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a group swiftly traversed the quiet forest path.

Two men led the way, followed by a woman.

A total of two men and one woman, all young.

Each of their expressions hinted at a sense of determination.

“How much further?”

“We’re almost there.”

The man who asked the question kicked the ground forcefully.

“Let’s pick up the pace.”

Every time their matching worn martial uniforms fluttered, the wind swirled around them.

With each step, they left barely noticeable footprints on the ground.

As the forest path abruptly ended and a bustling city came into view,

The men at the front suddenly stopped.

“…”

Like frozen statues, the two men couldn’t take their eyes off the cityscape.

“…This is Khaoto?”

People walked freely on the modernized streets, and merchants formed a lively procession.

The man on the right closed one eye and surveyed the distant mountains before speaking.

“It seems so, Senior Brother Taylor.”

Taylor, the man addressed as such, nodded with a puzzled expression.

“I don’t know what I’m seeing right now.”

Taylor turned his head to look at the woman who had followed them.

Even Arin, who rarely showed surprise, had her eyes wide open as she gazed at the city.

They knew the past state of Khaoto better than anyone, so the current sight was beyond their comprehension.

The man who called Taylor “Senior Brother” asked,

“Shall we return to the clan immediately?”

Taylor had originally intended to, but he changed his mind.

“Let’s look around a bit first, Blair.”

“Yes.”

Blair, the man, led the way.

The more they walked along the main street, the more unbelievable the scene became.

“Huh.”

The old, gloomy, and shabby Khaoto was gone. It was as if it had transformed into a completely different city. It was hard to tell if this was Leon or Khaoto.

The neatly maintained streets were filled with foreign merchants, and well-trained warriors patrolled the streets, exuding a sharp aura.

At first, they thought they were the same gangsters from before, but seeing how friendly the locals were with them, it didn’t seem to be the case.

“What is this…”

“Huh, really…”

“I can’t believe it.”

Taylor’s exclamations continued.

Blair glanced at him briefly with a surprised look.

It had been a long time since Taylor had openly expressed his inner thoughts.

And Blair knew the reason why Taylor had become so taciturn.

‘…Senior Brother.’

Seeing Taylor express his emotions after such a long time made Blair’s heart ache for some reason.

“Hey, handsome young men. Come here for a moment.”

“Why are you sighing like that? Are you feeling unwell? You should see a doctor.”

“…”

Of course, Blair was also having trouble adjusting. The people who used to be so wary were now acting friendly as if they were possessed.

“This is absurd.”

After wandering around Khaoto in a daze for a while, the group finally headed towards their destination as evening approached.

“Hmm?”

While walking, Blair suddenly looked at a particular spot.

Taylor instinctively turned his gaze as well.

From a restaurant occupying one side of the street, the enticing aroma of spicy food wafted towards them.

Come to think of it, they hadn’t eaten anything all day.

They hadn’t touched any food since they left Keplan, too tense and anxious.

“Shall we go in?”

After a brief moment of contemplation, Taylor replied,

“Let’s.”

Returning to the clan was their priority, but for some reason, seeing the state of Khaoto had left them feeling unsettled.

* * *

As they entered the restaurant, it was already quite crowded despite being early in the evening.

After a considerable wait, the chef approached them.

“Welcome.”

The chef bowed with a friendly smile.

“I apologize for the long wait. We usually have servers, but they’re all busy at Samael these days, trying to become mages. Haha.”

Suddenly, the group’s gazes all turned to the chef.

“Samael is teaching magic?”

The chef finally took a closer look at the group and said,

“Now that I look at you, I haven’t seen you before. That’s right. Samael is selecting children and teaching them magic. Anyway, what would you like to eat? If it’s your first time, I recommend the chicken stew.”

Blair was about to say something but closed his mouth after seeing Taylor’s expression.

When Taylor nodded without saying anything, Blair looked at the chef and said,

“Two stews, please. Arin, what would you like?”

The woman, who had been sitting quietly without saying a word, finally spoke for the first time.

“Can I have it spicy?”

The chef replied with a smile,

“Of course. We have spicy, big brother spicy, and crazy spicy.”

“I’ll have the spiciest one.”

The chef responded with a slightly concerned tone,

“It’s going to be very spicy.”

“It’s okay.”

As the chef left for the kitchen, Blair shook his head and sighed.

“…It seems a lot has changed while we were in the Demon Realm.”

“Fortunately, the situation we were worried about doesn’t seem to have happened.”

“It’s a bit disconcerting.”

Taylor, who had been closing his eyes in thought for a moment, said,

“It reminds me of what the Vice Tower Master said.”

“…Hector?”

Taylor closed his eyes for a moment, recalling recent events.

As soon as they returned from the Demon Realm and arrived back at the Magic Tower, he couldn’t hide his confusion.

The Vice Tower Master, who he thought would be at the clan estate, was unexpectedly staying at the main tower.

“What did the Vice Tower Master say?”

“Just one thing.”

Taylor opened his closed eyes and replied,

“Things will have changed.”

“Ah.”

Blair also understood the Vice Tower Master’s words.

The chef came out with steaming stews and placed one in front of each of the three. Only one was noticeably red.

As soon as they took a bite, they were surprised by the appetizing flavor that stimulated their taste buds. Arin was the first to speak.

“Wow, this is delicious.”

The chef replied with a surprised look,

“It’s not too spicy for you?”

“It’s just right.”

“You’re the first person besides that guy to say it’s not spicy. That’s amazing. Well then, enjoy your meal.”

Blair looked at Arin with a slightly surprised expression. It was rare to see Arin express such admiration.

‘I’m surprised several times today.’

Both Taylor and Arin.

Blair couldn’t immediately judge whether the current situation was good or bad.

Blair looked at Taylor and said,

“Try it quickly, Senior Brother. It’s really delicious.”

“Alright.”

Once their hunger was somewhat satisfied, Taylor looked around the restaurant and observed the people.

It was a habit of his.

There were mostly men, and they were all sneaking glances in their direction.

It wasn’t a situation that bothered him particularly.

It was a common occurrence when he was with Arin.

Arin attracting attention was a familiar sight wherever they went.

However, at this moment, Taylor couldn’t help but feel puzzled.

‘Hmm.’

Wondering if he was seeing things, he nudged Blair and pointed in a certain direction. Blair, who was in the middle of eating his stew, spat it out and exclaimed,

“What’s that?”

A man was sitting cross-legged on a table, meditating.

It was a bizarre sight.

What on earth was he doing in a restaurant?

Even more bizarre were the people sitting around him. Rough-looking men were eating their food without paying any attention.

Even the chef didn’t seem to mind.

“Have I been in the Demon Realm for too long?”

It seemed like he was hallucinating.

Just then, the meditating man suddenly opened his eyes and smacked the back of the head of another man sitting next to him.

“I told you not to get distracted while eating.”

Smack—

The man with the ponytail, who had been sneaking glances at Arin, face-planted onto the table.

The surprising thing was that even after getting hit on the back of the head, he didn’t react at all.

“Our ponytail friend here still lacks mental discipline. He should be focused on eating quickly and getting back to training, not ogling like a pervert. Decide now. Do you want to be demoted or get hit with a slingshot?”

The man with the ponytail replied,

“I’ll take the slingshot.”

“Slingshots are fun, aren’t they? Come on up.”

Ponytail climbed onto the table, sat facing the man in a meditative posture, and swept his bangs back.

The man pressed his right palm against Ponytail’s forehead, then pulled his right middle finger with his left hand and blew a breath.

“Haaaah.”

With a loud smack, Ponytail collapsed onto the floor, then immediately got up, regained his composure, and started eating his stew again.

Meanwhile, the people in the restaurant continued about their business, completely unfazed.

“I have no idea what I’m witnessing.”

“This is dizzying.”

“If we stay any longer, I might start acting strange too. Let’s go.”

Once outside, Blair shook his head, trying to forget what he had just seen in the restaurant.

As they headed towards the clan estate, old memories resurfaced.

“I wonder if the clan head and the elders are doing well. It’s been a long time since we’ve seen them.”

The corners of Taylor’s mouth tightened subtly.

“They must have gone through a lot.”

“But they’ll be happy to hear about our achievements.”

Sensing the mood turning somber, Blair tried to brighten the atmosphere.

“I wonder how the kids are doing.”

Arin, who had been following behind, responded for the first time,

“The apprentices?”

Blair replied with a smile,

“Yeah. There was that kid who used to follow you around. What was his name, Zion?”

“Not that brat, I meant Ain.”

“Haha.”

The briefly lifted mood soon subsided.

As they got closer to the clan estate, a natural pressure, as if being suppressed by something, settled among the three of them.

Taylor suddenly turned around with a serious expression.

“It’s time for us to lead Samael. Remember that.”

“Yes, Senior Brother.”

* * *

“State your purpose!”

Blair was once again taken aback by the ear-splitting voice. It felt like he was experiencing a year’s worth of emotional turmoil all at once today.

Who were these people?

The guards were on high alert, and the patrol leader glared at them with an intimidating gaze.

Blair turned his head and exchanged a brief look with Taylor.

‘Who are they?’

‘They seem like gatekeepers…’

But somehow…

Somehow, they resembled…

The warriors guarding a prestigious clan.

It wasn’t about their strength. It was their posture and spirit. They exuded the pride of those who protect their clan.

“State your purpose immediately!”

At the commanding voice once again, Taylor shook his head slightly.

If they didn’t state their purpose, it seemed like they were ready to use force immediately.

“I am Taylor Samael.”

“Who’s that? State your affiliation… Wait. Taylor Samael? You’re Samael?”

“Please inform them inside that the White Horse Squad has returned.”

“Please wait a moment.”

A look of confusion flickered across the patrol leader’s face, but it was only for a brief moment.

Quickly regaining his composure, the patrol leader went inside to deliver the message.

This, too, reminded them of the gatekeepers of a prestigious clan.

‘It’s not a bad change.’

Taylor, who had been watching the patrol leader’s back, suddenly turned around without realizing it.

Blair followed suit, his expression hardening, and Arin’s eyebrows twitched slightly.

A woman in a blue martial uniform was slowly walking towards them, escorted by a middle-aged man.

“…”

They all recognized the face.

It was a face they had spent many years with.

The woman they thought would return to Samael with them was now looking at them with a cynical gaze, as if they were strangers in a foreign land.

As the woman approached, Blair spoke with a complicated expression.

“Layla.”

The woman called Layla didn’t respond.

“Have you still not changed your mind?”

“…”

“As you can see, Khaoto has changed. Samael must have changed too. If we work together, the possibilities for the future…”

“I’m just here to say hello.”

Blair’s breath hitched.

Her resolute decision was evident in her emotionless reply.

Layla, who had been looking around with indifferent eyes, met Taylor’s gaze.

“Since this is the last time, let me try to persuade you one more time. There’s still a chance. You won’t be able to achieve anything in Samael.”

Her tone was firm and cold.

Blair was momentarily enraged and about to shout something, but he forcefully suppressed his emotions at Taylor’s gesture.

Taylor looked at Layla.

“Layla.”

His tone was also devoid of any emotional inflection.

Layla shuddered slightly as she met Taylor’s eyes.

“…”

Taylor didn’t bother asking.

What had changed her mind in the Demon Realm? Why did she want to leave Samael? And why, of all clans, did she choose the Urgon clan?

He hadn’t asked from the beginning, and he wasn’t asking now.

He simply opened his mouth with a calm expression.

“It seems our paths are different.”

It was an indifferent answer, but Layla could read a lot from Taylor’s eyes.

Layla bit her lip once and replied,

“Yes.”

She smiled as if she had said all she needed to say.

“It can’t be helped then.”

It was a smile devoid of any lingering attachment.

———