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A priest, dressed in ceremonial attire, was delivering a eulogy in front of the gravestones.

Behind him, mourners dressed in black wept quietly, one by one, as a Red Spear Knight stood guard in the rain.

It was the joint funeral for the knights who had been dispatched to Gehiel Fortress and perished.

Some people collapsed to the ground as if their legs had given out.

“…….”

Ian, who was observing from a distance, raised his umbrella at the sound of footsteps stopping beside him.

It was his eldest brother, Verdan, standing without an escort. Ian glanced ahead again as Verdan spoke first.

“I’m glad you returned safely, Ian.”

“…Yeah. I was lucky.”

He had intended to brush it off, saying there wasn’t much risk, but in hindsight, there had been plenty.

The Bloodclaw at the ruins, the lizard Ollak Ayra, the Outer Gate of Flaming, the Death Dragon of Gehiel Fortress, and the king’s assassin, Eivia.

Even so, he’d miraculously survived all that with just Level 4 strength. It was impressive that he was still in one piece.

“What’s on your mind?”

“Nothing, just thinking how peaceful this feels.”

“Peaceful? That?”

“To bury the dead in a well-maintained cemetery, to erect expensive gravestones, and to have time to mourn—how lucky we are to have that. It means we still have some room to breathe.”

“You make it sound like such customs will disappear.”

Ian chuckled bitterly.

“They will. At the defensive line, fierce battles are waged every day against the monsters pouring through the Outer Gates. The manpower is being drained continuously—how long can we hold out? And if one place falls, will the others remain intact?”

“…Hmm.”

“Sure, we’re laughing and resting comfortably now, but soon, everything we take for granted will become a luxury.”

“I didn’t know you viewed the world so pessimistically. Don’t you feel anything else?”

“How could I not? I feel pity and guilt. It’s practically my fault they’re dead.”

“I thought you might’ve become emotionally numb, but I guess not.”

In fact, Verdan had approached Ian because he thought he was brooding, wearing a gloomy expression and blaming himself.

If that were the case, Verdan had planned to scold him, but after a brief conversation, it seemed like needless worry.

Still, since Ian didn’t always show his emotions outwardly, Verdan cautiously asked:

“You’re not blaming yourself, are you?”

“I don’t think my decision was wrong.”

Just recovering Pamael was a great achievement.

Even though Eivia had belittled it as trash, defeating the Death Dragon and retrieving the magic stone was also a significant accomplishment.

Had he not done so, countless sacrifices would’ve been needed in the years to come.

Of course, in this timeline, none of that would happen, so no one would ever know. But that didn’t matter.

—Everyone, bow your heads in silence!

At the voice cutting through the sound of rain, Ian briefly lowered his head. The people began to leave.

“Shall we take a walk? We can visit Mother, too.”

Ian and Verdan walked side by side through the Garden of Rest.

Swooooosh…

“You’ve brought back work again this time, haven’t you?”

“What are you talking about? I left work behind.”

“That’s strange, Ian. Dior said you agreed to stand in for the Arbiter. Why take on the dangerous task of purifying the magic stone from the Death Dragon yourself? You could’ve entrusted it to the Pantheon.”

“The magic stone is refined from numerous monsters using Dark Magic. Do you think the Pantheon would’ve purified it properly? They might’ve switched its contents, conducted some experiment, or put a limit on its output. They might not have even returned it willingly.”

“You make dangerous statements so casually. One should always be careful with their words. If someone hears something troublesome, it’s better to keep such thoughts to yourself. Silence is golden.”

“Oh~ I’ll keep that in mind.”

“So, you can’t trust the Pantheon, but you trust that Arbiter?”

“He’s not the type to do something reckless.”

Ian hadn’t observed him for long, but seeing how the Arbiter acted responsibly when it came to matters related to the Hero, he believed in him.

Before they knew it, they had arrived at their mother’s grave inside the Garden of Rest.

The rain gradually weakened and finally stopped. However, Ian and Verdan continued their conversation without closing their umbrellas.

“Ian, I had hoped to let you rest.”

“I know.”

“And yet, you keep walking into thorny paths on your own.”

“…Does it really seem like I’m doing that intentionally?”

He just had the misfortune of getting tangled up in things. He went to explore the ruins and found the Bloodclaw sealed away. When he went to aid with navigation, he encountered the Void Lizard Ollak Ayra, a creature tied to the War of the Ten Thousand Demons.

In the pleasure city of Flaming, there was a drug trade run by Dark Mages.

Then, he thought he’d steal the Fiery Spear Pamael, which the Black Knight would eventually wield, by going to Gehiel Fortress. But there, he met the Death Dragon and the king’s assassin, Eivia.

In retrospect, all of this was proof of the hidden threats that filled the world. They just hadn’t surfaced yet.

“You shouldn’t even curse with your eyes.”

“Why, can you read them?”

“Maybe it’s because of your gaze, but I think I get it. Still, that’s not my fault, is it?”

“It would be easier if I had someone to blame, but I guess this is just my fate, which is pretty frustrating.”

“I can’t help but worry. The enemies you face seem to grow more dangerous by the day.”

“You still think I’m lucky?”

Verdan nodded.

“That hasn’t changed. You’ve survived all those trials and gained something from each.”

Ian scoffed.

“Ha~ That’s true.”

An unparalleled holy sword,Pamael.

A revelation with every incident, he had grown a little bit.

“You should stay on your toes. If things keep going like this, I might reach Level 6 before you.”

Since he already possessed spiritual power, he’d essentially fulfilled the condition of achieving a great feat.

Perhaps his spiritual power was the greatest of all. After all, he had helped in killing an Outer God, earning a star in his realm of thought.

“Hahaha!”

Verdan’s sudden laughter echoed in the solemn atmosphere, making Ian glance at him.

Verdan was looking at him with a proud and content expression, even smiling with his eyes, which made Ian feel slightly burdened, so he deliberately looked away.

“If Father had heard this, he would’ve been pleased. It’s a shame he’s not here.”

“If he were, I would’ve kept quiet.”

“True, you would’ve. Level 6, High Spirit. You’re capable of reaching it.”

Verdan turned around, signaling that it was time to go. Their conversation in front of the gravestone was enough to count as paying their respects.

“When do you start filling in for the Arbiter?”

“Well, they said they’d give advance notice, so I still have some time. I also mentioned that if I’m on another mission, the schedule might be delayed. Why, do you have something you need to assign me?”

“It’s nothing important, but I did request you. It wouldn’t matter if they sent someone else, though…”

“Where to? The Pantheon?”

“No, the Green Magic Tower. Audrey Pretus.”

* * *

In the forest, where darkness had fully settled, a campfire crackled and spread its warmth to the people gathered around it.

“Captain, what should we do?”

Amid the heavy silence, one of them nervously glanced around before speaking cautiously.

“What do you mean? We move on to the next village.”

“But…”

They were mercenaries, and at the same time, criminals—though not by choice.

They had accepted a request from a small village where they had been staying temporarily. The task was to eliminate a monster lurking in the forest.

It was a mid-tier monster, not particularly threatening, so they handled it easily. However, the promised reward was not given.

In the end, after a heated argument, the villagers were the first to resort to violence, attacking them in a group.

But unskilled villagers were no match for seasoned mercenaries armed with blades.

They ended up killing not only the ones present but all the villagers.

“No one knows what we did. And no one will. There are no survivors.”

The bloodstains on their armor could be passed off as those of the monster. They could simply continue traveling from village to village, taking on new requests as usual.

In this harsh world, killing a few people didn’t change much. That’s how it was supposed to be.

Step—

“What are you going to do now? I know what you did.”

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps echoed, and a figure emerged from the darkness.

It was a Dwarf—short, muscular, with a thick beard and rugged face.

Seeing the Dwarf, the mercenaries drew their weapons and stood up.

“Tiran! What happened?”

“I-I don’t know! He appeared out of nowhere! We didn’t sense him at all!”

“Who are you? Did you hear everything we said?”

The Dwarf grinned wide enough to reveal his yellowed teeth.

“I heard it all. If a village could be wiped out by just six of you… it must have been one of the outlying villages. The people there were always two-faced. I even warned them to change their ways before they ran into serious trouble. And now, here we are.”

“Who the hell are you?”

Just as one of the mercenaries asked, another, who had a bow drawn, released an arrow at the Dwarf.

Thwack!

But the arrow, aimed at the Dwarf’s forehead, stopped midair.

Something transparent and shimmering was protecting him.

Shocked, the mercenary fired again, but the result was the same.

“Magic…?”

“That’s right, I’m a mage.”

The Dwarf raised his thick hand. Luminous orbs floated up around him, illuminating the surroundings.

The mercenaries were stunned. They had been surrounded without realizing it. Dozens of heavily armored soldiers had silently encircled them.

“And I’m also a Golemancer.”

Sensing the gravity of the situation, the mercenary captain lowered the axe he had been holding.

“We surrender.”

“…Hmm? Surrender?”

The Dwarf blinked in surprise and asked again.

“Why? There’s no need. Fight back. With everything you’ve got.”

“…Is this revenge for the village?”

“Huh? You’re mistaken. I’m not here to arrest you because you committed a crime.”

“Then why…?”

“This is my hunting ground. A place to catch lost wanderers who stray into it. Hearing about how you wiped out that village was just a coincidence. So, think of me as a predator you’ve encountered and do your best to survive.”

The Dwarf commanded the golems surrounding the mercenaries.

[Fight.]

His voice, imbued with magic, echoed through the forest.

There was no response. Instead, with a spine-chilling screech, the six golems began to move.

They slowly stepped forward, and then, with an awkward gait, they suddenly charged at the mercenaries.

One of the mercenaries, armed with a bow, kicked off the ground and leapt onto a tree. From there, he could easily jump to another branch and make his escape.

‘So why is he so relaxed?’

The Dwarf merely glanced at him, showing no change in expression.

Crack!

At that moment, the mercenary felt a chill run down his spine.

“?!”

The sound of precise gears turning echoed in his ears, and before he knew it, a golem was already in front of him.

He hadn’t anticipated that it could move so quickly. Its movements were impossibly smooth.

Before he could make another leap, something swung at him and struck his leg.

With a sickening crack, his flesh was crushed, and his bone shattered.

“Aargh!”

The mercenary lost his balance and fell, and two golems pounced on him, brutally trampling him. The other mercenaries within the encirclement suffered the same fate.

“Hm, how disappointing. Your level is so low.”

Though beaten to a pulp, none of the mercenaries were dead yet. They whimpered and begged for their lives.

As the Dwarf approached, the mercenary captain, trembling, pleaded with him.

“What do you want?! You must have a reason for this! If it’s money you want, we’ll give it to you. If you need servants, we’ll crawl like dogs for you! So please—”

“Ah, don’t misunderstand.”

“What?”

The Dwarf smirked.

“What I want is what’s inside your heads.”

The golems stuffed the struggling mercenaries into sacks and followed the Dwarf, disappearing into the darkness.

———-