It was the second day of the hunt.

Gargith’s eyes opened as he awoke. Dew, an ominous black, had been accumulating on his armor since dawn.

The color came from the poison mixed into it.

Gargith brushed off the dew with a calm expression. When only a little remained on the tip of his finger, he brought it to his nose and inhaled its scent. It was faint, but it smelled a bit like rotten eggs.

He showed no hesitation in opening his mouth wide and sticking his finger inside. A poison like this, even if he drank a full cup, wouldn’t harm his well-built body.

“…However, as expected of a poison. My body really isn’t happy swallowing it…”, Gargith muttered to himself.

His tongue, throat, and esophagus, everything the poison touched, felt sore. Although Gargith had never neglected physical training, he had never trained his internal muscles. If he sought a method, he could find many, but Gargith hadn’t yet found the true secret to training his ‘inner’ self.

“It seems there’s no need to wake you.” Dezra spoke from her perch high in a tree branch. “Nothing much happened. A demonic beast approached, but it wasn’t dangerous enough to rouse you or require us to move.”

“Hm.” Gargith grunted in acknowledgment, nodding, and then began doing squats on the spot.

Instead of questioning his actions, Dezra pulled some jerky from a pocket and began chewing.

‘He was a strange guy when we were young, and he still is, but… even so, it seems my luck is unbelievably good,’ Dezra thought cheerfully.

Only nine of them had ventured into this vast forest. Their paths had separated into such a tangled maze that it was unlikely any would encounter another as long as they pressed onward.

And that was precisely why Dezra felt her luck was so good.

Yesterday, as the sun dipped and the forest plunged into darkness, she had met Gargith while considering whether to continue until dawn or find a safe place to camp.

Just the transition from being alone to being together made things much easier. They could relieve their fatigue by taking turns resting, and with more eyes and ears, navigation became correspondingly easier.

‘Although our evaluation might be harsher than if we had gone it alone,’ Dezra considered for a moment.

But she had already prepared herself for this. In the first place, Dezra didn’t think she could surpass their hunting score or defeat monsters from the main family, or Hector for that matter. She simply wanted a moderate score, enough for the elders in Black Lion Castle to remember the name ‘Dezra Lionheart’.

‘And I also want to join the Black Lions…’, Dezra admitted to herself.

She especially hoped to join the Third Division. As long as you were a woman born in the Lionheart clan—no, any female warrior with a passion for martial arts—you couldn’t help but admire Carmen Lionheart, the Amazon of the Lionheart clan, the Iron-Blooded Black Lion.

Dezra sighed. ‘But apparently Lady Carmen is away…’

Dezra had heard that Carmen had left on an escort mission for the main family. However, if Dezra could show some accomplishments in this forest, she would likely be allowed to join the Knights of the Black Lion.

“…Are you done?” Dezra asked Gargith.

“Just three more sets,” Gargith grunted.

“Isn’t that too much after waking up? You haven’t even eaten yet.”

“Replenishment comes after my training is over.”

Below her, Gargith was now performing squats with his greatsword held across his back.

“Want something to eat?” Dezra offered once Gargith was finished.

Gargith declined, “No, this is enough.”

Taking out a large canteen, he filled a cup to the brim with what looked like a thick porridge made from unknown ingredients. After expressing gratitude for his healthy body and praying for continued growth, Gargith drank the cupful of his family’s revolutionary muscle growth supplement in one gulp. Vigor spread throughout his body as a feeling of fullness settled in his heavy stomach…

“Let’s go,” Gargith said with a refreshed expression, wiping sweat from his forehead.

Although Dezra dreamed of joining the Knights of the Black Lion, Gargith had no such plans. If he were to become a member, it would inevitably create a rift between him and his family.

The only exceptions were the Council Head’s family or Genos’ family, where the entire family joined the Black Lions as a hereditary tradition.

Gargith respected his father and loved his clan and their territory. Rather than becoming a Black Lion and contributing to the Lionheart clan as a whole, he preferred to inherit his father’s title and rule their territory peacefully.

However, that didn’t mean he lacked a desire to prove his skills in this forest. Gargith wanted to see how much his body, trained daily until sweat flowed like rivers, would shine during this hunt.

‘It might look crude, but…’, Dezra observed Gargith’s greatsword, which was about as large as her own body, ‘he isn’t just swinging it with brute force. He’s quite sophisticated.’

The blade’s trajectory was constantly adjusted to avoid the surrounding trees. It was all thanks to his brutally trained body that Gargith could swing and strike with such ease despite the sword’s immense weight.

He wasn’t relying solely on the greatsword. He struck with his feet, swung his fists, and charged with his shoulder. Gargith’s sheer bulk was a weapon, crushing any demonic beast that crossed his path.

Meanwhile, Dezra remained at the rear. Trained with a spear from a young age, she was prepared for anything.

Demonic beasts could appear anywhere. Some emerged from shadows, others lurked in trees and rocks, and still others could leap from the ground.

Monsters capable of manipulating mana were rare. But demonic beasts freely manipulated the demonic power within them, unleashing a power akin to magic or swordsmanship.

But they were still no threat.

Or at least, that’s what Cyan thought. In the few months he’d trained in Black Lion Castle, he hadn’t fought a demonic beast. All his training had been one-on-one sparring with Captains and other knights.

That was more than enough. Even if his opponents were humans instead of demonic beasts, the most important thing was that it was all ‘combat’. The more familiar one’s body was with combat, the better they performed. The knowledge of how to move in each situation became ingrained. With experience, even in unfamiliar situations, they could avoid the worst outcomes.

Since entering the forest, Cyan had never faced a worst-case scenario. He hadn’t even needed Gedon’s Shield. If demonic beasts were only this level, Cyan was confident he could easily overcome the challenge with his sword alone.

‘Hector probably went deeper, right?’ Cyan speculated, shaking blood from his sword. ‘That bastard Eugene is definitely deep in the forest.’

Cyan held similar intentions. He wanted to venture deep into the forest, to prove how brave and exceptional the next Patriarch of the Lionheart truly was.

“…This is a surprise,” Cyan muttered, a look of alarm crossing his face. “No way… to think you two would already have gone deeper than me.”

He had just encountered Gargith and Dezra.

Cyan reluctantly thought, ‘I know they’re among the most skilled of the collateral branches, but…’

So what if they were! Cyan shook off the unnecessary slump in his shoulders, regaining his confidence.

They simply hadn’t been operating under the same conditions. No matter what, Cyan was alone, while they had each other. Indeed, Cyan had continued moving while they slept through the night, needing to be wary of demonic beasts in the dark, so it was unavoidable that Cyan’s progress was slower.

On the other hand, with two of them, they could watch each other’s blind spots and… if tired, lean on each other. In any case, they definitely had it much easier. Cyan decided to think of it that way.

“Hmm, but since you two have turned back, it seems you encountered difficulties going further, right?” Cyan stated with increased confidence.

“I’m not sure what you mean by that,” Dezra replied, her expression twisting into a fierce scowl.

The memories of being chased by Cyan during the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony, when she was only eleven, were still vivid in Dezra’s mind. This created a hidden fear of Cyan, but to conceal it, she purposefully raised her voice and narrowed her eyes.

“You’re accusing us of turning back? We’ve been heading forward this entire time and will continue. We have no intention of turning back,” Dezra declared proudly.

“What kind of bullshit is that?” Cyan demanded. “Also, what’s with your expression? Are you trying to mess with me right now?”

Gargith suddenly spoke, breaking the tension. “It seems you’ve shaved your facial hair. Though it’s too late to advise you either way, I think you look better without it, young master.”

“Hmph, as long as one of you knows their place…” Cyan accepted the compliment with a nod and reached into his pocket. “In any case… I’ve always said that fools are called fools for a reason. You two, after entering this vast forest, didn’t even bother with basic precautions to avoid getting lost?”

This had to be because they had come in with a careless attitude. Cyan clicked his tongue in disappointment as he pulled out the compass from his pocket.

“Here, see this. This might look like just a compass, but it’s no ordinary compass. Its needle has been forged with magic, so that it always points to the densest concentration of demonic power. You understand what that means, right? As long as we keep an eye on the needle of this compass, we will be able to move towards the center from wherever we are in the forest,” Cyan declared proudly.

This was a compass specially designed for the Black Lions’ use. Cyan had endlessly pestered his uncle Gion, the commander of the Fifth Division, to borrow it.

“A compass? We have one as well,” Dezra insisted, pouting, pulling out her own compass. “Although it doesn’t point towards demonic power like the young master’s, our compass is pretty good as well. The center of this forest is to the west, right? Starting from yesterday, we’ve been heading due west—”

“It’s broken,” Cyan interrupted Dezra before she could finish, shaking his head in disbelief. “See this? You’re saying your compass is currently pointing due west, right? But that’s the direction I just came from. However, the direction my compass indicates as west is the direction you two came from.”

“It’s possible that the young master’s compass is the one that’s broken,” Dezra argued.

Cyan scoffed with another shake of his head, “Ha! That’s why idiots are just… Were you listening to my words with your nostrils instead of your ears? Didn’t I say this compass always points to the densest concentration of demonic power?”

“But… I… I’m sure we’ve been heading due west ever since we started…”, Dezra tried to protest.

Cyan shouted her down, “You must have taken the wrong direction from the start due to your clumsy feet! It’s only because you were running in circles that you were able to run into me… Really now, there should be a limit to your foolishness.”

Recently, there had been few situations where Cyan felt such superiority over others. That was partly why he decided not to miss this opportunity.

“Don’t you know that relying solely on your own senses in this forest is extremely foolish,” Cyan lectured Dezra. “Even if you think you’re walking in a straight line, the truth is that you might have deviated slightly and already started walking in the wrong direction. And, more importantly, it’s not like you two were only focused on walking, were you?”

“…Yes…”, Dezra meekly conceded.

“You must also have encountered demonic beasts, taken short rests, and even slept, right? After stopping and starting like that, isn’t it too arrogant of you to be so sure you were going ‘straight’?” Cyan pressed.

“…Uuu…” Dezra whimpered, unable to muster a defense.

“If you hadn’t met me here, you and that pig over there would have been wandering around in the wrong direction for the entire four days!” Cyan scolded. “Dezra Lionheart, did you come all the way here to do something like that?”

“Uuu… uwah…” Dezra continued to whimper pitifully.

But just as Dezra had a slight lingering fear of Cyan due to the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony, so too did Cyan. The image of Dezra, suddenly appearing drenched in blood, still occasionally surfaced in his dreams.

That was why Cyan was so eager to pressure Dezra. He wanted to overcome this childhood trauma that remained lodged in his heart. Not saying anything to Gargith was his repayment for the hair regrowth formula Cyan received from him last time.

Cyan coughed and straightened his spine, beginning the next stage of his plan, “If you really want to…”

Somewhere in this forest, the Captains should be watching over them. His rebuke just now should have shown them he had the charisma needed to govern those of lower station…

Now, it was time to demonstrate the leadership needed to charm others and make them want to follow him.

“…then I will allow you to follow me. Although I’m not saying we should fight together, I will lead you to the actual battlefield where you can prove your skills,” Cyan strengthened his voice, shaping his expression into what he thought was his most impressive look.

In his opinion, combined with his words, it should create a powerful impression.

“I will follow you, young master,” Gargith immediately accepted.

While Dezra had a hesitant expression, Gargith felt his heart pound in admiration for Cyan, hammering his chest in a salute.

“…Wasn’t the young master planning to travel with Miss Ciel?” Dezra pointed out hesitantly.

“Do you think we always stick together just because we’re twins?” Cyan snorted and began leading the way. “Ciel will do just fine on her own. She’s much more talented than you, and she knows this forest better than I do. At the moment, she should probably be closer to the demonic beasts’ lair than anyone else?”

* * *

Ciel bit her lip to clear her dizzy head. As she bit down hard enough to draw blood, she could feel the pain in her mouth and the taste of blood spreading.

However, she felt no sensation from her body. Ciel tried to move a finger, but while it felt like… she was doing something… she couldn’t really feel it.

Ciel slowly assessed her situation. ‘My head… feels heavy. Is this fatigue… from lack of sleep? Am I really… feeling sleepy? In a situation like this? Could it be poison?’

“Where… are we going?” Ciel somehow managed to speak.

At this, Eward, walking ahead, turned to look back at her.

“You’re amazing,” he marveled.

“…What?” Ciel squeezed out, confused.

Eward explained, “The formula I used on you is a concoction refined from a Gasamal fruit and the roots of a Pahyur.”

“…So I was drugged.” Ciel’s blood-stained lips twisted into a sneer. “So you really can’t teach an old dog new tricks… When you told us you no longer bought drugs… you were hiding the fact that you now refine them yourself, huh?”

“I don’t use them for myself,” Eward replied with a smile. “During these past three years… well… there have been a few times I tested them on myself, but I’ve never used them for enjoyment.”

“But you were a user, weren’t you?” Ciel accused.

“Uhuh, I did use them, but that was three years ago. But ever since I started making them with my own hands… it led me to not enjoy using them myself. Did you know, Ciel? The dreams you have while high on drugs are truly pleasant. Whatever you want to see, whatever you want to do, they make it all come true,” Eward’s hands shook as he said this. “However, when you wake up, it’s all so empty. That’s all that dreams are in the end. Even though you want to keep having the same dream, you can’t control what dream comes to you… and when you wake up, the dreams just fade from your mind. Because, in the end, dreams aren’t reality…

“That’s why I no longer use them. To a certain extent, you could say it was also because it was impossible for me to invite a succubus to the mansion… but it was also due to having realized something. I just need to make reality like my dream.”

Ciel listened silently.

“In any case, Ciel, you really are amazing,” Eward repeated. “With a dosage of that level, you should have lost consciousness or be seeing hallucinations, but you… you’re still resisting and trying to keep your mind awake as you shake off the drug’s effects, aren’t you?”

“Unlike you, brother, I’ve always taken my training seriously,” Ciel goaded him, biting her lip again. “Although it seems… that you only remember me from when I was younger, brother. I’m grown up and I’ve changed a lot. Just like Cyan has. Because we’ve both worked hard.”

“That goes for me as well,” Eward said with a smile, nodding in agreement. “I’ve also changed, and I’ve worked hard to make these changes. Your transformation might be extraordinary, but… haha… Ciel, please don’t get angry at me for saying your changes are merely praiseworthy.”

Ciel fumed silently.

Eward tried to soothe her, “What I was trying to say is that I would rather you get high on the drug, so that you can at least get to relax and see the hallucinations of what you want to see.”

“…Aren’t you happy to talk to me?” Ciel prodded stubbornly.

“Of course I’m happy. After all, we haven’t had many chances to talk to each other like this. However, rather than continue talking for my own happiness… I would rather that my younger sister remain happy,” Eward said with some disappointment