Was it the assailants who caused the fire? If so, we may be too late. By now, the Duke may be…

“Outta my way!!” A pig-shaped man runs through the guards like a cannon ball through a wall. Adorning his swollen fingers are jewels of every kind. Rubies, sapphires, diamonds, and pearls shimmer on his right hand. Aquamarines, amethysts, jades, and emeralds on his left. He falls to his knees and pants. After catching his breath, he turns to the guards and says, “Get her out of there! She’s still inside!”

Her? Who is he talking about?

“Duke Til, I am Niklaus Borneheimer. What seems to be the problem?”

The Duke turns to Niklaus and his eyes beam. He crawls like a beggar to Niklaus’ feet and says, “Sir hero, please, you must save my daughter. She is still inside the mansion.”

Niklaus places his hand on the Duke’s shoulder and says, “Leave it to me, Duke Til. Your daughter is safe with me.”

“I’ll help you.”

“I don’t need your help.”

“Searching blindly will only kill her. With my nose, I can locate her even through all the smoke. Her chances of survival will skyrocket.”

“I said I don’t need—”

“Yes, you. Help the hero to search for my daughter. If you can save her, do so.”

Niklaus sighs. “Fine, but don’t get in the way of my search.”

Despite admitting to fabricating his hatred towards me, Niklaus continues to show nothing but enmity to me. I struggle to believe his ego is so inflated that he would choose to lower the chances of another person’s survival. There must be something else behind his outrage.

Niklaus and I rush into the burning building. Beyond the barricaded doors, we find shattered chandeliers, seared marble walls, and scorched bodies spread thin. Niklaus rushes to the second floor without warning. I search the ground floor for any signs of Duke Til’s daughter. However, I only find incinerated portraits and dead bodies.

So much for my nose helping us search for Duke Til’s daughter. With all of this smoke, I can’t tell left from right.

I run after Niklaus on the second floor. As I climb the stairs, I hear a faint scream beyond the crackling flames. “Help!” it says.

This is a girl’s voice. Where did it come from? I search recklessly through the rubble, but I find nothing. It’s useless. The flames only grow in intensity with each passing second. At this rate, she will die.

“Help!”

No, I shouldn’t give up yet. I stop my aimless search and stand idle. Ignore the smell. Your nose is useless in this smoke. Instead, I should focus on the sound. Focus on the echoes. Pinpoint where the sound is coming from. After standing like a doll for a few seconds, I hear suffocated breaths and a receding heartbeat. Got it!

I run to where the sound came from and find the girl passed out in the centre of the smoke-filled room. “H… elp… me…” she whispers.

“Don’t worry. I’m here to help.”

I lift her, and she tugs onto my shirt. “Help… me…”

This ordeal must have traumatised her. To seek help even through such grim circumstances…

“You’re quite strong-willed.”

I carry the girl out of the building and meet up with Louisa, Niklaus, and Duke Til.

“Selina!!” shouts the Duke. “Where are the medics?”

I lay her body gently on the ground.

“You!! What are you doing? How dare you lay my daughter’s noble body on this infested ground!?”

This guy’s giving me a headache. I place my hand on the girl’s head. Now that I look at her, she is quite the beauty. Her skin is white as snow and her hair is like the night sky. She looks nothing like that pig. Her arms and waist are slender. Too slender. And her cheeks appear sunken. “Have you been feeding her properly?”

“What?”

“Your daughter is malnourished. Severely malnourished.”

“Of course, I feed her properly. It must have been the fire—”

“Her malnourishment goes beyond this fire.”

“Are you calling me a liar?”

Of course, I am. But I’m not pea-brained. I know he has more power than me in this situation. And I’d rather avoid spending another few months in a prison cell. I scan her body. That’s quite a heavy dress for such a warm day. Does nobility casually dress like this?

“No, I must be mistaken.”

“Hmph! I’ll forgive you this time since you saved my daughter. But choose your words carefully next time.”

“Yeah, yeah. Anyway, I can heal your daughter.”

“You can?”

“Yes.” A sigil appears on the back of my hand. “Healing Magic: Grand Heal.” A gold aura wraps around her body and her complexion brightens. Grand Heal is a high-level healing spell, like Restorative Heal. It’s a spell that focuses on healing external and internal injuries. It also heals any ailments, such as smoke inhalation.

Selina opens her eyes to reveal a pair of beautiful lapis-coloured irises. “Help… me…” she whispers, before fainting again.

Is she still suffering from the trauma?

Duke Til shoves me aside, and screams, “SELINA! My precious, I was so worried.” After the commotion dies down, Duke Til invites us to a second mansion he owns. One on the outskirts of the city. “I had this mansion built in secret, just in case something like this ever happened,” he says, slicing through a juicy steak.

I lean over to Louisa and whisper, “I didn’t come here to enjoy food with this pig. Why are we not tracking the assailants?”

“He said he doesn’t feel safe without all three of us in his presence.”

“We don’t work for him.”

“We also don’t work against him. Have patience, Haruki. The assailants will reveal themselves.”

“So,” interrupts the Duke, “Grand Order shows up after a week? If you showed your faces earlier, my mansion would still stand today!” he yells, slamming his fork into the steak, which shakes the table. “And those assailants in white would be dead!”

“We apologise for any inconvenience,” says Louisa. “We had an issue recently, but now that we’re here, you can count on us. To attack a duke is an unforgivable sin.”

The Duke smiles. “Little girl, you have a way with your words. It’s impressive. I’ve been looking for a new captain of the guards for Til since my previous one ‘broke’.” He licks his lips, scanning her body.

I glare at the Duke, adding mana to exert pressure on him. His expression fills with fear, and his head with sweat. You pig! How dare you try to…

Louisa places her hand on my shoulder, and says, with a smile, “Thank you for the offer. However, I humbly decline Duke Reinhart. I owe my life to Grand Order.”

“A-ah… yes, of course. Your duty as a member of Grand Order is very important. Yes, you’re right. I understand. And I will allow you refuge in my home until you fulfil your duty.”

“That would be great. Thank you, Duke Reinhart.” After leaving the dining room, Louisa kicks the wall and says, “That pig bastard! How dare he even think such ludicrous thoughts of me?”

“Just sleep it off,” says Niklaus, leaving for his chambers. “To be riled up by such a silly provocation… You still have much to learn.”

“What did you say?” asks Louisa.

Was that for Louisa? Or did you speak to me, Niklaus? This thought kept me awake throughout the night. As I ponder the thought, I notice, looking out the window, someone sneaking across the mansion’s courtyard. Is that…? I leave the room and follow the person at a distance. She leaves the confines of the mansion and takes refuge in the forest surrounding the house. She stops at a large pond at the forest’s centre and I hide behind a tree to avoid being seen. As I lean to see what she’s doing, my foot snaps a twig in half. She jerks her head back like a deer.

“Who’s there?”

With my hands raised, I reveal myself and say, “Don’t be alarmed. It’s me.”

“Who?”

“Who? The person who saved your life. The name’s Haruki. Haruki Ryu.”

“Saved my life?”

“From the fire you were in earlier. Don’t you remember?”

She looks at me with confused eyes. “I… remember… Although my memory is a bit fuzzy, so you must forgive me. You said your name is Haruki Ryu, right? I am Selina.” She turns to the pond again. “Did you see?”

“See?”

“So you didn’t? That’s good… I guess.”

What is she talking about? Is she normally like this?

“You must think I’m weird, right?”

“How did you know?”

“Ouch,” she says, giggling. “You’re an honest one.”

“What’s there to hide?”

She laughs again. Then she tucks the loose hairs covering her face over her ear. “You’re right. What is there to hide?”

She’s so different from what I thought she’d be like. And I couldn’t stop thinking about this, but…

“You’re a Maga Noctis, aren’t you?”

“How did you… know that?” she asks, bewildered.

Maga Noctis is a rare race of witches from Aerlogard—the realm of the elves and spirits. They have hair that reflects the night sky and eyes a blue as deep as lapis lazuli.

“My grandpa says he met a Maga Noctis once.”

“Your grandfather is a lucky man. To meet a Maga is even rarer than finding a phoenix.”

I’ve met a fair share of phoenixes back in Ragnarök.

“But the Duke is not a Maga, is he? If so, that would only make you half-Maga Noctis.”

“For other races, conceiving a child would make that child a half-blood. But for a Maga, it’s different. As a race of only women, we must search for partners from other races to keep our lineage alive. Maybe it’s because the Maga gene is dominant over other genes, but the child will be born a Maga daughter—always.”

“I see. But if a Maga chooses their partner, why did your mother choose someone as disgusting as Duke Reinhart?”

“She… She said he was a well-behaved and generous man. The kindest man she ever met. How he changed is not something she could explain.”

She avoids looking into my eyes and twiddles her fingers. She’s lying. There’s no way that man was kind. For someone to change this drastically–practically becoming a new person–something must have happened. If he was never a kind man, does it mean he captured Selina’s mother and raped her? Or…

A sudden presence stalking us interrupts my train of thought. “Selina, get behind me. We’re not alone.” Between the shrubs and trees, a shadow inches closer. “Come out. It’s no use hiding.”

A man wearing a white cloak reveals himself. “Hello, Haruki Ryu. My name is Hafiz. I came from a certain organisation to scout you.” His raised hands are pale white, and some of his hair that sticks out reveals a matte-black colour. Deep within the mantle, two red dots, which could only be his eyes, glow.

“Do you remember Joker and Necromancer?” he asks.

“How could I forget?”

“I apologise for any trouble my colleagues caused. Our leader is interested in you and your potential, which is why he asks that you join our organisation.”

“Who is your leader?”

“I can’t tell you that.”

“What is the name of your organisation?”

“That’s also something I can’t say.”

“How am I supposed to join an organisation that will not share their name or the name of their leader?”

“If I tell you all of this information, you will refuse to join and inform your leader, correct?”

“I can’t say I won’t do that.”

“That’s why. Well, Haruki Ryu, will you join us?”

“I will not.”

“Why?”

“Because I like Grand Order.”

He experiences a moment of shock, and then falls into a fit of laughter. “Really? That’s why you decide to stay with them?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm, I see. Raizo must have told you we are a danger to the realm, hasn’t he? Well, did he tell you about the secrets he discovered while you slept in a cell?”

“Secrets? What secrets?”

“Secrets about your birth. Secrets about your truth. The secrets that Alvis Ragnarök and Emygdius hide from you.”

“Alvis and Grandpa?”

“Haruki, I am not your enemy. Raizo is your enemy. Alvis is your enemy. Even the girl who is head-over-heels for you… Louisa is—”

Before he can utter another word, I charge forward and punch him in the face. An invisible force blocks my attack, though. “Don’t speak ill of Louisa.”

“Hit a sore spot, didn’t I?” he says, conceited. “Don’t worry. A lady’s secrets are her own to reveal. No matter how gut-wrenching.”

I step back. I put my all into that punch. And he blocked it effortlessly. This guy is bad news.

“You’re not here to fight, are you?”

He turns his head and says, “It seems we will soon have uninvited guests. Are you perhaps stalling, Mr Haruki?”

“Caught already, huh?”

“This is my queue to leave. But before I do, let me tell you one thing. Our organisation has nothing to do with the recent attack on the Duke’s residence.” He walks back into the shadows. “The ones you’re looking for are the Worshipers of the All-Seeing Eye.”

He’s gone.

Louisa appears from the forest. “Haruki, are you ok?” She looks behind me and seems frustrated. “Should I change my question to, are you having fun?”

‘A lady’s secrets are her own to reveal. No matter how gut-wrenching.’ Were his words just a provocation? Or were there some truths behind them?

Louisa guides us back to the mansion. Along the way, I noticed fear on Selina’s face. She tugs onto my shirt and whispers, “Haruki… help me.”

Help me? What does she mean by those words?

“Selina, what do you—”

“We’re here.”

After Louisa’s interjection, Selina walks ahead of me and retires to her chambers. We follow suit and night passes. The next day, I make my way to the Duke’s library.

Something feels wrong. Yesterday, there was a fire. At the most guarded residence in Til. I would expect the Duke and his daughter to have heavy protection after the first attempt on his life, but among the corpses, I only counted a handful of guards. The rest were servants. At least from their clothing, this appears the case. The guards found no eyewitness accounts of what had happened. Which is the weird thing because how does a fire just ‘start’ out of nowhere? Even magic is not that precise. Also, I find it confusing that there were guards and maids outside before Selina. I’d at least expect the guards to risk their lives to save her. But no one other than the Duke seemed concerned for Selina, and even his worries seemed off. Maybe I’m overthinking things, though. It could just be that the assailants snuck past the guards and set the mansion ablaze. I scan the shelves. Hafiz mentioned the ‘Worshipers of the All-Seeing Eye’. I wonder if this library has any information about this group.

After reading through the library’s collection, evening arrived. I found nothing on the Worshipers of the All-Seeing Eye. But I learned more about Leagard, in the process. Five continents divide the human realm, with four of them being inhabited. The Borneheimer Kingdom, The Sentrial Kingdom, The Sakura Kingdom, and The Heilder Kingdom are all kingdoms on the Aldrik Continent. In all the books I’ve read, they say that these four kingdoms have been at peace for one thousand years. However, in reality, they are avoiding each other. If someone attacks this continent, they can easily destroy it. This continent’s rulers will lead the Aldrik Continent to its downfall. I let out a tremendous sigh. Maybe if I search Grand Order’s archives then I’ll find out more about this organisation.

The library door opens, and Selina walks in. She looks at me, shocked, turns around, and walks away. “Wait!! Selina!!” she walks away fast. I follow and catch up to her, grab her shoulder, and pull her closer. “I said wait.”

She stares into my eyes. “What do you want?”

Wait… Why did I stop Selina in the first place?

“If it’s nothing, I will take my leave.”

“Yeah.”

What happened just now? I felt like I needed to protect her just now. Despite her leaving, I couldn’t stop my thoughts from thinking back to her. Her body. Her voice. The rosy scent she emitted. Everything about her stuck with me. What is this feeling? Why do I feel this way?

Louisa and Niklaus, who went into town to get information, returned.

“So, what did you find out?” I ask.

Louisa looks at me, confused. “Did something good happen to you?”

“Why do you ask?”

“Because you’re beaming.”

“Beaming? Am I… smiling?”

“No, not per se. But you have an aura of joy. Like the aura of a maiden in love. It’s so different from your usual aura.”

“What’s my usual aura?”

“Stiff and guarded. Your aura now feels… free and unguarded.”

She’s right. I feel… weird. Was it my interaction with Selina? Or did I just lower my guard ever since I came to Leagard?