On the other side of Soroza’s outskirts, a black-robed Cranoa mage arrives at the spot where two of his comrades are gathered behind an abandoned, empty building.

  “Where’s master? It’s time to return to the hideout. The military and city security forces have already begun to spread out.”

  “Master went to deal with the family we took hostage earlier. But… it does feel like he’s been gone for quite a while.”

  “Maybe he’s having some fun torturing his victim first. That is his hobby.”

  “But we can’t wander around too long in a situation like this. Let’s go pick him up.”

  The three black-robed mages immediately turn around to leave. But their steps halt in shock. At some point—no one knows when—Damian has already been sitting on a wooden crate not far from them.

  “Who are you?!” the three Cranoa mages tense up at once.

  Damian stays relaxed, not moving from his seat.

  “Why leave in such a hurry? I’m also waiting for your master. Is he still alive?”

  “He’s a military soldier! Look at his uniform!”

  One of the Cranoa mages steps forward with a smug expression.

  “No need to be afraid. Master said the only mage worth worrying about in Soroza is the military commander. Anyone else can be wiped out easily.”

  “Aha. Is that so?” Damian’s expression shows genuine amusement.

  He rises with a dangerous smile. “That means your luck is extremely, extremely bad. Out of hundreds of Soroza soldiers, you just happened to run into their commander.”

  Damian flicks the golden star badge on his uniform.

  Only then do the three Cranoa mages tense up as they realize who they’re facing.

  “Th-the military commander of Soroza?!”

  “O-our master must have exaggerated that information! Cranoa’s dark power is the strongest!!”

  The Cranoa mages prepare to fire their dark power. But Damian moves first, slamming his right fist into the ground with full force.

  DHAAR!!

  Cracks burst across the earth, racing toward the Cranoa mages, and…

  ZRAAAT!

  From within the fissures, long sharpened metal spikes shoot upward, impaling the three Cranoa mages before they can even dodge. Blood splatters in every direction. The three of them die instantly in a single strike.

  Damian stands back up and loosens his right wrist.

  “Arrogant humans who don’t realize how weak they are. Even my subordinates could have taken care of you easily.”

  The military commander simply walks away.

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  .

  On the rooftop of one of Soroza’s central buildings, a mysterious scout continues observing the situation. A few military soldiers are seen capturing the two remaining Cranoa mages and dragging them toward the military headquarters—watched by Damian, who has just arrived near the building.

  The mysterious scout still feels uncertain.

  “The mage squad has been captured. Is the third prince truly dead? Or….”

  His gaze focuses sharply on Damian below. Suddenly, Damian turns and looks directly at him. Jolted by the sense of danger, the scout on the rooftop instantly vanishes in a swift movement.

  Damian can only let out a heavy sigh.

  “Scout with hawk-eye skills are such a nuisance.” He knows it’s useless to try chasing him.

  Damian turns around and heads elsewhere.

  .

  That same midnight, Nichole buries the bodies of the two Cranoa mages in her backyard. She doesn’t need any tools—Nichole has the ability to control the earth element. With a few movements of her hands, chunks of soil shift and cover the corpses already laid in the ground. The burial is finished quickly.

  “You’re an earth-element battlemage, huh.”

  A sudden voice comes from behind her. Nichole immediately turns with a wary stance, ready to fight.

  “Who?!”

  She finds Damian sitting casually on a stack of wooden beams behind her house. He seems to have taken off his military jacket to hide all his rank badges.

  “You…”

  Even though she recognizes him, Nichole remains cautious.

  “Since when was he there? I didn’t sense his arrival at all.”

  Damian smiles at her.

  “Why are you so tense? Do you think I came here to arrest you because you tried to kill the Third Prince of Argoust?”

  Nichole’s expression tightens even more—she knows she’s made a grave mistake.

  “Did His Highness the Prince send you here?”

  “He’s told me everything. You were forced to do it because your family was held hostage. All those mage troops have been captured as well. The case can be considered closed. You’re safe.”

  Only then does Nichole breathe in relief. Once again, she feels indebted to Liam for explaining the situation to the military.

  “But…” Damian continues as he steps closer to Nichole. “I wanted to meet you in person to confirm something.”

  Nichole can’t guess his intentions, and the shift in his expression—now serious—brings back the tension in her chest.

  Damian stops just a short distance in front of Nichole, then leans down slightly so he can look more closely at her face.

  “Did you sleep with me on purpose to carry out your plan?” he asks, his tone sharp—an interrogative edge from a man who hates being used.

  “Huh?!” Nichole reacts immediately, offended. “You think I’m that low?!”

  Her reaction only makes Damian’s expression brighten. “So you accepted my invitation because you were actually interested in me?”

  “That’s not it either!” Nichole snaps, irritated but blushing. Her natural instincts as a woman make it impossible for her to forget the night she spent with Damian.

  “Did you come here just to talk about that ridiculous incident?” Nichole keeps her tone cold.

  “Don’t call it a ridiculous incident. I enjoyed it very much.”

  “I was stupid enough to go along with it because at the time I thought I was going to die, so I didn’t care anymore.”

  “But it turns out you’re still alive. Should I take responsibility for taking your first night?” Damian teases her again.

  “Enough!” Nichole snaps, disgusted. She quickly forces herself to steady her breathing, trying to rein in her emotions.

  “Please don’t bring it up again. Consider it the first and last time. We won’t meet again. My family and I will be leaving this city soon.”

  Nichole delivers the words with a cold gaze and a flat, emotionless tone.

  “I told you already—you’re safe. Why do you have to leave?” Damian doesn’t understand.

  “Before your commander change his minds.”

  “My commander?” Damian looks even more confused.

  “The Third Prince of Argoust is very kind, willing to free me from this trouble. But after he returns to Argoust, I’m worried the military commander of Soroza might change his mind and arrest me. I’ve heard he’s very harsh toward Cranoa forces—he could easily think I was involved with them.”

  Damian can’t help but be baffled. The military commander Nichole’s talking about is standing right in front of her. He can only let out a soft chuckle.

  “Don’t worry. My leader isn’t as cruel as you imagine. He’s human too.”

  “Even so, I want to prepare for the worst.” Nichole walks past Damian, having nothing more she wants to discuss.

  “Hey, you’re a battlemage too. Why don’t you join the Carrion military?” Damian calls out before Nichole go any farther into the house.

  Without turning around, Nichole answers, “I’m not interested in becoming a military soldier. Thank you for the offer.”

  Damian is left behind as the door closes. He can only let out a heavy sigh.