Chapter 1587: Mundane Day

Erend woke up in his bed that morning feeling refreshed. His body felt as though it had returned to the life he used to know, back when his days did not involve battling evil gods, cosmic beings, or monstrous creatures.

For a moment everything felt ordinary again. But Erend knew better than to believe that his life had truly returned to what it once was.

The reality was still the same. There were still countless evil things he had fought and even more that he would have to fight in the future.

But for now he was just resting in the one place where he could still pretend that none of those things existed.

Erend got out of bed and walked toward the window. He opened the curtains and looked outside at the beautiful morning view.

The sight looked so mundane, yet he smiled as he watched it because he already knew he would miss it again when he had to leave.

There was no Magic covering the city, no ancient castle rising above the horizon, no strange landscape shaped by supernatural forces. There were only buildings made of concrete, brick, glass, along with countless cars moving through the streets below.

There were no floating islands in the sky and no monsters roaming between the buildings. Everything looked so ordinary and so normal. That was exactly what made this world so appealing to him.

Magic still existed here, but only a very small group of people could use it. They belonged to the special military unit led by Captain Adrien and Billy. Erend felt safer knowing they were there. He could only hope that nothing serious would happen while he was not around.

The previous night, after returning from the other world, Erend had finally recalled the clone that usually handled his duties as a soldier. Through the memories and information he received from the clone he learned about the current condition of the country.

Everything was in a stable state. The authorities had uncovered a small espionage operation and deployed the Magic unit to capture the people involved. They succeeded without killing anyone, and the situation returned to normal afterward.

There were no major incidents such as an approaching war between nations, monsters from another world, or any other serious threat. That was good enough for Erend.

Today, he would go to the military base himself. After spending so much time away, he wanted to experience the life he once had with his own body again.

—

Breakfast was served soon after. Erend and Arty were already ready to leave, with Erend wearing his military uniform while Arty wore her school uniform.

They sat together with their mother and spent the beginning of the morning talking about ordinary things. Their conversation remained light until Arty suddenly asked a question that made Erend look at her seriously.

"When are you going to take me on another adventure in the fantasy world?"

Erend sighed and said, "Things aren’t very good right now. I don’t know if that’s a good idea."

"Why? What happened? A strong monster?" Arty asked. Her expression immediately became serious as well.

Erend remained silent for a moment while he considered what he could safely tell her. "Something like that." That was all he could say.

There was no way he could explain that several cosmic entities were currently involved in dangerous events and that some of those threats might even be connected to him.

Arty narrowed her eyes as she studied him, clearly wanting to know more, but she eventually decided that Erend probably had a reason for keeping it from her. She let the matter go.

"Okay. But can I at least meet Sylmira?" Arty asked. "I kind of miss her."

Erend fell silent again for a moment before answering, "I think that’s okay. You can go there. You can still create your own portal there, right?"

"I can," Arty replied with a smile as she nodded.

They finished breakfast soon afterward. Erend then drove Arty to her school before continuing toward the military base.

Once he arrived, he greeted several soldiers with a salute and walked through the base as casually as possible.

He acted as though nothing unusual had happened, as though he had never left for another world for so long and had simply been working here the entire time through his clone.

He eventually reached General Lennard’s office and entered the room. The old but sturdy General looked up and greeted him with a smile.

He already knew that the man standing before him was the real Erend and not the clone who had been carrying out his duties in his place.

"Welcome back," General Lennard said.

Erend sat down in the chair across from the General and straightened his posture. He looked at the old man for a moment before asking how things had been while he was away.

"Just the usual," Lennard replied. "Nothing serious has happened. The country is stable and the special unit has handled the incidents that came up."

Erend nodded. He felt relieved knowing that things had remained calm in his absence.

"So, what did you find this time?" Lennard asked.

Erend leaned back slightly before answering. "My friends and I are still looking for something important. We have to leave again."

Lennard studied him for a moment. "Again?"

"Yes. This might be the last thing we have to find on our journey, so it probably won’t be easy. We don’t know what we’re going to find."

The General nodded slowly. He had heard enough from Erend over the years to understand that whatever his friend was searching for could never be something simple.

"Then I wish you and your friends good luck," Lennard said. "As for things here, you don’t have to worry. The special unit has become strong enough to handle most situations with their abilities. They know what they’re doing, and they have enough people to deal with anything that comes up."

Erend nodded. "That’s good."

"I also don’t think you need to worry about the Magic situation here," Lennard continued. "At least not for now. If nothing unexpected happens, I think things will remain stable. Magic hasn’t caused any major problems recently, and the unit knows how to handle it."

Erend gave him another nod. "I don’t feel worried about it either. If something happens, I’ll trust them to handle it."

Lennard smiled faintly. "Good. Then you can focus on whatever you’re chasing out there."

Erend returned the smile. "That’s what I plan to do, sir."

For a moment, the room became quiet. There was no urgent report, no emergency waiting for them, or immediate threat demanding their attention.

"I want to see the special unit, sir," Erend said.

General Lennard nodded lightly. "Then go ahead. They’re in the basement here."

—