Mr. Shepard walked back to the sofa and said,
"In my case, and for a few others, it's because of the protection of Saint Sanity."
Saint Sanity?
Honestly speaking, he really didn't know what "Saint Sanity" meant. Not even the author had mentioned such a name or concept in the original book.
Even so, Ibaan dared to ask, "What's that?"
Mr. Shepard stayed silent for a while before finally saying,
"Become stronger to know that. You must be worthy and capable of knowing it."
'Huh?'
What did Mr. Shepard mean by worthy and capable? Ibaan had no idea. But somehow, it felt familiar—like something he'd heard before. Something everyone knew and followed:
Never speak the divine languages unnecessarily.
Never seek ancient knowledge.
Never gaze at the higher beings.
Never say the real name of higher beings.
The word capable made sense in that way… but worthy? That didn't make any sense at all.
In what sense was he—Ibaan worthy and capable?
And why not Selpe then?
Even so, what was so special about being worthy and capable of this new thing called Saint Sanity? He didn't know, but he needed to look into it.
A lot of questions filled his mind—none had answers.
Meanwhile, Selpe still didn't say anything. She just kept her mouth shut, quietly listening to their discussion. She didn't even try to interrupt, nor did she seem to care if she knew about it or not.
Ibaan decided not to ask any more questions, but before he could say anything else, Mr. Shepard muttered,
"Anyways, let me enlist the missions for the gang."
For the first time since their talk began, Selpe adjusted her posture, paying closer attention.
Mr. Shepard suddenly summoned a long, rolled-up map and spread it across the table carefully.
The map wasn't detailed—there were no markings or labels, except for a few.
He pointed at the middle bottom of the map, to a large continent labeled 'Antarctica.'
"This is the place where you'll have your one of your main mission," Mr. Shepard said.
Ibaan's eyes widened the moment he heard him.
He recalled what he'd read in the book—Antarctica, the most dreadful and untouched continent in human history. For ages, no one dared to step foot there. But as the world advanced day by day, humans eventually found a way to reach it.
And some even tried to uncover the mysteries and hidden truths buried deep within that dreadful, untouched land—Antarctica.
And guess who was the first person to dare to go there?
It was Totla.
The strongest of them all, the untouchable — The Knight of the Horse, Totla. He was the first to set foot in Antarctica.
But the result? It shook the entire world.
Totla and his cohort never returned. Not a single one. It's been nearly a century since they vanished without a trace — and their disappearance gave birth to The Hero's Legend.
Even after that, Totla's name never faded. It lived on in the hearts of Heaven's people. They still carried his legacy with pride. The King of Heaven at that time created a system to preserve that legacy — a system of chosen ones known as Knights, graduates of the School of Thoughts and Perseverance.
Back then, there were no other Knights besides Totla. He was the first — a true hero — holding the title of "Knight of the Horse."
Since then, the Knights have been sent to Antarctica every year. Some returned gravely injured or disabled… many never returned at all.
Yet, even that was considered a great achievement. Because in ancient times, the legends never came back — even though they were far stronger. Now, at least, there was hope.
A possibility that whatever misfortune haunted that mysterious, dreadful continent was weakening.
And soon, humanity — or more specifically, the State of Heaven — might be the first to dominate the land, uncover its treasures, and reveal the mysticism buried beneath the ice of Antarctica.
But a common and logical question still remained;
Why does the Hero's Legend continue?
Why, even after so many die or return broken, does the kingdom keep sending them? Why not stop it?
No one had a definite answer.
Even though there were protestors who stood against it, nothing ever changed. The expedition continued every year.
The reasons were said to lie within Totla's Legend — the Hero's Legend.
Above all, it was believed that the expedition granted protection from the malicious intent of Unknown Beings and their evil traps. It also bestowed mystical power upon the Steeds of the Knights—the ability to run in the extreme cold, run on the water, run faster and much more.
And beyond that… there were other, forbidden reasons — ones never written or spoken of in any record.
Mr. Shepard continued, "The problem you'll face is that you can't reach the destination without a Steed and permission. We can't go through the south because of the State of Rage, so we must take the longest route. On top of that, you can't enter the land without a special Steed — only the Kingdom grants that long visa."
The path to Antarctica meant passing through many nations, reaching the sea from the north, then voyaging south toward that mysterious land.
"And for that you have to become Knights through the School."
Selpe frowned as she listened to Shepard. "But wouldn't that expose our identities? I mean, wouldn't the other gang members learn who we are? Knights are famous and on top of thatit's impossible for all of us to become Knights."
"No need. You'll kill the other Knights — we'll think of the rest later, not now. So one of you has to become one!" Shepard said seriously.
"Alright!" Both Ibaan and Selpe nodded.
But both of them didn't question what the reason behind this mission was—what they had to do, or what guarantee there was of their survival. But since the mission wasn't about to start yet, they could ask next time. Maybe it was because of Mr. Shepard's reputation.
Mr. Shepard sighed and leaned back on the sofa. "Now, about the side missions you must finish before the main mission: wipe out the top gangs in Sri City. Even better if you can dominate the nation. And Wipe our target gangs are : Sin of Sincerity, Night Rails and Iron Knuckles . They almost rule the nation, and most of their power lies in Sri City."