Cadel couldn’t afford to be hurt by Lumen’s harsh words. Even feeling upset about them would’ve been shameless. Because everything Lumen said was exactly what needed to be said. There was no obligation for him to comfort and soothe a leader who had collapsed right in front of the Demon King. If anything, had Lumen spoken kindly, Cadel would’ve had no face to show him again.

And yet, Lumen acted as if he were whispering the most horrific curse imaginable.

Tensed brows and a furrowed forehead, a low, biting voice of someone filled with anger. It seemed like he was harshly expressing his disappointment toward his leader. But Cadel knew. He could see it in Lumen’s blue eyes, how deeply he was suffering. Even though the leader he had scolded wasn’t hurt by the words, Lumen was trembling with guilt. That truth was both absurd and pitiful.

He pressed strength into lips still trembling from the aftertaste of crying, and wiped away the wet traces of tears. Calming his breath, Cadel recalled the system window he had seen a moment ago.

「Knight ‘Lumen Dominic’ ’s Limit Break Quest Complete!」

「Congratulations! Knight ‘Lumen Dominic’ has fulfilled the conditions for a limit break.」

「Maximum rank retained. Stat increase and skill count restrictions removed.」

「Knight ‘Lumen Dominic’ breaks free from the trajectory of fate.」

「Entering self-correcting mode. Time required for data update.」

「Knight ‘Lumen Dominic’ ’s information temporarily restricted.」

The notification that Lumen had finally succeeded in breaking his limit. Even after seeing such a proud notification, Cadel hadn’t been able to feel joy, hadn’t even offered a single word of praise. Faced with Mamil’s death, he hadn’t had a shred of space in his heart. He couldn’t even spare a glance for the subordinate who had survived and returned through deadly peril.

“If it’s for you, I don’t care how many more wars I have to fight. Even if I have to battle life and death over and over until the day I die, even if it means I eventually meet death itself, it’s fine. ……Cadel. But if you can’t trust me, none of that means anything. If the hand I offer you is worth less than a rotting rope to you…… then my life might as well be cut short.”

But in the moment he faced Lumen’s pain—Lumen, who was meeting his gaze in such a battered state, carving into himself with his own words—Cadel couldn’t look away. And as he traced the countless emotions held within him, he slowly realized.

“……You really did die, didn’t you?”

The system’s message saying Lumen was lost—it was true. It hadn’t been some cruel distraction or trap or scheme. At Cadel’s murmur, Lumen fell silent. His expression was still hard to read, but Cadel could sense Lumen’s agitation through the slightest tremble of his blue eyes.

“Don’t change the subject all of a sudden.”

“You really died, and came back.”

“……”

“For me?”

The thoughts in his head, once filled to the brim with Mamil’s death, slowly began to clear. As the guilt and sense of loss were pushed aside, Lumen’s presence took root in the space they left behind. That man, ever unpredictable, ever difficult, once again.

“Answer me, Lumen. What power brought you back to life? How was something like that even possible?”

Lids that had been lowered to avoid Cadel’s gaze lifted, revealing trembling eyes beneath. In his eyes was a youthfulness, like that of a boy confessing his first love. Even as thick demonic energy surged around them, even as foul, blood-scented winds howled from every direction. That filthy reality held no power before the man in front of him.

“……This sword I got by chance—it turns out it belonged to Kelligan. It was taken by the Demon King, and I was stabbed through the heart. It was a blow no one could survive, but I was revived with help from an old guardian god. ……I begged desperately. Asked for just one more chance to protect you. You know, I do pray pretty sincerely. Maybe that helped.”

A tight ache squeezed Cadel’s heart. Hearing from Lumen’s own mouth that he truly had died and come back sent chills down his spine. He had almost lost him. Almost never gotten him back again. Just imagining that ‘what if’ made a crushing fear surge within him.

But even bigger than the fear, swollen and overpowering—absurdly enough—was love. The confession that his resurrection had been for Cadel’s sake. The hesitation, shyness, awkwardness, and concern embedded in that confession. The moment Cadel felt all of that, he could breathe again, startlingly clear.

His body, broken and scattered, seemed to find its pieces and reassemble with that single sentence. Lumen’s love—having defied death for him—felt like the answer to all of his desperate struggles.

“Leader. You can resent me if you want. I’d understand if you cast off such a weak subordinate who can’t even joke about telling you to rest in peace. But…… please remember this. Mr. Mamil’s death, our determination that’s held on until now—it’s all for you. Because we believe in a future where you rise and defeat the Demon King.”

“……”

“That’s why, no matter how many more lives are lost here…… It’s your enduring presence that gives them meaning.”

It was a truly brutal thing to say, but also a truth only Lumen could bring to light. He had always supported Cadel with rational judgment. Even in moments when Cadel wanted to collapse and give up, Lumen could show him the way forward.

Cadel slowly nodded. He sniffled, sensing the wind filling the hallway begin to subside. Carefully, he reached out and stroked the stiff back of the hand gripping his arm.

“Lumen.”

“Yes.”

“There may not be much time to talk…… but this is something I really need to say.”

Farewells were a luxury. Time spent pouring out feelings would be better spent running just a little harder. That’s what he thought. But standing in front of a man who had chosen to hurt himself for Cadel’s sake, who had gone so far as to defy death. Maybe a truth like this deserved to be shared.

“I’ve suffered like hell because of you. Cried more times than I can count.”

“……”

“But in the end, you’ve always been my strongest source of love. It’s ridiculous, how you shake me up so much and then hold me firm in the end…… But that’s why I like you. This feeling—it’s not going to disappear, no matter where I go.”

A faint smile, a gentle gaze, a soft hand brushing along the back of his. Sensing the storm of subtle emotions within Cadel’s sincerity, Lumen looked like he wanted to say something—but then.

“……The wind’s stopped.”

With a soft whisper, the wind that had been pushing them back ceased. At the same time, the thick demonic energy that had filled the corridor thinned, and the once-dark view slowly began to return.

Cadel grasped Lumen’s hand and quickly got to his feet. They had no idea when Emilia might spring out again.

“I cut off one of her arms. For most enemies, that’s an irreversible injury—but she’s the Demon King. There’s a good chance she’s already healed.”

At Lumen’s words, Cadel nodded. Even with all of them together, they hadn’t managed to inflict any real wounds. To sever the Demon King’s arm, even if she regenerated it, was a massive achievement.

“Darling!”

“……Lydon?”

The clearing vision didn’t only affect Cadel and Lumen. The moment the winds died, Lydon, who had immediately set out to find Cadel, came running at full speed. Like a dog reunited with its owner after a long absence, Lydon hastily closed the distance—but then slowed, stumbling to a halt as something in his field of vision caught him off guard.

What he saw was Mamil’s lifeless body, collapsed behind Cadel.

Lydon stood frozen, staring blankly at the corpse before slowly turning his gaze back to Cadel.

“It was the [Grass of Amplification]. He must’ve brought it to share with you. But to stop the Demon King…… he ended up taking all of it himself. Remember what I said before? If a human takes that herb consecutively……”

“They die. Yeah, I remember.”

“He knew that, too. He still took it.”

Lydon stepped forward and pulled Cadel into a tight embrace. Cadel, breathing heavily and barely keeping it together, was wrapped in Lydon’s arms as the latter raised a hand toward the opposite end of the hallway. A chilling wind spiraled out and wrapped around Mamil’s corpse, quickly crystallizing into a thick block of ice encasing it.

Perhaps it wouldn’t be enough to preserve the body throughout the upcoming battle against the Demon King, but it was the best they could do—for now.

“Teacher endured all of this because he believed I’d be the one to defeat the Demon King. ……So I won’t fall apart.”

“You’ve grown strong. I’m proud of you.”

Lydon kissed the top of Cadel’s head gently, his voice soft with affection. And as the two stood like that, Yozen approached silently. He reached out and placed something in Cadel’s hand.

“Yozen……!”

“He gave it to me before he died. Said to make sure you got it.”

Cadel slipped out of Lydon’s embrace and looked down at what had been pressed into his hand—a small glass vial filled with an unfamiliar liquid. He tilted it, watching the contents swirl, then asked Yozen,

“Did he tell you what it was?”

“No. I think he planned to give you something else at first. But since he took all the [Grass of Amplification] himself…… maybe he left this instead.”

So it might have similar properties to the [Grass of Amplification]. If it helped him reach a higher level right before facing the Demon King, it could possibly compensate for Kunra’s absence. Cadel gripped the vial tightly and glanced around.

“Where are Van and Garuel? I don’t see Sir Ector or Sir Modeleine either……”

Though most of the demonic energy had faded, the missing presence of his comrades seeded unease in his chest. Just as that worry began to bloom, a loud clamor erupted from the direction ahead—something fast was flying toward them.

“What is that—?!”

A dark blur shot toward them in an instant. Reflexively, Cadel began forming a protective barrier, unsure if he’d make it in time.

“Kgh—!”

“What’s with the sudden dive?! We nearly ended up dead together!”

With that familiar voice, the flying blur came to a sudden stop right in front of them. Cadel’s eyes widened as he finally made out who it was.

“Van! Garuel!”

It was indeed Van and Garuel. Van had his arms crossed in defense, clearly having been struck and pushed back, while Garuel braced his back with both hands. Realizing they’d landed in front of their allies, both men looked visibly relieved. Garuel released Van’s back and let out a long sigh.

“Right after the demonic energy cleared, the Demon King appeared in front of us. But then Sir Van, perhaps overwhelmed by fear, just charged in without thinking.”

“One of her arms was missing. She was clearly in pain—how could I just stand there and run away?”

“Then you should’ve at least warned me that you were going to attack!”

“Are you saying I should give notice before every move? If I’d wasted time doing that, my greatsword wouldn’t have even reached the Demon King.”

“Sigh, this is why there’s no such thing as a happy healer. People just recklessly throw themselves around, trusting only in healing magic.”

Van bristled at Garuel’s nagging and was about to argue back, but when he caught sight of Cadel’s grave expression, he fell silent.

“You’re not hurt, are you, Commander?”

“I’m fine. The Demon King is up ahead? You said she was missing an arm? And there was no sign of regeneration?”

“Demonic energy started to rise, but no signs of healing. I’m not sure how she lost her arm, though……”

“I cut it off. Looks like the strike landed properly.”

At Lumen’s confident interjection, Van’s face twisted with irritation. With the annoying light gone, that smug expression was even clearer—and even more infuriating.

“We need to find Sir Ector and Sir Modeleine. Let’s regroup and strike together. No one splits up.”

Steadying his gathered subordinates, Cadel turned to face the opposite end of the corridor. As the demonic energy completely dispersed, a delicate doll-like figure emerged into the now-cleared view.