The deeper we traveled into the Nightbane capital, the more overwhelmed I became.

The streets alone were wider than the main roads back in the Aldric Territory. Massive stone buildings lined both sides of the city, their dark gothic architecture giving the entire capital an imposing atmosphere. Black banners embroidered with the silver wolf crest fluttered from nearly every structure.

Even the civilians moved with far more discipline than what I was used to seeing.

It truly felt like a military stronghold disguised as a city.

Meanwhile, Lilith sat beside me looking extremely pleased with herself.

"Pretty amazing, right?" she asked proudly.

"It’s huge," I admitted honestly.

Lilith smiled triumphantly before grabbing my sleeve again.

"I’ll show you everything later."

The carriage continued through the city until we eventually reached the massive castle overlooking the capital from above.

Or rather—

Fortress.

Calling this place a castle honestly felt wrong.

Gigantic black walls surrounded the estate, while heavily armed knights stood guard at every entrance. Even from outside, I could sense the enormous amount of mana radiating throughout the area.

This place was filled with powerful people.

The carriage eventually came to a halt near the entrance staircase.

Before I could even properly react, the door opened and several servants immediately lined themselves along both sides of the carriage.

The moment Lilith stepped outside—

Every single one of them bowed.

"Welcome home, Lady Lilith."

The synchronization was terrifying.

I awkwardly stepped out after her and immediately felt dozens of eyes land on me.

Most of the servants looked confused.

Which was understandable.

A random boy from a minor border barony suddenly appearing beside the duke’s daughter was probably not something they expected.

Lilith either failed to notice the attention or simply did not care.

Instead, she happily grabbed my wrist and started dragging me up the stairs.

"Come on, Leo!"

"You know normal people walk places, right?"

"You’re too slow."

I barely had time to complain before the giant castle doors opened.

The inside somehow looked even more absurd than the outside.

Massive chandeliers illuminated long black hallways decorated with silver ornaments and expensive paintings. Knights and servants moved throughout the castle with practiced precision, each stepping aside the moment Lilith approached.

And through all of this—

Lilith continued dragging me around excitedly like a child showing off her favorite toy.

"This is the east hall."

"That’s the training courtyard."

"Oh—and over there is Father’s office!"

I stared blankly at the enormous hallway she pointed toward.

"That hallway is bigger than our manor."

Lilith blinked.

"...Really?"

The sheer difference in scale between our families was becoming painfully obvious.

Eventually, Lilith brought me to a large balcony overlooking the city below.

The view was breathtaking.

From here, nearly the entire capital could be seen stretching toward the horizon beneath the evening sky.

Lilith rested her arms against the balcony railing while her long black hair swayed gently in the wind.

"Pretty, isn’t it?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah," I admitted.

For a moment, the two of us simply stood there silently.

Then—

"Lady Lilith."

A servant suddenly approached from behind us and bowed respectfully.

"Duke Rosthwall requests your presence."

Lilith immediately frowned.

"...Now?"

"Yes, my lady. Preparations for the awakening ceremony are nearly complete."

The servant’s gaze briefly shifted toward me before quickly returning to Lilith.

"I have also prepared a guest room for Lord Leon."

Lord Leon.

That sounded incredibly weird.

Lilith let out a small sigh before turning toward me.

"I’ll come get you later."

I nodded.

"Alright."

For some reason, Lilith hesitated before leaving.

Then suddenly—

"Don’t disappear somewhere," she said quietly.

"...I wasn’t planning to."

Only after hearing my answer did she finally seem satisfied enough to leave alongside the servant.

The moment she disappeared down the hallway, the atmosphere around me immediately felt different.

Colder.

Several nearby servants quietly glanced in my direction before whispering among themselves.

"...That’s him?"

"The duke’s guest?"

"Lady Lilith actually smiled around him..."

I pretended not to hear anything while internally wishing to vanish.

A young maid eventually guided me toward one of the guest rooms prepared for me.

Even the guest room alone was almost as large as my bedroom back home.

I collapsed backward onto the bed with a long sigh.

This place was exhausting.

And tomorrow would probably be even worse.

Lilith’s thirteenth birthday and awakening ceremony would officially take place at noon.

By then, nobles from across the kingdom would already have arrived.

Meaning that tomorrow—

The story truly began.

A knock suddenly echoed through the room.

Before I could answer, the door slowly opened.

Duke Rosthwall entered.

I immediately sat upright.

The duke calmly closed the door behind him before walking further into the room.

Despite having known him for years now, his presence was still unbelievably intimidating.

An A-rank mage.

Even standing casually, he radiated overwhelming pressure.

"You seem nervous," the duke observed.

"...Can you blame me?"

A faint smirk appeared on Rosthwall’s face.

"Fair point."

To my surprise, he walked toward the nearby window instead of continuing the conversation immediately.

For several moments, silence filled the room.

Then—

"Lilith has changed considerably because of you."

His words caught me off guard.

The duke continued staring outside toward the city below.

"Before meeting you, she barely interacted with anyone. The servants feared her. Other children avoided her."

His expression darkened slightly.

"And after the incident several years ago, things only became worse."

I remained silent.

Even now, rumors about Lilith being cursed still spread throughout parts of the kingdom.

"Yet somehow," Rosthwall continued, "you treated her normally."

The duke finally turned toward me.

"And because of that, she smiles now."

I honestly did not know how to respond to that.

After all, I originally approached Lilith out of fear.

Fear of what she would become.

Yet somewhere along the way, that fear had slowly faded.

Now, when I looked at her—

I mostly just saw Lilith.

Not the future Void Witch.

The duke’s sharp crimson eyes studied me carefully.

"I do not particularly care about noble status or bloodlines," he said calmly. "What matters to me is whether someone is worthy of standing beside my daughter."

I nearly choked.

Hold on.

Why did that sentence sound so dangerous?

Thankfully, before my panic could spiral further, Rosthwall continued.

"You are one of the few people she genuinely trusts."

The duke walked toward the door.

Then, just before leaving—

"Tomorrow will change many things," he said quietly.

His gaze lingered on me for a moment.

"So stay close to Lilith."

And with that, he left.

The room fell silent once more.

I slowly leaned back against the bed while staring at the ceiling.

Tomorrow.

Lilith Nightbane’s awakening ceremony.

The moment the kingdom would witness a talent unlike anything seen before.

And somehow...

I had ended up directly in the center of it all.