Astra studied the letter again.
That woman's eyes… sharp. Too sharp. She must have sensed something — not what he was, but that he didn't belong. There was no reference for him in this world. A Nephilim was forbidden, nearly impossible to birth. No records. No precedent.
Still, what an irritating ability.
The silver lining? An invitation.
He needed a way into that party anyway. It would mark the true beginning of the sequel. And it would confirm whether the other "worlders" existed here as they had before. Ironically, the day they celebrated the Demon King's death would be the day a new calamity stirred.
To think I'd meet the one who defiles time this early…
He exhaled slowly.
Interesting people are going to die. What a waste.
"Oi."
Astra glanced at the counter. An average-looking young man in the same uniform waved at him, worry etched across his face. The casual tone and familiarity told Astra enough — close acquaintance.
He raised a hand lazily. "Yo."
"What the hell did you do, man? Lady Peppa's enraged! The boss is at the villa right now trying to control the damage. He even used a high-level potion to heal her — do you know how expensive that is? We barely got her unstuck from the wall. If we were any later, she'd be dead! The boss might fire you!"
"Relax," Astra said, leaning back against the counter. "The princess handled it."
The young man blinked. "The… princess?"
"I never told you? We were classmates."
"W-What?!" he shouted.
Astra frowned. "Don't yell. Do you know where the paladin is?"
The young man stared at him as if reconsidering their entire friendship. "The paladin?"
"Yes. The one who slaughtered thousands of demons in the Abyss."
"Oh. You mean the cuckold paladin."
Astra blinked.
"…The what?"
The Paladin was one of the war's central figures in the prequel. and one of the people who will, unfortunately, die in the prologue of the sequel. But what is cuckcold??
"What do you mean?" Astra asked slowly.
"You seriously don't know? He left his lord during the Abyss confrontation to protect trapped children. Disobeyed direct orders. Everyone praised him for it. Said he loved kids too much to ignore them."
"That part I know," Astra said.
"But while he was gone, he left his wife at his lord's estate. After the war, he came back to find her pregnant."
Astra straightened.
"…Don't tell me."
"The father was his lord."
Silence.
"You're kidding."
"No. Everyone talks about it. The lord is young, and the paladin's wife is beautiful. They say the wife thought the paladin was dead and embraced the young lord to escape sadness.
Sadness? Nah, she is a thot...
Astra covered his face.
What kind of garbage subplot is this?
"Did he at least kill the lord?"
"No. He raged. Then he saw his wife pregnant after years of thinking she was infertile. He left."
After that, the Paladin sat in the middle of the road during a storm for three days with a bottle in his hand. Didn't move. The crown prince, who once fought beside him, had to drag him up. They say he cried while the prince patted his back."
Astra exhaled through his nose.
"Poor bastard," he muttered. "And he's going to die soon, too."
He pushed off the counter. "Tell the boss I quit."
"Huh? Wait!" The young man grabbed his arm, but froze when Astra's eyes dulled — not anger, just something hollow.
"S-Sorry… the young man stepped back and mutter
but why are you leaving? What about your sister?"
Astra frowned.
"…Sister?"
"You're only working here because of her, right? Even though you're a former noble?"
Huh?
***
Astra stood in front of a modest house.
Small. Shabby compared to the skyscrapers and castles he once ruled. Yet strangely… warm. Roses bloomed in a neat garden out front. The location wasn't bad either — close to the bar.
He didn't know about this. The game never truly gives Zephyr a background story, aside from a brief mention of his noble heritage, his role as comic relief, and that accident. But a sister? That's unheard of. It even says he is the only son of a fallen noble.
He stepped toward the door and reached for the knob.
It opened first.
"Brother!"
A small girl — no older than seven — threw herself into him. Red hair like his, but where his face was average and forgettable, hers was sharp, beautiful. Her eyes were violet, not brown.
"Why are you home early? Did something happen?"
Astra didn't answer.
He wasn't looking at her face.
He was looking at her soul.
Purple — like his.
But lighter. Softer. His was dense, almost corrupted in hue. Hers was pure.
The souls of this world were vastly different from one another. Some shared similar colours, yes — but their essence, their core, always diverged.
Except for blood.
Bloodline carried identical signatures.
This child's soul was identical to his.
How? Did Mother and Fathe- No! That's impossible—they died just a week after I was born.
He stared down at her small frame.
How can this be?
For the first time in a very, very long while—
Astra felt helpless.