Even with his eyes closed, the light's reflection still disturbed his sleep. Nolan felt as if he had been asleep for a very long time. His body was lying comfortably, and warmth was slowly spreading from his back to his fingertips. This sensation prompted him to open his eyes.
Slowly, his brown eyelids lifted. The soft light from the crystal chandelier embedded in the ceiling greeted his gaze. But it wasn't just the crystal he saw. At the bedside stood Antares, who appeared to have just finished a healing session.
The man's gloved palms glowed with a subtle blue light that slowly dimmed until it disappeared completely. Simultaneously, Nolan felt his consciousness return to normal.
"Are you awake, Nolan?" Antares asked in a soft voice.
The man, whose blue hair fell to his shoulders, stood upright and looked at his son with clear relief in his eyes.
Nolan nodded slowly and tried to get up. However, Antares swiftly held his shoulders and helped him lie back down on the edge of the bed.
"Nolan, I'm really worried about you."
Before Nolan could respond, he was enveloped in a sudden embrace. A slender girl with long, wavy blonde hair held him close as if she never wanted to let go. The hug was so strong that it almost took his breath away.
From the side, Antares's soft chuckle could be heard. The man's hand rose to cover part of his face as if trying to suppress a smile, though his face still looked pale.
Only then did Nolan realize that his father wasn't the only one waiting for him in the room. Elizabeth had been there the entire time he'd been unconscious. She sobbed softly, her shoulders shaking. Tears continued to flow even after Nolan opened his eyes.
The warm feeling felt strange to him. In his previous life on Earth, he'd hardly ever experienced this kind of care. Even after transmigrating and living as Nolan Caelthorn, loneliness often followed him. But now, the Caelthorn family and the people around him really cared for him.
"Liza, I'm fine," Nolan said quietly. "But if you hug me like this, I can't—"
He stopped mid-sentence, deliberately appearing weak. Elizabeth immediately released her embrace with a panicked expression, though the tears hadn't stopped flowing.
She quickly released him and raised her hand to wipe the tears streaming down her beautiful face.
"I'm sorry, Nolan. Does something hurt?" Elizabeth asked, her voice trembling and anxious.
Nolan shook his head slowly. "I'm fine."
His recovered consciousness slowly began to piece together the fragments of his memory. The battle against Charlie Sheer—the Dark Sentinel of the Snake Goddess Organization—played vividly in his mind. He remembered nearly pushing Charlie to the brink of defeat before a Daemon woman's devastating attack interrupted everything.
For the first time, Nolan realized that something was amiss.
When he consumed mana energy spheres, he experienced extreme fatigue. Usually, the effects were obvious: a temporary surge of strength followed by a complete mana drain, a shattered body, and a long recovery. But this time was different.
Too different.
"I've lost all my senses..." Nolan muttered to himself. His hearing, sight, and taste—everything—seemed to have vanished. His body felt empty and dull, as if it didn't belong to him. "But...why am I still okay?"
He shook his head slightly and said quietly, "No, only my ears are ringing. A little."
What bothered him more was another memory: a strange place shrouded in a dark, still atmosphere. A dark-faced figure with glowing eyes stared at him as if piercing his soul. It didn't attack or threaten him; instead, it gave him something.
Knowledge.
Not just power, but understanding. Advanced dark magic techniques that now felt as if they had always been a part of him.
Nolan's brow furrowed. Memories mixed with old ones—memories from his life on Earth. The strange mix made his chest feel tight.
"Nolan? Are you okay?" Elizabeth's voice pulled him back from his thoughts. "Why are you so quiet?"
Nolan shook his head lightly. He didn't want to explain anything. Not now.
However, he couldn't help but meet Antares's gaze. His father was standing near the bed, watching him with furrowed brows—sharp and probing. As soon as their eyes met, Antares quickly turned his face away as if he didn't want to be caught looking.
Nolan's heart tightened slightly.
Even though Antares was Nolan Caelthorn's father, he wasn't the real Nolan Caelthorn.
"Elizabeth," Nolan finally said, breaking the silence. "How did you get here?"
Antares remained standing by the bed and made room for Elizabeth to sit on the edge.
"Of course I'm coming," Elizabeth replied quickly. "When news of your hostage-taking spread, the entire capital was in an uproar. The Snake Goddess Organization deliberately announced that they were holding the Crown Prince of Arathen captive." Her voice softened. "I was truly afraid at the time."
Elizabeth took a deep breath, trying to calm the pounding in her chest.
"His Majesty King Antares was also very worried. In fact, he came out of seclusion and quarreled with Her Majesty Queen Catherine. At that time, I heard that you had been rescued by your uncle. Uncle Vincent destroyed the Snake Goddess Organization's headquarters in the Andes. However, when the Sentinels of the Aurora Association arrived to capture the Dark Sentinels, they had already fled. That naturally infuriated your uncle."
Nolan had no memory of being held captive by the Snake Goddess Organization following his battle with Charlie. If that were the case, then Selena and Julian must have been held captive as well.
He hurriedly asked, "What about Julian and Selena? Are they okay?"
"Oh, of course they're fine." Elizabeth smiled with relief. "Selena and Julian were badly injured, but the King ordered the best Sentinel healers to treat them. They are now in the best room."
Upon hearing that his two friends were safe, Nolan involuntarily breathed a sigh of relief. However, his gaze returned to Antares. His father's face looked the same as usual—calm with a small smile and slow nod—as if answering Nolan's anxiety without words.
This actually left Nolan a little confused. The brief suspicion that had arisen in his mind was difficult to explain, as if it were merely his own feeling.
"You should rest first," Antares said softly, stroking Nolan's white hair. "Elizabeth will accompany you."
With that, Antares left the room.
The silence that remained felt awkward to Nolan, especially with Elizabeth sitting beside his bed. Even when the waiter arrived with food, the blonde girl swiftly took over, carrying a tray.
She tended to him meticulously. She did most of the talking while Nolan simply listened. Despite the awkward atmosphere, Nolan tried to be friendly, as Nolan Caelthorn would be, not as the cold and withdrawn Nolan Steward.
Maybe, he thought, he was starting to make progress socially or at least in dealing with intimacy with a woman.
As Elizabeth spooned porridge into her mouth, the girl suddenly asked, "Nolan, why don't you want to change guilds? If you were in the Knights of the Sword Guild, I wouldn't worry so much about you. We could go on missions together."
Elizabeth paused for a moment, then exhaled softly.
"Besides, I actually lied earlier. I object to you joining the Death God Guild. Not only is it at odds with the Council of Lords, but it's also led by your uncle, who has a notorious reputation. He's a truly cold and unfriendly person." Elizabeth lowered her head slightly. "For some reason, I don't like him."
Nolan thought back to a fact he had made clear from the beginning: the Council of Lords had never liked Vincent. Moreover, his uncle had massacred the previous members of the Council, wiping out the entire Caelthorn family. Of that line, only three Caelthorn brothers remained. One of them was his father, Antares—the weak, diseased youngest brother who was forced to ascend the throne and strip Vincent of his crown prince title.
"Can't you just transfer to the Knights Sword Guild, Nolan?" Elizabeth asked pleadingly. "My father is the guild leader and a member of the Noble Council. I can ask him to transfer you there."
Thinking back, Nolan was indeed a prince. With his status, he could have entered the four Noble Guilds with special treatment. That would have been the case if Catherine hadn't interfered and obstructed him from the start. However, something bound him—not a written agreement, but a choice he had made himself.
"I might have gotten in with special treatment," Nolan said quietly, "but not Selena and Julian." He sighed and continued, "They won't be treated the same." The Four Noble Guilds only accept nobles. Even then, they're Squeance 2 Sentinel Masters. I recommended them to the Death God Guild after much consideration. I know that Uncle Vincent, like any other guild leader, wouldn't easily accept a Squeance 1 Sentinel Master."
His gaze fixed ahead, he added, "Would Earl Cornelius, your father, be willing to consider that without delay?"
Elizabeth's initially hopeful expression slowly faded. She lowered her head slightly, shook her head gently, and let her long blonde hair fall.
"What you're saying seems so difficult," she said softly. "Geez, I'm so narrow-minded sometimes." She took a breath, then gave a small, bitter smile. "Selena and Julian are lovely people. But the system doesn't always favor the talented. Not everyone is given a chance." Elizabeth looked back at Nolan. "I think your decision was right. I'm sorry; I was too self-centered."
Nolan shook his head slowly. For the first time, he gave her a faint smile.
"No, you're not like that, Liza."
Elizabeth's previously gloomy face slowly brightened. She returned to her normal self—talkative and diligently caring for Nolan. She even stayed at the Death God Guild dormitory for a day.
The next day, after a Sentinel Healer confirmed that Nolan had recovered and was ready to resume his activities, Elizabeth didn't linger. She said goodbye and returned to her guild.