The moment Dominic had been dreading—the moment everything went wrong—never came.

After wandering the labyrinth for several days, they finally encountered its ruler.

Lesta fought in perfect sync with the mercenaries she had brought with her.

Meanwhile, Eldrian, Cassandra and Leonel each played their part flawlessly.

Isden’s soldiers, under Genovar’s command, attacked when the opportunity arose and retreated when necessary, providing support to Lesta and Eldrian throughout the battle.

The ruler of the swamp labyrinth was unlike any monster Genovar had ever encountered.

Lesta, however, had fought it before.

“It’s an Ernota, the Wraith of the Swamp.”

Whoooom…

Wooooom…

As an eerie sound echoed throughout the entire marsh, Lesta pointed toward the front.

“What you’re seeing right now isn’t its real body.”

Gigantic tentacles writhed through the thick fog.

“The real one is beneath the swamp.”

A chorus of dismayed sighs spread through the ranks of the knights.

Monsters that lived in water or swamps were difficult enough to fight.

Now, they had to face the ruler of a red labyrinth…

While it lurked beneath the swamp.

Many believed that this expedition was already doomed.

Then Lesta calmly said,

“Even if those are only decoys, their attacks are real.”

“So stay on your guard.”

The next moment, before anyone could stop her, she dived straight into the swamp.

What happened beneath its murky surface?

Genovar had no way of knowing.

Nor did any of the other knights.

The dozens of tentacles that Lesta had dismissed as fake writhed like living creatures.

Each one attacked with deadly force — they were difficult enough to handle on their own.

From time to time, faces emerged from the tentacles.

Their mouths whispered curses.

They told ancient tales.

They softly sang haunting songs.

The voices steadily eroded the knights’ concentration.

Resisting their hypnotic power while continuing to fight demanded all their strength.

No one had any spare attention to wonder what Lesta was doing beneath the swamp.

Even so…

There was one thing Genovar couldn’t ignore: Dominic.

He stood safely at the back, watching the battle unfold without moving.

Up to that point, he had not fought once.

His sword still shimmered with a faint blue aura.

Yet he never stepped forward to use it.

On this battlefield…

The heroes were no longer Dominic.

They were Lesta and Eldrian.

Lesta’s courage was astonishing.

But Eldrian was no less remarkable.

He held nothing back.

His enormous white wolf moved with incredible speed and agility.

One moment Eldrian was riding on its back.

The next, he had leapt into the air.

Together, they fought as though they were flying across the battlefield.

Eldrian’s sword shone so brightly that the dense mist seemed to recoil from its light.

He did not stop once.

He never retreated.

After nearly an hour of relentless fighting, exhaustion began to set in.

Then something changed.

Suddenly, the tentacles began to writhe in an unfamiliar way.

They weren’t attacking.

In fact, they appeared to be convulsing in agony.

The knights hastily retreated, avoiding the tentacles as they lashed out wildly.

The swamp began to boil.

Whether it was their imagination or not, the icy water seemed to be growing warmer.

“Everyone, get back!”

Eldrian shouted, retreating with his white wolf.

The other knights hurried away as well.

The instant they cleared the area—

BOOOOOOM!

The swamp exploded.

Mud, rotting reeds and noxious gases erupted into the sky.

Black moss, crimson slime and putrid water were sprayed outwards from the centre of the explosion.

Instantly, the air was filled with the stench of decay and sulphur.

An intense wave of heat spread across the marsh.

The swamp water evaporated before their eyes.

At the heart of it all, a colossal blaze surged upwards as though it would pierce the heavens.

‘Flames?’

No.

‘That’s…’

Sword aura.

At the center of that crimson radiance—like blazing fire… or flowing blood—stood a lone woman.

From the black blade she held high above her head, sword aura poured forth like raging flames.

“Ah…”

Astonished cries escaped from every direction.

Those who witnessed that miraculous display couldn’t even find the words to express what they felt.

All that escaped them were breathless gasps.

“Ah…”

“…Incredible.”

The sword’s crimson aura gradually subsided.

Finally, it flowed back into the black blade.

Lesta slowly lowered her sword.

As though everything was finally over, she slung the black blade across her back for the first time since entering the labyrinth.

Then she slowly turned towards them and smiled.

It was a bright, refreshing smile that seemed utterly out of place in the foul-smelling swamp.

“It’s over.”

Genovar knew, in that moment…

That he would never forget this sight for the rest of his life.

Eldrian immediately ran to Lesta.

After giving her a quick once-over, he let out a relieved sigh.

“You didn’t get hurt too badly this time.”

“No. Ernota’s tentacles are the troublesome part. Its real body is just a tree root.”

After a brief hesitation, Eldrian reached toward Lesta’s forehead. Using his thumb, he gently wiped away a smear of mud that even the heat of her sword aura hadn’t burned away.

“So… it wasn’t that you couldn’t use sword aura.”

Lesta nodded.

“No. I was hiding it inside my black blade. My sword aura has always been stored within it. But because the blade itself is black, you can’t see it.”

Lesta frowned slightly, as though his touch tickled. However, she didn’t pull away.

But she didn’t pull away.

Instead, she held something out to him.

“Do you want it?”

Resting in her palm…

Was the core of the Swamp Wraith, Ernota.

Eldrian gently folded both hands around hers, closing her fingers over the core.

“This belongs to you, Lesta. From now on… Never let anyone else take credit for what you’ve accomplished.”

***

It took the subjugation force fifteen days to make their way out of the labyrinth.

The crowd waiting outside had dwindled since the day they entered.

However, many people had still gathered, eager to witness Hero Dominic’s emergence after his victory over the labyrinth’s ruler.

Everyone wanted to see this.

This wasn’t just any labyrinth.

It was the Red Labyrinth that had plagued the Marquisate of Isden for years.

Countless subjugation attempts had failed.

If Dominic succeeded where everyone else had failed…

Then he would truly deserve to be called a hero.

And Dominic did not disappoint those who had waited so patiently.

The moment the entrance to the labyrinth began to glow…

People who had been sitting throughout the area leapt to their feet.

“They’re coming out!”

“They’re coming! Lord Dominic is coming!”

Nobody doubted that it would be Dominic who emerged first.

And they were right.

The moment he stepped out of the labyrinth, thunderous cheers erupted.

No announcement had yet been made about whether the expedition had succeeded or failed.

Yet everyone believed it had been a success.

They chanted his name without hesitation.

“Dominic! Dominic!”

“Blackwood! Blackwood!”

The cheers were so loud that they shook the heavens.

First, the elite knights of the Marquis of Isden emerged.

Lesta and Eldrian only appeared from the labyrinth after them.

They were both in terrible condition.

One glance was enough to see that they had endured the brunt of the fighting.

And yet…

To the crowd, however, only Dominic existed.

“Dominic! Dominic!”

Dominic did not acknowledge their cheers.

Nor did he tell them that Lesta was the one who deserved the credit.

Instead, he simply walked forward in silence through the welcoming crowd.

This only served to make him seem more heroic.

The people cheered even louder.

They stomped their feet, raised their arms, and shouted his name repeatedly.

Genovar accepted a flask of cool, clean water from one of the knights who had remained outside.

As he drank, he glanced towards Lesta.

Without her…

This expedition would have failed.

He was certain of it.

Dominic’s performance was utterly disappointing.

Not once had he slain a single monster with his sword.

And yet…

He received all the glory.

Every cheer.

All the admiration was directed solely at him.

Nor did he make any attempt to correct them.

Genovar found this deeply cowardly.

Despite having spent more than a decade wearing the Silver Mask and building his reputation as a hero.

He couldn’t help but feel disappointed in him.

But Lesta…

She was entirely different.

Despite the praise that should have been hers being showered upon someone else, she didn’t seem disappointed.

There was not a trace of disappointment on her face.

There was no hint of resentment.

No regret.

She merely brushed back her blood- and mud-stained hair, then lifted her face towards the clear sky, feeling quietly content. Simply seeing blue skies again after such a long time was enough to make her happy.

‘How noble…’

Before he realized what he was doing, Genovar walked over and held out his water flask.

“Please.”

Only then did he fail to notice that even his manner of speaking had changed.

“Thank you.”

Lesta accepted it without hesitation and drank deeply.

“Aren’t you disappointed?”

“Hm?”

“This entire expedition was your achievement. But those people don’t know that.”

Lesta turned her head.

She watched as Dominic continued to run away, his arms spread wide, while the crowd continued to celebrate him.

Then she shifted her gaze back to the knights and soldiers, who were drinking water and catching their breath.

“I’m just glad… That no one died.”

“…What?”

“Isn’t that enough?”

The smile lingering on her lips was utterly sincere.

A warmth rose unexpectedly in Genovar’s chest.

For some reason…

His eyes began to sting.

“I see.”

Suppressing the emotion welling inside him, Genovar nodded.

“That really is enough.”

“Yes. I’m exhausted, so I think I’ll get some rest. You’ve worked hard, Sir Knight.”

“You as well, Lady.”

Lesta smiled.

“Just call me Lesta.”