A full week had passed since the unpleasant incident—and the bloody interrogation that followed—with those "precious" guests from the Empire.

To an outsider's eye, Veythral appeared to have erased all traces of that chaotic night.

Fredrinn had managed to defeat Priest Andreas in single combat without causing much damage to the city. The priest's divine power had proven insufficient against Fredrinn's raw, dark, and overwhelming force.

Currently, both William Gicdillax and Priest Andreas were held in Veythral's most secure dungeons, bound by mana seals.

Fredrinn still hadn't decided what to do with them.

He was caught in the very heart of a gnawing dilemma.

To kill them silently would sever the already tenuous ties with the Empire, giving Prince Charles the very justification he sought to wipe Veythral off the map.

But to release them unpunished, or even to return them for a ransom… That would shake his authority in Veythral, tarnishing his image as "Lord" in the eyes of his people and his men. The "Free City" of Veythral would look as if it had knelt before the Empire.

For now, he was keeping them under "official investigation."

Unlike Priest Andreas, William had told Fredrinn everything, spilling the secrets like a songbird. Prince Charles's plans, his desire for revenge, and that mysterious black sphere…

Fredrinn found the entire affair exceedingly strange.

No matter how much he tried, Priest Andreas had not uttered a single word. The seal of the Holy Church had locked his tongue and his mind.

But torture had been unnecessary to make William talk.

When Fredrinn had returned to the room after Cassian, he had found William hanging upside down from the ceiling, covered in wounds, his heart torn from his chest and then… put back in its place.

In that moment, he didn't even want to imagine the horrifying tortures Cassian, in his "child" form, must have inflicted.

As for Cassian… he had vanished since that day.

Disappeared as if he had never existed.

Fredrinn knew that Cassian's sudden strange behavior and disappearance were directly related to that black sphere.

The abrupt shift in his mood after seeing it, that manic laughter, and his obsession with learning who they had taken it from… It was as if he knew the sphere's owner, and that familiarity must have only brought back memories of pain and hatred.

He had managed to glean the necessary information from William for the time being. But he was certain that Cassian knew more.

Somehow, Cassian always knew more.

The only thing left of him was the little pixie girl he had brought with him, the one he had introduced as his "sister," Nivelle.

'If Cassian were still alive, he would not have just left Nivelle here like this.'

'After all, he had caused this whole mess with the Empire just to save his little sister.'

Currently, Nivelle was being looked after by Rose, one of Fredrinn's most trusted companions.

Nivelle constantly worried about Cassian, asking for him endlessly. They had told her a lie—that Cassian was on a very important and secret mission.

For now, she seemed to believe it.

But Nivelle claimed she had some sort of spiritual bond with Cassian, that she could feel his pain even from miles away. It was clear she hadn't fallen for their lie. This situation worried Fredrinn even more.

He needed Cassian. He couldn't lose him yet.

He needed him both to find his lost friend Julian and to stand with him against an entire Empire that was now plotting their destruction.

Fredrinn was lost in these thoughts, lying on his enormous bed in his chamber, staring at the ceiling. He had no morale to deal with anything at the moment. The weight of his responsibilities pressed down on his shoulders like a mountain.

As he continued to lie there, a sharp knock echoed on his chamber door.

Knock, knock.

Fredrinn ignored it.

But the knocking continued, louder this time. After a long silence, Fredrinn rose from his bed to see who this persistent person was and opened the door.

Rose and Hebi stood before him. Nivelle was perched on Rose's shoulder, looking at Fredrinn with her innocent, emerald-green eyes.

"What do you want?" Fredrinn grumbled. "Can't you see I'm resting?"

"You haven't set foot outside this room in two days," Rose snapped. Her voice was sharper than usual.

"Like I said, I need to rest. I'm still weary from that battle. Now leave me be."

Rose scoffed. "Battle? Everyone knows you beat that golden-winged freak without getting a single scratch. It would be more accurate to call it one-sided violence."

"I want to be alone," Fredrinn said and tried to close the door.

But Rose thrust her hand in the way. "How much longer are you going to sit in your room like a little girl who's been broken up with? You won't get anywhere like this!"

"Stop talking nonsense! I told you, I just want to be alone!"

Just then, Hebi intervened. His voice was calmer. "Boss, Rose is right. You haven't made a statement to the people. Because of those envoys in the dungeon, everyone thinks the Empire is about to attack. If you don't give them an explanation, they might get the impression that we're in real trouble."

"Tell Eric," Fredrinn said, his voice tired and uninterested. "He can handle the district."

Without waiting for a reply, he shut the door in their faces and returned to his bed.

Outside, Rose stood frozen with a sullen expression. She kicked the door in anger, then turned and stalked down the corridor. With a deep sigh, Hebi followed after her.

Walking behind Rose with his hands in his pockets, Hebi spoke. "Rose, I told you. We need to leave him alone for a bit. We can't understand how mentally exhausted he is. The entire Empire has blacklisted him. The responsibility for everyone in this city is on his shoulders, in a way. And he's still trying to find Julian. You yourself said how grueling that last ruin you visited was."

Rose said nothing. She just kept walking.

Nivelle, on her shoulder, placed a tiny hand on Rose's cheek, as if trying to comfort her.

A while later, the three of them sat down for dinner at one of Veythral's busiest taverns. It wasn't long before Eric, Rod, and Kael joined them.

But the atmosphere at the table was far from its usual cheerful and boisterous state. Seeing Rose's grim face, Rod and Kael had set aside their energetic dispositions and were sitting in silence. This silence had somehow spread to the entire table.

Rose barely touched the food she had ordered, merely prodding the meat on her plate with her spoon and chugging her fourth mug of ale.

Hebi, on the other hand, had no intention of letting his own mood sour. Unlike the others at the table, he ate his meal with gusto, occasionally making small talk to break the silence.

"Winter's not far off, eh? This one's bound to be much colder than last year. Good thing, I can't wait to taste those special wines I brought from the East."

"Wines from the East?" Kael suddenly perked up. "Mate, you're going to share that with us, right?" he asked, looking at Hebi with gleaming eyes.

Hebi laughed. "I don't know. Maybe if you can beat me in a sword fight, I'll let you have a sip."

"Are you kidding me? I use daggers, not a sword!"

"You can't offer such excuses to your opponent in a real fight, Kael," Rod chimed in. "What do you expect? Your opponent to show mercy for your handsome face?"

"You shut it, lightning boy!" Kael retorted. "At least I can fight back against my opponent!"

Rod's face instantly flushed. "Damn it, stop bringing that up!" he tried to defend himself.

Eric, with his usual calm and mature demeanor, interjected. "Don't worry, Rod, everyone makes mistakes. What's important is that you learn from them."

"Eric…" Rod whined, a grateful, childlike expression on his face.

Just as a cheerful mood was being rekindled at the table, Rose slammed her ale mug down hard. A loud bang cut through the noise of the room as she yelled:

"Another ale!"

The serving girl, who was trying to serve another table with a tray full of six mugs of ale and food, flinched and replied, "R-right away, my lady!"

"Rose, the night has just begun. You're drinking too much," Eric said in a warning tone.

Rose said nothing. She just rested her chin on her hand and turned her head to gaze out the window at the dark street.

"Someone's got a bad case of lovesickness," Kael whispered into Rod's ear.

As if she had heard them, Rose shot a piercing glare their way.

Nivelle, sitting on Rose's shoulder, had not grown accustomed to this environment at all. She watched the people around with curious eyes, listening to their loud conversations and observing their laughter.

Elves and humans… she still hated them from the bottom of her heart. They were the ones who had sacrificed her race, who had torn her family apart.

But right now, her brother Cassian trusted these people.

And they hadn't treated her badly. In Cassian's absence, Rose had been very kind to her, despite her own foul mood. She truly protected and cared for her like a little sister.

Nivelle was deeply worried by her brother's absence. But Rose had told her that Cassian would definitely return. She constantly reminded her of how strong he was.

She had seen his strength for herself. He had slaughtered everyone in that huge building, all by himself, without any effort, just for her.

And now… because of her, he was in pain somewhere. Nivelle could feel that pain coming from her brother's soul.

And for that, she blamed herself.

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