* * *
“Job to do.”
Kaindel mulled over Ruen’s words.
As much as he hated to admit it, she was right.
He and his companions had come together to defeat the Great Calamity, and they hadn’t even made it to the heart of the Gayat Mountains yet.
Wasting a month at the Count’s estate was irresponsible.
If this had been a few months ago, he would have scorned himself for delaying their plans over one missing person.
But it wasn’t just anyone—it was Isa.
Kaindel confessed the honest truth to himself, though he couldn’t bring himself to voice it aloud.
He doubted Ruen would be convinced anyway.
After a long pause, he finally spoke.
“…Three days.”
“Three days?”
“Give me three more days to search. If we still can’t find him…”
He paused, as if the words themselves were suffocating.
The thought of finding Isa within that short period seemed absurd, especially after a month of fruitless searching.
Swallowing the bitter taste rising in his throat, he forced himself to continue.
“…then we’ll stick to our original plan. We’ll carry on, just us, and do what we need to do.”
“Finally, some sense.”
Ruen smiled in approval, patting him on the shoulder as if offering awkward consolation.
Kaindel briefly tugged at his lips before letting his expression fall.
Pressing his knuckles against his heavy eyelids, he tried to shake off the weariness that clung to him.
A job to do.
Kaindel wiped his face with a hand, trying to brush away the thoughts crowding his mind.
Until now, he’d thought it only natural to slay the Great Calamity as a hero, marry a predetermined partner as a noble, and sell himself for money as a member of the Schudelgarten Ducal House.
But now, those things no longer felt natural.
The things he’d once accepted as givens had become chains tightening around his neck.
Chains?
Did that mean he felt free when he was with Isa?
Kaindel scoffed at the unbidden thought.
He’d spent so much time walking on eggshells around Isa, desperately trying to mend their relationship.
How could he possibly call that freedom?
Yet, at the same time, it was true.
Looking back, he realized that he didn’t have to hide his true self around Isa.
No matter what kind of person he was, Isa wouldn’t judge him or be disappointed.
Perceptive as he was, Isa always said the right things, and he wore his heart on his sleeve without hesitation.
Being with him had been liberating in its own way.
And Kaindel, in his foolishness, hadn’t realized it until he’d lost him.
“Sigh.”
A long breath escaped his lips, like sand spilling from a crumbling castle.
Kaindel, frustrated by the endless spiral of his thoughts, consciously forced his mind blank.
Three days.
Perhaps that would be enough.
If so, it would be better to try until the very end than to give up prematurely.
Three days later, Kaindel left without finding Isa.
Even as he departed, his steps were reluctant.
He instructed the Count’s servants to detain anyone matching Isa’s description and to send a messenger bird if they saw a silver-haired man.
No matter where he was, Kaindel vowed to return immediately.
From the Count’s estate, they headed straight for the Behamdon Plateau, avoiding the birch forest path and taking the route along the cliffside instead.
If Isa had been there, he never would have risked such a dangerous path.
But with Isa gone, Kaindel no longer cared.
Having already defeated Morhan, the plateau was only populated by low-level monsters, making the journey relatively safe.
Kaindel and his companions conserved their strength, tackling lower-tier creatures alone and teaming up for stronger foes, steadily making their way toward the Great Calamity’s lair in the heart of the Gayat Mountains.
By taking the shortest route to the lair, they arrived after about six months, just as summer began.
“What is this? An empty wasteland?”
“Keep your voice down. This may not look like it, but it’s still the lair of a great calamity.”
“Do you think I don’t know that? That’s why I’m saying this. Why is it like this? I was expecting something more… well, you know, dramatic.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Never mind. Why am I even having this conversation with you?”
The lair of the great calamity was barren, even though it was early summer.
Not a single tree was in sight—only a massive cave stood there.
After glancing at the scenery, Ruen’s reaction was underwhelming.
His expression betrayed his disappointment.
He sighed softly as he noticed the scorched ground, likely the work of the calamity itself.
“Nothing to see here,” he muttered.
Kaindel listened to Ruen and Owen’s conversation while inspecting the cave.
He wasn’t entirely certain this was the lair of the great calamity, but the charred remains and scattered human bones hinted at its true nature.
The lack of cover was a problem.
Kaindel clicked his tongue as he noticed the remains of a tree trunk, reduced to just the base.
If they had to fight the calamity here, the absence of hiding spots would make it challenging.
Their only option was to end the fight quickly, but the strength of their opponent made that unlikely.
…Well, it doesn’t matter.
Dying wouldn’t change anything anyway.
Kaindel concluded his bitter thoughts with a self-deprecating smirk.
Even if they defeated the great calamity, there was no place for him to return to.
To be precise, there was nowhere he wanted to return to alive.
He had no desire to go back to the capital, filled with nobles and the king.
The thought of seeking refuge at the temple sickened him.
The only option that had seemed bearable was staying with Isa, but even that was no longer possible.
That was why he didn’t mind dying in the attempt to kill the great calamity.
That was all.
Sehir, watching Kaindel silently from his horse, broke the silence.
“Kaindel, what’s the plan?”
“You mean about the great calamity?”
“Yeah. The terrain isn’t what we expected. Should we rethink the strategy?”
Sehir muttered, fully revealing his discomfort.
The plan he and Kaindel had devised relied heavily on having cover.
No one had anticipated the complete absence of obstacles.
Kaindel glanced at Sehir, who looked apologetic despite it not being his fault, and dismounted.
He stomped his feet to adjust to the ground beneath him.
“We don’t have time for that. I’ll go in first.”
“Kaindel, that’s too dangerous! We should think of another—”
“Enough.”
Kaindel cut him off tersely and began walking.
Sehir’s protests continued from behind, but Kaindel ignored them.
He had already made up his mind.
There wasn’t a better plan to come up with at this point.
His intention was to scout the cave’s interior first and then call for his comrades to handle the great calamity together.
Understanding the cave’s layout was essential for the fight.
However…
“…”
He hadn’t anticipated this.
Kaindel stopped abruptly, his brows furrowing.
Unconsciously, his hands clenched into fists, and his nails dug into his palms.
Inside the cave, a massive black dragon—presumably the great calamity—lay curled up, asleep.
It was enormous, like several mansions strung together, and yet it slumbered as if dead, undisturbed by the echoes of his footsteps or the voices outside.
This can’t be real.
Kaindel’s expression hardened.
It’s utterly ridiculous.
He almost let out a bitter laugh.
The people of the kingdom feared the great calamity, believing it could wipe them out at any moment.
They revered the hero sent by the divine to defeat it.
The temple called the hero a savior, and the king offered him the utmost respect.
Kaindel had left the capital to fulfill his destiny, living for six months in the harsh Gayat Mountains.
He hadn’t even managed to find Isa, who had left him.
He hadn’t rested a single day.
He’d killed countless monsters day and night, enough for the stench of their corpses to cling to his body.
And yet, the great calamity he had come to defeat lay here, peacefully trapped in eternal slumber.
Calmly.
As if nothing had ever happened.
* * *
