The World of this Fantasy Novel is in Crisis

Cain slowly moved his hand to take a sip of water. Only then did Satin realize something. He had assumed Cain had been smiling this whole time, but with his mouth covered, it didn’t look like that at all.

“If those things down there really were people… who do you think they’d resent more? Me, the one who used magic from above? Or the bastards who just buried them like trash and moved on?”

A heavy silence fell over the table. The distant chatter of other diners felt strangely far off, making Satin rub his ears for no reason.

After a long pause, Rita finally opened her mouth. Her voice had lost its earlier strength, now subdued and low.

“You’re right. No one here’s in a position to point fingers at anyone. But that doesn’t mean summoning the Demon King is okay.”

“Why do you think I confessed so easily? It’s because I don’t plan on doing that anymore.”

Rita’s eyes widened. Cain gave a slight shrug, then turned his gaze toward Satin. Startled, Satin glanced around nervously, but Cain’s eyes didn’t move away. Cold sweat trickled down his back.

‘What the hell? Why’s he looking at me?’

What was he supposed to say in a moment like this?

Satin hesitated, eyeing the table still crowded with dishes, then barely managed to speak.

“…Wanna eat some spinach?”

“Sure.”

“Huh?”

“Give me some spinach.”

Satin, caught off guard, nodded awkwardly and picked up some spinach from his plate, placing it onto Cain’s. It was a ridiculous gesture, honestly—there was still more than enough food left on the table. Sharing wasn’t necessary at all.

Even so, Cain picked up the spinach Satin gave him and ate it. And this time, he actually smiled.

“No carrots?”

Whether it was a joke or a genuine question was hard to tell, so Satin just gave him some carrots too. Cain ate those as well, then looked over at Rita and Edward on the other side of the table and said, “What are you looking at?” in a warning tone. As if they’d even want to steal his spinach or carrots.

“Who’s looking?” Rita grumbled as she resumed eating. Edward, sitting beside her, lightly scolded her, saying he told her not to order so much, and started eating too. The conversation fizzled out from there.

The dishes that had once packed the table gradually got cleared away. Rita ate a bit more than average, Edward even more than her—and Cain, more than both of them. Satin, who ate like a regular person, suddenly became the light eater of the group.

“You sure you’re done eating?”

It was Cain who asked, but when Satin looked up, he saw Rita eyeing him too. Judging by the look on her face, if he said he was still hungry, she’d call over the server to order more on the spot.

Satin shook his head quickly. He was so full he could throw up.

“Nah, I’m good now…”

The four of them stepped out of the restaurant but didn’t go anywhere right away. Satin pretended to browse the store across the street while trying to gauge the mood.

‘So… what now?’

Rita had gotten the answers she was after. Edward and Satin had nothing left to help her with. Cain wasn’t even a part of this group to begin with.

It felt weird to just walk off together, but even more awkward to cheerfully say goodbye and split up.

‘What kind of farewell would sound natural?’

Luckily, Rita spoke up first.

“Well, I guess we’ll part ways here?”

Before Satin could even decide on a farewell, Cain let out a short chuckle.

“So, you’re not going to the Temple, huh?”

“Nope. Didn’t you say yourself you’re done summoning the Demon King?”

“You believe that?”

“Wait, so it was a lie?”

Rita clenched her fist and glared at him, eyes wide. Cain snorted.

“No.”

Maybe being good-looking just made everything worse—because even with a smug, irritating expression, his face looked way too smug. It was honestly impressive how punchable he managed to look. Rita’s fist trembled.

Watching Cain toy with someone three years older than him, Satin let out a sigh. In Dark Age Part 1, the two had been reliable allies, not this Tom and Jerry act.

“What about you? Heading to the Temple?”

Cain’s question this time was directed at Edward. There hadn’t been any mention of Edward being a priest, yet Cain spoke as if he already knew. Was it the hem of his robes that gave it away, or…

‘Does he remember?’

Before meeting Cain, Satin had heard about the subjugation of the Black Magician from Edward, something that had taken place four years ago. Even after hearing Cain’s name, Edward hadn’t seemed to suspect he was the boy who had survived back then. In fact, Edward hadn’t even clearly remembered Cain’s name.

But just because Edward didn’t remember didn’t mean Cain had forgotten.

‘In Dark Age, the two of them start out as friends…’

Would they be able to become friends eventually, even if it was late? If anyone had a shot, it was probably Edward rather than Rita.

Edward hesitated for a moment before replying.

“No. I can’t return to my temple until I finish my pilgrimage.”

“How dutiful everyone is, clinging to their petty obligations.”

Whatever he meant, it certainly wasn’t a compliment. Edward frowned but didn’t rise to the bait. No point in starting a fight right as they were about to part ways.

‘Guess these two won’t be friends after all.’

Satin withdrew his earlier thought.

Rita shook her head, clearly uncomfortable with the tension, and turned to Satin.

“Are you heading out now? I said I’d lend you a carriage, remember?”

“Ah, well…”

Satin trailed off, unable to give a clear answer.

The timing was awkward. It had taken a full day to reach Cloverland on the way here. He’d set off in the morning and only arrived by evening. He was so exhausted he skipped dinner and collapsed into bed at the inn. If he left now, it would turn to night while he was still en route.

After a brief moment of thought, Satin made up his mind. It wasn’t the kind of decision worth agonizing over.

“I think it’s better if I leave tomorrow morning.”

“Alright then, stay at the same inn as me tonight. If we book a carriage now, we can leave first thing in the morning.”

Rita said it breezily, and Satin nodded in agreement. Then he asked about her own plans.

“What about you? Are you staying in Cloverland?”

“For a few more days, probably. If nothing comes up, I’m planning to head to another city. My goal is to visit every city before the year’s over.”

It was a rather ambitious plan. She seemed to be the type who thrived on energy and loved to travel.

Now only Cain remained. Satin hesitated, unsure if he should ask Cain what his plans were. Rita and Edward clearly had no intention of asking.

‘Would he feel left out?’

His calm expression gave no hint of what he might be thinking. In the end, Satin decided not to ask. They were parting ways anyway, and pretending to be friends felt silly. Even if Cain remembered Satin, he didn’t know this Satin. Satin had only met him for the first time last night.

Edward was the first to say goodbye.

“Take care, everyone.”

He gave a polite nod to Rita and Satin, then paused briefly before offering a farewell to Cain. Cain responded half-heartedly.

“Shall we go, then? The inn I stayed at two nights ago was really nice. Let’s stay there.”

Rita placed a hand on Satin’s shoulder and gestured in the direction. Satin was about to nod but glanced back at Cain.

“Um, it was nice meeting you. Take care, and…”

“That sounds an awful lot like a goodbye.”

It is a goodbye.

Satin blinked, unsure how to respond. Cain tilted his head slightly, meeting his gaze. Maybe it was the way he carried himself, but even the most casual posture felt imposing.

“What the—”

Rita tried to step in, but Cain raised a hand without even looking her way.

“I’m still talking.”

His tone hadn’t changed at all, but something felt… off. A chill ran down Satin’s spine, and he reflexively pulled his shoulders in.

Tsk. Cain clicked his tongue softly, then smiled with exaggerated friendliness. The chill in the air dissipated, but Satin remained frozen, unsure of what he was about to hear.

Cain leaned forward slightly, closing the distance between them.

“I don’t plan on parting ways with you here.”

“Ah, where are you headed? If we’re going in the same direction—”

“That’s not what I meant, and you know it. You’re a familiar face.”

When Satin fell silent, Cain smiled radiantly. In that moment, it was as if Satin caught a whiff of a flower that couldn’t possibly be blooming. Cain’s smile was so strange, so mesmerizing, it felt almost seductive.

“I don’t plan on saying goodbye. Not now, not ever, not for a long, long time.”

***

“A lockdown? The entire area?!”

Rita’s voice rose sharply. She was already loud to begin with, but now she was practically shouting. Her tone and volume made it crystal clear—she was shocked and alarmed.

‘What’s going on?’

Satin hadn’t joined Rita in her shouting match, but he was just as startled.

After parting ways with Edward yesterday afternoon, the remaining three had stayed at a high-end inn near the northern gate. Rita had only booked two rooms—both single occupancy.

Cain hadn’t seemed offended and went to book his own room without complaint. By coincidence, the room right next to Satin’s was vacant, and that’s where Cain ended up.

‘Ugh, I go out trying to do a good deed and end up dragging back a leech!’

Rita had shouted loud enough for Cain to hear, but he didn’t even flinch, let alone respond.

Satin spent the night mulling over what to do if Cain actually followed him all the way to his village. Was it really okay to bring the protagonist to a place like that? His hometown was so tiny it didn’t even have an inn—where was Cain supposed to stay? Surely he wasn’t going to ask to crash in one of the huts?

Morning came without Satin finding a single solid reason to convince Cain to go his own way. But oddly enough, the situation had changed—he no longer needed to.

The coachman, who was supposed to take Satin home, had shown up early and informed them that all of Cloverland’s gates had been sealed shut. Which meant Satin couldn’t return home.

Rita, incredulous, immediately raised her voice in protest.

“But the gates were open last night, weren’t they? Weren’t they?!”

“They were, yes. But I heard from one of the guards that something happened at dawn.”

“What happened?”

“Not sure exactly, but because of it… a strange, ominous fog has spread around Cloverland.”

The words ominous and fog felt like a natural pairing. The moment that thought crossed his mind, something clicked in Satin’s memory.

‘Didn’t Dark Age mention something about a fog too…?’