Erenes sat by the window every day, gazing outside.
There was no trace of emotion on her face. However, anyone who knew her well could tell that something about her felt different.
She was enveloped in deep emptiness and loneliness. Her only friend who remembered the war a thousand years ago had died.
"Artherion... now even you are gone."
She did not regret informing Ghislain about Artherion.
She had fought for humanity. If she had joined Artherion in destroying mankind, the battles and sacrifices of a thousand years ago would have all been meaningless.
That was why she did not side with Artherion. She wanted the world to remain as it was.
"So that... we can believe we made the right choice."
But even though she didn't regret it, the sense of loss from losing a longtime friend didn't simply disappear. She sat there every day, listless.
Although she didn't express it intensely, her heart was already exhausted.
Clunk.
The sound of the door opening echoed, but Erenes didn't turn her head.
There was only one person in this kingdom who would barge into her dwelling like that.
Still staring out the window, she opened her mouth.
"...You're back."
"Yes, thanks to you, we captured him without any casualties."
"...I see."
If Erenes hadn't given prior warning, there would have been catastrophic losses, just like in the past. Thanks to her information, they were able to act at the right moment.
She had chosen her beliefs over her old friend.
Creak.
Ghislain dragged a chair over and sat beside Erenes. Only then did she finally turn her head.
"Did you come to suggest throwing a celebration?"
Seeing her indifferent gaze, Ghislain shook his head.
"No, I know you're not in the mood for that, considering Artherion was your friend. First, let me just say thank you."
"There's no need for gratitude. When you've lived as long as I have, you can't help but watch those you care about leave one by one. That is... my life."
"...."
Though elves lived longer than humans, Erenes had lived far beyond even that. She had undoubtedly endured saying farewell to everyone she had cared for.
The pain accumulated over such a long time would be too immense for anyone else to fathom.
After a brief silence, Ghislain spoke slowly.
"Why did the dragon end up like that? He was completely insane. He refused to seek the adversary together and instead tried to kill all humans."
"...I don't know."
"Do you really not know?"
"I don't. At best, I can only assume it was out of rage for losing his kin."
"I can't understand it. Was the adversary's curse really that strong? Enough to destroy an entire race and force both you and the dragon into submission?"
"A curse's power depends on who casts it. If someone harbors immense hatred for the world and wields the power of a demon god, it's not surprising for it to be that effective."
"Then wouldn't it have been easier to just destroy the human world?"
"...And that's exactly why the adversary seeks to return—to destroy this world."
Ghislain let out a deep sigh. Even if the adversary's curse was strong, it apparently wasn't enough to annihilate the world entirely.
That's why the adversary planned to return to personally deal with those who had escaped the curse.
This was the only explanation Ghislain could comprehend. It was beyond his knowledge.
"What exactly happened a thousand years ago? If there's something I don't know, I want to find out."
"I already told you. A war broke out, and we won. The hero and the saint sealed the Demon Realm, and the world regained peace. That's all there is to it."
"It still feels like there's more to it."
Erenes, her expression unchanged, replied flatly.
"The Salvation Church has returned, and they're searching for their king. They want to destroy the world and create their own paradise. What more explanation do you need?"
"...."
"We won, which is why the Salvation Church has been lying dormant for so long. And Duke Fenris, you've once again crushed their hopes."
"...."
"Is there anything else to doubt? If the adversary returns, we just have to end him. That will restore peace to the human world."
"Hmm..."
"This is the truth. I don't know what more you want to hear."
Erenes's words weren't wrong.
Simply put, there was an enemy trying to upend the world. Defeat that enemy, and it would be over. What happened in the past wasn't necessarily important.
Ghislain's visit to her was driven by personal curiosity—because of the dreams he had seen.
It wasn't an urgent matter. He had planned to gradually uncover the truth through his dreams.
But something had entered Yulian from Artherion's body. If that was the reason the dragon had gone mad, it couldn't be ignored.
Ghislain steeled himself and began to share his dreams. It seemed he would need to reveal some of his secrets to have an honest discussion.
"Ever since I obtained this necklace, I've been seeing someone in my dreams. I think it's the saintess from a thousand years ago."
Erenes's eyes showed a flicker of curiosity at his words.
She recognized that necklace well. She had been there when Ghislain took it.
At the time, she had feigned ignorance, claiming it simply resembled one used by an old companion.
Observing her reaction, Ghislain carefully summarized the dreams he had experienced so far.
"I saw the hero and the adversary in my dreams. But the one who resembled Yulian wasn't the adversary. It was the hero."
"I also saw battles between dragons and lesser gods from another world. And I saw you fighting in countless battles."
"...Through these dreams, I've come to know the heroes of that era and their techniques."
Even though Ghislain had condensed his explanation, it still took quite a while. He had seen so much.
Erenes listened, eyes widening in disbelief. But when their eyes met, she quickly masked her reaction with a sneer.
"The saintess appeared in your dreams?"
"Yes."
"You saw her companions too? Including me?"
"Yes."
"Haha. Duke Fenris, are you seriously believing such dreams?"
Erenes laughed as if it were absurd, then firmly stated,
"Those companions do not exist."
"What?"
"Be reasonable. I'm the only one who remembers the heroes of a thousand years ago. And why would a saintess who died then appear in your dreams?"
"....."
"You mentioned a knight resembling the founding king of Lutania? An assassin who wields daggers freely? A mage who seems like the progenitor of Jerome's Tower? And an ancestor of the Perdium family? Ahahaha!"
"...."
"Duke Fenris, your imagination is quite vivid. Don't these figures all resemble people close to you?"
"...."
"Gillian, Belinda, Jerome, and yourself. The hero is Yulian. What about the saintess? Was she like Parniel? Or Piote?"
Ghislain crossed his arms and frowned.
She had a point, leaving him without a counterargument. Perhaps he shouldn't have mentioned the dreams at all.
He should've gathered more solid information before confronting her. At this rate, Erenes's logic was unshakable.
"Ugh…"
Feeling stuck, Ghislain glanced at Erenes.
'Not even brute force will work.'
She seemed even stronger than before.
It wasn't that he thought he would lose outright. It was just that forcing her to talk would be too difficult.
Besides, even intimidation wouldn't work against someone like her. If the two of them fought, the entire capital could be reduced to rubble.
Erenes sighed and said, "I don't understand why you're doing this. Stop overthinking it. Just root out the remnants of the Salvation Church and kill the adversary if he appears. Don't you also want peace for this world?"
"Phew."
It Wasn't Wrong.
Ghislain had been busy ever since he returned to the past, working tirelessly to protect his family, friends, territory, and household.
Now, he had to protect the entire Kingdom of Lutania. As long as the kingdom was safe, everything else was secondary.
But at this moment, he needed to uncover the identity of the force that had infiltrated Yulian's body. If he overlooked it, it might grow into a grave threat in the future.
'How should I bring this up?'
While Ghislain was lost in thought, the sound of approaching footsteps echoed.
Step, step, step.
Both he and Erenes turned their heads. Soon, Yulian appeared.
It seemed Yulian had overheard part of their conversation on his way in. He got straight to the point.
"Something from the dragon's body transferred to me."
Ghislain's eyes widened slightly in surprise. He had deliberately avoided asking about it since Yulian tried to hide it, but now Yulian had admitted it himself.
Yulian looked at Ghislain and asked, "You knew, didn't you?"
"Well... more or less? I sensed something strange at the time."
"Good. That makes this easier. I've been trying to figure it out on my own, but I haven't been able to make sense of it."
"You can't figure it out?"
"I can't feel it, and I can't use it. It's as if it was absorbed into my body and became one with me."
"Hmm..."
Ghislain blinked in confusion. Someone of Yulian's caliber couldn't even sense it?
That meant there might be no way to identify what it was.
Erenes, still emotionless, looked at Yulian and finally spoke.
"I don't know."
"You don't know?"
"That's right. I don't know everything about the world. But..."
Erenes paused briefly, as if lost in thought, then continued.
"During the final battle, the adversary drove a sword into Artherion's dragon heart."
"......."
"But he didn't kill Artherion. The adversary had already exhausted all his power and was dying."
"That's it?"
"Yes. The adversary died after that attack. Artherion was also gravely wounded and couldn't return to his land."
"So the place he went to was..."
Erenes nodded.
"The Shadow Mountains. Weakened, he went there to heal his wounds and fell into slumber. While unconscious, he was cursed, trapped in the distortion of time and space."
"...."
Erenes locked eyes with Yulian. For some reason, her gaze seemed chilling.
"What you absorbed could be the lingering energy of the adversary's curse. The remnants of that energy may have found a new vessel in you."
"Are you certain?"
"I'm only speculating."
Yulian's eyes darkened as he fell into thought. Then he asked again.
"Do you have this energy as well?"
"I do not."
"You were under the same restriction, so why don't you have it?"
"The World Tree protected me. It enveloped me, preventing the energy of demon god from corrupting me."
"...."
"When the adversary began to resurrect, the restrictions weakened, allowing both Artherion and me to move again."
Ghislain narrowed his eyes and asked, "Why... didn't you tell us this before?"
Erenes frowned in irritation.
"Ha, must I explain everything? Even trivial things? Do you also need to know what I ate during the war a thousand years ago?"
"Hmm..."
Ghislain glanced at Yulian. If Erenes's words were true, then Yulian's body now contained the force that had once bound Artherion.
"Are you... feeling any discomfort?"
"...Not really."
"Then is it fine?"
"....."
With no way to identify the energy, they also couldn't determine how to deal with it.
Hoping to add more context to their speculation, Yulian shared one more detail.
"Right after the energy was absorbed, I briefly saw someone who looked like a saintess in my mind."
"A saintess?"
"I'm not sure. I'm only guessing because she wore a necklace identical to the one you're wearing."
"Oh... anything else?"
"She said it wasn't about saving the world."
"What? What does that mean?"
"I don't know. That's all she said before disappearing."
Ghislain furrowed his brow. That saintess kept appearing, spouting cryptic words, and vanishing without explanation.
While Ghislain and Yulian were engrossed in their discussion, they failed to notice Erenes's expression.
'...!'
For a brief moment, her face turned pale, like a child caught stealing.