His back straightened instantly, but his hands trembled slightly at his sides.
"N-No… My lady, that was not my intentio—"
He stopped mid-sentence.
His eyes shifted upward.
Krone's voice trembled.
"My lady!"
"What now?"
"Th—There!, There is something up!"
Serilda did not look up immediately.
She was still staring at Krone,thinking it.
"What is it?"
Krone did not answer.
His eyes were fixed upward.
She followed his gaze.
High above the evening clouds—
A spark burned.
At first it resembled a star.
Brighter than the others.
Unnaturally bright.
Then it moved.
No—
It was descending.
The spark grew larger.
The sky began to glow orange.
It was a massive fireball, its flames burning bright and fierce, hurtled towards them.
It curved.
Like it had chosen.
Like it had decided.
And then—
It descended.
A massive fireball tore through the western sector of Blade Fortress. The impact was cataclysmic.
Stone walls shattered like glass.
Towers collapsed inward.
Flames burst upward in a spiraling inferno.
The shockwave rolled across the entire stronghold, hurling soldiers off their feet and cracking marble pillars along the courtyard.
The western battlements were gone. They were reduced to rubble in seconds.
Smoke and dust swallowed half the skyline.
"What the hell?!" they shouted almost in unison.
The roar of destruction echoed across the valley.
Serilda's breathing sharpened.
"That was not a natural fall…"
Krone stared at the burning ruin in disbelief.
"It changed direction…"
The meteor had adjusted mid-descent.
That was no random celestial event.
That was controlled.
"It's a good thing that there is no one in the western battlements right now..."
Far away—
Several kilometers from Blade Fortress—
On a quiet ridge overlooking the valley two figures stood.
Leon and Nox.
Smoke rose in a thick black column from the direction of Blade Fortress, staining the evening sky.
The distant echo of destruction reached them faintly.
Nox smiled.
"You got your revenge."
Leon's expression did not change.
His young face remained calm and cold.
"Of course."
His eyes reflected the burning horizon.
"They were the reason my Katana Castle was destroyed."
Nox chuckled darkly.
"An eye for an eye?"
Leon shook his head slightly.
"You're terrifying for a five-year-old."
Leon did not respond immediately.
"I am not. I instructed Kylus to shoot the part where there is no one..."
But his gaze remained fixed on the burning fortress.
"They thought I was alone."
His voice lowered.
"They thought I was powerless."
The smoke thickened in the distance.
Screams barely audible.
Nox's grin widened.
"And now?"
Leon turned away from the sight of destruction.
"Now they will think i have a powerful person backing me...so they will be more cautious of me."
Leon had already taken three steps down the ridge when something snapped inside his mind.
His body froze completely.
"…Nox."
Nox was still smiling faintly, watching the destruction from afar.
"Yes?"
Leon's voice had lost its composure.
It was sharper now.
"Where is Felix?"
The question cut through the air.
Nox's smile faded slightly.
"…Felix?"
"Oh no—"
His voice cracked.
"I forgot him!"
He turned back,ready to go back to the fortress when suddenly—
WHOOM!
A violent surge of wind blasted down the ridge.
Grass flattened violently.
Dust spiraled upward in a tightening vortex.
Leon was shoved backward, boots scraping against stone as he struggled to keep his footing.
Nox's eyes sharpened instantly, energy flickering faintly around his fingers.
A silhouette cut through the swirling dust.
Fast.
Too fast.
It wasn't running.
It was tearing through the wind and slammed into the ground before Leon.
The impact cracked the stone.
Wind exploded outward again, pushing Leon back a second time before settling into fading currents.
Ash drifted down.
Smoke clung to the air.
And there kneeling on one knee—
Was Felix.
He was shaking.
"Master!!!"
His voice cracked.
Before Leon could react, Felix dropped to his knees and grabbed his tiny leg.
He was crying with actual tears.
Heavy, dramatic, unstoppable tears.
Nox blinked.
"…He's crying?."
Leon stiffened.
"Felix?"
Felix looked up, face red, eyes watery, nose slightly running under soot-covered armor.
"They— they locked me in a room!"
Leon's expression sharpened instantly.
"What?"
Felix sobbed harder.
"And… and there were girls!"
Silence.
The wind passed awkwardly between them.
Nox tilted his head.
"…Girls?"
Leon's eyes widened slowly.
"…Girls?"
Felix nodded violently, still kneeling.
"They said it was for negotiation!"
He continued."They locked the doors! They said if I pledged loyalty to Blade Fortress, they would personally attend to me!"
He buried his face in his gauntlets.
"It was terrifying!"
Nox stared.
"…Terrifying?"
Leon closed his eyes.
A long sigh escaped him.
"I knew it."
Nox looked at him.
"Knew what?"
Leon rubbed his forehead.
"I knew they would attempt to recruit him."
He gestured vaguely toward the burning fortress.
"But girls? They resorted to that?"
Felix was still trembling.
"They stood too close, Master!"
Nox's eyebrow twitched.
"…But still,why is he crying for that?"
Leon pointed dramatically at Felix.
"You don't understand."
Nox folded his arms.
"Then enlighten me."
Leon's voice dropped to a grave tone.
"In my novel,I made Felix with a weakness."
Nox leaned forward slightly.
"What is it?"
Leon turned slowly toward him.
"Girls."
Nox stared.
"…Excuse me?"
Felix sniffled loudly.
"They were too close to me!," he muttered miserably.
"They asked me my hobbies!"
Nox blinked twice.
"He is scared of women?"
Leon nodded firmly.
"No...he is too shy around women."
Felix looked up at Leon with watery eyes.
"I tried to escape politely."
"And?"
"They blocked the door and asked if I preferred tea or wine."
"So you fled." Replied Nox.
"Why," Nox asked casually, "did you create Felix with such a catastrophic weakness?"
Leon stiffened.
"I thought it would add a bit of humor to my novel." He said defensively.
Nox's smile widened.
"And now?"
Leon looked at Felix, who was still crying.
"…Now I regret it."
Nox burst into laughter.
"Oh this is beautiful. A Swordmaster who cannot survive a compliment from girls."
Leon shot him a glare.
"My novel was progressing in a dark tone.so i tried to add as much as humor possible...."
Nox mocked him. "You gave him overwhelming loyalty, elite combat skills, tragic depth… and then made him crumble at the sight of girls."
Nox stopped in front of Felix.
"But if a girl says you have 'kind eyes,' your soul leaves your body?"
Felix's jaw tightened.
"That is an exaggeration."
"Oh?" Nox leaned closer. "Describe what happens then."
Felix stiffened.
"My heart rate increases."
"Then?"
"...My speech becomes inefficient."
"Incredible."
"I experience…fear."
Nox folded his arms and leaned forward with a wicked grin.
"So you cannot even maintain eye contact with girls!"
Felix's head snapped up instantly.
"I can maintain eye contact!"
Nox raised a brow.
"With girls?"
Felix opened his mouth confidently—
Then paused.He was not sure on how to reply.
Then Leon shouted.
"Enough!"
Both of them went quiet.
Leon stepped forward, his tone firm.
"Yes, Felix is too shy around girls."
Felix looked horrified.
"Master!"
Leon raised a hand.
"But," he continued, glaring at Nox, "that does not give you the right to mock him."
Nox smirked faintly.
"I am merely stating the truth."
Then a sudden thought struck Leon.He replayed the last thirty seconds in his mind.
From Nox mocking and Felix responding.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"…Wait."
Both of them looked at him.
Felix blinked.
"Yes, Master?"
Leon's thoughts began connecting rapidly.
Felix had responded at the exact moments Nox spoke.He did not respond after Leon reacted.
Leon felt a chill crawl up his spine.
He turned fully toward Felix.
"You heard him."
Felix frowned.
"Yes master?."
Leon's pulse quickened.
"You… can hear him?"
Felix looked confused.
"…Yes."
Leon swallowed.He continued,his voice lowered.
"You can see Nox?"
Silence fell.
Felix glanced at Nox naturally.
"Of course master."
Both Leo and Nox got shocked.They begun to stare at Felix.
"…Why are you both looking at me like that?"
Leon's voice dropped.
"You're… serious?"
Felix blinked.
"About what?"
"About seeing him."
A pause.
Felix slowly turned his head.
He looked directly at Nox.
"…He is right there."
Leon finally exhaled slowly.
"…Seriously."
He ran a hand through his hair, eyes lowering as his thoughts began racing behind the calm expression.
"There are things I need to confirm with Felix."
Nox narrowed his eyes.
"What things?"
Leon didn't answer immediately.
His gaze lingered on Felix — measuring him differently now.
"But," Leon continued, tone returning to something steadier, "I can do that afterward."
"After what?" Asked Nox.
Leon turned away from them both and looked toward the distant horizon.
"Because I need to go there."
Nox's expression grew more serious.
"Where?"
Leon's voice dropped.
"Eruk Mountain."