Meanwhile, at the main entrance of the cult's cave, the evacuation of the captives began.
Women.
Elderly people.
Children.
In total, six hundred and eighteen people were rescued.
Many broke down in tears the moment they realized they were free.
Others collapsed after recognizing the faces of their loved ones among the undead.
For many...
victory had come too late.
A short while later, Albert, Leonidas, and Jaiden approached Charles.
"Where is my lord?" Albert asked.
Charles silently pointed ahead.
The three of them walked toward the cave entrance.
Lusian sat beside a row of fallen knights.
No one spoke.
Their bodies had been laid side by side.
Their swords rested across their chests.
Some still wore the expressions they had died with.
Lusian had not moved for several minutes.
His eyes lingered on each face in turn.
Then he slowly looked up.
In the distance, villagers embraced their children.
Others knelt on the ground, weeping.
They had survived.
He looked back at the knights.
"They didn't hesitate either..."
His hand slowly clenched into a fist.
Those men had obeyed his order.
Not one of them had retreated.
Not one had questioned the danger.
They had simply advanced.
And some of them would never return home.
Lusian lowered his gaze.
Only one question filled his mind.
Had it really been worth it?
Six hundred and eighteen people were still alive.
But nineteen Douglas knights would never see their families again.
The silence dragged on.
No one dared interrupt it.
Then another question...
far crueler than the first...
rose within him.
Are all lives worth the same?
Albert slowly approached.
He stood beside Lusian for several moments before speaking.
"Are you all right, my lord?"
Lusian did not answer immediately.
"I don't know."
His eyes remained fixed on the fallen knights.
"I can't stop asking myself..."
"...whether it was truly worth it."
Albert looked at the bodies as well.
Then he turned toward the rescued villagers.
Children embracing their mothers.
Old men weeping in silence.
He remained quiet for a few moments.
"I can't answer that question for you."
Lusian slowly raised his head.
"If you ask the families of those nineteen knights..."
"They'll tell you that you made the wrong decision."
His eyes swept across the survivors.
"But if you ask the six hundred and eighteen people who are still alive..."
"They'll tell you the exact opposite."
Silence settled between them once more.
"Then..."
"How do I know if I did the right thing?"
Albert gave a faint smile.
"Because that question will never have only one answer."
He paused.
"That is the burden of ruling."
He placed a hand on Lusian's shoulder.
"The easy decisions are made by those who obey."
"The difficult ones..."
"...are made by those willing to live with the consequences."
His voice grew heavier.
"Never allow someone else to bear them in your place."
"Because the day you do..."
"...you will no longer be worthy of leading your men."
Lusian remained silent.
Albert withdrew his hand.
"But now let me speak..."
"...not as your teacher..."
"...but as the old man who watched you grow up."
He looked toward the children sheltered by the knights.
A little girl slept peacefully in her mother's arms.
An old man sobbed as he embraced his grandson.
Albert smiled faintly.
"For those families..."
"...you arrived in time."
"And that deserves to be remembered as well."
He turned to leave.
After taking a few steps, he stopped once more.
"Remember this, my lord."
"When a noble gives an order..."
"...he does not merely decide the course of a battle."
"He accepts responsibility..."
"...for both the lives..."
"...and the deaths..."
"...of those who chose to follow him."
His voice softened.
"Men forget the reasons."
"But they never forget the consequences."
He resumed walking.
Lusian slowly lowered his head.
If this had been a game...
those nineteen knights would have respawned when the battle ended.
But this world was real.
They would never return.
Never.
A bitter smile crossed his face.
"Are those the words of my teacher..."
"...or my friend?"
Albert smiled without turning around.
"Both."
"As your teacher..."
"I want you to learn to bear the weight of your decisions."
"And as your friend..."
"...I believe you can be proud of what you did today."
"You saved many lives."
"And you prevented an even greater tragedy."
He gave Lusian a light pat on the shoulder before walking away.
Lusian remained where he was, silently watching the battlefield.
Healers tended to the wounded.
Knights carefully gathered the bodies of their fallen comrades.
The rescued villagers embraced one another through tears, still unable to believe they had survived.
They had won.
For six hundred and eighteen people...
this day would be remembered as a miracle.
But in nineteen Douglas households...
that victory would never taste like victory.
Lusian slowly closed his eyes.
Not far away, Emily finished treating the last of the wounded.
Her hands still shimmered with traces of light magic.
She glanced once more at the rescued villagers.
Children embracing their mothers.
Old men crying quietly.
Then her gaze shifted to the Douglas knights covered by white shrouds.
She took a deep breath and walked toward Lusian.
Stopping beside him, she asked softly,
"May I sit?"
Lusian gave a small nod.
Emily sat beside him without another word.
For several minutes, neither of them spoke.
The only sounds were the quiet sobs of the survivors and the murmurs of the knights organizing the evacuation.
Emily lowered her gaze.
"I'm sorry..."
Lusian immediately understood what she meant.
He slowly shook his head.
"No."
"It was my decision."
"Not yours."
Emily clasped her hands tightly in her lap.
"If I hadn't insisted..."
Lusian gently interrupted her.
"Then I would have found another reason to blame myself."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"Don't carry burdens that belong to me."
Emily slowly looked up.
Lusian continued.
"Besides..."
"You learned a new spell in the middle of battle."
"You saved Charles."
"You saved far more people than you realize."
Emily's eyes gradually filled with tears.
Without thinking, she leaned forward and embraced him.
Lusian froze for a moment.
Then he slowly raised a hand and awkwardly returned the embrace.
He closed his eyes for a few seconds.
"...Thank you."
he whispered softly.
It took Emily a moment to realize what she had done.
She immediately pulled away.
Her face flushed bright red.
When she looked up, she noticed several knights discreetly looking elsewhere, pretending they had seen nothing.
Albert cleared his throat with exaggerated composure.
"It seems you've both had enough rest."
The tension of the past few minutes eased...
if only a little.
Once the evacuation was complete, Jaiden quietly approached Lusian.
He waited until everyone else had stepped away before speaking.
"My lord."
"There's something you should know."
Lusian looked up.
"During the battle, one of the adventurers used spatial magic."
"Because of him, we were able to eliminate the enemy commander on the eastern front."
Lusian fell silent for several moments.
Spatial magic...
There was only one family he knew that wielded it so naturally.
The Macallisters.
An idea slowly formed in his mind.
"Bring Keitaro to me."
A chill ran down Keitaro's spine when he heard that the young duke wanted to see him.
His ability had not yet recovered.
If he tried to run...
he would not get far.
As he walked toward the tent, one thought kept repeating in his mind.
"Did they discover who I am?"
He clenched his fists.
"If it comes to that..."
"I only have to protect Iris."
He stepped inside.
Lusian sat before a map spread across the table.
He slowly raised his eyes.
"Sit."
Keitaro obeyed.
For several seconds, neither of them spoke.
At last, Lusian broke the silence.
"During the battle..."
"...you used spatial magic."
Keitaro felt his heart skip a beat.
Lusian continued calmly.
"Years ago, I heard a rumor from the Empire."
"The heir of one of its great families disappeared alongside a woman."
"They were never found."
His gaze settled on Keitaro.
"When I saw your magic..."
"...I couldn't help remembering that story."
He paused.
"Are you..."
"...by any chance..."
"...a Macallister?"
The silence lasted only a moment.
Keitaro slowly lowered his head.
Then...
he knelt.
"I beg you..."
"...please don't involve Iris."
Lusian blinked.
"If you wish to hand me over to the Empire..."
"...I will accept it."
"But she has done nothing wrong."
"Please..."
"...let her live in peace."
Lusian watched him silently for several moments.
At last, he let out a quiet sigh.
"Stand up."
Keitaro hesitated.
"I'm not going to hand you over."
The adventurer slowly raised his head.
"My family has no need for whatever reward the Empire is offering."
"It doesn't interest me."
Keitaro still looked confused.
Lusian continued.
"But someday..."
"...I may be the one who needs your help."
He held Keitaro's gaze.
"When that day comes..."
"...I hope you'll remember this conversation."
Keitaro slowly rose to his feet.
Relief and suspicion still mixed on his face.
"Why help me?"
Lusian rested his forearms on the table.
"Because today I saw something."
"I saw a man willing to reveal the secret he had protected for years..."
"...just to save others."
"That is worth more than any reward."
Keitaro remained silent.
Lusian continued.
"However..."
"...stop risking Iris's life like that."
Keitaro lowered his gaze.
"I don't have a choice."
"If we approach the branch of my family living in this kingdom..."
"...the Empire might target them as well."
Lusian slowly nodded.
That made sense.
He remained silent for a few moments before speaking.
"Then I'll find another solution."
"When we return to the capital..."
"...I'll introduce you to Andrew."
"He's unbearable."
"Arrogant."
"And a bit of an idiot."
"But he knows how to recognize talent when he sees it."
Keitaro looked at him in surprise.
"Andrew...?"
"You mean the Crown Prince?"
Lusian nodded.
"You would do that..."
"...for me?"
Lusian smiled tiredly.
"Consider it an advance on the debt you've just incurred."
The two fell silent.
Before leaving, Keitaro stopped beside the tent's entrance.
"Thank you..."
"...my lord."
Lusian watched him leave.
Only then did he let out the breath he had been holding.
"It worked..."
He had wanted to get close to Keitaro ever since arriving in Dreville.
He had imagined many ways of doing it.
None of them involved losing twenty-nine knights.
He rested a hand against his forehead and closed his eyes.
"In the end..."
"...this world never follows the game's script."