It was a familiar sensation.
As if trapped in a narrow space, my chest tightened, and my whole body felt immobile.
Leopard immediately sensed it.
Another nightmare.
“Ugh…”
If I consciously tried to wake up like this, I could manage it.
But that would mean I would lose the night.
Leopard let out a painful groan and tossed restlessly.
What kind of nightmare would I have tonight? There was even a slight sense of expectation.
“…Sir. Hero.”
“Ah.”
“I will guide you to your quarters.”
“….”
It was a dark night.
Leopard, coming to his senses at the voice calling him, hurriedly looked around.
It was a familiar place.
The large balcony of the old palace.
From there, Leopard was looking out at the snow-covered mountains beyond, where loud explosions and bright flames were constantly rising.
On one side, it was incredibly peaceful, while on the other side, a hellish war was unfolding.
‘It feels so real.’
I’m dreaming of the Great War.
Leopard smirked and chuckled slightly.
“No. I want to stay out a bit longer.”
“Then I’ll come back shortly.”
“….”
Looking down from the balcony, he saw a line of citizens fleeing.
Every face was filled with worry.
The faces of the soldiers stationed around were the same.
In their faces, there was no sign of determination or hatred, only a glimmer of fear.
“Looks like we’re on the brink of complete destruction.”
About a month ago, due to the sudden invasion by the demon army, a great force poured down from all fronts.
The countries along the border between the human realm and the demon realm, which had hesitated to prepare against each other, crumbled in an instant.
Every day, news arrived that a duchy had fallen, a duke had surrendered to the demon army, or a kingdom had opened its gates to the demon army.
In places that didn’t surrender and fought until the end, everyone, young and old alike, was killed, leaving only a few to return with the feeling of fear.
Not to mention victory, there was no guarantee of survival during this era.
It was an incredibly dark time.
“I’ve bought some time, at least.”
Leopard murmured while gazing at the flashes of light beyond the snowy mountains.
Immediately after the demon army’s invasion, having foreseen this situation, Leopard went to find a dragon that was in hibernation.
The hero, armed with all kinds of advanced weapons, ambushed the dragon and succeeded in inflicting severe wounds.
Leopard demanded that the dragon fight on the human side in exchange for a truce.
Just when he was doubting whether the dragon would lower its pride for mere humans.
To his surprise, the dragon readily accepted the proposal.
The dragon, named Schwarz Dragania, received the title of duke and a territory, deciding to devote itself to resisting the demon army’s offensive.
The explosions flashing beyond the snowy mountains were the result.
As long as that dragon held its ground, this country would be safe.
The dragon would not abandon the pact, so for now, he could breathe a sigh of relief.
Of course, even this was merely a stopgap.
If the demon army were to find another way in that wasn’t through the snowy mountains, then this empire, which boasted a brilliant history, would meet an end no different from that of any small country.
“Tonight is the night. The day of the expedition to the demon realm.”
Seeing the full moon rising in the night sky, he realized immediately.
Today was indeed the day of the expedition to the demon realm.
The hero’s decisive blow that ended the short yet intense war.
The plan to penetrate deep into the demon realm and personally behead the demon king was about to be set into motion.
However, this plan faced intense opposition from the imperial ministers right after it was proposed.
They argued that although the demon army might be superior in combat power, their supply capabilities were abysmal, and it would be better to stall them with a defensive battle until they were worn out, then slowly counterattack.
The ministers insisted on such arguments and asked Leopard to play an active role on the defensive line.
“Selfish fools.”
More than half of the human realm had already fallen into the hands of the demon army.
By the time the demon army struggled, the residents under their rule would have already been drained of their life and starved to death.
The empire could speak such nonsense only because it had not lost a fraction of its territory yet.
What the human realm urgently needed was a swift end to the war.
Thus, Leopard had to make a decision.
He would leave under the cover of night, unbeknownst to those opposed to the expedition.
That very day was today.
‘Did I ever rush out like this…?’
In the dream, Leopard was sneaking out of the castle with only the minimum supplies.
His backpack was an unbelievably large size, unfit for a commander heading to behead the enemy leader, thousands of kilometers deep in enemy territory.
Inside that backpack were various relics meant to enhance his magical and holy powers.
They were things he had stolen one by one since the day he planned the expedition to the demon realm.
With these, he should be able to break through the pathetic soldiers stationed behind in the demon realm for maintaining order.
Just then, as Leopard was trying to climb over the wall while avoiding the soldiers’ gazes,
“Leo! Wait a minute!”
“Ah…”
His footsteps halted at the melodious voice that reached him from behind.
He shouldn’t have stopped here.
He should have ignored it and left alone.
Leopard ground his teeth in frustration and turned around.
Even in the dream, making a different choice wouldn’t change the past.
“Leo. You’re planning to leave for the demon realm without the support of the empire, aren’t you?”
“….”
The Holy Maiden Aerial.
That beautiful silver-haired girl was looking at Leopard with a worried expression.
At that time, Aerial was full of life.
So vibrant.
The one who ruined such Aerial was none other than Leopard himself.
If only he hadn’t taken Aerial into the demon realm, all tragedies would have been avoided.
“Go with me, Leo.”
“You’ll be fighting daily, right in the middle of enemy territory, with just your bare body. It’s not an operation you can withstand with your fragile self.”
“Do you think you can manage without me? You’ve said we’ll be facing battles every day. Once injuries begin to accumulate, even the illustrious hero will ultimately collapse. Go with me. I’ll back you up from behind, making sure you don’t get hurt or wear out.”
“….”
He shouldn’t have listened to such a sweet voice.
He had to ignore Aerial’s resolute gaze completely.
Yet that day, Leopard, almost entranced, reached out his hand to Aerial.
Just as he was doing now in this dream.
“Hah, hah… Hahaa…”
Leopard, suddenly sitting up, pressed his throbbing head and gasped for breath.
In the end, he couldn’t endure it and woke up.
It was the worst nightmare.
To Leopard, this dream was far more terrifying than the bloody battle dreams.
The day he dragged Aerial into the pit of suffering.
There has never been a day when he felt such regret and hatred for himself as that day.
“Aerial Makarov.”
He called the name of the woman who was now lost to death.
And then quickly buried that name deep in his heart.
Being buried in the past wouldn’t allow him to move forward.
It was still dawn, before the sun had risen.
Leopard began his day, soaked in severe self-hatred and regret, while washing his face.
“…Huh?”
At that moment.
Leopard sensed something strange and dashed outside without even drying his face.
A powerful energy was approaching from afar.
It wasn’t magic or a miracle.
It was a force that only a very small number of born individuals could naturally feel.
“Damn…”
It was the aura of evil.
.
.
.
Suddenly, in the middle of the night, he woke up.
It wasn’t from a nightmare, nor was there a chilling voice in his ear.
He simply woke up suddenly.
He felt a sense of duty that he had to do something, for some unknown reason.
“Could it be…”
As soon as he raised his body, his gaze went to the top of his desk.
The key he received from Alexander.
Ever since acquiring that key, he had been experiencing these strange sensations.
He quietly got up, trying not to wake Tia, and held the key in his hand.
Even after looking again, it was just a simple key without any particular characteristics.
But the eerie sense of déjà vu remained.
“Huh…?”
It wasn’t just a simple déjà vu.
He was certain he had seen this pattern somewhere.
And it was somewhere in this villa.
The pattern in the villa could only belong to Dragania.
It seemed they had erased all the existing patterns during the extension and overlaid them.
But there was one place where the trace of the former owner remained.
“The basement…”
The basement at the back of the garden.
It was definitely that place.
He had seen this pattern there.
Only then could he have a clear confidence.
“Wait a moment, I’ll be right back…”
He whispered quietly and hurriedly left the accommodation with only a single candle.
It seemed he didn’t even think of changing clothes, so he was still in his pajamas, but that didn’t matter.
There wasn’t anyone to see him anyway.
He quickly crossed the quiet garden and entered the garden that exuded a creepy atmosphere.
“Ugh…”
As the door to the garden creaked open, his body instinctively recoiled.
He stood still for a moment, holding his breath, but no one came to see what was happening in the garden.
He let out a sigh of relief and slowly stepped inside.
Soon he arrived at the entrance of the basement, brightly illuminated by moonlight.
It felt as if the light was guiding him to enter.
– Enter. Inside, you’ll find the answer you’ve been curious about.
Again.
That unsettling voice tickled his ears.
Even though he was planning to go in anyway.
There was no way he was being lured in by this evil spirit.
Gritting his teeth, he stepped down the stairs.
With each step on the moss, a squelching sound echoed, creating an uncomfortable noise.
“It really is…”
As soon as he saw the pattern engraved on the door, his body trembled.
When he placed the key next to it, the pattern matched exactly.
This key indeed belonged to the former owner of this villa.
Slowly, he brushed away the moss that covered the nameplate beneath the pattern.
“Makarov.”
It seemed to be the family name of the former owner.
Makarov.
He supposed he had never heard of it, but somehow it felt familiar.
His right hand moved involuntarily to insert the key into the keyhole.
Then, with a click, the door opened with a cheerful sound.
“Ah…”
Inside, it was infinitely dark, and he couldn’t see anything.
In an instant, a breeze blew from inside, but it did not carry a foul smell.
It seemed that ventilation was good.
Even holding the candle, he could only see a short distance ahead due to the deep darkness.
He cautiously stepped further inside without letting his guard down.
Just when his body had completely entered the basement.
– Thank you for your effort. You are no longer needed.
“What?!”
Thud.
The door slammed shut violently, and the candle went out.
Jet-black darkness filled his vision once again.
