Libentia's Return
“Thank you all for gathering here.”
In the secret underground chamber of an old building, Cown began by addressing the ten nobles before him. He hadn’t brought all his old retainers to avoid Bares’s prying eyes.
“I still can’t quite believe it. Is there really a way to expose their crimes?”
Massaging his brow, Henry—the middle-aged man seated closest—spoke up. The letter Cown had sent him claimed the time had come to clear William’s name.
“Yes. We discovered a temple of the Holy Nation in the underground sewers.”
“A temple?”
“A temple, you say?”
“Does that even make sense?!”
The shocking revelation drew gasps from the group. Henry, still wearing a grave expression, pressed further.
“Was it truly a temple?”
“Yes. A fairly large one. Apparently, Camon led the construction under Bares’s threats.”
“...Camon? You mean the Camon I know?”
“Yes. The craftsman who renovated Lord William’s estate. You’re the only one here who knows he was also Miss Libentia’s friend... But first, please take a look at this.”
Cown placed a crystal orb on the table and activated it. Light poured out, projecting a scene.
“What is this...!”
“An outpost base? You’ve got to be kidding!”
“And what’s this about traces of the Spirit King?”
The conversation between the bishop and Bares echoed from the projection magic tool. Those watching were stunned into silence.
When the light faded, Henry clenched his fist tightly.
“...So it was all Bares’s doing after all.”
He’d suspected as much, but hearing the truth straight from the bastard’s mouth made his teeth grind. William, whom he’d helplessly watched leave in vain and powerless defeat—his lord and dear friend. Henry had always despised his past self for failing to protect him, even if William had asked him to safeguard the city.
“As you saw, the tragedy that befell Lord William was a scheme by Bares and the Holy Nation. Without this magic tool, uncovering the truth would’ve been nearly impossible.”
“Did Camon leave it behind?”
“Yes. But it was an outlander adventurer who found it. Black Dragon, come in.”
With that, the perspective shifted back to Hanbit. He flung open the curtain partition and stepped inside.
“Nice to meet you. Adventurer Black Dragon.”
-Yo, entrance.
-That was smooth.
-But why the poker face?
-How’s the name Black Dragon lol
-Real Black Dragon here, let’s swap nicks.
As he greeted them, all eyes turned to Hanbit—expressions mixed with suspicion, concern, confusion, and expectation.
“Could you explain how you found that item?”
Henry made the request politely, far from the typical noble’s disdain for adventurers. Yet his piercing gaze, as if peering into Hanbit’s soul, carried an intimidating weight.
“Ruby, Liora’s cat, ran off into the slums. Chasing it with a girl named Liora from there, we stumbled into a hidden sewer passage. That’s where we found the temple.”
“...The slums?”
The sudden mention of the slum district puzzled them. Hanbit continued, reading their faces.
“Beneath the temple was a room replicating Miss Libentia’s bedroom exactly. Camon made it.”
“Why does Libentia’s name come up?”
Henry’s voice turned icy in an instant. William’s only daughter, sacrificed to Bares’s filthy plot. The memory of her bright smile brought fresh waves of pain and despair crashing over him.
“You’ll understand when you see this.”
Hanbit pulled out Camon’s notebook and handed it over. After a moment of eye contact, Henry accepted and opened it.
“......”
A heavy silence fell as he read. The other old retainers wanted to understand too but waited quietly for Henry’s lead—the man who had held them together after William’s execution.
“Hoo.”
After a bit more time, Henry looked up from the notebook, murmuring with distant eyes.
“William went this far...”
It seemed pointless in a way. Preserving his daughter’s memories in such a space meant nothing without her there. Even if old retainers like himself found it, it would only bring sorrow.
Yet in the end, what Camon left behind held immense meaning for the survivors.
“We followed the notebook’s instructions to Camon’s workshop. That’s where we found the projection magic tool.”
“The workshop—you mean the sealed stone stored in Harpen’s estate? You obtained it?”
“Felt like it had key evidence. Used some aggressive methods, but no one saw my face.”
“...Impressive initiative. Or am I just that incompetent?”
-Why the self-doubt tho;
-Self-reflection belongs on HenryTube.
-Has anyone actually seen this NPC?
-Passes by now and then if you roam the city.
-Super stoic but looks exhausted.
Henry sighed, laced with self-reproach. Just this raised Hanbit’s standing in his eyes considerably—though greater challenges lay ahead.
“Can we come in now?”
“...Indeed.”
Cown met Hanbit’s gaze and nodded slowly. Turning to the retainers, he said,
“Someone I’d like to introduce.”
“Introduce? More allies?”
Henry pictured someone like Hanbit. Without answering, Cown approached the curtain and pulled it aside.
“Did we really need this partition?”
A yellow-haired girl entered, grumbling, her face slightly tense. An old man with a sword at his waist followed.
“......?”
Henry’s expression grew strange upon seeing Liora. A familiar feeling—like he’d seen her before, impossible to forget. But it couldn’t be.
“This feels so awkward.”
Liora had spotted the one familiar face too. After wrestling with confusion, Henry uttered a name he couldn’t contain.
“...Libentia?”
“Long time no see, old man.”
She greeted him flatly, her cautious words shaking Henry to his core.
“No, how is this... A dream? A hallucination? How could Libentia...”
Henry spiraled into chaos, not even reaching out. Meeting his gaze, Liora recalled old memories.
“The little harp you gave me for my birthday. You remember I smashed it right in front of you? We three tried fixing it and wrecked it completely.”
“Ah...”
Henry let out a quiet sigh. With William gone, this secret only he knew replayed vividly. A mirage, or a vengeful spirit come to judge his weakness. He’d accept death if so.
But.
“Liben...tia.”
The girl before him was real. Stroking her hair as before, she didn’t vanish. Her emerald eyes simply gazed back sadly.
“Why’re you crying? I’m alive and well.”
He hadn’t even noticed the silent tears. The miracle was simply unbelievable.
-T_T
-Bares that shipper bastard.
-Smash his head in right now?
-Ugh, wanna replay the story arc.
-Hangang reincarnation party needed (1/100)
“Miss Libentia?”
“Is it really her?!”
“To think she survived...”
The retainers who’d never seen her face were shocked yet overjoyed at Libentia’s survival—the legitimate Norton bloodline they’d thought lost. Memories of William and years of despair swirled into a storm of emotion.
“Lord William ordered me to flee with the young miss.”
Cown, who’d watched the reunion quietly, spoke up. He explained the past events and what followed.
“...So that’s how it was. William through and through.”
Henry felt the anguish of William Norton, mayor and father. A decision made in an unbelievable crisis: protect Edlen while securing his daughter Libentia’s future. Thus, he’d assigned roles to Cown, Camon, Henry, and the retainers—ensuring no single failure doomed them all.
“......”
Henry gazed at the surviving Libentia. He’d planned for the worst without tolerating failure, trusting his retainers and comrades implicitly. All for the day she’d reclaim her place.
“What a doting father.”
Reaching that thought brought a wry chuckle. He could clearly picture William bragging about his daughter daily.
“You okay? Crying one second, laughing the next.”
Liora eyed the bewildered old man with concern. Henry stroked her hair and turned to Cown.
“What’s the current situation? Any pursuit from Bares?”
“Holy Nation assassins struck first. Seems they developed tech to detect the Spirit King’s trace in the ring.”
“...So the Spirit King’s trace is in that ring.”
His eyes fell on the ring on Liora’s finger—identical to William’s, etched in memory. He hadn’t known the details but could guess. Such immense power was dangerous just to know of, as Bares and the Holy Nation proved. Knowledge was poison.
“And who might this be?”
Henry’s gaze shifted to the white-haired elder. He looked unwell, but his sharp eyes scanned like a vigilant gale.
“My master. A spiritist and swordsman. He’s currently guarding Miss Libentia.”
“...A spiritist?”
Henry’s eyes widened at the introduction. In this era, even rumors of such beings were rare. And if his disciple was the adventurer Black Dragon, then they both hailed from a spiritist lineage. No safer guardians for Libentia.
Henry turned to Cown.
“Do we have a concrete plan? As you know, using Edlen’s laws won’t be easy.”
“Yes. That’s why we’ll borrow the Royal Knights’ power. Meeting face-to-face is tricky, but showing them this projection tool as evidence should move them.”
“The Royal Knights... I see. Fate foreseen, perhaps.”
Henry closed and opened his eyes briefly. Then, with a resolute expression, he continued.
“I have a promise from Vice-Captain Leon. Let’s use that to arrange a meeting.”