Nichole, the dark-blue-haired girl who was watching Liam and Cedric earlier, is now inside the restaurant building, taking a seat at an empty table in front of the receptionist. A glass of drink is in her hand.

  Liam and Cedric are seen coming down the stairs, as if they’ve just finished their meal on the second floor. Damian follows not far behind. Liam and Cedric stop at the receptionist’s desk to book a room. Their conversation with the receptionist can be heard all the way to the table where Nichole is sitting.

  Meanwhile, Damian feels hot after eating. He takes off his military uniform jacket, then sits in the empty chair across from Nichole. His attention immediately shifts to the girl.

  “Drinking alone in a restaurant?”

  Nichole doesn’t answer; her ears are focused on the conversation at the receptionist’s desk.

  “Here are your room keys on the third floor, numbers 306 and 307.”

  Nichole clearly picks up the sound of the second key being slid toward Cedric, which tells her that Liam is holding the key to room 306.

  Damian starts getting annoyed at being ignored. “Looks like I just greeted a deaf woman.” He’s about to get up and leave.

  “I’m not deaf,” Nichole replies instantly. “Just a little spaced out.” Her voice is low and flat, as if devoid of emotion.

  Liam and Cedric walk away, ignoring Damian, who appears to be busy trying to flirt with a woman.

  “Spacing out and drinking alone. Look like you’ve got problems, Miss. Hey, bring me the same drink she’s having.” Damian grows eager to entertain her.

  But Nichole’s gaze stays dim and empty.

  “Problems… yes… problems that only end in death.”

  “All right, it seems your problems are really heavy.” Just then, the waiter arrives with Damian’s drink. “Come on, let me drink with you. This will help you calm down.”

  Damian takes a sip first. Nichole watches him for a moment, then finally drinks as well. The two of them each take a gulp from their own glass.

  “You’re military? You must be used to seeing people die.”

  Because Damian has taken off his military jacket—where his rank insignia is normally displayed—Nichole has no idea that the man in front of her isn’t just an ordinary soldier, but the military commander of Soroza.

  Damian grows even more interested in indulging her.

  “Of course. Anything related to death is a soldier’s daily fare.”

  “What would you do if you knew this was your last day alive?”

  “That’s quite a unique question.” Damian pauses for a moment, trying to think.

  “If I knew I were going to die today and there was no avoiding it, I’d do the most enjoyable thing I’ve never done in my entire life.”

  “Like what?”

  “I’d sleep with ten big-chested women at once. My soul would probably float to heaven before my body even dies.”

  Nichole’s eyes narrow, giving off a cynical look.

  “That’s enjoyable for you? It sounds disgusting.”

  “Aha!” Damian points straight at Nichole’s face. “You’ve clearly never done it. Of course it’s enjoyable for both men and women.”

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  Nichole turns her face away coldly, not interested in responding.

  Damian gives a slight smile as he folds his arms across his chest.

  “If you feel like this is your last day alive, why not follow my advice? Try doing something you’ve never done before.”

  Words laced with hidden meaning. Nichole’s gaze returns to Damian, who is now giving her a wide grin.

  .

  The moon, only partially showing itself, shines over the midnight sky of Soroza, a city growing quiet after the day’s bustle. A black-robed mage stands atop a building bathed in moonlight, gazing toward the inn where Liam and Cedric are resting.

  “The moon has risen. It is time for you to carry out your task, Nichole Lanea.”

  As if she can hear that voice in her mind, Nichole jolts awake with a sharp, breathless gasp and a tense stare. Her unclothed body is covered only by a blanket.

  A thin reddish glow appears on her chest, and her face tightens as she bows her head, as if silently enduring pain.

  Nichole looks to the side and sees Damian still sound asleep. Slowly, she gets out of bed.

  After getting dressed, she leaves the room, walking through the quiet corridor toward the stairs leading to the upper floor. Her gaze is empty, wrapped in despair.

  “Do your task if you don’t want to see your family slaughtered.”

  The mage’s voice continues to fill Nichole’s mind.

  A threat that leaves her with no other choice. A surge of suffocating emotions churns in her chest—buried anger mixing with grief and the loss of hope.

  Nichole continues up the stairs until she reaches the third floor.

  “Sacrifice yourself for the death of the third prince of Argoust.”

  .

  That night, Liam is enjoying a deep, comfortable sleep in his inn room—almost like revenge for the nights he once spent under the open sky. The room is dim, lit only by the moonlight streaming in through the window.

  His peaceful sleep is disturbed by repeated knocking at the door. The furrow in Liam’s face shows how displeased he is to be awakened from such a deep rest.

  “Who’s coming at this hour?”

  He’s forced to sit up and open his still-heavy eyes. A sense of confusion comes over him as he listens to the knocking.

  “Knocking without saying anything? That’s definitely not Cedric or Damian.”

  Even so, Liam still walks calmly toward the door.

  “Is there an assassin polite enough to knock first before attacking? I’ll finish them quickly as a thank-you.”

  Liam opens his room door just like that, without any sense of caution. “Yes?”

  He comes face-to-face with Nichole, tears streaming down her cheeks, a red light on her chest growing brighter and brighter.

  “I’m sorry…”

  Liam’s expression tightens.

  BOOOOOM!!

  A massive explosion erupts on the third floor of the inn. Its echo spreads across the quiet city, jolting everyone from their sleep—Damian included, in the same building—nearly throwing him off the bed from the violent tremor.

  Damian quickly gets dressed and rushes out of his room, running through the corridor, which is suddenly filled with guests who were also jolted awake by the explosion.

  The black-robed mage watches from the rooftop with a wide smile.

  “The prince’s death by explosion… what an exhilarating headline that will make. There’s no way he could avoid it from that close, not even with an Arzechlous orb.”

  Two other black-robed mages appear behind him.

  “You two—blend in with the crowd and make sure the prince is dead.”

  The two mages understand and head off at once.

  Amid the commotion of the inn’s residents where the explosion took place, the two mages sent earlier have already disguised themselves as ordinary citizens, blending in with the crowd to gather information. They reach the third floor of the inn.

  The scene there is a complete wreck. Liam’s room is destroyed, blown apart all the way to the window. Cedric is seen kneeling with his head lowered, gripping a torn piece of fabric tightly, while Damian stands beside him, his eyes tense and filled with regret.

  “There’s nothing left of him… I’ve failed to protect my master.”

  The nearby residents murmur among themselves after hearing Cedric’s words. “His body must’ve been blown to pieces by an explosion that big.”

  A military officer approaches Damian. Damian immediately gives him an order.

  “Seal every entry and exit to Soroza. The one behind this explosion must be found. Two people have already become victims, and one of them is someone important to the Kingdom of Argoust.”

  As Damian’s subordinate leaves to carry out the order, the two infiltrating mages also make their exit.

  They return later with a report that delights their leader.

  “Hahahaha! I knew this method would be highly effective. The third prince of Argoust is finished! Send a raven to Lord Jorey at once. The crown prince will be thrilled to hear such monumental news.”

  “Yes, My Lord. And what about the family we took hostage?”

  “Of course, I will be the one to release them.”

  The black-robed mage smiles, his eyes gleaming with dangerous intent.

  .

  The gray-eyed scout standing on the side of another building continues observing the inn, which is still in chaos and now beginning to fill with Soroza’s military forces. He sees Cedric walking out of the inn, guided by Damian. Cedric’s head remains lowered. Damian seems to pat his shoulder in an attempt to calm him.

  Not far behind Damian, two military officers come out carrying a stretcher with something covered by a white cloth on top of it.

  “Is he really dead in the explosion?” the scout begins to wonder.