Julius came at me with a full force attack, his sword swinging down like a deadly pendulum. This time, I was ready. With a swift parry, I deflected his strike and took a step forward, shifting behind him in a blur of motion.

I intended to catch him off guard with a surprise attack, but Julius was quicker than I anticipated. He sensed my movement and spun around just in time, using his sword to block the strike aimed at his back. The clash of steel on steel rang out, and for a moment.

Thinking on my feet, I switched tactics. With my other hand's knife, I stabbed it repeatedly into Julius's shoulder, causing him to wince in pain. Blood trickled from the wounds as I kept up the assault.

In a desperate bid to free himself, Julius finally managed to gain some distance. With a swift motion, he swung the blunt side of his sword, hitting me square in the chest. The force of the blow sent me sprawling backward, gasping for breath, but I had left my mark on Julius, too. Our battle was far from over.

Julius's demeanor shifted, and this time, he came at me with a deadly seriousness in his eyes.

As he closed the distance between us, I raised my sword, preparing to attack him on the end. But at the last moment, I swiftly changed my aim, targeting his abdomen. Julius reacted quickly, barely managing to block my strike with his sword.

With a lightning-fast motion, I drew my knife again. However, this time, Julius was prepared. He left one hand of his sword, a move I hadn't expected. In a daring move, he grabbed the blade of my knife on the sharp side, his palm bloodied but tight.

With a forceful flick of his wrist, Julius sent my knife soaring across the building's rooftop, far out of my reach and I stood defenseless.

Julius's sword whirled through the air with incredible force, aiming to strike both my head and arm. With a swift motion, I managed to block the attack aimed at my head, but the blade found its mark on my forearm. A sharp, searing pain shot through me as the blade sliced into my flesh, leaving a trail of blood in its wake. I staggered back, clutching his wounded arm, blood seeping between my fingers.

Julius, seeing me weak and fragile, declared, "It's time to execute," and took a cautious step forward. However, something caught my attention, reigniting my spirit despite the injury. I raised the finger of my wounded hand, pointing it silently at Julius. He stood in confusion until I finally shouted, "Now!"

In that instant, I channeled my remaining strength into a powerful, manifested battalion lance, a surge of psychic energy forming into a deadly weapon. The lance shot forth with incredible force, striking Julius squarely and sending his massive body hurtling through the air.

A roar echoed as the lance struck its mark. Then, two sharp gunshots pierced the air, the bullets tearing through Julius's armor as he crashed to the ground.

I ran over to him, a sword held aloft. The blade, ready to strike. But just as it seems that there was no hope left, I suddenly stopped. I paused as Julius lay splayed on the ground just inches from danger.

It was easy to take someone's life in the heat of the moment. But it immediately dawned on me how human Julius was as I gazed down at him lying defenseless on the ground.

I spoke firmly, "If you honor the outcome of this duel, then you should leave this town and its people unharmed," while keeping my blade aimed at Julius.

Julius glanced at me with delight as his laughing began to fade. His eyebrows shot up in inquiry, "Don't you think it's rather foolish to just let your enemy walk away?" He pointed to the two guards I had earlier dispatched without thinking.

My hold on the blade grew more rigid as I gave his statements some thought. Eventually, I decided to play along with a smirk. I imagined I was about to stab him, making a quick, rapid movement.

Julius's mouth opened in a faux gasp as his eyes enlarged. He laughed and said, "Alright, alright, I was only kidding, but it hurts like hell, who shot me."

The source of the matchlock shots was revealed as Deniz came out of the shadows. I acknowledged that he had just saved my skin as I turned to him and nodded in appreciation. I sincerely said, "Thanks for the assistance."

Still lying on the ground, Julius observed our conversation. He replied, "Well, well, Aries, you do look quite noble, don't you? " with a note of sarcasm in his voice. "Save your girl and all of these helpless townspeople."

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He said, "You know, there was a time when I, too, struggled for the sake of a girl I genuinely loved about. However, I was utterly defeated that day, and I came to a crucial realization. It appeared that good fortune was never on the side of goodwill. It was better to follow directions from a powerful person and to bend rather than break. That is how I have endured for so long."

I wrinkled my brow in response to Julius' sudden disclosure "Why are you telling me all this?"

With his arms supporting him, Julius leaned back and looked up at the sky. I just felt like it, ," he said with a casual air.Though I wasn't entirely able to decipher Julius' motivations, I chose not to pursue the matter further. His abrupt self-reflection was his own business.

Julius then gave a warning "You may have won this duel, but you've also shown your psychic power, and that might have attracted the Espers with the Imperial Legion in this area. Aries, you might want to return to your folks and hide if you don't want to die.

I pledged to be cautious as we withdrew from the conflict with Julius. I was on edge after hearing the warning about the Espers and realized that I needed to be extremely careful.

As we passed the lifeless bodies of the fallen guards, something drew my attention. The paper they were holding from before. I couldn't help but notice it as it flittered in the wind.

As I picked it up and saw the dead body of the guards, I felt a feeling of dread. Although I didn't feel guilty, a feeling of fear crept into my chest. Not guilt for killing the guards, but the imminent knowledge that I had crossed a line I could never return to.

I nevertheless prepared myself since I knew there was a bigger goal at stake. I asked Julius, turning to him, "Is this list true? Can we stop the guards from detaining these people once more if we hide it?"

"Yes, it is true. The Imperial Legion might be able to avoid capturing those folks if you can keep this list hidden." Julius confirmed

I gently folded the paper and tucked it away in my pocket with a firm nod.

I could see the relief in Aisha's eyes as I got closer, and I started to free her from the ropes. She stumbled into my arms as the last of the bindings were lifted, her trembles anxiety turning into trembles of intense relief.

Aisha wept out of thankfulness. Her head was resting against my chest as I held her close and caressed her hair. I mumbled, "It's okay," with a warmth in my voice

"You're safe now."

Aisha's embrace and the relief in her eyes made me realize that, for the first time in my life, I had done something I could truly be proud of. As I unbound all the people from their ropes, I could feel a sense of pride swelling within me.

I gave the freed villagers the order to flee and hide from the oncoming guards, "Find a safe place and stay hidden."

We went on looking for Cairo and Old Man Salman. Soon I Found Jerich with them when we eventually located them. In a hurry, I tried to explain what had happened, but Jerich's attention was drawn to the extensive wound on my hand.

"Are you okay?" Jerich yelled in a panic. It was clear that he was worried, so he moved quickly. He carefully covered the cut with a handkerchief that he had brought along, pressing it down firmly to stop the bleeding.

As Jerich handed me a large pouch filled with the necessary items for our journey, he looked me in the eyes and said, "Take care of yourselves out there. Remember, you've got the tickets and the key to my mansion."

I nodded my acceptance of the pouch and we spoke a few words. I turned to Aisha, who had been listening, after that. She listened to my plans with a mix of compassion and sadness as I explained them to her. Despite her best efforts to avoid being conceited, I could see the longing in her eyes.

As she expressed her farewell wishes, Aisha's voice quivered, "I'll miss you. Please be safe out there."

I held her hand and smiled warmly. "I promise I'll come back," I reassured her, "and when I do, we'll have a chance to meet again, maybe even in Italy. Who knows, we might go on an adventure together."

Though it was painful to say goodbye, we had optimism for the future. We gave one other one last glance before turning away and rushing for the port with Cairo and Deniz to begin the next leg of our Chapter.

As we reached there, the ship started to pull away. I made a dash for the edge of the platform as the distance between me and the ship grew steadily larger. But I ran and climbed up quickly and also helped Cairo to do the same.

I reached out for Deniz, who had jumped as well but was now teetering on the edge of the platform, crying out for help.

Deniz was lifted onto the ship by Cairo and me after we both successfully grabbed hold of his arms. We remained there for a while, panting and struggling for air after narrowly missing our only means of escape.

We glanced at each other while seated on the ship's deck, already we were on the verge of losing our chance. As the ship sailed out of the harbor.

The town was left behind as the ship sailed out of the harbor, and the familiar scene gradually diminished, getting smaller and smaller on the horizon. Fresh sea air and a calming background of waves crashing against the ship's hull were both present.

Our group was approached by a sailor who requested our tickets. So I pulled them out of the pouch Jerich had given me. He looked them over and nodded his approval before moving on to check the other passengers.

Deniz sighed and said, "Guess this is the end of the road, huh?" as the town was now just a faint outline in the distance.

I looked out at the wide open sea, feeling a sense of adventure and anticipation rising within me. "Yes, and a fresh start," I retorted with a hint of a smile.