"Diarca, and the Crown Prince. Did the sage know about this?"
"No. He didn't. If the Durmand that I know of is the same Baron Durmand, he's a powerful noble from the Diarca Duchy. Had I known, would I have risked coming here in madness?"
Their colleague spoke so, but Nahan did not nod. He only stared quietly at the man's face. A cold sweat began to bead on the man's forehead under Nahan's gaze, as if trying to pierce his thoughts.
"Nahan. You're not planning to use your power on me, are you? Isn't the reason they contacted us after stepping on our tails because you used tricks to infiltrate Apeto? The sage really…"
"Hey, brother. Have I ever done you harm?"
A cold smile spread across Nahan's scarred face.
"Doubts like that aren't good. In many ways."
"I, I didn't mean..."
"Anyway, that's that."
Nahan quickly changed his expression and turned sharply.
"It is true that I borrowed the power of the sage to infiltrate Apeto and put a line on the sidelines. I came here to repay and clean up, but I never thought that such a big man would be caught... What should we do?"
His gray eyes scanned over Baron Durmand and his subordinate coldly.
"It's certain that this guy needed power to cure mental illness. After verifying that the power is real, he probably planned to introduce it to the Crown Prince, achieve his goal, and then deal with the aftermath."
"Deal with…?"
The colleague's face turned white once again.
"Nahan, can't you erase their memories with your power?"
"My power is to manipulate illusions, not memories. It's much easier to drive them mad by showing continuous illusions. Or we could just kill them now, while they're defenseless."
At Nahan's cold response, the man bit his lip.
"We can't do that. Killing a high-ranking noble for such a reason is far too dangerous. Instead... let's pretend to cure his migraine and then run away. I will explain it to the sage."
"If they believe we cured them, won't they keep looking for us? Didn't you complain about how hard it was to evade the Peletta Knights? You want to add the Diarca to that?"
"That's true, but we need to let the sage know so that he can come up with a plan. And in the first place, all of that is because of you…!"
"Shh. If you raise your voice, they might wake from the illusion."
The man, who had started to raise his voice, was taken aback by Nahan's words and shut his mouth. He looked anxiously at Baron Durmand, who was lost in the illusion. Thankfully, the Baron was still swaying in a daze, regardless of the loud conversation.
The man sighed softly and spoke in a hushed voice.
"Anyway, the reason our situation is becoming increasingly dangerous is because of you. If it weren't for you, Gayle and Doyle would still be with us, and the Peletta Knights wouldn't be so relentless."
"Gayle and Doyle. The sage didn't look for them either."
"Have you forgotten who Peletta Duke is? How do we find them when they're caught by the Cavalry that's much stronger than us? I don't think they're alive. They're probably already…"
The colleague gritted his teeth and turned away.
"So please, stop taking risks and just heed the sage's advice for once! Who do you think pulled you out of that deathly swamp?"
The moment his words ended, an icy chill seemed to plunge the atmosphere to sub-zero.
The man stifled the laugh he had barely managed to muster and stiffened at the sight of Nahan, his face expressionless. He raised his hands in immediate apology.
"... I apologize. I know you dislike hearing about it, but I spoke without thinking in my anxiety."
"It was Hosanna and the sage himself who saved me. Neither you nor your brothers have a place to debate that."
Nahan responded with an unnervingly calm voice.
"And has the sage ever objected to my saving the brothers?"
"…He hasn't, but still…"
Before the man could add anything to his muttered words, as if helpless, Nahan, his lips slightly curved up, cut him off.
"Both you and I owe our lives to someone else's rescue. Don't you think it's too cowardly to refuse to save other brothers in danger just because you don't want to disturb the peace you've regained? That would be an unfair thing to say to Gayle and Doyle, who chose to risk their lives and came to help me, knowing the danger."
For a moment, Hosanna, standing behind him, clenched his fists with a gloomy expression. Nahan knew that he felt guilty for roping Gayle and Doyle into their troubles, but he said nothing and pretended not to know, simply staring at his comrade.
"..."
In the end, the man closed his mouth, his face a mix of anger and complexity. Nahan turned back with a peaceful expression and opened his mouth leisurely, gazing at the two men lost in fantasy.
"In any case, I will follow your advice this time not to kill people indiscriminately. But before that... We should ask what problem the Crown Prince has that made him look for us."
"Why are you doing that again? I've told you not to do anything unnecessary…!"
"Be quiet. Even the sage needs to know the reasons."
Ignoring his comrade coolly, Nahan moved forward, and as he waved his hand lightly once more, Baron Durmand seemed to suddenly notice something and looked around. The man, still staggering with a cloudy gaze, opened his mouth as if bewitched.
"When did I get here... Hmm? Oh, sorry. You're asking if the Crown Prince is okay? Stop it."
The nobleman sitting in his place moved his hand as if smoking and sighed.
"Everything has been chaotic since that damned assassination attempt. Despite the scars on his face healing completely, he constantly sees red scars and has smashed every mirror. Just like those Apeto bastards. If he had stayed a little longer, he would have had enough time to reflect and bow down to Duke Diarca. Who knew it would turn out like this."
Hearing the words, Nahan's eyes narrowed. His comrade was instinctively terrified at the thought of having heard the deepest secret of the imperial family.
"He must rise again. He must. How did we put him in that place? It's unthinkable that he would fall here…"
The man finished speaking and stared blankly into space, his eyes lost in thought once again.
"…The Crown Prince's insanity, indeed."
Nahan absentmindedly stroked his chin as he murmured,
"That's just about when they would contact the likes of us."
"Na-Nahan, you don't mean to tell me you're actually interested in that story? I thought you said you would rather die than deal with nobility."
When his comrade exclaimed in shock, Nahan shrugged as though he was stating the obvious.
"Of course, I hate it. No interest whatsoever. What these swinish characters do or don't do is of no concern to me. If I can help it, I'd prefer to avoid them for life."
At Nahan's retort, his comrade frowned and shook his head.
"Then we should hurry and pretend to treat them before escaping. The moment they realize we've heard this story, we're as good as dead!"
"Understood, so try to keep your composure, brother. I'll end the illusion soon."
After a while, Nahan showed a few more illusions to the nobleman and his subordinate before flicking his finger. They were left believing that they had merely had a dream.
"From now on, you will not feel any migraines. Once a few days pass and you begin to believe, contact us at the same place."
"Is that true?"
The nobleman, skeptical but hopeful, touched his face and smiled.
"Good. I'll let you leave unharmed for today. Begone."
As an arrogant noble, he believed that sparing their lives was a generous enough favor. Having received their dismissal, the three of them swiftly retreated and left the premises. Only once they had moved a considerable distance from the house did Hosanna, sweat glistening on his forehead, dare to speak.
"...What if the illusion doesn't work? You said it might not work on those with strong mental fortitude."
"For me, that doesn't matter, but those kinds of characters have such weak mental power that they fell into my illusions without me exerting any effort. Don't worry, Hosanna, there won't be a problem."
Nahan replied nonchalantly. Their colleague listening nearby interjected with a skeptical face.
"Is there anyone who could escape your ability?"
"Of course, there is."
"Have you seen them?"
"Yes. Several times."
At Nahan's reply, his colleague blinked in surprise. He hadn't expected that response.
"Oh... I see. Whoever they are, I hope they come to our Star of Nagran. If they are that mentally strong, even the sage would be pleased."
"He said he didn't want to."
"Pardon?"
Nahan didn't give any further explanation. His colleague, assuming he had heard wrong, quickly forgot about the matter. His mind filled with thoughts of reporting to the sage, he bid farewell to Nahan and Hosanna with a heavy heart and disappeared in another direction.
Nahan watched in silence as he departed, then turned to Hosanna and asked,
"Hosanna, what do you think the sage would think about that story?"
"Pardon?"
"It's the Crown Prince."
"Well... I don't know."
Hosanna glanced around and shook his head with a bewildered expression.
"He's a good person... He wouldn't put us in danger twice. I think..."
"A good person."
Nahan's lips closed tightly.
"Yes, let's hope so."
"Why? Are you worried?"
"No. Never mind. Also, it seems that the swinish character we just met doesn't trust us and has sent someone to tail us. We should teleport directly across the market from the next alley."
Hosanna was startled and widened his eyes, but he didn't turn to look behind. He nodded and shifted his stride with feigned nonchalance.
A moment later, a flash of light streaked from beyond the alley. By the time the henchman of Baron Durmand, who had been tailing them, sluggishly pursued, there was no one left in the alley.
—---
"Yuder."
At Ever's voice, Yuder turned his head and squinted at the rising dawn sun.
"Yes?"
"Do you really think we might be dispatched to the West?"
"Didn't you hear from the Commander? I thought he mentioned it to the Deputy Commanders."
"We only got a brief message, so it doesn't feel real."
Ever, who had frowned as if to say, 'isn't it obvious?' quickly broke into a smile.
"Diarca, and the Crown Prince. Did the sage know about this?"
"No. He didn't. If the Durmand that I know of is the same Baron Durmand, he's a powerful noble from the Diarca Duchy. Had I known, would I have risked coming here in madness?"
Their colleague spoke so, but Nahan did not nod. He only stared quietly at the man's face. A cold sweat began to bead on the man's forehead under Nahan's gaze, as if trying to pierce his thoughts.
"Nahan. You're not planning to use your power on me, are you? Isn't the reason they contacted us after stepping on our tails because you used tricks to infiltrate Apeto? The sage really…"
"Hey, brother. Have I ever done you harm?"
A cold smile spread across Nahan's scarred face.
"Doubts like that aren't good. In many ways."
"I, I didn't mean..."
"Anyway, that's that."
Nahan quickly changed his expression and turned sharply.
"It is true that I borrowed the power of the sage to infiltrate Apeto and put a line on the sidelines. I came here to repay and clean up, but I never thought that such a big man would be caught... What should we do?"
His gray eyes scanned over Baron Durmand and his subordinate coldly.
"It's certain that this guy needed power to cure mental illness. After verifying that the power is real, he probably planned to introduce it to the Crown Prince, achieve his goal, and then deal with the aftermath."
"Deal with…?"
The colleague's face turned white once again.
"Nahan, can't you erase their memories with your power?"
"My power is to manipulate illusions, not memories. It's much easier to drive them mad by showing continuous illusions. Or we could just kill them now, while they're defenseless."
At Nahan's cold response, the man bit his lip.
"We can't do that. Killing a high-ranking noble for such a reason is far too dangerous. Instead... let's pretend to cure his migraine and then run away. I will explain it to the sage."
"If they believe we cured them, won't they keep looking for us? Didn't you complain about how hard it was to evade the Peletta Knights? You want to add the Diarca to that?"
"That's true, but we need to let the sage know so that he can come up with a plan. And in the first place, all of that is because of you…!"
"Shh. If you raise your voice, they might wake from the illusion."
The man, who had started to raise his voice, was taken aback by Nahan's words and shut his mouth. He looked anxiously at Baron Durmand, who was lost in the illusion. Thankfully, the Baron was still swaying in a daze, regardless of the loud conversation.
The man sighed softly and spoke in a hushed voice.
"Anyway, the reason our situation is becoming increasingly dangerous is because of you. If it weren't for you, Gayle and Doyle would still be with us, and the Peletta Knights wouldn't be so relentless."
"Gayle and Doyle. The sage didn't look for them either."
"Have you forgotten who Peletta Duke is? How do we find them when they're caught by the Cavalry that's much stronger than us? I don't think they're alive. They're probably already…"
The colleague gritted his teeth and turned away.
"So please, stop taking risks and just heed the sage's advice for once! Who do you think pulled you out of that deathly swamp?"
The moment his words ended, an icy chill seemed to plunge the atmosphere to sub-zero.
The man stifled the laugh he had barely managed to muster and stiffened at the sight of Nahan, his face expressionless. He raised his hands in immediate apology.
"... I apologize. I know you dislike hearing about it, but I spoke without thinking in my anxiety."
"It was Hosanna and the sage himself who saved me. Neither you nor your brothers have a place to debate that."
Nahan responded with an unnervingly calm voice.
"And has the sage ever objected to my saving the brothers?"
"…He hasn't, but still…"
Before the man could add anything to his muttered words, as if helpless, Nahan, his lips slightly curved up, cut him off.
"Both you and I owe our lives to someone else's rescue. Don't you think it's too cowardly to refuse to save other brothers in danger just because you don't want to disturb the peace you've regained? That would be an unfair thing to say to Gayle and Doyle, who chose to risk their lives and came to help me, knowing the danger."
For a moment, Hosanna, standing behind him, clenched his fists with a gloomy expression. Nahan knew that he felt guilty for roping Gayle and Doyle into their troubles, but he said nothing and pretended not to know, simply staring at his comrade.
"..."
In the end, the man closed his mouth, his face a mix of anger and complexity. Nahan turned back with a peaceful expression and opened his mouth leisurely, gazing at the two men lost in fantasy.
"In any case, I will follow your advice this time not to kill people indiscriminately. But before that... We should ask what problem the Crown Prince has that made him look for us."
"Why are you doing that again? I've told you not to do anything unnecessary…!"
"Be quiet. Even the sage needs to know the reasons."
Ignoring his comrade coolly, Nahan moved forward, and as he waved his hand lightly once more, Baron Durmand seemed to suddenly notice something and looked around. The man, still staggering with a cloudy gaze, opened his mouth as if bewitched.
"When did I get here... Hmm? Oh, sorry. You're asking if the Crown Prince is okay? Stop it."
The nobleman sitting in his place moved his hand as if smoking and sighed.
"Everything has been chaotic since that damned assassination attempt. Despite the scars on his face healing completely, he constantly sees red scars and has smashed every mirror. Just like those Apeto bastards. If he had stayed a little longer, he would have had enough time to reflect and bow down to Duke Diarca. Who knew it would turn out like this."
Hearing the words, Nahan's eyes narrowed. His comrade was instinctively terrified at the thought of having heard the deepest secret of the imperial family.
"He must rise again. He must. How did we put him in that place? It's unthinkable that he would fall here…"
The man finished speaking and stared blankly into space, his eyes lost in thought once again.
"…The Crown Prince's insanity, indeed."
Nahan absentmindedly stroked his chin as he murmured,
"That's just about when they would contact the likes of us."
"Na-Nahan, you don't mean to tell me you're actually interested in that story? I thought you said you would rather die than deal with nobility."
When his comrade exclaimed in shock, Nahan shrugged as though he was stating the obvious.
"Of course, I hate it. No interest whatsoever. What these swinish characters do or don't do is of no concern to me. If I can help it, I'd prefer to avoid them for life."
At Nahan's retort, his comrade frowned and shook his head.
"Then we should hurry and pretend to treat them before escaping. The moment they realize we've heard this story, we're as good as dead!"
"Understood, so try to keep your composure, brother. I'll end the illusion soon."
After a while, Nahan showed a few more illusions to the nobleman and his subordinate before flicking his finger. They were left believing that they had merely had a dream.
"From now on, you will not feel any migraines. Once a few days pass and you begin to believe, contact us at the same place."
"Is that true?"
The nobleman, skeptical but hopeful, touched his face and smiled.
"Good. I'll let you leave unharmed for today. Begone."
As an arrogant noble, he believed that sparing their lives was a generous enough favor. Having received their dismissal, the three of them swiftly retreated and left the premises. Only once they had moved a considerable distance from the house did Hosanna, sweat glistening on his forehead, dare to speak.
"...What if the illusion doesn't work? You said it might not work on those with strong mental fortitude."
"For me, that doesn't matter, but those kinds of characters have such weak mental power that they fell into my illusions without me exerting any effort. Don't worry, Hosanna, there won't be a problem."
Nahan replied nonchalantly. Their colleague listening nearby interjected with a skeptical face.
"Is there anyone who could escape your ability?"
"Of course, there is."
"Have you seen them?"
"Yes. Several times."
At Nahan's reply, his colleague blinked in surprise. He hadn't expected that response.
"Oh... I see. Whoever they are, I hope they come to our Star of Nagran. If they are that mentally strong, even the sage would be pleased."
"He said he didn't want to."
"Pardon?"
Nahan didn't give any further explanation. His colleague, assuming he had heard wrong, quickly forgot about the matter. His mind filled with thoughts of reporting to the sage, he bid farewell to Nahan and Hosanna with a heavy heart and disappeared in another direction.
Nahan watched in silence as he departed, then turned to Hosanna and asked,
"Hosanna, what do you think the sage would think about that story?"
"Pardon?"
"It's the Crown Prince."
"Well... I don't know."
Hosanna glanced around and shook his head with a bewildered expression.
"He's a good person... He wouldn't put us in danger twice. I think..."
"A good person."
Nahan's lips closed tightly.
"Yes, let's hope so."
"Why? Are you worried?"
"No. Never mind. Also, it seems that the swinish character we just met doesn't trust us and has sent someone to tail us. We should teleport directly across the market from the next alley."
Hosanna was startled and widened his eyes, but he didn't turn to look behind. He nodded and shifted his stride with feigned nonchalance.
A moment later, a flash of light streaked from beyond the alley. By the time the henchman of Baron Durmand, who had been tailing them, sluggishly pursued, there was no one left in the alley.
—---
"Yuder."
At Ever's voice, Yuder turned his head and squinted at the rising dawn sun.
"Yes?"
"Do you really think we might be dispatched to the West?"
"Didn't you hear from the Commander? I thought he mentioned it to the Deputy Commanders."
"We only got a brief message, so it doesn't feel real."
Ever, who had frowned as if to say, 'isn't it obvious?' quickly broke into a smile.
