Chapter 97: Winds of Change

Yet, a nagging question continued to tug at the corner of Marcus’s mind.

But what if...?

Marcus thought back to Lord Ren, the former head of House Bluemoon. Ren had always fiercely maintained neutrality, knowing his territory held one of the most critical trade routes connecting the Imperial Capital’s main roads to the eastern borders of the Northern Frontier. Even though House Ravencrest had proposed a formal alliance multiple times in the past, Lord Ren had politely rejected every offer—just as he had repeatedly rejected Duke Albright’s aggressive proposals.

Lady Elena had recently mentioned sending a fresh alliance proposal to House Bluemoon after learning of their dire situation, hoping the new Countess might be far more receptive than her late father. But if Ethan really had intervened and saved House Bluemoon from annihilation...

What Marcus didn’t know was that this war had once ended very differently.

In Ethan’s previous life, House Bluemoon had fallen to a brutal surprise attack orchestrated by Count Thorn. Back then, under the persistent instruction of Commander Valen and Teresa, Luna had been forced to flee with critical wounds alongside a handful of surviving commoners, eventually seeking refuge with House Ravencrest. But before Ravencrest could bring Thorn to justice, the Count had fabricated evidence and forged a alliance with House Albright under the direction of the mysterious Crimson-Eyed Woman. Tied down by politically manufactured proof and the looming influence of House Albright, Ravencrest had been unable to intervene effectively.

It was during those dark days that Luna realized a far larger conspiracy had taken root within her home. Filled with bitter regret that they hadn’t aligned with Ravencrest sooner, she refused to rule the domain Ravencrest granted her surviving people. Instead, she took up the path of a lone warrior, swearing her blade and her eternal loyalty to House Ravencrest—the family that had sheltered her people and shown them what it truly meant to be the guardians of the North.

That future no longer existed. Marcus, unaware of how close House Bluemoon had once come to destruction, could only consider the consequences of what might have happened this time.

If that brat really turned the tide this time... we’ve secured an essential route right before a major crisis, Marcus calculated, his strategic mind racing. We would gain a firm ally in House Bluemoon, completely eliminating our need to rely on House Albright’s supply lines in the future.

"Tch... what am I even thinking?" Marcus muttered, shaking his head in denial. "There’s no way he would involve himself in a full-scale war. Besides, Thorn was a Knight Lord—even if Ethan is terrifyingly strong for his age, he can’t fight someone at that level..."

He tried to brush the thought aside, but his veteran instincts—sharpened by decades on the battlefield—told him otherwise.

Knock. Knock.

A sharp knock at the heavy oak door broke his focus.

"Come in," Marcus called out. "What is it?"

An aide stepped into the room, bowing respectfully. "Commander, the first two scout units have returned from their patrol. They detected no unusual beast activity along the outer Mountain Range. It appears the beast tide will likely occur according to our initial estimated timeline."

"Tell them not to slack off just because the perimeter seems quiet," Marcus ordered firmly. "Instruct them to expand their sweeps deeper into the inner mountain regions alongside the outer perimeter."

"Right away, Commander!" The aide saluted and turned to leave.

Knock. Knock.

Marcus grunted, rubbing his temples. "What is it now?"

"Ahem... Commander, it’s Evelyn."

Marcus’s posture straightened slightly. "Ah. Get in here, Evelyn."

The door swung open, and Evelyn stepped into the command chamber. Her vibrant crimson hair fell loose over her shoulders in uncharacteristic disorder, though her sharp eyes took in the familiar room with complete composure. She walked over and casually took a seat across from him.

"What is the Guild Leader doing here in person?" Marcus asked, leaning back.

"It’s about this year’s Awakening Ceremony, Commander," Evelyn said smoothly, crossing her legs. "The date is approaching quickly, so I thought I should notify you personally."

Marcus’s brows furrowed deeply. "Hmm... the timing couldn’t possibly be worse with the beast tide looming."

Evelyn remained quiet, letting his words hang in the air.

"What about our formal request to relocate the ceremony site to Silverbrook or Ironforge?" Marcus pressed.

"It was rejected, Commander," Evelyn replied calmly. "The Imperial Court stated that the ceremony location was finalized months ago and cannot be altered under any circumstances."

"Tch... bureaucratic fools. There’s nothing we can do about that, then," Marcus grumbled, before his expression shifted into absolute seriousness. "Did your intelligence network pick up any new movements regarding the Four Great Evils?"

"We are still searching for active leads within the Northern region," Evelyn answered, her tone dropping an octave. "However, I received a dispatch from our Guild Main Branch earlier today. There are reports of heightened activity linked to the Abyssal Pact of the Four Great Evils near the border regions of the Celestine Duchy."

Marcus’s eyes narrowed into slits. "Those bastards... to think they’ve already recovered in such a short amount of time."

His thoughts immediately flashed back to his father, who had nearly wiped out the entire organization decades ago—critically injuring their supreme leader before the monster managed to escape using forbidden demonic arts.

"Have the Churches gotten involved yet?" Marcus asked.

"Yes," Evelyn nodded, her eyes fixed directly on Marcus. "Inquisitors from the Churches are currently scouring the entirety of the Celestine Duchy and the neighboring Blackwood Duchy searching for their hideouts."

Marcus fell silent, his mind processing the dangerous implications of the news.

"Alright. You are dismissed, Evelyn," Marcus said abruptly. Without another glance at her, he pulled a fresh stack of reports forward and began reviewing them.

Evelyn froze for a fraction of a second, a subtle twitch crossing her brow at his dismissive behavior. Still, she merely stood, smoothed her coat, and quietly exited the command chamber.

---

The Valerian Estate — South

Ethan made his way toward the gardens, the late afternoon sun casting long shadows across the manicured hedges. He found Isabella there, seated on the grass, laughing softly as she dangled a loose thread above Rune, who batted at it with lazy, half-hearted swipes before finally giving up and flopping down beside her instead. A few steps away, Noah swung a wooden sword, trying to replicate a few movements he’d learned from Ethan the day before.

Ethan had taught him after Noah kept following him around, refusing to leave even when told House Valerian had better instructors to teach him swordsmanship. Noah hadn’t been convinced in the slightest, so Ethan had finally given in and taught him a few basic movements himself.

Sensing his approach, Isabella looked up. Something in her eyes caught the moment before he could speak — a faint shadow of sadness she hadn’t quite managed to hide.

"It seems you’re leaving," she said quietly, noticing something in his expression before he could get the words out himself.

"Yes," Ethan admitted. Relief at having found her again in this life warred quietly with the sadness of leaving so soon.

For a moment, neither of them said anything further. His gaze drifted toward Rune, still sprawled contentedly beside her.

"It seems you two have gotten close," he said.

"He’s a good one." A small, hidden smile touched her lips as she reached down to scratch behind the cub’s ears, and Rune leaned into the touch without hesitation.

Isabella rose to her feet, brushing grass from her knees. "We’ll meet again soon."

"We will," Ethan said.

Noah finally lowered his wooden sword, staring at Ethan as though only now realizing what was happening.

"You’re leaving already?"

Ethan smiled faintly. "I’ll be back."

Noah tightened his grip around the wooden sword. "Then I’ll get stronger before you return."

Footsteps approached from the path behind them. Iris arrived first, unhurried as always, with Estelle and Lucas trailing a short distance behind.

"It seems both of you said your farewells without us?" Iris asked, though there was no real accusation in it.

"I wouldn’t dream of it," Ethan said.

Estelle offered him a warm, genuine smile. "Do take care of yourself. And take these with you." She held out a small parcel of delicacies she knew Rune liked.

Lucas simply nodded, though something in his expression suggested he’d grown more comfortable with Ethan’s presence than he probably cared to admit aloud.

Isabella studied him a moment longer, as though searching for something in his expression she couldn’t quite name, before finally stepping back to stand beside her mother.

Ethan bowed respectfully to the family. "Thank you, for everything."

"Oh, don’t thank us yet," Iris said, already raising one hand, azure light beginning to gather at her fingertips. "This is far from over, kid."

Before the spell could fully take shape, she reached into her sleeve and withdrew a small, sealed document, tossing it lightly toward him. Ethan caught it out of reflex. The moment his fingers brushed the seal, his expression shifted almost imperceptibly.

"That’s the one you asked for," Iris said simply, offering no further explanation.

Ethan tucked it away without ceremony.

"Ready?"

Rune trotted up beside him without needing to be called, pressing against his leg, already prepared to leave. Ethan glanced back once more — at Isabella, standing quietly beside her mother, at the quiet warmth of a family he was only just beginning to know again in this lifetime.

"Ready," he said.

The azure light expanded around him, and the garden dissolved into brilliant, weightless motion.