As the sun hit his eyes, Heng reflexively shielded them with his hand. He was sleeping in his parents' old room; after they left, he had tidied it often but never lived in it. To focus on his goals, he had deliberately distanced himself from others, which gave him more time to work but often left him solitary. Naturally, he never had guests staying over.
Feeling a bit low, he stepped out of his room, only to freeze in place.
"You guys..."
"Awake? Morning~"
Lancer was sitting at the dining table, flipping through a strange book. He greeted Heng and chuckled when he saw the young man's dazed expression.
"What's with that look? Did you think I'd leave without saying goodbye?"
"Yeah..."
Heng, feeling a bit embarrassed by the counter-question, pulled out a chair and sat opposite him.
"Leaving without a word might be 'cool,' but I prefer to leave after saying goodbye to friends."
Having traveled through several worlds, Lancer had experienced many departures. From the initial lingering sorrow to his current habitual calm, it wasn't that he no longer valued them—he had simply learned the right way to relate to people. He had matured.
The farewell wasn't overly dramatic. The girl named Nana had made breakfast with Tiger. After eating and sharing a few hugs, Lancer waved with a smile and turned to leave without hesitation.
Heng didn't lower his hand until Lancer and the others had completely vanished from his sight, feeling a sense of loss.
Just then, someone took hold of his slowly lowering hand.
"Nana?"
"It's okay, Heng. I don't know what your friends are planning, but they're so strong, I'm sure they'll be fine!"
With Lancer's permission, Heng had briefly explained the events of his disappearance to Nana over breakfast. Her words helped ease his lingering worry.
"Yeah. Lancer is so strong, he'll definitely be fine. I don't know where he's going, but I can't slack off either. After all, that 'gift' he promised is still waiting for me at Schrade Castle!"
Without Heng, Lancer and his group traveled much faster. However, the only thing bothering Lancer was... lately, he suspected he had become a human cat tree.
Although the three Palicoes were listed as "Arch-Tempered" in their status bars, their size hadn't changed. They had, however, become much clingier. After discovering that Jack had dropped his "tsundere" act entirely, Lancer took several extra baths, worrying he smelled like silvervine.
He eventually realized it might be the lingering "Elder Dragon Energy" from killing the blue dragon. But then————
"Haha~~"
The toddler... no, the Loli perched on his head let out a yawn.
Since realizing her old suitcase could no longer fit her, Zero had spontaneously claimed a spot on Lancer's shoulders.
According to her, she stayed on him "to ensure she could support Lancer at any moment during combat," but Lancer suspected she was just too lazy to walk.
Lancer's group, originally intending to head straight to "Schrade Castle," came to a temporary halt some distance away because they found an "outpost."
Judging by the structure, it was a destroyed village. Unsurprisingly, it had likely been caught in the crossfire of the siege due to its proximity to the capital.
Since time was short, Lancer didn't bring Olga Marie and the others inside, opting to gather intelligence alone.
When Lancer returned a few hours later, Olga Marie immediately noticed his grim expression.
"What happened?"
"Let's talk as we walk. The situation at Schrade Castle is... complicated."
After Lancer's explanation, Olga Marie's expression turned serious. Lancer realized that when they first heard "no one escaped," they had overlooked one thing: just because no one came out didn't mean the situation inside was clear.
"The five witnessed Elder Dragons have all departed, and the massive dragon packs surrounding the city have vanished. But here's the thing: when they left, the city hadn't actually been breached. The city fell from the inside. Furthermore, not a single scout who entered the city afterward has come out alive. This city... is cursed."
Anyone with common sense could see the abnormality. In fact, the camp where Lancer gathered info had split into several factions because of this.
The first group wanted to keep sending scouts; if they didn't figure out why Schrade was destroyed, the surviving villages wouldn't know when they might be next.
The second group wanted a full evacuation, arguing the situation was too eerie and they should wait until they were better prepared.
The third group... well, they were just at a loss.
Like most things, there were radicals, conservatives, and centrists. Most people leaned toward the conservative side, paralyzed by the destruction of the strongest nation's capital.
"But you aren't going to give up, are you?"
Facing Olga Marie's remark, Lancer smirked.
"You know me best~ I won't give up. Just because they can't handle it doesn't mean I can't. Besides————I'm curious to see what exactly destroyed this city."
Usually, Olga Marie would have criticized Lancer's "death-seeking" spirit, but this time her face reddened slightly, and she looked down in thought.
Though the recon didn't yield "hard" intel, it put Lancer on high alert.
After several more hours of flying, they finally laid eyes on the massive city.
The outer walls were riddled with massive breaches, likely caused by dragon attacks. But what surprised Lancer more were the giant ballistae and various siege engines he couldn't even name.
No wonder they held out so long against five Elder Dragons. But...
Because of the city's powerful defenses, Lancer grew even more wary. This fortress had been breached after all.
As he tried to steer the Rathalos toward the walls, the beast began to thrash violently. Even when Lancer threatened it with death, it refused to approach the fallen city.
Left with no choice, Lancer released it. The Rathalos actually tripped while trying to take off in its panic, barely clearing the ground as it fled.
Its pathetic display spoke volumes about the power that might be dwelling within the city.
"Let's go."
Lancer gave the order to Olga Marie and Zero once the dragon had vanished.
Olga Marie drew her staff, and Zero stopped lounging, instead observing the surroundings with keen alertness...