The Reception Room.

The king, accompanied only by the captain of the royal guard and his chief secretary, awaited the arrival of the Black Crow Knights. He had summoned them to the palace the morning after their arrival in the capital, allowing no time for rest. The fact that their investigation had concluded more quickly than expected left the king feeling both anxious and hopeful. He looked at the leader of the Black Crow Knights.

Seeing her pale, gaunt face and the crutches she leaned on, the king couldn’t decide if this was good news or bad.

His face tightened as the Black Crow Knights knelt before him. At the front were Theodora, the commander, Christine, her deputy, and a knight sent from the wilderness to provide additional reports.

“Your Majesty…”

“There’s no need for formalities. Raise your heads. Let’s get to the report.”

Theodora lifted her head, and the king felt a deep unease at the emptiness in her eyes. How bad could the news be?

“The Behemoth is advancing,” she said.

And with that, the king’s fears were realized. His expression changed drastically at the mention of the name. The captain of the royal guard, standing behind him, also stiffened.

“Behemoth? What do you mean?” the king asked.

“It’s the Behemoth you know well, Your Majesty,” Theodora answered.

The king let out a strained laugh.

“There’s only one Behemoth that I know of.”

“That’s the one,” she confirmed.

“The one that can bring down mountains and cross oceans, the monster of legend. The one that, 15 years ago, terrified even the bravest warriors simply by appearing. Is that the Behemoth you’re talking about?”

The king was asking pointless questions, trying to avoid the harsh reality that was confronting him. But Theodora’s response was steady, without any hesitation or doubt.

“Yes, that Behemoth.”

The king rested his elbows on the arms of his chair and pressed a hand to his temple. The situation in the wilderness was far worse than he had anticipated, and he was reminded of the nightmare from 15 years ago—an event he remembered all too well.

“Is there any solid evidence?”

The king looked to the knight from the wilderness for confirmation. The knight responded with a calm, precise voice.

“Your Majesty, you may recall receiving reports of a decrease in the number of monsters in the wilderness.”

“Yes, and thanks to those reports, I decided to send investigators,” the king said.

The knight bowed and continued.

“Indeed, Your Majesty. Together with the Black Crow Knights, we thoroughly investigated the strange occurrences in the wilderness. However, the Margrave of the wilderness had already suspected activity related to the Behemoth.”

“And why is that?” the king asked, furrowing his brow.

“The number of monsters in the wilderness has never decreased before. If anything, it has always increased.”

“Not exactly an optimistic outlook.”

“We who guard the kingdom’s backdoor can’t afford to think otherwise, Your Majesty.”

There was a note of pride in the knight’s words, a sense of duty. The king gestured for him to continue.

“We were prepared to report back even if there were no significant findings.”

“That suggests this time you found something significant.”

“Yes.”

The knight glanced at Christine, and the king gave her permission to speak.

“While investigating the far cliff, we discovered that the ground was unstable,” she began.

“Unstable? What do you mean?”

“The entire cliff’s foundation had weakened significantly. It was at risk of collapsing at any moment.”

The king frowned.

“And why did that happen? Were monsters attacking the cliff?”

“There were signs that monsters had been relentlessly scratching and attacking it. But more critically, a massive Death Worm had burrowed into the cliff, weakening the ground.”

“A Death Worm? The kind usually found in deserts?” the king asked, surprised. The knight stepped in to provide further explanation.

“Behemoth is at the top of the monster hierarchy, Your Majesty. It’s said to have the ability to command all other monsters beneath it. We observed similar behavior 15 years ago.”

The king began to understand.

“So, you’re saying there’s a high likelihood that the Behemoth was controlling this Death Worm.”

“That’s right, Your Majesty. There would be no other reason for a Death Worm to dig into a cliff and weaken the ground.”

The king let out a long sigh.

“So according to your report, it’s almost certain that the Behemoth is advancing toward us.”

“That is correct, Your Majesty.”

The king, resigned, spoke with a heavy tone.

“Is this situation as serious as it was 15 years ago?”

The knight from the wilderness shook his head.

“It’s worse, Your Majesty. A decision must be made.”

The king didn’t hesitate for long.

“Chief Secretary,” he called.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Summon the Grand Marshal and gather the senior officials for an emergency meeting. It seems we have a pressing matter that must take precedence over all else.”

The king looked down at Theodora and Christine.

“You have done well. Rest for today, but remain on standby. I understand the commander is on leave?”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Christine replied.

“Make sure to recover fully. I’ll likely call on you again soon.”

“We will be ready, Your Majesty.”

The Black Crow Knights left the throne room. The knight from the wilderness approached Theodora, who was walking slowly with her crutches, concerned about her frail appearance. Although the king hadn’t scolded her, she looked as though she could have been reprimanded.

“Commander, where are you headed now?” the knight asked.

Theodora stopped walking and turned to face him.

“I have somewhere to go.”

She glanced at Christine, who met her gaze without flinching.

“There’s something I need to look into.”

The light had gone from her eyes. After making this declaration, Theodora hailed a carriage waiting by the roadside. The morning sun blazed down on the city.

“Take care, Commander,” Christine said, assisting the wilderness knight in helping Theodora into the carriage. Theodora looked down at Christine for a moment before instructing the driver.

“To the Academy.”

The driver nodded and cracked his whip. The horses began to move, the sound of leather slicing through the air.

The return home felt much shorter than the journey away.

After almost a month, the sight of trees and grass felt strangely unfamiliar to Maxim. He hadn’t realized how comforting the sound of wind rustling through grass and leaves could be.

Only Theodora and Christine had been summoned to report to the king. With a week of leave ahead of him, Maxim found himself feeling strangely alone for the first time in a long while.

And with that, he felt bored.

He couldn’t train. After making lunch for himself, Maxim spent the rest of the day either taking walks or flipping through books.

The ticking of a clock echoed through the house. Maxim reclined in his chair, flipping the cover of his finished book absentmindedly. The constant ache in his scar made him wince, and he tossed the book onto the bed.

“I can’t exactly show up at the Order like this…”

He tapped the armrest of the chair, deep in thought.

“What should I do…”

Knock, knock.

The sound of knocking interrupted his thoughts. Maxim blinked, wondering who could be at the door. It wasn’t even lunchtime yet. He shuffled over to the door and opened it slightly.

“Who is it…?”

Outside stood a young boy, dressed in shabby clothes and wearing a worn cap. The boy handed Maxim a letter. Maxim tilted his head in confusion.

“I was sent to deliver this to this house,” the boy said.

Maxim took the envelope and inspected it. It was pristine, made of expensive white paper. He figured he had time to read it at his leisure and reached into his pocket. He handed the boy a small amount of money.

“Thanks.”

“Thank you, sir!” the boy exclaimed, taking the coins and hurrying off.

Maxim brought the letter inside and placed it on the table. The seal on the envelope bore a familiar crest. He tried to recall where he had seen it before, but gave up.

“Whoever sent this sure used fancy stationery…”

Maxim hesitated as his expression darkened. He tore open the envelope more slowly than he’d intended, but then quickly ripped it open in a rush of impatience. He pulled out the letter inside and began to read.

As soon as he saw the first sentence, his face twisted in irritation.

To my dear son-in-law.

Damn it.

Maxim sighed, almost crumpling the letter before deciding to read on, his hand trembling slightly as he continued.

To my dear son-in-law,

The summer heat has been relentless lately, hasn’t it? It seems like we’re heading into the peak of the season.

“Summer, my ass. I’ve been stuck in a freezing hellhole,” Maxim muttered.

Even in the letter, the flowery, pretentious tone grated on his nerves. Grinding his teeth, he kept reading.

I’ve heard that you returned safely from the wilderness. The reason I’m writing is…

Maxim sighed again as he read the next line.

You haven’t seen my daughter in a long time, have you? Even if it’s a political engagement, you should at least see your fiancée every now and then.

Fiancée, my ass.

Maxim clenched his teeth at the hypocritical and superficial words.

How about lunch tomorrow? Come to our house around noon. If you can’t, well, that would be unfortunate.

The final line was essentially a veiled threat. Maxim tossed the letter onto the table, exhaling sharply.

Fiancée.

Maxim’s thoughts were a tangled mess.

Being bored was a lot better than this.

He pursed his lips in frustration.

As expected from a member of the royal court, Baron Borden’s estate was located in the heart of the capital. Stepping out of the carriage, Maxim stared up at the imposing redwood door. The same crest he had seen on the letter was engraved into the door.

“…Damn it…”

Even though it had been an invitation he couldn’t refuse, Maxim cursed himself for showing up.

Before he could knock, the door opened, and a servant descended the steps to greet him.

“Sir Maxim Appart, welcome. Please, follow me.”

The servant gestured for Maxim to enter the estate. The entrance was unnecessarily large. Maxim tried his best not to pay attention to the opulence as he walked down the hallway. The servant glanced over his shoulder and spoke again.

“My master will be joining you shortly. I’ll first take you to Lady Marion.”

Maxim nodded, trying to hide his discomfort.

How long has it been?

There weren’t many people who could make him feel as uneasy and guilty as she did.

The servant continued to lead him down the hallway. The room of Baron Borden’s only daughter, whom he had supposedly cherished, was tucked away in the farthest corner of the mansion. Maxim couldn’t believe that even today, the baron still gave him more reasons to hate him.

The servant stopped in front of an unadorned door and knocked gently.

“Lady Marion, Sir Maxim has arrived.”

There was a brief, shuffling sound from inside. After a moment, light footsteps approached the door, and it opened slowly.

“…Hello.”

Maxim greeted the girl standing in the doorway with an awkward smile.

“It’s been a while.”

“…Yes, it has.”

Marion Borden. Despite Maxim’s awkwardness, she smiled warmly, her lips curving upward. Her long, glossy black hair and blue eyes gleamed in the dim light. She wore white gloves, even in the summer, and a mask covered the right side of her face, hiding part of her eye.

Marion Borden.

The pitiful only daughter of that wretched baron.

Maxim gazed at his ‘fiancée’ with a bitter expression.