*Bwaaaa*

The ships horn sounded . It was the indicator that the ships departure was imminent . Romantica started to become impatient .

That idiot! What the hell are you doing?

Romantica turned on the communication bracelet . The communication bracelet had the ability to search for the location of party members . They had just used it to track Desir when he teleported with Crow Mask .

She searched for the location of Desir and it wasnt long before the result appeared . Desir was on board, in the cabins somewhere .

Romantica frantically ran into the cabin area .

She jumped down the four steps in a single leap and barged through a group of people that were loitering in the hallway . She quickly apologized to those bumped without slowing down and reached the point indicated by the communication bracelet .

She couldnt help being resentful for the success of the Eru business at that particular moment . The ship was so large and as a result, Romantica had to traverse the hallway that connected the long line of cabins .

The positioning function of the communication bracelet couldnt provide an accurate location . This meant that she had to open each cabin door in search of Desir .

Romantica didnt hesitate .

She opened the door of the first cabin . The couple inside were shocked and could only look at her with eyes filled with surprise . Desir was not there .

Sorry .

*Slam*

She closed the door to the first cabin .

It was the same story for the second cabin .

She closed the door to the second cabin .

It was in this manner that Romantica opened cabin doors in an attempt to search the entire living quarters for Desir .

From the corner of her eye through a nearby window, Romantica saw that they were leaving the port . She quickened her pace .

And

It was finally the last cabin .

Just before the door opened, Romantica calmed her breathing . She had to be calm enough to give him a proper scolding .

Hey, Desir! Are you trying to play hide and seek with me ?!

The last door was opened but there was no one inside . Very slowly, Romantica entered the cabin . There was no sign of anyone having used the room . This was the only cabin that was left clean .

Looking around inside the empty cabin, Romantica spotted the Hebrion Academy communication bracelet laying on the desk .

Romantica picked it up and took out her own communication bracelet . She closed her eyes for a while before opening them .

Then she attempted to call Desir .

Please dont ring .

*Rrrrring*

The communication bracelet in her other hand started to ring .

Romantica barely suppressed the wave of emotion rising within herself . She stomped out of the cabin and back to the deck of the ship . While she was searching the cabin area, the ship had left the port .

Romantica stormed over towards the butler . He seemed rather dismayed at her unlady-like behaviour . Her face was screwed up in rage .

Oh, my lady . What is wrong?

Romantica immediately responded .

Now answer my question straight . As soon as possible .

Oh, young lady,

How did you know that I was evacuating and that I would be at that part of the queue?

I, I went down and kept looking all over for you .

Do not lie! It doesnt make sense to look for someone so far back in the queue!

*Swish*

Ash has been falling down from the sky this entire time . Adjest, Pram and all of the refugees including Romantica had been outside for most of this time were covered in it . The constant movement of people also prevented it from fully settling onto the ground, increasing the amount of it floating in the air .

However, the butlers clothes were so neat . Nobody could possibly think that these clothes belonged to a person that had been wandering about outside .

In other words, he had been in the merchant ship the entire time .

He was the butler of the Eru family, and he must have been the first to evacuate with the family .

The butler was left speechless at Romantica pointing this out .

Be honest! Right now! No matter what he said to you, I will jump off of this boat if you dont tell me the truth!

Against an irrationally rageful Romantica, who was likely to follow through on such a threat, the butler had no choice but to break his promise and tell her everything .

At that time a black-haired friend, whom you have previously asked me to escort, told me where you would be . But my lady, I swear

She didnt need to hear any more .

Romantica immediately ignored the butler and brushed past him to climb onto the ships railing .

Oh, my lady!

*Scream*

Just before Romanticas body fell into the sea, Adjest managed to just grab ahold of her .

Romantica quickly tried to throw off the clothes line, but Adjest pulled her back up one step faster . The momentum of this movement had both of them fall backwards onto the deck of the ship .

Get away from me .

Find your sanity, Romantica .

Romantica attempted to rid herself of Adjests grip while Adjest attempted to subdue her . The two of them rolled around several times during this struggle .

I told you to let go of me!

If you promise to be calm, I will let go .

You know that I wont make a promise like that!

Romantica continued to struggle to get out of Adjests grasp but she couldnt resist her through force .

Adjest finally had the complete upper-hand in the scuffle, and prevented all further movement from Romantica .

Romantica could only direct her anger at Adjest through interrogation .

Did you know about this?

Adjest responded .

Yes .

When did you find out about it?!

From when Desir slowed down the evacuation by starting a fight .

Starting the fight .

Romantica felt as though someone had smashed her on the head with a hammer .

The fight during the evacuation was Desirs doing to give himself enough time to conceal the communication bracelet . And Romantica had to waste time searching for it until the ship had already departed .

Stupid bitch

Romantica reminded herself . She couldnt forgive herself as she figured out just what Desir had done .

While almost crying, should could only continue shouting at Adjest .

You knew! Not like the stupid me, you knew much earlier! Why didnt you stop him? WHY!

In contrast to Romanticas frantic tone, Adjests tone was level and calm .

I didnt notice it . I was asked by him .

What?

For a moment, Romanticas struggling stopped .

Adjests continued .

He asked me to stop you and Pram from following him .

***

Desir ran along the coast .

The entire area of Deltaheim was obscured by the ash in the air that was as thick as fog .

He ran while coughing over and over again and futilely attempting to cover his nose and mouth against the poisonous air particulates .

As Desir passed through, a dead body came into view . The body was partially covered by rubble from a nearby stone construction .

Hopefully he did not feel a thing and died in a single blow .

Faced with such a terrible scene, Desirs steps slowed-down and he eventually came to a complete stop . He had no words to adequately describe what lay before him . It was terrible, but at the same time, it was an alien yet familiar landscape to him .

He had previously lived a life of death . And he had witnessed so many of those deaths first hand .

Friends who had shared school days and childhood memories together . Juniors who followed him exceptionally well .

And Romantica .

Among the many deaths, Desir especially couldnt forget the death of Romantica .

Perhaps it was because her situation was similar to his .

The story ended with a sad ending .

Romantica Eru had talent and a future more brilliant than anyone else .

She was also the lady of a baron family, so she could join the Alpha Class at Hebrion Academy without any problem and later enter the Blue Moon Party which was considered the best of the school .

After a long time, however, it was discovered that Romantica was the daughter of a baron who had bought the title with money . The Alpha Class nobles did not acknowledge her anymore after that .

Unable to endure the savage Alpha Class brutality, Romantica finally moved down to the Beta Class, but no one accepted her there too .

There was nowhere else she could be .

In the Beta Class, Romanticas talent went uncultivated and her future had gradually stagnated . By the time she graduated, she was only at the Third-Circle .

And then the Shadow Labyrinth appeared .

Romantica entered the Shadow Labyrinth as a member of the Western Kingdom Union, where she met with Desir again who was from the same Beta Class .

Desir, being in a similar situation as her was unfortunately an inevitability .

In such a terrible battlefield they became each others emotional support . They survived for each other .

And eight years after the arrival of that Shadow Labyrinth In the end, Desir could not protect Romantica .

I will not allow that to happen again .

Desir, who had returned to the past, had made that vow .

This was not only for her .

Adjest and Pram .

Zod and Priscilla .

Residents of Deltaheim and visitors from all over the world .

The heads of the Western Kingdom Union gathered for the purpose of the council .

All of them couldnt avoid death unless they stopped Dadenewt .

The situation was currently heading towards the worst outcome .

I must stop this .

To slay the devil, its inner core must be destroyed .

In the Shadow Labyrinth, when faced with Dadenewt, legion-sized parties of wizards unleashed freezing magic to weaken Dadenewts power while knights equipped with Blanchum rapiers destroyed Dadenewts body to find the core .

Luckily this time, Desir knew the approximate location of the core . However, the problem was that he didnt have enough power to penetrate the body of Dadenewt itself .

Desir looked down at the palm of his hand .

I must stop it .

I will stop it .

Desir clenched his fist . He decided to implement his trump card, the measure of last resort that he had kept in reserve thus far .

[Proverb]

Magic that had been arranged in a way that fell entirely outside of the existing magical system used by humanity .

It had a power different to standard magic .

At the end of the Shadow Labyrinth, Desir discovered the spell by inverting the [Proverb] of the Meteor-Rank Dragon of Destruction, Bhromier Napolitan .

It was a huge and powerful magic indeed . But there were so many risks involved as a result .

He wondered if his body would be able to withstand the magic of [Proverb] that deviated from the existing laws, but now was not the time to worry about that .

I definitely need to kill it .

*Booom*

The closer Dadenewt got the greater the heat and the more violent the ash suspended in the air became .

Desir clenched his teeth .