Night fell over the ducal city, yet Lusian remained in his study, documents spread open and maps marked with monster migration routes.
It was chaos—spreading far too quickly.
But to him, none of this was truly a surprise.
He had seen it before.
In the game.
And in that story, there was one territory he would never forget:
Carter County.Emily's home.
The young woman with whom an engagement agreement had existed between their houses for years—an arrangement sealed with clear clauses:
If Carter County requested aid, the Douglases were bound to answer.
But in the game…they did not.
The duchy, consumed by its own crisis, ignored the plea for help.
The outcome was always the same:
The county was destroyed.Emily's mother died.And though Emily never said it openly,her heart carried a cold resentment toward the Douglases.
Toward him.
That resentment would one day become the blade that killed him.
Lusian closed his eyes for a moment, recalling that scene from the game.
"If I let it unfold the same way…" he murmured, "she'll never forgive me. And she'd be right."
But this time, he was here.This time, he knew what was coming.And this time, he had a chance.
Not only to save the county.Not only to honor the debt of the engagement.
But something far more important:
To prevent Emily from growing up hating him.To prevent the future wielder of Light magic from becoming his mortal enemy.
Because if the story followed its original course…
She would be the only person capable of destroying him.
With that cold, bitter certainty, Lusian rose to his feet.
He left his study.
The commanders were already waiting.
"Prepare the troops," he ordered, his voice steady and precise. "We depart at dawn for Carter territory."
The officers stiffened.
"My lord, why the urgency?"
A pulse of light streaked across the sky—a vibration of mana.
The prelude to disaster.
Lusian watched it with a grave expression.
"Because if we don't arrive in time," he said, "Carter County will not survive the week."
The commanders did not understand how he knew.
But he did not need them to understand.
He only needed to prevent the game's history from repeating itself.
Dawn had barely broken when the duchy's main courtyard filled with movement.
A column of 1,500 warriors and mages—each at Lord level or above—advanced in flawless formation.
At Lusian's side stood the two most feared beasts in the territory:
Thunder, the electric steed with blue eyes—Level 80.A lightning bolt given the shape of a horse.
Umber, the wolf whose fur was dark as an eclipse—Level 78.A living shadow.
Both waited for their master, restless, as if sensing the danger ahead.
Sofía, the duchess, adjusted the cloak over her son's shoulders, then— as though he were still ten years old—pinched his cheek.
"I already told you not to stray from Thunder and Umber. Understood?"
Her tone allowed no argument.
Lusian sighed.
"Mother…"
"No. Not 'Mother.'" She fixed him with the kind of gaze that made generals tremble. "If you leave this duchy, you leave protected. Those two will follow you everywhere, and Albert will make sure you don't attempt anything heroically foolish."
Albert, his right hand, inclined his head with a half-smile.
"I will enforce the order, my lady. Rest assured."
Behind him, Adela stroked the ears of her white tiger—Level 51—which exhaled cold mist with each breath. She was the youngest of the group… and also the fiercest.
Sofía turned back to Lusian and smoothed a stray lock of his hair as if he were still a child.
"It doesn't matter that this army could conquer a kingdom," she whispered so only he could hear. "I have only one son, Lusian. Come back whole."
He nodded, swallowing the tightness in his throat.
And then—
Isabella appeared among the soldiers.
She wore a thick coat, her eyes swollen from lack of sleep. She walked toward him in small, hesitant steps until she stood just before his chest.
"Lusian…" she murmured.
He already knew what was coming.
"Isabella, I can't take you. Where I'm going there will be monsters, danger, chaos. It isn't safe."
She pouted—far too dignified for a count's daughter, and far too desperate for someone trying not to cry.
"But… but I want to be with you. I…" Her voice trembled. "I'm already yours. I don't want to stay behind."
Lusian raised a hand and gently brushed her cheek.
"That's precisely why I'm leaving you here. In the duchy, you'll be protected. Out there… I can't guarantee that."
Isabella pressed her lips together.
Then, unable to restrain herself, she rested her head against his chest, clutching his cloak as if she might break apart.
"Then… promise me you'll come back. Promise you'll be careful."
He held her by the shoulders, not pushing her away.
"I promise."
She inhaled deeply, as if committing his scent to memory.
And when she finally let go, her eyes shone.
Albert stepped forward.
"My lord. The troops are ready."
Lusian mounted Thunder in one fluid motion.
The steed crackled with pure electricity.
Umber took his place beside him like a protective shadow.
The entire army snapped to attention.
Lusian looked at his mother.
Then at Isabella, who watched him with her heart laid bare in her eyes.
Then toward the horizon.
"We march."