Nolan smiled faintly, feeling the weight of responsibility settle on him, but also the familiar excitement of a challenge. "Good. Then rest tonight. Tomorrow we leave for the Dwarf Kingdom. And when we return, the foundations of my business and my kingdom will be ready to grow. Step by step, we will make this world better."

Lyra leaned closer, her eyes gleaming with rare seriousness. "Step by step, but remember, Master. Every step you take will be watched. By humans, demons, and every other being in between. You must be ready for anything."

Nolan's gaze hardened, determination flickering like fire in his eyes. "I've faced worse. I'll face them all. And this time, I won't just survive. I'll rise."

"Since it's been a while you've talked," Nolan finally said, breaking the silence that had lingered like a fog around them, "what is going on? Even before we came to Sindra just now, you were quiet. You didn't say a word. Is there any problem?"

Damian stopped walking. His shoulders trembled slightly. He did not turn immediately—only after a long breath did he face Nolan.

"No, Master," Damian said quietly. "There's nothing like that. I just realized I have to get stronger. Strong enough to be by your side. These thoughts have been eating at me. I've been ashamed of all my past deeds. Truly ashamed."

His voice cracked slightly, something his proud nature would normally never allow.

"If you didn't take me in, if you didn't tame me after defeating me, I wouldn't have found my way," Damian continued. "I always saw humans as nothing but toys, fragile beings I could kill anytime I wanted. That was what I believed for decades."

He clenched his fist.

"But you… you changed my perspective. You defeated me, yet you didn't kill me. You spared me. Even though you're more powerful than anyone in this world right now, you still bowed your head respectfully to the king. I don't understand that part, Master. I don't understand humans yet, but I want to. That has been on my mind."

The hallway grew quiet. Even Lyra and Celia, who had been listening from the stairs, stopped moving.

"That's why you've been gloomy?" Nolan asked, a faint smile forming on his lips. "So you've been lost in thought this whole time."

Damian lowered his gaze. "Yes. I thought you might hate me for what I used to be."

Nolan sighed softly, walking closer until he stood right in front of him.

"Well, maybe you're right," Nolan said calmly. "That day, I could have killed you. And even now, if I wanted to, I could end your life in a single second."

Damian swallowed hard but did not step back.

"But why would I do that?" Nolan continued. "There's no need. Killing you would have been pointless. You didn't take any life that day. I only take the lives of those who already take others. If someone kills the innocent, I do not hesitate against them."

Nolan's eyes sharpened, a quiet but terrifying truth in them.

"If you had killed even one person that day, if even a single human died because of you, then yes, Damian, you would not be standing here right now. You would have been gone."

Damian's eyes widened slightly. He knew Nolan wasn't lying.

"But you didn't," Nolan said. "So don't drown yourself in guilt. As long as you know what you did was wrong, that's enough. Your future matters more than your past."

Damian's knees almost buckled, but he forced himself to bow deeply.

"Thank you, Master," he whispered. "Thank you. I really appreciate everything. More than I can say."

Nolan placed a hand on Damian's shoulder, firm but reassuring, like a king acknowledging a knight's loyalty.

"Then stand tall," Nolan said. "If you want to walk beside me, keep growing. Keep changing. That's all I ask."

Damian nodded, eyes glistening, his resolve solidifying. "Yes, Master. I will."

As they all settled inside the mansion, the familiar calm of Sindra returned. The moment they stepped through the door, Celia and Linda instantly switched into cleaning mode. Both tied aprons around their waists, rolled up their sleeves, and began dusting every corner like hardworking house spirits.

The soft sounds of sweeping and wiping filled the mansion. Sunlight streaming through the windows made the dust particles float like tiny glowing spirits. Celia climbed a small stool to wipe the shelves while Linda cleaned the floor with magic-enhanced water that shimmered faintly.

Damian stood near the window, arms crossed, and suddenly spoke.

"Master, did you notice the magic spell placed in front of the gate? The detection spell. It activates when anyone tries to enter here. I'm sure you noticed it, but you didn't do anything about it."

Nolan didn't lift his head. He simply smirked.

"Oh, that? Yeah, of course I noticed it," Nolan replied casually. "It's Lucan. The guild master must have set it up. Probably wanted to make sure no intruder enters the mansion while we were gone."

Damian nodded. "So that's why you didn't dispel it."

"Exactly. Besides, I knew Lucan would come here eventually. Now that I'm back, I can give him back his sword. I borrowed it long enough," Nolan said, stretching his tired arms. "And honestly, I don't feel like going anywhere today. We will rest here for a few days."

He sat down on the couch. "After that, we go to the Dwarf Kingdom."

Damian bowed. "Understood, Master."

Celia immediately turned around, her ponytail bouncing with her movement.

"Master, do you want to eat anything? Are you hungry? Should I cook something for you?" she asked, sparkling eyes shining, wiping her hands on her apron.

Nolan raised an eyebrow. "Didn't we just eat?"

Celia blinked. "Ah, you're right. We literally ate not even an hour ago."

"Yes," Nolan said, deadpan. "Not even an hour."

Linda giggled at Celia's embarrassment.

Nolan stood and headed for the hallway. "I'm going to rest for a bit."

"Okay, Master!" Celia said, still flustered.

Nolan walked to his room and pushed the door open. The familiar scent of his bed, the soft texture of the blankets, and the quiet atmosphere felt strangely comforting after everything that had happened in the past week.

He lay down on his back with a long breath. "Ah, Dwarf world. Dwarf kingdom. Here I come."

He stared at the ceiling, thoughts overflowing. "I wonder how they look here… dwarfs. In my previous world, all these were fairytales. But in this world there are elves, demi-humans, even dwarfs. But I never actually interacted with a dwarf."

His lips curled into a faint smile filled with excitement. "Blacksmiths. The best blacksmiths in existence. I can't wait to see them craft a sword worthy of me."

He placed a hand on his chest. "I'm already a god, a chronogod, the god of time. But for some reason, it still feels like I'm human. Maybe I haven't fully awakened everything yet."

His eyes sharpened. "And not only that, yesterday Lyra told me about the demon portals. Small cracks between this world and the demon realm. Weak demons can pass through. Strong ones can't—yet."

He recalled her calm but serious voice. "If those cracks grow, if high-ranking demons start passing through…"

Nolan closed his eyes. "Then things might get troublesome. Very troublesome."

When we spoke about that, I felt like I could see it. As the topic came up, something inside me awakened. It was like a thin veil had been peeled from my senses. I could feel the subtle movements of time itself. If a demon passed through a portal, even one opened in the deepest part of the underworld, I could sense the ripple instantly. I could tell the exact moment someone stepped into the mortal world, the moment the distortion of time energy shifted. I could stop it if I wanted to, as a chronogod.

I could pass judgment, but I haven't started doing that yet.

I am really very powerful, far beyond anything in this world. Taking out any demon, especially high-ranking ones, would still be a problem. Not because they could overpower me, but because demons aren't bound by common logic. To erase them completely, to make them disappear from existence, I would have to use my authority as a chronogod. And that authority is dangerous. Because I can move beyond time if I want to, I can freeze it, reverse it, accelerate it. But even as a chronogod, I'm not meant to break the rules of time lightly.

I can pass judgment to break the rules of time, yes, but that means a law must be broken first. A violation must occur. Only then can I act.

Since I awakened, none of the demons, none of the gods, none of the creatures that carry time signatures have broken the rules. Not even once. No one has disrespected or twisted the flow of time since,

I became a chrono god.

Because the Almighty said it himself—when I spoke to Him in that void place, that endless quiet darkness I drifted in while unconscious—He told me something very clear.

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