Whether it had been a dream or the afterlife, Kylance couldn’t be sure. He had met Ariel there, and though he had woken up, he had immediately lost consciousness again in excruciating pain.

But this time there were no dreams.

As if he had simply woken from a deep sleep, he had opened his eyes with ease this morning. And his body… no longer ached. There was no pain – he felt as refreshed as someone who had just slept through the night.

It was almost enough to make him wonder if he had really ingested the deadly poison.

He had anticipated the outcome.

He expected the Imperial physician to declare that his body was abnormally well.

In truth, if it hadn’t been for Lowell, who had burst into tears the moment Kylance opened his eyes and called every doctor in the palace, Kylance wouldn’t have bothered to be examined at all.

After all, with his years of experience as a knight, he knew his body better than anyone.

Kylance turned to the Imperial Doctor.

“You have worked hard. As you can see, I’m perfectly well, so please return to His Majesty. He must be deeply worried.”

“Yes, Your Grace. His Majesty is very concerned for you. So, if I may be so bold, I beg you – please do not make such reckless decisions again. The fact that you have awakened in such perfect condition is not due to my medical skill, but truly a miracle from heaven.

Please do not waste the opportunity that heaven has given you.

The Imperial Doctor’s words carried a heavy weight.

Kylance replied seriously.

“This will not happen again. I swear it in the name of Seyerd.”

The name of Seyerd carried not only his own honour, but the legacy of his ancestors. His promise was real.

“I will hold you to it, Your Grace. And while your current state of health is indeed remarkable, as a precaution I will leave you with a tonic to aid your recovery. Please take it daily, without fail, for the next fortnight.

“Of course.”

“Then I will take my leave.”

The Imperial Doctor left the room with the Chamberlain and the other servants, leaving Kylance alone with Lowell and Deryl.

Now it was just the three of them in the bedroom. Kylance subtly avoided the gaze of his two most loyal retainers, often referred to as his right and left arms.

For he truly felt sorry for them.

His decision had been selfish. Though he had ensured that they would be well positioned and safe in his absence, it was ultimately nothing more than a convenient excuse. These two had served him faithfully for over a decade.

No matter how good the roles or positions he offered them, the loss of the lord they had sworn allegiance to would have left them with an unbearable void – a crushing weight of guilt and regret.

Especially for Deryl. The guilt of failing to protect his lord would have haunted him for the rest of his life.

And yet, knowing all this… Kylance had still chosen Ariel.

Yet he had turned his back on their devotion, telling himself they would somehow carry on without him.

It was a cowardly act.

At the moment he drank the poison, he had been consumed by a fear so overwhelming that he couldn’t think of anyone else.

A world without Ariel, a world where he couldn’t even beg her forgiveness – it was unbearable to continue to exist in such a place.

But now, after meeting Ariel, even if it had been an illusion, and waking up again, his mind had returned.

And so he couldn’t bring himself to meet their gaze.

As the heavy silence settled over the room, it was Deryl’s voice that broke it.

“It is truly a relief to see you awake and safe, Your Grace.”

There was a slight tremor in the deep timbre of his voice.

Kylance, not missing the slight tremor, lifted his eyes to meet his own.

This time both men avoided his gaze, bowing their heads.

They hid their tears.

Kylance looked at them and offered a sincere apology.

“I am sorry. I won’t make excuses. I was cowardly and selfish. But I promise – I will never make such a foolish decision again.”

For now he had a purpose to fulfil.

He spoke slowly, his voice heavy with remorse

“…So please, forgive me.”

At that moment, Lowell suddenly raised his head.

“Forgive you? Please don’t say that! All this happened because we failed to serve you properly – that is our fault-“

“No, Lowell. It’s all my fault. So please don’t make me any more of a worthless man.”

As Lowell hesitated, his lips trembling as if struggling for words, it was Deryl who replied.

“Yes, Your Grace. I forgive you.”

“Deryl…”

Lowell shot Deryl a look that screamed, *Are you out of your mind?* But before he could say anything, Kylance called his name.

“Lowell. Forget the rank for a moment.”

Lowell, who had been staring at Kylance with trembling eyes, cleared his throat, his voice low and subdued as he replied.

“When Your Grace opened your eyes, I had already forgiven you.”

The answer was so characteristic of Lowell that Kylance couldn’t help but chuckle.

As Lowell and Deryl froze, caught off guard by their lord’s rare smile, Kylance asked a question.

“You said it’s been ten days since I collapsed?”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

Deryl replied.

But before anything else could be said, Lowell quickly interjected.

“Your Grace, if you’re thinking of returning to work immediately, you mustn’t. The Imperial Physician said there’s always a chance of a relapse. You must rest completely for the next two weeks while taking the medicine…”

“There’s something I have to do.”

Kylance cut him off, the faint smile of earlier disappearing from his face.

“If it’s preparing the north for winter, Deryl and I can handle it…”

“No, it’s not that. I’m going to re-investigate everything – find out who really killed my parents and uncover the truth behind Marquis Blante’s death.”

Blante.

The name made both Lowell’s and Deryl’s eyes flicker with unease. It was only natural.

They were worried, afraid that he still couldn’t let go of Ariel. That his obsession would drive him mad again – or worse, lead him to try something drastic again.

He had been awake for less than a day.

But he really had no intention of dying.

As Ariel had said, he couldn’t die knowing nothing. No, he couldn’t.

He had to find out the truth about the real culprit behind his parents’ death and clear the name of the Marquis Blante who had died because of his misunderstanding.

He would do what was left to be done in this world.

After that, he would live quietly, devoting himself to the things he could do for this country and the Blante family, until the end of his life came naturally.

Because she had told him not to die a coward.

But explaining all this to the two before him would take too much time, and there was too much work to be done.

His resolve would have to be proven by action.

Kylance gave Lowell and Deryl their orders.

“Lowell, in the first vault, behind Roymang’s painting, there’s a hidden safe. I’ll give you the key – bring all the documents about my parents’ carriage accident from that safe to my office.”

“Understood.”

“And Deryl, go to the far eastern region, to the Hexston estate, immediately. Find anyone who knew Deobic. Find out what he did, what kind of person he was, and if he ever talked about the ducal family. Find out everything.”

“As you command.”

With their orders clear, Lowell and Deryl left the room.

Kylance got out of bed and went to the dressing room. He changed into his formal attire and stepped out of his chambers.

He would re-investigate everything from the beginning.

He would find the real culprit.

Only then would the truth about the Marquis Blante’s unjust death come to light.

The false witness – the one who fabricated that witness – had to be the real culprit.

Why would anyone want to kill Marquis Blante?

Only the real killer would know the answer.

And so finding the real culprit was the only way to unravel the twisted threads of this mystery.

With a determined look on his face, Kylance made his way to his office.

—

At the same time, in the Mage Tower.

In the newly established Mana Stone Separation Laboratory, Lariette stood alone at her desk.

Of course, she wasn’t the only one in the lab.

The others had simply left for lunch, as it was their break.

They had, of course, invited Lariette to join them, but she had declined.

She just had no appetite today.

Because of the strange dream she had last night.

In her dream, she had saved a man.

A man who was lying in a seemingly endless darkness. She had led him to a place filled with radiant light.

It just felt like something she had to do.

That’s right. She didn’t know the man from the dream. And yet, strangely, she couldn’t bear to leave him there. Something about the serene stillness of his closed eyes made her chest ache.

So… she saved him.

“But I can’t remember his face.”

Even though she had gone to such lengths to save him, when she awoke from the dream, she couldn’t remember his face at all.

She could remember everything else, but the man’s face was like a blank – as if someone had painted it over with black ink.

Lariette tried to remember his face again, but perhaps because she was concentrating too hard, a sudden sharp pain shot through her head.

“Ah…”

As she frowned and pressed her fingers to her temple, a worried voice called out urgently.

“What is it? Are you hurt?”

It was a familiar voice. Lariette lowered her hand from her forehead and turned her head. It was Aster, his eyes filled with concern.

“I’m fine, brother.”

Her slight smile softened Aster’s previously tense expression.

“If something is wrong, don’t hide it – tell me immediately. I’ve told you again and again: The accident you suffered was no small matter. Sigh…”

“You must always be careful. There could still be after-effects.”

Lariette finished the sentence Aster was about to say.

She had heard him say it so many times that she had practically memorised it. She looked at Aster, whose eyebrows had risen in slight annoyance, and let out a small laugh.

It was a sight that would have been unimaginable in the past.

To interrupt the Archmage of the Mage Tower in the middle of a sentence and laugh at his annoyed expression, no less.

If any other mage had witnessed it, they would have been utterly shocked. But Lariette wasn’t like them.

She was the sworn sister of the Archmage.

The day after she had officially registered at the Mage Tower, Aster had told her: