“You know the history behind this monster, right?”

  Damian steps over the monster’s body and continues forward. The others follow.

  “Of course,” Liam replies. “But this is my first time seeing one in person.” He glances at the monster’s body as he steps over it.

  Meanwhile, Cedric truly has no idea about calaviar.

  “For us who stationed at the border, their colonies have become an everyday sight. Calaviar aren’t dangerous enemies for battlemages.”

  Damian continues explaining as he leads the way with the torch.

  “They’re only a little stronger than large bears. But they can leap from tree to tree, so their attacks can come unexpectedly—that’s their only dangerous trait.”

  Just as Damian’s steps reach a wider, taller section of the cave, three calaviar leap down from above, attacking with sharp claws and shrill cries that bare their rows of pointed fangs.

  PANG!

  The three black creatures slam violently into an iron shield that instantly forms and spins around Damian.

  “Like I said, they can suddenly appear and attack from above.” Damian is already braced behind a solid defense.

  Liam looks impressed. “You can form a shield around yourself now.”

  Damian smiles in satisfaction, though there’s a hint of resentment in his gaze. “Thanks for that kick back then.”

  “Hold this, kid!” He tosses the torch into Cedric’s hands.

  Damian goes on to form an iron hammer and brutally smashes the three calaviar that are still struggling to get up. Cedric and Liam can only stand by and watch from the side.

  “You kicked that guy before?” Cedric asks, making sure he didn’t mishear.

  “Just once.”

  “Yes! Just once!” Damian shouts as he fights. “But I’ll remember it for the rest of my life!”

  Bang! Bang! Traaak!

  As if venting a deep-seated grudge he’s carried for years, Damian mercilessly pummels the three creatures—clearly far weaker than him—without pause or the slightest hint of mercy.

  Liam can only offer a faint smile, realizing that the memory left quite an impression on Damian.

  Back when they were still students at the Verlyn Academy, Damian—having won that year’s Battlemage Competition—stood in the middle of the arena and shouted loudly,

  “I challenge William Alroy to a duel with me!!”

  Liam answers the call and steps into the arena. Damian forms an iron shield to guard himself from the front, but in the blink of an eye Liam is already at his left side, delivering a powerful kick. Damian is sent flying far out of the arena.

  What Liam remembers most from that moment is Chryssa’s cheerful shout from the spectator seats, amid the people still frozen by Damian’s defeat.

  “Wooowww! Liaaam! You’re amaaazing!”

  That brief memory leaves Liam momentarily lost in thought, recalling the Cranoa mage’s words during yesterday’s interrogation.

  After finding out who their leader is, Liam asks about amorta as well.

  “How to restore an amorta’s consciousness?”

  Instead of an answer, the Cranoa mage bursts into loud laughter, as if mocking a question that sounds ridiculous to him.

  “Stop that damn laughter!” Damian snaps.

  The mage quickly suppresses the laughter bubbling in his gut so he doesn’t laugh again. Meanwhile, Liam remains serious, still waiting for an answer.

  Damian looks at the prince. “Is this about Chryssa? You still want to look for her?”

  Liam’s silence answers the question.

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  Cedric grows interested and listens more closely, remembering that Liam once asked him about people from Cranoa.

  The Cranoan mage grasps the intent behind the question. “So one of your friends has become an amorta? My condolences.” His words of sympathy are delivered with a mocking expression.

  “Your Highness, Prince of Argoust, even if you were to capture every mage in Cranoa and interrogate them all, you would never find a way to restore the amorta’s consciousness.”

  “Because… the consciousness of the amorta… lies in the grasp of the god Demanthes.”

  The mage delivered those words with a wide grin, brimming with a desire to witness despair on Liam’s face.

  “If you want your friend back, then awaken the god Demanthes and try to defeat him. That is the only way you have.”

  The information from the Cranoan mage only added to the weight on Liam’s mind. If it was true that the only way to save Chryssa was to awaken Demanthes and then defeat him.

  Yet as Liam thought more deeply—while continuing through the cavern passage with Damian and Cedric—he realize that the Cranoan mage’s words aligned with Y’tzyar’s message, which is guide him to awaken the power that might be capable of defeating Demanthes.

  Four warlords who one day kneel before Liam.

  Chryssa’s tragedy—her becoming an amorta—feels like a fragment of destiny’s design, one that is steering Liam toward an inevitable war against Demanthes.

  .

  Stepping out of the dark cave, Liam, Cedric, and Damian are greeted by the sight of a dim jungle, faintly illuminated by moonlight slipping through the dense canopy of leaves. Shrouded in darkness, the forest can easily conceal countless lurking dangers within.

  “Congratulations, you’ve safely crossed the border and arrived in the Damesa Forest—the monsters’ nest.” Damian’s remark is, as always, dripping with sarcasm.

  “Huh, so you mean congratulations on entering a new danger?” Cedric shoots back cynically.

  “Danger exists only for the weak. Look at your master here,” Damian pats Liam on the shoulder. Liam shoots him a puzzled glance.

  “See how calm he is wherever he goes. I still wonder what could make his face turn pale with fear, like a puppy seeing a tiger.”

  That last line hints at Damian’s veiled resentment toward Liam. To him, Liam is a rival he has yet to overcome.

  Liam doesn’t dwell on it.

  “If you’re that curious, I don’t mind opening a second aide position just for you.”

  “Hahh??” Damian’s face hardens. “You want a High Council member to be your aide? Do you need a meteor dropped on your head or something?”

  “If you can pull that off, I’ll try to look scared in front of you.”

  Damian is seething. “You arrogant b******! Hey, kid! If you ever find out what can make him afraid, tell me right away!”

  Cedric objects, “You’re asking for free information?”

  “I’ll pay!! This kid is just as arrogant!”

  Liam and Cedric hold back, staying silent and letting the hot-headed man in front of them cool off on his own. Damian takes a deep breath and seems to regain his composure. His temper shifts quickly.

  “Bottom line, there’s no real danger in this forest for people like you. If anything, I feel sorry for the monsters that’ll get in your way. Just keep walking toward the sunrise and you’ll reach the nearest village—which means you’ll already be in Argoust territory.”

  “How long?” Liam asks.

  “Unfortunately, if you’re traveling on foot, it’ll take about three to four days. The route won’t stray far from the river, so you can catch fish there if you run out of food.”

  “Good, then it won’t be a hard journey.” Cedric lets out a wide yawn, shaking off his drowsiness. “Since it’s still night, can we sleep here first and set off tomorrow morning? I want to try out my new bed.”

  “I’d suggest that for the first two days, you travel at night and rest during the day, since this area is still part of a calaviar colony that’s very active at night,” Damian says.

  “Why didn’t you say that from the start?” Cedric complains, his mood instantly souring. “We could’ve slept at an inn first and left in the morning!”

  “You wanted to avoid the eagle-eyed trackers, so I chose for us to move at night.”

  “It’s fine.” Liam cuts in before the two can argue any further. “Thank you for your help, Damian. We can handle things from here.”

  Cedric grumbles under his breath. Damian ignores him and looks back at Liam.

  “You owe me for this. Don’t forget it.”

  “Of course. I’ll remember to repay it,” Liam replies.

  “But I want to put you even deeper in my debt.” Damian pulls out a small folded slip of paper and hands it to Liam. “Any news about Chryssa?”

  The question makes Liam look up sharply as he takes the paper. “My agents are having trouble infiltrating to Cranoa. I have no information on her whereabouts.”

  “Of course. Only those with Cranoa blood can move freely within Cranoa’s territory.”

  The mention of Chryssa draws Cedric’s attention again. Liam unfolds the small piece of paper Damian gives him. It bears a magical sigil for a raven.

  “That person,” Damian points at the paper in Liam’s hand, “will give you reliable information about Cranoa as long as you pay the price he asks.”

  Since it comes from Damian, Liam accepts it without many questions. A faint glimmer of hope shows on his face at the chance to find information about Chryssa.

  “Thank you. You can count this as the greatest debt I owe you.”

  Damian lets out a soft laugh. He never truly cared about being repaid in the first place.

  “I’m sure you’re eager to look for Chryssa. But please, deal first with your brother’s foolish plan to work with Cranoa.”

  “Of course. That’ll be my top priority once I reach the capital.” Liam starts walking. “Come on, Cedric.”

  “Huh? Seriously, we’re heading out right away without sleeping first?” Cedric protests.

  “If you fall asleep on the road, I’ll throw you into a monster’s nest.”

  “You’re cruel!”

  Liam gives Damian a small wave and sets off into the forest with Cedric. Damian watches them in silence for a moment, then makes time to call out before the two men get any farther away.

  “Cedric Dryas!”

  Cedric looks back and finds Damian smiling with a dangerous edge. “If you ever return to Carrion and still plan to mess with Verlyn Academy, I’ll turn Carrion’s prison into hell for you!”

  Liam lets out a soft laugh at the threat, while Cedric fires back with his usual fearless, arrogant look. They part ways there. Damian gives a faint smile, then heads back into the dark cave, torchlight in hand.