“Shinya!!” Kyle was the first to locate where the horned owl had fallen. Sliding down the steep slope, he rushed toward the wounded figure lying amidst the bushes.

The priest Eddie followed closely behind, waving his staff to cast the illumination spell Light Hunt. A warm golden orb of light spun at the tip of the staff, illuminating the quiet forest around them.

The horned owl had reverted to human form. Shinya, lying on the ground, tried to get up but lacked the strength. The dark purple magical arrow was deeply embedded in his body. After a sudden flash of light, the arrow vanished, leaving only a wound that continued to seep blood.

His fury did not subside due to his injury; instead, it grew uncontrollably.

"I’ll kill him! I’ll kill that bastard!" Shinya forced himself to stand, only to collapse from exhaustion. Yet, he quickly struggled to his feet again, using a nearby tree for support. "He dared to call that massacre an ‘accident’?! An accident?! He referred to their crimes as a mere ‘accident’?!"

Kyle reached Shinya’s side and, without warning, threw a punch square at his face. "Calm down!!"

Eddie, startled by Kyle’s sudden action, wasted no time and immediately cast Holy Light to tend to Shinya’s injuries.

Shinya lost all balance from Kyle's punch and collapsed to the ground.

"You just blindly charged in like that—are you out of your goddamn mind? Is your brain made of mud? How could you be so reckless?" Kyle grabbed Shinya by the collar and shouted angrily, "You big idiot! Get a grip, will you?! That was a demon, for crying out loud!"

Kyle’s outburst left the priest stunned and speechless. Eddie kept his head down, focusing on healing Shinya, unable to understand why Kyle was being so harsh toward an already injured Shinya.

When Eddie noticed that the blood, which had been pouring out moments ago, was now flowing back into Shinya’s body, he suddenly understood why Kyle seemed completely unconcerned about Shinya’s injuries. Even without his Holy Light, Shinya’s wounds wouldn’t be fatal; at most, they would take a bit longer to heal.

“So it’s true what they say about werewolves having incredible regenerative abilities,” Eddie murmured, realizing the rumors weren’t baseless after all.

Shinya, still furious, pushed himself up from the ground once more. His rage had shattered his composure. He shoved Kyle away and roared, “How am I supposed to calm down?! How do you expect me to stay calm when facing the demons who killed my father? Should I shake hands and make peace with them? That bastard knows exactly what happened back then! It was his subordinates who carried out the massacre—he might even be the mastermind behind it!”

The image of his father’s tragic death beneath the demon’s spiked mace haunted his mind, refusing to fade. He couldn’t bear to imagine the agony his father must have endured in those final moments.

“I don’t give a shit about the truth!” Kyle shouted, shaking off Shinya’s pushing hand. “You can’t beat him as you are now. Charging in like that will only get you killed for nothing! Think about Irene—you’ve just been reunited with her. Are you planning to leave her behind and throw your life away?”

Kyle’s words struck Shinya like a resounding slap across the face, pulling him back from the brink of losing all reason.

Shinya staggered backward a few steps, leaning against a tree for support before sliding weakly to the ground. He lowered his head, staring at the earth beneath him, overwhelmed by shame for his reckless actions and bitterness over his own powerlessness.

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“Irene… Nicole…” he murmured.

"Alright, it’s time to head home." Kyle took the lead, walking in the direction of Seagull Town. He turned back and motioned for Shinya to get up. "Shinya, get on your feet. Let’s head back, eat well, and figure out our next move."

But Shinya wasn’t in the mood. His mind lingered on the demon’s words—

“Can’t keep Sleeping Beauty waiting too long…”

A thought struck Shinya like lightning. The demon knew his name, which likely meant the demon had uncovered everything about him—all the people connected to him.

"Sleeping Beauty…"

There was only one person most closely tied to Shinya—the girl currently fast asleep at the Sword Sheath Inn.

"…Nicole!"

Shinya suddenly sprang to his feet, transforming into a horned owl and soaring in the direction of the inn. "Nicole is in danger!"

The abrupt shift left Kyle completely stunned. "…Shinya???"

Eddie, watching Shinya’s trajectory, quickly realized, "He’s heading toward Seagull Town?"

Kyle finally pieced it together. "…The Sword Sheath Inn! Nicole is there…!"

Before he could finish his sentence, Kyle was already running back toward town, with Eddie following closely behind.

When the two climbed back up the steep slope, they discovered that Rivern, who had been resting there moments ago, was gone.

"The priest—where is he?!" Kyle became even more frantic upon realizing Rivern was missing. A low-ranking priest with virtually no combat abilities had almost zero chance of surviving alone in the wild.

Eddie raised his staff, scanning the surroundings for signs of movement. After a brief spell, he pointed toward a small path leading to the main road. "He went that way."

Kyle sighed in exasperation, then began running in that direction. "I’ve never seen a priest with such guts."

"Um… if—if I’m not mistaken…" Eddie hesitated, his voice uncertain. "Rivern might not be… an ordinary priest. He might…"

"What do you mean?" Kyle demanded, cutting him off.

"Rivern is indeed a low-ranking priest, but he always seems to take direct orders from High Priest Aurora. Given his rank, he shouldn’t have had any opportunity to interact with Lady Aurora. That leaves only one possibility… Do you know about the 'Sevenfold Verdict'?"

"…Are you saying…?" For a moment, the worry on Kyle’s face shifted into anticipation. "If that’s the case, then everything starts to make sense."

At the other end of the path, Rivern stumbled forward, his steps unsteady. He didn’t bother waiting for Kyle or Eddie. A sense of foreboding had gripped him ever since he overheard the conversation between Shinya and Kyle at the foot of the slope.

He couldn’t let the demon harm Nicole—absolutely not.

Thanks to Eddie’s earlier healing spell, Rivern had recovered significantly. Relying on his sheer willpower, he finally made it to the edge of the main road.

The warm orange glow of the streetlights illuminated the gravel road. Rivern leaned against the railing, gasping for breath. Suddenly, the familiar sound of hoofbeats reached his ears. He turned around, and his face lit up with surprise and joy.

“You didn’t go home? You’ve been waiting here for me all this time?”

It was the same horse that had brought Rivern to Acorn Town. Instead of returning to Quigeta’s inn in Northsail, it had stayed by the roadside, waiting for him.

“Thank you.” Rivern approached, gently stroking its neck before mounting its back. “Let’s go. To Seagull Town. Nicole might be in danger.”

The horse galloped off, carrying Rivern swiftly into the distance, leaving Kyle and Eddie, who had just arrived at the main road, far behind.

***

Acorn Town, Sword Sheath Inn.

A pitch-black shadow cast itself over the lively and peaceful inn, gathering into a human form outside an open window on the second floor.

The shadow brushed against the gently swaying curtain, parting it in the breeze to clear a path for a proud figure.

He moved silently, his steps soundless, as he leisurely sat at the edge of the bed, turning his head to look at the girl fast asleep under the covers.

A few strands of his long black hair slipped off his shoulder as he lowered his head, the tips brushing against the thin blanket covering the girl.

She seemed to sense something, murmuring in her dreams, “...Shinya? Is that… you?”

The man chuckled softly, a hint of helplessness in his smile. “Do I resemble him that much?”

As he spoke, he reached out, gently brushing his fingers across the girl’s face. “It’s been fifteen years. Do you still remember what happened on the eve of the storm?”

The girl’s breathing suddenly grew rapid in her sleep. “...Who... are you...?”

A faint smile flickered across the man’s eerie violet eyes. “Who I am doesn’t matter. What matters is that you need to know who you are.”

Shadows surged like tides, engulfing the entire room.