I Will Eventually Embark On The Path Of No Return Called A Hero

[Arc5] - 7. The Day They Met

---

"I had a nightmare—ah, it was the kind that makes you shiver all over, like a frog caught in a snake's gaze."

"I know, I know. Haven't I already agreed to come with you? You don't need to keep describing how terrifying the nightmare was."

Cyd sighed lightly. King Bartra of the Kingdom of Liones had a magical power called 'Vision', which allowed him to foresee the near future. While dozing off on his throne, he experienced a frightening dream, which was undoubtedly something that had either happened or was about to happen.

Normally, Bartra's approach would be to avoid such things if possible, but this time, he was insistent on going. It seemed the nightmare had truly shaken him, and Bartra believed he needed at least one Great Holy Knight or someone of equal strength to accompany him.

In simple terms, he wanted Cyd to go with him. However, Cyd was responsible for guarding the royal city and couldn't easily leave, especially since Bartra planned to take most of the Holy Knights with him on this expedition.

"The nightmare is just a side note. What I truly foresaw was the birth of my third daughter there."

"Huh?" Cyd raised an eyebrow and squinted at Bartra. "You..."

"Don't get the wrong idea! I'm a devoted man. I only love the Queen," Bartra cut him off, puffing out his chest without a hint of guilt. "Anyway, I only have two biological daughters, Margaret and Veronica. They've been wanting a little sister."

"Alright, but..." Cyd, who had been walking beside Bartra's horse, tugged on its reins, squinting as he looked ahead at what could only be described as a ruin.

"If my memory serves me right, that should be the Kingdom of Danafor, which was once as powerful as Liones."

Bartra didn't respond. He was utterly shocked by the scene before him—what had once been a prosperous royal city was now reduced to ruins. This level of destruction couldn't have been caused by war—it was a natural disaster!

"Is this... the true form of the nightmare I saw?"

Rage, rage, rage!

All Bartra could feel was an emotion called "rage". It was the kind of emotion that emerged in the face of tragedies that one could do nothing about, tragedies that felt all too familiar yet were impossible to accept.

It was... numbing rage.

"Bartra, wait here for me."

Cyd slung the [Reforged Pandora] over his shoulder and began walking toward the ruins step by step. His expression was so solemn that Bartra, who had been about to question him, stopped in his tracks.

Bartra had immediately set out after his premonition, rushing as if hurrying to a delivery room. They had traveled through the night and reached the borders of the Kingdom of Danafor by dawn, arriving at around 10 a.m.

Cyd had been out in the sun all morning. Though the weather was gloomy, Apollo's blessing still strengthened his body. Yet despite this, Cyd felt a sense of overwhelming pressure.

Yes, this feeling of oppression came from the small figure in the distance. His nerves were on edge, almost frenzied, due to the presence of this figure, who was likely connected to the silent destruction of the Kingdom of Danafor.

When Cyd approached what might be the one responsible for Danafor's ruin, he fell silent. What he saw wasn't some malicious villain but a wounded blond boy holding a silver-haired infant.

Rather than thinking of the boy as the destroyer of a kingdom, Cyd preferred to believe he was an innocent bystander caught in a disaster. However, the strange dragon-shaped hilt in the boy's hand emitted a foreboding aura, and for a brief moment, it almost seemed to come alive, roaring at the world.

Noticing Cyd's approach, the boy's expression grew hostile, cold and sharp in a way no child his age should be capable of. His gaze was like a finely forged steel blade, yet tears streamed uncontrollably down his face.

Cyd's grip on [Reforged Pandora] tightened and relaxed repeatedly. The oppressive aura surrounding the boy made him instinctively hold his weapon, yet the sadness in the boy's expression and the infant in his arms prevented him from drawing his sword.

In the end, Cyd lowered [Reforged Pandora] and raised his hands to show he meant no harm. The boy before him resembled a wounded beast, so alert that the slightest disturbance would make him bare his fangs.

"I don't mean any harm. If possible, could you let me..."

As Cyd took a step forward, the boy suddenly swung the dragon-shaped hilt in his hand. Despite the lack of a blade, the motion created a wind blade that left a massive gash in the ground.

"Don't come near us!" The boy raised the hilt and aimed it at Cyd, his fierce gaze like that of a beast ready to devour its prey. "This is your last warning."

"This world is truly cruel..." Cyd glanced at the deep scar on the ground, his calm gaze seeming to look past the boy and into the distance. "Even with great power, you still suffer from your own weakness. The things you hold dear will disappear one by one, unless you stop."

The boy's hand, holding the dragon-shaped hilt, trembled slightly.

"So, why not take a break? It's okay to rest, even if it's just for a little while."

Cyd extended his right hand toward the boy. His hand, despite being smooth and uncalloused, gave off a sense of having endured countless hardships. The boy instinctively held the infant tighter in his arms.

No matter how strong Cyd was, the boy couldn't let go of his wariness. The two remained in a tense standoff. Cyd showed no signs of impatience, but the infant in the boy's arms started to frown. The ruins were no place for such a young life.

The infant's discomfort made the boy anxious, but he stubbornly refused to trust Cyd.

At that moment, Bartra appeared beside Cyd. The Holy Knights had stayed behind, clearly following Bartra's orders.

"Young man, you..." Bartra began to greet the tense boy but froze when he saw the silver-haired infant in his arms. His eyes widened, and just as he was about to speak, he quickly realized the baby was asleep. He immediately punched himself in the stomach to suppress his words.

"Cough, cough... Oh, ah... Is this... is this my third daughter?" Bartra's voice trembled as tears filled his eyes, though it was unclear if they were from pain or the emotion of seeing his new daughter.

He reached out a shaky hand toward the infant in the boy's arms.

The boy's expression instantly turned savage. Despite his frail appearance, his arm, capable of easily crushing mountains, raised the dragon-shaped hilt in defense.

"Don't touch my..."

"Waahhh!"

The silver-haired infant began to cry, seemingly disturbed by the loud adults. The boy's expression shifted to panic, and combined with his tear-streaked face, he looked like an innocent child who had just survived a catastrophe.

"There, there, no need to cry."

Bartra immediately pulled out a variety of toys to amuse the baby, his once dignified face now contorting into a series of silly expressions.

The blond boy stared in disbelief at Bartra's expert handling of the infant, and before he knew it, Bartra had gently taken the silver-haired baby from his arms without any resistance.

"I should've brought Zaratras," Cyd muttered, shrugging as he slung [Reforged Pandora] over his shoulder.

In the midst of the destroyed Danafor, Bartra's prophecy had come true—he had found his third daughter.