In front of Ejain now stood less than ten of his subordinates. This was a far cry from the twenty or so he had been promised. The atmosphere among the subordinates grew tense in an instant, seemingly picking up on the guardedness in Ejain's gaze.

After a long silence, one of the subordinates awkwardly broke the tense air.

"What do you mean, your Highness?"

"I wonder where Lord Kivan, who should be responsible for you all, has gone, and why I cannot see Rhys and Chaise. They are capable rangers and should be involved in this."

"Didn't you know? On our way here, we had to constantly fend off trackers and monsters..."

"..."

"Since we had to come to you as quickly as possible, we couldn't afford to bring along colleagues who were falling behind. That's why Lord Kivan, Rhys, and Chaise entrusted your safety to us. We understand your unease, but it's excessive to doubt us without reason..."

"..."

"We think it's too harsh to..."

His stuttering trailed off as he noticed Ejain's increasingly icy expression. It seemed he realized that no matter what he said, Ejain would not be convinced. Kishiar stealthily gripped the handle of his concealed divine sword Orr from under his cloak, watching the man's hand slowly inching towards the sword at his waist.

"Damn it. He's damn quick at noticing. Get him!"

Finally, the man unsheathed his sword and began to charge. His colleagues too brandished their weapons and launched their attack. It was as expected.

"Prince! This way!"

After confirming that Emun had grabbed Ejain's arm and used his ability to disappear into the darkness, Kishiar swiftly drew his sword. While they were outnumbered, these foes were no stronger than the monsters they had faced.

"Keep them alive for questioning. Subdue them."

"Yes!"

With that response, Gakane's shadow clone and the Eldore siblings' body transformation abilities activated simultaneously. To avoid getting swept up in the sudden battle, Kanna stepped back, drawing her dagger and keenly observing their surroundings.

"A- Awakeners?"

"They're all just tricks! Don't falter!"

Finally realizing who they were up against, the opponents gritted their teeth and began to fight back. However, the outcome was quickly clear. Kishiar didn't even need to exert himself. As the ones with deep injuries to their limbs started being subdued one after another, rage and terror spread across the faces of the remaining few.

"...We can't... Scatter!"

When only three opponents were left fighting, the man with the loudest voice who had been encouraging the others cursed and retreated quickly. The others, after sharing a glance, scattered in different directions and began to flee. Gakane's shadow clone chased one of them, but was distracted by a bomb the man pulled out and threw, missing him by a hair's breadth.

A muffled bang sounded as the shadow clone took the full brunt of the explosion. A hole appeared in its chest, out of which thin black smoke billowed, and with a hiss, it disappeared. Wiping the sweat trickling from his forehead, Gakane watched the shadow clone vanish.

"Ah, damn... I'm sorry. I let him get away."

"It's okay. You did well. For now, let's gather those we've subdued."

Kishiar casually praised the Cavalry members before approaching the injured who were tended to by the Eldore siblings. Just then, Prince Ejain, after Emun had recollected his shadow power, approached with a pallid face.

"Have you dealt with everyone?"

"Regrettably, three have escaped."

"I see."

Ejain exhaled deeply.

"I owe you once again. Thank you."

"I only did what I ought to have done."

With a smile, Kishiar took a step back. The Eldore siblings also returned their colossal bodies to their original sizes and retreated with the Commander, leaving the defeated individuals to face Ejain's icy gaze alone. It was amusing to see these people, who had been so confident until moments ago, now wince in pain and avoid Ejain's gaze.

"Your Highness... Please, forgive us. We only followed orders..."

"I'm curious as to whose orders you were supposed to follow, because it should have been mine."

"We..."

Ejain smirked at the sight of their resentful expressions, struggling to continue their sentences. It was less the attitude of a wounded person and more a self-directed mockery. Perhaps sensing his seemingly softened demeanor, the defeated individuals began to squirm and beg for mercy.

"The... the ones who ran away planned this. They tricked us."

"Yes, it seems I have been used. Please, forgive me! I made a mistake despite knowing how merciful you are, Your Highness."

Yet, Ejain's gaze did not change. After glancing over the faces of those begging for forgiveness, he opened his mouth slowly.

"I accepted everyone who wanted to join me, believing that to stand against my brothers, I first had to match their strength. I thought that if I showed trust indiscriminately, I would eventually receive a response. I believed that this was a test that a magnanimous King like myself should endure."

"Your... Your Highness..."

"But now, I've come to accept. It wasn't real faith. It's shameful to think that due to my nave stubbornness, I failed to protect those who truly needed my protection."

Ejain drew his own sword.

"Tell me what you did to those who have disappeared. That's the only answer you owe me now."

As fragments of a faint blue aura began to flicker on the sword blade, terror washed over the faces of those looking on.

"Commander, if it's not too much to ask, could you trace the footsteps of those who fled? I want to take responsibility and deal with these men myself."

Kishiar alternately observed the gasping traitors and Prince Ejain, who had turned his back with a sword in hand. From the Prince's back, he could sense an emotion much firmer than beforean emotion of someone who had fully experienced the bitter taste of life that no one could have anticipated on his journey out of the Empire. What had previously seemed like sheer chaos had apparently found some kind of resolution.

Kishiar slowly nodded toward the prince's steadfast figure.

"Very well."

Following Kishiar's gesture, the Cavalry members, who had been surreptitiously worrying about Ejain, also turned their backs and moved on. From behind them, suppressed groans and the smell of blood began to slowly permeate the surroundings of the mountain hut.

"Would the Prince be alright? He seems like a good man..."

Emun's question, filled with concern, faintly echoed. After a moment of silence, Kishiar flashed a smile.

'A good man.'

It was rare for a noble or royal to receive such an appraisal from others, despite not having engaged in much conversation for several days. Undoubtedly, it was for this reason that Emperor Keilusa decided to lend a hand to Ejain, after recognizing his modest potential.

Despite possessing admirable qualities, Prince Ejain had not been able to truly harness his destiny, lacking confidence in himself. Abandoning those who should be abandoned, and trusting those who should be trusted, was indeed a difficult task. Without conviction, blindly discarding everything or thoughtlessly believing might lead one forward, but how could the end of such a path be promising?

Kishiar surmised that, above all, Ejain needed that conviction to survive. And just a moment ago, Ejain had finally taken a step towards gaining it himself.

'The statement about the inability to progress by constantly abandoning means one cannot live merely by embracing everything.'

Fortunately, it seemed that Ejain had given some deep thought to the words they had briefly exchanged at the riverbank before dawn.

'Only if Prince Ejain survives can I receive the object promised to me, and only then can the future proceed steadily.'

The rumors about the other princes of Nelarn were not very favorable. There would be no better ally for the Empire and Kishiar than Ejain, who was receiving popular support from the common people and had the audacity to decide to join hands with the Empire. Kishiar earnestly hoped that this young prince would become stronger based on today's foundation.

'Then he wouldn't needlessly envy what others possess.'

The moment the dark pupils, which had been looking at him with utmost anxiety upon realizing he couldn't follow him here, surged into his mind, Kishiar unwittingly forgot all his political calculations up to that point. It was when he momentarily smiled gently that a desperate shout suddenly came from behind him.

"Die!"

A sharp murderous intent accompanied the clashing sound of metal on metal. The last of the betrayers was making his final attack, drawing a dagger he had hidden on his person.

The attack of an animal driven into a corner was beyond ruthless. Under normal circumstances, Ejain could have easily blocked it, but unfortunately, his physical and mental strength had been significantly drained from taking the lives of several people just moments before.

Light flashed, and a scream echoed.