It would have been truly catastrophic… had Cairo not intervened at the last moment and activated his shield around Noble Valis.
Those few seconds that separated us from death were enough to change everything.
A small question began whispering inside me—shy, like a child knocking on the door of awareness for the first time.
Did my shout help too?
Did my trembling voice, when I cried out that the noble was in danger, play any role in saving him?
Maybe…
Just the possibility sent something warm flowing through my chest.
But I couldn't dwell on the thought for long, because the employer's voice interrupted me. It was firm, yet tinged with apology as he addressed Noble Valis, who was still holding Roshin in his arms.
"My lord, please accept my sincere apology for what happened earlier. It was a grave mistake to leave one of them without making absolutely sure he was secured. I assure you it will never happen again."
The noble raised his gaze toward him. His voice sounded unexpectedly calm, as though he had already moved past the moment of danger.
"It's alright… there's no need to apologize. Just take these two assassins and place them in the cellar outside the castle. I'll ask the head servant to deal with them until morning."
The employer nodded obediently, then approached one of the assassins—the brown-haired one with the long scar across his eye—and bent down to lift him onto his shoulder.
Despite the man's heavy build, the employer lifted him with remarkable ease, as if his body were accustomed to carrying great weight… or corpses.
He then turned to Sirion and said calmly:
"Could you carry the other one?"
"Of course," Sirion replied without hesitation, already moving toward the second assassin.
He bent down and lifted the unconscious man as well, though the tension in the man's face suggested he might still be dangerous.
As they prepared to leave, the employer looked toward Cairo. There was appreciation in his eyes, and his voice carried a quiet acknowledgment.
"Well done, Cairo."
Cairo replied with modest composure, like someone uninterested in praise.
"I only did my duty."
But the surprise wasn't the praise itself—it was what he said next.
He pointed at me.
His gaze shifted clearly in my direction.
"Actually, because of his shout at the right moment, I quickly realized what the assassin was planning. His warning alerted all of us… and that helped me activate the shield in time."
My body twitched slightly, as if a gentle electric current had passed through my spine.
Me?!
Did he just say I was the main reason Noble Valis was saved?
Had I finally done something that counted?
Something… useful?
A smile slipped onto my face without asking permission.
I couldn't stop it.
It was messy, small, shy… but real.
Then the employer looked directly at me.
That sharp gaze that usually unsettled me carried something different this time.
Something warm.
Almost like a public acknowledgment.
"You did well too."
My feet nearly stepped forward from sheer surprise.
Me?
Being praised?
It wasn't easy to believe—but it had happened.
I laughed quietly to myself—perhaps even out loud—and tried to sound modest, like the heroes in stories when they're thanked.
"N-no… it was just my duty. Nothing more."
The employer nodded, then gestured toward Cairo, Calstier, and finally me.
"You three, return to your posts now. Noble Valis needs his rest."
We bowed respectfully to the noble in silent military discipline, then began leaving the room behind the employer.
He opened the door and stepped out first, followed by Sirion carrying the assassin, then me, then Cairo and Calstier.
I stepped out and quietly closed the door behind me, as if sealing another chapter of this long night.
I stood there for a moment, listening to their footsteps echo along the stone stairs as they descended, the sound gradually fading until they disappeared from sight.
But I remained there… for one extra moment.
Looking at the closed door.
Thinking.
I saved someone.
I… actually did something.
Even if it was small.
Maybe—just maybe—I was beginning to feel like I belonged among them.
I returned to my usual position at the bottom of the stairs, where I had spent so many exhausting night shifts.
I sat down quietly, leaning against the cold stone wall, and released a long breath filled with exhaustion, relief, and something I couldn't quite describe.
Perhaps a quiet pride.
Or the lingering remnants of fear that hadn't yet cooled.
I closed my eyes for a moment, then opened them again and looked ahead into the near-complete silence.
"Ugh…"
I sighed again, as though each breath was pushing the fatigue out of my chest.
"Even after everything that happened, this shift is still exhausting. When will it end? When will tomorrow come?"
The night was still long.
And the silence that followed the storm left a strange feeling in the soul—like the calm before another storm… or perhaps the honest quiet after one we had miraculously survived.
As I surrendered to that silence, my mind began replaying what had happened.
The violent explosion on the third floor, its echo still lingering in my ears.
The others rushing to understand what was happening.
Then the employer returning with Luxian and Tyros… both in alarming condition.
Tyros with his wounded face.
Luxian with his swollen hand as if it had struck a wall of iron, his clothes stained with dust and blood.
And then I remembered that terrifying moment…
The brown-haired assassin suddenly rising after we thought he was unconscious.
Running toward Noble Valis with the lightness of a predator.
The knife gleaming under the lamps.
I remembered every detail of how I froze in place.
How fear gripped me.
How I couldn't move.
But I shouted.
That trembling, instinctive shout that came from my heart before it came from my mouth—and somehow it was enough to save a man's life.
I smiled.
I wasn't sure whether it was pride or satisfaction—but it was genuine.
Ha… ha… ha.
The employer praised me!
I still couldn't believe it.
I kept replaying his words.
"You did well."
Me?!
He really said that to me.
It wasn't a joke.
And it wasn't politeness.
For the first time since arriving in this strange world, I felt like I had left a mark.
Like I had done something useful—even if small.
I wasn't just an extra person anymore.
Not just a silent observer.
I had played a role—however small—in saving someone important.
But… despite my happiness, the worry didn't leave me.
What if there were more assassins?
The question echoed endlessly in my mind.
What if someone was still hiding in the shadows… waiting for another chance?
My thoughts returned to the third floor.
No one had told me exactly what had happened there.
Yes, Tyros and Luxian looked injured, but they never explained the details.
Then another strange memory surfaced.
The noble had said he would take the assassins to the capital.
The capital?
That word froze in my mind and dragged a flood of questions behind it.
Is there really a capital in this world?
Is there a government? A system? Laws? Prisons?
I had always assumed this fantasy world was chaotic—nothing but forests, castles, monsters, and mysterious people.
But if there was a capital… then there must be other cities.
Maybe even continents.
Maybe advanced civilizations.
Suddenly a thought slipped from my mouth in a whisper.
"Technology?"
Could there be technology there?
The internet?
Could I… possibly have the slightest hope of contacting my family?
Could I one day send a message to my mother?
Tell her I'm alive?
That I'm safe in another world unlike Earth?
The questions multiplied.
Growing.
Crowding my mind like rain falling suddenly upon thirsty ground.
I knew nothing.
How ignorant I am of this world.
Every day reveals another hidden layer beneath it.
This world… isn't just an adventure.
It's a maze of secrets.
But despite all the questions, all the curiosity…
I had no answers.
All I could do was wait.
And watch.
Perhaps tomorrow would bring answers.
Or…
another adventure.
I sighed again and looked up at the stone ceiling above me.
"When tomorrow comes… I'll ask Tyros and Luxian exactly what happened."
Curiosity was practically killing me.
It felt like a fire in my chest searching for new fuel.
I imagined Tyros's serious face explaining the details.
Then Luxian's mocking laugh as he teased my curiosity.
Maybe he'd say:
"So you're suddenly interested in combat affairs? Thinking of becoming a hero?"
Well… even if he mocked me, I wouldn't care.
I just want to know.
To understand.
And I should also ask Cairo how he managed to activate his shield so quickly.
That shield…
It was pure like crystal.
Transparent, yet its energy was unmistakable.
I still couldn't understand how he summoned it so fast.
I don't know…But I'll ask them.
Because I'm a curious person by nature.
That was a truth I could no longer deny.
My questions never end.
My mind never stops analyzing glances, possibilities, and tiny details.
And while I was lost in thought…Something strange happened.
Time passed.
Yes—passed!
For the first time since starting my shift on this cold floor, time didn't feel heavy.
Instead, it flowed smoothly, as if the hours had flown without me noticing.
That night filled with tension, danger, and wonder made the clock's hands play quietly in the background.
And suddenly…Dawn arrived.
Its light was faint.
Gentle.
Warm in a strange way, like a comforting pat on the shoulder.
I stood up slowly.
My legs felt heavier than expected.
Every joint in my body ached from exhaustion.
Sleep pulled at my eyelids like an invisible rope dragging my head downward.
I walked slowly toward the stairs.
Each step echoed in my back and legs until I reached the ground floor and headed straight to the guards' room.
I pushed the door open roughly from sheer fatigue.
I didn't bother looking around or checking if anyone was there.
All I saw was the bed.
That simple wooden bed.
At that moment it looked like a piece of cake waiting for me.
I threw myself onto it without even removing my shoes or adjusting my body.
And the moment my head touched the rough pillow—
Everything went dark.
I fell asleep.
A deep, heavy sleep unlike any before.
No dreams.
No nightmares.
Just quiet emptiness.
The kind of emptiness deserved by someone who faced fear, survived an assassin's blade…
and received words of praise that felt like a dream.