People tend to think of wind as endlessly gentle, but in truth, it is faster and more powerful than anything else. When compressed to its limit and then unleashed, the force of wind is strong enough to send a person flying. Even just a swirling gust, moving fast enough, can cause a disaster of massive scale.

And the wind Yuder condensed and fired now—was the strongest he had used since the moment he came back in time.

With an explosive roar unthinkable for something born of invisible wind, the eastern tower and the air around it violently trembled. People beneath the tower lost their balance and collapsed just from the shockwave. Tree branches that had held firm until now snapped and splintered.

Amidst it all, only Yuder Aile stood firm and unshaken. He didn't blink as he stared dead ahead at the target of the arrow and wind he had fired.

The monster, wings spread, sensed something was shot its way and immediately twisted its body to dodge. But the speed of the arrow riding the wind was far faster than the monster’s reaction.

In the blink of an eye, the fierce wind struck the monster. The onlookers crouched and shielded their heads from the aftershock.

But contrary to their expectations, the wind that Yuder unleashed dispersed weakly the instant it made contact with the monster. The arrow, however, was not so.

What mattered was a single, fleeting instant of hesitation caused by the wind striking the monster.

Not missing that tiny moment, the slender arrow pierced a single point between the monster’s wings without resistance. As the arrowhead vanished as if being sucked in, it burst ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ out from the monster’s back—black fluid splattered into the air.

With a scream that tore at their ears, the monster staggered sharply to the right.

“-----!”

‘Hit.’

“Waaaah!”

Cheers erupted from below the tower as people confirmed the sight.

But Yuder did not loosen his grip on the bow. Though the monster was staggering heavily, it had not truly fallen yet.

‘One shot isn’t enough.’

Just as he thought, the monster—beating its wings faster and more violently in a fit of desperation—managed to climb high again. Yuder frowned faintly as he watched it.

‘A clean pass-through might’ve actually been worse.’

The monster, as if saying it could endure a single neat hole, somehow continued flying. Judging by the decreasing volume of blood dripping from it, its regeneration rate seemed absurdly fast.

Without delay, Yuder reached for the quiver planted at his feet. Only two arrows remained. He nocked the next arrow swiftly, drew it back, and loosed it without hesitation—just like the first.

With another blast of wind, the second arrow pierced the critical spot inside the monster’s opposite wing. Another perfect hit. The difference was this time, Yuder had dialed down the force—so the arrow embedded itself shallowly in the body instead of passing through.

With a scream that seemed to shake the entire fortress, the monster spun wildly and then dropped. It vanished from Yuder’s view.

He waited, bow still in hand, and leaned slightly over the railing.

At that moment, as if waiting for the cue, the monster took to the air again, scattering blood in every direction.

“Ki-----!”

As the high-pitched scream rang in his ears, Yuder straightened up once more.

The monster, flailing and lurching, was struggling to climb even higher. The arrow that had been embedded in its body had snapped under the pressure of its own wings. The arrowhead must still be lodged inside, but the creature’s gleaming eyes fixed on the eastern tower made it clear—it intended to take down the one who had attacked it, even if it died doing so.

A split-second standoff. Shouts of alarm broke out all around.

“Yuder!”

“Baron Aile—!”

Even then, Yuder didn’t move from the edge of the railing. He didn’t step back or react.

“So stubborn.”

He let out a small breath, nocked the final arrow, and drew it back.

Then, staring straight at the monster rushing toward him with bloodied claws, he let go.

The movement was identical to when he had fired the first arrow.

So effortless.

The final arrow, without the aid of wind that had wrapped the previous ones, flew directly into the gaping maw of the monster—about to devour Yuder whole—and vanished without a sound.

Or at least, that’s how it appeared.

“......”

Time slowed, noises overlapped and distorted.

The massive jaws poised to tear Yuder’s head off suddenly froze.

The scream that had threatened to rupture eardrums vanished.

A bubbling, gurgling sound rang faintly once, and the monster’s head—mouth wide open—tilted backward slowly. The enormous claws that had aimed to shred the man at the edge of the ledge swiped the air meaninglessly.

Wings that had thrashed wildly began to lose strength.

A torrent of black blood burst forth from the wounds that had been regenerating at terrifying speed.

And the monster fell—like a dead leaf.

It rolled chaotically, smashing into the walls of the fortress again and again without direction, until finally, with a loud crash, its massive body collapsed. From beneath it, bodily fluids began to pool like a spreading puddle.

Those at the bottom of the fortress, covered in scattered feathers, simply stared in shock. No one moved for a long time.

What broke the surreal silence were the shouts of the Northern branch members.

“It’s over! It’s finally over!”

“The spirit of the Cavalry did it again!”

Weliven, who had been standing with sword in hand, looked back and forth between the monster’s corpse in front of him and the man atop the eastern tower as if bewitched. Yuder Aile, cloaked and silent, finally lowered his bow and quietly stepped back from the railing. The Cavalry members began cheering and embracing each other, rushing to Weliven’s side and shouting excitedly.

It took him a moment to realize what they were saying—proud voices asking if he’d now seen the true spirit of their Cavalry. Only then did his frozen heart start beating again, a strange mixture of awe and disbelief swelling within him.

The honored guest his lord had brought for the first time.

For a fleeting moment, he’d thought Yuder Aile, seen in person, seemed quieter, more refined—a young man more suited to desk work than the battlefield. He felt foolish for ever thinking so.

He thought he understood what kind of feats the famed hero of the South and West had achieved, and how. He didn’t.

That calm expression, seemingly unafraid, wasn’t reckless youth or the arrogance of power. And that inhuman level of power—it was just one part of the arsenal Yuder carried.

The Yuder Aile that Weliven now saw was someone far more familiar with combat than anyone here.

Terrain, people, weapons, and abilities—

Only one who grasped all of these precisely and used them like pieces on a board could fight like that.

It was a wonder Weliven could sense, precisely because he had led a knight order for so many years.

‘How can someone that young fight like that?’

He turned to the still-cheering Cavalry members and asked,

“......Does the guest—no, does Baron Aile—always fight like that?”

“Like that...?”

“I mean, without a hint of hesitation... like it’s all planned out from the start. Alone...”

He struggled to express himself, but the members immediately smiled, understanding what he meant.

“Exactly. He always does.”

“Yuder is crazy strong, but you never know what he’ll do next—yet he always wins.”

“Did you see that glowing arrow earlier? That was something he came up with by combining our powers! It’s going to be our unit’s signature weapon now!”

Listening to their voices, Weliven looked up once more at the tower where Yuder had disappeared.

‘Amazing. And... just like him.’

In truth, Weliven had never personally seen his lord, Kishiar, fight. But he had spent years studying and teaching the countless strategies Kishiar had devised from bed. He knew well what kind of man he was in battle.

To him, the way Yuder protected the fortress and mobilized the people resembled Kishiar greatly.

‘Though I’m not sure if that’s something you can just learn.’

Of course, that wasn’t all Yuder had shown.

At the very least, Kishiar would never have allowed anyone else to recklessly fire three arrows at a monster alone at the end.

But Yuder Aile had done just that. Before the eyes of all, he had delivered a stunning and overwhelming victory that left everyone in Peleta speechless and shaken to their core.

Weliven bowed quietly toward the top floor of the inner fortress where Yuder had gone. When he lifted his head again, he was smiling—more at ease, and filled with joy.

“Lord Weliven! The injured from Zilbang have arrived at the fortress! Thankfully, none of them are in critical condition—they’ve already begun treatment!”

“Good. Check on their condition after treatment and report back immediately. And while retrieving that monster, don’t forget to gather and properly store the byproducts and specimens...!”

Beyond the now-bustling Peleta fortress, Nathan Zuckerman and five knights were returning—covered in dust, but light on their feet.

And Yuder, crossing the bridge back to the inner fortress—

“......”

“...When did you get up and come out here?”

—Realized that his original goal, to finish everything without waking the one he loved, had long since failed.