Henry was rushed back to the fortress after collapsing on the battlefield.
The soldiers who carried him spoke of the battle with awe. Word quickly spread through Ismal. The Baron of Tecka had slain the Fiery Bear, the very monster that had nearly killed Prince Max. The tale traveled through the fortress faster than the healers could tend to his wounds.
Though the victory had boosted morale, the condition of the hero himself worried many.
For three days Henry remained unconscious.
The healers worked continuously. Potions were administered. Mages inspected his body for hidden injuries. Fortunately, most of the damage was exhaustion rather than fatal wounds. Fighting immediately after several days of travel and then facing a beast of such magnitude had pushed his body beyond its limits.
On the evening of the third day, Princess Irwin and Irene returned from their mission.
The moment Irene learned that Henry had collapsed, she rushed to his room without even removing her traveling cloak.
She pushed open the door.
There he lay.
Bandages covered parts of his arms and chest. Several magical devices monitored his condition. Though his breathing was stable, his pale complexion made him look far weaker than usual.
Irene's eyes immediately turned red.
She slowly walked toward the bed and sat beside him.
For a while she simply stared at him.
The room remained silent.
Then she gently held his hand.
"You idiot..."
Her voice trembled.
"You just got married."
A tear rolled down her cheek.
"You promised me you'd come back."
Another tear followed.
Outside the room, even the guards pretended not to hear her crying.
Late that night, Henry finally opened his eyes.
The first thing he saw was Irene asleep beside his bed.
Her head rested against the mattress while her hand still held his.
Henry smiled weakly.
Even in sleep, she refused to let go.
He carefully moved his fingers.
The movement woke her instantly.
Her eyes opened.
For a moment she simply stared at him.
Then tears immediately flooded her face.
"Henry!"
She threw herself forward and hugged him.
Henry winced from the sudden pressure.
"Ow..."
Only then did Irene realize she had nearly squeezed the life out of a wounded man.
"You scared me."
Henry laughed weakly.
"I'll try not to make a habit of it."
Irene punched his shoulder.
Not hard.
Just enough to express her anger.
Then she hugged him again.
This time more gently.
A short while later, Irwin entered the room.
Unlike Irene, her expression remained calm.
Yet Henry noticed the slight relief in her eyes.
"Good. You're awake."
Henry sat upright.
"What happened with your mission?"
The atmosphere immediately changed.
Irwin pulled a chair closer.
"We found him."
The smile vanished from Henry's face.
"Kar?"
Irwin nodded.
"It was indeed Kar."
Henry frowned.
The assassin who had murdered King Dan had somehow appeared at the border.
That alone was alarming.
"What was he doing here?"
"We don't know."
Irwin crossed her arms.
"But our investigation confirmed that he stayed somewhere beyond the savanna."
Henry was surprised.
Beyond the savanna lay the demonic forests.
The territory of Demonic Beasts.
Few humans could survive there for long.
Yet Kar had apparently operated from within those lands.
"How did you even find that?"
Henry finally asked.
The answer came when Irwin turned toward the door.
"Come in."
The door opened.
An old woman entered the room.
Henry instantly recognized her.
It was Jole's grandmother.
The mysterious old lady he had met in Ismal.
The woman who always seemed to know more than she should.
"Grandma?"
The old woman chuckled.
"I suppose that's one way to address me."
Irwin explained.
"After Lucian's incident, I stopped trusting information channels controlled by others."
Her expression darkened slightly.
"I created an organization that answers only to me."
Henry listened carefully.
For years, Irwin had secretly built a network of spies, informants, merchants, adventurers, and travelers.
They gathered information from every corner of the continent.
Many of them did not even know who truly commanded them.
The old woman before him was one of the highest-ranking members.
"It was through them that I first learned about you," Irwin continued.
"Your disappearance. Your activities in Igdur. Your rise in Verna."
Henry suddenly understood why the princess always seemed to know more than everyone else.
"And Kar?"
Irwin nodded.
"We found traces of him."
"But not the man himself."
The room fell silent.
Kar remained free.
And somewhere beyond the savanna, he was planning something.
Several days passed.
Henry recovered quickly.
The healers were amazed by how resilient his body had become.
Soon he was walking through the fortress again.
Yet one mystery remained in his mind.
The creature that had saved him.
When he finally asked one of the servants about it, the servant looked confused.
"You mean the black beast?"
Henry nodded.
"It has been staying in the training grounds."
The servant hesitated.
"No one can approach it."
"Except for you, apparently."
That afternoon Henry left his room.
The soldiers watched curiously as he headed toward the training grounds.
There, beneath the afternoon sun, sat a massive beast.
Its fur was black as midnight.
Its body was larger than a horse.
Crimson eyes glowed like embers.
Dark demonic energy naturally drifted around it.
Any ordinary person would have mistaken it for a terrifying monster.
Yet Henry felt no fear.
Instead, something felt strangely familiar.
The beast lifted its head.
Its red eyes locked onto him.
The soldiers nearby instinctively reached for their weapons.
Then something unexpected happened.
The terrifying creature stood up and calmly walked toward Henry.
The soldiers froze.
The beast stopped before him.
For several seconds they stared at one another.
Then the creature lowered its head.
As if asking for affection.
Henry blinked.
The gesture felt absurdly familiar.
A memory surfaced.
A small black kitten curling up beside his bed.
A tiny shadow following him everywhere.
A pair of curious eyes looking up at him.
Henry's eyes widened.
"No way..."
The beast tilted its head.
Henry slowly raised a hand.
"Night?"
The ears twitched.
The tail moved.
And then the giant creature rubbed its head against him like an oversized cat.
Henry laughed.
"Night... it really is you."
The soldiers were speechless.
The terrifying beast that had terrified the entire fortress was rolling against Henry like a pet demanding attention.
Months ago Night had suddenly disappeared from Verna.
Henry had searched everywhere.
No tracks.
No clues.
Nothing.
Now Night had returned.
But no longer as a small cat.
It had become a creature capable of carrying him through a battlefield and terrifying thousands of Demonic Beasts.
Henry scratched beneath its chin.
Night immediately closed its eyes in satisfaction.
The sight was almost comical.
A beast powerful enough to shake armies behaving like a spoiled house cat.
For a brief moment, all thoughts of war disappeared.
Henry simply enjoyed being reunited with an old friend.
Yet beyond the walls of Ismal, the demonic forests continued to stir.
Kar remained hidden somewhere within them.
The Demonic Beasts were becoming more aggressive each day.
And far beyond the horizon, something far more dangerous was beginning to awaken.
The brief peace at the fortress was merely the calm before another storm.