In the capital city of Eldrathis, within the South Dungeon Forest — Layer 60, three adventurers stood frozen in place.
Shock.
Disbelief.
A trace of lingering horror still clung to their faces.
Their eyes were fixed on the sky.
On him.
Solaris.
He was descending slowly from above, silver hair drifting in the wind. It almost looked as if gravity itself behaved differently around him—like the world was gently lowering him to the ground rather than letting him fall.
The ruined forest remained silent.
Dust still floated through the air from the destruction he had caused moments ago.
Then—
Solaris touched the ground.
Softly.
His boots landed on the cracked earth without making a sound. He brushed a bit of dust from his shoulder as if he had merely stepped through a hallway rather than punched a mountain-sized dragon across several mountains.
Then he began walking toward them.
Step.
Step.
Step.
Each footstep echoed faintly across the shattered battlefield.
Hayami instinctively tensed.
Leonhart narrowed his eyes.
Reina simply stared.
Solaris stopped a few steps away from them.
Then—
He smiled.
A simple, harmless smile.
"Are you all okay?" he asked casually, glancing between them. "Is anyone hurt?"
For a moment—
None of them answered.
Because the boy standing in front of them…
Was the same person who had just thrown a territory boss across mountains with nothing but his bare hands.
---
Reina was the first to try to speak.
But the moment Solaris looked at her, her words tangled together.
"Hm… y-yes… yeah… we're fine… I'm fine… we are all f-fine…" she stuttered awkwardly.
Her cheeks slowly turned red.
Inside her mind, panic exploded.
What am I doing…?! Why am I talking like this?!
She quickly looked away, trying to regain her composure.
Before she could say anything else—
Hayami suddenly stepped forward.
Too close.
Uncomfortably close.
Without giving Solaris any personal space, she began inspecting him—her hands moving quickly over his arms and shoulders as if checking something.
Reina's eyes widened.
"Hey—! What are you doing?!" she shouted.
Hayami frowned slightly, completely focused.
"No… wait," she muttered. "He wasn't using any magic relics either…?!"
Her fingers lightly tapped against Solaris's coat, searching for hidden artifacts, enchanted items, or protective charms.
Nothing.
No relic.
No mana device.
No magic equipment.
Just normal clothes.
Reina rushed forward immediately, grabbing Hayami by the arm and pulling her away.
"Stop that!" she scolded.
Then she quickly bowed her head toward Solaris, forcing Hayami down with her.
"Please forgive her rudeness, Master Void," Reina said apologetically.
Hayami grumbled quietly but still lowered her head.
Behind them, Leonhart simply watched the scene with narrowed eyes.
Solaris narrowed his eyes slightly, studying the three adventurers standing before him.
"How did you…?" he began, confusion creeping into his voice.
Before he could finish his sentence, Leonhart finally spoke.
His posture was straight, his gaze sharp and observant.
"Don't mind me if I'm wrong," he said calmly, his eyes locked onto Solaris, "are... you Solaris Void?"
For a moment, Solaris looked genuinely surprised.
His brows lifted slightly.
"Yes… I'm Solaris Void," he replied after a short pause. "But… how did you know me?"
Leonhart blinked.
Just once.
As if his brain needed a second to process the answer.
For the first time since they met, his expression cracked slightly.
"…You're saying you don't recognize me?" he asked slowly.
Solaris tilted his head a little, clearly puzzled.
He studied Leonhart's face carefully, as if trying to recall something.
Nothing came to mind.
"Hmm…" Solaris hummed thoughtfully. "Am I supposed to know you or something?"
The question hung awkwardly in the air.
Leonhart's mouth opened slightly, ready to respond—
But before he could say a single word—
A loud burst of laughter suddenly exploded beside them.
"Hahaha—!"
Hayami bent forward, clutching her stomach as if she couldn't hold it in anymore.
Her shoulders shook uncontrollably.
"Ha—haha…!" she gasped between breaths.
She pointed directly at Leonhart with a teasing grin.
"He doesn't even recognize you! Hahaha!"
Leonhart's eyebrow twitched.
Hayami wiped an imaginary tear from the corner of her eye while continuing to laugh.
"You walk around acting all serious and important," she continued mockingly, "and look what happened!"
She leaned closer to him, her voice dripping with playful cruelty.
"You really thought you were that big of a deal?"
She snorted again.
"What a useless piece of a Shit."
Then she waved her hand dramatically toward Solaris.
"Even though you're a prince, he still doesn't recognize you!"
Her laughter echoed across the ruined battlefield.
Reina quickly covered her face with one hand, completely embarrassed.
"Hayami… please stop…" she whispered helplessly.
---
Leonhart's expression darkened instantly.
The veins on his forehead bulged slightly as Hayami's laughter continued beside him. His jaw tightened, and for a moment it looked like he might actually lose his temper.
But he forced himself to calm down.
Taking a slow breath, he straightened his posture and looked directly at Solaris.
"My name is Leonhart Dravenhart," he said in a controlled voice. "The Crown Prince of Eldrathis."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"Almost six years ago… we had a duel."
The moment he finished—
Hayami burst out laughing again.
She leaned back dramatically, holding her stomach as if the memory alone was too funny to handle.
"And our so-called Crown Prince," she said between laughs, "lost against an eight-year-old noble child!"
"Hahaha!"
Leonhart's eye twitched violently.
His fists clenched so tightly the metal of his gauntlet creaked.
"HAYA… MIIEEE…" he growled through gritted teeth.
Hayami immediately raised her hands innocently.
"Hey, hey, I'm just stating historical facts," she said with a teasing grin.
Meanwhile—
Solaris rubbed the back of his head awkwardly.
His brows furrowed as he tried to search through his memories.
An eight-year-old duel?
A prince?
He tried.
Really tried.
But nothing surfaced.
After a moment, he lowered his hand and looked apologetically at Leonhart.
"Sorry…" Solaris said honestly. "But I don't quite remember meeting you before."
Silence fell.
Leonhart slowly lifted one hand and covered his face.
His shoulders sank slightly.
Behind him—
Hayami completely lost it.
"Hahahahaha!"
Her laughter echoed across the ruined battlefield again.
She practically bent over, wiping tears from the corner of her eyes.
Reina, however, wasn't laughing.
Instead, she was staring at Solaris with a thoughtful expression.
Something about this felt… off.
"That's strange…" she murmured quietly.
The others glanced at her.
"Forgetting childhood memories is normal," Reina continued slowly. "But… he was eight years old back then."
Her brows knitted together.
"And forgetting a duel with the Crown Prince…?" she added, her voice filled with suspicion.
Her eyes narrowed slightly as she studied Solaris again.
"…Isn't that a little odd?"