Kairoz breathed heavily.
"Uff… uff… uff…"
His vision wavered.
"Hey… are you alright?"
A voice cut through the haze.
Kairoz reacted instantly.
He swung his sword.
Fast.
Sharp.
Straight toward the voice—
CLANG.
The blade stopped.
Miss Violet stood before him, her glowing chain-wrapped hands gripping the sword with ease.
The chains shimmered faintly—
Not even trembling.
"Calm down," she said quietly. "It's me."
Kairoz's eyes focused.
"…You," he muttered.
He tried to pull his sword back—
Violet released it without resistance.
Behind her, the Duke stepped forward.
"Hey, are you good?" he asked.
Kairoz ignored him.
"I'm going to the tents," he said coldly. "I need rest."
He walked past them without another word.
Violet watched him leave, her eyes narrowing slightly.
"…What's wrong with him?" she thought.
Something about him felt—
Off.
The Duke and Violet stood over the Monk's lifeless body.
Burned.
Still.
Violet stepped closer and knelt beside him, examining the remains in silence.
"You should rest," Violet said softly, glancing back at the Duke.
He shook his head.
"No. I need to make sure everyone's okay."
Violet studied him for a moment.
"…You did well," she said. "Thank you."
The Duke looked away, slightly embarrassed.
"I wasn't alone," he replied. "And… everyone's not okay."
His voice grew heavy.
"Lysa is badly injured. Samira too… a lot of them are hurt."
Violet's expression tightened.
"D-Derius?" the Duke asked quickly. "Where is Darius?"
"I'm here."
A voice came from above.
They looked up.
Derius stood on the rooftop, a limp body slung over his shoulder.
Dan Fisher.
Derius tossed him down in front of them.
THUD.
"AAHH—!" Dan screamed as he hit the ground.
Derius jumped down after him, landing lightly.
"Caught him alive," he said calmly.
"Good," the Duke replied.
Derius's gaze shifted—
To the Monk's body.
His expression hardened.
"…Burned," he muttered. "He's dead?"
"Yes," the Duke said quietly.
Then—
Derius looked at Violet.
His eyes sharp.
"Hey… you've got some explaining to do," he said.
The Duke frowned.
"Watch it," he snapped. "That's your teacher."
"Teacher?" Derius scoffed. "You're kidding, right?"
His voice rose.
"I've never seen a teacher put her students' lives on the line like that—on their first mission."
Silence fell.
Violet lowered her gaze.
"…I'm sorry," she said quietly.
"Sorry?" Derius laughed bitterly. "That's it?"
"Hey," the Duke stepped in, voice firm. "She saved us. Because of her, we survived."
Derius clicked his tongue.
"As she should," he said coldly. "She's the one who got us into this mess in the first place."
Before the tension could rise further—
Footsteps approached.
Soldiers surrounded the area, moving with discipline and control.
"Captain Violet," one called out. "Is there any trouble?"
A figure stepped forward.
Fredrick.
The Duke's eyes lit up.
"Sir Fredrick!" he said.
Fredrick looked at him—then smiled faintly.
"…Duke?"
Another soldier stepped forward behind them.
"You should rest, Captain Violet. We'll handle things from here."
Violet nodded slowly.
"…Alright."
Derius and Duke walked through the ruined village streets.
Smoke lingered in the air. Broken wood and scattered debris lined the path.
"Where's that prideful bastard?" Derius muttered.
"You mean Kairoz?" Duke replied. "He went to the tents."
"Tsk… he's still alive," Derius said under his breath.
Duke shot him a sharp look—but said nothing.
Instead, his eyes moved restlessly, scanning the surroundings.
"What are you looking for?" Derius asked.
"My roommate," Duke answered quietly.
Then—
A sound.
Soft.
Broken.
"Sob… sob…"
Both of them stopped.
They exchanged a glance—then moved toward the voice.
A figure in a soldier's uniform sat on the ground, trembling, face buried in his hands.
Crying.
"Hey," Duke called out gently.
The soldier flinched violently.
"Ahh—! Don't kill me! Please—let me go! I didn't do anything!" he screamed.
Duke froze.
"…Regan?" he said.
The soldier looked up.
Eyes wide.
Tear-filled.
"Y–You…" Regan stammered.
Derius stepped forward, glancing at him with cold indifference.
"Pathetic," he muttered. "If he'd seen the Monk's face… he probably would've pissed himself."
"Shut up," Duke snapped.
He knelt in front of Regan.
"Hey… what happened?" Duke asked, voice steady but tense.
Regan's body shook uncontrollably.
"A–All of them…" he choked.
"My entire squad…"
"They're all dead."
Silence.
Duke's expression froze.
Derius's eyes narrowed slightly.
Both of them stood there—
Stunned.
"Touka… was in your squad?" Duke asked, his voice tightening.
Regan nodded weakly, still shaking.
"Y–Yes…" he said. "She… she was there."
He swallowed hard.
"She was probably captured by the assassins… and killed."
Silence.
The words hung heavy in the air.
Derius looked away, jaw tightening.
"…Vairan," Regan continued, his voice breaking. "H–He's dead too."
Derius's eyes snapped back to him.
"…What?"
Regan's breathing became uneven.
"I saw it," he said, trembling. "A seven-foot monster… crushed him right in front of me."
His voice cracked.
"There was nothing we could do…"
Derius went still.
"Vairan… died?" he muttered under his breath.
For the first time—
There was doubt in his voice.
"If that's true…" he said slowly, eyes narrowing,
"…then no one can save Violet."
Duke stood frozen.
His mind drifted—
Touka's face.
Her voice.
Her words.
"Don't trust me too easily."
"…No," Duke whispered.
"There's no way she's dead."
Guilt twisted in his chest.
I was suspecting her…
Thinking she might be the killer…
His fists clenched.
What kind of person am I…?
Duke stood still.
Everything felt unreal.
Duke stood still.
Everything felt unreal.
"You… saw her dying?" he asked, his voice tight.
Regan shook his head quickly.
"N–No… I only saw Vairan getting crushed," he stammered.
"She… she got caught by the assassins…"
Duke's eyes darkened.
"…She got caught?"
He stepped closer.
"Then what did you do?" he asked, staring straight at him.
Regan opened his mouth—
But no words came out.
Silence.
Derius scoffed.
"Let me guess," he said coldly. "You ran away."
"N–No, I just—" Regan tried to explain.
"Pathetic," Derius cut him off.
Duke's jaw tightened.
"…You left her to die," he said quietly.
"Tch."
Without another word, Duke turned—
And started walking toward the mountains.
"Hey," Derius called out. "Where are you going?"
"To find her," Duke replied without stopping.
Derius frowned.
"She's probably dead," he said bluntly.
Duke didn't respond.
He kept walking.
Step after step.
Unwavering.
Derius watched him for a moment.
"…Touka, huh," he muttered under his breath.
He exhaled.
"Tch. I'm heading back to the tents."
As he turned, his eyes fell on Regan—
Shaking. Broken.
Useless.
Derius gave him one last look—
Filled with pure disgust.
Then walked away.
Duke climbed into the mountains.
Time passed—
How long, he didn't know.
Then—
He saw it.
Blood.
Everywhere.
Stained across the rocks. Dragged through the snow.
His steps slowed.
His heart tightened.
Ahead—
A cave.
A few soldiers stood near the entrance, silently checking bodies laid across the ground.
Duke stepped closer.
His eyes scanned the scene—
Then froze.
Stormspire soldiers.
Dead.
All of them.
"Hey, kid," one soldier said. "Go back to the tents. You shouldn't be here."
Duke didn't respond.
His gaze locked onto one body.
His eyes widened.
"…Captain Samuel?" he whispered.
Touka's squad captain.
Crushed.
Brutally.
Duke staggered back—
"Ugh—!"
He turned and vomited onto the ground, his body shaking.
"So many… dead…" he muttered, wiping his mouth.
"Even Derius's captain…"
His fists clenched.
He looked up again, forcing himself to focus.
"H–Hey…" Duke called out, voice unsteady. "Did you see a woman? Around twenty… black hair…"
One of the soldiers nodded slightly.
"…Yeah. There's a female body over there."
Duke's heart skipped.
He ran.
Fast.
He dropped to his knees beside the body—
Hands trembling—
His eyes widened.
"…No way—"
He leaned closer.
Then—
Relief.
Sharp.
Immediate.
"…It's not her," he whispered.
He exhaled heavily, shoulders dropping.
"She's not…"
He stood up quickly, eyes scanning the area again.
Looking everywhere.
Desperate.
"Hey! Where are you going?" a soldier called out.
Duke didn't stop.
"There's someone I still need to find," he said firmly.
And kept moving.
Back in Hollowveil
Soldiers moved through the village, tending to the wounded.
Some carried bodies.
Others wrapped injuries in silence.
The aftermath of the battle weighed heavily in the air.
Violet stood with Fredrick, discussing the operation.
"The mission was successful," Fredrick said.
"We captured Dan Fisher… and Dango, their leader."
He paused.
"But we lost many."
Violet's gaze lowered slightly.
"…Yes."
Fredrick's expression hardened.
"This was an A-rank mission," he said. "Not something meant for recruits."
"I was told it was a C-rank," Violet replied quietly.
Fredrick scoffed.
"Higher-ups," he muttered. "You know how the royals are."
He glanced toward the distance.
"Especially when royal blood is involved."
"Vairan… and Kairoz."
Violet's eyes flickered slightly.
"I reached just in time," Fredrick continued.
"I managed to save Vairan at the last moment."
His tone grew serious.
"If I had been a minute late… it would've been disastrous."
He exhaled.
"Thanks to Rheet, we got here when we did."
Nearby—
Jack stood alone, staring at the destroyed village.
"…So many died," he muttered. "And I was just… sleeping."
"Tch."
Not far from him—
Regan sat on the ground.
Silent.
Shaking.
Eyes empty with fear.
After hours of searching—
Through bloodstained paths, broken rocks, and silent bodies—
Duke was still moving.
Exhausted.
But he didn't stop.
The sky began to lighten.
Morning was coming.
Then—
He saw it.
A cave near the river.
A small bonfire burned outside, its flames flickering weakly against the cold wind.
Duke slowed his steps.
His heart started pounding.
He moved closer—
"Hey…"
A girl's voice.
Soft.
Behind him.
Duke froze.
Slowly—
He turned.
His eyes widened.
Touka stood there.
Alive.
She looked down slightly, her expression unreadable almost as if she was trying to look scared.
For a moment—
Duke said nothing.