He had no desire for a grand farewell.
No lengthy goodbyes.
No emotional send-off that would burden the final steps of his journey.
He wished to leave exactly as he had arrived...
Quietly.
Without fanfare.
Without drawing attention.
Leaving behind nothing but memories.
He carefully packed his few belongings, bringing only what he truly needed for the road ahead. His movements were calm and unhurried, his expression composed, as though he had accepted this moment long ago.
Meanwhile...
Eliaria arrived, just as she always did.
Ever since she had discovered his secluded training ground, she had begun visiting him from time to time, until those visits quietly became part of their daily lives.
Neither of them ever questioned the habit anymore.
But...
The moment her eyes fell upon the packed bags resting beside him...
She stopped.
Her footsteps froze.
A heavy silence descended between them.
She had always known...
From the very beginning...
That this day would eventually come.
For that reason, she had spent countless days trying to prepare herself for it.
Yet the moment farewell became reality...
Every ounce of that preparation crumbled into nothing.
Several long moments passed before she finally broke the silence.
The single word that escaped her lips sounded calm on the surface, but it failed to conceal the emotions hidden beneath.
"You're leaving?"
Leo lifted his gaze toward her before answering in his usual tranquil voice.
"Yes."
Silence returned once again.
It lingered between them until Eliaria forced herself to smile.
It was a bright smile...
Or at least, it tried to be.
Behind it rested a sorrow she struggled desperately to conceal.
Then she spoke with a cheerful tone she had painstakingly crafted.
"Then..."
"I wish you a safe journey."
"And when we meet again..."
"I'll surprise you with how much stronger I've become."
A faint smile appeared upon Leo's face.
"I look forward to seeing that."
He lifted his travel bag and turned toward the path leading out of the forest.
As he walked past her...
He noticed something almost imperceptible.
Her arm...
Was trembling.
Only slightly.
So subtly that most people would have overlooked it entirely.
But not him.
"It seems..." he thought quietly.
"Her body is far more honest than her words."
He continued walking without stopping.
Without looking back.
Eliaria remained standing exactly where she was, silently watching his figure grow farther and farther away.
Until his footsteps faded.
Until even his silhouette disappeared beyond the trees.
Then...
The first tear fell.
Followed by another.
And another.
The tears she had struggled so desperately to suppress finally escaped, flowing silently down her cheeks.
She didn't sob.
She didn't cry aloud.
She simply stood there as silent tears continued to fall.
She hadn't wanted him to see her like this.
She wanted the last image he carried of her...
To be a smile.
Not tears.
That was why...
She hadn't even attempted to accompany him to the forest's entrance.
Deep inside, she knew the truth.
Had she walked beside him until the very end...
She would have broken.
Perhaps...
She would have begged him not to leave.
And she never wished to place him in such a position.
Meanwhile...
Leo had already reached the edge of the Elven Forest.
He paused for only a brief moment.
Then cast one final glance behind him.
That forest had become far more than a temporary stop along his journey.
It was there that his strength had grown beyond anything he had anticipated.
It was there that he had forged his first genuine bonds in this unfamiliar world.
And it was there...
That the mysteries surrounding this world had only multiplied.
A faint smile crossed his lips.
Then, without another moment of hesitation...
He turned around and walked away.
---
Leo traveled the distance between the Elven Forest and the city of Blumod entirely on foot.
Not long ago, such a journey would have exhausted a considerable portion of his strength.
But now...
Everything had changed.
After reaching the peak of the Fifth Circle, the increase in mana within his body had strengthened far more than his magical abilities alone.
His physical body had also undergone a remarkable transformation.
His muscles had become stronger.
His endurance had risen dramatically.
Even the simple act of walking felt effortless compared to before.
As a result...
He reached the border gates without feeling the slightest trace of fatigue.
Just as during his previous visit...
The guards stopped him at the entrance.
This time, however, there was no need for lengthy explanations.
Calmly, Leo retrieved the special pass Noctra had given him and handed it over.
One of the guards examined it carefully before discussing it with the others for several minutes.
After confirming its authenticity, they stepped aside.
"You may pass."
Leo accepted the pass and quietly thought,
"I truly don't regret obtaining this card."
"It has spared me a great deal of unnecessary trouble."
However, before he could continue walking, one of the guards called out again.
"This pass only permits two crossings."
"You've just used the second one."
"So..."
"Its validity has now expired."
The guard immediately tore the card into pieces before Leo's eyes.
Leo merely watched in silence.
"I expected something like this."
"A pass capable of bypassing the kingdom's security measures couldn't possibly remain unrestricted."
"If it could be used indefinitely..."
"It would become the perfect tool for smugglers, drug traffickers, mercenary mages, and every criminal seeking to exploit the borders."
"Restricting its use was the most logical decision."
---
Leo resumed his journey.
After some time, the towering walls of Blumod gradually appeared upon the horizon.
As he drew nearer, the city's massive stone fortifications and imposing watchtowers came fully into view, standing proudly beneath the morning sky as enduring symbols of the kingdom's discipline and authority.
Passing through the main gate, he found that little had changed since his last visit.
Blumod remained a city defined by order.
Knights patrolled the main streets with unwavering discipline.
Guards maintained constant watch throughout every district.
Citizens carried on with their daily lives beneath the protection of strict law and unwavering stability.
As Leo wandered through the bustling streets, a thought crossed his mind.
"During my previous visit..."
"I left this city almost immediately."
"I never had the opportunity to form a proper impression of it like I did with Lunaria and Nektar."
He slowed his pace, quietly observing the architecture, the orderly avenues, and the disciplined rhythm of everyday life.
"But now..."
"Looking at it more carefully..."
"I have to admit..."
"It's a beautiful city."
Eventually, he arrived at the caravan station.
There, he discovered that a caravan bound for the Dainhart family's territory would depart...
In three days.
Leo stood silently for a moment.
"How should I spend the next three days?"
After a brief consideration, he rented a modest apartment, paying three days' rent in advance before deciding to spend the remaining time exploring the city.
Just as he had expected...
Very little happened.
A peaceful, well-governed city rarely produced the unexpected incidents that seemed to follow him elsewhere.
As the sun slowly descended toward the horizon and the streets became bathed in warm amber light, Leo began making his way back.
Then...
A scene unfolding within a narrow alley caught his attention.
Several children had surrounded a lone boy.
They shoved him.
Struck him.
And showered him with cruel insults without restraint.
Leo stopped walking.
Watching silently, he murmured to himself,
"What a pitiful sight."
Yet what truly captured his attention...
Wasn't the group of bullies.
It was the boy himself.
The moment their eyes met...
Leo felt something stir deep within him.
Those eyes...
Were utterly empty.
There was no fear.
No anger.
Not even sorrow.
Only an endless void.
They resembled the eyes of someone gazing endlessly into an abyss...
As though every trace of childhood had already been stripped away.
Leo stood motionless.
A faint ache tightened around his heart.
Almost unconsciously, he whispered,
"He reminds me..."
"...of the original Leo."
The young boy who had once lived within this body.
The child who had endured far more suffering than someone his age should ever have known.
At that moment...
Alovenus realized something he had never expected.
He had lived for centuries.
Witnessed countless tragedies.
Watched kingdoms rise and collapse.
Seen enough death and despair to numb even the strongest soul.
Scenes like this should no longer have affected him.
And yet...
The sorrow welling up inside him did not belong to Alovenus.
It came from somewhere far deeper.
It came from Leo's own heart.
As though the lingering emotions left behind by the body's original owner had never truly disappeared...
And continued to beat quietly within this heart, responding whenever it encountered another soul burdened by the same loneliness and pain.