It looked as if the ominous dark green light itself was being torn apart. Fael squeezed his eyes shut and looked away as the fog barrier flashed violently.

Rumble! Boom!

A deafening roar of thunder followed a heartbeat later.

He winced, the sting of light still burning behind his eyelids.

Screech!

Another scream tore through the valley, louder than before, echoing from high above. Fael only opened his eyes and looked forward again after the sound faded.

Whoosh—

The veil of fog had turned into a raging blizzard, with frost-laced winds whipping violently through it. It wasn’t hard to guess that this was the effect of Elder Erenos’s spell.

That much was obvious.

"Heavens..."

However, what seized Fael’s attention wasn’t the storm.

Beyond it, the writhing mass of dark green had become far clearer, along with the countless tendril-like streaks twisting beneath it.

Then a bluish light spread across its center like spilled paint. Wraiths streamed endlessly toward the mass, carving distinct, slanted paths in the air.

A golden light flickered for an instant before a blazing blue trajectory cut through and vanished into the dark green mass.

Screech—

A desperate scream echoed out immediately after. The searing blue light spread, devouring the dark green mass whole.

For a moment, it shone like a blue sun, staining the fog blue.

Boom!

With a thunderous explosion, the dying scream was instantly severed. The frost-laden storm was blasted away, swept outward in all directions.

Fael instinctively ducked, raising his arm to shield his face.

Rumble! Boom, boom—

However, the surging fog didn’t crash into them. Just as before, it skimmed past the clearing and surged away.

"Demigod of the North..."

A low, stunned voice reached Fael.

It was Bor.

Not just him, but Hallig and Oscar stood beside him, still staring ahead with half-dazed expressions.

Fael turned forward and finally understood why.

"The Platinum... Dragon?" he murmured blankly.

Beyond the thinning, rolling fog, a shape shimmered like a mirage, as though vast golden wings had spread widely. A long, trailing streak of blue light flowed behind it like a tail.

"No. That’s him," Bor said, turning to Fael with reddened eyes and a trembling voice. "Our Demigod of the North."

"O, Great Demigod..."

"So that was his true form!"

As if on cue, Hallig and Oscar breathed out in awe.

Lily, meeting Fael’s stunned gaze, gave a small, expressionless nod.

Screech!

Then, from all directions, terrified wails erupted. The wraiths, scattered by the shockwave, began fleeing in every direction like a panicked school of fish, filling the sky with their frantic retreat.

However, the chaos did not last long.

The shrieks faded like air leaking from a balloon, and before long, the fog thickened once more, rolling quietly as if nothing had happened.

The golden figure that had shimmered like a mirage had vanished without a trace.

It was Fael who broke the silence that had settled over the clearing.

"I owe you an apology, Bor."

As Bor turned from the edge of the cargo bed, Fael continued calmly, "It seems I let my concern turn into arrogance. No matter how ancient they may be, mere wraiths pose no threat to a demigod."

"So you’ve finally found your faith." A faint smile touched Bor’s lips. "I understand; don’t worry. Believing only what you’ve seen and heard for yourself, that’s a merchant’s virtue, isn’t it?"

"You’ve become quite the merchant yourself." Fael let out a chuckle.

Then Hallig, sheathing his sword, said with admiration still lingering in his voice, "He’s clearly climbed far along the path of ascension already. My word... with him as the King of the North, it’s only a matter of time before the North regains its former glory."

"He’s not just the King of the North, brother," Oscar added, flicking his tongue lightly as he looked between Bor and Hallig. "He’s the savior of the clan that granted rest to the Primal Wildness, a Great Warrior, and the brother of the Great Chieftain. We’re under his protection as well."

"Well said. The North and the beastfolk will remain united under Karha and the Demigod."

The guards laughed lightly among themselves.

Fael’s eyes, in contrast, slowly narrowed.

If the Agent of the Saint is truly walking the path of ascension...

He, too, knew the stories passed down in the North— that only those who defied their innate limits and fate, and ultimately transcended them, could cast off mortality.

However, that wasn’t the real reason his gaze had sharpened.

It seemed it was carving out a fate no one ever expected. Many of the assumptions he had taken for granted were suddenly being overturned, especially those concerning the civil war and the Empire.

"What absurd scheme are you cooking up now?" said Bor, not long after.

Snapped out of his thoughts, Fael frowned slightly, masking it. "Another disrespectful remark toward your employer?"

"I just thought I heard you calculating profits. Whenever you make that face, you’re always plotting something strange."

"Don’t forget, those ‘strange plans’ are what brought us here."

"Let’s not twist the truth." Bor snorted, shrugging. "If the Demigod hadn’t helped us every time, we’d all be dead by now."

"That’s exactly my point," said Fael.

As Bor tilted his head, Fael let out a low chuckle.

"The Demigod may very well have changed our fate. Perhaps that’s why we keep becoming more deeply entangled with him. And if you look at it the other way—"

"So what, you’re saying the fate of our caravan now rests on him?" Bor cut in, brows furrowing.

Instead of answering, Fael simply raised an eyebrow slightly.

Bor let out a dry laugh. "So the moment you gain faith, you start handing over responsibility too..."

"That’s not it. Honestly, the way you twist things... What I mean is, even if the Agent of the Saint ends up making a choice none of us could have imagined—" Fael abruptly fell silent.

At the center of the fog, the veil suddenly parted.

Swoosh—

All the guards’ gazes snapped toward it at once. From beyond the towering fog, a figure on a white horse emerged within seconds.

Clip-clop, clip-clop—

Ian rode forward on a white horse, his left hand extended, glowing faintly.

He looked no different from when he had charged into the fog. The same went for Nila, Moro following behind, and Nasser seated in the saddle. Only Thesaya seemed different, pressing a handkerchief to her nose.

They watched in silence for a moment.

"W-What are you all doing? Move! Go take the reins!"

Blinking back to his senses, Fael barked as he turned toward the wagons.

The guards, who had been staring at Ian in awe, sprang into motion and rushed out from the wagons.

Fael, who had been about to follow, suddenly stopped. Lily had approached the rear of the wagon and quietly stretched both arms out toward him.

He clicked his tongue awkwardly before murmuring, "No using spells."

Then, carefully, he lifted her into his arms. His eyes blinked in surprise—she was far lighter than she looked.

"Seems like you need to eat more meat. I’ll get you something delicious—" Fael trailed off mid-step.

Lily had opened her mouth wide, showing him the empty void within.

"That was thoughtless of me. My apologies."

Embarrassed, Fael set her back down.

Lily gave a small, polite bow, then turned and walked off as if nothing had happened.

"Just what is that child?" muttering as he watched her go, Fael smacked his lips and resumed walking.

"An incredible victory, O Demigod—!"

The guards had already gathered, loudly greeting Ian.

"Truly, something worthy of being recorded in history—"

"That’s enough." Ian lowered his left hand.

The guards fell silent at once.

With his usual expressionless face, Ian rose from the saddle and added, "Bor, take care of Nila and Moro. Prepare some food and water inside for them as well. You two, head to the rock. There should be a crate I left there. Bring it back to the wagon."

"Understood."

"Yes!"

Hallig and Oscar answered in unison and immediately turned, striding off without even sparing Fael a glance.

Fael, of course, paid them no mind either. His gaze was fixed on Ian, who had dismounted and was now walking toward him.

"Good work, Lily. Go to the Elder. Unless you want to end up exhausted for no reason." Ian brushed down her tousled hair before finally turning his attention to Fael.

Fael raised both arms as if in reverence. "A sight I shall never forget for the rest of my life, O Demigod!"

"So now even you call me that," Ian muttered, one corner of his lips curling slightly as he gestured for him to stop.

Fael complied at once, smiling. "After witnessing something so divine, how could I not?"

"You saw that?" Ian asked, raising a brow.

Behind him, Bor was approaching with the reins in both hands, arms oddly spread wide.

Fael nodded quickly. "Of course. It was magnificent. Those radiant golden wings—"

"You’re mistaken. That was power granted to me by the Great One." Ian cut him off as he stepped closer.

So there’s a separate authority beyond that...

Catching the implication in his tone, Fael smiled without showing it. "I understand. Then I shall continue to address you as the Agent of the Saint."

After all, making one’s client comfortable was a merchant’s basic virtue.

Passing by him, Ian gave a small nod. "That would be preferable. Follow me."

"Yes." Fael quickly turned and fell into step beside him. "It’s a shame such a magnificent battle cannot be shared with the world."

"Magnificent, you say."

A bright voice chimed in from behind. It was Thesaya, her arm draped over Lily’s shoulder.

Meeting Fael’s gaze, she lowered the bloodstained handkerchief from her nose and added, "For the Agent of the Saint, something like that is just another ordinary fight, Elder. Not even worth mentioning."

"I see. Then I nearly made another rude remark."

At Fael’s reply, Thesaya tilted her head slightly.

Ian clicked his tongue softly as he glanced back at her, then said, "Now that everything’s settled, let’s move on to what we originally came here for."

"Yes, Agent of the Saint." Fael turned to him and answered respectfully, though he couldn’t quite stop himself from swallowing nervously.

Of course. The matter at hand was none other than the treasure of that great Platinum Dragon.

Fael’s eyes widened the very next moment.

Ian had stopped and casually pulled a large crate out of thin air, setting it down on the ground.

Is that dragon magic? Or...

Before Fael could finish the thought, Ian brought out another crate and placed it beside the first, opening both lids with nothing more than a glance.

However, that wasn’t what truly stunned Fael.

"Lu Solar... have mercy..."

The artifacts inside the crates revealed themselves in a dazzling display. For a moment, it felt as if everything around them had been dyed gold.

"My word..." Even Thesaya, standing beside him, let out a breath of awe.

Nasser, just behind, gave a low whistle, a faint smile on his lips.

"I didn’t expect them to be preserved so perfectly, Agent of the Saint," said Fael.

Fael carefully examined the artifacts before finally turning back to Ian. "There’s no trace of age on them at all. It seems no repair or restoration will be necessary."

"Well, they were kept by the Platinum Dragon, after all." Ian nodded, as if it were nothing remarkable at all.

Tilting his chin toward the crates, he continued, "If you sift through them, you’ll find plenty of gold coins and jewels mixed in. You’ll know how much is appropriate, so assess their value and distribute them accordingly. If it’s not enough, I can bring more."

"How much more are we talking about?" Fael asked cautiously, swallowing again.

Ian shrugged one shoulder. "Enough to avoid disrupting the market or spilling blood over greed. The Platinum Dragon didn’t gift these for that."

"A wise principle. Anything excessive becomes poison." Fael replied, forcing a small, awkward smile. He took a breath, forcing down the greed that had briefly risen within him.

As if seeing right through him, Ian let out a faint chuckle and turned to Thesaya.

"Work with the guards and sort the artifacts by type before repacking them."

"Can I take anything I like?" Thesaya asked with a bright smile.

Ian nodded without hesitation. "As much as you can wear at once."

"Really?" Even she seemed taken aback, her eyes widening a beat too late.

It was enough to make Fael’s jaw drop. To him, every single one of these artifacts was priceless.

Yet Ian’s tone and expression remained completely casual. "While you’re at it, pick out things for Charlotte too. And one each for the others close to me."

Thesaya stared at him for a moment, then swallowed and asked carefully, "You’re giving me that kind of authority as well?"

"If you don’t want it, I can take it back."

"N-No! Of course I want it!" She quickly shook her head, then broke into a grin. "Thank you, Your Grace. I’ll organize everything perfectly."

"Master, if you find something you like while helping, take one for yourself," Ian said, turning to Fael.

Fael froze, then looked up.

Ian tilted his head slightly and added, "And pick one each for the guards who came with you. Your choice."

That was more than enough to make Fael’s mouth fall open again. He quickly composed himself before speaking, "Not just for me, but for the guards as well?"

"A reward fitting for a confidential commission. I’ll be busy transporting things from inside—so I’ll leave the rest to you." Ian smiled faintly.

Without realizing it, Fael brought a fist to his chest and replied, "I’ll see it handled perfectly!"