.

‘I feel like I’ve been dreaming.’

How is Lumen feeling right now? Could it be that the precious thing he newly discovered is right here?

There was only one thing Cadel could do, then. To protect everything around him, to make sure Lumen didn’t lose anything more precious.

To protect his newly chosen future from being shattered at the hands of anyone.

“Let’s go out, Leader. They said they prepared a moving magic circle outside.”

If that was the only way to repay Lumen’s loyalty, Cadel was ready to risk everything.

“Okay. Let’s go.”

* * *

The Mytheran Mountains, Area 4, where one of the seals in the Empire was located.

The Scarlet Scales Knight Order traveled to the Kiva Plateau, where the Twilight Knight Order had set up a temporary garrison, through prepared movement magic.

When he arrived, Cadel did not take the ‘disappearance of Garuel’ seriously. It was because of suspicion. There was suspicion that his disappearance might have been an extreme choice to abandon his position as the commander of the Twilight Knight Order.

But whether it was true or not, the commander’s disappearance was disastrous for the Twilight Knight Order, who were unaware of their private meeting.

“Sir Modeleine. It’s been a while.”

“……Ah, Sir Cadel. I never thought I’d see you again in such an unsavory place.”

Modeleine, whom Cadel had not seen in so long, was tired beyond comparison to Cadel’s last recollection of him. Deep dark circles, bloodshot eyes, and a scruffy beard. His former healthy appearance was gone, leaving him haggard and unkempt.

Cadel felt a sneaking pang of guilt at the forced smile on Modeleine’s face. If it was a genuine disappearance, he was not the least bit responsible for it, but if it wasn’t, he would be an unwilling accomplice, and he couldn’t do that.

“How is the search going?”

“The last place where the demon was wiped out was somewhere between the Mytheran Mountains and the Setzen River, so we’ve been searching day and night for traces of them.…….”

“Did you discover anything?”

After pursing his lips as if he were hesitating, Modeleine eventually shook his head resolutely and announced that he had found nothing.

It was a suspicious action, but he silenced Cadel with other information before he could inquire further.

“The enemy we defeated was a High Demon named ‘Lassé’, who breathed gas made up of demonic energy. When we delivered the fatal blow, Commander and Lassé were separated from the Knight Order, and Lassé’s gas made it difficult to see from our side. We checked Lassé’s body, but we couldn’t figure out how he died, and even Commander, who was the only person who knew, had completely disappeared. That’s why we’re having a hard time searching.”

“If it’s gas……. If it were a gas made of demonic energy, it would have seeped into Sir Garuel’s body. Are you saying there is no trace left at all?”

“Unfortunately, it rained shortly afterward, which was the worst possible timing.”

It might have been the best timing for someone.

Cadel didn’t know exactly what Garuel was up against at the time, but he did know of a High Demon named ‘Lassé’ that they were up against.

‘He was an enemy in a raid event, and he definitely used gas, but he was also the kind of guy who would smear his body odor on you, ignore your aggro*, and then go up to you and hit you.’

*Aggro (slang): (MMORPG) Hostile attention from an enemy that should target players with better defenses.

Lassé’s skill, also called [Gas Tracking], could not be shaken off with any potion or skill. The only way to respond was to put a shield on the target being pursued or use healing skills to prevent them from dying all at once.

‘And rainwater washed away that gas?’

Perhaps because Lassé died, the power of the gas weakened. Since it was a gas containing demonic energy, there was a good possibility. But no matter what.

Cadel looked at Modeleine with suspicion. His tired eyes could not meet his. It wasn’t like the usually honest and upstanding Modeleine.

“……Sir Modeleine. Are you hiding something from me?”

“What do you mean, hide?”

“We need you to share the details of your search with us so that our Knight Order can find Sir Garuel without wasting time. We need you to tell us everything.”

Under Cadel’s calm gaze, Modeleine pursed his lips in vain. He looked exhausted, both physically and mentally, and it would not be surprising if he collapsed soon. A hard battle, the loss of his commander, and the difficulty of the search. Cadel could only imagine what was going through the mind of this loyal subordinate.

“Sir Garuel is a lifesaver for me, too. I want to find him somehow, especially in the Mytheran Mountains, where the terrain is so rugged that even if we don’t encounter a monster, there’s a great risk of an accident. Even Sir Garuel would be too exhausted to last for days on end. We need to find him.”

“……Just promise me one thing.”

“Promise……? ……Okay, if it’s a promise related to Sir Garuel’s safety, I’ll do it.”

With a shuddering sigh, Modeleine slowly rubbed at his flushed cheeks, his bloodshot eyes fixed on Cadel.

“In fact, on the first day of the search, we found a cloak that we believe belonged to Commander in the same place where we traced the gas.”

At the end of the blood stain connected to the blood-soaked cloak, there was a large tree with a large amount of blood splattered as if someone had burst and died. Modeleine spoke with difficulty.