The fog did not disperse gently.

  It tore apart.

  One moment, the hall was drowning in suffocating darkness, the silhouettes of monsters writhing within it. The next, the black mist shuddered—as if struck by an unseen force—and vanished entirely, revealing the aftermath it had tried to hide.

  Bodies.

  The lifeless remains of monsters lay scattered across the marble floor, their forms still twitching as faint embers of golden light burned through their flesh. The scent of scorched air lingered, sharp and metallic.

  His sword was raised, embedded in the air itself, as if the strike had frozen time for a heartbeat. The blade glimmered with a soft golden radiance, holy light crawling along its edge before flaring brightly and cascading downward. Wherever the glow touched, monster flesh disintegrated into ash, leaving nothing behind but silence.

  This was strange, really strange.

  Sir Kael took Aira in his arms and carried her to the room...... but he was lost in his thoughts. This wasn't the first time that he had destroyed the magic circle. Every time once the magic circle closed the spawning of monsters would stop, but what happened this time?

  All the monsters vanished in the thick fog not only that the fog cleared up itself without leaving any monster behind....

  He was questioning himself, ' this is too much to be considered only as a coincidence, could it be that she had a hand in all of it????'

  Slowly, Sir Kael exhaled.

  The light faded. His sword returned to its ordinary steel sheen as he lowered it, the battle already over.

  Aira could not move.

  Her legs trembled beneath her, her breath shallow and uneven. She hadn’t sensed the monsters even once—not their presence, not their intent.

  Before panic could fully claim her, arms wrapped around her shoulders.

  She gasped softly as Sir Kael pulled her close, his grip firm but careful, grounding her before she could collapse. One of his hands covered hers, steady and warm.

  “Breathe,” he said gently. “Deep breaths. You’re safe now.”

  His voice cut through the chaos in her mind.

  Aira obeyed, inhaling shakily, then exhaling. Again. And again. Slowly, the frantic pounding of her heart began to settle. The trembling eased, replaced by an overwhelming heaviness.

  The fear drained from her all at once.

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  Her knees buckled.

  Sir Kael caught her without hesitation, lifting her into his arms as if she weighed nothing at all.

  “What an odd girl,” he murmured with a soft chuckle, glancing down at her pale face. “Strong, yet so careless with herself…”

  Exhaustion claimed Aira before she could respond. Her head fell against his chest as consciousness slipped away.

  He carefully laid her down on the bed. Her hand was tightly holding onto his shirt. He tried to escape her grip then she mumbled, "don't leave me alone "...

  Listening to her he stayed by her side.

  When she awoke, warmth surrounded her.

  A soft bed cradled her body, the faint scent of clean linen filling her senses. Her breathing felt steadier now, calmer. But the moment awareness returned, so did panic.

  Her eyes flew open.

  Sir Kael sat beside the bed.

  The sight of him there—so close—made her heart slam violently against her ribs. Instinctively, she squeezed her eyes shut again, as if pretending to be asleep could make the moment disappear.

  A smooth, amused voice reached her ears.

  “I know you’re awake.”

  Aira jolted upright with a startled gasp, sitting straight as her eyes widened.

  “S-Sir Kael!” she stammered. “H-How long have you been here?”

  For a moment, she froze.

  She realized she was still holding something.

  Her gaze dropped.

  Her hand was tightly clenched around his shirt.

  Her face flushed scarlet.

  She tried to pull away—but he gently lifted their joined hands, bringing them closer to her face.

  “It seems,” he said softly, leaning in just enough for his voice to drop to a whisper, “a certain someone didn’t let go of my shirt.”

  Her breath hitched.

  She released him instantly, drawing her hands to her chest as embarrassment crashed over her like a wave.

  “I-I’m so sorry!” she blurted out, words tumbling over themselves. “I wasn’t aware— I mean— I didn’t mean to— I must have— I’m such an idiot!”

  She buried her face in her hands, mortified.

  Sir Kael sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.

  “Could you stop mumbling?” he said dryly. “You’re making it worse.”

  She peeked at him through her fingers, shrinking slightly.

  “I apologize, Sir. I wasn’t conscious of my actions…”

  His expression softened.

  “I’m not upset,” he said. “I was simply… concerned.”

  Aira froze.

  Concerned?

  She lowered her hands slowly.

  Sir Kael’s gaze drifted away as he spoke, his tone quieter now. “It’s not normal for monsters to vanish like that. Especially not without a trace. Something is wrong.”

  He stood.

  “I’ll be in my office. Get some rest.”

  And just like that, he left.

  Aira remained seated for a long moment after the door closed.

  It was strange.

  He hadn’t questioned her—not about the fog, not about how the monsters disappeared. Part of her expected interrogation, suspicion… fear.

  But instead, he had simply stayed with her.

  For the first time in her life, Aira felt something unfamiliar settle in her chest.

  Relief.

  Somewhere far from home, in a place she didn’t understand, someone had looked after her without asking for anything in return.

  Her stomach growled softly, pulling her from her thoughts.

  She sighed and rose from the bed, scanning the room. Aside from a thin layer of dust and a few abandoned cobwebs clinging to the corners, there was nothing of interest.

  No answers.

  Only silence.

  After a moment’s hesitation, she stepped out, making her way toward Sir Kael’s office.

  Inside, Master Ruby sat at his desk, posture straight and composed as ever. His quill moved steadily across parchment, eyes sharp with focus as he reviewed the reports gathered from their last meeting.

  Another report lay beside him—today’s incident.

  A monster attack.

  And beneath it, written carefully in neat script, a special note:

  Unusual disappearance of monsters within black fog. No remains recovered.

  Master Ruby paused, tapping the quill against the parchment.

  Fog that concealed presence.

  Monsters that vanished without explanation.

  And a girl who shouldn’t have been there at all.

  Something was unfolding.

  And whatever it was, this was only the beginning