Chapter 143

You could witness it anywhere in the city.

Some claimed it was God’s divine punishment cast upon a cursed nation.

Another someone cried out that it was a miracle and salvation sent by the Lord Himself.

Some thought it was an enormous magical phenomenon, while others foresaw the appearance of a Holy Son, Father of Saints, or even a Holy Maiden with overwhelming divine power.

Moreover, it was visible even from far outside the city limits.

Even at a great distance, this spectacle captured the attention of all who approached the place.

Even in broad daylight, it was bound to catch the eye; so how much more so during the still-dark early morning hours when dawn was yet far off?

“That thing, that thing?! What’s going on over there now?”

The silver-haired, emerald-eyed elf, Geoffrey, who had been riding along, stopped abruptly upon spotting it. Though he looked like a human teenager—barely in their early teens at best—he was, in truth, an ancient forest mage and magician of the elven race, having lived through countless generations of humans.

And following him for support was his mature-looking, golden-haired apprentice, Hamren, also an elf with emerald eyes.

When Geoffrey halted, Hamren instinctively pulled back on her horse beside her mentor and followed her gaze.

“Do you have any idea what that might be, Master?”

“And how the heck am I supposed to know?!”

Saying this, Lou alighted from his horse after gazing steadily at the distant City Kingdom.

“I’ll go ahead first.”

“…Are you sure about that?”

“There’s no reason why not, is there?”

With that, Lou handed the reins to Hamren with practiced ease and shot forward like an arrow released from a bowstring.

Even though they had braced themselves, the two elves and their three horses were thrown into chaos as the ground shattered under Lou’s powerful leap and a fierce gust of wind swept through the area.

“Hey, hey! Can’t you go a little easier?!”

“Now that I’m here, something feels off… The energy emanating from the city seems pretty unusual, doesn’t it?”

“Sharp instincts? You’re picking up on something that even analyzing mana residue wouldn’t reveal. Or… is it because we’ve been moving nonstop without sleep, making your senses extra sensitive?”

“…It’s obvious, isn’t it? There’s something unnatural stirring across the entire city. Ignorance would be stranger.”

“Is that so?”

With that, the pair resumed their journey toward the City Kingdom without further ado.

While conversing while galloping might seem impossible unless shouting at the top of one’s lungs by human standards…

That’s just humans, though.

“If the commotion can reach this far, it’s definitely not your average ruckus.”

“…Are you asking me?”

Hamren felt a bit exasperated.

Was he pretending not to know out of laziness? Or testing her unnecessarily?

“Not really. If we intervene under the guise of quelling this disturbance, maybe we can get some cooperation out of it, right? Things could work out easier that way.”

“What if the people we’re looking for caused this situation?”

At that, Geoffrey chuckled briefly.

“…If they were hiding and still managed to stir up such a mess, huh? Come on, think before you speak. And what benefit would they gain from acting this brazenly?”

“Master, has Carriel ever acted for personal gain up until now? Ever?”

“This is ridiculous! Even if that’s true, there’s no way Carriel could cause such chaos alone. Unless… are you suggesting the Knights of Glory have become doormats or carpets for her feet? Or that she declared war on an entire country based on her words alone?”

…I don’t understand why his metaphors always turn out this way.

“What if they were dragged into it?”

“To what extent would anyone need to be dragged in to create this level of chaos? We both know the state of that country—it’s already a mess. Does it look like a place where a spark could ignite any significant reaction between parties?”

Even though they were still far away, the faint sounds of turmoil reaching their keen elven ears only reinforced the magnitude of the situation.

“On the flip side, it might be wise to assume they left entirely and cut ties.”

“…”

On this point, Hamren had no real objections.

In fact, upon reflection, this seemed far more plausible.

====

The inner fortress walls resembled a pentagon.

Cain stood in one of the small watchtowers newly built atop the fortress wall, trembling as he observed the scene unfolding below.

‘Beyond imagination.’

It was Cain who had brokered the deal between Venus and a demon.

Since he desired it, and since Cain himself saw no major issues, he readily agreed to Venus’s request.

Only, the party involved turned out to be something completely unexpected.

‘A king?’

Just thinking about it made Cain shudder as though his soul was being sucked away—a truly horrifying experience he never wished to repeat.

Demon summoners, unlike necromancers, bore an immense burden.

Though the understanding of summoning and manipulation of demonic forces didn’t require special talents or skills, the trade-off came elsewhere.

Everything else was profoundly inappropriate.

Perhaps it was only natural.

After all, in this world, there was no power without a price.

A swordsman wielded his blade with a strong body, honing it further through relentless practice.

But those in Cain’s line of work cared only about how well they understood demons and whether they could meet their demands.

That was all that mattered.

And the reason Cain could do so was, upon closer inspection, due to the reliable backing he possessed.

“Cain.”

“…! Are you alive?”

Upon hearing the subtle presence and the direct call from a young girl, Cain reacted instantly.

“Lucky break.”

His light tawny hair and ruby-red eyes, reminiscent of twilight skies, left no doubt.

It was unmistakable.

“Delica…”

“Why has the world come to this?”

Unlike Cain, Delica seemed to have regained her memories from the past in her current form.

Faced with her awkward presence, so different from before, Cain almost began rambling but quickly suppressed the urge, calming his emotions instead.

“It’s a miracle.”

“…Did our lord cause this?”

“I’m not entirely sure. But… something definitely happened upon contacting the Sacred Tree of the Demon Realm.”

“What about the others?”

“I don’t know yet.”

Delica paused to gather her thoughts.

The Sacred Tree of the Demon Realm…

“Do you believe this is truly the past we knew?”

“…What’s the intent behind that question?”

Showing slight discomfort at the differing opinions for a moment,

As white frost-like dust drifted through the air, lowering the temperature around them instantly.

A pristine white woman, Minette, appeared gently like falling snow, calmly asking the duo.

“Del, why are you here?”

“…”

The young girl, Delica, closed her eyes briefly and let out a soft sigh.

“It might confuse you, but I’ve already informed Carriel.”

“…Her?”

Minette widened her eyes in surprise.

Watching this, Cain smirked slightly.

“So you weren’t going to let me go easily after all. Was this your plan all along?”

When Minette had parted ways with Venus and Cain earlier, claiming she wanted to help people, there wasn’t much suspicion initially.

However, when Venus let her go too easily, Cain had felt a bit uneasy, and indeed…

Cain furrowed his brows as Delica smiled.

“You’ve gotten quite complacent if you’re letting people slip away this easily.”

“Commander. After you passed away, I served our lord for several more years. Please don’t mistake me for the same person you once knew.”

“Well then, how about you give me a pat on the head for growing up? It’s been ages since I last saw you, and now I’m feeling annoyed.”

“…”

Delica’s attitude, as if dealing with a playful pet, left Cain somewhat perplexed.

“What’s this?”

Even as the situation grew increasingly confusing for Minette,

This was partly the result of aligning with Venus’ plans.

Even if they couldn’t capture the main culprit, catching a tail might suffice.

Or perhaps, it was fine to just eliminate them outright, just in case.

“So what exactly happened? And what was that light that appeared earlier?”

“…Who should explain this?”

Delica tilted her neck toward Cain, unsure if she was questioning or suggesting.

“To put it simply…”

Realizing immediately that explaining this was his responsibility, Cain recalled.

“Venus conspired with a demon and clashed with someone named Carriel… and it seems the matter has been settled.”

“…”

Indeed, a concise explanation that was easy to grasp.

At that moment.

“…?”

Minette glanced toward the direction opposite the palace, far in the distance.

For reasons unknown, she had a strange premonition that something massive had just entered the city.

It defied description.

Despite neither seeing nor hearing anything, an overwhelming sense of impending danger urged her to flee immediately.

“Oh dear. He’s… here.”

Cain stumbled slightly, as if struck by sudden dizziness while explaining.

“Him? Who?”

Delica asked, and Cain mused aloud.

“In this era, Elimium is still just a kid, right? So… who else could it be?”

“The Knights of Glory?” Delica muttered bitterly.

“But… isn’t Carriel also of the Knights of Glory lineage?”

When Delica questioned Minette, Cain looked back at her with an expression that clearly said, “What are you talking about?”

“There is such a thing. Unfortunately, we don’t have time to explain right now…”

Minette disappeared.

Accurately speaking, she slid through the air and dropped down beneath the fortress wall.

She immediately shot toward the source of the problem, where Carriel was located.

“Speaking of which, where is our lord?”

“…I remember him disappearing after eagerly declaring he’d handle the Knights of Glory.”

“So why did the Knights of Glory come here? Could they know about us? Did something happen while I was unaware? Or has someone risen to prominence? No, wait… did I just regain my awareness too late?”

“Unfortunately, we only realized we had returned to the past just moments ago.”

“…So my memory recovery must have been roughly around the same time as yours.”

While pondering, cupping his chin in thought.

Tuck!

…An indiscernible presence landed directly behind them.

“You two…”

Their gazes met.

Snow-white hair resting just above the ears.

A straight nose bridge and honest eyes, with a man carrying the essence of gold.

Though male, his appearance was no less beautiful than any legendary beauty or handsome youth, exuding a dignified aura.

Yet, to Cain and Delica, his features unmistakably brought someone to mind.

“Elimium…!”

“…?”

The man was visibly startled when the young girl randomly called out her son’s name.

“Child. Have we met somewhere before?”

“…”

It was far too late to pass it off as a mistake.

Besides…

Cain’s appearance and physical traits were suspicious enough.

Marble-like skin and an unsettling eye condition.

Even his attire hinted at something unusual… but most alarming was the heavy demonic aura radiating from the boy.

“…”

Cain was sweating profusely merely from facing this entity.

“I don’t believe in coincidences. Therefore, there must be a valid reason you mentioned my son’s name.”

Thus spoke the man, alternating his gaze between Cain and Delica as he questioned them.

“Yes, that’s correct.”

The situation was dire.

Worse, there could be no worse scenario.

Both immediately recognized who stood before them.

Suddenly, Delica glanced in the direction he likely came from.

From the watchtower above, downward toward the outer city beyond the fortress walls.

This usually bustling city, now engulfed in layered chaos, was undoubtedly in utter disarray.

Yet strangely, the direction from which the man arrived remained eerily quiet.

…Yeah. As if it were just the usual dim and quiet cityscape.

Like when everyone was asleep or quietly moving about, minimizing noise.

“Could you give me a brief explanation?”

Polite and gentle tone, yet…

It couldn’t feel any more intimidating.

“A battle occurred within the royal palace grounds.”

Cain steadied his breathing and continued the explanation.

He only explained the events without mentioning who was involved, needing to decide whether to play dumb or act knowledgeable based on the situation.

They were, after all, unwittingly cornered.

Perhaps the executioner’s blade was already at their throats.

Though the figure before them had undoubtedly saved the continent from the Golden Beast…

That knowledge offered no comfort to Cain and Delica.

Because… he was…

“Evidence of the fight is certainly visible.”

Muttering these words, the white-haired man scanned the royal palace and its surroundings.

‘Why…’

Can I sense absolutely nothing, no traces, no aura?

As if…

Everything has been completely erased.

The warrior, Lou, pondered deeply.

Though unclear, a distinct feeling lingered that he had missed something crucial just before arriving here.

The woman he encountered earlier hinted at it too.

Something, some will, was undoubtedly obstructing his intentions.

Unless…

“By the way, on my way here, I vaguely overheard something about your lord heading off to stop me.”

At this, Cain and Delica’s hearts sank.

Though still maintaining a neutral expression,

A pair of emotionless golden eyes now stared intently at them.

“Care to explain this as well?”

He didn’t rush them.

There was no particular reason or urgency to do so.

“The mention of the past was vague, but if I heard correctly… hmm.”

A sharp nail hit home.

---