The tension didn't fade all at once.
It ebbed.
Slowly.
Like a storm that had passed but left the air heavy, thick with everything it had carried.
For a long while, no one spoke.
They sat scattered around the guildmaster's office and adjoining lab, each lost in their own thoughts. The earlier chaos—the battle, the fear, the near loss—lingered in the silence between them.
Only after time had worn down the sharpest edges of that tension did Kane finally break it.
"So… what happened after I left?"
His voice was quieter than usual. Careful.
Lily, who had been staring blankly at one of the shelves, blinked and turned to him. For a moment, she hesitated—as if deciding how much to say, or perhaps how to say it.
Then she began.
She told him everything.
How, the moment he disappeared, everything had fallen apart. How Benson and John had struggled to hold the line. How Christina had nearly been overwhelmed. How the situation had spiraled so quickly it felt impossible to recover.
And then—
"He appeared," Lily said.
Kane frowned slightly. "He?"
"Hugo Erikson."
The name hung in the air.
Lily described him—the sudden arrival, the overwhelming presence, the way the battlefield itself seemed to shift just by his existence. She spoke of how effortlessly he had intervened, how he had saved them when there was no hope left.
By the time she finished, the room had gone quiet again.
The guild master—Dargon Welton—was staring at her with undisguised shock.
"The Sovereign…" he muttered under his breath. "He actually showed himself…"
There was something almost reverent in his tone. Disbelief mixed with awe.
On the side, Benson crossed his arms, his brows furrowed in thought.
"I've been wondering about a few things," he said.
Everyone turned to him.
"The first—where did Kane go during the battle?" Benson continued. "And the second… who exactly is that old man? I know he knows Lily, but why did he suddenly show up?"
Kane opened his mouth to answer—
—but Dargon spoke first.
"First of all," the guild master said, leaning back slightly, "Kane was transported to my office using the pendant I gave Lily."
His gaze shifted—sharp and pointed.
Directly at her.
Lily stiffened.
"I told you it was for emergencies," he added dryly.
She looked away, pretending to examine a random object on the table.
"Secondly," he continued, crossing his arms, "I am Dargon Welton—the guild master of the Crimson Mage Guild."
John blinked. "You say that like it explains everything."
"It does," Dargon replied flatly.
Christina let out a small laugh, easing some of the tension.
The conversation drifted after that.
They talked—about the battle, about what they had seen, about what they didn't understand.
Eventually, they began searching the lab.
If there was one thing adventurers were good at, it was salvaging what remained.
Shelves were combed through. Drawers opened. Hidden compartments discovered.
Strange artifacts filled the room—items humming faintly with mana, others completely inert but clearly valuable.
In the end, they agreed on a simple rule.
Three items each.
No arguments.
Kane chose cautiously, prioritizing usefulness over flashiness. Lily, on the other hand, picked things that piqued her curiosity—though she claimed they were practical.
When everything was settled, they prepared to leave.
The ride back was quieter than usual.
The carriage creaked softly as it rolled along the road, the rhythmic clatter of wheels filling the gaps between conversation.
Lily sat beside Kane again.
Christina sat across from them, next to Dargon.
Up front, Benson and John handled the route—for now.
"I think we'll stay at another inn tonight," Benson called back at one point. "Too late to make it all the way."
No one disagreed.
Lily and Kane talked.
At first, it was light—random things, trivial observations, half-jokes that didn't quite land but didn't need to.
Anything to avoid circling back to that.
Dargon occasionally joined in, adding dry remarks that somehow made the conversation feel more grounded.
Time passed.
The sky darkened.
And by the time night had fully settled, they arrived at a small roadside inn.
This time, Dargon stepped down from the carriage and stretched slightly.
"I'll head back to the guild," he said.
Christina blinked. "Now?"
He nodded.
Without another word, mana gathered around him—subtle, controlled—and in the next moment, he rose into the air.
Then—
He was gone.
Christina stared upward for a few seconds before letting out a long breath.
"…I'm glad I don't have to share a room with him."
John snorted.
The arrangements stayed the same.
Nothing needed to change.
Lily and Kane returned to their room.
The moment the door closed behind them, the atmosphere shifted again—quieter, more private.
They unpacked in silence.
After dinner, Kane became acutely aware of something.
He smelled.
Sweat, dust, lingering traces of battle—it clung to him in a way that made him uncomfortable.
He glanced toward Lily.
She, as usual, seemed completely unconcerned.
Without hesitation, she set up a barrier—smooth, practiced—and began washing herself as if it were the most normal thing in the world.
Kane looked away.
"…Right."
He turned toward the other side of the room and began his daily training routine, trying very hard not to think about anything else.
But the thought lingered.
The feeling of grime.
The discomfort.
Eventually—
He gave in.
"…I'm going to shower."
Lily didn't even pause. "Mm."
Kane hesitated for a moment before mimicking what he had seen.
He formed a barrier.
Then, after a brief pause, he added another layer.
Then another.
"…Just in case."
Only when he was fully enclosed did he relax enough to actually wash.
When he finished and changed into clean clothes, the difference was immediate.
Better.
Much better.
Later, they lay on the bed.
The room was dim, lit only by faint moonlight slipping through the window.
For the first time that day—
They had nothing left to distract them.
No conversation to hide behind.
No tasks to focus on.
Just silence.
And thoughts.
Kane stared at the ceiling.
Everything replayed in his mind—the battle, the fear, the moment he had disappeared.
And then—
Lily.
"Lily?" he said softly.
She didn't respond.
"…I know you're not asleep."
A small pause.
"…What?"
Her voice was quiet.
Kane hesitated.
Then asked:
"Why did you save me?"
Lily froze.
Even in the dim light, he could tell.
"…What kind of question is that?" she said, trying to sound casual.
"I mean it."
She shifted slightly, turning away from him.
"Because you were the closest one," she said quickly. "Obviously."
Kane frowned.
"No," he said. "Not that."
He turned his head slightly, his gaze steady.
"I'm asking why you didn't just leave."
Silence.
Lily didn't answer.
Because she couldn't.
Because she didn't know how to put it into words.
So instead—
She deflected.
"Then why did you come back?" she shot back.
Kane didn't hesitate.
"Because I was worried about you."
The words came out instantly.
Too instantly.
As if they had been waiting.
Then, almost immediately—
"I mean—I was also worried about the others," he added quickly.
A beat.
Lily stared at the ceiling.
"…Hey," she said suddenly, her voice shifting. "I can't sleep."
Kane blinked. "Huh?"
"Do you want to go eat something?"
There was no hesitation.
"Sure."
They slipped out quietly.
The inn was mostly silent, the other guests already asleep.
Outside, the night air was cool.
The streets were dimly lit, only a few lanterns flickering in the darkness.
Most shops were closed.
But not all.
A handful of stalls remained open—simple vendors selling late-night food to travelers and night wanderers.
They walked side by side.
Not saying much.
But not needing to.
They stopped at one stall.
Then another.
Trying different foods, sharing bites, occasionally commenting on the taste.
Small things.
Normal things.
Things that felt… grounding.
Time passed without them noticing.
Eventually, they made their way back.
The room felt different when they returned.
Quieter.
Heavier.
But also—
Clearer.
Lily sat down on the bed.
For a moment, she said nothing.
Then—
"Kane," she said.
Her voice was softer than he had ever heard it.
"You know… I was really scared, right?"
Kane didn't interrupt.
Didn't joke.
Didn't deflect.
He just listened.
"Ever since… Michael ate the king of the elves…"
Her voice trembled slightly.
"I couldn't think properly."
Her hands clenched slightly in the sheets.
"Everything felt… wrong. Like I was about to lose everything at any moment."
She took a shaky breath.
"Maybe that's why I saved you," she continued. "Because I was scared."
A pause.
"Scared that I might lose you."
Kane opened his mouth.
He was going to tease her.
Lighten the mood.
Say something to make it less heavy—
But then—
He heard it.
A small, quiet sound.
He looked over.
Lily's shoulders were shaking.
She was crying.
"I'm really glad," she said, her voice breaking, "that you're okay."
Something in Kane's chest tightened.
And before he realized it—
He was crying too.
Not loudly.
Not dramatically.
Just—
Quietly.
They didn't say anything after that.
They didn't need to.
They just sat there.
Side by side.
Crying.
Letting everything they had been holding in finally spill out.