{Well, at least you finally realize how special your beloved Liya is.}

Liya replied proudly, her tone carrying a hint of smugness as if she had been waiting for him to acknowledge that fact.

"Yeah... you sure are."

Nova said with a smile before removing the Slaughter Monarch’s disguise. His appearance quickly returned to normal as he let out a small sigh.

"Anyway, jokes apart... you’re right. I need to convince my parents to settle in Frostholme. That way, I can train here and properly adjust to my newfound strength, especially my demonic aura."

He looked out through the broken window as the first rays of sunlight illuminated the city.

"Now that everything is settled, I’ve got three years to train... and hopefully, there won’t be any major incidents in between."

Even as he said it, Nova knew that was probably wishful thinking. The Blood Moon Cult’s mission had failed, and there would undoubtedly be some reaction from their side. Their plan had been simple, yet capable of destroying an entire city.

He also remembered the man from the cultists’ memories—someone known only as 110, the superior who had given them their orders.

Then another thought crossed his mind, the yellow communication stone they had used to contact their boss.

"Did I burn it along with their bodies?"

Nova looked around the room but couldn’t find it anywhere. After searching for a moment, he simply stopped caring.

"I’ll just get some proper sleep now. I haven’t had one in ages. Then, in the evening, I’ll go visit Rieka’s grandfather."

That was the plan he settled on. Although Frostholme had survived, the city still had to deal with the aftermath of the battle, and things wouldn’t return to normal anytime soon.

He also remembered that the Royal Guards were supposed to arrive that morning. However, Nova wasn’t foolish enough to meet them. While it would be difficult for even someone at the Grandmaster Realm to notice the demonic energy hidden within him, there was no guarantee the arriving guards wouldn’t be even stronger.

In the end, he decided to return to the inn and get some rest until evening. Tomorrow, he would head back to Clodrock with Rieka.

Slipping through the window, Nova entered his room without bothering to check in. He didn’t have any money left anyway.

"I’ll sell those weapons tomorrow before returning to the village."

With that final thought, Nova lay down and quickly drifted to sleep. His growing strength meant he no longer needed much rest physically, but after everything that had happened throughout the night, his mind was utterly exhausted.

....

At the western gates of Frostholme, where the battlefield had once been consumed by chaos, only silence remained. The ground was still stained crimson with the blood of demonic beasts and the fallen warriors of Frostholme, but the battlefield itself was now empty.

The wounded had been taken back into the city, the dead had been recovered, and everything here had finally been wrapped up.

Standing atop the wall of city were three figures. Theodore, William, and Maria gazed into the distance, their eyes fixed on the massive crater nearly two to three kilometers away—the very crater left behind by Nova during his battle.

"You sure he was a human?" William asked as he continued staring at the crater.

"I don’t know... maybe he was, or maybe he wasn’t." Theodore replied with a sigh. "Didn’t you two feel his aura as well? I’ve never felt such a dreadful aura before. It was as if Death itself was staring at me."

"I think he might be a part of the Blood Moon Cult," Maria said as she turned toward the two men. She had already changed back into her usual white nun’s attire, which completely hid her wonderful figure. In contrast, Theodore and William were still wearing their blood-soaked battle armor.

"No... that can’t be true." Theodore shook his head. "If he were a member of the Blood Moon Cult, he wouldn’t have helped us. They’re infamous for slaughtering humans and the other races alike. They betrayed humanity long ago and chose to serve the demons instead. It simply doesn’t make sense."

"Well, whoever he was, it doesn’t matter now," Maria replied calmly. "He saved the city, which means we’re indebted to him. Besides, he clearly didn’t want to reveal his identity, so it’s better to leave things as they are. There’s no point in making a powerful enemy for no reason."

Theodore nodded slightly before speaking again.

"Still... the Slaughter Monarch warned me that this beast tide wasn’t natural. That means someone was behind it. I also had my suspicions from the beginning. It felt as though the demonic beasts were being attracted by something hidden inside the city."

"Well, whatever it was, it’s out of our hands now," William said with an annoyed snort. "The Royal Guards should be arriving any moment. Those bastards... they wouldn’t have cared even if we had all perished. Talk about coming for an emergency."

After a brief silence, William looked around.

"Anyway... where’s Tharuk?"

"He returned to his tribe," Maria replied. "He lost five of his men, and many more were seriously wounded."

"That old man has already suffered so much in the past," Theodore said with a sigh. "Very few Beastfolk from his tribe are left now. I kind of feel bad for dragging him into this battle."

"It’s alright," William replied, shaking his head. "Even if he hadn’t joined the city’s defense, it wouldn’t have changed much. If the Slaughter Monarch and his strange legion hadn’t appeared to make up for our lack of numbers, his entire tribe would’ve perished along with the rest of the city."

"So don’t blame yourself. I’m sure that old man is just as tough as you are." Theodore didn’t say anything in return. He simply nodded silently.

"Didn’t he have a grand-daughter?" Maria suddenly asked with curiosity. "I heard she’s extremely beautiful, even on par with your daughter, Duke."

"Hmm... I do remember that little girl." Theodore smiled faintly. "Yes, she’s every bit as beautiful as Asia."

Then something suddenly crossed his mind.

"Oh, that reminds me..."

"I met a rather amazing young man today."

William raised an eyebrow, his interest immediately piqued.

"Oh? For someone like you to call a young man amazing... he really must be someone special."

"Yeah. He’s the son of one of my Knight Captains, Edward. His name is Nova Valencrest," Theodore said with a faint smile. "I met him today. For a fifteen-year-old boy, he was surprisingly well-built and carried himself with confidence. There was also something rather strange about the atmosphere around him."

Theodore paused for a moment before continuing.

"I even tried to test him a little by releasing a bit of my natural aura, but it didn’t affect him at all. It was as if he didn’t even feel it. Although he looked quite capable, his level was only around thirty."

"Did you just say... Nova Valencrest?" Maria asked, as if she had suddenly remembered something.

"He was one of the children at the awakening ceremony with your daughter. I personally took part in that ceremony. He only awakened a C-Rank potential with Lightning Affinity."

She frowned slightly.

"So the way you’re describing him makes him sound like a completely different person."

After a brief pause, she added with a small smile,

"Though... I will admit he was quite handsome, if nothing else."

"Hmm... maybe he trained hard after the awakening ceremony," Theodore said thoughtfully. "He must have worked tirelessly and continued leveling up."

"Yeah... if you’re talking about the boy who accepted a C-Rank mission while being only Level 1, along with none other than Tharuk’s granddaughter, and actually completed it... then he’s already a member of my guild. Rose told me about him," William said.

"Though I have to admit, he must’ve taken on many more missions after that if he’s already around Level 30. Reaching that level with only C-Rank potential sounds nearly impossible. On the other hand, if he had A-Rank or even S-Rank potential, it would’ve made much more sense."

"Well—"

Theodore was just about to say something when the sound of galloping horses echoed from outside the city. The thunderous footsteps rapidly grew louder as they approached Frostholme’s gates.

Thanks for reading...