As I gazed into Elena's crimson eyes—
I quietly realized something.
Ever since I arrived in this world—
Elena had been the person who helped me the most.
From allowing me to join the Saviant Guild…
…to helping me enter Nexus Academy.
She had always been there.
And honestly—
I held her in extremely high regard.
Maybe it was because of her past as well.
Because out of everything in this world—
the thing I hated most was abuse.
Something both of us seemed to understand all too well.
Soon—
Elena's overwhelming killing intent slowly disappeared.
Then—
a faint smile appeared on her face seeing my resolve.
"…Thank you."
It wasn't only me either.
Leon.
Ogram.
Emma.
All three of them carried the same determination within their eyes.
Roy was family to all of them.
And now—
they all wanted revenge.
Silence filled the office briefly afterward.
Then—
I slowly pulled Nocturne Veil back from the ground before resting the black blade against my shoulder.
"During the vacation…"
"…I'll be heading toward Astryx."
"There's something I need to do there."
"Astryx huh…"
Elena quietly crossed her arms afterward.
"I'm assuming this is related to your family?"
I slowly nodded.
"Yes."
For a moment—
Elena remained silent in thought.
Then finally—
she spoke again.
"Do you at least have a way of getting there?"
"Yeah."
"The Headmistress already provided me with one."
"I see…"
Elena glanced toward Leon briefly before speaking once more.
"I suppose I should at least send Leon with you?"
Leon himself looked ready to agree instantly.
But I only smiled faintly.
"As much as I'd like Leon to come with me…"
"…I think this is something I need to do on my own."
The room fell silent afterward.
Because everyone present understood.
This trip to Astryx—
wasn't simply a journey.
It was Rio Valen returning home.
...
After sending my regards to the rest of the members of Saviant—
I quietly departed from the guild.
The cold night winds brushed past me as I stepped outside Lumere once again.
Behind me—
the massive guild tower stood silently beneath the moonlight.
For a brief moment—
I stopped walking.
Then slowly—
my golden eyes lifted toward the night sky above.
"Astryx huh…"
The empire where Rio Valen was born.
The place where everything began.
The Valen Family.
His elder brother.
The Sovereign.
The sealed memories.
All the answers I wanted—
waited there.
A faint smile slowly appeared on my face afterward.
Then—
I continued walking through the silent streets beneath the moonlight.
"I suppose…"
"…this will be the beginning of a new journey."
...
I soon boarded a train heading toward Ashgrave—
the city that had only recently been reclaimed from the Astryx Empire and returned back to Verilian control.
Wearing a long black hoodie—
I quietly travelled through the crowded station while keeping my head lowered.
Honestly—
after my battle against Samuel during the Nexus Festival—
it wouldn't be wrong to call me a celebrity at this point.
The fight had already spread throughout the entire empire.
Especially Twilight.
That final attack alone had apparently become one of the most discussed topics within the younger generation.
Troublesome.
Very troublesome.
Which was exactly why I kept the hood over my face while travelling.
Several hours later—
the train finally arrived at Ashgrave.
The moment I stepped outside—
a faint smile slowly appeared on my face.
The city looked nothing like a battlefield anymore.
Massive futuristic skyscrapers stretched endlessly toward the skies while countless holographic advertisements illuminated the streets beneath them.
Large transit rails floated between buildings carrying streams of vehicles through the air.
Blue artificial lights glowed across the roads while drones quietly moved throughout the city handling repairs and deliveries.
Despite the advanced technology—
Ashgrave still carried traces of old architecture from before the war.
A strange mixture of sci-fi and fantasy blended together naturally throughout the city.
And honestly—
it looked beautiful.
Especially knowing what this place once was.
A battlefield.
A ruined city caught between two empires.
Yet now—
people freely walked through the streets once again.
Shops remained open late into the night.
Music echoed from nearby cafés.
Children laughed while running toward a park nearby without fear.
For a brief moment—
I quietly stood there watching the city.
Then slowly—
I continued walking forward beneath the glowing lights of Ashgrave.
The first thing I needed to do—
was meet the woman named Nicole.
With Lyra's help—
I had already done some digging beforehand.
Apparently—
Nicole was the Guild Master of a small guild called Cross.
A guild that mainly handled smaller commissions around Ashgrave.
Escort missions.
Repairs.
Minor monster exterminations.
Things like that.
Honestly—
it sounded far too ordinary for someone connected to Aurelia.
Which only made me more curious.
Soon—
I finally arrived at the location I was supposed to meet her at.
Then—
a wry smile slowly appeared on my face.
"…This is the place?"
Between two gigantic futuristic skyscrapers—
stood a tiny worn-down building that looked completely out of place.
The surrounding towers reached endlessly toward the skies while holographic advertisements illuminated the streets around them.
Meanwhile—
this guild building looked like it had somehow survived a natural disaster through pure stubbornness alone.
The walls were cracked.
Several windows were broken.
And the faded sign above the entrance barely even remained attached.
Honestly—
it looked less like a guild headquarters and more like a building waiting to collapse.
Maybe the war with Astryx had hit this place particularly badly.
Or perhaps—
a meteor genuinely had crashed into it at some point.
At this stage—
I honestly wouldn't have been surprised.
Still—
after staring at the building for several seconds—
I eventually sighed softly before walking toward the entrance.
Then—
I pushed the door open and stepped inside.
As I stepped inside—
the interior somehow looked exactly how I imagined it would.
Old.
Worn down.
Yet surprisingly clean.
The wooden walls looked ancient while several parts of the ceiling had clearly been repaired multiple times.
Small lights hung from above giving the guild a warm atmosphere despite its rough appearance.
Then—
my eyes noticed someone sleeping directly at the registration desk.
A little girl with brown hair had her face buried against the counter while quietly sleeping.
"…Um."
"Hello?"
No response.
I blinked once.
Is she actually asleep while working?
Slowly—
I reached my hand forward before lightly poking her forehead.
"…Y-Yawn…"
The girl slowly lifted her head while rubbing her eyes lazily.
"U-Ugh…"
"I was having such a good slee—"
Then—
her voice suddenly stopped.
Her eyes widened the moment they landed on my face beneath the hoodie.
"W-Wait…"
"N-No…"
"The person who was supposed to arrive was supposed to have crimson eyes—"
I smiled awkwardly afterward before slowly pulling the hood off completely.
My mixed black and white hair fell naturally around my face while my golden eyes quietly reflected beneath the guild lights.
"Haha…"
"I am that person."
"Let's just say I had a small incident."
"…I ended up looking a little different."
The girl stared at me blankly for several seconds.
Then suddenly—
her entire face turned red.
"S-So you truly are Noctis the Dark Blade?!"
"O-Oh my god—"
She immediately stood up so quickly the chair behind her almost fell over.
"I-I watched your battle against Samuel Crimson!!"
Her eyes practically sparkled with excitement now.
"That last attack was insane!!"
"You actually blew apart half the arena!!"
I rubbed the back of my head awkwardly.
"…Yeah."
"About that."
"A-Ah—sorry."
The girl immediately straightened herself before coughing awkwardly.
"I seem to have talked a little too much…"
Then—
she quickly tried calming herself down.
"I-I suppose you're here for the Guild Leader?"
I nodded lightly.
"Yes."
"U-Uh…"
A troubled expression appeared on her face afterward.
"She's actually out right now."
"Hm?"
"There have been several Voidborn sightings near the border close to the port."
"This mission was directly assigned to us…"
"So the Guild Leader personally went there herself."
I slowly nodded.
"I see."
The girl hesitated briefly before speaking again.
"Um…"
"If you want you could wait here?"
"She should probably return within a few hours."
"I-I could make tea too…"
A small smile appeared on my face afterward.
"No."
"It's fine."
"O-Oh?"
"Could you tell me where the port is?"
"A-Ah yes!"
She immediately pointed toward one of the windows nervously.
"It's toward the eastern side of Ashgrave near the harbor."
"Just keep heading toward the sea and you'll eventually reach it."
"I see."
Then—
I slowly turned around toward the exit.
"B-But why?"
The girl tilted her head slightly in confusion.
I only smiled faintly afterward.
"Let's just say…"
"…I'm a little bored."
Then—
without waiting further—
I quietly began walking toward the exit.
"Eh?"