The boy first set foot inside the King’s castle when he was 12 years old, accompanied by his parents. He was impressed—he’d heard stories, but seeing the magnificent architecture of the place with his own two eyes was something else entirely. He heard that a famous architect had been responsible for it. The ballroom was also vast and well-furnished beyond anything he could imagine. The chatter made by many people was carried across in the air along with light music.

His eyes scanned the surroundings, so he barely paid attention while his father explained various things and introduced him to various people. Of course he wasn’t about to meet King Mekuriel-N himself or anything like that, but he still needed to know the various aristocrats and nobles that came there.

After all, their family had just become minor nobles themselves.

As the oldest—well, only—son of his family, he had been sternly warned that he had to make a good impression, but the young boy wasn’t quite sure he understood such concepts yet. He was naturally meek and polite, so they thought that he wouldn’t cause any major troubles anyhow.

After a few hours of this he felt weary. He couldn’t count the times he had been forced to introduce himself to people when he knew he would either forget or never meet again the vast majority of them. Still, he was a diligent child, so he endured and showed no signs of his boredom on the outside.

Halfway through the evening, he perked up when he heard a harsh whisper coming from nearby. "Princess, get back here!"

Practically everyone turned their heads to the scene. A girl—probably about his own age, perhaps a little less—pitter-pattered toward one the tables loaded with food. An exasperated-looking maid or caretaker of some sort followed her.

“Nooo! I want to have some fun too!”

Adorned in a beautiful, white dress, the girl was elegant and graceful. Her sleek brown hair was wrapped and gathered behind her head and her blue-greyish eyes sparkled under the hall’s chandeliers. Her lips wore a generous, playful smile. Her form almost seemed like it had been taken from some classic fairytale.

Based on her outfit, demeanor, and the title, there was no doubt that this was the royal heir, Princess Levia. It was the boy’s first time seeing her, and he would have never imagined it wouldn’t be the last.

Yet what passed through his mind at this first meeting was not her radiant beauty, her soft skin, her ringing giggle or even the fact of her breaching the social etiquette so hard that she had to be dragged away by her maid, who would surely be punished when all was said and done. None of those.

At the time he hadn’t been able to put it into words, but thinking back on it, when he saw her expression, her attitude and the atmosphere around her, all he could think about—was that he had never seen someone so masterfully fake their emotions.

Salom Saburn groaned quietly, his entire body aching with dull pain.

That was to be expected, perhaps. He hadn’t slept through the previous night and nearly half of it was spent flying, an action which left him an extremely bad aftertaste. Now he was being brought to the castle immediately after arriving in Copius. They also gave him a new chair, but it wasn’t as comfortable as the one left behind in Hayden.

Seeing that he survived that horrible, horrible attack, perhaps he should feel happy. He just wasn’t sure if he was going to survive his meeting with the Queen. Jokes aside, he really didn’t feel like seeing her right now, but he had do.

Salom’s wheelchair lightly creaked as it was being pushed ahead by a soldier through the spotless marble floor. The servants probably worked through the entire night as well for it to be so clean. He almost pitied them.

There were surprisingly few people around. Perhaps most of the soldiers and attendants had other business elsewhere. Salom also wondered where Stard went after having “delivered” him, but decided to focus on the task at hand.

“I beg your pardon, but can you just let me do it myself?” Salom suddenly vocalized.

“…Huh?” was all that the surprised soldier managed to say, stopping in place.

“It’d be faster that way,” Salom explained. “Her Majesty wishes to see me as quickly as possible, right?”

“I don’t know about…”

“It’s not like I can run away or anything,” said Salom, smiling politely despite being with his back to the man. “And of course, I will take full responsibility if anyone asks.”

“Well… I suppose I haven’t been exactly ordered to…”

“Thank you,” Salom interjected, grabbing the wheels and pushing them.

Yes, he wasn’t used to this chair but he could work it out just fine. He almost felt young again, back when he’d roll through the corridors of this very castle on his first chair. He thought he heard the guard behind him groan, but the man didn’t move to intercept him. The guards stationed near the tall double door leading to the throne room said nothing as well. They only moved to open the door when they saw Salom approaching.

He took a long breath, closed his eyes momentarily and rolled himself inside.

The past day and a half were a horrifying time. If Salom hadn’t met with Stard in town then he surely wouldn’t have been able to escape the monster attack. Not on his wheelchair, at any rate.

He considered himself a rational, cool man, but even he almost felt his heart stop when he’d first laid eyes on the horrible beasts. They were completely black and their figure slightly wavered as if they were some optical illusion, but the destruction they caused was very real. As a scholar he’d only seen very few of the atrocities of war, but this time he watched people get eaten whole or even worse, piece by piece. It would surely haunt his nightmares for months to come.

Fortunately, Stard Molton—known as the strongest man in Rumdon—had been there to help. He fought valiantly, even intercepting the ominous tentacles hanging in the sky as they seemed to carry these dark monstrosities.

Yet he was still a lone man, even accompanied by some other soldiers and the city guard, so the town ended up half-destroyed. Perhaps Stard had been able to save hundreds of potential victims, but there were dead people regardless.

Worst of all, the entire reason for Salom to have stayed there in the first place was utterly demolished. When the dust settled and everything and everyone was accounted for, he discovered that several students were dead and another few missing, presumed dead—including his three finest, his channeling students.

Gen, who was young and brash but also strong-minded. Roah, who was cynical but a great thinker. And Niu, poor Niu who had so much potential… They were probably all eaten alive.

For some reason it seemed to him like he should feel guilty, as if he hadn’t taught them enough to survive… but that was silly. He wasn’t a combatant. And they were so young. The unexpected attack was certainly not his fault. However, he couldn’t shake off this feeling.

Anyway, once most things were sorted out, Stard had received contact from the Queen telling him to come back as soon as possible along with Salom. Despite everything that just happened, Salom still managed to marvel at the new experimental communication apparatus that Stard brought along. He’d even thought about showing it to the kids—before recalling that he couldn’t.

A bit later, he had been strapped to Stard’s back (not his first time, but still as uncomfortable as ever) and they flew back to Rumdon’s capital city of Copius.

Truth be told, Salom hadn’t missed the castle at all in the two years since he’d left the capital. The halls were so wide they were ironically suffocating. Perhaps it was due to being bound to the Queen, and perhaps a combination of many different reasons, but he could never feel at ease there. Opening the school in the town of Hayden let him feel almost free from all worries.

But now he was back in that dreary castle, facing the even drearier Queen.

Levia-O, Queen of the West and Northwest, Duchess of the Mountains, wore as haughty an expression as ever. Her eyes, colored like cold steel, were directed at Salom—or were even looking beyond him. She smiled, but as usual her expression only looked like some superficial etching on a block of ice, lacking any and all warmth and emotion.

At the very least, it looked like that to him. Most people would probably praise her beauty and the nobility of her features and expressions.

“Leave us alone,” Levia-O ordered, her voice like a bell with a hint of impurity in it.

For a moment Salom was confused—she was looking straight into his eyes so he wondered if she was speaking to him—but he realized his mistake from the guard’s response.

“Your Majesty, we cannot leave you alone here with—”

“With what? A cripple? A defect?” she spat. “Do you really think that man could endanger me? Besides, this is Professor Saburn, a man I trust.”

“…Yes, Your Majesty.”

Salom slightly narrowed his eyes but said nothing. He simply waited for the guards to leave. Finally the door closed behind the two and the Queen opened her mouth again.

“I finally have you back here, Salom.”

“Yes, you have, you cold bitch,” he replied dully.

Anyone back in town who heard Salom that moment would have been shocked beyond belief. Not only by his language itself, but the fact he spoke this way to none other than the Queen—an action which, ordinarily, would end with him getting hanged at best.

However, since they were alone it didn’t matter. And it wasn’t like he could hide his feelings from her either.

“As if you're one to talk, you liar,” she took it in stride, widening her vain smile. “Anyway, how does it feel like having your hopes and dreams crushed?”

“…Not very good,” he admitted, clenching the fists on top of his knees.

“Well, I always told you it was useless effort, so let us regard this as a blessing in disguise. I do wonder what passed through my mind when I gave the permission for that silly project of yours.”

“Because you did see the potential in my plan,” he said. “You knew I could actually educate common children into becoming the next generation of leaders and scholars. Not to mention channelers…” He lightly bit his lips with these last few words.

“Ah, yes. That was your real goal there, after all. Raising those defect children. But now they are gone, huh?”

He knew he shouldn’t give in to Levia’s provocations, but the emotions he felt were still raw and fresh. His despair definitely showed up on his face, let alone in his mind. Yet immediately after that he chose to attack.

“Don’t pretend like you weren’t interested as well. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have taken people like Stard under your service in the first place.”

Levia sighed. “Fine, perhaps I was interested, or rather aware of the chances. Yes, there always was true potential to us defects… not that you count.” She giggled. Her voice was pleasant yet mechanical—or did Salom think so only because he knew her so well? “I even remember you mentioning something quite amusing, one time. What was it about some kid reminding you of me?”

Salom recalled that with another small sting. Yes, he had told her something of the sort. He’d always felt that Niu had the potential to be something really great once she got past her issues. While she would obviously never be as cold as Levia, he somehow had the feeling that she’d make a great Queen.

But that would never happen anyway. Not just because Niu was now dead, but because it was impossible in the first place. Even his so-called project would never change that; most of the nobles scoffed at such ideas despite the Queen’s (admittedly reluctant) approval to get the common people more involved in the kingdom’s management.

“Anyway… why did you let them die?” Levia questioned next.

“Let them die? As if I had a—”

“No, I do not know what you had or did not have. Please tell me exactly what happened,” she ordered. “To be honest, I did not see anything. The attack on the castle was very minimal, you know.”

He didn’t know, but that made no difference. Just like she asked him to, he started sharing his tale.

It had all started with Stard’s sudden visit. The official reason was him going to the Western Frontier’s perimeter on a routine review of the parts of the army stationed there, but he’d also come there to visit his old friend Salom. He had wanted to check on the man’s pet project, as well as try to persuade him to drop it already. No doubt on the Queen’s orders, though his own personal opinion was also involved.

Ironically it was that very day that led to the project’s termination, but he obviously couldn’t blame either his friend or Levia for that.

Salom glossed over that part and went straight to the attack. It had all happened so suddenly. The sky had suddenly darkened but there were no clouds, only tentacles. And then bizarre monsters started dropping down from above. He was only barely able to describe what happened, the horror of it all still so fresh in his mind.

While he was telling this story, Levia’s characteristic smile vanished. Now her expression was simply blank. Knowing her well, Salom realized that this was more or less the equivalent of a light frown for her.

“You’re not lying,” she finally mumbled. “You really are shocked at this.”

“Of course I’m not lying. What did you expect?”

Levia shook her head. She then tapped her fingers on her throne. Salom nearly smiled, seeing that silly habit of hers. Yet he kept himself composed.

“I of course already heard many reports. Even so I wanted to hear it from your mouth as well,” she finally explained. “Now, can you please explain why this attack occurred 20 years before it was supposed to?”

When Salom came out of the castle again a sudden gale hit his face. He shielded his glasses lest they fly away. Since the castle was located so high up the mountain these sorts of things were common, but Salom hadn’t been there for a long time.

Removing his hand, he then noticed a familiar man standing in front of him.

“I will escort you home,” Stard said bluntly.

His square, smooth face was as stern and serene as always, but his fatigue was evident; Salom could complain all he wanted, but Stard worked ten times as hard. And he would probably keep working for the rest of this day as well, while Salom was finally free to rest.

“Thank you, but you really don’t have to if you’re still—”

“I am taking this as a breather,” the man explained, cracking a faint smile.

“Understood. Then I’ll be in your care,” Salom said.

Stard moved his legs—or rather, the cylindrical, metal contraptions attached to his calves—and transported himself to behind Salom’s back. Transported, not walked; for Stard had no feet with which to do so. Instead, the flat ends of his prosthetics hovered ever so slightly above the ground.

Despite knowing the man for more than two decades already, as well as helping him achieve the deed, Salom couldn’t help but still marvel over Stard’s fine control. Having lost his legs in an accident, Stard had been compensated with the ability to move himself in many other ways. It was chiefly this ability that led to him rising through ranks and achieving fame as a warrior.

For just a moment Salom thought of Gen, who also possessed a promising ability, but hurriedly shut it out. He had enough on his plate even without constantly recalling his failures.

Meanwhile, Stard grabbed hold of Salom’s wheelchair and guided him down the road from the castle. The road was mostly taken by feet or large carriages, so it was quite a bumpy ride, but at least he knew he was in good hands.

From the high vantage point of the swirling road one could see the entire capital and even some of the distant surrounding towns and villages. Enclosed by the mountains, it was breathtaking scenery—or so it normally would have been. However, even from afar Salom could faintly see the various small scars left on the land. The cause was obviously that horrible attack.

“How did it go with Her Majesty?” Stard asked conversationally.

“As well as you can expect,” answered Salom, lightly sighing. “She thought I’d be able to supply her with answers, but I’m just as clueless.”

“This happened much too early,” he heard Stard’s voice from behind him. “It is a complete blunder. No wonder she’s so distraught and furious.”

Not that she’s even capable of feeling fury, thought Salom wryly. Perhaps fear, at best, but possibly not even that.

Black monsters dropping from the skies to wreak havoc all over the land—such a fantastical description was the stuff of fairy tales, so if one heard of such an event, they would surely laugh it off. They had enough other problems to concern themselves with rather than think of pure fiction.

However, the attack itself came as no surprise; only its timing did. Very few people knew of it, of course, but the kingdom was already halfway through the preparations for that fated time. Perhaps the only reason why Salom had been able to get the approval for his plan was for that. If he could actually produce results, it would benefit them greatly for years to come.

And yet the disaster happened much, much earlier than foretold. But why? That was what both Levia and Salom were wondering.

“…You know I have no idea, either.”

“I suppose I do,” Levia mumbled quietly. She then gazed up at the ceiling as if in deep thought. Salom knew she was just trying to annoy him, however.

“How come you didn’t know about it, though?” he asked, a hint of anger entering his voice. “Surely the Observatory would have seen it?”

She brought her gaze back to him, once again wearing her equivalent of a frown. She then clicked her tongue.

“It’s such a foolish story that I am tempted to hang everyone involved.”

“Well?”

“For the last few weeks, the place was being renovated, you see. It is the kingdom's 400th anniversary and all that,” Levia explained, “so it was utterly deserted. Our people were nowhere to be found and no one even thought of checking the skies. Complete morons. Of course, I had known nothing of this,” she added, tapping her fingers on her throne again.

Salom knit his brows. Even in the best of times the Observatory operated only very rarely, so apparently it was mostly a bout of bad luck. An attack was coming, but they just so happened to not check for it during that period. Otherwise, they could have prepared for it. They could have saved the people.

Levia looked as calm as always, but Salom was shocked. All of the senseless victims… especially the children… these happened because of negligence. He didn’t wish death by hanging on anyone, but perhaps the ones responsible for this deserved it.

Salom took a deep breath, calming his nerves. Rage and blaming people would not reverse time or bring back the dead. He had to remain rational and look ahead, instead of behind. Unneeded emotions would only impede him. He then recalled an urgent question.

“What about now, then?” he asked with a bit of a difficulty, fearing the answer, “surely such a small attack can’t be…” He left the rest unsaid, but Levia obviously understood his intent.

“—Another wave is coming,” she informed him matter-of-factly. “Apparently in about ten days, more or less.”

Ten days. Hearing this frame of time, Salom wasn’t sure if it was less or more than what he expected. At the very least this time they weren’t going to be caught with their pants down. They should be able to at least prepare themselves. So he hoped.

Of course, ten days were nothing when compared to 20 years. They had already projected so many plans to the future that they would never be able to make come true. Not just Salom’s project, either. Their entire strategy was in disarray… so perhaps a measly ten days weren’t enough time at all.

There was a sudden knock and a voice called out. “Your Majesty?” It came not from the main door, where Salom entered, but from a side door neatly hidden behind the throne, the one that led to the royal bedchambers.

“You may enter,” said Levia.

A tall man walked in. He seemed to be in his early forties, yet already balding. Even so, his green eyes and serious expression punctuated his position as the Lord Chamberlain.

“Ah, Lord Swen. A pleasure to see you again,” Salom greeted.

“…So you are indeed back,” replied Swen, only very slightly masking the displeasure on his face. He responded to his greeting in no other way.

“Is something the matter?” asked Levia after a short bout of silence.

“Ah, right, Your Majesty. It is just that an urgent message has arrived from the gates. Apparently, a group of refugees seeks shelter within our walls. They claim to come from a nearby village, down the mountain.”

The Queen furrowed her brows ever so slightly. “How quickly do the desperate make their move,” she mused. “Their village has been ravaged by the attack, I presume?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

She took a long, deep sigh. “We cannot turn them back, yet we also cannot simply take any and all riffraff inside… what a troubling situation. Have you any suggestions, Lord Saburn?”

He slightly winced at being called that; he was only a very minor noble and never really felt like it. He still replied to her question. “We are in times of need. The populace needs to know they can count on their rulers—and I’m actually talking about Copius, not about the refugees. We will have to evacuate or secure some settlements anyway; it’s better to get used to it.”

“Well said,” said Levia with a smile, turning to the side. “What do you think, Swen?”

“A perfectly reasonable suggestion,” he said bluntly.

I never did understand why this man hates me so much, Salom thought glumly. And if I didn’t know better, I would’ve thought that the Queen’s enjoying this situation too much.

“I shall need to think for a bit. Those poor people are there outside right now… we shall have to let them in before it turns dark,” she said. “Well, our discussion is concluded now, Lord Saburn. You sound and look very tired; get some rest, and we shall resume tomorrow. You are dismissed.” She waved with her hand as if shooing a stray cat from scraps of food.

“Understood, Your Majesty,” he replied as formally as she had spoken to him. “Then I shall take my leave.”

He could practically feel Swen’s eyes burrowing into his back from how intensely the man was gazing at him. And Salom hadn’t been offered to receive any escort, either; not that he wanted it. He still had to get used to his current wheelchair anyway.

Salom left the throne room, and soon exited the castle where Stard was waiting for him.

By the time they got down the mountain, Salom had summarized his conversation with Levia and the current situation to his old friend. Since Stard’s only communication with the Queen had been directly after the attack—she’d told him to hurry back and bring also Salom with him, were he alive—and he had plenty of business to take care of once back, he wasn’t completely updated. That was probably another reason he’d come to pick up Salom like that.

“Ten days… it seems like a lot of time, but it will still prove to be quite the challenge,” Stard said.

“I concur,” said Salom, “but at the very least, preparing for it would help us in the long term as well. The first wave might have been a complete blunder, but we are far from losing this war.”

“Yet the attacks will simply keep growing in scale—and continue for a long time to come.”

“Nice to see that you are being positive about it.”

Salom couldn’t view Stard’s face, but he had the feeling the man was wearing a faint smile in response. Both men were realists, but they were neither optimists nor pessimists. They simply knew that they had to do everything in their power to take hold of the situation.

Meanwhile, the pair entered town. In contrast to the high castle, where traffic was low, the town was still lively despite having gone through a monster attack. Huge swarms of people passed through the streets, each on their own urgent business, whether it was carrying bags of food, carting boxes on wheelbarrows, parents walking surrounded by their younger children, and in one case, something that was probably a body stuffed into a bag being carried away. Here and there they could spot ruined houses or stalls, all serving as vestiges of the horrible attack.

Salom clenched his fists and averted his gaze from such sights. He would have to think and work hard in order to help defend against the upcoming waves and prevent future tragedies—but not right now. He was just too tired both physically and mentally for that.

Every once in a while, some people would call out to them; since Salom had been a shut-in, toiling on his research and plans or reading from dusty books, he didn’t know a lot of the townspeople, but it was different with Stard; well, the man also didn’t know everyone, but everyone knew him. He was their hero, their savior, the man who overcame all odds to protect their kingdom. Even when they didn’t greet him directly, people still gazed at him admiringly and whispered in excitement.

Which was why when a young man approached the pair, Salom never would have expected that he was the target and not Stard.

“Are you, perhaps, Salom Saburn… sir?”

He was a soldier, wearing the same uniform as Stard but was obviously of a lower rank—only slightly above a new recruit. He was probably around twenty years old, his face smooth and his brown hair cut short. Something about him seemed familiar to Saburn, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. He definitely hadn’t met this man before.

“Yes, I am,” he said, “and you are…?”

“My brother,” the young man said, his voice shaking, “Genro Hydeen… you know him, right?”

It then hit Salom all at once: of course! He remembered hearing that Gen’s brother served as a soldier in the capital. Yes, he could definitely see the resemblance. But that also caused his expression to darken. He had a feeling he knew what this young man sought from him.

“…I do. I taught him,” Salom answered bluntly. He used the past tense without hesitating.

“Watch your manners, boy,” barked Stard from behind. “He asked for your name.”

“I-I’m,” the young man stammered, “I’m sorry… General Molton, Saburn, sir. My name is Revol Hydeen, sir. I heard that you came here today… and, well… m-my family…” at this point his lips simply quivered, as if he couldn’t voice his intention any further.

Salom knew why. Of course he had to ask about his family’s wellbeing. He could easily imagine the young man’s emotions and thoughts: he turned into a soldier to help protect the kingdom he was part of, but then wasn’t there for his family when they needed him the most. He was likely even blaming himself.

It was a very sensitive topic, and Salom didn’t want to be the bearer of bad news, but since it came to this, he had no choice in the matter.

“Most of your family is fine,” he prefaced (and immediately regretted the way he worded that, born only out of the need to save the hard-hitting news for last), “but your brother… Gen is… missing.”

A dark shadow instantly befell Revol’s face. Obviously. Salom himself was distraught enough so he couldn’t imagine what the young man was feeling right then. If he hadn’t felt that the world was ending when he saw those monsters falling from the sky, then he surely thought it now.

“I’m sorry,” Salom added, dropping his gaze. “They didn’t find… find… any trace of Gen, so at least for now he’s missing.”

“S-so that means that maybe…” Revol muttered, but then bit his lips hard. Salom also almost clung to this hope despite knowing it was futile. Apparently the boy’s brother felt the same.

“Soldier.” At some point Stard must have moved, for he was now not behind Salom but next to Revol. “This will not be the first time for you to bear a loss. But you cannot allow yourself to break right now.”

Revol was bewildered. “How can I—”

“I am not finished,” Stard interjected. “We are now in public. Look all around us—look at the expectant eyes of the people. We are both part of this kingdom. We all share the burden. Do you understand me?”

Revol gulped. “Not really.” He glanced around; there weren’t a lot of people looking at them, but some were.

“We must protect that which we have sworn to protect. We must fight that which we have promised to fight. We have undertaken this mission while knowing fully well the suffering that awaits us. Whether we are injured or killed… or lose our loved ones. But all of us are like this, not just soldiers. There is just one main difference: those who are soldiers are counted upon by the population.”

“You’re saying I can’t show my emotions,” Revol muttered painfully. Yet Stard shook his head.

“You can cry and howl if you want to. That right is yours. However, while you're a soldier, you should bear your head high with pride. The pain will come later. This is not the time and place for it. Do you understand?” asked Stard.

“I… yes. I think I understand… sir,” Revol replied. He now wore a complex expression. He seemed ready to burst into tears at any time, yet there was also something thoughtful about his expression.

“Return to your duties,” Stard said simply.

Without missing a beat, Revol saluted. “Sir, yes sir!”

And he simply ran away. Salom was pretty certain he heard a soft sob as the young man passed next to him. The sounds of his boots clacking against the stone pavement soon vanished.

“I don’t know how you do it,” said Salom wryly. “You both hurt him and encouraged him. You really have a way with words.”

“I simply say what I feel… and what I feel to be necessary,” Stard replied as he glided back to take hold of the wheelchair. “People were listening to our conversation, after all. The common man has a certain conceit, you know—they always think that they’re the only ones to suffer. But that is not true. The more responsibility one bears, the worse they suffer.”

Salom wasn’t quite sure he agreed with this assessment, but he let it go unchallenged. “Then does this mean our Queen suffers the most?”

“Perhaps. But you know what I meant.”

“Yeah. You are a natural-born philosopher as always, Stard.”

“Nonsense.”

Once they were out of the street, the people who’d seen the earlier scene weren’t there to ogle them anymore, making Salom feel relieved. He really disliked being the center of attention like that, even if he felt—or trusted—that Stard did the right thing for poor Revol.

Stard even bore Salom’s burden instead; he had the feeling that if he’d been the one talking to the man, it would have ended very poorly. It was better that someone from his immediate surroundings, or rather profession, could serve that role.

“Thank you,” he mumbled softly upon reaching this conclusion.

“…I don’t know what for, but you’re welcome.”

Soon after, they reached a certain house in the center of town. Despite being a so-called Lord, Salom’s residence was quite humble, though obviously still a level beyond the house of the average man. Even after these long years the place looked the same, if a bit dusty from the lack of maintenance.

“Well, I have taken adequate rest. I will take my leave, then,” said Stard after reaching the front door.

“Take care, friend,” Salom said with a smile. He wasn’t sure if it even qualified as rest.

“You as well,” Stard nodded. He then took a “step” forward—and shot into the air. There were a few cries of surprise from the street nearby as the man launched himself toward the sky. He probably still had many errands to run and so he hurried away.

Salom was left alone with his thoughts. He brought out his key—he’d received it back earlier before he came to the castle—and opened the door. There was a moldy smell in the air and it felt stuffy, but the place still also brought nostalgia. After locking the door behind him, he rolled through the corridor that led to the living room and connected to the library by going straight ahead, but took the turn that led to the bedroom instead.

At the moment he felt two major things: one was hunger, which he unfortunately couldn’t satiate at the moment, since he obviously possessed no food items, but that was fine because the second one—fatigue—was overbearing.

His bed was as dusty as the rest of the house, but for the moment he didn’t care at all. He should probably get people to clean up the place at some point. He lifted his body from the wheelchair, and no sooner had he lay down on the bed that he fell asleep.

Below the spheres a pale sky

Permeates our souls as we soar high