* * *

The Scarlet Scales Knight Order swung into action as soon as the sun rose. Their chosen route was to cross ‘Mount Beryl’ to Dunkelhai, which was the opinion of Lumen, who came to Cadel at dawn.

A mountain with a high peak, but not the highest, and one with the fewest recorded sightings of the Scarlet Dragon. Cadel was pleased to note that it wasn’t the highest peak.

But there was one thing he had overlooked, whether Mount Beryl was the highest peak in the Mountains of Silence or not. Cadel’s physical strength was not up to the rigors of the climb.

‘Shouldn’t I be able to build up a base level of fitness by doing this all the time? Did I expect too much? At least I shouldn’t be panting like someone about to faint at the very beginning of the mountain.’

Cadel bit his lip, trying to control his ragged breathing somehow. He was ashamed that he was shaking like a hundred-year-old man when all his men were as calm as if they’d just gone for a walk.

“It seems like you’re having a hard time.”

He gritted his teeth and held on, but it seemed that the sight was even more noticeable. Lumen slowed down his steps as he watched Cadel, who took the last stand, struggle desperately.

“It’s not hard. I’ll make it.”

“You’re breathing like a troll, Leader.”

“That’s because your hearing is unnecessarily good…… Ah, that’s enough. Don’t make me talk.”

It was too much to even talk. When Cadel threw up his hands in annoyance, Lumen smirked and slid down behind him, placing one hand on Cadel’s back and starting to push.

“……What the heck, I don’t need it.”

“It has been so long since I saw a speed this slow. I don’t want to die from dragon’s breath.”

Cadel tried to shake off Lumen’s kindness out of pride, but his touch was too soothing. His walking strength was halved, and he finally felt alive.

In the end, Cadel graciously leaned into Lumen’s hand, saying he’d accept the compromise for the sake of everyone’s safety, ignoring the chuckles behind him.

The hike started early in the morning, but they were only halfway up by nightfall. There were too many variables, including steep slopes and having to retrace their steps.

“There are ramps all around. The rocks are sharp too.”

Garuel, who had been searching for a place to camp with Lumen, shook his head in disbelief and threw his pack under the tree where his comrades had gathered.

“We’ll just stay here for the night. As much as I’d like to explore further, our Knight Commander is not……. feeling well..”

Garuel’s gaze fell on Cadel, slumped like seaweed on Van’s back. He had Lumen supporting his back the entire time he was climbing the mountain, and he was flying with Lydon to minimize his physical drain, but perhaps because the average terrain was rough, he got tired more easily than usual.

Cadel lifted his head from where it was buried in Van’s shoulder and muttered weakly.

“Sorry, guys……. I’m really going to start working out when I get down this mountain.”

He didn’t dare to look at his subordinates, who must have been exhausted from taking care of him. In response to Cadel’s gloomy promise, Van, who was carrying him comfortably, spoke in an affectionate voice.

“I’ll help you with your workout, Commander.”

“……Thanks.”

They unpacked on the only flat surface and built a bonfire. Cadel lay down on the ground, refused everything, food and all, and closed his eyes. He was so incredibly exhausted that he didn’t even have the energy to move his jaw to chew his food. He could barely roll his tongue around the chocolate that Lydon had brought as his share, after forcing it into his mouth.

Cadel stretched out lethargically, exhausted. The rest of the subordinates checked their weapons and munched on jerky and bread to replenish their strength for the hike ahead.

“Let’s take turns standing guard, one by one. I’ll start first, and we’ll switch every two hours.”

As Garuel spoke, Lydon, who was eating melted candy next to Cadel, waved his hand.

“I’ll do it last.”

“Okay. What about you two?”

“I’m the second.”

With Garuel and Van taking the first and second turn, and Lydon last, Lumen naturally took the third turn. He accepted it silently, but he had already anticipated it. Even if he did wake up, and the next one, Lydon, did not, he would naturally be left to stand guard alone until daylight. Unable to be bothered to point that out, Lumen gave Lydon a quick glance.

Bedtime was early because they had to be on the move as soon as the sun rose. The Knight Order closed their eyes, whether sleep came or not, even if it was forced. Only Garuel kept watch over his surroundings in front of the warm fire.

He rolled his eyes as he stoked the bonfire with a branch and looked at Cadel. The scarlet light flickered over Cadel’s sleeping face, leaving soft shadows.

‘He’s asleep now.’

His exhaustion was a bit of a shock to Garuel, who didn’t know Cadel’s fitness level, but even that was endearing. His frailty was almost pitiful as if he had been wrapped in a tightly packed beanstalk.

“……His face looked so dreadful.”

One corner of his mouth tugged up in a smirk, and he turned back to rummaging in the bonfire.

Garuel assumed Cadel had fallen into a deep, dreamless sleep. His face was serene, not even a frown on his face, but the reality was quite the opposite.

For the first time since transmigrated, Cadel did not enter an ‘unconscious state’. He was wandering in an unusual dream, defying the system.

Cadel’s nights were always the same. If he couldn’t fight off the onslaught of sleep, the system would put him into ‘a state of unconsciousness’, where he’d skip all of the members’ stories based on their favorability, and it would be completely dark after that.

It was like sleeping and waking up without a dream. Cadel didn’t have any regrets, in fact, he was glad he didn’t have to relive the events of the original world.

This time, however, was different. Without a system window indicating that he had entered the state of unconsciousness, he felt a strong pull, like someone tugging on his ankle, and he quickly lost consciousness.

When he woke up, what he saw was not someone’s past or his own memories, but a lake that had spread out in the middle of nowhere. In broad daylight, the lake glistened with light on every ripple, and the shadows of the surrounding trees and bushes loomed over the surface.

‘Is it…… a dream? Am I dreaming……?’

It was an unfamiliar sensation. Sure, it had been a long time since he’d had a dream, but this wasn’t a normal dream. Like a lucid dream, his mind was clear and his body was free to move. Cadel strolled along the lakeshore with an uncanny sense of clarity.

‘There’s no system window that pops up……. It’s suspicious.’

One would think it was just a system glitch, but Cadel felt uncomfortable, nervous as if he’d seen something he shouldn’t have.

Cadel had been wandering around the lake for a while when he spotted a man across from him. The man, who had appeared out of nowhere a short distance away, stood frozen in place, staring at Cadel.

Long red hair that went down to his waist. The hair, which boasted a powerful presence like a flame, was shiny like silk without any tangles, even though it was long. And then Cadel realized that there was no wind blowing on the lakeside where he was.

“What a strange soul you are.”

Despite the distance, Cadel could hear the man’s voice clearly. It was gravelly and harsh, but at the same time, it had a soft range that was almost beautiful. In short, it was a strange voice that defied description.

The man didn’t approach, so Cadel took the first step. The man didn’t take any action as Cadel stepped in front of him.

“……Did you call me here?”

At Cadel’s question, the man’s lips quirked up at the corners and he smiled in a crooked way. It was a pretty mean look, but up close, the man’s face exuded an air of nobility that made even that look seem perfectly appropriate.

Even though he had long hair, he had a large bone structure that did not make him feel delicate. He was a good foot taller than Cadel, so much so that Cadel had to crane his neck to see the man’s face. In contrast to his flaming red hair, his eyes were a soft green, arguably the most mysterious and beautiful shade of green Cadel had ever seen in his life.

Cadel wondered if this was the color of the eyes that held Samra*. The color of his eyes, a multicolored green that blended into many different shades of green, was mysterious enough to mesmerize even a glimpse of it. Not only that, but his skin was transparently clear, his lips wrinkle-free and smooth, the bridge of his nose pointed and sharp, the contours of his face flawless, and he didn’t look human at all. He looked less like a person and more like a magnificent statue somewhere.

*Samra: from Samramansang (삼라만상). The literal meaning is “Like a wide-spreading forest (samra), all kinds of things are spread out (mansang)”. To put it simply, it represents the situation in which all things exist, and furthermore, it represents everything (phenomena, truth, world, universe). In English, it has a similar meaning to “All”, but is also slightly different.

‘I wonder if I’ve become a little dull to people’s faces now.’

The man was a handsome man with a different vibe from his subordinates. To the point where Cadel wondered if he could just dismiss him as a handsome guy.

If Cadel hadn’t been surrounded by a sea of gleamingly handsome men every day, he might have been freezing like an idiot right about now.

“If you didn’t call me, why am I here? Don’t you know this?”

“You have a lot of questions.”

“It would be weird not to be curious about this situation.”

“You can just dismiss it as a dream.”

It was because Cadel had a body that did not dream. The man scanned Cadel’s troubled face as if searching, then stretched out his long index finger and pointed between Cadel’s brows.

“What are you—”

Suddenly, he felt a dizzying sensation that seemed to pierce through his body. His heart swelled and his eyes widened at the unfamiliar, suffocating sensation.

He felt a tickling irritation in the cracks of pain, like a shallow current running through the veins of his body. Cadel reflexively drew up his mana to defend himself, but it was useless. He felt no power in his body.

“Cough…… S, stop……!”

Cadel, who could barely move his legs, stumbled backward. But even though the man’s finger fell off, the pain was still there. Cadel glared resentfully at the man, covering his head with a headache that was getting worse.

“What have you, done to me……?!”

The man snorted, unperturbed by the fierce stare. As he watched Cadel stagger away, arms folded at his leisure, he spoke with a hint of displeasure in his voice.

“I’m really curious about this body of yours.”

At the same time, a series of previously invisible system windows began to pop up.