The next day.

Alon and his group arrived at the Union late in the afternoon.

“Who goes there!”

“Open the gate!”

At first, the soldiers showed a hint of caution at Rangban’s shout.

“Huh?”

“W-Wait, isn’t that Lord Rangban?”

But as soon as they confirmed Rangban’s face—

“N-No way!”

“Inform the upper ranks! Lord Rangban has returned alive!”

They began moving busily.

Rumbleee~!

Before long, the massive gates opened.

“Let’s go.”

Following Rangban’s lead, Alon stepped inside the gates.

“Ah~ Aah, Lianna!! You’re alive~!!”

“Father~!”

“You crazy brat! I knew you were alive!!”

“Don’t give me that! You were wailing like I was dead!!”

“I told you I was alive!!”

They witnessed a passionate reunion unfold.

Soldiers tossed aside their weapons and ran toward familiar faces, embracing them.

The atmosphere instantly became lively and noisy.

At that moment—

A beastman dressed in visibly antique-style clothing came running from afar.

The middle-aged beastman approached Rangban and opened his mouth in disbelief.

“Rangban! You’re really alive!”

He pulled him into a strong embrace.

“Father, don’t you know who I am?”

Rangban returned the hug, calling the man father.

How long had it been since their emotional reunion?

Just as they began to exchange stories, Rangban’s father turned his gaze behind.

‘…A human?’

He spotted Alon and clearly displayed hostility.

“Father, they were the ones who saved me.”

“What? Is that true? Humans saved you?”

“Yes. Specifically, those people did.”

Hearing his son’s explanation, his eyes widened in a daze.

He stayed silent for a moment, then walked up to Alon.

“Thank you. Truly.”

He deeply bowed his head.

A sudden silence fell.

“…I only did what needed to be done.”

Though he wondered at the abrupt quiet, Alon nodded respectfully.

“Let’s continue this inside.”

Rangban, who had been watching the two, gave an awkward smile and led Alon’s group inside.

They headed for the massive city at the center of the Union.

As soon as Alon saw it, he instinctively froze.

It felt strangely familiar, like he had seen it somewhere before.

He tried to recall, but couldn’t afford to stand still and stare forever.

Eventually, after they arrived at the kingdom—

Alon and the others took a short two-hour rest, during which they learned an astonishing truth.

It was—

“…A prince?”

“That’s correct.”

Rangban, who had been traveling with Alon all this time, was a prince of the Eastern Kingdom.

“—”

Penia’s eyes widened in disbelief, and Rine tilted her head, sensing something odd.

At some point, Rangban had changed out of his worn armor into elegant royal attire.

“Allow me to reintroduce myself. My name is Arangira.”

He bowed with formal grace.

“…Ah.”

Rine, who had been frowning just moments ago, finally let out a sound of realization.

“So that’s why you weren’t in the library.”

She muttered just loud enough for only Alon to hear.

Alon looked at Arangira.

“Why did you bother hiding your name?”

“Strictly speaking, I didn’t really hide it. I was indeed working as a warrior for the Cheongmu Corps and simply didn’t reveal my royal status to others.”

“Even the other beastmen didn’t know who you really were?”

“Most didn’t.”

Arangira answered without hesitation.

“As a prince, why choose to hide your identity and act as a warrior?”

“It’s a tradition that all Eastern princes must go through.”

“Tradition?”

“Yes. In order to inherit the throne, we must live at least five years hiding our identity.”

“Even during a crisis, you still decided to follow that?”

Arangira shook his head.

“It wasn’t so much about upholding tradition. I just didn’t want to cause unnecessary conflict. If a group has two leaders, it invites problems.”

“I see—”

Alon nodded in understanding, then paused.

“But for someone who wanted to stay hidden, the soldiers sure made a huge fuss the moment they saw you at the gate.”

“Oh, that’s because I made quite a name for myself as Rangban.”

“Did you?”

“Yes. Believe it or not, I climbed to the top rank among the Cheongmu warriors all on my own.”

Penia, who was listening, gave Arangira a strange look.

“Well, that is true—”

“Yes?”

“But somehow, it’s annoying.”

“……”

Arangira’s smile froze awkwardly.

But only for a moment.

“…Ahem. In any case, would you follow me? I’ve been briefed on the Union’s general situation, but Lord Alon should hear it firsthand as well. Ah, and please feel free to continue calling me Rangban.”

“Alright.”

Following Arangira—no, Rangban—Alon’s group began moving again.

####

“…Welcome, O god from afar.”

Just after stepping through the massive palace doors—

Alon came face to face with three people seated at a round table.

An elf, a lizardman, and the middle-aged beastman from earlier.

On the table sat an ornately decorated throne.

Seeing it, Alon stepped forward and greeted them.

“I am Alon.”

He then sat at one side of the round table, guided by Rangban.

Penia and Rine stood behind him protectively.

The three figures studied one another.

“Let us begin by introducing ourselves.”

A short round of introductions followed.

‘So they’re the kings of each kingdom.’

As Alon suspected, these were the leaders of each race and the ones guiding the Union.

King Surang of the beastman nation, the East.

King Kalanda of the elves’ land, Pilgrin.

And Chief Rioche, the great leader of the lizardmen.

After introductions concluded—

The first to speak was Surang.

“I know I already thanked you, but once more—thank you for saving my son.”

King Surang bowed his head deeply.

Even though it was in the past, Alon understood the weight and value of a king’s bow.

He could fully feel how deeply Surang cherished Rangban.

“I’ve heard the general story from my son, but… you are looking for Lord Yongrin, correct?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Surang got straight to the point, and when Alon nodded, Kalanda, who had been silent until then, spoke with a sorrowful expression.

“We are truly grateful that you rescued our dear brethren from that hell… but I’m afraid we cannot grant your request.”

“May I ask why?”

The mood suddenly turned heavy at Alon’s question.

“Regretfully… Lord Yongrin sacrificed herself for us.”

The one who broke the silence and answered was Rioche, who had remained quiet until now.

“…What do you mean—”

Rangban was the first to react.

He looked confused, as if hearing this for the first time.

“Let me explain the current situation of the Union.”

Surang sighed deeply and began to describe the state of the Union with a troubled face.

####

Thirty minutes later,

“…That’s the situation as it stands.”

What Alon heard at the round table was far more serious than he had anticipated.

He glanced around at the silent kings.

Then, letting out a quiet, nearly invisible sigh, he began organizing the information in his head.

Not long after the black beings had been dealt with through the sacrifices of dragons, mages, and many others, worshippers of Baarma launched an attack from the human faction’s side.

In response, the different races quickly formed a union to counter them.

However, due to the aftermath of the previous battles, the alliance had been fighting at a disadvantage from the very beginning.

Then, in the final battle that occurred a month ago—just as they were on the verge of total defeat—

Yongrin sacrificed herself, buying them two months of time.

‘So that’s why they pulled back the front lines? Were they preparing something?’

As Alon was organizing his thoughts, Surang muttered with a scowl.

“Damn those human bastards… if only they hadn’t run away—”

Surang gritted his teeth in frustration.

Seeing this, Alon asked,

“On the way here, Rangban mentioned something about a human alliance. Did they flee?”

“No. They never helped us in the first place.”

“…They didn’t help you at all?”

“That’s right. Those damned bastards realized Baarma was attacking us, not them, and backed out. Then, when they found out Baarma was connected to the black beings, they’ve been pretending not to know anything ever since… bastards.”

Now, Alon finally understood why Rangban had shown such blatant hostility when talking about the human alliance.

He continued his questioning.

“What do you mean by ‘Baarma and the black beings are connected’?”

This time, Kalanda answered.

“It’s just as it sounds. The apostles of Baarma use a power similar to the black beings.”

“A power similar to the black beings?”

“Yes.”

“…I think I understand the general situation now. So then, is the Union currently preparing for the final battle scheduled in a month?”

Kalanda sighed even more heavily than before.

“We are preparing for the final battle… but the circumstances are not in our favor.”

“…Is there a problem?”

Just as Alon asked, and Kalanda was about to answer—

…?

There was a brief commotion outside, followed by a knock at the door.

A soldier quickly entered and whispered something into Surang’s ear.

“…?”

Surang immediately scowled.

“…It seems I must go.”

“What’s the matter?”

“There’s been a problem with what we’ve been preparing. I’m sorry, but we’ll have to continue this conversation tomorrow.”

He rose from his seat and hurried out.

In the suddenly chaotic atmosphere, those left behind looked at one another in confusion—

“I suppose I’d better follow.”

Rioche, now looking grim, went after Surang.

Alon, seeing no other choice, was just about to rise from his seat when—

“Wait.”

Kalanda, who remained behind, suddenly looked up at Alon.

“Thank you.”

He bowed his head deeply.

“…?”

Alon was briefly startled by the sudden gesture.

“If it weren’t for you, my daughter would have died.”

“Your daughter…?”

“Yes. She’s just coming in now.”

Following Kalanda’s hand, Alon turned to look—

And saw a human girl entering, as if she had been waiting.

A girl who looked strangely familiar.

Alon tilted his head slightly—

“…You’re that girl from before?”

The memory returned to him.

She was the child he rescued during their last escape from the front lines—the one who first thanked him.

While Alon stared at her blankly, the girl smiled, removed the bracelet from her wrist—

And with that, her appearance began to change.

Her short hair turned into long, flowing locks.

Her brown eyes shifted into the distinctive pale blue of the elves.

And then—

“Let me introduce myself again, Lord.”

She bowed once more.

“My name is Magrina, Princess of Fildagreen.”

“…Ah.”

Alon let out a soft breath without realizing it.