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Arin, who had followed me out, asked,

“What are you doing?”

“Cooling down.”

After an intense leg workout, it’s essential to stretch and cool down properly.

It’s a must for a refreshing start to the day.

While I was exercising and waiting, the other two, freshly bathed, emerged hesitantly from the inn.

“Let’s go.”

I finished my routine and headed towards the bustling downtown area.

Taylor, though glaring at me, obediently followed. He was quite the enigma.

It seemed like he was curious about me.

As we walked, I glanced back at the two and had to suppress a laugh.

Could people change this much?

Everything else aside, the footprints clearly stamped on their eyelids were hard to ignore.

I guess even scrubbing hard didn’t erase them.

Still, at a glance, they could pass for pillow marks, so it wasn’t too bad.

Despite the late hour, the downtown area was brightly lit, as if it were daytime. Not wanting a noisy meal, we bypassed the central hub and headed towards the lakeside.

We entered a quiet tavern, and the owner, with a protruding belly, greeted us.

“A party of four? Take a seat wherever you’re comfortable.”

We settled at a small table outside, and the owner, in his friendly manner, said,

“Tourists, are you? Oh, that facial tattoo is quite impressive. What can I get you? I can make some recommendations.”

“Earlier, I saw people eating some kind of steamed fish.”

The owner smiled.

“Steamed carp is our specialty.”

“Make it spicy, please. And do you have any moonshine?”

“Of course.”

“A bottle of that too, then.”

As the owner headed to the kitchen, I turned to admire the lakeside view. Lanterns hanging overhead cast a soft glow on the night lake.

Being so close, the cool lake breeze tickled my face pleasantly.

“This is it.”

This was the charm of dining outdoors.

The chairs might be a bit uncomfortable, but I preferred this to fancy places like Chris Beer.

I felt at ease.

Come to think of it, maybe it was inevitable, considering my background as an orphan and a former gangster.

The White Horse members were also lost in thought, gazing at the lake.

While we were enjoying the view, a delicious aroma wafted over.

“Steamed carp is ready!”

The owner placed a large tray and a bottle of moonshine on the table.

“I made it extra spicy, just for you. Enjoy your meal.”

As soon as he left, I took a deep breath. The spicy scent filled my nostrils.

“Man, this is making my mouth water.”

The steaming carp was coated in a vibrant red sauce, topped with a sprinkle of red pepper flakes.

As I flaked the meat, it fell apart as smoothly as sliced tofu. The soft fish, infused with the spicy sauce, tickled my tongue as soon as I took a bite.

Washing it down with a sip of moonshine, I felt a burning sensation in my throat, followed by a refreshing coolness in my chest.

“Ah, this hits the spot.”

This was a proper late-night snack. Arin, after taking a bite of the steamed carp, also let out a sigh of satisfaction.

“It’s really delicious.”

However, I sensed a hint of disappointment in Arin’s tone. I seemed to understand the reason, so I nodded in agreement.

Compared to Donkey’s cooking, this fell a bit short.

But then again, Donkey’s culinary skills weren’t something you could easily find elsewhere. This was tasty enough to satisfy my cravings.

The four of us ate in silence.

Taylor and Blair, seemingly hungry, were diligently devouring the carp.

Seeing them gobble down the food with footprints all over their faces, I suddenly felt a pang of guilt and let out a laugh.

“Heh heh.”

I quickly covered my mouth with my hand.

The amusement outweighed the guilt, and laughter escaped me involuntarily.

I observed the two for a moment…

They had been eating, but at some point, they started glancing at me from time to time. Especially Taylor. It felt like he had something to say.

Since we were moderately full, I decided to break the ice to aid digestion.

“If you don’t want to die holding everything in, then learn to let go a little.”

Taylor stopped eating.

“If you act like a pushover, everyone will underestimate Samael.”

Taylor quietly replied,

“Anyone can say that.”

“But I showed you.”

“That’s even worse. We’re the underdogs. Reckless actions won’t do us any good.”

“Sometimes, it’s necessary. Especially for the underdogs.”

I pointed at Taylor’s eyes.

“Don’t sugarcoat cowardice. If you keep yielding, you’ll lose everything. Even your convictions.”

While Taylor remained silent, Blair interjected.

“It’s not cowardice.”

“What?”

“Senior Brother has fought back before. In the Demon Realm.”

I suddenly recalled how Moose feared Taylor. I had a feeling it was connected to what Blair just said.

I was about to ask but decided against it. For some reason, I sensed a whiff of the old, obnoxious Samael.

Instead of arguing, I said,

“Samael is stronger than you think. If you keep holding back, the Samael you envision will never come to be.”

Taylor just stared at me silently, so I added,

“Forget it.”

To each their own thoughts.

As I mentioned, you can’t change a man with convictions by force.

In the end, the decision was mine to make.

After a few rounds of drinks in silence, Taylor suddenly looked at me and asked,

“I’m curious. What kind of magic did you use?”

Blair’s gaze also instinctively shifted towards my mouth. I shook my head and replied,

“You know the answer.”

Taylor muttered, as if to himself,

“… Was it really incantation magic? Circle magic? How could incantations have that kind of power?”

“How is it possible? It’s just how it is.”

“That’s absurd…”

“It’s not impossible. I am the proof. You got beaten, so what’s so absurd about it?”

I fired off words rapidly, cutting off any further questions. This was something they needed to feel for themselves.

Especially someone like Samael.

After a moment of contemplation, Taylor said,

“It’s not like we don’t know about Circle magic. We experimented with it a long time ago. But there’s a limit to incantations cast through Circles.”

As expected, these guys, like Ain and the elders, already possessed Circles.

While I looked at them with a disappointed expression, Taylor calmly recounted the battle.

“I definitely unlocked all five stars of my Mana Core. The Beast Soul Transformation was flawless. My magic manifested correctly. And I clearly confirmed it. The barrier you surrounded yourself with was undoubtedly a 4-star Wind Armor.”

“It’s not 4-star, it’s 4-Circle.”

Taylor narrowed his eyes.

“Fine, 4-Circle, as you say. I understand the theory of Circle magic. You didn’t even utter an incantation. To cast Wind Armor that easily, it must be the Abbreviated Incantation that the former head mentioned. Tell me, how did you penetrate my 5-star Beast Soul Transformation with a 4-Circle defensive magic so effortlessly?”

For a moment, I looked at Taylor with surprise. He was fully aware of what had hit him. Knowing and not knowing what hit you makes a big difference.

This time, I explained in detail.

“Beast Soul Transformations are weak. It’s inevitable when you do something stupid like drawing Beast Souls from your Mana Core. You saw it, right? Even if you use the same magic, the power differs. The concept of ‘star rating’ itself is flawed.”

I met Taylor’s eyes and said,

“In other words, all the magic you cast with your Mana Core…”

“…”

“… I can counter with Circle magic one tier lower.”

Overwhelmed by my confidence, Taylor looked at Blair with a bewildered expression and asked,

“… Where did you learn magic?”

“From Samael.”

Taylor sighed and shook his head with a tired look.

“I can’t understand.”

“So what?”

“I don’t get it.”

Suddenly, I felt a surge of anger and slapped Taylor. Smack — With the sound, Taylor’s head snapped back.

“I’m so pissed off. You don’t understand? Do I have to explain it to you? Let me ask you something. Do you know who the second most difficult person to communicate with in the world is?”

As I prepared my forehead slingshot, Taylor quickly replied,

“An ignorant person who knows nothing?”

“Someone who knows nothing but one thing. Who do you think is the most difficult person to communicate with in the world?”

“I don’t know.”

“Someone who knows nothing but one thing, and on top of that, has convictions. Someone like you.”

“…”

Silence fell once again.

Meanwhile, Arin continued to eat the steamed carp and drink the moonshine as if nothing had happened. She seemed completely uninterested in our conversation. She had been like that from the start.

Even when I was arguing with Taylor or talking about Mana Circles, she hadn’t even glanced our way.

Suddenly, I looked at Arin and, out of curiosity, asked,

“Why didn’t you enter the Demon Realm? You said you turned back at the entrance.”

Arin replied while sipping her moonshine,

“I had my reasons.”

“What reasons?”

“There were reasons.”

Suddenly, a strange feeling washed over me. I turned my head, and Taylor just shrugged. He seemed to be as clueless as I was.

I stared intently at Arin. There was something I wanted to confirm.

“You’re the strongest of the three. Why didn’t you go in?”

Arin hesitated slightly.

It was a fleeting moment, but I didn’t miss her biting her lip.

‘What’s this?’

Returning to her usual expressionless demeanor, Arin took a sip of moonshine and coldly replied,

“Mind your own business.”

“Hmm.”

I couldn’t shake this strange feeling.

It was a similar sense of déjà vu that I had felt when I saw One-Eye a while ago.

But I didn’t press further. I decided to let things flow naturally.

After indulging in more of the spicy steamed carp, I said,

“I bet there’s even more delicious food at the banquet, right?”

The owner poked his head out from inside and asked,

“Don’t tell me you’re going to Urgon’s banquet?”

“That’s right.”

“Now I see you’re quite the distinguished guests.”

The owner chuckled and walked out.

“But even there, you won’t easily find something tastier than our steamed carp.”

“You’ve got confidence.”

I laughed along with him. It seemed like skilled cooks shared a common trait: immense pride in their dishes.

Speaking of which, maybe it was because I had eaten so much of the steamed carp, but a sudden thought crossed my mind.

“I want to catch a carp.”

I immediately jumped up and ran towards the lake. It’s best to act on your thoughts when they strike.

Splash— The cold water jolted me awake as I plunged into the lake. I started splashing around, searching for carp.

I searched for a long time, but no carp were in sight.

I glanced across the lake and saw the White Horse members staring at me with pitying eyes.

I didn’t care. So what if I couldn’t catch a carp?

“Wow, this is so refreshing.”

Feeling good was all that mattered.

———