Theo carried the villager on his back as he walked along the dirt road of the village. Although it was a considerable effort, he tried to locate the address one of the villagers had given him earlier. "At the end of Rudsir Street, the last house after the slope," he recalled. He had already been carrying the villager for over an hour, yet he maintained his patience.
Finally, in the distance, he spotted a house in need of repairs. It was a white concrete construction—the standard of the empire. It had two floors, but the plaster on the walls was worn and riddled with holes. A child was sitting at the doorway, holding a lantern. When she saw someone approaching, she shouted:
"Mama! Daddy is back!" exclaimed a little girl.
When he reached the door, Theo set the villager down against the corner of the wall while waiting for his wife to appear. The villager opened his eyes, still looking disappointed in himself, and said gratefully:
"Thank you, agent."
"Heavens!" the villager's wife exclaimed, coming out of the house wearing a torn white tunic. "What did you do this time?"
He sighed in discouragement.
"A Vagus knight showed up and offered five hundred coins to anyone who challenged him."
"You don't even know how to wield a sword—how could you challenge him?!"
While the two argued, the girl stared at Theo's golden, wavy hair. Meanwhile, Theo removed the villager's sword from its sheath.
"Here, sir, your sword. And take this as well," Theo said, tossing him a bag of money. "The initial effort was yours, so I don't feel right keeping everything. I added two thousand more coins, so…"
"Two thousand?!" the villager stammered in surprise. "Boy, that's far too much."
"It's no problem. My family has more than enough. I believe this will help for quite a while."
"Mr. Handsome," the little girl called, her adorable voice still learning how to form words. "Thank you for saving my daddy."
"It was nothing," he replied, returning the gratitude with a gentle pat on her head.
"You brought me home, but it's already so late that I can't let you go back alone."
"And what do you suggest?" Theo replied. "That you escort me to the city and then come back by yourself? No, thank you."
"Stay here tonight," the wife offered. "I made a stew. It may not be as good as the food you've eaten before, but at least you won't starve."
"Alright. I'll leave at midnight."
☽✪☾
In addition to the stew, the family offered him their bed and water to bathe, but Theo declined. He preferred to rest on the cold floor of that spring night. Their daughter kept glancing at Theo while also staring at the book in her hands. Noticing this, Theo walked over to see what she was so focused on.
It was a fairy tale book—minimally illustrated, yet clear enough to understand.
"What story is that?" Theo asked, kneeling beside the girl.
"It's the tale of the Hero of Light," the father replied. "You said earlier that your nickname is Lumen, didn't you?"
"Yes. My godmother gave me that name because my family's traits resemble those of the hero—golden hair and amber eyes."
"Where are you from?"
"Louretto, in Nethuns."
"Ah… that's quite far from here, agent."
Theo smiled politely and shifted his gaze back to the book. He studied the illustrations, and the girl noticed, eagerly beginning to tell the story:
"Hero Lumen fell from the sky like lightning, and then he purified villains and heroes so the war would end."
"I don't think that's exactly how it goes…" Theo commented, glancing at the mother. When she answered with a grimace, he understood that a simplified version had been told to hide the story's cruelty.
"Then how is it?" the child asked curiously.
"Lumen fell from the sky like a shooting star," Theo began, tracing his finger along the illustrations. "He fought against the army of the ancient god of war, Ares. After defeating the army, Lumen faced the god of war himself, who did not appreciate being defied by a human considered a demigod. The war finally ended, and the god of war was defeated. However, before his defeat, he caused the Hero of Light to fall into a deep sleep—forever."
Theo noticed there was an extra page and turned it. To his surprise, the story continued, showing Lumen meeting a shadow before his death. The mother noticed his curiosity and quickly explained:
"You've never reached this part?"
"No…"
"This is Dullahan. A legendary knight clad in black armor, carrying his own head in his arms. He is known as the messenger of death, for when he speaks someone's name, that person dies within minutes. It's a legend often told in this region."
A black knight carrying his head in his arms? he thought, remembering the past.
"Mommy, so Lumen died?"
"Yes, dear. But death is nothing more than an eternal sleep."
"Then can you dream?"
Everyone laughed.
"Yes, you can."
Their attention was drawn when the village bell rang, marking midnight. Theo wasted no time and prepared to leave, grabbing his backpack and heading for the door. Midnight was when Vagus guards began patrolling the areas outside cities and villages, making it the perfect moment for Theo to return home safely.
"Thank you very much for everything," Theo said gratefully.
The couple bowed their heads in thanks, both for helping the villager and for the money. Theo had just taken his first step when the villager offered him a piece of advice:
"Agent, don't trust just anyone. Even if you help them, you never know what they might do while you sleep."
With an ironic smile, Theo replied:
"I have the strength to deal with that, if they try. See you around."
He created a swirling gust of wind that enveloped him, and he vanished with the breeze.
"Wind attribute… he used that against the knight. Interesting…" the villager murmured, watching Theo disappear.