In the quiet, just before dawn fully broke, Yeomyeong rose from his bed. Without even a stretch, he cast a steady gaze around the room.

It was an extravagant room. Large windows overlooked the academy grounds, marble floors gleamed, and vintage furniture filled the space—nothing less than high-class.

According to the staff member who escorted him here, it was a special room for VIPs from outside…

Indeed, it was far more than a regular student should have.

On the surface, it would seem the academy was treating him as more than just any student—perhaps as someone close to a VIP.

Saving the entire first-year class from unknown assailants and a horde of zombies was certainly worth that kind of recognition.

‘…But nothing in life is that simple.’

Yeomyeong didn’t believe the academy gave him this room out of pure goodwill.

The world he knew wasn’t sweet and simple.

Even the lowest guild of janitors had its share of political games and dirty dealings; surely, an institution as complex as the academy was woven with far more intricate interests.

And the reason they were treating him this way… was easy to guess.

‘Do they misunderstand my relationship with the Sacred Sword?’

No one among the staff had asked about his relationship with the Sacred Sword, but he could tell by their looks.

At least those acquainted with the Sacred Sword acted as if he were practically her disciple.

Whether this happened by coincidence or was the Sacred Sword’s intent was unclear…

‘This is troublesome.’

Yeomyeong rubbed his aching forehead. Being considered the Sacred Sword’s disciple, no matter how grand the future it might offer, was completely useless to him.

In fact, given his revenge plans, it was more of a drawback.

The Sacred Sword was a figure that the Australian government guarded fiercely, despite opposition from religious sectors.

If people found out Yeomyeong was her disciple, or something equivalent, Australia would go to great lengths to prevent his contact with Korea.

A middle-power country like Korea might rely on monstrous watchdogs, but a powerhouse like Australia?

And that wasn’t the only issue. Even if he managed to carry out his revenge amidst the goodwill of the Sacred Sword and Australia…

‘A disciple of the Sacred Sword, who assassinated the Korean President and top politicians.’

The chaos would be unimaginable. Yeomyeong shook his head.

…Yes, he’d need to avoid getting too close to the Sacred Sword. It was enough that the overly friendly Saintess kept trying to bridge the gap between them.

‘Next time I meet her, I’ll return the Comet Sword’s relic and make it clear… that I can never be her disciple.’

Lost in thought for a while,

He gathered his clothes and stepped out the door. He didn’t have a destination in mind; he just wanted to get some air.

Since he wasn’t about to drink, a walk was the only way to clear his heavy heart.

He crossed the empty hallways and climbed the stairs to the rooftop.

Was this called the rooftop garden? The rooftop, overlooking the whole academy, was set with flower beds and resting spots.

At this early hour, it was deserted. In the familiar solitude, Yeomyeong sat on the nearest bench.

As he sat alone, gazing at the darkening sky, a sea breeze swept over the horizon.

A cold wind, much like the one back in Incheon.

Yeomyeong closed his eyes, letting the wind pass by in silence.

After a while, just as he was about to stand up, feeling slightly better—

“…Ah.”

Yeomyeong sensed someone nearby and turned.

“….”

He locked eyes with a blue-eyed girl entering the rooftop garden, carrying a cluster of convenience store bags. She blinked when she spotted him.

A brief silence.

A belated gust of sea wind blew between them, and Yeomyeong chuckled softly.

“A bit early to be having breakfast, isn’t it?”

He gestured to the bags, and the girl glanced down, her face reddening.

“…I have to replenish my energy after using it up.”

“Not a fan of instant food, I assume?”

“….”

Before the strangely familiar conversation could end, the girl scooted over and sat beside him.

“Why’re you sitting here alone, sulking?”

“…Just couldn’t sleep. What about you? Why didn’t you eat in your room?”

“Unlike you, we girls only got one room each.”

Grumbling, she set her bags on the ground. They were hefty, as if she’d cleaned out the entire convenience store food section.

“I thought about waking you up to join me, but it’s way too early… and I was afraid of getting caught eating all this alone.”

“…And what’s wrong with getting caught? Just eat together with everyone.”

“After I get caught stuffing myself?”

She muttered something about him being “so oblivious” as she pulled out a cream bun.

It was a large bun, popular even among janitors.

It took her less than ten seconds to devour it.

‘…How does she eat so fast with that tiny mouth?’

Yeomyeong watched her in silence. When she reached for her third bun, he finally spoke.

“It’s been a while, Seti.”

A sudden greeting. Seti froze, her hand still in the bun bag, then chuckled as she replied.

“…It’s been a while, Yeomyeong.”

“It seems we’re finally alone.”

“Well… there wasn’t much time, after all.”

From the academy airport to the attack yesterday.

It was true there had been no end to incidents, leaving no time for a private moment.

However…

“…If you’d just used the burner phone I gave you, we wouldn’t need to meet like this, would we?”

“….”

Yeomyeong looked away, smiling awkwardly, and Seti gave him a pouty look.

Of course, she didn’t mean to genuinely scold him. He had been caught up in the chaos in Manju, where phone calls would’ve been hard to manage.

Still… he could’ve at least texted.

She’d sent so many texts since the day of the Saintess’s appearance with the knight. If he’d replied even once for every ten texts, she wouldn’t have felt so exasperated!

…Those words were on the tip of her tongue, but they stayed inside thanks to the bun in her mouth.

After she finished chewing the bun and downing a can of cola, Seti spoke.

“I get it… I understand why you didn’t text. Not everyone’s good at everything, even you.”

“….”

“So for now… just tell me what’s happened. What on earth went down in Manju? Is everything in the papers true?”

“I don’t know what articles you read, but most of it is.”

“…Did you really kiss the Saintess?”

Yeomyeong chuckled, thinking it was a joke, but when he saw Seti’s serious expression, he wiped the smile off his face.

“…No. That’s just gossip.”

“Hm… really?”

“I don’t have any reason to do that.”

“…Alright, then.”

Alright? What did she mean by that? Yeomyeong was about to ask, but Seti had already started munching on another bun, showing no intention of talking more.

Yeomyeong used the pause to organize his thoughts, as there was quite a bit he wanted to share.

The mercenary entry test.
His encounter with the Saintess after stepping on the tail of the Blue Rat.
The Korean government’s involvement in Manju and the North Manju incident.
The Saintess and Kahal Magdu.
The fact that his fake resume had been exposed and that the Saintess’s mother was the head of the Blue Rat.

And finally, the story about the dragon slumbering in Manju.

It would be a long conversation, but luckily, Seti had brought enough food to last.

Yeomyeong took a can of coffee from one of the bags and leaned back on the bench.

As dawn approached, he began telling his story in a calm voice.

 

The story stretched on.

It could’ve been a monotonous tale, but Seti’s reactions kept the mood lively until the end.

Every mention of the Saintess made her flinch, and when he confessed his fake resume had been discovered, she nearly choked on her bread, making him pat her back.

Yeomyeong told her nearly everything without holding back.

Except the story of his encounter with the dwarf king’s ghost.

He had an uneasy suspicion that the so-called “destiny” the king spoke of was tied to Mignium.

Seti seemed to sense something odd but didn’t press the matter.

As the long conversation wound down, so did the food Seti had brought.

After splitting the last tuna sandwich with him, Seti finally shared her thoughts.

“You went through so much.”

Yeomyeong was about to brush it off, but Seti’s hand suddenly covered his.

“And… thank you.”

With her other hand, she stroked his cheek, her blue eyes gazing at him.

“For coming back safely.”

“….”

“I’m not joking. The Manju incident, the fake resume… it all happened because I couldn’t help you enough. If anything had happened to you, I would’ve…”

Just as she seemed about to confess something, Yeomyeong averted his gaze, unable to endure the awkwardness.

Only then did she realize what she was saying.

“….”

Their faces flushed in an awkward silence.

At the same time, they both looked out at the sea.

As dawn stretched across the sky, their reddened faces weren’t as noticeable.

Yeomyeong watched the sunrise quietly, occasionally sneaking glances at Seti.

Her lips, reflecting the soft sunlight, her blue eyes gleaming like jewels.

As he gazed, countless emotions stirred in his mind, only to subside like ripples on water.

It was a feeling he’d never experienced before, but one thing he knew for sure.

For now, he’d say nothing.

After a long, if short, silence, Yeomyeong finally brought up another topic.

“…Seti.”

“Yes?”

“There’s actually something else you might want to thank me for. Want to hear it?”

Seti blinked at him, puzzled, and Yeomyeong continued with a smirk.

“It’s about the restriction in your and your sisters’ minds.”

“…Why bring that up all of a sudden?”

“What if I told you I found a way to remove it?”

Before she could ask further, Yeomyeong explained the Golden Seal.

An artifact that could unlock any restriction or binding spell.

Seti’s eyes widened as she stared at him, her expression full of disbelief. Yeomyeong replied with a subtle smile instead of words.

“…Oh.”

Whether from joy or another emotion, Seti hung her head.

After a moment of holding back her emotions, she looked up, as if something had come to mind.

“Yeomyeong, this Golden Seal… did you get it from the dragon?”

“Yeah. How did you know?”

“….”

Seti’s face stiffened. Clasping his hand tightly, she asked,

“You didn’t… get it in exchange for sparing the dragon, did you?”

“….”

Yeomyeong admired Seti’s insight in guessing that far without hearing about the dwarf king.

But that didn’t change the fact that Seti’s face grew even more rigid.

“…Did you spare the dragon because of me?”

“No, it wasn’t that. There were other reasons too. I made friends with the dragon, took a jab at the Manju forces, and….”

Although his reasons for sparing the dragon were complex, it seemed Seti was fixated on the fact that he’d spared it because of her.

She spoke in a subdued voice.

“I’m sorry. You shouldn’t have had to do that because of me….”

“I told you, it’s not like that.”

Another silence settled between them.

Both kept quiet for different reasons. Yeomyeong was lost for words, and Seti didn’t know how to repay this debt.

Moments later, just as the sun fully rose over the horizon, Seti broke the silence with a long exhale.

“…Thank you, Yeomyeong.”

“I’ll take that gratitude once I’ve lifted the restriction. Let’s wait until all your sisters are gathered to do it.”

Yeomyeong brushed himself off and stood. It was about time to part ways, as staff would soon be checking on his room.

But he couldn’t leave the bench. Seti still held his hand.

“…Yeomyeong.”

“Yeah?”

“I’m canceling our plan to act like strangers at the academy.”

“Why so suddenly?”

“…Just because.”

“Hm, but wouldn’t it be strange if we suddenly got close? We fought at the airport, remember?”

When Yeomyeong replied playfully, Seti scowled.

“Then we can say we bonded after fighting together against the zombies. Who cares if people find it strange?”

Hearing this, Yeomyeong instinctively reached out to pat her head.

As she started to protest, he spoke a bit faster.

“Then start by dropping the formalities.”

“Oh… I….”

“What, can’t do it?”

“…Alright.”

“But don’t call me ‘oppa,’ okay?”

“…What?”

With a huff, she released his hand, and Yeomyeong naturally took his leave from the bench.

“See you later, Seti.”

“Yeah… see you.”

With that brief farewell, Yeomyeong left the rooftop, his steps noticeably lighter.

Left alone, Seti stared at the academy’s morning sky, then covered her face and stomped her feet.

The bench shook with her belated embarrassment and silent screams.

It took her a while to gather herself, and only when she heard footsteps did she snap back to reality.

She quickly gathered her bags, stood up, and left the rooftop.

The rooftop garden returned to silence.

Or so it seemed.

Moments later, a voice echoed from the empty air where the two had been.

“…Oh my god. Oh, my god.”

Hidden by a transparent something, the voice continued muttering a mixture of words and sounds, struggling to form coherent speech.

“Oh, Five Gods, what on earth did I just witness?”