Since Fade of Bridle's return, the castle no longer tormented them. Yet Halo and Seraph found no rest. With Liam still unconscious and safely placed in his room, they focused on questioning Mill about what he'd done.

Halo had anticipated changes now that Fade of Bridle occupied the castle once more. If castles truly showed their genuine nature to their masters, shouldn't there be beauty?

But all that had shifted was the departure of that oppressive gloom. Maybe the threat had simply evaporated when they ceased being seen as hostile.

"When I was first brought to this world, my second Purpose was to guard the Mirror Steppe land. I was seventeen back then, and it's been almost 65 to 70 years now."

Halo frowned. Mill looked old, but he didn't expect him to be that old. His carefree style and mostly optimistic nature showed he understood this world more than most, but pushing ninety? Nothing about him seemed that old.

"I found myself in a difficult situation on the road. I couldn't handle a handful of Perverted Sinners… Fade rescued me before things got worse."

He exhaled.

"I had no idea who he really was, but I was grateful. And… truthfully, I was far more of a burden then than I am now. He tried to brush me aside more than once, but I followed him to this castle anyway."

Halo glanced at Seraph. She was listening intently, hanging on every word, yet the resentment toward Mill remained clear in her eyes.

"It was only later that I understood the weight of this castle's name. Even so, I wanted to stay close to Fade, his strength drew me in. But Kysa, the true Master here, hated intruders down to their very scent. Before long, something felt horribly off. I left Mirror Steppe to investigate, and when I arrived… Fade was already gone. One look from Kysa sent me running for my life."

Seraph sneered.

"Why should that matter? What matters is why you didn't tell us. We could have died because of it!"

Mill locked eyes with her faint blue eyes for a moment.

"Most people despise this castle, and those who appear harmless often prove the opposite. In the Lost World, trust is never guaranteed."

The old man bowed his head slightly.

"I'm sorry I kept it from you. Back then, most people hated me for being friends with Fade, and some even mocked me as his lapdog because of my youthful appearance. I guess I just became defensive."

Seraph glanced in Halo's direction.

He noticed her fury gradually diminishing, yet she couldn't simply act friendly after all the hostility she'd displayed.

Halo sighed.

They weren't in much danger anymore with Fade of Bridle around. Since he had a principle of not hurting kids, Halo believed they were safe for now. But there were so many things to be explained.

"Wait… how did you know where his body was buried? And why do you look so young?"

Mill sneered.

"I might be sorry for what I did, but don't expect me to spill my secrets to you, lad."

Halo's eyes narrowed. He heard him, but he didn't care.

"Could this be because your shop is such a mess?"

Mill rose to his feet.

"It's getting late, I need to get back to my post."

He began to leave the room.

He halted.

"Fade might seem calm and collected, and just because he spares children doesn't mean he can't be terrifying when he wants to."

Shadow of Death observed Mill leaving the room, then looked down at his clenched fists. In solitude, his thoughts tended toward darkness, and his mind was already crowded with concerns.

With Fade attending to the girl's injuries, Halo knew he should stay away. He couldn't handle seeing either of them in his present emotional state.

Minutes after Mill's departure, Halo stood and excused himself. He found refuge in one of the castle towers, letting the soothing wind wash over his sore muscles.

The fight lingered in his mind as a constant weight. Even after losing an arm, the red-haired girl was deemed the most powerful among them by Fade of Bridle.

At this point, he was certain that if Mill hadn't interrupted, the next strongest would have most likely gone to either Seraph or Mill.

This was a blow to his pride. Seraph, he would have understood, but a wounded girl and an old man were deemed stronger than him?

This wasn't something he could let rest so lightly.

Fade of Bridle considered the girl the strongest among them. She served the God of Destruction, one of the big four gods, along with Despair, Lust, and Greed. Learning this gave Halo a perspective on cohorts and the advantage of serving powerful deities. Still, the knowledge only made him devalue his own progress more.

He needed to locate the hero, and if the hero was truly the leader of a cohort, then his shabby strength wouldn't be enough to get him a spot in that cohort, nor would it even be enough to get him closer to the guy.

The hero's arrogance meant Halo would need to demonstrate remarkable power to draw his interest. Yet his current abilities were laughable, a fact the red-haired girl had brutally demonstrated.

After getting lost in his head for quite some time, he forced himself to get into the appropriate mood for training.

He lost all sense of time. Every muscle screamed with soreness, fatigue making his movements heavy and slow. But remembering he might die again if he failed to make this happen, he pushed himself to continue.

Yet fatigue was overwhelming him. Right before he could surrender, a calm and unhurried voice broke through.

"Aren't you too tired to be training at this time?"

He turned to the stairs to see Fade of Bridle approaching.

He gulped nervously.

"Uhm… Fade of Bridle?"

"Save the formalities. Fade will do."

He joined Halo and took a lazy pose, his eyes darting up at the sky.

"It's been ages since I was alive… and life still sucks."

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