A carriage returns to the mansion where Samuel stayed. Maile runs out to the carriage. Only Radz, Rena, and a few other subordinates remain.

Rena looks down. Radz refuses to look at Maile.

"What's wrong?" She asks.

She goes ahead to open the carriage only to find a bag of Samuel's belongings.

"...Where...is Samuel?" she mumbles.

...

"No...This cannot be...No!" She falls to her knees and stares at the ground, eyes wide open. Tears flow down her cheeks.

Rena grits her teeth and squeezes her eyes. "I'm sorry..."

Maile goes up to Radz and grabs him by the collar. "You were supposed to protect him! Why did you not..."

Radz lowers his head, his fists clenched.

The funeral is held three days near the mansion after Samuel's death. The entire Samuel household attended together with Radz and the Everlasting knight.

Even now, the Turner family refuses to make an appearance except for one woman, Kate.

Every participant wears black with a solemn expression. Only Kate wears her luxurious dress to disrespect Samuel.

"What are you doing here?" Maile says, glaring at Kate.

Kate smirks at Maile. "To witness the joyous occasion what else? The death of a bastard like him-"

Radz and Rena instantly draw their sword and places them at Kate's neck.

!

"I won't tolerate insults against the young master," says Radz.

"Y-You dare?! I am a noble!"

Rena and Radz stay unfazed.

"Tch. What is there even to protect about that trash?" says Kate and storms off. "If trash like him could do that, my son can do better."

"The both of you watch your back." She stops and says. "As for you, Maile, the face of despair suits you."

Maile clenches her fist and glares at Kate.

"Even now, William is still not coming huh..." she mumbles.

Maile walks off back to the mansion.

As she enters the mansion, red and orange mana concentrate and gathers around her body.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

"Son...I'm sorry. All of it is my fault." says Maile. "I couldn't protect you, I should have done this from the start."

Fire cracks and bursts, scorching her black gown. The ends of her dress burn.

Her hair levitates and glows orange.

She enters her room and to the window. Opening it, the beautiful moonlight shines into the room with elegance and a piece of paper flies in.

It reads:

"Mother, I am sorry for the shock. I am still alive. Do not worry. I really want to meet you but I can't, many unnecessary attention is on me thus I had to fake my death. Take care of yourself and wait for me.

Samuel."

The flame extinguishes as tears flow down Maile's eyes. She drops to her knees again but this time in relief and joy.

"Thank goodness...sniff...Thank goodness..." she repeatedly chants.

"Samuel, if you can hear me, I want to apologise...for everything. I've repeatedly hidden from the world out of fear of harming us. You see, mother has many enemies from her young past...but...it seems that I can no longer run away. You are courageous. You are smart. I am proud of you so I trust that you can survive. Until then, wait for me, mother will come to find you." Maile says.

She burns the paper and clenches her fist. Her anger turns into determination and relief.

In the wardrobe, a rectangular lies at the bottom. Maile pulls the box out and lay it across the floor. Inside it is a circular magical staff made of blue-like crystals with a levitating ruby gem in between.

Maile takes a deep breath and pours mana into the device. The staff immediately pops out of the box and floats around Maile.

"It's been a long time..." Maile mumbles.

At the Elf Kingdom near Chael, several demons have paid the king a peaceful visit.

Asform guides a few demons disguised as elves into a dark room. Asform sits on the chair at the end.

"What is it?" Asform says.

One demon hands Asform a metallic ball the size of a bell.

?

Asform raises his brow.

"Take this. We will be using this to communicate from now on." The demon says.

Asform holds the ball and inspects it. "I see. Anything else?"

"In a month, we will be smuggling demonic humans into the kingdom. We seek your cooperation to let them through the forest."

"Noted."

"Also..." the demons stare into Asform. "Have you heard of Ruisan?"

"The long hair demon? No. What happened?"

...

"I see, we will be staying in the kingdom for a few days before leaving. We appreciate the hospitality."

Asform smiles and sends a spirit out of the room. "No problem, I gave my servants their notice. Approach them for your room."

The demons nod and left.

Asform smirks behind their back and rests his head on his knuckles. A barrier expands in the room. An elf appears out of the shadow.

Asform places his hand out, the elf gives him a yellow mana stone. Within the stone are impurities of black fog.

The assassin elf stares at Asform anxiously.

"What's wrong?" Asform asks.

"I'm not sure if this is right?" the elf mumbles.

"Of course it is."

Asform is a lunatic. He devotes himself not to The Demon Lord but to the chaos that comes.

"A fruit is best picked when ripe," he says.

Asform knows Samuel's status because he gave Samuel the Life Pill and he plans to support Samuel until the time is right. He confirmed that Samuel can be the biggest obstacle to the demons. If the demons win by a landslide, Asform feels it wouldn't be entertaining to watch.

==================================

A horse-pulled freight wagon stops before a large inn in the middle of the countless mountains.

"Hey, we are stopping here for a night. Yer coming?" the foreign coachman looks behind and says.

A man in ragged robes is sitting among the boxes. "Yeah," he says. Red eyes and black hair, it is Samuel.

He walks in with the coachman and they both went to the counter.

"One room for me and my wife and another for this fellow." the coachman says, pointing to me.

"I see. May I acquire your name?" the lady behind the counter asks.

"I'm...Arsto." Samuel says.

The first flame of war is lit, soon to spread like wildfire.