"I suppose Zaos still is naïve. That kind of attitude is a problem," Laiex said. "Not to mention, he wants to apologize to the families of his dead soldiers… he has skills like no other, but he is a kid deep down."

"I suppose that is a good thing considering how many lives he had to take to survive and how many allies he had to see die," Drian said. "I can see your point, though."

"Maybe it is because of that that we can count on him on the protection of the kingdom, despite the fact that he doesn't truly respect neither of us," Dalyor said.

"Well… Laiex, why didn't you ask him about Nyana?" Drian asked. "He probably knows that we know about your relationship with Jeline. Besides, there is all that thing that is approaching. You shouldn't let him know by the mouth of others."

"I will talk to him once he returns home," Laiex said.

----- -----

  In the end, Zaos only returned after one week to his home. He did a lot of talking with the families of the fallen soldiers, and he decided to return home after he dealt with that. So, he slept in the headquarters during that. That week had been really depressing, even though not a single one of the families blamed him for their deaths. Things would probably have been different if they had lost the battle, but… Zaos decided to forget about that.

  Fortunately, Zaos' mood improved when he returned home and after walking through the garden for a while. After talking with his mother, he felt lighter and kind of hungry. He found his father and Jeline in the living room when he tried to grab something for lunch. Jeline wasn't wearing her maid uniform.

"We need to talk, Zaos," Laiex said.

"Sure, what is it?" Zaos asked.

"Sit down," Laiex said. "This will be a long talk."

"Why? Just tell me directly that you and Jeline are going to marry," Zaos said. "There is no need to beat around the bush."

"So, you realized that," Laiex said.

"I knew it would happen sooner or later," Zaos said. "Besides, you don't need my permission."

"Young master, I…" Jeline said.

"You don't need to call me that if you are going to become my stepmother," Zaos said. "I don't have anything against it, and my mother wouldn't want to see me wasting my life with dark feelings inside me, and that is exactly what I am going to do… unless you are planning to show to everyone that you cheated on my mother soon after the marriage."

"I am not going to do that, Nyana is going to become your stepsister, and she will become my stepdaughter," Laiex said. "Still, some rumors might appear."

"I don't care about rumors," Zaos said. "Speaking of Nyana, where is she?" Zaos asked.

"With her own money, she rents a place in the capital and has been living there since she joined your unit," Laiex said. "You should have known that."

"Is that so…" Zaos said and then got up. "If that is all, I am going to eat something. Also, Jeline. Don't think badly of me if I don't show up at the wedding. I am sure you can understand why I wouldn't want to go."

"Yes… Zaos," Jeline said and then bowed. "I am thankful for your understanding."

"Likewise," Zaos said.

  After leaving the living room, Zaos grabbed what he could find of the leftover of lunch. Even though it was cold, it still was delicious since they used the best spices of summer.

  After stuffing himself, Zaos decided to take a nap in his room, but since he didn't exercise all that much in the last week, he wasn't that tired to sleep. In the end, he saw himself staring at Guardia's Heart, the sealed sword, and all the books he had written notes about his research. Zaos touched the sword, but there were no changes. He couldn't pull out the scabbard. He still even couldn't feel any magic coming from it.

"It seems I am not worthy of using it yet," Zaos muttered. "That or I didn't find the person I am supposed to protect. I am just fifteen, but this sure is taking a while…"

  Zaos couldn't help but wonder, shouldn't he keep that sword with him from now on. What will happen if he finds the person he is supposed to protect outside the capital?

"I guess I should carry around as a backup. Even though I won't be able to attack properly, it should work," Zaos nodded to himself. "After all, since it is a special sword, it won't break if I use the way it shouldn't… right?"

  Since Zaos already had solved the issue caused by the last mission, now he couldn't start to worry about the future. Putting himself aside, since he already knew that he was strong enough to survive most situations, his unit still had a lot of room for improvement, and he needed that since his strength wouldn't solve all the problems. As long as he continues to fight in those crazy battles, he will need to worry about the group's victory. His survival might increase the chances of things turning well for his side, but the group's strength will play a major role.

"I will have a lot of work to do from now on…" Zaos said. "If I work hard enough, I won't feel much guilty if my soldiers die again. After all, I can only do so much."

Health: 1220/1220

Mana: 2890/2890

Stamina: 3230/3230

Strength: 610

Magic: 1445

Endurance: 1615

Resistance: 1445

Focus: 08 + 01 

Sorcery Lv 79 (+ 04 UP), Meditation Lv 40, Magic Perception Lv 27 (+ 03 UP), Magic Swordsmanship Lv 51 (+ 04 UP), Magic Spearmanship Lv 15, Magic Archery Lv 23 (+ 03 UP), Magic Martial Arts Lv 26 (+ 05 UP), Alchemy Lv 09, Magic Resistance Lv 16, Swordsmanship Lv 71 (+ 06 UP), Axemanship Lv 17, Spearmanship Lv 20, Archery Lv 41 (+ 05 UP), Martial Arts Lv 22 (+ 07 UP), Assassination Technique Lv 13 (+ 04 UP), Throwing Technique Lv 14 (+ 03 UP), Counterattack Technique Lv 07 (+ 06 UP), Shield Mastery Lv 26 (+ 04 UP), Pain Resistance Lv 51 (+ 04 UP), Poison Resistance Lv 21 (+ 07 UP), Blacksmithing Lv 15