Shadow Leaves.

Their sole purpose is to protect the current Elf Queen—

the only remaining High Elf since the Age of the Forgotten God.

Since the organization’s founding, they have never guarded anyone else.

No, they had not.

Not until today.

“……”

Two carriages stood side by side on the unpaved road, shrouded in pitch-black darkness.

Draim, the leader of Shadow Leaves, who had been watching intently, let out a small sigh.

‘Why in the world am I protecting a human…?’

To be honest, Draim couldn’t comprehend the situation at all.

Shadow Leaves existed solely to protect Queen Magrina of the Elves.

Of course, Draim knew.

His personal feelings should have no influence on what must be done.

Shadow Leaves was a direct unit that moved according to the Queen’s will. He had never once thought of defying the orders of their great queen.

And yet, he couldn’t help but feel a lingering doubt.

Half of Shadow Leaves’s forces had been assigned just to guard a mere human noble.

‘No… He’s not an ordinary human noble.’

Draim lowered his gaze and looked inside the carriage, where Marquis Palatio sat.

He didn’t know much about him.

But every member of Shadow Leaves who had seen the Marquis for the first time had realized the same thing.

Something always lingered behind him, something that never emerged from the shadowed realm.

That presence alone told them—

The Marquis was no ordinary man.

‘The very fact that Her Majesty ordered his protection means he’s far from ordinary…’

Even if all doubts had not vanished, the Queen’s command was absolute.

Sigh.

How much time had passed?

By the time the campfire near the carriage had nearly died out,

A man stepped out from the carriage in front of Marquis Palatio’s.

Despite the late hour, his sharp gaze was unwavering.

Deus Maccalian—who had joined Marquis Palatio in the previous town.

From his lips came a voice.

“Come out.”

A quiet voice suddenly pierced the silence.

A brief moment of stillness.

“If you won’t come out, I’ll force you out.”

The moment he spoke again, Draim saw it.

“Urgh!?”

One of his subordinates was silently dragged out—tied in a violet thread from seemingly nowhere.

‘He saw through our concealment!?’

Draim involuntarily stiffened in shock.

Every member of Shadow Leaves possessed above-average talent.

The secret techniques they mastered provided concealment abilities that no ordinary person could detect.

Only the Five Lords, the strongest beings of other races, could normally perceive them.

And yet—

This knight had seen through Shadow Leaves’s concealment in an instant.

‘Impossible.’

Draim’s brow furrowed deeply.

However, Deus remained calm as he captured one of Shadow Leaves’s members.

“Five more, aside from this one. I’ll give you another chance.”

“If you don’t run, step forward now. If any of you flee, this one dies first.”

He had already found the others.

After a brief hesitation, Draim let out a quiet sigh and released his concealment, stepping forward.

There was no point in hiding anymore.

Given the circumstances, resistance would only be futile.

“……So, you’re the leader.”

“That’s right.”

Even after confirming that Draim was an elf—a race rarely seen—Deus Maccalian showed no change in expression.

“What are you?”

“……First, let me clarify. We are not your enemies.”

“I’ll decide whether or not you pose a threat to the Marquis.”

Faced with such a firm response, Draim remained silent for a moment before speaking again.

“I have not lied.”

“Then why are you following the Marquis?”

“……We are merely carrying out an order to protect him.”

“From whom?”

“I cannot say.”

“Then leave.”

A blunt order of dismissal, without a trace of hesitation.

“Regrettably, that is impossible. We, too, are following orders.”

“Do you want to die?”

“Not at all. But aren’t you the one hastening this confrontation?”

“What?”

As Deus frowned in confusion, he suddenly became aware of a chilling sensation.

A black blade was now pressed against his throat.

Dozens of blades, formed from the shadows beneath Deus, were poised to cut him down at any moment—Draim’s doing.

“I’ll say it again. There’s no need for us to be enemies.”

“We are here to guard the Marquis, not to harm him.”

“That changes nothing. Leave.”

“……Do you really think you’re in a position to say that right now?”

Draim frowned as if unable to comprehend.

Deus merely lifted a hand and gestured toward his neck.

And then—

Draim realized.

A violet thread was already coiled around his throat.

Not just him.

The remaining concealed members of Shadow Leaves also had the same violet thread wrapped around their necks.

“I don’t care. As long as I can eliminate anyone who might harm the Marquis.”

“. . . . . .!”

For a moment, Draim swallowed unconsciously at the madness flickering in Deus’s eyes.

Screech.

Then, at the faint sound of a carriage door opening,

The violet threads created by Deus suddenly disappeared.

Deus’s abrupt decision to release all of Shadow Leaves’s members caught Draim off guard.

But—

Nod—

At Deus’s silent signal, Draim and his subordinates immediately concealed themselves once more.

A moment later—

Alon, his eyes drowsy from sleep, stepped out of the carriage while stifling a yawn.

“Deus.”

“Marquis.”

“What were you doing?”

“I was meditating.”

“……Meditating?”

“Yes.”

“……I thought I heard voices.”

“You probably heard me murmuring softly.”

Wasn’t meditation supposed to be silent?

Alon scratched his head and muttered,

“……I see.”

“Yes.”

“Go to sleep soon. The later you sleep, the more tired you’ll be.”

“Yes, my lord. Please rest well.”

“Alright.”

Still half-asleep, Alon returned to the carriage.

Once again, silence settled around his carriage.

If he had woken up at all, it had been brief—Alon was already sound asleep again.

Deus, staring into empty space, spoke.

“Come out.”

“……”

Draim emerged once more.

But his face was filled with confusion.

For someone tasked with guarding Marquis Palatio without being noticed, this outcome wasn’t bad.

Yet it was strange.

Deus had no reason to show leniency toward Shadow Leaves.

“……Why did you go out of your way to hide us?”

Draim asked, unable to suppress his curiosity.

The answer—

“Because the Marquis must not be disturbed.”

……………It was beyond anything he had expected.

“Huh?”

“If he knew people like you were lurking around, the Marquis might lose sleep.”

“……”

“Even if I were to eliminate you in front of him, once a threat has been perceived, he might never sleep soundly again.”

In other words—

Had he really let captured enemies go just to ensure Marquis Palatio could sleep peacefully?

Draim found himself speechless.

“This is your last chance. Leave. If you ignore my words again, I will kill you all this time.”

“……You think you can?”

Draim snapped out of his daze at Deus’s arrogant declaration.

But—

“You think I can’t?”

Draim’s mind reeled once more.

‘Those eyes again…!’

Those eerie, fanatical eyes, so dangerous that just meeting them sent chills down his spine.

Eyes burning with a relentless obsession, ready to sacrifice anything to achieve their goal.

Draim instinctively took a step back.

“Remember my words.”

Before Draim could even recover from the humiliation of his reaction—

Deus turned away without hesitation.

It was late at night.

And the next morning—

Deus could no longer sense any trace of Shadow Leaves.

***

After about a week, Alon arrived in Lartania.

“It’s been a while.”

“Hello, godfather. And Deus, it’s been a while for you too, hasn’t it?”

“Indeed.”

At last, in the now-familiar city of Merd, he met Rine.

“By the way, why did Deus come here?”

“He said he had something to take care of.”

“Hmm, a very important matter, no doubt.”

Deus nodded and turned to Alon.

“Then, Marquis, I will be heading to the labyrinth for a while.”

“You have business in the labyrinth?”

“Yes. There’s something I need to obtain inside.”

“…Hmm.”

Alon, though outwardly composed, found it odd.

Did he really need something from the labyrinth just to prepare a gift?

Well, various items could be found in labyrinths, after all.

“Don’t overdo it. Be careful.”

Alon quickly let the thought pass.

“……! Understood! I will be extremely careful!”

“……? Alright then.”

……?

Alon nearly blinked in confusion at Deus’s unexpectedly intense reaction.

But after Deus left for the labyrinth—

“Have you been well?”

“Of course. What about you, godfather?”

“I’ve been fine. Nothing out of the ordinary.”

“That’s good to hear.”

Sitting in the office, Alon exchanged casual conversation with Rine.

Then, he recalled something he had asked Rine to look into before arriving in Lartania.

“Rine, were you able to find the place I mentioned?”

“If you mean the location you wrote about in your letter, yes, I found it.”

“……I see. That’s a relief. Thank you for your hard work.”

“There’s no need to thank me. It’s you and me, godfather.”

Rine smiled warmly, then asked,

“By the way, why are you looking for that place?”

“There’s something I can only use there.”

The reason Alon had specifically asked Rine in advance to search for a location hidden beneath Lartania—

Was because ‘Footsteps of the Past’ could only be activated in that particular place.

“I see.”

Rine nodded in understanding.

“For now, it’s late. Rest tonight, and I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Yes, let’s do that.”

The two agreed to meet the next day.

***

Beside the elven land of Greynifra lay the territory of the Lizardmen.

Inside the grand hall of the ruling chieftain, Kalmak—

[Is this true?]

“……………I have delivered Zakuraks’ letter exactly as it was written.”

The one revered by all Lizardmen,

The sage-god who bestowed his power upon them through sacred markings—

[……Could he truly still be alive?]

A faint but unmistakable excitement twisted the hidden corners of his lips.