Once they were inside, Ard, Eva, and the others sat across from Bedryt. As they settled in, Bedryt took a moment to study each of their faces one by one, a faint smile playing on his lips.

"Alright. Before we begin, could you all introduce yourselves?" Bedryt asked casually.

Aside from Ard and Eva, everyone began to introduce themselves, including Adeline. When it was Irwin's turn, Bedryt went silent for a moment. He studied Irwin's face and then shifted his gaze to Ard's. The two were remarkably similar—both had black hair and shared a nearly identical build. But after a quiet observation, he simply smiled and nodded, offering no further comment.

Without wasting another second, Ard and Eva laid everything out for Bedryt. They explained their goal: to continue Azroth's work by breaking the seal of the demon god Malekh, defeating him once and for all before moving on to deal with Ophelia and finishing what needed to be done. They also recounted what was currently happening in the world, from the events at the academy to the wars already breaking out in several kingdoms. Bedryt listened to it all with a grave expression, nodding along as the smile vanished from his face.

"I understand. But right now, Ard and Eva, you haven't yet returned to your true selves. For that reason, I want you two and everyone else to train at my home for a year," Bedryt said.

"Huh... I have to join the training too, Lord?" Adeline asked.

"Of course you do," Bedryt answered with a smile.

"A year, Lord? But won't that take too much time? The Empire could take over the Kingdom of Ateras at any moment," Mirea pointed out.

"There is no need to worry. My domain is not bound by the laws of space and time. You may train here, and I will guide your progress," Bedryt assured them.

"But... why is this training necessary?" Alicia asked.

"Because you are all going to face Malekh and Ophelia. As you are now, your strength is not enough," Bedryt replied.

"Um... if I may ask, Lord... what did you mean when you said Ard and Eva haven't returned to their true selves?" Beatrice asked, raising her hand.

Bedryt glanced at Ard and Eva, who sat directly in front of him. Both of them gave him a nod of consent. Bedryt leaned back, stroking his white beard.

"Very well. I will tell you the story of who Ashton and Esmeralda truly are," Bedryt began.

He started the tale with their battle against Ordione. After they won a grueling victory and split Ordione's body into two parts, a portion of Ordione—the soul fragments of Malekh and Ophelia—was flung into another world. Since then, Bedryt had been monitoring those two soul fragments in a world without magic called Earth. At that time, Earth was engulfed in a world war, and the two fragments were reborn in two opposing nations. Malekh was born as Ace in America, while Ophelia was born as Edith in Germany.

Both became soldiers after their families were killed in the war. They were turned into test subjects for super-soldier serums developed by their respective countries. During that time, Ophelia—or Edith—joined the wrong faction because she had no other choice, which eventually led her to meet Ace on the battlefield. Neither of them ever tasted defeat; they were always the last two standing, perfectly matched in skill. Eventually, they fell in love. Sick of the endless fighting, they chose to end their lives together.

It was then that Bedryt, who had been watching them, pulled them back to their original world and reincarnated them once more. His goal was to show Malekh and Ophelia that there were other worlds beyond this one. However, when the original Ophelia and Malekh discovered that fragments of themselves had been reincarnated, they intended to reclaim them and reunite. That is why Malekh destroyed Ashton's village—the Kingdom of Fredonia—and subsequently Esmeralda's village, which later became the Kingdom of Rellios.

After hearing Bedryt's story, everyone—Ard and Eva included—was shocked to their core. Ard's mind began to race.

"Hmm... it's true. If I think about it... every time I die, I revert to being Malekh... and the same goes for Eva... who likely becomes Ophelia. After these last nine lives, it finally makes sense," Ard thought to himself.

"This is... unexpected, but it fits. After living nine lives in different timelines and always losing my consciousness at age 31 because I was taken over by Malekh or Ophelia... I finally understand why that kept happening," Eva murmured in her mind.

"You have to return to who you once were. You understand, right? That's why I'm asking you to train here for a year before you face Ordione. You must become the true Malekh and Ophelia," Bedryt said.

"Yeah, I understand," Ard and Eva replied in unison.

Then, they both looked around at the others. Alicia, Milia, Pyria, Beatrice, Rosalind, Claudia, Mirea, Adeline, Geoffrey, Ainsley, and Irwin were all staring at them. Their expressions were a mix of pure disbelief and utter confusion.

"Why are you all looking at Eva and me like that?" Ard asked.

"You're actually... from another world?" Mirea asked, sounding lost.

"Yes. A world called Earth," Ard answered.

"A world inhabited only by humans, with technology far more advanced than anything here," Eva explained.

"There, we didn't fight with swords. We fought from a distance using weapons called rifles that fire bullets," Ard added.

"Hmm," Alicia, Milia, Pyria, Beatrice, Rosalind, Claudia, Mirea, Adeline, Geoffrey, Ainsley, and Irwin all murmured, though it was clear they couldn't wrap their heads around it.

"Of course you don't understand," Eva muttered.

"Haha... fair point," Ard added casually.

After that, the floodgates opened. Question after question poured in, and Ard and Eva did their best to answer them all. Adeline kept her eyes fixed on her older brother and her sister-in-law as they navigated the interrogation. Suddenly, she felt a hand on hers. She jumped slightly and turned to find Bedryt leaning toward her. He was smiling warmly, looking like a grandfather doting on his favorite grandchild.

"Please take good care of that Pegasus. I gave it specifically to you," Bedryt said.

"I... I will. I promise, Lord," Adeline stammered, her face breaking into a wide, beaming smile.

After that, Bedryt turned his gaze toward Irwin, who had remained silent and hadn't joined the others in questioning Ard and Eva. Bedryt studied Irwin's face with a serious expression, then suddenly looked toward the back of the house.

"Irina!" Bedryt called out.

A beautiful girl with black hair and horns, looking incredibly striking, emerged from a back room. she walked over to Bedryt's side and stood there.

"You called for me, Grandpa?" Irina asked.

"Yes. Sit beside me," Bedryt answered.

Irina sat down next to Bedryt, placing her directly across from Irwin. Irwin was completely stunned; his mouth hung open and his eyes went wide as he realized she was the same girl he had seen at the pavilion before entering. When Irina turned to look at Irwin, she froze, looking just as shocked as he was.

Seeing their reactions, Bedryt reached out and took Irina's hand, then took Irwin's. He brought their hands together, joining them while they both sat there in a daze. Without them even realizing it, tears began to stream down their faces. The entire room went silent as everyone, including Ard and Eva, turned to stare at Irwin and Irina.

"There, you two are finally back together," Bedryt said, breaking the heavy silence.

"Grand... Grandfather, is he really my brother?" Irina asked.

"Yes, he is your brother. Irwin, why don't you show her your eye?" Bedryt replied.

"As you wish, Dragon God," Irwin answered.

Irwin promptly closed one eye and then snapped it open. His eye, which had been black, was now a piercing red. Irina did the exact same thing; she also possessed a single red eye, though it was on the opposite side of Irwin's, as if they were two halves of a whole. After their parents were murdered, they had been separated as children and were only now reuniting. Irwin remembered everything now—his eyes had the power to record every event he witnessed, even if he wasn't consciously aware of it at the time.

"Do you understand now?" Bedryt asked.

"I... I do. But who exactly was our mother?" Irwin asked.

"My daughter. She was a succubus named Liloria. Your mother," Bedryt answered.

"Wait... so... the Dragon God is... my grandfather?" Irwin asked, absolutely floored.

"That's right. Now, call your familiar," Bedryt commanded.

Irwin summoned his familiar, a black dragon clad in golden armor. Bedryt stared at the black dragon, which was currently in its miniature form perched on Irwin's shoulder. The dragon looked terrified and nervous, eventually bowing its head in submission.

"Ard, Eva, surely you noticed? Irwin's black dragon... it looks exactly like Zorax," Bedryt noted.

"Huh?!" Everyone gasped in unison, their heads spinning toward Irwin. He sat there in a total daze, his mind struggling to process the bombshells that had just been dropped.

Ard and Eva immediately leaned in to study Irwin's tiny black dragon. They both gasped; Bedryt was right. The small dragon was a dead ringer for Zorax—it might even be the same entity. Irwin looked over at Irina, who was already watching him with tear-filled eyes. Without a second thought, the two stood up and threw their arms around each other.

"We finally found each other again, Sis," Irwin said.

"Yes, my brother," Irina replied, holding him tight.

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