The next day, Celine, along with her two companions, had gone to the forest, leaving Zent alone in the room, still unconscious. However, in their subconscious minds, both him and Z couldn't find any rest, still shaken by what had just happened a few hours ago.

The two of them didn't know how to process a confession from someone else.

Not because they had never been in a relationship before, but because both of them were aware that they still carried wounds that might never heal.

They couldn't possibly accept someone's feelings when they themselves were unsure about their own feelings, and they didn't want Celine to be just a remedy, nothing more than that.

Therefore, Z decided to have a conversation with Zent about the wounds in their hearts that Z was unaware of. Although they were essentially the same person, for some reason, Z couldn't grasp the reason behind Zent's wounded heart.

When asked, Zent remained silent, unable to answer while recalling memories that felt like a nightmare.

If he could turn back time, Zent would desperately want to change everything, but he knew it was impossible.

But... This is too heavy.

"I won't understand if you don't tell me. Even though we are the same person, there are some things that only you understand, and this is one of them. So, tell me, what's wrong?" Z asked.

However, as expected, Zent didn't answer, only remaining silent and offering a hollow smile that had been used too many times. Z gave up, took a deep breath, and walked towards the giant altar to find solace there. Even though he didn't need sleep, he still needed rest.

Zent watched the him move away, let out a heavy sigh, and unconsciously clenched his fists tightly before releasing them, saying, "You are still the same person."

Zent stood up, ruffled his hair in frustration, and then sat back down on the grass, confused about the emotions that were now swirling in his heart. He didn't know whether to feel happy or burdened by the knight's confession.

He didn't want to make the wrong choice and hurt Celine's heart, especially because Celine was someone who always put up thick walls around her own heart.

Something like this was very rare, perhaps even unprecedented.

And Celine also wants him to open his heart.

Zent laughed bitterly.

"Me? Opening my heart?" He snorted, staring at the grass beneath him. "The me you see is not the real me.

You don't know me at all, and even half of me doesn't recognize the person I despise so much, the one who has long been a thorn in my flesh. You only like my persona, Celine. That's why I'm not worthy to be with you, who have the courage to confront your own feelings while I keep running away."

Zent closed his eyes, sighed once again, and slammed his right hand on the grass beside him. "You're still the same, Zent. You haven't changed. Just someone pretending just like your gloves...

Faker. Ironic."

.

.

Far from the city, in the depths of the forest, they discovered a large cave that seemed unnaturally formed, as if created by something. The mouth of the cave formed a triangular shape with a flat top. Wild plants was seen creeping up the walls of the white stone, indicating that this structure had been there for a long time.

However, why was there no information about it?

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The three of them exchanged glances, unsure whether they should enter or return to the city.

However, envisioning the young lady who had exerted effort to prepare a feast, something she hadn't done since her mother's death, the knights nodded and stepped into the dark cave.

They used fire magic as their illumination, creating floating flame beside them.

Inside the artificial cave, they were mesmerized by the carvings that appeared to be made not by hand, but by machinery.

The patterns of interconnected squares were evident, as if the entire structure of this artificial cave was formed by a collection of white stone blocks that, upon closer inspection, indeed appeared to be so.

However, there were no records whatsoever about this place or the civilization that used these smooth and non-slip white stone blocks, which gleamed and reflected the warm light from the flames.

Rayven was taken aback when he knelt down and felt the material of the white blocks.

He realized that these white blocks were not made of stone but something they had never seen or heard of before. "Could it be that we have stumbled upon a lost civilization unintentionally?" he wondered curiously, trying to find any signs that might hold information about this place.

Unfortunately, after walking for more than 15 minutes, they found nothing.

They continued walking straight ahead without any turns, as if this artificial cave was more of a tunnel than a cave. They ventured further, disregarding the cold, damp air that made them shiver as if they were entering a room filled with ice.

Celine used her magic to create a transparent blue dome, shielding them from whatever potential dangers might come their way and keeping their bodies warm. They had come this far, turning back to the city would only be a waste of time.

Before long, they arrived in a large and towering chamber with six massive pillars on either side, making them feel as small as insects in comparison.

They couldn't believe they would find something like this, something that seemed impossible to be created by humans, even with the use of magic or any other means. Only Angels or Demons could achieve such feats, but they were certain that neither of those races had ever seen such a material before.

As they reached the center of the chamber, a sound echoed, like a broken twig.

They became cautious, scanning their surroundings to find anything that could have made the sound, but they found nothing.

Only when Celine looked up and shouted, "Duck!" did they realize they had entered the lair of a giant spider. It leaped down from the ceiling and landed in front of them, causing a thick cloud of dust that obscured their vision.

Suddenly, an attack struck the protective dome around Celine, causing her to wince in pain.

She scanned her surroundings, looking left and right, trying to locate the source of the attack as the giant spider remained hidden.

At the base of the arrow, there was a mana extending from the palm of the knight's right hand. Rayven used it to locate the giant spider, capturing it and restraining the creature in the middle of the room. "I've got it, Rio!" he exclaimed.

"I know!" Rio shouted back, running closer.

She leaped high into the air, spinning her body to gain momentum, and then slammed her large hammer onto the spider's body. The impact sent the creature flying, crashing into one of the pillars with great force, causing the entire structure to shake violently.

Several white cubes fell from above in various sizes. Fortunately, Celine's mana dome was still intact, otherwise both Celine and Rayven would have been injured.

Rio, who was outside, ran to avoid each white cube, which made a resounding sound as if the objects weighed a thousand tons.

Her eyes widened as she heard it.

While trying to suppress the growing fear, she hurried back inside the dome, paying no attention to the large spider writhing in pain.

"Our strength won't be enough to penetrate the spider's thick skin! We need to find another way," stated Rayven as he surveyed the surroundings, staying alert in case there were any hidden enemies.

Celine paused for a moment, looking at the scattered white cubes and then gazing upward. "We can use those white cubes to injure it!" she suggested.

"And trap us in the process? No thanks," Rio retorted with a raised voice, hearing the spider's growl transforming into a menacing roar, a sign that it was enraged and no longer playing around with them.

"Do you have any other ideas then?" Rayven snapped in frustration at his friend's remark.

The spider leaped.

Celine, without hesitation, slammed her right hand forcefully onto the ground, infused with a large amount of mana, creating a large wave of blue energy.

The spider was flung to the far end of the room, causing the entire room to tremble like an earthquake, toppling the white cubes that managed to crush the giant spider, leaving it lifeless.

Now, the problem was how to escape from here.

The only exit was blocked, and there seemed to be no other way out.

"There! I see something!" Rayven shouted, trying to overpower the thunderous sound of the heavy falling white cubes, pointing ahead where a faint green light was visible.

They ran towards it, following Celine, as she was the only one capable of creating this mana dome.

After dodging and leaping over the pile that had crushed the giant spider, they arrived at a dead-end with walls emitting a dim green glow. They were trapped there, unsure of what to do next, and when Celine looked up, a large white cube fell towards them.

"Zent..."

She uttered, just before the mana dome disappeared behind the pile.