* * *

The Dunkelhai Kingdom was the starting point of the great magic circle. As the place where the first demon city appeared, the damage was unparalleled by the other nations.

‘What a ruin.’

The capital city of Skotavi was spared, but the village they rode into, ‘Verio’, was a mess of collapsed buildings and charred wood. The forest that led to the village was the first place to search, so Cadel and his subordinates trudged through the debris.

“This place seems like it could be haunted right now. It was inhabited a few days ago.”

Garuel sighed at the desolate landscape, devoid of any signs of life. Van, walking in silence beside him, spoke up.

“I think the ghost is already up ahead.”

He looked up to see the Shadow Knight Order marching ahead. A feast of black cloaks traversing the deserted town, they certainly looked more like messengers of death than knights.

“They picked up some sort of regalia, put it on, and walked away without a sound. It’s creepy, and I don’t want to be around them.”

Van wrinkled his brow in a genuinely creepy way. Cadel was cautious of the Shadow Knight Order overhearing, but he couldn’t argue with him.

They were like Yozen’s alter egos. Their silent, footstepless movements were uncanny, even to those who had been trained by Yozen.

‘How can they just keep walking without saying a word? Can’t they talk because their mouths are covered? Can’t they breathe?’

Technically, Yozen was more dangerous and murderous, but there was something indescribably eerie about them.

‘By the way, is Yozen keeping up?’

Yozen didn’t show up even after they rode in on the traveling magic circle. He didn’t sneak up on Cadel and make his presence known, and while he didn’t intentionally call out to him because Cadel couldn’t imagine Yozen abruptly leaving, he was worried about the ambiguity of his decision to disappear.

‘Certainly, the commander over there seems more likely to discover Yozen’s identity. I’m sure Yozen has a plan.’

Yozen wasn’t one to act blindly, so he’d know what to do. Cadel scanned the area for any sign of Yozen, then quickened his pace.

* * *

[An overturned forest, endless passages, the sound of hope echoing with every step. Reach out like a blind man and you will find peace, the will of a hero’s legacy, never stop.]

These words were kept by the Dunkelhai Kingdom. The inscription Dasto had received was far more vague and ambiguous than the Empire’s, and he could see why they had requested his assistance in the search.

Once out of the village, the two Knight Orders made their way into the forest. This was where the search would begin. Focusing on the ‘overturned forest’ in the inscription, they discovered that the trees here were bent from an attack by a demon during the Demon War and were still growing.

It wasn’t completely overturned, but it was probably rotated 90 degrees. The Dunkelhai Kingdom realized that it would be difficult to find a location that perfectly matched the vague inscription, so they would have to search for even the smallest clues.

As the two Knight Orders made their way through the dense forest, the search was on. Yozen, alone and unseen, kept a close eye on the Shadow Knight Order.

A target he’d had his eye on for a long time. Jeffrey Holiven. Before joining the Shadow Knight Order, he had been a contract killer, a man who would kill innocent children for a price. He would humiliate the dead if his clients wanted him to, and he would inflict irreparable trauma on the families of his targets if the price was right.

Once he had saved up enough money, Jeffrey laundered his identity and applied to the Shadow Knight Order to live a clean life. His physical prowess was recognized, and he passed his tests quickly, becoming a knight in his sixth year.

Up in the thick branches. Hidden in the shadows of the leaves, Yozen focused on Jeffrey’s movements. Unlike Yozen, who was perfectly silent, Jeffrey’s steps left behind a residual noise.

The others did the same. With the exception of their commander, Dasto Salawell, they were, to Yozen, a stampeding herd of bulls.

As he followed the receding Knight Order through the trees, Yozen didn’t make a single rustling sound. All he left behind was the shadow on the ground. Even then, the shadows of the trees were so cleverly disguised his own that no one would notice Yozen’s presence.

‘I’ll take care of it tonight.’

That was the real purpose of Yozen’s disappearance. Despite being his oldest target, Yozen hadn’t killed him yet. It wasn’t that Jeffrey was too strong, or that his considerable backing made him difficult to touch.

He waited for the moment. When the devilish assassin had put his past behind him and was living a life he could stand tall in front of anyone. When that life was so normalized that his sordid past seemed like a dream, Yozen wanted to drag him down.

Suddenly, Yozen’s focus on Jeffrey was distracted. The sound of busy footsteps chasing them from the rear of the Shadow Knight Order. The diligent pace and the occasional calm voice speaking to his subordinates. Slightly labored breathing and faintly audible sighs.

‘……Cadel.’

Yozen’s movement from branch to branch slowed slightly. Quickly gaining control of his distraction, he consciously pushed Cadel’s presence away.

Cadel would be in trouble if he assassinated a member of the Shadow Knight Order here. But Jeffrey Holiven had to die here. After this war, it was too late. Yozen didn’t want Jeffrey to die a veteran; he had to die a fool, killed by humans, not demons, while doing nothing but search and rescue.

Did he want Cadel to understand? Absolutely. But even if he didn’t, Yozen shouldn’t let it stop him.

A thicker dark energy enveloped Yozen, and darkness began to descend upon the forest.

* * *

After a light dinner and a discussion with Dasto about the next day’s plans, Cadel spent a little time with his subordinates before returning to the barracks.

“Ah, I’m so exhausted.”

Cadel sagged in the barracks Van had set up for him. It had been less than a day, and judging by the slight aches and pains in his muscles, walking would be torture by the next day.

“Stamina is a gift, considering I’ve been working out and still look like this.”

He laughed self-deprecatingly, then lightly tossed and turned on the thick fur. The search was harder than he’d expected. At first, he was intrigued by the strange trees that grew along the ground, but as time went on, he grew tired of the endless forest paths.

The thick tree trunks littered the ground, making it difficult to move properly, and I had to practically roll over them, carefully sifting through the crevices and siphoning off mana to search for some sort of device.

‘It’s hard enough just walking around in the forest, but tomorrow I’ll be in an abandoned coal mine. I’m exhausted just thinking about it.’

He was already feeling a little nauseous.

“I can’t do this. Let’s drink some potions.”

He’d brought some energy potions just in case. He’d brought them for his subordinates, but apparently they’d be fine even after a week of exploring day and night.

‘Who cares about who? Let me do well. Let’s drink up and get some sleep.’

Cadel dug into his bag, pulled out a potion of energy, and downed it without hesitation. The bitter aftertaste made him stop and sit up straight. He remembered a figure he’d wanted to check on before sleeping. Cadel glanced around warily for a moment, then muttered softly.

“Yozen, are you there?”

Cadel’s round eyes darted cautiously. When Cadel was alone, he could call out his name and Yozen would appear wherever he was, but this time, no matter how many times he called out, Yozen didn’t appear.

“……What?”

Cadel was sure he was hiding somewhere out of Dasto’s sight. He wondered if Yozen didn’t want anyone to see him. If he was in his private barracks, Dasto wouldn’t be able to get in.

‘He probably hasn’t eaten, what else is he doing?’

Yozen had been known to disappear unexpectedly, but he usually told Cadel where he was going beforehand. The only time he didn’t was when he’d left to take care of something trivial. But to disappear without warning at a time when the Knight Order was in the midst of a coordinated action, like this one, was unnerving. It was not reassuring.

“Did he get into some kind of accident?”

Cadel knew Yozen wasn’t the kind of man to go off and get himself killed, but he didn’t know people. He could have walked into a trap while secretly following them, or he could have encountered a dangerous demon. He was struggling with the fear that if he made a fuss, Dasto would notice.

Squirming in his seat, Cadel finally overcame his anxiety and went outside. He thought about waking the others but decided to leave them alone since it was likely he was the only one worried. It was never too late to wake them if he felt it was serious.

Using the small flame as a light, Cadel began to retrace his steps. He encountered a few members of the Shadow Knight Order along the way, but they were all dismissive when Cadel told them he was just out for a walk. At times like this, he felt pretty good about his position as the commander.

But by the time he had walked far enough away that he couldn’t even see the Shadow Knight Order, all thoughts of triviality were gone, replaced by worry for Yozen. He called out Yozen’s name at intervals along the way, but there was still no answer, and certainly no sign of him.

‘Isn’t it unfair that he can use my alter ego to watch me do whatever I do, and I have to hunt for this guy who doesn’t make a sound? I should put a bell around his neck or something.’

It seemed more unfair than ever that only one of them knew the other’s location. Cadel tapped his throbbing leg and paused to catch his breath.

“Looks like I’ve come a long way…….”

If he went any further without thinking, he would get lost. He left a sign on every tree he passed just in case, but it was dark and he couldn’t see it well.

He should go back and wake the others. If they all moved, Dasto would get the whiff, so he might as well just call Lydon or Lumen. Or maybe he should leave Lydon behind for the illusion.

That was when Cadel turned and started walking, trying to find Yozen without being seen.

“That’s…… right……!”

Not far away, he heard someone’s terrified voice. Cadel, breathless and focused on the sound, extinguished the flame with a serious look on his face and carefully stepped in the direction of the sound.

‘I thought this place was off the beaten path……. The nearby villages have been evacuated, too, so it’s unlikely he’s a lost soul.’

But could he be a member of the Knight Order? If the voice belonged to a knight, he was probably a member of the Shadow Knight Order, since all of his subordinates had left for the dreamland. But why would a member of the Shadow Knight Order be here?

Cadel’s questions were answered as the sound grew clearer and clearer. The voice did not belong to one person.

“It was a long time ago that I killed people, and now I protect them as a knight of the Shadow Knight Order……!”

“Are you saying that your life is your penance? You live so happily because of it. You eat a full stomach, sleep in a warm house every night, and everyone looks up to you when you walk the streets. Is this your penance?”

“That, that’s…….”

“You just wanted to be happier. You don’t care about the people you killed. All you want is money. All you care about is whether it’s dirty or clean. Am I wrong?”

It was Yozen. Just as he’d overheard his conversation with Sellev, at the time of the bet with the Guardian Knight Order, Cadel ducked and muffled a gasp.

“That doesn’t matter! What matters is that I’m fighting demons right now to protect people! What makes you think you’re qualified to kill me when you’re out there killing for your own pleasure?”

“I don’t need qualifications to kill people, which is probably why scum like you do it for a few bucks.”

“Then stop acting like you’re judging and come at me! I don’t remember Helena or whoever the f*ck she was, but if you want revenge, I’ll take it. Just don’t blame me if you die here instead!”

The more Cadel listened, the more he realized something was wrong. One was Yozen, and the other seemed to be a knight of the Shadow Knight Order. Why were they arguing, and why did they look like they were about to stab each other?

Cadel’s thoughts were interrupted by Yozen’s gruff voice, which brought him to a halt.

“I’m going to get rid of your loud mouth first.”