Red Dragon stared at the burn on Thom’s right hand.Even so, Thom didn’t look like he was in pain at all.“King, your injury is pretty serious…” Red Dragon asked worriedly, his eyes fixed on the bandages that had begun to seep through.“Don’t worry. I’ll treat it myself later,” Thom replied.Red Dragon hadn’t expected Thom’s injuries to be that severe. Thom hadn’t complained even once. He walked upright as if nothing had happened, even though his body was clearly covered in injuries.Thom slowly walked toward Elias, who was still kneeling beside Freya’s body.He stopped in front of the wooden bier and looked at Freya’s peaceful face one last time.Slowly, despite his wounded body, Thom bowed in respect—a gesture he rarely offered to anyone.“Thank you,” he whispered, his voice heavy. “You saved my life with your own. I will never forget your sacrifice.”*****They group arrived at the gates of Valemoor while the morning was still damp with dew, the sky retaining a faint orange glow al

“It’s about time,” Thom murmured, almost laughing as he watched Red Dragon standing nervously before him like a young man who had just fallen in love for the first time. “I’ve been waiting for you to talk about this since Christmas.”Red Dragon’s face grew even redder, but a hint of relief began to appear in his eyes. “So... you approve, King?”But before Thom could say anything more, the office door suddenly swung open.Iris stepped inside with a tense expression, carrying a small tablet displaying a map and a series of data.“King, I’m sorry to interrupt,” she said quickly, her eyes briefly flicking toward Red Dragon before returning to Thom. “But this is important. We managed to track the signal from the medallion we took from Master Wen. The location of the monastery in the north has been identified.”Thom rose from his chair, his expression turning serious in an instant. “Where?”Iris showed him the map on the tablet, her finger pointing to a remote location in the northern mount

The private hospital was located far from the hustle and bustle of Eunosia, hidden among peaceful green hills and far from the eyes of anyone who might still recognize Rachel Had's face from the news that had made headlines nearly a year and a half ago.Rachel sat on the edge of the bed. Her legs, once paralyzed by Thom's gunshot, could now touch the floor, though they still trembled whenever she tried to stand for too long. Her palms, once disfigured by old injuries, were now wrapped in thin bandages—the remnants of reconstructive surgeries that had taken place over the past several months.The man who had freed her, a sharply dressed man with slicked-back hair named Dresden, sat in the chair across from the bed, watching Rachel with a thin, calculating smile."How does it feel, Miss Rachel?" he asked gently. "To walk again after spending more than a year confined to a wheelchair and a prison cell?"Rachel did not answer immediately. She stared at her own legs, slowly trying to move

They continued their journey more cautiously until they finally reached an observation point overlooking the massive stone monastery standing firmly on the mountainside, surrounded by high walls with watchtowers positioned at several corners.They spent the entire night observing the guards' movements, which followed a terrifyingly disciplined pattern.“The guards rotate every two hours,” Garrin whispered, recording his observations in a small waterproof notebook. “But their movements are far too efficient for ordinary guards.”Voss, who had been watching through night-vision binoculars, pointed toward the rear side of the monastery walls.“A small gap between two watchtowers. It’s rarely patrolled. If there’s a way in, that’s our point of entry.”“I’ll go,” Voss said quickly, already preparing to remove his backpack so he could move more lightly. “You wait here. I’ll be back in an hour.”******One hour passed.Then two.There was still no sign of Voss's return.“Something’s wrong,”

Thom returned to the meeting point, where Red Dragon and Garrin were waiting with Voss, who was still slumped weakly between them. An orange glow was beginning to intensify in the distance, reflecting across their faces as they watched the monastery burn from the foot of the mountain.“King,” Red Dragon muttered, staring at the flames soaring high through the night fog. “You destroyed the entire place?”“Yep. The leader is dead,” Thom replied briefly. His body was covered in fresh wounds, yet he stood upright. “The rest fled. I wanted this place to serve as a warning, not merely as a victory that would eventually be forgotten.”Garrin stared at Thom with a mixture of awe and horror.“You faced their leader alone?”Thom did not answer immediately. He simply stepped closer to check on Voss. The soldier’s breathing was still weak but stable, and his wounds had been hastily bandaged with strips of cloth torn from Garrin’s uniform.“We need to get down the mountain now,” Thom said. “Voss n