Grania wasn’t the only one affected by Nekator’s unexpected attack. The moment he unleashed his power, the Evil Bishop razed everything around him, turning the entire area into scorched earth. In that single rampage, more than half of the city’s garrison and infrastructure had been annihilated.

Had Grania not survived, had Adela and Elahan not devoted their full strength to stabilizing the situation, the marquisate might have fallen in a single day. Even so, with two Masters maintaining order and the Archmage, though weakened, still able to exert his strength, they had barely managed to hold the line.

Grania’s low hum broke the silence. Just as the city was beginning to recover, he had noticed something alarming. There was an army approaching fast from beyond the walls.

Their numbers didn’t exceed ten thousand, but every single one of them was cavalry. From armor to weapons to formation discipline, they were unmistakably elite. This was an army that was too well-trained, too organized to be dismissed as a mere rebel force; even at full strength, holding them off would have been difficult. In their current state, it was nearly impossible.

“Master Grania, is there something wrong?” Leon asked cautiously, seeing the mage’s frown deepen.

“An army is approaching... Around ten thousand men, all cavalry. They’re moving in perfect unison, which means they are well-trained.”

“That’s too disciplined for rebels. I’ve heard border lords rarely raise cavalry at this scale,” Leon said.

“Indeed. Which makes this even stranger,” Grania muttered.

It was a troublesome situation on every front. He started to speak again, but fell silent. He had no need to say what they all knew.

For Leon and his companions, their true mission lay in rooting out the Evil Order operating within Clyde and bringing down the Mad Emperor, Nex. Meddling in conflicts between the imperial army and rebel forces or choosing sides between the two wasn’t their concern.

“I suppose we should go meet them,” Leon said, and Grania’s eyes widened.

To step outside the walls now—to speak on Portroi’s behalf—was effectively to side with Grania and the city. He had assumed Leon would insist on remaining neutral, not involve himself in this mess.

However, Leon saw it differently. To weigh politics and self-interest above all else and ignore the suffering behind him just to reach his goal, that wasn’t something a Hero should do.

If others mocked him for taking on thankless burdens, then so be it. That, too, was part of what it meant to be the wielder of the Holy Sword.

***

Karen, Elahan, and Adela immediately answered Leon’s call. Leaving only Grania inside the walls, the four of them rushed out to face the approaching army.

A cloud of dust rose on the horizon as ten thousand cavalry charged across the plain. The spectacle was truly nothing short of awe-inspiring.

“I wonder who commands them?” Leon muttered.

“Same. Surely a high noble?” Karen suggested.

“Let’s hope it’s a coalition force,” Adela said coldly. “Take off one head and the rest might tear themselves apart.”

“Let’s not assume we’re fighting yet,” Leon interjected.

Even before an army ten thousand strong, none of them flinched. A single Master was a force that could rival an army. There were four of them.

In terms of raw combat power, it was the side with ten thousand men that should have been afraid. Still, it would be hard for the approaching soldiers to see that, since the four were merely a young man, two beautiful women, and a small girl.

“Huh...?” Leon muttered when he saw the cavalry that had been charging headlong toward the city began to slow down.

The dust cloud settled, revealing armored soldiers gripping their lances in formation. They came to a full stop roughly five hundred meters away, ten thousand men facing four in an absurd standoff.

As confusion spread among his group, Leon’s eyes narrowed.

“That’s...”

He finally realized the reason for the army’s hesitation. There were not one, but two familiar presences, faces of his friends he had never expected to see here.

Breaking away from the front ranks, four riders approached. Leon knew all four of them.

Lyon, Chloe, Gilbert, and... Cedric? What’s that guy doing here?

The sight of the Sword Demon among them only deepened his unease, though he kept his expression calm. Within moments, the eight of them stood face to face. The representatives of each side were clear.

“It’s been a while, Lyon,” Leon said.

“It has,” Lyon replied, clear that he hadn’t expected this reunion either.

“To think I’d find you here, of all places, Leon... Would you mind explaining what’s going on?”

“I don’t see why not. But I’d like to hear from you first.”

“Fair enough.”

There was no hostility between them, but it was clear who held the upper hand. Even with ten thousand troops behind him, Lyon knew the truth. The four standing before him were all Masters. If battle broke out, it would be a massacre. Neither Leon nor Lyon wanted that.

Lyon dismounted with his companions. They leveled the ground and sat facing Leon’s group in cautious balance.

“Well then...” Lyon began after several minutes of thought. “Where should I start?”

The conversation wasn’t long. In a setting where the leaders of two forces sat face to face, there was no room for sentiment or small talk—only a dry exchange of facts.

Lyon gave a sufficient explanation, and Leon summarized what he understood.

“I see. So, you gathered the nobles purged by the Mad Emperor, rallied the commoners who’d lost their center, and earned legitimacy by repelling Hispania and the Meril Union’s ambush from the rear.”

“Yes. That about sums it up.”

“Then I suppose it’s my turn.”

Like Lyon’s, Leon’s explanation was short. They each reflected briefly on what the other had said, and soon reached a point of agreement.

From Leon’s perspective, there was no reason to stop a rightful heir from reclaiming his throne. He wasn’t some mere rebel, after all. And from Lyon’s perspective, this was a chance to gain the cooperation of both the Hero who sought to save the world and the Holy Church itself. It was wise for both sides to hold hands in alliance.

However, there was one man who clearly disliked the fading tension in the air.

“What, we’re not fighting?” Cedric the Sword Demon growled lowly. “I’m sick of cutting down scrubs. Tell me to hold back any longer, and I’ll do as I damn well please.”

A thick, suffocating killing intent poured out of him. The pressure was sharp as a blade, and it was violent enough to make even Leon’s group and Lyon himself rise to their feet in response.

To Cedric, there was no ally or enemy. If he wished to cut, he cut. That was all there was to his creed.

“What the hell is wrong with this lunatic?” Adela muttered, seeing right through him. “He’d get along great with that Nekator bastard. Why are there so many freaks with holes in their heads?”

“What are you?” Cedric said, scoffing at Adela.

“Huh? A brat who still smells like milk dares talk back to me?”

Adela roared, and the killing intent in the air shattered like glass. It was a clash of willpower, and Cedric was the one overwhelmed. Realizing that, the slaughter maniac’s eyes lit up with genuine admiration.

“This is great! Let’s fight!”

“This bastard really doesn’t know when to shut up. Hey, you lot, keep talking. I’ll go beat some manners into this crazy guy.”

“Please don’t kill him?” Elahan pleaded

“I’ll just bring him halfway there,” Adela replied with a grin on her face.

“Cardinal!”

Ignoring Elahan’s pleading, Adela sprinted off into the distance, with Cedric chasing after her in sheer delight. The serious mood crumbled in an instant.

Lyon let out a bitter chuckle. “Hah... looks like you’ve got your hands full too, Leon.”

“You’re one to talk, dragging that bloodthirsty maniac around,” Leon replied.

“It looks bad, but as long as you keep him entertained, he doesn’t cause much trouble at all. He never pays attention to our plans, sure, but drop him in the middle of an enemy army, and the job gets done.”

Cedric was a double-edged sword, indeed. Dangerous if mishandled, but invaluable in the right hands.

Leon himself had experienced Cedric’s strength firsthand. As a swordsman, he stood among the best. As a warrior, one of the strongest alive. Facing the unknown dangers awaiting them in Calelum, Leon knew that power was worth keeping close, no matter how volatile.

“Um... Leon?”

“Yeah?”

Lyon hesitated, then glanced at the hilt of Leon’s sword. Leon caught the meaning instantly and nodded.

It was about time. With the decisive battle at the capital approaching, it would be difficult to hide any longer.

“You’re asking if they know I’m the Hero?”

“Yes. I guess that means you’ve already told them.”

Leon smiled faintly. “Then how did you find out?”

“Ah, that...”

Lyon’s eyes instinctively flicked toward Elahan, only to find her glaring at him, fists clenched tight. He gulped audibly. One wrong word and he knew he’d be in trouble.

“I, uh, run a small intelligence network. Nothing large, but... I caught a few rumors about you.”

“If you know, others must too, right?” Leon asked.

“Hard to say. Most of what’s out there is inconsistent. Some claim you fought an ancient king in the desert, others that you died on an expedition in the Kingdom of Jugend. I could tell which stories were false because I know you, but that’s not the case with most people.”

He’s done his homework, Leon thought, then shifted the subject. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

“Anyway, since everyone here knows who I am, there’s no point hiding it. Let’s talk about what comes next.”

At that, Chloe hesitated for a moment, lips trembling. Even after all this time, guilt made it hard to speak.

Mustering up the courage, she said, “L-Leon? How have you been?”

“Huh...?”

Leon blinked, caught off guard by the sudden question, then looked at her. When their eyes met, Chloe understood immediately that the emotion in his gaze was gentle, but nothing more than the warmth of an old childhood friend. It wasn’t the look of a man seeing a woman.

Chloe realized, at last, that she now belonged entirely to his past. She didn’t need to hear Leon’s answer.

“You seem to be doing well. I’m glad,” she said with a smile that carried a hint of relief.

Leon alone tilted his head, not quite grasping the nuance of that brief exchange. Lyon, noticing, smoothly changed the subject.

“Come to think of it, this must be the first time we’ve seen each other since leaving the Academy, isn’t it?”

It had already been several years. And yet, their faces felt so familiar it was as if they’d met only yesterday. It was proof that their bond had never been a shallow one.

Leon nodded and began recounting his journey. His encounter with Karen, the troubles he had gotten into with the Evil Order, the monsters of the Titan Mountains and the village of the Titans, the dark mage who drained power from vampires, and the ancient king resurrected in the desert.

Every tale was more incredible than the last, and Lyon’s group listened in rapt silence, not daring to breathe too loudly.

“That’s incredible! So this is what it means to be a Hero, huh?”

“It’s even greater than the hero stories I read as a kid! Leon, you could make a fortune publishing this!”

At Chloe’s words, Karen suddenly jumped in like a spark to gunpowder.

“Sorry, but that’s my right! No one’s writing Leon’s legend before I do!”

“Huh? Is that so?”

“Mr. Hero himself promised me!”

At that, Leon blinked, scratching his cheek awkwardly, wondering when he had said that. He decided to just brush it off.

“Well, when you’ve nearly died a few dozen times, it’s bound to sound impressive,” he mumbled, clearly uncomfortable under the weight of Lyon’s praise.

Once upon a time, he’d seen Lyon as an untouchable ideal. Now, it was Lyon and Chloe looking up at him with bright, admiring eyes.

Those who had once seemed “special” now regarded him as the special one. It was a complete reversal. And the fact that Leon didn’t take crude satisfaction in it spoke to his inherently kind nature.

“Um... Leon,” Lyon called, his tone hesitant like a man about to ask something he shouldn’t. “Would you... spar with me?”

He was asking for a duel—just once, to cross blades with Leon. And in that instant, Leon truly understood how completely their positions had reversed since those Academy days.

Brushing aside any stray sentiment, Leon immediately grasped the reason behind the request. Through the Stigma of the Observer, he could see that Lyon’s Aura was unstable, but not in a bad way.

“I see. You’re standing right before the threshold of becoming a Master, aren’t you?”

Heart, spirit, and body were aligning as one. He was still one step short, unable to cross the threshold, but he was close enough that a single spark could propel him forward.

As someone who had already taken that step, Leon could see it clearly.

“Alright,” he said with a calm smile. “I’ll spar with you for as long as it takes until you’re satisfied.”

Even Lyon, who had made the request, was taken aback by the swiftness and confidence of that answer.