“Tests are meant to determine the pass or fail of examinees and rank them based on a set standard. So no matter how grand the test site or how esteemed the examiner, they can’t be more important than the examinees themselves.”
Satin thought of numerous competitive events—track and field, swimming, things like that. Even people who usually had no interest in such sports would perk up if someone broke a new record. Meanwhile, hardly anyone paid attention to the stadium or referees—unless there was a controversial call, that is.
He imagined a scenario where the title of “Hero” went to the first person to pass a trial. In other words, the one who defeated the Demon King before anyone else would be deemed the Hero.
‘So the Hero would be the MVP of the Demon King’s Castle… huh, that actually sounds kind of fun.’
Edward chimed in, nodding in agreement with Satin’s theory.
“Indeed. Thinking of it that way, it all makes sense.”
Rita tilted her head, as if trying to make sense of it all, then voiced another question.
“But what were they trying to do by selecting someone like that?”
“There doesn’t always have to be a grand purpose. Perhaps the goal was simply to produce someone who passed the trial.”
“No, I mean, why even create such a person in the first place?”
“If I may hazard a guess… maybe it’s a way for the gods to inspire humanity?”
“Hmm, like… creating idols for them to look up to?”
“There was actually a record mentioning that in the temple archives. It’s a fairly radical theory, but I don’t think it can be ruled out entirely.”
Still uncertain, Rita turned to Cain to get his opinion.
“What about you? What do you think?”
“I don’t think anything.”
Cain yawned while looking elsewhere, clearly indifferent. To be fair, it was about the time one might start feeling drowsy.
“You’re seriously uncooperative, you know that?”
Rita muttered her dissatisfaction, but she didn’t push the issue. Instead, she turned back to Satin and asked,
“Okay, let’s say you’re right. Then how should we interpret this situation we’re in? Why are we here? Is the test already over?”
“Hmm…”
Satin trailed off, letting out an awkward chuckle. He didn’t have enough evidence to determine whether the test was still ongoing or had already ended.
Just then, Edward pointed ahead and said,
“Everyone, there’s a path here.”
As the flaming arrow drifted in the direction Edward had indicated, a previously hidden path emerged from the darkness. Though it was overgrown with weeds, clearly long unused, it was still undeniably a road.
“Whoa!”
Rita exclaimed with delight and pulled a compass from her backpack.
If this truly was the southern forest of Cloverland, then heading north along this path would eventually lead them back to Cloverland. It would take a while on foot, considering the distance they had traveled by carriage, but it was at least a viable route.
Edward parted the weeds and stepped forward, saying,
“Once we figure out exactly where we are, we’ll be able to confirm if our theory is correct. Maybe even understand why we ended up in this situation.”
Fortunately, they hadn’t been walking long when they spotted a light in the distance.
Rita was the first to react, practically bursting with excitement.
“Looks like there are people! And quite a few of them, too.”
Just as she said, it seemed a decent crowd had gathered near the light source. Even from a fair distance, they could hear the sound of voices murmuring.
The sight of people naturally quickened their pace. They didn’t know how or why such a crowd had gathered in one place, but surely someone among them would know what was going on.
However, the closer they got, the stranger it all seemed. Or more precisely—it all felt oddly familiar. Satin tilted his head in confusion before it finally clicked.
‘Wait… isn’t this where we were earlier?’
The line of carriages, the people, the pristine path—very different from the overgrown trail they had just walked. It looked like the very site where the Demon King’s Castle had stood.
‘Yeah… it’s the same place.’
Edward quickened his steps, moving to the front of the group, and declared,
“The Demon King’s Castle is gone.”
“That huge thing just disappeared?”
Rita asked, unable to believe it, but Edward remained composed.
“It appeared suddenly, didn’t it? So it wouldn’t be too strange for it to vanish just as abruptly. And if that’s the case, doesn’t it lend credibility to what Satin said earlier? That the Demon King’s Castle was the test site?”
Oddly, none of the people already gathered seemed surprised by Satin’s group suddenly appearing. In fact, someone even stepped forward and kindly offered to guide them.
“Line up back there if you want to board a carriage.”
“Are these carriages going back to Cloverland?”
Edward asked, and the helpful person nodded.
“What happened to the Demon King’s Castle?”
“I didn’t see it myself, but they say it vanished all of a sudden. The gatekeepers told everyone the test was over and to go back.”
Edward glanced at Rita as if to say told you so, then asked another question.
“Was the Demon King defeated?”
“That’s what they’re saying, but who knows if it’s true. We’ll probably see it in tomorrow’s papers. Anyway, since the mist disappeared, I guess that means it’s over.”
The friendly person gave a quick explanation before returning to their group.
For now, Satin and his companions joined the end of the line. The wait for a carriage looked to be long, so they made a rough seat on the ground and sat.
Satin stretched his neck and tapped his stiff legs while scanning the line ahead. Nearby, voices of idle chatter floated to his ears.
“If we’d gotten there sooner, we might’ve been the ones to take down the Demon King.”
“Guess the Demon King wasn’t much after all. Those guys didn’t even look impressive.”
“Is it true the holy relics were glowing like crazy?”
“If they knew it’d be this easy, the Bureau of Order wouldn’t have put up such a huge reward.”
From the sound of it, most people were bemoaning a missed opportunity. It didn’t seem like the ones who supposedly defeated the Demon King had left much of an impression.
To be fair, Satin’s group had come out of it without a scratch. If the Demon King’s Castle hadn’t disappeared, they probably could have made it all the way to him.
‘Honestly, shouldn’t we have been the ones? All the main characters are here…’
The idea that someone else had defeated the Demon King didn’t sit well with Satin.
‘Then again, the whole ‘Demon King’s Castle as a test site’ thing is weird to begin with.’
At this point, he had no idea where the story was going anymore. Maybe it had already veered completely off-course. Maybe it wasn’t the story he once knew at all.
That thought left him with an odd sense of loss. After all, Dark Age had been something left behind by his sister.
As Satin let out a quiet sigh, Cain mumbled beside him.
“Good thing I gave up.”
What did he mean by that?
Satin instinctively looked over, and Cain must’ve felt the stare because he lifted his head.
“What?”
“No, just wondering what you meant.”
“I thought that if the Demon King ever showed up, everyone in Cloverland would die.”
Satin already knew that, but hearing it again left a bitter taste in his mouth. Cain let out a short laugh and continued.
“If I’d known this was all the Demon King amounted to, I’d have looked for a different way.”
“Well, now you don’t have to.”
“Exactly. Doesn’t matter anymore if people die or not.”
…Even if they had defeated the Demon King according to the original story, would the plot have played out properly?
***
The line barely moved.
One of the returning coachmen from Cloverland told them more carriages wouldn’t arrive until after sunrise, so those near the back of the line should prepare to camp overnight.
The crowd voiced their complaints immediately, but no amount of grumbling could summon extra carriages. In the end, most people accepted reality and began preparing to sleep outdoors. Satin’s group was among them.
Thankfully, the weather wasn’t cold, so no elaborate setup was needed. Just wrapping themselves in blankets to brace for the chilly pre-dawn air was enough.
By dawn, most of the surrounding noise had died down. Even those who hadn’t fallen asleep had grown too tired to keep chatting.
Satin yawned and nodded off repeatedly, like a woodpecker pecking out of rhythm. Every time he jolted awake from shallow sleep, Cain would click his tongue and pat his thigh.
“Lie down.”
“I’m fine, really.”
“Who knows how long we’ll be here. Just lie down.”
Reluctantly, Satin gave in and rested his head on Cain’s thigh. Cain’s leg was so firm it felt no different from the ground, but Satin fell asleep almost instantly. Having grown up sleeping on hard floors with his grandfather, he wasn’t bothered by the discomfort.
In the middle of what was, more or less, a sound sleep, Satin would occasionally wake to the sounds around him. Each time, in a groggy haze, a thought drifted through his mind.
‘What’s going on…’
He wasn’t someone who usually dreamed much, but tonight, the dreams kept coming. He couldn’t recall the details, but he felt like he’d had dreams like these before—noisy, over-the-top…
‘And totally out of control…’
Drifting in and out of sleep with scattered thoughts, Satin eventually noticed that the sun had risen. It was likely still early, given that summer was near, but he sat up.
Cain’s eyes were wide open—he hadn’t slept at all.
Satin had seen him yawning the night before… Maybe he’d fought off the drowsiness. Feeling a little guilty, Satin asked carefully,
“Tired?”
“Not really.”
Whether he meant it or was just putting on a front, Cain stood up and tidied his spot with an unfazed expression. Satin couldn’t very well question him about pretending not to be tired, so he simply nodded silently.
‘Was I the only one who slept?’
Neither Rita nor Edward looked like they had rested either. Their faces still carried clear traces of exhaustion, but the atmosphere felt… off, somehow.
“Aren’t you hungry?”
“I’m fine. You?”
“I’m good too.”
“When we get back to Cloverland, I’m going to treat you to a massive meal.”
“It doesn’t have to be massive. Just a decent one is fine.”
“Oh? So you’re not saying no to food?”
“Why would I? If someone’s offering to buy me a meal, I’m definitely eating.”
There was something oddly close about the way Rita and Edward were talking. When they’d accidentally touched during the fall into the trap earlier, they’d recoiled like flamingos forced to flock with strangers. But now? They looked like a couple squeezed into a one-seater bench—too close for casual friends.
Yeah those two def have something going on