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Chapter : 39
“Milena…”
Alec spoke in a serious tone.
“If there’s ever anything troubling you, please tell me anytime. I’ll help you.”
“Huh? What… suddenly?”
“I saw it earlier.”
Alec’s voice dropped.
“That man, Kaisa… he’s using some kind of strange power.”
Milena’s expression stiffened instantly.
“That’s a power humans shouldn’t have.”
Alec was clearly excited.
“Milena, are you being threatened by him? You’re not living with him against your will, right?”
Milena looked startled at Alec’s words. She waved her hand dismissively. She had rushed out to meet Kaisa, never expecting to hear something like that from Alec.
“Threatened? No. Kaisa is absolutely not that kind of person.”
“Are you sure you’re not being deceived?”
When Alec tried to grab Milena’s shoulder, she pushed him away, stepping back in surprise.
“Alec… what are you—”
“Listen, Milena. Someone with a monstrous power like that can’t be normal. It’s dangerous for you too.”
“Stop it.”
Milena’s voice turned cold.
“Don’t insult Kaisa. Today, he saved many people. He risked his life.”
“But…”
Before Alec could protest further, footsteps approached from a distance.
It was Kaisa.
The silver-haired knight bore visible signs of battle, yet his figure remained unwavering, like a steadfast mountain. He spotted Milena and approached quickly.
‘Damn it…’
Alec ground his teeth. If he had just a little more time… if he could have persuaded Milena even a bit more…
Kaisa was, as always, the obstacle.
As Kaisa drew near, Milena’s face brightened. She spoke something in Luikaronese, probably asking if he was unharmed.
Kaisa replied gently. Then he noticed Alec.
His gaze sharpened instantly, like a predator spotting an enemy.
Alec instinctively stepped back. Kaisa asked Milena something, and she turned her head toward Alec.
Forcing a smile, Alec said,
“I… I just came to check if Milena was safe. I’ll be going now.”
“Thank you for worrying about me.”
Milena greeted him coldly. Alec’s words had hurt her. She feared they might reach Kaisa.
Even as Alec turned away, he kept glancing back. Kaisa’s protective stance beside Milena was irritating to him.
‘That monster…’
But inside Alec, certainty began to grow.
‘Milena smiled at me. She was happy. And when I said I was worried, she thanked me.’
Delusions started creeping in. The monster in his heart whispered to Alec.
‘Yes, Milena loves me. She just can’t show it because of that monster.’
Alec clenched his fists.
‘Wait, Milena. I will save you. From that monster, I promise.’
Meanwhile, after Alec had disappeared, Kaisa furrowed his brows.
The source of the unpleasant gaze he had felt recently seemed to be that man, but he couldn’t be sure. He didn’t want to make Milena anxious over something uncertain.
Kaisa spoke in a low voice.
“It would be wise to be cautious.”
Signs of battle marked his uniform—torn sleeves, scorched pants, and the smell of the sea lingering on his shoulders.
Milena stared at Kaisa. She heard nothing, yet she scanned him carefully, confirming he was unharmed.
“Milena?”
“You’re safe? No injuries?”
Some might call Kaisa a monster, but to Milena, he was simply him: a foolish person who fought with all his strength to protect the world, just as in the original story.
“I am unharmed.”
Milena bit her lips tightly and hugged Kaisa, her face pressed against his chest.
“I was worried.”
Her voice trembled. Kaisa appeared momentarily flustered but then slowly placed his hand on her back.
“Milena.”
“Just… just stay like this a little longer.”
Milena buried her face in his chest. The wet uniform smelled of seawater, blood, and gunpowder. Beneath it, she could feel Kaisa’s unique warmth.
He was alive. Safe. Kaisa had returned to her.
Only now did Milena realize her anxiety all this time—fear that Kaisa might never return.
“I saw you fighting… and the monsters too. Are you really okay?”
Kaisa gently stroked her hair.
“Were you scared?”
Milena shook her head, still holding onto him. A flood of emotions surged as she recalled that terrifying day when Kaisa faced countless monsters alone.
‘How are you okay?’
Her shoulders trembled.
A brief silence passed, the evening wind brushing past them.
Milena slowly raised her head, her blue eyes glistening.
“Don’t stay alone. Promise me.”
Kaisa looked down at her.
“…Don’t face monsters alone.”
Milena murmured.
He wiped the tear streaks from her cheeks with his thumb.
“Don’t do that.”
The monsters she had read about in novels were far scarier in reality. She didn’t want Kaisa to stand before them anymore. He was no longer just the handsome protagonist from the story—he was real, her companion.
They were now bound by a shared fate.
“Don’t get hurt, don’t die.”
Kaisa sighed, slowly pulling her into an embrace—tighter than she had hugged him.
He had returned. To his everyday life.
A life without war, monsters, or swordmasters. Just the two of them, sharing precious days.
He couldn’t promise everything Milena wanted, but…
“…I will definitely come back.”
He rested his chin atop her head. She was smaller than he expected. In that small embrace, Kaisa’s coldness seemed to melt away.
“To you.”
That much, he promised.
Milena nodded to the soft whisper, accepting it.
After all the battles ended, a new dawn arose.
The horrors of yesterday were over. Reivan, as the head of Kester and protector of Cyern’s frontlines, summoned Kaisa and Milena.
Around a massive round table, heavy silence lingered. Reivan leaned back in his chair, alternating his gaze between Kaisa and Milena. Beside him sat Bella, and across, Kaisa and Milena sat side by side.
Outside the window, the aftermath of the battle with Bardanos was still visible—destroyed harbor, collapsed buildings. But the greater shock was that Kaisa was unmistakably a Swordmaster.
“So…”
Reivan spoke first, calm but with sharp tension beneath.
“Why have you been hiding your identities all this time?”
Milena glanced at Kaisa and spoke with steady confidence, her blue eyes meeting Reivan’s.
“To be honest, Count, we needed to survive. We judged that Kaisa’s presence would surely stir chaos in Cyern. Hiding his identity seemed the best course.”
She continued matter-of-factly.
“Kaisa is the Grand Duke of Laurencia in Luikaron.”
Reivan swallowed. Kaisa!
The adversary of monsters, the judge of the seas, a man with countless titles—he was Kaisa. Every battle he fought had never been lost.
The sharpest sword of Luikaron.
And now, he was here, in Cyern. A chill ran through the room.
