The flow of mana permitted by the mana circuit—Cadel desired a power beyond that limit. The force he sought could only be realized at the cost of extreme damage to the caster’s body. It was no different from suicide, but even so, he wished to surpass his limits. He had no plans for the future. The only thing he desired was Lydon’s life.

With a single explosion, a terrible pain spread through him as if his organs had burst. Perhaps they actually had. The peak of the continuous agony rapidly pushed him into a trance-like state.

The magic he unleashed lacked any form of restraint. The ice cocoon he embraced began to crack little by little, and as it did, the intensifying cold threatened to pierce through the underground prison and consume the entire castle.

He had to completely overwhelm this vast mana—only then could he stop Lydon’s rampage. Thus, Cadel recklessly burned through his own life force, firing it off indiscriminately. Eventually, as his energy began to resemble Lydon’s self-destruction—

[When will you finally start valuing your own life?]

Scales of armor enveloped his entire body, protecting his tattered flesh from the relentless explosions and freezing cold. As Cadel felt the abundant energy filling him, he forced his fading consciousness to hold on.

“……Why did you take so long?”

[Believe it or not, I hurried as much as I could. Just imagining what kind of madness you’d get up to the moment I took my eyes off you was enough to make my blood run cold.]

Kunra returned, only to find that Cadel was carrying out a level of insanity beyond anything he had imagined. He quickly channeled his energy to restore Cadel, then revealed his humanoid form. His gaze turned to Cadel, who was being devoured by the relentless flames as if his very presence alone could ignite spontaneous combustion.

“Don’t…… don’t come out. Just give me your energy……”

“I cannot interfere with the fairy’s awakening any further. If you insist on continuing to aid him, I will no longer lend you my power.”

“Kunra……!”

His face twisted in anguish, his body trembled violently. As if merely standing was unbearable agony, his limbs convulsed—but despite all that, his resentful glare remained clear. Kunra accepted Cadel’s resentment without flinching and spoke.

“Do not help Lydon, halfling. If you die, he won’t survive either.”

“If I leave him like this, Lydon will die! He’ll die for real……!”

“Your death will save no one. Accept that fact and help him rise on his own. That is the only way for both of you to live.”

How was he supposed to help Lydon stand on his own? Lydon was already unconscious. How could he possibly—? As if in defiance of Kunra’s words, Cadel drew in even more mana, but his reckless act did not last long.

“Commander! Are you there?”

“Answer us, Leader!”

The voices of Van and Lumen rang out in the distance. Cadel instinctively reacted to their calls, his body shuddering. The moment his mana flow wavered, the cold surged even more violently, and the chaotic waves of energy spiraled out of control.

“Please, please, protect my subordinates, Kunra.”

“Make your choice.”

“Kunra, please……!”

If Van and Lumen reached this place, he had no way to protect them. Without a proper barrier, not even they would be able to withstand this chaos. He couldn’t afford to lose them, too. Cadel turned to Kunra with desperate eyes, still clutching the ice cocoon stubbornly, his resolve clear—he would save Lydon even if it cost him his own life.

At last, Kunra’s previously indifferent, detached expression began to crack. His twisted lips and sharp gaze darkened with growing fury.

“Withdraw your energy. Only then can I protect you.”

“I don’t need it! I’m fine, just protect my subordinates—!”

Cadel stopped mid-sentence, his breath catching. Kunra had extended a hand toward the ice cocoon. The flames at his fingertips did not freeze, even in Lydon’s overwhelming cold. Yet, Kunra did not use them to melt the ice.

“A guardian who can’t even protect a single human, let alone his own world—I refuse to live with such disgrace. If you won’t make a choice, I’ll make it for you.”

“What are you planning?”

“You stole Lydon’s chance to stand on his own. You reached out when you shouldn’t have. And on top of that, you threw yourself into the grave.”

“Don’t! If you so much as lay a finger on Lydon—!”

“Wake up, Cadel!”

Kunra’s thunderous roar made Cadel squeeze his eyes shut. Kunra’s glare bore down on him with murderous intensity, his fury burning raw and unfiltered. It was rage at Cadel’s foolishness. Rage at his blind, reckless self-sacrifice, even at the climax of this story, as if his own life meant nothing.

Kunra had no intention of losing Cadel. Even if Cadel could never forgive him for killing Lydon—even if he abandoned his duty to save this world—Kunra would never allow him to throw his life away like this. That was his duty as a watcher of this world and his promise to the unwilling savior who bore its burdens.

He did not hesitate to reveal his killing intent, and Cadel finally realized—Kunra truly meant to harm Lydon. The rising sense of betrayal was unbearable.

“How could you…… to us……?”

“Your love does not always lead you in the right direction.”

Cadel had to stop Kunra. That thought consumed him. But the moment he turned his attention elsewhere—

“Guh……!”

Mana erupted from the ice cocoon, unleashing a powerful shockwave that sent Cadel flying. Unable to react in time, he was thrown across the underground prison corridor. His already burning body was instantly drained, his magic vanishing into nothing.

‘No……!’

He had gathered so much power—he couldn’t let it end like this. But once his strength left him, his body refused to move. As he tumbled helplessly through the air, despair clawed at him.

“Commander!”

Something solid caught his body, and familiar voices echoed in his ears.

“Commander, your body—!”

“Don’t lose consciousness, Leader. Whatever you do, don’t close your eyes.”

He had no energy to even roll his eyes. Cadel slumped, leaning against the warmth that held him. Despite the urgency, Van quickly lifted him up while Lumen turned to look in the direction Cadel had come from.

“That must be where Lydon is.”

“I’ll get Commander out first. If we leave him here, he’ll pass out.”

“Alright. I’ll go to Lydon—”

Van and Lumen prioritized getting Cadel to safety. But before they could act, Cadel, with great effort, clutched at Van’s collar.

“Take me…… with you……”

“What? Commander, what could you possibly do in this state? Lydon is in good hands, so just—”

“Kunra…… Kunra is going to kill Lydon.”

At those unexpected words, both Van and Lumen’s eyes widened in shock. Though wracked with pain, Cadel forced himself to continue.

“We have to stop the self-destruction. If we don’t…… Kunra will…… Take me. Hurry.”

If they refused, he would crawl there himself. Sharing a look, the two men finally decided to bring Cadel along. Just as Cadel was about to conjure a protective fire barrier for them, he noticed the scale armor already covering their bodies. He fell silent.

‘I understand what you’re saying. I know why you’re saying it now. But I…… I will never give up on Lydon.’

Even if no one understood. Even if it was nothing more than self-satisfaction. Cadel would reach out to Lydon, again and again.

“There! I see him!”

Lumen’s shout rang out just as a storm of swirling snow obscured their vision.

* * *

That day was just another dull and exhausting one among the many spent training in the Mountains of Silence. Except for Yozen and Van, the rest of the members were waiting for Cadel, who had left with Kunra, while preparing a simple meal. To be precise, the cooking was being done by Lumen and Garuel while Lydon sat nearby, warming himself by the fire.

“But hey. Just imagine.”

As Lydon, staring blankly into the flames, broke the silence, Lumen clicked his tongue in annoyance.

“If you’re bored, why don’t you peel these vegetables instead?”

“Peeling is the sword wielder’s job, and that’s you, Lumen. Anyway, just imagine. If the war ended and the Knight Order was no longer needed, what would you guys do?”

Unlike Lumen, who let out a sigh and silently continued peeling potatoes, Garuel responded with a small chuckle.

“Even if the war ends, the Knight Order will still be needed. For a while, at least, we’ll be too busy rebuilding the devastated nations to rest.”

“Haa…… That’s why I said if! If! You’re so dense. I can’t deal with this!”

“Oh dear, was that the wrong answer?”

When Lydon flared up at the realistic response, Lumen spoke up to cut off the noisy exchange.

“If the Knight Order is no longer needed, everyone will go their separate ways and find something else to do. There’s no reason to stay together without a shared goal.”

When he heard that indifferent answer, what had he thought?

With only a handful of scattered thoughts left in his fading consciousness, Lydon desperately tried to retrace the memories of the past.