“His soul, honorable and proud, has departed this earth, but may it continue its tranquil struggle by the side of God.”

The sword tips of the Twilight Knight Order lined up on either side of the coffin and pointed toward the sky. Streaks of light cut through the sky like a silent shout. In a reverential mood, Cadel looked at the open coffin.

While the others would see Garuel’s body lying in a coffin, Cadel’s eyes would only see a rock that matched Garuel’s weight. The real Garuel would be watching all of this from a distance.

“May the touch of Sebo be upon your noble soul.”

As the high priest gave his blessing, one by one the guests at the funeral rose and threw flowers into the coffin. The Scarlet Scales Knight Order was no different, and as they placed the flowers on the dirty stone, they realized that the curtain had finally fallen on the play.

Cadel lightly bowed to the new commander, Modlen. He, too, bowed with a faint smile and offered Cadel a handshake.

“I hear you’re heading straight to the Inte Snowfields. I wish you the best of luck.”

Nodding, clasping their firm hands together, Modlen squared his shoulders and spoke in a noncommittal tone.

“We will become a Knight Order that is incomparably superior to before. So I hope you don’t feel any guilt or pity.”

“……Let’s keep it in mind.”

He had no doubt that Modlen would overcome the ordeal given to him. After saying his final goodbyes, Cadel left his subordinates behind and went in search of Garuel.

Among the trees surrounding the cemetery, Garuel was wearing a suspicious-looking outfit. Not only did he wear a hood, but his extravagant mask was truly something to behold.

The black mask, with its graceful curve across the left eye and cheekbone, had a silver rose painted across the corner of the eye. Whatever it was, the rose glistened in the sunlight, almost too much. Cadel turned to Garuel, who greeted him with a single word.

“It’s tacky.”

“Haha, I couldn’t help it, I didn’t have time to choose a mask, and anyway, what’s under the mask is classy, so that’s what counts, right?”

Garuel let out a cheerful chuckle as Cadel shook his head in disgust.

‘If only the Wings of Illusion worked, I’d be so much more comfortable.’

Now that Garuel was completely dead, the only thing left to do was to alter or disguise his appearance so that he wouldn’t be noticed. For that matter, Cadel naturally thought of the Wings of Illusion, but unfortunately, the artifact’s power didn’t work on Garuel.

‘Who knew it only worked on fairies.’

Since there was no additional explanation from Hyron, Cadel naturally thought it was an artifact without restrictions. However, no change occurred in Garuel’s appearance wearing the Wings of Illusion, as did Van and Lumen. Only Lydon’s appearance was successfully changed.

In the end, Garuel had to cover up his entire body and honestly hide his identity. It was disappointing for Cadel, who wanted a more complete makeover, but Garuel seemed satisfied with it.

“Now we have to go catch the boat, right?”

“Yes. Only our Knight Order will be involved in managing the seal of the Inte Snowfields, so you won’t have to hide yourself like this.”

“I can’t wait. A new adventure with new comrades.”

Beneath the mask, the corners of Garuel’s mouth curved upward, and with that bright smile, a system window popped up in front of Cadel’s eyes.

[Congratulations, you’ve recruited an S-grade Knight, Garuel Monzasi!]

[Current Knight Order Cost: 18/25]

“Please take care of me, Knight Commander.”

At the sight of Garuel’s cheeky salute, Cadel’s lips twitched.

“Okay. Can we speak normally now? We’re comrades.”

“Oh, my. My heart is pounding. Am I a pervert here?”

“You’ve always been a pervert. I can call you Pervert Mask in front of others.”

“Great. Let’s try to live up to that name from now on.”

There were many twists and turns, but in the end, Garuel joined the team safely. Cadel hoped that just like his changed heart, warmth would be added to Garuel’s melancholy. Cadel called his subordinates together.

* * *

It was the second ship Cadel had boarded since arriving. This time, thanks to King Danila, they had spacious cabins, a minimal crew for comfortable sailing, and panoramic views.

But Cadel put all that aside and was busy giving a speech about his new comrade’s new concept.

“Garuel is a magical swordsman who specializes in black magic. He used to belong to a group of black magicians, but grew tired of their cruelty and ran away. He was rescued by me when I was a mercenary, and our paths somehow crossed again. He keeps his face covered, a habit from his time as a fugitive……. Let’s say you’re a sensitive person who is extremely reluctant to show your face. How about that? Perfect, right?”

When Cadel looked back at his subordinates sitting in the cabin and asked, Van, who clapped his hands faster than anyone else, praised his perfect leadership. Lydon just stared at Cadel’s face as if it didn’t matter, and Lumen rubbed his chin and tilted his head. Only Garuel, the party involved, expressed an opinion.

“I’d like to say it’s perfect because the face that explains it is cute. Unfortunately, I can’t deal with black magic, Cadel…… no, Knight Commander.”

“It’s okay, I can handle it.”

“……I wasn’t expecting that.”

Cadel’s smug expression drew surprised glances from his subordinates.

Cadel couldn’t hide it even if he wanted to. He had the Potion of Circulation in his hand, and he had no intention of taking the exact same image as before. It was inevitable that the attributes he would be dealing with would be different.

“I didn’t know Leader could…… even use black magic.”

“Since when have you been able to use it, Commander….…?”

“So you’re a 4-attribute magician? That’s great!”

Van and Lumen’s expressions were less than favorable, unlike Lydon’s, who was purely impressed that they hadn’t realized Cadel could use black magic until now. For their benefit, Cadel explained.

“I can use it if I learn, I just haven’t felt the need until now.”

Because I’m the genius of the century.

It was a bold and brazen statement, but no one could refute it. Since Cadel couldn’t explain how the system worked, they had no choice but to accept it.

“Well then, let’s all know that. Since he is a precious healer who will manage our lives from now on, let’s help him keep it a secret. Got it?”

Earning a shaky nod of agreement from his subordinates, Cadel spoke again.

“And one more thing. We will take the shortest route to the Inte Snowfields.”

“The shortest route is……?”

At Garuel’s question, Cadel unfolded the map he was holding, his fingertips pointing to the Dunkelhai Kingdom, the closest country to the Inte Snowfields.

“Move in a straight line across Dunkelhai.”

“I don’t think that’s a very good idea.”

The rebuttal was up to Lumen. He raised his eyebrows and pointed at the map as if he was genuinely reluctant.

“Even if it takes a bit of a detour, it’s better to go through the Principality of Snivec. To enter Dunkelhai, we have to cross the mountain range surrounding the Kingdom.”

“I know.”

“……Do you even know what that mountain range is called?”

It was Van who answered Lumen’s question.

“I’ve heard that only trained assassins can cross the Scarlet Dragon’s Nest unharmed, Commander. That sounds too dangerous for me.”

Scarlet Dragon’s Nest. Another name for the mountain range surrounding three sides of Dunkelhai. It was also one of the most significant contributors to the closed atmosphere of Dunkelhai.

Its real name was the ‘Mountains of Silence’, and it originated from the fact that only through ‘silence’ could one avoid the Scarlet Dragon’s wrath. In reality, not everyone who crossed the mountains encountered the Scarlet Dragon. However, most people didn’t even dare to cross the mountain because they didn’t know when or where they would encounter it.

“It is said that a long time ago, a legion from a kingdom called Slaus, who was trying to invade Dunkelhai, was killed while crossing the mountain range. They say it was the largest-scale massacre in the shortest amount of time ever recorded. Well, I haven’t heard of the Scarlet Dragon waking up since then.”

“No one crosses the mountain range, so there’s no news.”

Lumen glanced at Garuel, who said it was no big deal, before shifting his attention back to Cadel.

“I’m against it. Even if the seal in the Inte Snowfield is broken while returning to the Principality of Snivec, it is right not to cross the Scarlet Dragon’s Nest.”

Lumen was adamant, and the others were not convinced why they should risk crossing the Mountains of Silence.

At the center of it all, Cadel was quietly panicking.

‘Was this mountain range really that bad……?’

He knew it was the place where the Scarlet Dragon lived. It was not because it was a stage where the quest was held, but because most of the events in the game began with the ‘Scarlet Dragon living in the Mountains of Silence’.

‘In the game, it was like an informant explaining to the player the cause of a mysterious phenomenon. You mean, it was a dragon that committed mass murder?’

The Scarlet Dragon he’d seen in the game was friendly, so Cadel didn’t think long about crossing the mountain range. He was confident that the dragon would not harm them. He was even excited at the prospect of seeing the great and gentle dragon in person.

This was an unexpected challenge. If he said ‘That dragon might be nicer than you think’, the other would not be convinced at all.

‘But I can’t meet Yozen if I don’t stop by Dunkelhai…….’

This was precisely the reason why Cadel insisted on taking the shortest route. Yozen Vardikta. This was because Cadel wanted to visit him again and invite him to join. And even if they couldn’t meet, he wanted to give it a try.

Cadel, who was pondering, rolled up the map he had unfolded and folded it, licking his lips. He glanced at his subordinates, his confidence less than it had been at first. After contemplating for a while, he soon cautiously opened his mouth with a shy smile.

“Actually, I have a subordinate hidden in Dunkelhai.”