Noah Diaz, who had returned to the Helmir Forest, was sitting on a high tree branch.

‘Nothing. I can’t find it in Atlan.’

His golden eyes flashed with anxiety.

He had searched every corner of Atlan. Helmir Forest, the border regions, even Kolnman and Macglier—any place where the power of darkness could be felt.

But he still couldn’t find the last wing.

Where on earth could it be?

‘If it’s not on the Rivert Continent… I guess I’ll have to cross the sea to the Gilbert Continent.’

After contemplating, Noah Diaz used his magic to cross the Wellus Ocean.

He consumed a tremendous amount of magic to avoid being swept away by the massive winds that raged over the sea.

A quiet seaside. Waves came and went on the shore. He set foot on unfamiliar land.

The Britten Empire, which ruled the Gilbert Continent.

‘Yes. I came here before, before turning back time.’

He remembered that at some point in the endless flow of time, his followers had summoned him. They had offered a sacrifice, asking him to kill the descendant of a dragon.

Noah slowly moved, looking around.

His feet sank deep into the sand, and fine grains of sand invaded his shoes.

How many steps had he taken? Not far away, he felt a strong aura of darkness.

‘No way!’

Noah Diaz strode towards the windbreak forest surrounding the beach.

Swish-!

He stretched out his arm and roughly parted the bushes.

Noah Diaz’s face was filled with bewilderment.

What he faced was a young boy sitting on a rock.

“Are you the incarnation of the Demon King?”

“Who are you?”

Noah Diaz kept his distance.

He had consumed too much mana just to get here. Since he might have to return empty-handed, he needed to conserve as much strength as possible.

“I’m Damon Wilson.”

“Damon Wilson.”

The name sounded familiar. Who was it…?

Noah Diaz’s eyes roamed over the boy’s face.

Dark circles under his eyes, a pale complexion, black pupils.

Ah…

“It’s been a long time. Or is it the first time for you?”

He was the one who had asked Noah to kill the descendant of a dragon before he had violated the law of causality and returned as a human.

Noah slowly approached him.

“It is you, the incarnation of the Demon King.”

Damon got down from the rock and stood in front of him.

‘So this immense source of magic is this child.’

Or perhaps it was the feather in that pouch.

Noah’s gaze naturally shifted to Damon’s pouch.

“You’re looking for this, aren’t you?”

Damon smiled faintly and took out a black feather.

“Yes, that’s right. I came all the way here for that.”

“What will happen if I give this to you?”

His empty eyes stared at Noah’s lips.

He’s truly a bold kid worthy of becoming a great figure.

Swish-!

Noah roughly snatched the feather.

“I will regain my powers.”

He twirled the feather between his thumb and forefinger.

The boy showed no sign of panic. Instead, he had a faint smile on his lips.

“Hahaha-!”

A rough laugh that scraped the vocal cords echoed through the forest.

Finally, he had found it.

With this, he would fully recover the Demon King’s powers and kill Leopold Diaz.

A black aura filled with malice emanated from his body.

“May you achieve what you desire.”

Damon Wilson knelt at Noah’s feet and bowed his head to him.

***

White, left devoid of any sign of life by Noah’s attack. Ariel and Leopold’s eyes were blank and hollow as they left the place.

Beyond shock, they were speechless with despair.

Suppressing their unsettled hearts, they set out on their journey back to the capital.

As if to reflect their feelings, dark clouds gathered in the once clear sky, and a torrential rain began to pour.

Ariel could have used her mana to avoid the rain, but she didn’t.

‘Thank goodness. Leopold won’t notice that I’m crying.’

The heavy rain that soaked her face hid the tears pouring from her large eyes. The suppressed sorrow burst forth like a flood.

The rain from the sky washed away her tears.

Even in the blink of an eye, the horrific scenes of the White territory’s devastation came to mind whenever she closed her eyes.

Ariel took a deep breath.

Her sobs must not be louder than the sound of the rain hitting the ground.

Knowing that hearing her cry would hurt Leopold even more, Ariel bit her red lips to stifle her sobs.

Shhh-

Ariel slipped down the rain-soaked slope.

“Ah!”

At the scream that came from behind, Leopold quickly stood up and turned around.

Ariel was lying on the ground.

“El!”

Leopold ran to her and sat beside her. Ariel was looking down at her throbbing ankle.

“Are you alright?”

“Uh. No. I’m not alright.”

She lifted her head and met his eyes.

Her face, faintly smiling, was swollen. Her eyes were red, and the tip of her nose was also red.

“You’ve been crying.”

“Is it that obvious?”

Leopold stroked her rain-soaked cheek.

“Yes. Your eyes are swollen like a goldfish.”

“Geez…”

Ariel pouted her lips and shifted her gaze back to her ankle.

Her throbbing ankle had already swollen.

Leopold gently touched her delicate ankle.

“We need to ask Liese Willington for treatment.”

The situation was too urgent to wait for natural healing. Noah Diaz could appear at any moment.

‘I should have used mana the moment I was about to fall.’

But at that moment, she didn’t have the strength to do so.

“I’ll carry you.”

Leopold felt that Ariel’s fall was his fault for being too eager to reach the palace as quickly as possible to devise a plan.

‘I should have been more careful.’

But he hadn’t been.

His mind had already been shattered for a long time. Seeing Ariel’s condition made his chest ache to the point where he wondered where his limits were.

“It’s okay. I just need to channel some more mana into my ankle. And I can get treatment from Liese… Don’t overdo it.”

‘You’re struggling too.’

The last words stuck in Ariel’s throat, but she couldn’t bring herself to say them out loud.

She couldn’t imagine what he was feeling right now. She was worried that her words might cause him to break down. Ariel couldn’t take her eyes off his face out of concern.

“No. I’ll feel better if I do this.”

“Alright…”

Leopold took off his robe and turned his back to her.

His wet shirt clung to his back, revealing his muscles beneath the white fabric.

Firm latissimus dorsi muscles flowed smoothly up his back.

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t say that. Come on, hurry.”

Ariel lifted herself slightly and wrapped her arms around his neck.

He gently lifted her in a crouched position, then stood up straight, supporting her with his back.

Leopold’s arms supported her waist, and his hands firmly held her legs.

“If you feel uncomfortable, let me know.”

“I’m fine.”

Ariel shook her head slightly.

“I’m going to run. Until we reach our destination. So hold on tight. If it gets too much, tell me.”

“Okay. Got it.”

Ariel pressed her cheek against his back, and he swiftly took a step forward, lifting his legs.

With each step, Leopold’s back moved vigorously. His muscles contracted firmly, allowing her to stay securely on his back.

‘We must arrive before sunset.’

They were already drenched, and the sky was cloudy, causing the temperature to drop significantly.

If the sun set, both his body and Ariel’s body would likely struggle even more.

As he ran, Leopold leaned forward slightly to minimize air resistance. His feet struck the ground, increasing speed to achieve maximum acceleration.

Ariel entrusted her body to him. Her body swayed back and forth with his running speed and direction.

‘Is it motion sickness? I feel a bit dizzy…’

Ariel’s wet eyelashes fluttered slowly up and down. Raindrops flowed down her cheeks.

Beneath her soaked clothes, her skin was extremely pale. The warmth from Leopold’s back wasn’t enough to keep her body warm.

‘Should I circulate mana quickly…?’

But sleepiness was overwhelming her.

Just a little, just a little nap.

The strength in her arms around his neck gradually weakened.