The road curved—
And just like that—
They were back.
The Human Empire.
Tall walls.
Bustling streets.
Guards at every corner.
The moment Lira stepped through the gates—
Everything… stopped.
A merchant dropped his goods.
A guard froze mid-salute.
A child pointed.
"…Is that…?"
"…The girl who threw the stone…?"
"…The one who destroyed armies…?"
Whispers spread like wildfire.
Lira waved.
"…Hi."
Half the crowd panicked.
The other half stared in awe.
Kael sighed.
"…We're not exactly low-profile…"
Prince Eldarin puffed his chest proudly.
"…Of course not. Heroes such as us—"
"…They're not looking at you," Shun cut in.
"…They should be."
"…They're not."
Lira walked forward casually.
"…House," she said.
Kael blinked.
"…You mean… your house?"
She nodded.
"…Get gauntlets."
Shun raised an eyebrow.
"…You already broke one pair."
"…These are better," Lira replied.
Kael paused.
"…Better than Mythril?"
Lira nodded again.
"…Father made them."
Silence.
Eldarin tilted his head.
"…Your father?"
Kael's expression shifted.
"…Wait…"
"…You never told us about your family."
Lira blinked.
"…Oh."
Shun crossed her arms.
"…That's suspicious."
Kael narrowed his eyes.
"…Very suspicious."
"…Who is your father?"
Lira thought for a moment.
Then said it like it was nothing.
"…Bronsthor."
The world stopped.
Kael froze.
Shun stiffened.
Even Eldarin went pale.
"…Bronsthor…?" Kael whispered.
"…The General of Trust?" Shun added slowly.
Eldarin stumbled back.
"…One of the oldest war legends…? The one who never lost…?"
Lira nodded.
"…Yeah. Dad."
Silence.
Then—
"…YOU'RE KIDDING?!" Eldarin shouted.
Kael grabbed his head.
"…Of course… of course this makes sense…"
Shun stared at Lira—longer this time.
"…So that's why…" she muttered.
Lira tilted her head.
"…Why?"
"…Why you're like this."
"…Oh."
They walked through the streets, now even more tense.
The guards didn't stop them.
They didn't dare.
At the edge of the city—
A small house appeared.
Simple.
Quiet.
Almost… ordinary.
"…This is it," Lira said.
Kael blinked.
"…This?"
"…Yes."
Eldarin frowned.
"…The daughter of a legendary general lives in a… small house?"
Shun smirked.
"…I like it."
Lira walked up to the door.
Opened it.
Inside—
Tools.
Weapons.
Fragments of metal far beyond anything seen in the Dwarven Kingdom.
And in the center—
A pair of gauntlets.
Dark.
Heavy.
Silent.
They didn't glow.
They didn't shine.
But the moment Kael saw them—
His breath stopped.
"…Those aren't normal…"
Shun stepped closer.
Her instincts screamed.
"…Those are dangerous…"
Lira walked forward casually.
Picked them up.
"…Special," she said.
The moment she touched them—
They responded.
Not with light.
Not with energy.
But recognition.
Like they had been waiting.
Kael whispered.
"…What did your father make…?"
Lira slipped them on.
The air shifted.
Not violently.
Deeply.
"…Good," she said softly.
Outside—
The sky darkened slightly.
Because somewhere far away—
The awakened Demon Generals began to move.
And now—
Lira had returned home.
Armed with something even more dangerous than before.
To Be Continued…