"Look! What is that?" a man in the crowd suddenly shouted.
He jabbed his finger toward the horizon. Heads turned, one after another, following his direction.
At first, it was just a small dot in the distance, a faint glimmer barely noticeable against the bright sky.
Something that could've easily been mistaken for a bird or a distant star.
It looked insignificant, just a speck.
But it didn't stay that way.
A few murmurs broke out across the square as more people noticed the approaching light.
It grew gradually, steadily drawing closer. The mood shifted. The noise faded.
The knights, standing tall and still just moments ago, started moving.
Not much, but enough.
They raised their heads, each one synchronized like clockwork, staring straight up.
"Are they… waiting for that thing?" a man near the front asked, his voice just loud enough to be heard by those around him.
His tone wasn't panicked, more confused, like he was trying to make sense of it out loud.
Then the light arrived.
It came down fast, and suddenly the entire square was awash in a sharp, clean brightness.
Like a flash of polished metal under the sun, but worse, there was nowhere to look to avoid it.
"What…?"
"What is happening?"
"It's too bright!"
People squinted, shielding their eyes. Some raised their arms.
A few turned away altogether. The sudden change spooked more than a few of them, some even tried to leave right then and there.
Others stayed in place, gripping their companions or their belongings tightly, trying to stay calm but clearly unsettled.
And then.
"We greet Her Majesty!"
Boom.
Boom.
Boom.
The knights dropped to one knee, their movements unified and echoed like a rumbling thunder.
Their armor struck the ground with force.
The stone trembled.
A controlled shockwave rippled out from where they knelt, scattering dust along the edges of the square.
"H-Her Highness…?"
"Could it be the Lord's wife?"
"It must be."
"But this light…"
"What's with this strange entrance?"
The murmurs started again, but more hushed this time.
Everyone looked up, squinting through the brightness.
And then, a voice came.
It wasn't loud. It didn't need to be. It slid into the air smoothly, firm, but not harsh.
Calming in a way that immediately cut through the tension. A gentle breeze in the early morning.
"At ease."
The knights stood without hesitation.
Boom.
Boom.
Boom.
Again, their movement sent vibrations through the ground, but this time the force didn't seem as overwhelming.
Probably because Liam's formation work had already strengthened the place, it held firm despite the weight and force at place.
The glowing form above began descending slowly.
The crowd instinctively backed up a few steps, clearing out the center of the square. But none of them left. Their curiosity anchored them in place.
The knights didn't move either. They formed a wide perimeter around the area, tall and silent as statues.
A low hum rolled through the air as the light hovered a few meters above the stone.
Then, click.
The brightness cut off.
The entire crowd fell silent in an instant. The faint buzz of conversation, the anxious murmurs, all of it stopped.
In the dead center of the square, where the light had just been, a figure floated gently above the ground.
The reaction from the crowd was almost the same across the board. Jaws dropped. Eyes went wide. Everyone stared.
Some people forgot to breathe for a moment, their chests sinking slightly before they remembered how air worked. A few looked like they wanted to say something but couldn't get the words out.
"A-An angel?" the middle-aged man from earlier muttered.
He took a half-step forward, but his legs didn't cooperate. He steadied himself with effort, looking like he'd just seen something that cracked his sense of reality.
Off to the side, Sayfein stood still, lips parted slightly, like he was trying to process what he was seeing.
His face said it all, he wasn't just surprised. He looked like someone had pulled the floor out from under him.
His hand curled into a fist without him noticing. His dry throat clicked as he swallowed.
"D-Dad…" he said quietly, voice thin and uneven. "How can an angel… be married to a human? Like us?"
He tried to sound level, but it was clear he wasn't convinced by his own words.
"I-It doesn't make sense…" he muttered again, his hands clenching and unclenching in short bursts. "Aren't angels supposed to hate us?"
"Aren't we just… beneath them?"
"Why would someone like that be here?"
His father didn't answer right away. He gave a short grunt, something strange twisting inside his mind.
"She's not an angel," he said finally, voice low.
Sayfein blinked. "But"
"She's a human," the man said again. "Just one who looks better than any angel we've ever read about."
He didn't sound like he was exaggerating. He sounded like he'd just accepted a truth and was stating it plainly.
Everyone else seemed to be thinking the same thing.
Whether they were whispering to each other or standing in stunned silence, the general reaction was the same.
Long hair draped over the figure's back, flowing past the waist. It didn't just fall flat, it moved gently, floating with just enough sway to make it look strangely alive.
The face was sharp and clean. A perfect balance. Pale skin, but not the kind that looked sick or cold, just light, smooth, and clear.
No blemishes. No flaws.
The jawline was defined, but not too much. The nose had a precise point, not too sharp or soft.
The lips looked naturally tinted, full and even-colored.
And the figure's body, well, it was eye-catching, to say the least.
That was when the real problem started.
People began to fidget. More than a few shifted on their feet, their expressions awkward. It wasn't hard to tell what they were thinking.
Then, Mize moved.
He flicked his sleeve lightly. A soft ripple of energy spread out from his body, brushing past the people nearby like a breeze.
Swoosh.
The tension evaporated in seconds. Everyone who had felt strange a moment ago straightened up like they'd just snapped out of a trance.
Some turned and stumbled back. A few ran, clearly flustered. The realization of what they'd nearly done or thought hit them hard.
They couldn't stay. Not with that kind of pressure.
It felt like someone had tossed a treasure in front of a pack of hungry dogs and expected them not to react.
If Mize hadn't acted, they might've lost control altogether.
He let out a quiet laugh, lifting a hand to hide the small grin creeping up his face. His gaze flicked toward the panel floating beside him.
'Just by standing here, the points are stacking up like crazy.'
His eyes stayed on the counter for a second.
Nearly a hundred points per second. Not a huge burst, but the consistency made up for it.
Unlike Liam's method of gaining points through impactful event, Mize gained his slowly, but constantly.
As long as people were around him, the flow didn't stop.
His brow lifted slightly as he glanced over the crowd again. There were way more people than he expected.
"This town wasn't this full before…" he muttered. "Did something happen?"
Before he could think deeper, the sound of footsteps drew his attention. From one side of the square, a new group marched in.
They weren't Dark Knights, but their armor was clean and coordinated. Shorter than the towering figures standing around Mize, but still trained.
Leading them was a man in a white robe, his green-tinged hair neat and swept back.
His movements were careful.
There was a scholarly air about him, one that stood out even more with how little eye contact he made.
"Your Highness," he said, stopping a few meters away. "You've arrived."
He kept his eyes down, never looking directly at Mize.
One hand held a set of papers tight to his chest. The other adjusted his glasses, though it was clearly more of a habit than a need.
Mize ignored the posturing. He drifted down slowly until he was level with Elias, then spoke evenly, "Bring me the gold coins for today's summon."
"Ah, yes," Elias responded quickly, gesturing to the soldiers behind him.
One stepped forward with a heavy leather sack and offered it with both hands.
"Everything's here, Your Highness," Elias added with a slight bow.
He didn't add anything else. No commentary. No hesitation.
Mize nodded and took the sack. The knights around him began to shift. Some sank into the shadows like smoke dissolving into air.
Others walked off, disappearing down nearby roads to patrol the area. Only twenty remained, standing behind him silently.
They moved with him like they were on a leash.
Mize didn't blame Liam for keeping the guard detail tight. With how he looked right now, it made sense. Any race would see this form and think twice, or get the wrong idea.
He turned his eyes to the sack again. The system immediately scanned it and registered the contents.
Gold coins.
With a small flick of his wrist, he brought up the summoning panel.
The light shimmered in front of him, and with a calm tone, he began the free first-time summon. Then, one by one, he used the rest of the coins for the day's quota.
"They should have appeared now," Mize said casually, blinking a few times.
Then he glanced toward Elias. "I assume you've arranged people to receive them?"
He already knew the answer. But still, he asked.
To this, Elias nodded without delay. His posture stayed relaxed, even if his eyes kept drifting away from direct contact.
"Then…" Mize hummed lightly, pacing forward at a slow, unhurried rhythm.
The long robe hanging from his frame caught the soft wind, brushing against the ground with each step.
He glanced around as he walked, his eyes moving from one stall to another, scanning the town with quiet curiosity. "Let's walk for a bit before we get to anything serious."
"As you wish, Your Highness." Elias gave a light salute, palm pressed against his chest before pulling back to follow, keeping a step behind.
The knights and guards flanked them naturally.
Their formation stayed tight, but not stiff, more like a habit than a deliberate show of force.
To the onlookers, the whole scene looked like something straight out of a painting: a serene, almost ethereal figure wandering down the road with armored escorts in tow.
If someone were to imagine it out of context, they might've thought this was a royal lady sneaking out from her palace.
Maybe she was bored, maybe she was rebellious, perhaps tired of her golden cage and now taking a stroll through the world beyond her walls.
But all those thoughts were just that. Speculation.
It wasn't that fairy tale like.
The whispers spread quickly. Some people lowered their voices, while others leaned in to guess what this "angelic figure" was doing here.
There was no shortage of ideas. Still, none of them even came close to the truth.
Mize wasn't here for amusement.
He had come to create a dungeon.
And while walking through the crowd, he occasionally flicked his fingers, releasing gentle pulses of energy.
The invisible waves swept across the road, lifting the fog from people's eyes, quietly snapping them out of the strange daze they kept falling into.
He didn't blame them for the way they stared, but it wouldn't end well if someone decided to act on their thoughts.
He preferred to keep the day free of trouble.
After a few quiet moments, Elias spoke up again. His voice was soft, as if careful not to disturb the atmosphere they were walking through.
"Your Highness."
Mize didn't stop. He just turned slightly, giving him an ear.
"I hope this isn't too forward," Elias continued, "but may I ask something?"
Mize glanced briefly toward him, then turned back to watch a small street performance up ahead, a juggler tossing knives with an impressive lack of fear.
Without looking again, he waved his fingers lightly in agreement. "Go ahead."
Elias took a moment, then clasped his hands behind his back.
"What do you think of the Lord?" he asked, his tone cautious, but not timid. "I mean… truly. Your personal thoughts."
Mize's steps didn't break, though his expression did shift slightly, nothing sharp, just a quiet moment of thought.
He looked sideways at Elias, his crimson eyes narrowing a little, not in annoyance, but as if measuring the question.
"Do you mean my opinion?" he asked evenly. "Or what I actually feel?"
"If possible," Elias said, his head tilted down ever so slightly, "I'd like to hear the truth. Not the formal kind."
Mize didn't mind. If anything, he found the question amusing.
The summoned humans Liam had under him weren't just tools, they were still human at the core.
Curious, cautious, full of emotion. He could respect that.
Instead of answering right away, he lifted his hand and motioned toward the edge of the road.
A patch of dull grass sat just past the cobblestone.
With a light wave of his fingers, a change rippled out across the ground.
Flowers began sprouting, dozens of them, in full bloom.
They didn't grow gradually either, they just appeared, popping into existence with startling ease.
The crowd gasped, a few voices rising in awe or surprise, but Mize didn't react to them. He just watched the petals settle.
Then he smiled.
"I suppose…" he began, "I'm using him."
Elias blinked. "Using… the Lord?"
His brow twitched slightly. Not in judgment, but confusion. He took a second to gather his thoughts before replying.
"I think I'll need a bit more than that," he said carefully. "Without context, that's hard to unpack."
Mize chuckled under his breath, his lips curling up in that same easy smile.
His eyes narrowed in a way that didn't feel hostile, just casual, like someone enjoying a light conversation.
"Smart one," he said, nodding slightly. "I like that."
He stopped near one of the flower patches and crouched for a second, reaching down to lightly pinch one of the petals between his fingers.
"The truth is," he continued, voice low, "Liam and I are using each other. Perhaps it may be love and also some other hidden things deep in our hearts ."
He let go of the flower, then stood again.
"Call it a partnership if you want. But in the end, I'm still getting something out of it."
Elias nodded slowly, eyes following the movement of Mize's hand.
"Then… you don't serve him?"
"Serve him?" Mize repeated the words, his tone lightly amused. "No, not really."
He paused, letting the thought settle in the air for a moment before continuing.
"But I respect him. I understand how he works. That's more than enough to stick around."
Elias seemed satisfied with that answer, even if it left some questions unanswered. He didn't press further, just offered a short bow and fell silent.
They kept walking.