Zubi was still waving his hand in the air, loudly saying goodbye to the children.
"Alright, I'll bring them for sure… I'll bring every kind of sweet for you!"
When the wagon finally disappeared in the distance and the children's laughter faded away, his hand slowly fell back down.
He took a deep breath, turned around, and looked at Lioran's back.
With hesitation in his voice, he asked,
"How was it, my lord? …Did I manage to make up for my mistake, even a little?"
Lioran only gave him a brief, cold glance—the same familiar look, heavy and emotionless.
In an icy voice, he replied,
"It was a good start."
Then he continued walking without another pause.
Zubi froze where he stood. A drop of cold sweat slid down the side of his forehead.
'Fuck… that scared me.'
The scene from a few minutes ago flashed through his mind—laughter, jokes, kindness toward the children…
' Just a moment ago he was laughing warmly and loudly. And now he's turned back into that same monster who kills people without the slightest mercy.
For a moment I forgot who he really is.
Could it be… that kindness was only because the children were there?
Could it be that this… is the real face of Lord Lioran…?'
"Why did you stop? Aren't you coming?"
Lioran's voice cut through Zubi's thoughts.
Zubi flinched slightly, as if only now realizing where he was. He hurried toward him.
"No, my lord… sorry, I got distracted."
When he caught up, he slowed his steps and walked beside Lioran.
Without another word, the two of them continued along the road toward the city of Orestal.
Meanwhile, Anahita was quietly floating beside Lioran in the air—
something Zubi, of course, could neither see nor sense.
Zubi's mind was full of questions—questions that had been circling in his head since the moment the children said goodbye and refused to leave him alone.
Now, with the long road to Orestal ahead of them, it seemed like the perfect opportunity.
Without realizing it, he found himself staring at Lioran's profile—at his expressionless face, at the eyes that always seemed to be several steps ahead of the world.
Lioran noticed his gaze. Without even looking at him, he asked,
"What is it? What do you want to ask?"
Zubi flinched slightly. He quickly gave an awkward, forced laugh, trying to break the tension.
"How did you know?"
Then he scratched the back of his head, as if embarrassed.
"To be honest… I had a question, my lord."
"That much is obvious. Go on—what's your question?" Lioran replied in the same cold, tired tone.
Zubi's smile slowly faded. His face turned serious, and even his steps grew heavier.
He hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"You were there before Goba started whipping the children… weren't you?"
This time Lioran gave him a brief glance.
"Yes."
Zubi's eyes widened in surprise.
"Then… why didn't you save them before they were beaten so badly with that whip—before they had to go through something so painful?"
The moment Zubi's question reached her ears, Anahita suddenly exploded with anger.
Her fury flared up like a sharp spark, and without hesitation she started punching Lioran on the back of the head.
"He's right! Why didn't you save them sooner, you idiot?! Why did you let them suffer like that? Didn't you feel anything for them? Didn't you see how much they cried… how scared they were?!"
Her fists came down one after another, but Lioran didn't even blink.
He didn't react. He didn't frown.
It was as if Anahita's voice was nothing more than distant noise that couldn't reach him.
His gaze remained fixed on Zubi—calm, cold, and piercing.
Then, completely ignoring Anahita, he asked,
"Tell me something. In a person's life, who do you think hurts them more—the people who love them, or the ones who hate them?"
Zubi was caught off guard by the question. He hadn't expected an answer like that.
His steps slowed unconsciously.
He placed a hand on his chin, his gaze dropping to the ground as his thoughts began to churn.
Behind them, Anahita was still relentlessly punching the back of Lioran's head. Her breathing had grown sharp with anger, her teeth clenched tightly.
"What kind of stupid question is that? Obviously the ones who hate them!"
Zubi, still lost in thought, finally spoke after a brief pause.
"I think… a person's enemies. They're the ones who hurt someone the most."
"Then you're thinking about it the wrong way," Lioran replied in his cold voice—and that single sentence was enough.
Zubi's eyes widened in surprise, and Anahita instinctively stopped mid-punch. Her fist froze in the air as both of them almost simultaneously turned toward Lioran.
"What do you mean?"
"What do you mean, my lord…?"
Lioran looked away from Zubi. Without slowing his steps, he kept walking and began explaining while facing the road ahead.
His voice was calm, but the weight of each word lingered in the air.
"The person who hurts someone the most in their life… is the one who takes away their hardships. The one who doesn't allow them to face problems, pain, and the challenges of life.
And most of the time… those people aren't enemies. They're the ones who love them deeply.
They don't want their loved one to bleed, to break, or to be humiliated.
Their intentions are good. They do it out of love.
But they don't realize that by protecting them too much, they're cutting away the roots of their growth. They're taking away their ability to stand on their own."
Lioran turned his gaze toward the flowers, where numerous butterflies were gently fluttering around them.
"Take a caterpillar becoming a butterfly, for example..
When it struggles to break out of its cocoon, that struggle strengthens its wings.
If someone cuts the cocoon open and helps it out… the butterfly will never be able to fly.
Hardships are the fire that turns iron into a sword.
That's why I didn't take that painful experience away from them.
Because that pain can become a reason for them to grow—so that the next time something like this happens, they won't be afraid… they'll be ready."
Upon hearing Lioran's answer, both Anahita and Zubi froze for a moment.
Their steps slowed on the dusty path, and the wind whispered through the branches above them. Both of them stared at Lioran's calm, indifferent figure with wide eyes.
A gentle smile—mixed with surprise and respect—formed on Zubi's lips.
"Not only are your powers godlike… but your words are as well."
Anahita's reaction, however, was completely different.
She floated beside Lioran and started repeatedly thumping his back with her fist. The sound of her blows echoed together with her loud laughter.
"You idiot! If that was your plan, you should've said it sooner! I wouldn't have cursed you so much—or punched you like this! Seriously… you're such a fool. And a crazy one too!"
Lioran stopped for a moment. His cold, lifeless gaze slowly shifted toward her.
"You damned spirit… now that you understand, why are you still hitting me and insulting me?"
Anahita stopped punching him and grumbled at him.
"Oh, come on… don't be so sensitive. That's just one way of praising someone."
Lioran let out a deep sigh. His eyes returned to the road ahead as he muttered,
"No one asked for your praise…"
Then he murmured quietly to himself,
This damn spirit does all of this on purpose just to get on my nerves…'
Time passed without pause.
Anahita—whose mana had still not fully recovered—returned to Lioran's inner world, and nearly two hours had gone by since Lioran and Zubi had set out along the road leading to the city of Orestal.
The sunlight was slowly fading, and the shadows were stretching longer across the ground—a clear sign that sunset was approaching.
Just then, Goba arrived with the wagon and stopped in front of them. The wheels came to a halt on the dirt with a dull, muted sound.
After Lioran climbed onto the wagon, he turned to Goba and asked,
"How much longer until we reach the city?"
Goba loosened the reins slightly and replied,
"Not much longer, my lord… We'll be there in about two hours."
Lioran's gaze drifted forward—toward the rows of trees and the fields of grass trembling softly beneath the fading sunlight. The creaking of the wagon wheels echoed through the quiet of the evening road.
After a brief pause, he asked again,
"What kind of place is the city of Orestal?"
Hearing the question, Zubi's gaze instinctively dropped. His voice grew a little heavier.
"Orestal… fifteen years ago, when Duke Jal was still alive, it was a lively and safe city."
He paused for a moment before continuing.
"But ever since Duke Jal died and his son, Duke Jinf, took power… the city has turned into a place full of crime. Full of people who don't even have enough for a single meal."
Goba glanced back over his shoulder and added,
"Since Duke Jinf came to power, slavery's been legalized in the city as well…"
Then he gave a crooked smile and continued,
"And honestly, it's about the only job in Orestal that actually makes money."
At that very moment, from within the dark inner world where she stood, Anahita suddenly shouted in anger,
"Lioran, punch that bastard in the face!"
Lioran, having no patience for arguments, immediately raised his hand.
A short, fast, heavy punch.
The blow landed squarely on Goba's face. With a muffled cry, his body was thrown off the wagon, tumbling several meters away before hitting the ground and rolling across the dirt.
Lioran paused for a moment. His gaze settled on his own fist.
Under his breath, he murmured quietly,
"Huh… I thought I controlled my strength.…"