Hours had passed since the battle.
Inside the medical ward, rows of beds filled the room. Runa, her auntie, and the other victims rescued from the Nightmare incident were resting under the care of medics.
The atmosphere was far calmer than the chaos that had consumed the district earlier.
Near a wall, Kael leaned quietly with his arms crossed, watching the room in silence while Commander Louis and several knights assisted the healers with supplies and reports.
A medic finished examining another patient before turning toward the commander.
"Commander Louis, everything is fine," the medic reported. "No one died. Most of the injuries came from the destruction and collapsing houses. The patients are expected to recover."
Relief briefly appeared on Louis' face.
But before he could respond, a knight hurried into the room.
"Commander Louis!" the knight called out urgently. "We found several unidentified bodies not far from the destroyed district. They don't appear to belong to Fortress Genesis."
The knight hesitated before lowering his voice.
"I think they may be from another kingdom... or perhaps from a Monarch faction."
A few moments later, the door to the medical ward opened once again.
Two figures entered the room together, immediately drawing the attention of the knights and medics nearby.
The first was a tall, muscular man with a robe hanging loosely from his shoulders, the front left open without concern. He carried himself with the confidence of someone accustomed to battle.
He was the West Border Commander, Deo, the commander responsible for dealing with Nightmare-related threats.
Beside him walked The Physician, Cheng Soo, a short old man with a long beard and simple robes resembling those of a wandering martial artist. Despite his age, his eyes were sharp and full of life.
The two had clearly arrived after receiving reports of the incident.
Deo glanced around the medical room before letting out a small laugh.
"Well, I think I'm already late, huh?"
He scratched the back of his head and looked toward Commander Louis.
"To think there's no massive threat left. That must mean the Nightmare was already taken down... or it was just weak."
The last words were delivered with a grin, clearly meant to provoke Commander Louis.
Cheng Soo ignored the conversation entirely and walked through the medical ward at his own pace.
One by one, he examined the injured patients, placing a hand on their bodies and treating them with practiced movements that came from decades of experience.
Meanwhile, Commander Louis and Commander Deo stood face-to-face in the center of the room, the atmosphere between them growing noticeably tense.
"I'm glad the Nightmare is dead," Louis said calmly. "But where was the commander responsible for Nightmare incidents when it appeared?"
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"Ah, that's right. I heard you were out having a picnic."
Commander Deo's eyebrow twitched.
The surrounding knights immediately pretended to be busy with other tasks, not wanting to get caught between two Border Commanders.
Against the wall, Kael remained silent, watching the exchange without interest as the argument slowly began to unfold.
Cheng Soo suddenly stopped beside Runa's bed, his expression changing for the first time since entering the medical ward.
He immediately moved toward Runa and her auntie, placing a hand on each of them as he carefully examined their condition.
"What?!" Cheng Soo exclaimed. "T-They were corrupted by Nightmare energy!"
His eyes widened as he felt the traces left behind in their bodies.
"But the Nightmare energy is gone... completely gone. The only thing remaining is a faint scar left by the Nightmare Core itself."
The entire room fell silent.
"Huh?! They survived corruption?!" Commander Deo shouted.
"How is that even possible?!" Commander Louis added at the same time, both commanders staring at the beds in disbelief.
Kael slowly turned his attention away from the medical room, feeling that everything had finally settled down.
Without saying anything, he walked toward the exit, his expression as calm as ever.
But the moment he opened the door—
He stopped.
A senior knight was standing directly in front of him.
"...Huh?!" the senior knight froze for a second, then immediately snapped upright and bowed deeply. "Thank you, young man! You saved the people—I will never forget this in my life!"
Kael simply stared at him without reacting.
Behind them, Commander Louis, Commander Deo, Cheng Soo, and the others inside the room turned their heads toward the doorway after hearing the commotion.
The medical staff nearby murmured softly as they looked at Kael.
"…He's the one who took down the Nightmare." the medic said under his breath.
Commander Deo's expression shifted as he looked at Kael standing in the doorway.
"Huh? He's the one who killed the Nightmare?" he said, clearly surprised, before turning toward Commander Louis with a confused glance. "And not you?"
A heavy silence followed as the implication settled over the room.
Commander Louis didn't answer immediately.
His gaze remained fixed on Kael, standing calmly at the entrance as if the conversation had nothing to do with him.
"…He wasn't part of the operation," Louis finally said in a low voice.
Commander Deo frowned deeper, crossing his arms as he studied Kael more carefully.
Inside the room, the atmosphere grew heavier again, as everyone slowly began to realize the truth—something far beyond their expectations had just walked into their midst.
Commander Louis let out a slow breath, finally breaking his silence.
"Well… I haven't said it yet. The Nightmare wasn't killed by me," he said calmly, his eyes still on Kael. "It was that young man."
Commander Deo's expression immediately changed.
"Why didn't you tell us that earlier?!" he snapped.
Louis glanced at him briefly, unfazed.
"Did you ask?" he replied flatly.
For a moment, the room fell into an awkward silence as the weight of that simple answer settled over everyone.
"Shit, this is turning into a fight," the medic muttered under his breath, sensing the tension between the commanders rising again.
Cheng Soo, however, remained calm and stepped forward slightly, his sharp eyes studying Kael with clear interest.
"Hey, young man," he asked in a measured tone. "What's your name?"
Kael paused for a moment, as if deciding whether it mattered.
Then he answered quietly.
"Kael Virent."
The moment his name was spoken, the room seemed to quiet even further.
Commander Louis narrowed his eyes slightly, as if trying to recall something, while Commander Deo studied Kael more seriously than before.
Cheng Soo nodded slowly, repeating the name under his breath.
"Kael Virent…" he murmured, as though committing it to memory.
The senior knight behind them straightened a little, still unable to fully process what he had witnessed.
And Kael simply stood there, expression unchanged, as if the attention of the entire room meant nothing to him.
The senior knight suddenly stiffened as something clicked in his memory.
He quickly stepped away from Kael's side and rushed toward Cheng Soo, lowering his voice so only the physician could hear.
"Master Cheng Soo," he whispered urgently, "I think he's also the one who saved the civilians from the Nightmare's corruption effect."
Cheng Soo's eyes narrowed slightly as he processed the words, his expression turning more serious.
At the same time, Commander Deo and Commander Louis both turned their attention toward Cheng Soo, sensing the shift in tone, each of them silently waiting for confirmation while exchanging uneasy glances and subconsciously adjusting their posture as if preparing for another revelation.
"...That's true?" Cheng Soo asked softly, his eyes sharpening with interest.
"Yes, it's true," the senior knight replied quickly. "Earlier this morning, we received reports of civilians being corrupted by Nightmare residue. When we arrived at the scene… the infected civilian were already on the ground."
He swallowed before continuing, still shaken by the memory.
"There were three ice spikes pierced through the corrupted individuals' bodies. But strangely… the Nightmare trace was completely gone. No lingering energy, no spread, nothing left behind."
Cheng Soo's expression shifted slightly as he processed the report, his gaze instinctively drifting toward Kael again.
Commander Louis and Commander Deo both followed his line of sight, their curiosity now fully replaced by focused scrutiny.
The room grew heavier with silence as everyone's attention slowly shifted back toward Kael.
Kael, however, remained calm and unmoved, as if the discussion had nothing to do with him.
Cheng Soo gently stroked his beard, his eyes narrowing in thought as he replayed everything he had heard.
"If what you're saying is true…" he muttered, "then he didn't just defeat a Nightmare. He also purified corrupted individuals without leaving residual energy."
Commander Deo frowned, clearly unsettled.
Commander Louis said nothing, but his gaze deepened as he studied Kael more carefully than before.
For the first time, the room wasn't just witnessing a fighter—
They were trying to understand what Kael actually was.
Kael finally broke the silence in the medical room.
"Hey, old man," he said calmly. "What's the condition of that cat woman?"
Cheng Soo blinked, slightly surprised that Kael addressed him so casually.
"…He doesn't even know who I am?" Cheng Soo whispered to himself, narrowing his eyes in thought. "Strange. He must be new here… or perhaps from a Great Land… or he's a product."
Then, clearing his thoughts, he focused back on the question and stepped toward Runa's bed.
"Her condition is stable," Cheng Soo explained aloud to Kael. "However, there are three fractured spaces inside her body where Nightmare energy tore through her meridians. Her flesh and internal pathways are still slightly twisted."
He paused for a moment, then continued in a more serious tone.
"If nothing changes, she will remain unconscious for about three months. But during that time, her body will slowly heal itself and stabilize."
A quiet tension lingered in the room after Cheng Soo's explanation.
Runa lay motionless on the medical bed, her breathing steady but weak, while the faint traces of recovery energy circulated around her body.
Kael stood still for a moment, watching her in silence.
Commander Louis observed him carefully, trying to read even the smallest change in expression, but Kael's face remained unreadable.
Commander Deo crossed his arms, clearly still processing everything he had learned about Kael's involvement.
Cheng Soo adjusted his sleeves and glanced between them all, sensing that this was not the end of the discussion—but only the beginning.
"I see…" Kael said quietly.
Without waiting for any further discussion, he turned away from the bed and the gathered officials.
He clearly had no interest in prolonging the conversation any longer than necessary.
The room fell silent as he walked toward the door.
Commander Louis watched him closely, but didn't stop him.
Commander Deo narrowed his eyes, still trying to understand what kind of person he was dealing with.
Cheng Soo simply observed in silence, as Kael reached the exit and stepped outside, leaving the medical room behind.
But before Kael fully left, he stopped at the doorway and slightly turned his head back.
"…There are assassinations," he said calmly. "I don't know who the target is, but the highest possibility is the Lord of this kingdom."
The room instantly went silent.
Commander Louis' expression sharpened, Commander Deo straightened at once, and Cheng Soo's eyes narrowed as all attention snapped back toward Kael's words.