"Damn it."

It was morning.

Two days had passed since that night. Memories of that day seeped into Maxim's throbbing head. He stood before a bucket filled with water. Maxim splashed the water onto his face roughly, as if trying to wash away both the memories and the headache.

"Pathetic bastard."

Maxim's grip on the bucket tightened. Despair gave birth to more despair. His trembling hand, still gripping the bucket, reflected his inner turmoil.

Maxim splashed more water onto his face. Droplets fell from his hair.

"..."

He caught his reflection in the water. A deceiver. A hypocrite. A liar. And a knight—trying too hard to look noble while being nothing more than a wretched person. Maxim stared at the expression of self-loathing reflected on his face.

"Disgusting."

He felt a deep sense of desolation. Maxim let out a hollow laugh.

His face showed signs of fatigue—he hadn't slept much the night before. Rubbing his eyes, Maxim began to put on his armor. Theodora would surely distance herself from him, just as he had wanted. She might look at him with hatred and disgust, or perhaps, she would not care at all.

"Is this what you wanted?"

Maxim’s reflection in the mirror seemed to ask him.

"You got what you wanted, didn’t you? How does it feel? Do you feel relieved?"

"No, I don't."

Maxim answered himself.

"If you don't like it, then why did you act that way?"

"What else could I have done?"

"I can't tell you that."

Maxim gritted his teeth, trembling with frustration.

"My family, my household, they’re all under the thumb of that damn Count's family because of this arranged marriage. What can a powerless baron's family do? If I got close to Theodora, if I told her everything, who knows what could happen to my family—or even to her."

The image in the mirror sneered at him.

"So?"

"So what? As long as I bear her hatred alone, as long as I keep my mouth shut and don’t cross them, no one else will get hurt."

"So, you've been acting half-heartedly all this time?"

Shut up.

Maxim's face twisted in anger.

"You sure know how to take the easy way out."

The mirror's reflection taunted him.

"Then what do you suggest I do?"

Maxim's voice trembled with helplessness.

"After all, I can’t even use aura because of that damn curse. What am I supposed to do, turn on my aura and cut them all down?"

"Are you asking yourself that?"

The reflection snorted in disbelief.

"Then live your life like this—always wavering, unsure, and using the excuse that at least you saved Theodora. Use that self-satisfaction as a shield while the wounds and thorns continue to stab at you."

Crash.

The mirror cracked. The reflection kept mocking Maxim until it shattered.

"Self-pity won't save you, you idiot."

Blood dripped from Maxim's knuckles.

Then what will save me? I’m not even supposed to hope for salvation.

The reflection in the mirror gave no further answers.

Clang.

Maxim snapped out of his thoughts. The plates of his armor were now full of scratches from the past few days—bite marks, claw marks. Slowly, he began to put on the rest of his armor. Piece by piece, his legs, arms, and chest were covered in steel.

Maxim placed his helmet on and sighed.

To think I have to face her again.

Now he had to join Theodora’s team to assist with the investigation. Maxim's expression hardened. Fully armored, he picked up his sword. Today, the sword felt heavier than usual.

"Damn it."

Maxim took a deep breath. Lately, his head had been throbbing more often. His thoughts were often muddled.

Maxim clutched his head as the helmet resonated with a dull, echoing sound.

His breathing became labored. He took off his helmet for a moment to catch his breath.

Is it because of the recent battles? A cold breath escaped from Maxim's lips.

"...Let's go."

Maxim spoke as if urging himself. Even his steps felt heavy. He opened the door and headed down the stairs.

It was still early. Maxim set out to check on the horses in preparation for the day.

The air in the wastelands was always cold, regardless of the season or time. Especially now, just after sunrise, the chill was even more biting. Maxim walked along the familiar path. A few people were already bustling about. From today, they would be back living in the camp beyond the wall.

At the stables near the wall, Maxim found his horse. The brown steed recognized him and greeted him with a cheerful neigh.

"Should I brush your coat?"

Maxim muttered as he patted the horse's head.

Suddenly, the stable door swung open. Paola appeared, silhouetted against the morning sunlight.

"Oh, Maxim."

"...Sir."

Paola grinned and approached her own horse next to Maxim's.

"Busy yesterday, despite it being a rest day? I didn't see you around all day."

"...I just took a walk around the town."

Paola chuckled at Maxim's response.

"Ah, youth. I don't have the stamina—mental stamina, that is—to wander around town all day like you do. I’d love to roam about like you, but at my age, it’s exhausting."

Paola shook her head with a rueful smile.

"What did you do while walking around?"

"...Just looked at the sights."

"What else could you do, I suppose."

Paola bridled her horse, then released the latch that kept the animal in place. The horse took a few eager steps out of the stall. Paola skillfully saddled the horse.

"But you don't look so good for someone who had a day off, Maxim. Your face is pale."

Anyone could see that Maxim’s face was dark and troubled. He shrugged. His horse quietly accepted the bridle as Maxim tied it up and released the stall latch.

"Everyone has off days."

"I can’t tell if you’re bad at hiding your feelings or really good at it."

Paola laughed softly.

"Maxim, no one can live forever holding onto one problem, keeping it all bottled up."

Paola gently stroked her horse's mane.

"Whether you want to or not, secrets and worries have a way of being noticed by others."

Paola jumped onto her horse. The animal trotted out of the stable. Maxim frowned at Paola’s teasing tone.

"Do I look like someone with worries?"

"To me, your eyes don’t look like those of someone worried...”

Paola looked down at Maxim from atop her horse.

“They look more like the eyes of someone filled with guilt or self-reproach.”

"..."

Maxim placed the saddle on his horse. He couldn’t deny Paola’s observation.

“I was hoping no one would notice.”

“No one can always be the same, like a stone. Emotions change all the time.”

Maxim gave Paola a look of disbelief.

“That’s a bit too convenient of an excuse, isn’t it?”

“It might be, or it might not be.”

Maxim mounted his horse.

“All I can do is offer simple advice, Maxim. Unless, of course, there’s something specific you wanted me to say?”

Paola turned her horse around.

“...No.”

“Maxim, in the end, only you can pull yourself out of the pit of despair and worry.”

Paola looked up at the sky. Today, the sky over the wastelands was clear again. She gazed at it as if she might be drawn into it.

“Well, you’re a stubborn person, so I don’t know what you’ll think of my words.”

Paola smiled faintly at Maxim.

Maxim reluctantly followed Paola as she rode toward the wall.

==

Unlike before, when they would send out investigation teams as soon as everyone was assembled, this time the Margrave gathered all the knights and soldiers together. The Margrave's expression was grim.

“It seems the dispatch period for the Black Crow Knights will be shorter than expected.”

The Margrave spoke in a solemn voice, as if making an important decision.

“Three days.”

Three days?

Maxim frowned.

“If, after three more days of investigation, we find no evidence that the recent decline in monster activity is a precursor to something, then...”

The Margrave sighed.

“You’ll return to the capital to report. And with that report, you’ll also request reinforcements...”

“Why are you sending us back so quickly?”

All eyes turned to the Margrave.

“Because we need to prepare.”

“Prepare... for what?”

“There’s no guarantee that what happened 15 years ago won’t happen again. In fact, something even worse might be coming.”

The soldiers murmured uneasily. Some of them had experienced the chaos of 15 years ago.

“That’s ridiculous…”

“There’s no way something like that could happen again in just 15 years!”

The murmuring grew louder, but the Margrave raised his hand to silence them.

“That’s why those of you who want to deny that this is a repeat of the Overflow from 15 years ago...”

The Margrave’s voice was sharp.

“...had better investigate until your eyes bleed.”

The investigation teams were reorganized. Maxim, out of habit, began to head towards the second team, but a glance from the Margrave made him turn his horse towards the first team instead.

At the head of the first team stood Theodora. Her eyes, like Maxim’s, were heavy with fatigue as she coordinated the soldiers and knights.

“As you’ve heard, we don’t have much time left.”

Her gaze briefly met Maxim’s before she quickly looked away.

“...Please continue to do your best in the investigation.”

With Theodora’s words, the horses began galloping towards the wilderness. As they rode, Theodora couldn’t help but think back to the events of two nights ago.

What was I thinking?

Theodora’s face wasn’t flushed red; it had gone pale. She had drunk too much. When the vice-captain, Christine, leaned against Maxim with a silly grin, Theodora had felt an unwarranted surge of anger. She had no reason to be angry, no reason to hate. Yet, Theodora had glanced over at the table where Maxim was sitting, secretly watching him.

And she drank.

Even though she wasn’t good with alcohol, she kept drinking. She thought the anger would be an excuse. As she justified her actions, Theodora kept drinking. The impulse was frightening. Even as people around her fell asleep or became incoherent from the alcohol, Theodora’s eyes remained on Maxim.

Christine, the vice-captain, had casually approached Maxim and leaned on his shoulder. Maxim, while pretending to ignore her, didn’t pull away. In fact, he subtly adjusted his posture to make it more comfortable for her.

And Theodora drank more.

She drank as she watched Maxim respond to Christine’s drunken ramblings.

She drank as she watched Christine collapse onto Maxim.

She tried to swallow her emotions along with the alcohol, thinking that if she drank enough, the hatred and pain would disappear.

And then the gathering ended. Theodora sat in a daze, clutching her empty glass. Her thoughts and emotions, just as she had hoped, seemed to be buried deep under the alcohol.

But it was Maxim who lifted her up.

The alcohol guided her actions. Through her blurry mind and vision, she saw her former lover.

At that moment, at that moment...

Theodora shook her head furiously. No, it wasn’t right. She shouldn’t have given in to the alcohol and embraced Maxim. Nothing remained between them. She had nothing left but scars.

And she was rejected.

The alcohol didn’t provide them with an excuse. Yes, only more wounds remained. She thought she had become stronger, but that night proved otherwise.

“...Captain.”

Theodora looked up.

“Captain?”

It was Christine, the vice-captain. Theodora took a deep breath to calm her pounding heart before responding.

“What is it?”

“While investigating the area recently, I noticed that the ground near the cliff seemed increasingly unstable. I think we should be careful during this investigation as well.”

Christine observed Theodora’s dazed expression. Not wanting her concerns to be noticed, Theodora quickly masked her emotions.

“Unstable ground... Could it be related to the anomalies?”

“Yes. Some people mentioned feeling unexplained vibrations during the investigation... We need to look into the connection further, but it would be wise to keep that in mind during our investigation.”

Theodora nodded.

“Understood. Let’s focus on investigating the stability of the ground.”

“...But Captain.”

Theodora looked at Christine. She seemed hesitant, with dark circles under her eyes, suggesting she hadn’t slept well.

“Did something happen the day before yesterday?”

“What do you mean by ‘something’...”

Theodora froze at Christine’s question. Christine watched her reaction, then sighed and closed her eyes.

“No... never mind.”

The first team arrived at the site where they would tie up their horses. Christine dismounted, mumbling to herself.

“We weren’t attacked by monsters even once on the way here.”

“That’s unusual.”

Maxim, tying his horse a little distance away from Christine, responded.

“...I have a bad feeling about today.”

Christine, in a rare moment of seriousness, looked toward the edge of the cliff.

“It’ll be fine.”

“Senior, your voice sounds empty today.”

Christine gave Maxim a disapproving look. Maxim couldn’t bring himself to meet her persistent gaze.

“...Why?”

“Let’s just start the investigation.”

Christine shoved Maxim forward. He stumbled but willingly followed her lead. It was better than investigating with the second team, where he hardly knew anyone. At least now he had a chance to talk to Theodora.

The first team scattered to begin their investigation. Following orders to focus on the ground, Maxim slowly walked along the cliff, observing the earth beneath his feet.

“...Indeed...”

It didn’t feel solid or secure. Maxim pressed his foot into the ground, testing it. The soil didn’t feel firm.

“It’s not very stable.”

Maxim muttered to himself, then looked up.

“...”

A short distance away, Theodora was walking in the opposite direction. The moment she saw Maxim, her expression hardened. It was even more awkward than the first time they had seen each other after three years. Neither of them could turn away or find the right words, leaving them frozen in place.

Before they could speak, both drew their swords simultaneously.

Maxim sensed a monstrous presence crawling up from the bottom of the cliff, while Theodora felt another group of creatures approaching nearby.

“...Let’s deal with this first.”

Maxim suggested. Theodora reluctantly agreed, her expression showing displeasure.

Hellhounds, Mantises, and a large Fenrir appeared. The creatures crawling up the cliff were Basilisks, Hexapeds, and a giant centipede monster. Maxim relaxed his arms and body, taking slow, deep breaths.

Maxim stood with his back to Theodora, facing the cliff.

“Support should be...”

“They’ll be here soon. They must have sensed the disturbance.”

Theodora’s voice was tense. Maxim sharpened his focus.

About seven of them, crawling up. This should be manageable...

Maxim glanced at Theodora. She was facing about ten enemies. If she went all out from the start, she could probably finish them off quickly. Theodora’s sword began to glow with a platinum light, signaling her intent to end the fight swiftly.

Maxim set aside his worries about Theodora and faced the approaching monsters.

“Live like that for the rest of your life.”

The words echoed in Maxim’s mind. He forced the thought away and deliberately exaggerated his movements as he began fighting the monsters crawling up the cliff.

He first beheaded the Basilisk, a creature that could paralyze its opponents with its gaze. It was the most dangerous target and needed to be taken down first. Fighting the creatures as they climbed up was easier than facing them on level ground. Without much difficulty, Maxim dispatched the seventh monster, sending its head tumbling down the cliff.

Theodora...

Maxim turned his head to check on her. Theodora, emitting a brilliant platinum aura, was efficiently cutting down the remaining monsters. However, the Fenrir, a high-level monster, was holding its own against her attacks. Maxim moved quickly to join her.

That’s when Maxim felt an ominous vibration in the ground.

“...No way.”

Maxim’s face turned pale.

Crack.

A fissure began spreading across the wasteland, including the cliff. The unstable ground. Maxim erased everything from his mind and shouted.

“Theodora!!”

She had just driven her sword into the Fenrir’s neck. Theodora turned at Maxim’s call, and—

The cliff beneath Maxim and Theodora crumbled with a deafening roar.