Michael’s feet hit the ground with a soft thud.
He took a steadying breath, scanning his surroundings.
Michael could already see the signs of early construction.
The treeline that once stood tall now showed gaps—fresh stumps where great trees had been felled with clean cuts.
A few knights, clad in silver-trimmed armor bearing the crest of the Lionheart Kingdom, were at work.
Their movements were fluid. Each swing of a blade cleaved through thick trunks with barely any resistance.
Michael paused for a moment, watching them.
Their strength was evident—not just in their physicality, but in their aura.
Calm. Efficient. Powerful.
They moved with a rhythm that spoke of sufficient training.
Still, despite their obvious strength, they seemed relaxed, almost enjoying the task.
With leisure steps, Michael made his way toward the base of the flying ship that brought him here.
The knights glanced his way but instead of challenging him, they gave a respectful salute.
Michael blinked.
A beat passed.
Then, nodding slightly, he returned the gesture with a simple incline of his head.
The knights immediately went back to their work.
Michael didn’t linger.
Without assistance or escort, he made his way to the vessel’s boarding ramp.
Michael walked with familiar steps.
No one stopped him.
At least on this ship, nearly everyone knew he was a close aide to a Grand Mage.
Back in his room, Michael didn’t lay down to rest.
Outwardly, he looked calm.
But inside, his thoughts were storming.
‘She noticed.’
But what unsettled Michael more was how she noticed.
‘I need to be more careful.”
It seems he had let too much slip.
Michael had no intention of proving the princess right.
What would he even gain from that?
Trust?
Acceptance?
Those were luxuries. He’d already learned—violently—that this world wasn’t safe.
The monster he met at the ruin he first appeared in proved that. An entity that nearly truly killed him.
That encounter taught him something vital.
Immortality, if it even existed here, came with flaws.
Only the heavens knew the methods of a King-rank expert.
If they could teleport wherever they wished, who was to say they couldn’t seize someone’s consciousness…
Or even replace it entirely?
Michael didn’t know.
But he did believe one thing—there was nothing new under the sun.
The seniors on the forum hadn’t issued their dire warnings about revealing one’s identity lightly.
Nor had they insisted that the Land of Origin wasn’t a game without good reason.
If this world were truly harmless, such caution wouldn’t be necessary.
Whatever ‘rules’ governed this place was probably not too kind.
Michael’s thoughts darkened.
‘What if I had given in?’
What if, just for a moment, he’d dropped the act? Revealed even a hint of what he truly was? Would she have turned on him? Would she try to bind him?
Or… would she have welcomed him?
Michael didn’t know and didn’t want to know.
Still… he couldn’t forget her expression.
That curiosity. It hadn’t been cold. It hadn’t been condescending. It had been bright. Like she saw a new path in front of her. Or a mystery she couldn’t wait to solve.
Michael didn’t like being a mystery.
His thoughts circled back to the undead summons.
That had also been the tipping point.
A flaw in his cover.
A mistake.
He wouldn’t make it again.
From now on, every action had to be deliberate.
At least in the face of people with power.
“As long as I’m careful there should be no problem.”
Michael concluded and stopped thinking about it.
With nothing to do now, he decided to meditate.
Michael sat cross-legged on his bed.
He shut his eyes slowly, exhaling long and steady until his body settled into stillness.
He slowed his breathing further, pushing past the residual tension in his shoulders and limbs, letting the static in his mind drain into silence.
His senses expanded just a little.
Focus.
The world melted away until it was just breath and the slow turning of his thoughts.
Michael let his consciousness hover at the edge of awareness, clearing every doubt, worry, and lingering curiosity about the princess and what she might suspect.
—
Outside the ship, the camp buzzed with activity.
By dusk, the landing zone had transformed.
The initial clearing had widened significantly—logs were stacked into makeshift barricades, and trenches had been dug along the perimeter.
Canvas tents flanked the central path, where long tables had been erected for supplies.
The flying ships, now grounded and dormant, served as bastions for the important figures of the expedition.
The knights, clad in their silver-trimmed plate, stood sentry outside.
A few mages moved among the soldiers, preparing formations of protection. .
By nightfall, the sounds of construction faded into low murmurs and the occasional barked command.
Fires burned in controlled circles, guarded by armored figures sipping rationed broth. The scent of roasted game and burned wood clung to the air.
The kingdom’s officials had already begun to prepare for battle.
If one didn’t know better, they might think the kingdom was preparing for war against another nation.
Of course, that wasn’t the case.
If it were, the full force of the kingdom would have been mobilized, and the number of knights present would be in the thousands, not just a few hundred.
And these weren’t just any soldiers—these were elites.
The reason the current situation seemed so serious was due to the nature of the threat.
Just a day ago, all information about the monster had abruptly ceased.
It was as if the creature had vanished, abandoning its assault on the town it had previously targeted.
But the sudden silence brought no relief.
A wild Grand-tier monster was a matter of great concern.
Not because such monsters didn’t exist—on the contrary, there were several deep within the vast Everlong Forest.
However, they rarely left their territories.
This one had.
Worse still, it hadn’t just attacked the kingdom—it had demonstrated dangerous traits.
This was without even considering its corrupted nature.
The threat it posed needed to be dealt with swiftly and thoroughly.
Unfortunately, this was not a simple monster.