The young man stepped down from the carriage and walked through the sea of corpses.
His gaze slowly swept across the village.
Blood.
Destroyed houses.
Human corpses.
Undead corpses.
The air reeked of death.
At last, he stopped in front of the group of adventurers.
"What happened here?"
Cain slowly raised his head.
His armor was covered in blood and mud.
His breathing was still heavy.
When he saw the Douglas family uniform and the massive contingent of knights escorting the young man, a bitter look of frustration crossed his face.
"So now you show up?"
Lusian frowned slightly.
Cain angrily pointed at the bodies scattered throughout the village.
"We were sent to investigate a series of disappearances...
and instead we found an army of the undead.
"Were we just bait? Were you simply waiting for us to die before finally showing yourselves?"
Cain suddenly got to his feet.
Keitaro tried to stop him.
"Cain, enough!"
"They really did save us."
But by then, rage had clouded Cain's judgment.
He shoved Keitaro aside.
Then he marched straight toward Lusian.
"I want an explanation!"
He took another step, ready to confront him.
Albert stepped into his path.
"Don't take another step."
Cain kept walking.
"I said stop."
Cain shoved Albert's arm aside.
Then...
BOOM!
The sheath of Albert's sword slammed into Cain's stomach.
The adventurer collapsed to his knees, clutching his abdomen with both hands, unable to breathe.
Albert's expression didn't change in the slightest.
"Do not take another step toward my lord."
The adventurers instinctively reached for their weapons.
At the same time, the Douglas knights stepped forward.
The metallic clatter of hundreds of suits of armor shattered the village's silence.
The tension was so thick it could be cut with a knife.
Lusian struggled to suppress his nausea.
The smell of blood filled the air.
Corpses.
The remains of monsters.
Ruined homes.
It was the first time he had ever witnessed a massacre on such a scale.
For a brief moment, his stomach churned.
But he took a deep breath and forced his expression to remain calm.
He couldn't afford to show weakness in front of everyone.
He raised a hand.
"Enough."
Albert immediately stepped back.
Lusian looked back at Cain.
"I wasn't the one who hired you.
I'm only passing through.
In fact, I didn't even know this village existed until a few hours ago.
I came to Dreville on personal business."
Silence spread once more.
Iris was the first to speak.
"It's true.
If the Douglas knights hadn't arrived...
none of us would probably have survived."
Lusian calmly shook his head.
"Don't exaggerate.
"I arrived far too late to claim any credit.
You were the ones who fought."
As he spoke, his eyes discreetly shifted toward the black-haired young man standing beside Iris.
So that's Keitaro Macallister...
The hero chosen by the god Kairos.
In the game, there was only one thing he knew about him...
The woman he loved had died during a mission.
Nothing more.
Lusian let his gaze drift across the corpse-covered village.
Was it this place...?
Was it this mission...?
A chill ran down his spine.
Until now, he had thought getting close to Keitaro would be simple. Earn his trust, make him owe a favor, and leave.
But now...
He had no idea what he should do.
And the mountain of corpses before him told him there were far more urgent matters.
Emily looked around.
Every trace of calm vanished from her expression.
"What happened here?"
Keitaro answered wearily.
"The governor of Dreville hired the Adventurers' Guild to investigate the disappearance of several nearby villages."
Cain continued the explanation.
"The guild assembled five parties for the mission.
Ours was sent here.
We thought it would be a simple investigation...
but it was an ambush.
A Lich was waiting for us."
Emily slowly lowered her gaze to the dead.
"A Lich...?"
Cain nodded.
"By the time we arrived...
it was already too late."
Lusian remained silent for a few moments.
Then he spoke.
"Search the entire village.
If there are any survivors, bring them here.
We won't leave anyone behind."
The Douglas knights immediately spread out.
Emily and Adela entered the houses as well.
Aureus began sniffing the air insistently.
Suddenly...
he stopped in front of a wall.
He growled.
He scratched once.
Twice.
Three times.
Adela frowned.
"Someone's here."
The knights smashed through the wall with a single blow.
Behind it was a small makeshift hiding place.
Several children huddled together.
The moment they saw armed men, they burst into tears.
"Please don't kill us!"
Emily was the first to kneel.
Her voice changed completely.
Every word became gentle.
"It's okay.
You're safe now.
We won't hurt you."
A little girl, barely able to stop crying, spoke between sobs.
"They... they took Daddy...
And Mommy...
Everyone..."
Emily gave them water and some food before leading them to Lusian.
The children explained what had happened.
Men dressed in black robes had arrived during the night.
They took all the adults away.
Those who tried to resist...
were killed.
Emily remained silent for several seconds.
Then she looked up.
"Lusian.
We have to help them."
Lusian said nothing.
His eyes swept over the corpses.
Then he looked at the Douglas knights.
More than three hundred men.
Every one of them had left the capital for one reason alone—to protect him during what was supposed to be a leisurely journey.
If I give the order...
They'll be the first to enter the battlefield.
They'll be the ones who die.
He slowly clenched his fists.
Do I have the right to ask that of them?
The children were still crying.
Emily spoke again.
"Lusian..."
Lusian took a deep breath.
"No."
Emily's eyes widened in surprise.
"Why?"
"Because this is no longer a local problem."
He pointed at the corpses.
"A Lich.
Black magic.
Mass kidnappings.
This wasn't the work of a group of bandits.
It was an organization.
And if it's the organization I'm thinking of..."
He fell silent for a few moments.
"...it's possible we won't be enough."
No one answered.
Only he understood the true meaning behind those words.
The Demonic Cult...
If it really is them...
Three hundred knights may not be enough.
Emily clenched her fists in frustration.
"So...
we're just going to abandon them?"
Those words struck Lusian far harder than any argument could have.
They weren't soldiers.
They weren't nobles.
They were children.
Iris spoke respectfully.
"Your Excellency...
the Adventurers' Guild will continue the mission.
It is our duty.
Even if it costs us our lives."
Keitaro stepped forward.
"Please forgive my wife.
We have no intention of involving House Douglas.
We accepted this contract.
We'll bear the consequences."
Lusian looked at Keitaro once again.
If Iris dies here...
Everything will follow the same path as in the game.
And Keitaro will never forget this day.
Then he looked at Emily.
She didn't say a single word.
She was only watching the children.
If I leave...
Emily will never understand.
And maybe she'll be right.
Lusian closed his eyes.
He had never hated having incomplete information so much.
He knew Iris would die.
But he didn't know when.
He didn't know where.
Much less how to prevent it.
Emily lowered her gaze toward the children.
One little girl was still clinging tightly to the sleeve of her dress.
She trembled uncontrollably, unable to stop crying.
Emily knelt in front of her.
"It's over now..."
The little girl broke down in tears.
Emily gently embraced her, stroking her hair as she tried to comfort her.
Lusian watched the scene in silence.
"..."
He let out a long sigh.
"Very well.
We'll help them.
But listen carefully, all of you."
His voice became completely serious.
"I will not needlessly sacrifice a single Douglas knight.
If the situation exceeds our capabilities...
we will retreat immediately.
No matter who gets left behind."
Emily nodded silently.
The knights understood the order.
This was not a rescue mission.
It was a survival mission.
Lusian sighed once more.
"I always end up getting dragged into trouble in the end..."