The night fell over the Carter capital like an exhausted sigh.
After the chaos, hunger, and days of fear, the castle glowed with a warm light that almost seemed like a miracle.
When Lusian Douglas crossed the threshold of the main dining hall, the servants hurried to bow.
The grand hall—with its high ceiling, soft mana lamps, and freshly laid white tablecloth—fell silent.
The main seat, opposite the counts, had been prepared for him.
Because of his rank.
He was the heir to the Duchy of Douglas.
And, following Laurence's death, the future duke.
Furthermore, the army he had brought with him—two thousand soldiers, many of them at a higher level than the county's average—completely overshadowed the twelve hundred men Daniel Carter could still muster.
There was no doubt who held the highest rank at the table.
Lusian took his seat naturally.
In the game, a dinner like this would have been unthinkable.
And yet, he knew all too well what could come next.
In that same story, one of Emily's smiles had been the beginning of my death sentence.
Emily sat to his right.
Across from him sat Countess Emma.
Daniel occupied the seat beside her.
And farther away, almost at the edge of the table, Alejandro Jones remained silent.
Dinner began.
Freshly baked bread.
Hot broth.
Low-level monster meat prepared by the culinary mages to reduce its excessive mana content.
After the last few days, the meal seemed like a luxury.
The atmosphere was peaceful.
Almost unreal.
Emma gave Lusian a warm look.
—Lord Lusian... I have no words to thank you for everything you have done for our people. And, above all, for my daughter.
Lusian inclined his head slightly.
—Lady Emma. I only did my duty. The Carter territory is an ally of the Duchy of Douglas. I couldn't simply stand by and do nothing.
The countess placed a hand over her chest.
—And yet, you did far more than I expected.
She looked at Emily.
—My daughter told me how you protected the survivors along the way.
Emily nearly choked on her water.
Her cheeks flushed red.
Lusian smiled faintly.
—We nobles often forget that beneath our titles, we are all still people.
He paused briefly.
—I couldn't leave them behind.
Emma sighed.
—My future son-in-law has such a noble soul.
—Mother...
Emily immediately lowered her gaze.
But the countess had no intention of stopping.
—The Duchy of Douglas will be fortunate to have someone like you leading it. People will follow a leader like that even in the darkest of times.
Daniel slowly nodded.
He said nothing.
But the respect in his eyes was obvious.
The city was alive because of that young man.
That mattered more than any protocol.
Farther down the table, Alejandro tightened his grip on his utensils.
His knuckles turned white.
Every word of gratitude hurt him.
Future son-in-law.
Noble leader.
Blessing.
The words echoed through his mind.
While everyone else saw Lusian as a savior, Alejandro saw something else.
A Douglas.
The surname that had destroyed his family.
The name he associated with blood, ruin, and death.
And now he watched Emily smile at him.
Her parents thanking him.
The entire city treating him like a hero.
Anger slowly rose in his chest.
Then a thought came to him.
Brief.
Cruel.
Maybe it would have been better if the city had fallen.
Alejandro froze.
For a moment, even he was shocked that he had thought it.
It was a horrible thought.
He knew that.
But he couldn't bring himself to reject it.
He simply lowered his gaze.
And continued eating.
When dinner ended, Lusian retired.
The servants began clearing the table.
Emily said goodbye to him with a small smile.
Alejandro remained seated.
He said nothing.
But Emily knew that expression.
She had seen it many times during their childhood.
It was the face he made whenever he was trying to contain his anger.
—Alejandro...
He raised his eyes.
—Can we talk?
He didn't answer.
He simply stood and walked out toward the side terrace.
Emily followed him.
Once they were away from the servants, Alejandro finally spoke.
—Don't you realize?
His voice was low, but trembling.
—Realize what?
—That you shouldn't trust him.
Emily closed her eyes for a moment.
She already knew this conversation would come.
—Alejandro...
—That man is a Douglas!
Emily remained calm.
—Lusian was only a child when what happened to your family occurred. We don't even know how much he knows about it.
Alejandro turned toward her.
His eyes were filled with frustration.
—Are you seriously going to defend him?
—I'm not defending him.
Emily held his gaze.
—I'm being fair to both you and him.
Alejandro let out a bitter laugh.
—Of course.
He looked away.
—I suppose our friendship doesn't mean as much anymore.
—Don't say that.
—We've been together since we were children.
His voice cracked slightly.
—We've always been together, Emily.
She lowered her gaze.
—I know.
—Then why are you on his side now?
Emily took a deep breath.
—Because Lusian is my fiancé.
Alejandro froze.
—And I'm not going to turn against him simply because you hate him.
Silence.
Emily took a step toward him.
—I don't want to lose our friendship.
—But you're not going to choose it.
She took several seconds to answer.
—I can't choose between my future husband and my best friend every time the two of you have a problem.
Alejandro clenched his fists.
—So that's it.
Emily said nothing.
—You've already made your choice.
She lowered her eyes.
—Yes.
Alejandro remained motionless for several seconds.
Then he took a step back.
—I understand.
But he didn't.
Not really.
—I won't bother you with this again.
He turned away.
Emily wanted to stop him.
But she didn't.
She knew that any more words would only make things worse.
Alejandro disappeared down the corridor.
And with him went a friendship that had lasted their entire lives.
In the game, this had been the moment when their relationship began to break apart.
Then came the jealousy.
The frustration.
The hatred.
And finally...
war.
But now the pieces were different.
Emily was alive.
Lusian was at her side.
And Alejandro had taken a path that no longer matched the one Lusian remembered.
The future had changed once again.
Later, Lusian walked along the newly reinforced outer wall with Count Daniel.
Adele followed a few steps behind.
Beside her, the white tiger watched every movement with blue eyes that seemed like fragments of ice.
The city was changing rapidly.
Under Lusian's orders, a second wall was being built behind the first.
Between the two walls, workers were digging a moat that would soon be connected to the river.
Daniel observed the construction.
—I never imagined we'd have to reinforce the city to this extent.
His voice carried relief.
But also fear.
Lusian marked a section of the wall with chalk.
—If the first wall falls, the second will buy us time.
—Time for what?
—To survive.
Daniel fell silent.
Lusian continued:
—Nothing can stop a high-level monster forever. But we can delay it.
Emily approached.
She had heard the last few words.
—Do you think it will be enough?
Lusian looked at her.
—I don't know.
The answer surprised Emily.
—But it will increase our chances.
The workers continued laying stone.
Hammers.
Wood.
Runes.
Orders.
For the first time since his arrival, the city seemed to have a future.
Then...
BOOM.
A thunderous explosion echoed in the distance.
Everyone looked up.
Seconds later, several horses raced through the main gate.
A patrol.
Their armor was scratched and covered in mud.
One of the soldiers had dried blood on his face.
The captain dismounted before his horse had even come to a complete stop and dropped to his knees.
—My lord!
Daniel descended from the wall.
—Speak.
The man breathed heavily.
—New beasts have appeared.
Lusian remained motionless.
—What level?
The captain raised his head.
The fear in his eyes sent a shiver through Emily.
—Between level fifty-five and sixty.
Silence.
—And there weren't just a few.
The man swallowed.
—There were dozens.
He looked toward the forest.
—As if...
He struggled to finish the sentence.
—As if the forest had driven them out.
Lusian remained silent.
This wasn't normal.
Until a few days ago, the migrating creatures had been relatively easy to contain. But now monsters were appearing at increasingly higher levels and in greater numbers.
He didn't know why.
He didn't know how much worse the situation could become.
But one thing was clear.
Carter could no longer afford to simply react to every attack.
—Evacuate everyone outside the walls —Lusian finally ordered. —And prepare the troops.
Daniel looked at him with concern.
—Do you think they'll come back?
Lusian stared at the forest.
—I don't know.
Adele clenched her jaw.
The white tiger let out a low growl.
Emily silently watched Lusian.
—Lusian...
He turned toward her.
—What's happening?
Lusian took several seconds to answer.
—I don't know.
He looked toward the forest again.
—But the creatures are getting stronger. And that means we need to prepare for something worse.
No one answered.
In the distance, a roar echoed through the trees.
Then another.
And another.
Lusian slowly clenched his jaw.
He had come to Carter to prevent a tragedy.
Now he was beginning to suspect that he had arrived just in time to witness the beginning of another.
Daniel began issuing orders. He couldn't place all the responsibility on Lusian's shoulders. These were his people, his territory, and his responsibility as well.
—Reinforce the walls —he ordered. —I want watch posts throughout the entire night.
Lusian looked toward the forest once more.
He didn't know exactly how the county had fallen in the game.
He didn't remember when it had happened, either.
But one thing was certain.
If he could prevent it, Carter would not meet the same fate.
At the very least, he would try.