Dekain, who had been following a few steps behind, had somehow already moved to my side.

He was now so tall that it was incomparable to how he was ten years ago. I now had to look up just to meet his eyes.

“Tanashia.”

At the sound of my name, I glanced sideways at Dekain’s face—handsome enough to rival any renowned beauty.

When our eyes met, Dekain smiled faintly and spoke again.

“It’s been a long time, hasn’t it?”

“Indeed. Has it been a year?”

“Have you been well?”

“Of course.”

At my blunt reply, Dekain frowned as if utterly exasperated.

“Normally, when someone asks if you’ve been well, it’s hard to answer so casually, isn’t it? Somehow, it makes me recall difficult times.”

“We’re not close enough to exchange pleasantries.”

I deliberately drew a line between Dekain and myself.

I knew that what happened ten years ago regarding Ascan wasn’t solely Dekain’s fault. But I couldn’t act as if it meant nothing.

The moment I treated Dekain casually, I felt I would be betraying Ascan from those days.

I continued in a low voice.

“Then rest as much as you want before leaving. If we need to discuss business later, I’ll send you a letter.”

Dekain had left Igteon Trading Company long ago and founded his own company named Cain, after himself.

Currently, Cain Trading Company, operated by Dekain as its head, was thriving even more than the former Igteon Trading Company.

Although I hadn’t signed a distribution contract with Cain Trading Company due to past experience, I was cooperating mutually with people who wished to trade magical engineering weapons through Dekain.

Suddenly, Dekain’s gaze turned icy. He wiped the smile off his face and spoke in a lower, more serious tone than before.

“It’s already been ten years. How long will you keep this up?”

“I didn’t realize I needed to set an expiration date.”

“Tanashia, I thought—if you needed someone to blame because you’re suffering so much, I wouldn’t mind being that person. But isn’t it time to stop now?”

I knew. It wasn’t only Dekain’s fault.

The greatest responsibility for Ascan’s disappearance ten years ago lay with me. That’s why I couldn’t forgive myself above all others.

“…Even without you saying it, I know my fault was the greatest.”

At my words, Dekain swept a hand through his hair as if frustrated. Then, gazing at me earnestly, he spoke softly.

“Let me make one thing perfectly clear. I don’t regret it. Even if I could turn back time, I’d act exactly the same way that day.”

“Dekain!”

I stared at him as if his words made no sense, but Dekain didn’t stop.

“If playing the villain means you escape danger, I’d do it a thousand times—no, ten thousand times. Tanashia, no matter how much you hate me, I’ll do anything to keep you alive.”

I knew Dekain’s actions that day were for my sake. But if I accepted that it was unavoidable, what would that mean for Ascan?

I didn’t want to justify Ascan’s sacrifice under any circumstances.

I couldn’t accept the idea that Ascan’s sacrifice for me was natural or inevitable in that situation.

Even if the odds of survival had been slim, we should have let ourselves be captured by the Lazent Empire and waited for an opportunity. If not that, we should have all died together right there.

Though unintentional, I was alive because Ascan had been sacrificed in my place.

More than once, I’d wanted to blame both Dekain and Ascan for that day’s decision—one made without any input from me.

Pretending to be unaffected didn’t mean I’d forgotten what happened ten years ago. I was still trapped in that moment.

Though I had much to say, I understood Dekain’s feelings too, so I turned my head away.

“Let’s stop here.”

Dekain, too, reluctantly nodded in agreement.

“Right. We meet after so long, and again it’s this kind of conversation—it’s exhausting.”

Dekain placed his large hand lightly on top of my head and continued softly.

“I’ll clean up the matter with Duke Fenil neatly, so he won’t bother you again. Eat well, and I’ll see you later.”

I silently nodded.

With that, Dekain left the laboratory, and I moved to continue assembling the unfinished magical engineering weapon.

Treating Dekain coldly didn’t sit well with me either. But whenever I saw him, that day from ten years ago kept resurfacing.

If only I’d been a little stronger…

Then Ascan wouldn’t have had to be sacrificed.

That thought endlessly circled in my mind, leaving behind ceaseless regret.

“Sigh.”

I let out a deep sigh without realizing it.

I thought I was alone after parting with Dekain, but Zen had somehow approached from behind and reported in a businesslike tone.

“I’ve sent everyone out as you ordered.”

“Oh, good work.”

At my words, Zen bowed respectfully.

Normally, the conversation would have ended there, but today, Zen didn’t immediately disappear. Instead, she looked at me and added one more thing.

“If something like earlier happens again, please call me. I’ll handle it instantly.”

She seemed to be referring to Fenil Duke’s bodyguard pointing a sword at me just moments ago.

“I know I can rely on you, Zen. But there’s no need to assign you tasks I can handle alone.”

“Master Orland is very concerned.”

When Zen mentioned Orland, I unconsciously closed my mouth.

Due to the incident ten years ago, I’d already caused Orland much worry. Just thinking about how considerate he’d been to me back then made me too ashamed to face him.

“…Does Father still worry about me working as a weapons merchant?”

Zen gave no reply. Silence meant affirmation.

Orland never stopped me from doing what I wanted, but it was clear he wished I’d marry a well-born gentleman and live an ordinary, happy life.

Yet, since I kept making suitors faint and chasing them away nearly every day, Orland’s worries seemed to have grown even more.

Though I had no intention of living quietly, I felt I should be more careful not to cause him further concern.

“I understand what you mean. I’ll try to avoid dangerous situations. Please tell Father that.”

“Yes, Miss.”

Zen bowed expressionlessly in acknowledgment, but unlike before, I sensed satisfaction in her demeanor and couldn’t help but smile faintly.

Zen resembled Ascan in certain ways. Perhaps that’s why, without realizing it, I always listened more attentively to what she said.

As I’d previously told Noxia, I was conducting interviews to send more people to the Calua Empire.

With Helsion’s ascension as Emperor of Calua, the long-lasting civil war had ended, so relying solely on those currently searching for Ascan might restrict our information-gathering capabilities.

I looked at the neatly dressed middle-aged man seated before me and asked,

“You’ve worked for the Brellof family for over ten years?”

“Yes. I’ve been working here since I was young.”

The paper in my hand was densely filled with personal details about the man being interviewed.

The reason for conducting interviews was singular: to select only the most trustworthy individuals to send to the Calua Empire.

Ascan’s personal information was top secret.

To find him, I had to inform them of distinctive traits—like his ability to wield inextinguishable flames or turn his body into steel.

But if that information reached the Calua Empire’s leadership, it would expose his origin as an alchemical soldier, putting him in danger.

Long ago, the Calua Empire had publicly announced the complete abolition of alchemical soldier experiments and, as proof, issued orders to kill all surviving experimental subjects.

Back then, when I mobilized the entire Brellof family intelligence network to find Ascan, I learned of this extermination order.

Therefore, I couldn’t search for Ascan openly.

In the past, during the existence of the alchemical soldier program, it was classified information and thus difficult to access; afterward, the extermination order made me cautious about risking his exposure.

If Ascan was alive, he would certainly be concealing his identity.

Given that I had to search for him secretly, I inevitably faced countless obstacles and difficulties—but…

I had never once given up.

“You understand that if you pass this interview with me, you’ll need to depart immediately for the Calua Empire?”

The middle-aged man nodded tensely at my words.

“I’ve already been informed. Since my wife is from the Calua Empire, settling there should pose no difficulty.”

This man had worked diligently for the Brellof family for many years. Moreover, his wife being from Calua made him an exceptionally suitable candidate.

Since the search for Ascan required long-term assignments, it was common for entire families to relocate to the Calua Empire.

He seemed fitting in every way, and I was pleased.

“Very well. I’ll provide full support to help you settle in the Calua Empire. In return, find just one person for me there.”

Realizing he’d passed the interview, the man smiled brightly. Then, with curious eyes, he asked,

“Whom should I find?”

Instead of answering, I pulled out a paper I’d kept in my drawer and showed it to him.

It contained Ascan’s personal information.

At the top was a detailed portrait of Ascan’s face; below it were his age, height, and descriptions of his abilities regarding fire and steel-body transformation.

In a way, it was no different from a missing person’s flyer.

“Ah…”

As the man read the contents, he looked at me in surprise—he hadn’t expected the person I sought to be such a young boy.

Familiar with that look, I met his eyes and said gravely,

“This portrait depicts his face from ten years ago, so his current appearance may differ. Use it as a reference for identification. Memorize the written details here, then burn the paper and leave.”

“Understood.”

The man intently studied the paper, committing its contents to memory.

Dozens of individuals had already been individually selected and dispatched to the Calua Empire in this manner.

Whenever conditions within the Calua Empire changed or clues about Ascan emerged, they coordinated operations among themselves and relayed information back to me.

Some time passed.

After studying Ascan’s information for a while, the man lifted his head.

“I’ve memorized everything, Miss.”

Swiftly, I extended the prepared candle toward him.

Understanding my intent, the middle-aged man burned the paper and dropped the ashes into the nearby metal trash bin.

“My agents are distributed across various regions of the Calua Empire. I’ll soon send you a letter specifying your assigned location—please prepare accordingly.”

“Yes, understood.”

The man bowed respectfully to me and exited the room.

Though more candidates remained to be interviewed, suddenly Jerin entered the room and handed me a letter.

“Miss, this arrived via messenger bird—it seems urgent. You should check it right away.”

We had an agreement: urgent messages for me were to be written on red paper, not white, and delivered via messenger bird.

Seeing the red paper in Jerin’s hand, I immediately read its contents.

My heart leapt at the mention of witnessing inextinguishable flames, but the fact that it involved the Emperor’s royal guard troubled me.

‘If it’s Helsion Emperor’s royal guard…’

They were currently the most famous group in the Calua Empire.

A few years ago, Helsion’s royal guard had suddenly appeared—all wearing black masks that thoroughly concealed their individual identities.

At the time, the Calua Empire’s emperor and Helsion were engaged in an invisible war, so hiding identities to avoid covert assassination was only natural.

In fact, the royal guard could be considered the foremost contributors to Helsion’s rise as emperor.

Not only had they protected Helsion from countless assassins and secretly eliminated political rivals, but it was also said they’d never lost a single battle when confronting enemies by force.

Many of their stories seemed exaggerated, leading people to claim Helsion fabricated them to inflate his own achievements.

Though Helsion’s royal guard didn’t exist in the original story, so many things were now unfolding differently from the original plot that I hadn’t paid them much attention.

But inextinguishable flames…

A wild thought struck me.

“Jerin, immediately inform everyone to investigate Helsion Emperor’s royal guard.”

First, I needed to verify whether the witness truly saw inextinguishable flames.

“Huh? Ah, understood.”

It was no wonder Jerin was surprised.

Even without my involvement, countless people were intensely curious about Helsion’s royal guard—but no one had uncovered anything about them.

I didn’t know how far I could dig up information even if I took the lead, but long years had passed without any tangible clues regarding Ascan.

Even if it was just the slightest possibility…

I couldn’t afford to miss it.