“He’s gone...”

Only then, just as an inexplicable tension snapped, my comrades approached.

“Sir, are you alright...?”

“You look quite exhausted...”

Faces full of concern surrounded mine, sprawled flat on the ground.

“Bjorn Yandel.”

Amelia appeared among them, looking somewhat angry.

“How on earth did you end up here, why couldn’t you come back, and why were you fighting those bastards?”

Sigh, of course they’d be curious. I had vanished without news for months.

“That’s—”

Before I could explain, I tried to muster strength to get up.

“There are many questions I want to ask, but you look worn out.”

Amelia smirked softly and gently pushed my shoulder, making me lie back down.

“Rest first. I’ll hear the story after you’ve rested.”

Her words brought a sudden relief to my heart, and my eyes fluttered closed. It felt like I could lose consciousness and fall asleep at any moment. Yet my mind was still tangled.

Thump! Just then, our comrades emerged from outside the city walls, narrowly avoiding disaster. We also pressured Ibaekho and gained many advantages.

But still...

“In the end, we ended up meeting...”

Can this really be called a good thing?

I was able to reunite with comrades outside the walls, whom I thought I’d only see months later.

[The evil spirits from another world ‘———’ lost three comrades and only then realized the path they must take.]

Can this really be coincidence?

With heavy steps, in a silent atmosphere, a dark, stern expression so severe it ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) borders on frightening—

Four men and women, with these conditions, started walking through the forest. How much time passed?

Thud... The platinum-haired man leading suddenly stopped and muttered softly.

“Damn it.”

His voice was barely audible, just a few syllables, but none of the three others spoke a word.

They knew. They knew how angry and humiliated he was.

“......”

After a brief silent moment, the burly man, looking around nervously, seemed like he had to say something and opened his mouth.

“Um... Baekho...?”

“......”

“Maybe it’s a pointless question now... but why didn’t you go all the way...?”

“Why didn’t I go all the way?”

Ibaekho retorted coldly. Aures looked like he regretted speaking but then decided he had to satisfy his curiosity.

“Baron Yandel is known for caring deeply about his comrades. If it had gone all the way, the one to back down would have been the Baron.”

For Aures, this was natural to wonder. Yandel and Ibaekho are completely different people. Bjorn Yandel cherishes comrades, but Ibaekho is the opposite.

A cold-blooded man who wouldn’t bat an eye if someone died. That was Aures’ assessment of Ibaekho—and it was accurate.

Considering this difference, it seemed Ibaekho had the upper hand in the earlier ‘battle of wills.’ Yet the opposite result happened.

The answer came through Jaina, who spoke for the silent Ibaekho.

“...I guess you didn’t see it.”

“Didn’t see what?”

“The eyes.”

“Eyes...?”

Aures tilted his head, confused. Jaina added an explanation.

“If you had seen his eyes, Aures, you wouldn’t have asked that question.”

“What on earth do you mean? What were his eyes like? Did he use some ability?”

“No, nothing like that... The moment I saw his eyes, I knew Baron Yandel is someone who never breaks. Especially if the method is intimidation.”

Aures still looked puzzled, so the destruction scholar sitting nearby added a word.

“There are many who act recklessly or make wrong choices out of ignorance. But today, Baron Yandel was different.”

“How was he different?”

The destruction scholar conjured a small flame on his palm.

“Ordinary people don’t put their hands into fire. They know how hot it is. But what if someone saw fire for the first time?”

“Well... I don’t know exactly, but I might have touched it out of curiosity.”

“That’s ignorance. Some fear because of ignorance, but others gain courage because of it.”

“So what are you trying to say?”

“Baron Yandel knew exactly how hot the fire was, and what would happen if he touched it. Yet he didn’t back down.”

“Because he thought it was necessary.”

Ibaekho finished that sentence. The destruction scholar showed no displeasure at the interruption and said something seemingly unrelated.

“They aren’t beings without fear. They just learned how to overcome it and move forward. People called such ones ‘warriors.’”

“......?”

“That’s from the autobiography written by General Pebrosk.”

“......”

“Today, I understand why barbarians call Baron Yandel a great warrior.”

“Then, whose side is the old man on?”

“For now, he’s on your side. That’s why he’s advising you so you can know why you failed. The Baron's eyes just now were those of someone who had made up their mind. But you weren’t like that.”

“So what? Should we have fought to the death? Just to solve one doubt?”

“It just means you should be cautious from now on. The ‘leash’ you tightly hold can no longer control him.”

“I know, I know... so just stop. No need to rile people up.”

Somehow, Ibaekho regained his usual tone as if his emotions settled. Then he exaggerated a sigh and muttered complainingly.

“Ha, really a dilemma. If I can’t threaten them as comrades, how the hell am I supposed to control them now?”

Had the anger passed already? Now that seemed like the biggest problem. Ibaekho fell silent, deep in thought, while the three others quietly talked among themselves.

“By the way... he’s really strong.”

“The Baron?”

“Yes. I never dreamed there was such a monster who could withstand our full assault for hours.”

“Just because you don’t know doesn’t mean such things don’t exist.”

“You mean there are more monsters like that?”

“Of course, they are few in number.”

The destruction scholar said that, and Aures started counting figures he recalled, folding one finger after another.

One, two, three, four, five, six... The counting was slow, and not many fingers were folded when done. But...

“Maybe in a few years, you won’t even need both hands.”

“Hmm? What do you mean?”

“Baron Yandel will become even stronger.”

Jaina and Aures said nothing, but their eyes held a question—whether it’s realistically possible to become stronger from here. The destruction scholar averted his gaze and then...

“Those who have nothing to lose only become ruthless...”

He spoke while looking at Ibaekho’s back, who seemed lost in thought and didn’t hear the conversation.

“Those who have much to protect become strong.”

A natural law of this world, learned through long life.***

When I opened my eyes, I saw a tree. A gigantic tree soaring so high it seemed to reach the sky. Through the gaps, the night sky spread with stars like a milky way.

And... crackle crackle. The sound of a campfire burning.

‘It’s chilly.’ Then I finally felt the coldness rising from the bare ground and the moisture settled in the bushes.

‘Did they cover me?’ A blanket was draped over me.

A specially large blanket just for me, enough to cover the entire body of a barbarian over 2 meters tall.

‘Did they just cover me without moving me so I wouldn’t wake up?’ Thinking that warmed my heart somehow.

If it had been Ibaekho’s team, I wouldn’t have felt any of this no matter how many decades we spent together.

“You’re awake.”

While rustling inside the blanket, I noticed a voice nearby, probably noticing I woke up.

I slightly raised my upper body and saw Amelia sitting by the campfire.

“How long has it been?”

“Two days since you passed out and fell asleep.”

“...What?”

So I’d been sleeping on bare ground for two days? No wonder my shoulders felt so stiff.

“What about the others?”

“They’re sleeping. I was keeping watch.”

I tilted my head at that.

“Not a clone?”

It’s Amelia’s specialty to keep watch with a summoned clone made by [Self-Replication]. So why was she here in the real body?

“...Because I thought it’d be better to have someone beside you when you woke up.”

Damn... I really picked a good comrade.

“The mage engineer told me roughly what happened. You caused an incident again by acting on your own.”

“An incident?”

“If only you had come out with just the mage engineer, none of this would have happened. What were you thinking?”

Amelia scolded me in a tone like reprimanding a reckless kid.

“Did it never occur to you to consult us? What if you died out there? How could you be so irresponsible?”

I had no good answer. I never expected it to turn out like this, but I caused trouble not just for myself but for them as well.

“Bjorn, son of Yandel. I trusted you and entrusted my life to you.”

“......”

“Please don’t make me regret that choice.”

“...From now on, I’ll never let this happen again.”

I tried to make a pitiful face as much as possible, and Amelia pressed her forehead and exhaled deeply. Then...

“That’s enough scolding.”

Amelia returned to her usual voice and looked at me.

“You must have many questions, so first I’ll tell you what happened on our side.”

Then Amelia summarized what happened in the city after I disappeared.

Well, it was several months’ worth, so it got lengthy. First, a sort of clan tournament held during the 13th month festival.

Our Anabada clan was supposed to participate but didn’t because of my absence.

“The royal family opened the Golden Wedding Report to the ten winning clan members...?”

“For the clan leader, they opened the Silver Wedding Report, which is a step above the Golden.”

Damn it. The Silver Wedding Report stores second-grade essences and double numbers. My stomach hurt a little, but I tried to think positively.

Besides, I got a lot exploring outside the walls, and in the end, I hit the jackpot getting compensation from Ibaekho.

Anyway, as I heard more, contrary to my worries, there were no major incidents.

Though a few problems occurred due to my absence, my business in the city seemed to be running smoothly.

“No news about my disappearance yet...?”

This part surprised me.

“How was that possible?”

“Most of your tasks were handled by us.”

“But there must have been many suspicious people?”

“For them, we explained you were secluded researching after acquiring new essences.”

“...Still, anyone who should know already does.”

“Probably. This is the city. Even if we deny it, suspicion remains. We even disappeared once like this.”

“...Oh! Right! How did you get out? Was the magic circle repaired?”

Hoping we could go home, I asked, but Amelia shook her head. Then she explained why we could leave.

‘Only return was blocked; leaving the city was possible.’ That warmed my heart.

“Why are you staring like that?”

Just grateful. Unlike me, they came outside the walls—the ‘Unknown Land’ itself—knowing they had no way back but still came looking for me.

“So, what about you?”

I smiled silently, and Amelia awkwardly changed the subject.

“Me? Hmm, where should I start—”

“As I said, I heard the rough story from the mage engineer. What I want to know is something else.”

“What else?”

“The real reason you clashed with Ibaekho, with whom you were coexisting fairly well.”

Ah, that...

“I heard you met Auril Gavis, and that you came out late at the end.”

Well, that’s something I already knew.

“What happened that made you hide it even while fighting with Ibaekho in such a disadvantageous situation?”

Looking at serious Amelia, I chuckled.

“There seems to be a misunderstanding... The reason I hid it from Ibaekho is different.”

To be honest, there was no reason to keep secrets from Ibaekho. If he had politely asked first and proposed terms, I might have told him. But...

“He pressured me aggressively. I judged I could never yield here.”

“...I see.”

Amelia, raised in a world of the strong devouring the weak, fortunately understood what I meant without long explanation.

Still, I guess she remained curious.