I scratched the back of my head, looking at her with a steady gaze as she met my eyes, unyielding as ever.

“Are you serious about this?”

“Have I ever gone back on my word?”

She had, though. Like that time when she claimed to have dismissed Bell but later changed her mind.

I gave her a look that conveyed my thoughts, and she awkwardly cleared her throat, resuming her usual expression.

“Indeed, Tanton. I am serious.”

She repeated the words she’d just said to me.

“We’re commencing an operation to restore the Commander’s condition.”

After waking up at the branch, recalling the events at the Gardener’s park, I was still dazed when I received the summons to the knights’ headquarters. At this point, I was starting to feel more like I belonged there than at the branch, but at least this way I avoided most of the menial tasks. Even the other knights never complained—they’d even rush to take over my tasks and insist I hurry along.

People here were kind, I had to admit.

I arrived at the headquarters in a relaxed stride, only to be met with those surprising words.

“…May I ask what led to this sudden resolve?”

“What’s with your fixation on justifications?”

It wasn’t a fixation—how was I supposed to carry out orders with no clear reasoning? If you just rush in, you’ll end up handling outrageous demands like it’s nothing—like a scientist being asked to indulge a philosopher’s whim.

“…The feasibility depends on the context.”

I chose my words carefully. Fortunately, she seemed to understand, rubbing her chin thoughtfully.

“This all began with the Inquisitor War.”

With her serious tone, I focused my hazy attention on her words.

“White Mask, the knights, and I all fought against the countless Exiled Entities and the created humans emerging within Londan. At first, we thought that was enough, since you were facing the Inquisitor yourself.”

I nodded. Only the Outer Entities posed a catastrophic threat—the Exiled Entities and small human creations weren’t as powerful.

“But in reality, things were different.”

The Deputy Leader contradicted her initial assumption.

“White Mask felt it too; I noticed myself tiring over time. At first, I thought I was simply getting weaker. But that wasn’t it. White Mask and I were doing the work of at least a hundred knights ourselves, and it was more than our bodies could handle. The other knights? They were also taking on work fit for ten each, and one by one, they started to fall. That’s when I knew we were in real trouble.”

Quantity eventually overwhelms even the strongest force. Even in Snow Castle, the boss levels were notoriously high, but the difficulty dropped sharply in multiplayer mode. Not that I’d ever tried it, since I never had anyone to play with.

Anyway.

The Deputy Leader’s reasoning had one inconsistency.

“Deputy Leader, may I ask a question?”

“Yes?”

“If that’s the case, wouldn’t it be better to increase the number of knights?”

In the end, it came down to a lack of manpower. Increasing the number of knights would reduce the burden on the Deputy Leader and White Mask.

She gave a light laugh at my suggestion.

“A fair question, Tanton. But there’s a key fact you’ve overlooked.”

She laced her fingers together and rested her chin on them.

“In Londan, there aren’t many who possess that level of patriotism.”

“Patriotism, you say?”

“Yes. Many of Londan’s citizens struggle to survive day by day. They’re so consumed with their own lives that they have little room to consider serving others. Becoming a knight is perilous. You could lose your life in less than a week. With such weak patriotism, who would volunteer to lay down their life?”

…She wasn’t wrong.

There were frequent stories of new recruits dying at the hands of Exiled Entities within a day.

“And that’s not the only issue. Tanton, knights with talent like yours are rare blessings. If every knight had your ability, we’d be able to launch expeditions into the frozen mountains and take down giants with ease.”

She ended her explanation with a self-deprecating smile.

“If that were the case… the Commander wouldn’t need to make such a sacrifice.”

The people of Londan all walked with their heads down. While the knights’ efforts had reduced the threats to Londan and people’s faces had brightened, their postures remained the same.

To encourage such people to become knights would be no different from a draft. “Why not just conscript them?” some might argue, but that only works in prosperous countries. In Londan, where people regularly starved, such talk was wishful thinking.

I had been too idealistic. I’d thought that knighthood could be an alternative career path for the jobless.

“And so, the Commander…”

“Yes. If the Commander could be restored to his former self, our combat effectiveness would rival thousands, no, tens of thousands of soldiers. Even attacks from Outer Entities would pose no threat.”

The Commander’s power was comparable to an Outer Entity. In fact, even the Hunter, one of the world’s strongest, was completely restrained when caught by the Commander.

The Deputy Leader’s proposal was indeed the best solution.

“Do you know how to achieve this?”

“To be honest, I don’t. I don’t even know the source of the Commander’s abilities.”

“Oh.”

“The Commander kept everything hidden, dedicating himself solely to defending Londan until he ended up like this.”

So there wasn’t any clear method, then.

Difficult.

“Don’t feel too pressured. I just wanted to let you know about this plan. If I find any leads, I’ll inform you immediately. And if you discover anything, you’re free to proceed with it.”

“Understood.”

So restoring the Commander is the new objective.

Perhaps this is the first step toward defeating the giant of the frozen mountain—having an ally as powerful as the Commander would certainly be reassuring.

I pondered this as I left the Deputy Leader’s office.

What could have caused the Commander’s memory loss in the first place?

Earlier, when I took a glance, I noticed a strange red aura swirling above the Commander’s head.

But could those really be the key to curing his symptoms?

It couldn’t hurt to try, but it wasn’t something to take lightly. Who knows if it’s pain I can even handle?

Once, I’d absorbed the pain of someone close to death, and it nearly made me pass out. It was hardly a pleasant experience, so I wasn’t eager to do it unless absolutely necessary.

Hmm.

Memory loss caused by an Entity’s attack.

Couldn’t that be similar to White Mask’s condition?

After all, White Mask’s facial transformation resulted from the Dragonslayer’s bite.

This could be something I can handle, if it’s only a physical change.

Oh.

That might actually work.

Might as well give it a try.

Heading to the Londan train station, I carefully knocked on the door to White Mask’s room.

If he wasn’t here, I’d just have to wait, and that would have been a frustrating delay. Fortunately, he opened the door immediately.

“Who’s—oh, it’s you.”

“Yes.”

“What’s your business? Here to learn the sword again?”

He asked with a chuckle, though that wasn’t my purpose this time.

“Master, there’s something I’d like to try.”

“What is it?”

“When I defeated the Inquisitor, I gained a new ability.”

“…You absorbed the Inquisitor’s power?”

“Yes, somehow it became one of my own skills.”

White Mask sounded intrigued as he gestured for me to come in, and I stepped into the room.

Once I was inside, he closed the door, then took a seat, crossing his legs as he looked at me, waiting. I carefully sat in the chair across from him.

“Explain in detail.”

“This ability seems to let me absorb someone’s pain. And perhaps because it’s an Outer Entity’s ability, it doesn’t just eliminate the pain; it severs the root cause. For instance, if I absorb the pain of a knight suffering from muscle aches, the pain disappears entirely, as if his muscles were completely healed.”

“Interesting.”

“I’ve been using it rather passively, but now that the Deputy Leader wants to heal the Commander, I thought it might be worth testing if it could help with Entity-inflicted trauma…”

“…The Deputy Leader is relentless.”

White Mask shook his head with a faint smile.

“So you want to test it on me first?”

“Yes, exactly.”

White Mask lowered his head slightly, deep in thought, tapping the floor with his foot as if calculating something.

I couldn’t blame him if he refused; this was an unpredictable experiment.

But White Mask was known for his curiosity.

Finally, he nodded, removed his mask, revealing a face with a noblewoman’s beauty, yet one now set with a determined expression.

“Very well. Give it a try.”

With his mask removed, a vivid red aura lingered around White Mask’s face.

It wasn’t as intense as the Commander’s, but it was still significant pain—likely both physical and mental.

“Then, if you’ll allow me…”

Carefully, I reached my hand toward White Mask’s cheek.