For now, though, the first stop was the Silvermane Guard restricted zone.
Returning to the spot where they'd left the zone, March 7th's mouth fell open.
"…How did it get razed to the ground?!"
Gepard, who happened to be nearby cleaning up the battlefield, noticed them immediately.
"You two visitors from beyond the stars, you're back."
Stelle: "Have you seen Seele and Bronya?"
"Not long ago, Pela took them to the field hospital for a check-up."
Gepard nodded, his expression odd, as if he wanted to say something but held back.
"Um… how is Mr. Leon doing? Is he alright?"
March 7th scratched her head. "His condition isn't exactly great, but it's not terrible either. How do I put it…"
Stelle: "He's just overly exhausted, similar to Bronya. Do you need him for something?"
Gepard's expression turned intensely serious. He placed his right hand over his shoulder and gave a slight bow to the two.
"Without Mr. Leon's assistance in holding the front line, not only would this place have fallen, but all of Belobog would have become a living hell."
"Thank you, all three of you, sincerely. Once Mr. Leon wakes up, I'll personally visit to express my gratitude."
Stelle looked thoughtful. "Let's put that aside for now. We have some questions, and we're not sure if you, Captain Gepard, might know the answers."
Gepard blinked. "Please, go ahead."
Stelle: "We want to know what happened with Leon while he was holding the restricted zone."
"Of course," Gepard replied.
"Let me explain!"
Serval's voice came from behind Gepard.
"Hey~ you two. Seeing you both safe and sound with my own eyes finally puts me at ease."
She flashed a smile tinged with exhaustion and began recounting the details that Stelle—and the players—were most curious about.
"What happened in the restricted zone can be summed up in one sentence—"
"Mr. Leon is the savior of every soldier in the restricted zone, no exaggeration."
Through Serval's narration, a series of story screenshots unfolded.
They depicted real scenes from the restricted zone's battlefield.
"Every lost combat zone faced the crisis of countless Rift monsters pouring in."
"At first, it was manageable. When four or five zones fell, Gepard could still hold the line."
"But as time went on, the number of fallen zones went from single digits to double digits, and we were stretched thin."
"With no other choice, Leon took responsibility for the remaining breaches. He conjured countless whirlwind vortices, sealing off the passages that were our lifelines."
"The winds were so strong that no one could stay nearby to guard, or they'd be swept up and meet a grim fate."
"The upside was that the Silvermane Guards could focus on the zones that hadn't fallen, fighting together."
"The downside was that the pressure on Leon kept mounting."
"There was no such thing as peaceful times. He bore an immeasurable burden."
"While sealing the breaches in the fallen zones, Leon provided acceleration support to all the Guards on the battlefield and took down enemies on a massive scale."
"He was so busy he didn't have a second to rest."
"In the brutal war, time lost meaning. We didn't know how long it went on, but the endless waves of enemies finally started to dwindle."
"At that point, we could no longer see enemies charging in. As long as we dealt with those in our line of sight, we'd make it through."
"But right then, Leon suddenly vanished, and the whirlwinds he summoned quickly died down."
The scene cut back to Serval's face.
"We all assumed Leon had gone to the northern snowfields to help you."
"We had no concept of his strength or where his limits lay."
"But it's obvious—after such a battle, there's no way his condition was unchanged."
At this, Serval's gaze shifted to the side, her tone growing somber.
"Now we can't see Leon anywhere… he must be…"
Serval's expression seemed to suggest she thought Leon was dead, making countless players' mouths twitch.
But through her account, players finally grasped the extent of Leon's sacrifices.
Some felt conflicted, others deeply moved.
So this is what it feels like to have a companion in a game who cares so deeply for you.
[Who's still questioning the title of Leon, the old father?]
[No doubts here. He didn't rest for a single second, always keeping the Trailblazer and March in his heart.]
[Love you, Father.]
[He fought so hard, no wonder he collapsed from exhaustion before the battle was even over.]
[Cry, everyone, cry!]
March 7th's eyes widened, and she hurriedly waved her hands to correct Serval's misconception.
"Leon's still alive! Very much alive! He didn't sacrifice himself, okay!"
Serval's eyes widened too, and she shook her head repeatedly.
"…Oh, you misunderstood! That's not what I meant. I mean—"
"I asked Miss Seele earlier and learned about Leon's collapse."
"He didn't come back with you, so I figured he must have woken up and is busy sealing the Stellaron, right?"
Seeing March 7th about to spill the truth, Stelle quickly cut in.
"Something like that."
Confirming Leon was fine, Serval let out a sigh of relief and smiled again.
"Then—once everyone's done with their tasks, please do me the honor. I'll host a banquet to thank you all for everything you've done for Belobog."
Though she could tell from Stelle and March's expressions that Leon was likely okay, a guess was far less reassuring than confirmation.
March 7th squinted and smiled. "Sounds good!"
Stelle: "We're heading to the lower district to share the good news with the people there."
"By the way, no Silvermane Guards are going to try to arrest us now, right?"
"I don't want to get stopped a few steps into the administrative district."
Serval immediately turned to Gepard. "Little brother!"
Gepard: "Rest assured, I'll issue an announcement to lift the wanted order right away."
Stelle: "Good. No time to waste, we won't disturb your cleanup. Let's go, March."
As the two slender figures disappeared, Serval's smile slowly faded, her expression turning melancholic as she gazed at the northern sky.
"Cocolia… in the end… did you wake up?"
She never got to see her once-close friend again.
Seele's brief words left behind a regret that could never be resolved.
"Sis… are you okay?"
"Little brother, mind if I lean on your shoulder for a bit?"
"…Of course."
Gepard let out a silent sigh, feeling a pang of sorrow for Cocolia's fate.
He understood Serval.
His sister and Cocolia had once been so close, but now they were irrevocably parted, never to meet again.
"Alright, let's get back to business. Your big sis has a big heart—nothing I can't handle."
A few minutes later, Serval seemed to regain her usual energy.
"…"
The Silvermane Guard restricted zone's epilogue ended, and Ah Xian fell into thought.
Something was missing.
When Leon lost his wings, transferring them to Stelle, the background of his location was a starry sky.
Belobog has no visible starry sky.
In other words, when Leon left the restricted zone, he didn't immediately head to Everwinter Ridge.