The Dark Crusaders had been trapped in the tunnels beneath Jahar’taw for a day before they managed to escape through one of the many cave exits around the mountainous terrain. They waited until the cover of night before they left, and I split from them to return to my friends. I looked over at Karna.

“What happens now?”

“We may have to leave the city. Or we’ll find a way to stay and survive.” Karna shook his head. “Many of my kin live in this city, living in poor conditions. Something needs to be done about it. We can’t just leave them alone.”

“You will draw the ire of the Church and the city,” I said, glancing over at the inactive volcano in the distance. “What happens then?”

“Then we fight,” he grunted. “Then we survived. As we always do. It is as they say: we Goblins are pests. Rats in the sewers. They will never get rid of us. Not truly.”

“I… don’t know if that’s a good idea.”

He shrugged. “It is what we must do. It is our duty to follow.” He snickered. “Also, aren’t you the one who entered a building full of people who want to kill you? I don’t think you should be lecturing me on good ideas.”

“Hey!” I scowled. “I thought it through, alright?”

He gave me a dubious look, which was somehow worse than anything he could’ve said. I shook my head, smiling.

“I have to leave, Karna.” I looked over all the Dark Crusaders as they prepared their next move. Many of them were going to be brought away from Jahar’taw, out of fear of being hunted. Others were going to stay. The thing about their group was that they never had any centralized authority.

They could, at the end of the day, do as they wanted.

“I can’t stay here. I can’t stay with you. I have friends to go back to. I have a home now.” The Dark Crusaders could’ve been my family; there was a time when I thought that would’ve been my new home. I would’ve fought alongside them, lived with them, learned with them. But things didn’t go that way.

Gennady, Lisa, Jack, Ginah, Sevin… and more recently, Bertrand, King Adilet, Erzhan, Bakyt, Aniyar— and yes, even Luna the cat. I knew far more people now than I have ever known before. And they cared for me… to varying degrees.

“This is goodbye.” I sighed, but this was not a sad farewell. It was one that marked change, and paradoxically, a return to what once was.

“For now,” Karna said. He bowed his head slightly, and I returned the gesture.

It was goodbye, but not a permanent one. And it gave closure to our last departure from one another. When neither of us said a word to each other before I left to kill Victor. I started away from the hundreds of Dark Crusaders— there would’ve been thousands if not for all that had happened in the past week— and they didn’t face me with contempt.

Which was a relief. Mahir even gave me a small wave as I departed. Estia stood next to him, but she didn’t meet my gaze. I simply waved back at Mahir, before finally donning my mask and returning to Jahar’taw.

The warehouse stood in silence. Around it lay broken buildings, rubble that had yet to be repaired. Construction work had begun on some of the broken storage facilities and grain silos, but they weren’t being worked on today. I stepped out of the vast farmlands surrounding this little cluster of buildings, walking through the crunchy gravel road.

I halted right before the front door of the warehouse, a quick pit stop before I had to return to the MTC. They must’ve heard the news of what happened to the Holy Knights. I had to give them an update on what was going on. I raised a hand to push the door open, but it burst out, almost knocking me off my feet instead.

“Look, I’m tellin’ you—” Gennady paused, glancing over at me.

“Melas?” Elda blinked. She had been literally clashing heads with the Dwarf. “What are you doing here?”

I sighed, rubbing my temples. “What are you guys arguing about this time?”

Gennady scowled. “She was sayin’ my damned Annihilator cannon ain’t gonna work even though I’ve already given it a Greater mana crystal! She isn’t even a Scientist!”

“I’m not a Scientist or whatever you are,” she snorted. “But I don’t think the problem with your Annihilator cannon was its mana crystal when it completely broke down the last time you used it.”

“It will work.” He crossed his arms.

I looked between them. Then I tilted my head back a bit.“Oh, I procured this.” I produced a glinting objecting from my pocket. The Greater mana crystal I had taken off Tiberius’ lance. I gave the lance itself to Karna, not needing the weapon. Because, lets face it, I wouldn’t know how to use it.

“That’s—” Gennady’s eyes widened. He tried to snatch it from my hand, but I drew back.

“Hey, it’s mine.”

“Bah, whatever.” He scowled. “I have my own, and unlike yours, mine is unused and brand new!”

“So, anyway,” I said, ignoring him, “I’m just here after, uh, what went down last night.”

They both raised a brow. I explained what happened as they brought me to the main hall. The warehouse was in better shape after Didar’s attack a month ago. Lisa, Jack, Sevin, and the others were there. And they nodded along as I finished.

“So, you’ll stay at the MTC?” Sevin asked, frowning.

“Until Lilith is dealt with.” I nodded. “Unfortunately, I fear that she may be more dangerous without a retinue of Holy Knights with her. Her actions will be more unstable. If I’m freely roaming around, she may just attack me without due cause. But if the kingdom itself is protecting me...”

“She still might try and kill you.” Lisa pursed her lips.

“Perhaps. But I’ll be safer there. And I won’t put your lives in danger.”

Gennady ran a hand through his beard. “I think this is a good idea. I may not like Bertrand, but he can keep ya away from that insane woman.”

“But when will you return?” Lisa asked, a worried look on her face. “The Dark Crusaders are no longer after you, and most of the Holy Knights are gone. You’ll never truly be safe, Melas. You can’t just hide with the MTC forever, can you?”

“I’d rather not.” I leant back on my chair. I glanced up at the ceiling. I knew that running from my problems wasn’t a smart idea. But this was different. “Lilith will come after me. I want to— I have to— deal with her eventually. But to do that, I have to get stronger. I won’t just cower away in the safety of the MTC. I will get stronger. Then I will face Lilith.”

“And what will you do?” The question came from multiple people at once.

“Kill her if I have to,” I said simply. “Or talk her out of it. I don’t know— I will just do what I must.” I snapped my eyes shut. “I’m just… tired.”

There was a pause. Silence. My friends surrounded me, and I felt safe here. But I couldn’t just stay here. I had to get stronger— live up to my full potential. Even if it was exhausting and tiring. The silence was interrupted by a clatter.

I glanced up, and Gennady set down a platter of food before me. It was a kind of chicken, covered in gravy and mixed with rice. My mouth instantly watered.

“Here.” He gestured to it. “Eat up. You’ll feel better.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Do you think I’m stressed out because I’m hungry?”

“Yeah.” The Dwarf grinned.

And I chuckled. “I hate to admit it, but you’re sort of right.” I picked up the spoon and began digging in. “Look—” I spoke as I chewed. “I haven’t had anything to eat since yesterday at lunch. I’m just a little bit hungry, alright?”

That elicited a laugh from everyone around me. Even Jack couldn’t suppress a small smile.

“I’m not a glutton, alright?” I faked a pout.

Lisa shook her head. “You’ll be fine there.” The young woman placed a hand on my shoulder. “Goddess grace you, Melas.”

I hesitated. Then I smiled. “Thank you.”

I bade farewell to my friends, heading back to the inner city of Jahar’taw, and entering the MTC. The inner city had heightened security, even though the Dark Crusaders had practically vacated. The chaos and destruction from the day before was too much. Especially the explosion that had taken out multiple blocks of buildings, collapsing structures and injuring a few civilians.

Fortunately, that part of the city had mostly been abandoned, owned by the Dark Crusaders, and they had all been preparing to flee, so there were no fatal casualties. None other than the Holy Knights and the Dark Crusaders, of course. And while it was easy to discount their lives as something that actually mattered, I knew many of them had grieving families and loved ones, just as an ordinary citizen would.

I felt empathy for them. But I couldn’t do much. I only played my part by trying to stay out of trouble. Bertrand let me back into the complex, shaking his head.

“It’s a tragedy.”

“I… feel like I might be responsible for some of what happened,” I admitted, guiltily shifting on my feet.

“The Holy Knights acted even when they had no permission from the House of Or’taq.” He shook his head. “What happened last night was not your fault.”

I didn’t say anything. But he smiled.

“How’s your friend?” he asked kindly. “Did you manage to speak with him before he escaped the inner city?”

I blinked. “H-how did you know that?”

He shrugged. “If it had died, I’m sure you would be more overcome with regret and distress.”

“R-right…” That was the truth— as bad as I felt for strangers whom I never met before, I couldn’t help but be more sympathetic to people that were directly to me. Like Karna. “We spoke. We made up. And… I think we’re friends again.”

“That’s good.” Bertrand seemed reassured, even as he hobbled next to me. “I’m glad to hear that.”

“Thank you.”

He brought me back to my room, saying, “Take the day off, Melas. Rest now. I’m sure there are many things you’ll find yourself preoccupied with in the future. But for now, just relax.”

I smiled as the door closed shut. I walked over to my bed, lying down and facing the ceiling in silence. I wanted to sleep. Or just lay there, quietly. But I knew I wasn’t alone.

“You can come out now,” I said, and a footstep echoed in the room.

A woman smiled. Elara. A Demon. “Was there something you wanted, Melas?”

“No.” I shook my head, sitting up on my bed. “But there’s something you wanted. There’d be no other reason for you to make yourself known to me. I could sense you. I normally can’t even tell that you’re around.”

“Perceptive. And you’re right about that.” Elara nodded. “First of all, I’d just like to say, I’m glad that you’ve finally reconciled with Karna. The two of you were always so sweet together.”

“He’s just my friend.” I rolled my eyes.

Elara shrugged. “Regardless, I’m glad you made up with Karna.”

“What do you really want?” I narrowed my eyes. “You didn’t just show yourself to make small talk. Tell me: why are you here?”

The Demon sighed. “I’m here to make you the same offer as before.” She shook her head. “To teach you magic. To help you deal with Lilith. I heard what you said. You want to get stronger. I can help you. Better than you can on your own. And there’s more than that. More than just Lilith.”

I raised a brow, and she continued.

“A war is coming, Melas. The Puer Kingdom and the Taw Kingdom. But not just them. Things are happening. All around the world, pieces are falling into place.” She didn’t say anything in specific, but I remembered the shards floating in that portal she dragged me through. The Abominations. The Monsters. “You cannot possibly deal with all that’s coming on your own. I implore you. Accept my help. I can help you grow stronger.”

She proffered me a hand. A deal with the devil, you’d say. But I’d disagree. She was a Demon. And I had made a deal with the devil a long time ago. That was how I ended up in this world.

What she said was alluring. Tempting. It drew me in. I felt my hand twitch. I slowly raised my arm.

Then I took a deep breath.

“No.”

And Elara closed her eyes. “Very well.” She vanished, leaving me alone.

Truth be told, I wasn’t going to accept her help. Not in the sense that I’d let her dictate when I did what I wanted to do. I knew that if I accepted her help when she came to me, I’d be falling into her trap.

There was something she had planned for me. And if not her, her master. Her Lord. That fake god.

If I took their help when they offered it, it’d be because they wanted me to get it then. Which meant I’d be once again bound to what they wanted me to do. I didn’t want that. I’d accept Elara’s help only when I wanted it. Only when I needed it.

I will accept it. But I would be the one to approach her about it. Just like I was doing now. I produced an object— one that I had kept hidden and safe. One that I had asked many about, and heard my first answer just this morning.

Estia was the one who explained how it worked. Even if she didn’t like me, she was obliged to answer this one question with honesty. It was a scroll, supposedly. But not just an ordinary scroll. One that would impart great knowledge to those who used it through magic.

And what Estia said about it corroborated Elara’s claims. So, I used it.

“I’ll get stronger. I’ll decide when to accept your help.” And I opened the scroll. The words inscribed on it glowed. The Shield of the Sentinel. A supposed Tier 6 spell. “Because this is my life to own, not yours.”