Just as Cedric had the thought, the contents of the message revealed itself.

[Sender: Anastasya]

[Message: You do not need to worry. I will not harm you, or your friends, Kim Min-jun.]

The moment Cedric read those words, his eyes went wide in alarm and somehow, his pale face managed to grow even paler.

’Kim Min-jun?’

That was a name and a past he had left behind many months ago. He had never expected to face that identity again, but now, all of a sudden, it was being shoved back in his face.

By who? Who was this Anastasya, and how did she know who he was?!

Cedric’s thoughts began to spiral.

This was an external message sent through Gamer Privileges. For someone to refer to him by that name, it meant they knew who he was at his very core. Subconsciously, his eyes swept around the shore as he quickly tapped into the perception of the ravens above, including the ones deep within the territory. For a long moment, he looked genuinely shocked and troubled.

Upon seeing his expression, Aurora frowned. She grew alarmed and began to look around as well.

"Is everything okay, Cedric?" she asked.

Cedric didn’t give a reply. A few seconds after her question, another message popped up, causing him to snap his gaze back to the screen.

[Sender: Anastasya]

[Message: It’s really good to see you. I can’t begin to describe just how glad I am to see that you are doing okay. Oh, by the way, don’t freak out but... I am the one who wiped out the beings in the territory. I did that to make it safe for your friends to leave. You can trust me. If I had wanted to kill them, none of them would be alive right now.]

’...don’t freak out? How can I not?!’ Cedric thought after reading the text.

"...dric?"

"...Cedric?"

At that moment, Aurora’s voice snapped Cedric out of it, and he quickly turned to face her. Her frown deepened as she asked, "You alright? You are acting a bit strange."

Cedric closed his eyes, then took a breath to calm himself. When he opened his eyes, he forced a smile and finally replied in a calm voice. "Yes, I’m fine. Apologies Princess, I just got momentarily lost in a disturbing thought."

He stood up from the ground, then turned in the direction of the cliffs while dusting the sand from his kimono. "And you are right. I’m homesick too and can’t wait to get out of this godforsaken realm. I think we should get ready to start leaving."

Aurora arched a brow as she studied him for a few seconds with a skeptical expression.

Eventually, she exhaled and her expression relaxed.

"Okay."

She took a look around the shore. Under the illumination of the moon which was shining abnormally brightly, she could see the bodies of her comrades on the ground.

Her expression faltered and a deep frown crossed her face. After a few seconds, she turned back to Cedric and said, "I’ll uh... I’ll go tell the others to get ready."

Cedric nodded.

Aurora then turned away and began walking tiredly toward the other cadets.

Meanwhile, beside where she had been standing, Argentos stood perfectly still and did not say anything. He just stared at Cedric with an emotionless expression on his metallic face.

It wasn’t until Cedric slowly turned to his attention to him, that the Hollow One finally spoke.

"Are you not going to tell your people about the possible danger above the cliffs?"

Cedric thought for only a few seconds before shaking his head. Then he replied with a trace of uncertainty. "I-I think it’s safe."

Even before he watched Aurora walk away, his mind had been racing. ’Yes, that being is right. They could have wiped everyone out if they wanted to, especially now that the group is so depleted. Since they hadn’t moved against us, it should be safe, right?’

Cedric frowned slightly.

To be honest, he didn’t trust whatever this entity was, but he didn’t have much of a choice. Rather than throw everyone into a panic by saying that there’s an unknown monstrosity out there, he just prayed that the being would keep its word.

"Are you sure?" Argentos asked without changing his expression. "I thought you said that you do not know what’s up there. How are you certain it’s safe?"

Cedric exhaled wearily before replying honestly. "I am not sure that it is safe. I am merely praying that it is."

Argentos stared at him for a few seconds, and for the first time all night, his expression shifted into something more serious.

"I decided to trust you, so I’ll continue to keep that trust in the hope that you do not break it. The deal was that if we help you put an end to the Lords, you will put an end to the bridges corrupting the realm. I can no longer feel the authority of the other Lords, which means they are all gone. Since we have kept our promise, whatever the method, you must keep yours."

Despite knowing that he would not be able to challenge Cedric in any way now, his voice remained firm, carrying a heavy weight that did not have any modicum of fear behind it.

’... of the other Lords?’ Cedric picked up on the way it was phrased.

’Ah, so he does know that I have taken over as a Lord,’ he thought, keeping his face carefully neutral. ’If he could feel their authority before, then he can definitely feel that I have inherited it now.’

He reined in his thoughts, then forced a smile. "You do not need to worry. I am a man of my word."

Argentos stared into his blue eyes for a few seconds as if searching for a lie. Eventually, he gave a small nod, then turned around to look at his people who were still gathering their dead from the shore. When he turned back to Cedric, his metallic face was as unreadable as ever.

"I believe this is where we must say goodbye," Argentos said. "It was a pleasure to fight alongside you. If our people ever meet again, I hope it will be on the same good terms we are leaving on today."

He extended a hand toward Cedric.

Cedric stared at the metal hand for a moment, then reached out and shook it. When they let go, Argentos turned away and began making his way to join up with his people.

As Cedric watched him go, he sighed and muttered to himself. "This really is a dilemma."

He had so many things to think about. So many strange things were happening all at once and he felt completely overwhelmed by the sheer scale of it. He did not even understand how the whole bridge ordeal worked. All he knew from the information the oracles gave was that they were supposed to kill the Lords, which would then stop the bridges from opening.

Now, he was left worrying about how he was going to keep his promise to Argentos. The fact that he was still breathing meant that the evil cycle might not truly be broken. A red bridge might be born soon to mature in a few months, and another blue bridge might open to bring the cadets to this ring in order to conquer it.

He rubbed his face, dragging his skin down as he tried to think through the exhaustion. ’When I return to the Cradle, there will be no Lord in the first ring. Will the cycle end then? It should, right? No Lord in the first ring is almost equivalent to all of them being dead.’

...By the way, that thought suddenly reminded him that he still needed to confirm if he was the only one who had received the title, or if there was a possibility that others might have received it as well after killing the Lords.

’Gamer Privileges... I’m the only Lord left, right? I’m the only one who received the title?’