Lee Seo-jun collected the bones of the fallen Deikarantu.

He had never tried making bone broth from dragon bones before, but he intended to give it a shot.

Park Yeon approached him. His expression was different from before as he looked at Seo-jun.

“Are you just going to stand there and watch?”

“Huh?”

“At least help pick them up.”

“Oh... Oh, right.”

As Park Yeon glanced at Seo-jun while picking up bones, he spoke.

“Well... I just want to make this clear.”

“What?”

“I hope you don’t misunderstand. I am a hero. Naturally, I could have taken care of that lich-dragon myself. Even if you hadn’t stepped in.”

“For someone saying that, you dodged pretty quickly.”

“That was…! Huh? That was! It was, uh… a tactical retreat.”

“A tactical retreat?”

“Yes! A tactical retreat! Gauging the enemy’s strength is a basic rule of warfare. You’ve been through countless wars in the Demon Realm, and you don’t even know that?”

“My subordinates and I have never retreated before.”

“......”

“......”

“Well, to be honest, this is my first time making a tactical retreat too. That word wasn’t even in my vocabulary. This reminds me of the time I took down a Death Knight that appeared in the eastern region. That thing was really strong. Maybe even…”

Seo-jun, who had been collecting bones, looked up when Park Yeon trailed off.

A cocky smile played at the corner of Park Yeon’s lips.

“Stronger than this Deikarantu. But I never backed down. No matter how many times it swung its sword or released its dark energy. And in the end, I defeated it. As always.”

Seo-jun smirked and nodded before continuing to gather the dragon’s bones.

Deikarantu was an enormous dragon. Naturally, there were plenty of bones to collect.

Picking them up one by one took a considerable amount of time.

How much time had passed?

Park Yeon suddenly spoke.

“There’s something I’ve been wanting to ask.”

“What is it?”

Park Yeon hesitated for a moment—an unusual action for him. After a long pause, he finally spoke.

“You know something, don’t you?”

“Know what?”

“You definitely know something.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Deikarantu. The evil dragon I defeated—why did it become a Bone Dragon… and why did it appear on Earth? You definitely know.”

“How would a Demon King know something that even a Hero doesn’t?”

“I am a Hero. I can see through lies. You’re lying to me right now. What is it? Just how big of a secret is it that you refuse to speak?”

Seo-jun remained silent. He didn’t say a word for a long time.

Just as Park Yeon was about to press him again—

“Your faith.”

“My faith? What about it?”

“That’s all I can say.”

“No, what kind of nonsense—finish your sentence! What do you mean by that?”

Seo-jun, having collected all the bones, turned to face Park Yeon. His expression was far more serious than before.

But sometimes, not knowing was a blessing.

Right now, that was the case for Park Yeon.

Maybe later, in hindsight, he’d regret this decision. But for now, Seo-jun believed it was the right choice.

“Don’t act all serious—it doesn’t suit you. Let’s head back. People are coming.”

“A mysterious force, huh…”

As Kadalan stared into the flickering candlelight, Eisuke spoke.

“If that unidentified force hadn’t intervened, we would have succeeded. No… The summoning itself was successful. But for some reason…”

“It didn’t emerge outside the channel?”

“No.”

“Then you weren’t able to see the summoned entity yourself?”

“No, but I am certain it was the intended target. It matched the energy you described, Kadalan.”

“Hmm… What happened to the Pylon?”

“My apologies. The authorities had heightened security, so we couldn’t approach. If it needs to be retrieved, we can move immediately…”

“No, it’s fine. They wouldn’t be able to figure out its purpose even if they discovered it.”

“That’s a relief, but still, we failed despite your careful preparations, Kadalan. I take full responsibility.”

“At least one thing has been confirmed.”

“One thing…?”

“That summoning is possible in this world. Which means the constraints on manifestation are also disappearing.”

“Then… does that mean you’ll be able to stay here permanently?”

“If everything proceeds as planned.”

“Next time, I’ll ensure there are no setbacks.”

Kadalan smiled.

“A mysterious force… Was it an Awakened One I overlooked? Or…”

A face surfaced in his mind.

Park Yeon, whom Seo-jun had expected to press him further, remained surprisingly quiet.

Seo-jun figured that Park Yeon had realized something from the hint he had given. If not, it could simply be a self-defense mechanism.

A defense mechanism to avoid confronting the truth.

Regardless, another week had begun. A week no different from the last.

Shhhhhhh.

It was raining again.

Seo-jun stepped out from his work preparing ingredients and stood under the shop’s eaves, silently watching the falling rain.

Tap. Tap.

Drip, drop.

The rhythmic sound of raindrops hitting the ground had a strangely calming effect.

Did people who liked rain enjoy it because of this sense of peace?

Splash, splash!

Clang!

Seo-jun turned his head.

Wearing a raincoat and boots, Seo-woo was laughing joyfully as he splashed through puddles with Yeoksam.

Clang, clang, clang!

Jumping alongside Seo-woo, Yeoksam was soon drenched, looking like a soaked rat.

Clang!

Seo-jun muttered to himself as he watched Yeoksam eagerly chase after Seo-woo, its short legs working hard.

How odd. Hellhounds instinctively reject human touch…

It was something he had questioned since his return.

Hellhounds resembled dogs, but strictly speaking, they weren’t dogs.

You wouldn’t call a wolf a dog, would you?

Hellhounds were a species that fed on humans.

They instinctively saw humans as enemies and felt an irresistible urge to tear them apart the moment they saw them.

Yet, Yeoksam, who followed Seo-woo, was different.

It was just like a dog.

‘That… kinda sounds like an insult.’

But what could he do? It was the truth.

It wasn’t a dog, but it acted like one.

‘Maybe it’s because it was abandoned.’

A hypothesis formed in Seo-jun’s mind.

Yeoksam was actually born weak. Because of that, it was abandoned by its mother.

And it was Seo-jun who picked it up.

Since it had been abandoned once before, perhaps it was now clinging to affection, hoping the same thing wouldn’t happen again.

After all, Hellhounds were closer to spirit beasts than mere monsters.

Just then—

“It’s going to catch a cold at this rate.”

“You’re here?”

“Yeah. Seo-woo is fine since he’s at least wearing a raincoat and boots, but Yeoksam might catch a cold like that. Is it okay?”

Although it was born weak and abandoned, Yeoksam was still a Hellhound. And Hellhounds didn’t catch colds.

In fact, since they had a naturally high body temperature, getting wet like that was actually better for them.

“You know, they say mutts are fine even if they get rained on.”

“Really?”

“Kang! Kang! Kang! Kang! Kang!”

Yeoksam suddenly started barking.

Yeon-jun chuckled.

“I think it’s trying to say it’s not a mutt.”

“No food for Yeoksam.”

“Kkiiing—.”

Yeoksam drooped its ears, making Yeon-jun burst into laughter again.

“It’s so fascinating. How does it understand human speech so well? Oh, by the way, don’t you think we should take it to an animal hospital sometime?”

“Animal hospital?”

“You know, for things like heartworm prevention or the usual vaccinations puppies get. Yeoksam probably hasn’t had any of that. Plus, it’s been here for a while now, and it eats well, but… it doesn’t seem to be growing at all.”

Hellhounds took quite a long time to reach adulthood.

That was precisely why mothers abandoned weak offspring early on—since they would be eliminated before they could mature anyway.

Since Seo-jun couldn’t explain that, he changed the subject.

“More importantly, how do you feel?”

“Feel?”

“How does it feel to pay property taxes?”

“How else? It still feels unreal. It’s amazing, really… Who would’ve thought I’d ever pay property taxes in my life?”

Property tax, collected in July and September, was not prorated.

Since Yeon-jun had acquired the building in July, he had just come back from paying his property tax.

“Now that I think about it, ever since you and Park Yeon arrived, nothing but good things have been happening. Hey… Could it be that you’re actually some incredible Awakened One helping me out behind the scenes?”

Seo-jun flinched.

“If that were the case, would I really be freeloading off you?”

“Fair point. But what about Park Yeon? I don’t see him around.”

“Over there.”

Seo-jun pointed toward a bench outside the neighboring shop. Park Yeon was sitting there, getting drenched in the rain.

“Looks like he enjoys getting rained on too.”

“Kids usually like playing in the rain.”

“He’d be pissed if he heard that.”

“It’s true, though. He acts like a kid.”

“That just means he’s pure.”

“Well, you’re not wrong. Anyway, since it’s raining, how about making some pancakes today?”

“Sounds good. You take a break. You always do it, so I’ll cook today.”

“You sure you won’t mess it up?”

“I may not be good at other things, but I make a mean pancake. You’ll be asking me to make them again.”

“You sure about that?”

“Wow, you’re doubting me? Fine, don’t ask me to make them again later.”

As Yeon-jun rolled up his sleeves and went inside the shop, Seo-jun let out a small chuckle.

Then, he turned his gaze back to Park Yeon, who was still sitting in the rain.

Yeon-jun was mistaken. Park Yeon didn’t enjoy the rain.

He was simply using it to wash away the clutter in his mind.

“Hey, aren’t you coming in?”

“Yeah, I’m coming.”

Shhhhhhh—

Rain poured down in torrents.

Park Yeon had fallen into a state of complete detachment.

Though his body remained in the physical world, his mind had drifted elsewhere.

There, he tried to wash away the thoughts rising within him. But it wasn’t easy.

—Your faith.

—Your faith.

—Your faith.

Everything else had faded away, yet these words remained.

In the end, instead of forcing them out, he chose to confront them.

Clinging thoughts would continue to torment him, but burdens could be cast aside.

‘What does it mean… My faith…?’

My faith as Veltebray.

The faith to serve as a knight.

The faith to devote myself as a hero.

The faith to believe as a follower.

‘Is it the faith of blind devotion?’

If so, what was the Demon King trying to tell him?

Could this incident be connected to the Celestial Gods…?

‘What a blasphemous thought!’

Park Yeon scolded himself.

Never once had he doubted before. And yet, now, he was harboring such sacrilegious thoughts.

It could not be blind devotion. No, it must not be.

At that moment, an image surfaced in his mind—Vorpian, the priest.

‘Faith that perceives illusion…’

The priest had always warned him about the dangers of believing in illusions.

Faith that perceives illusion!

Yes.

That might be it.

After all, he and his comrades had clearly slain Deikarantu.

It was Park Yeon himself who had driven his sword into the dragon’s heart.

He had seen it—Deikarantu’s dragon heart dissolving into white particles and scattering into the air.

But what if all of it had been an illusion born from their own belief?

What if they had only thought they had defeated Deikarantu?

It was entirely possible.

Deikarantu had absorbed the life force and abilities of countless dragons.

If he had combined those abilities to feign death—or to deceive the heroes—it would all make sense.

The real question was—why?

‘Hmm…’

Park Yeon thought back to Deikarantu, now a Bone Dragon.

Had he turned himself into a lich?

It was commonly believed that Bone Dragons were weaker than when they were alive.

‘But no one has ever confirmed that for sure.’

The opposite could also be true.

Supporting this theory were Deikarantu’s actions.

He had absorbed the essence of other dragons and bore the mark of a cursed dragon—all in pursuit of godhood.

If that was his goal, then perhaps he had chosen to turn himself into a lich to descend upon Earth.

Yes, perhaps he had realized his limits and sought to become a god in a world without Celestial Gods.

As that thought formed, a strange sense of peace settled over him.

The intrusive thoughts that had plagued him disappeared.

Emerging from his trance, Park Yeon opened his eyes to the real world.

Seo-jun stood before him, arms crossed.

“If you’re done, come eat some pancakes.”