Kael looked at the blonde woman for a moment before answering.
"That's because I arrived here recently."
The Radiant Knight raised an eyebrow slightly, studying him with curiosity.
Most people became nervous when speaking to a Border Commander, yet Kael's expression remained completely calm.
"You're not a knight of Fortress Genesis," she observed.
"No," Kael replied simply.
The blonde commander smiled faintly.
"Interesting. Then allow me to introduce myself. I am the East Border Commander—The Radiant Knight, Elena."
Kael nodded once, showing neither surprise nor admiration at her title.
The Radiant Knight noticed his reaction and found it oddly refreshing.
Most people either became intimidated or overly respectful when they learned who she was.
Yet the young man in front of her treated the information as if it were an ordinary introduction.
For a brief moment, she studied him more carefully.
There was something unusual about him—a calmness that didn't match his age, as though he viewed the world from a completely different perspective.
"I'm curious," she said at last, folding her arms. "What business brought you to the castle?"
Then Elena suddenly remembered the recent political turmoil surrounding the Lord.
"Wait..." she said, her eyes narrowing. "Were you sent by those politicians? To discuss the execution of the Lord?"
Her voice instantly became sharp and cold.
A faint killing intent leaked from her body as she fixed her gaze on Kael, ready to act the moment she sensed hostility.
Kael looked at Elena for a moment, completely unaffected by the killing intent pressing against him.
"No." he replied simply.
The answer came so naturally that Elena paused.
Kael's expression didn't change in the slightest.
"I met Garrick because he invited me," he continued. "And if I wanted to harm your Lord, I wouldn't be standing here talking."
For a brief moment, the corridor fell silent.
Then Elena slowly withdrew her killing intent, though her eyes remained fixed on him with caution and curiosity.
Elena's eyes narrowed slightly as she replayed Kael's words in her mind.
"Mr. Garrick… he just called him Garrick that casually," she whispered to herself. "Who exactly is he?"
Her gaze lingered on Kael with renewed curiosity, the earlier hostility fading into cautious interest.
Kael, however, seemed unconcerned, as if the tension from moments ago had never existed at all.
"If there's nothing else, I'll go," Kael said calmly.
He turned without waiting for a response and continued walking toward the corridor exit.
Elena watched him leave in silence, still trying to understand the strange young man she had just met.
For some reason, her instincts told her this encounter was far from a coincidence.
Time passed quietly after Kael left the corridor, the castle returning to its usual controlled silence.
Inside his office, Garrick continued reviewing documents when a knock echoed at the door.
He paused for a moment and looked up. "Who's there?" he asked.
"It's me, Elena, East Border Commander," came the reply from the other side.
Garrick leaned back slightly in his chair, recognizing the voice immediately.
"…Hmm, come in," he said calmly. "What brings you here? Is something wrong?"
The door opened, and Elena stepped inside with a composed but serious expression.
She closed it gently behind her before approaching Garrick's desk.
Her posture remained formal, but her eyes still carried the lingering curiosity from her earlier encounter with Kael.
"There's something I need to report," Elena said steadily. "It's about the young man I met earlier…"
Garrick's expression sharpened slightly at her words.
He set down the document in his hand and gave her his full attention, sensing that this was not a casual update but something important.
Elena suddenly blurted out her conclusion, unable to fully contain her curiosity.
"He's your friend! Cousin! Or—o-or your son, Mr. Garrick!" she said, pointing slightly as if presenting evidence.
Garrick's expression immediately twisted into a deep frown.
"…Huh? Where did you hear that nonsense?" he asked sharply.
Elena hesitated for a moment, then continued, still convinced by her own logic.
"B-because he called you 'Garrick' so casually… I thought maybe he's your lost son. I mean, you're usually a very respectful man, Mr. Garrick!"
Garrick pinched the bridge of his nose, clearly fighting the urge to sigh too loudly.
"…Elena," he said slowly, "please stop forming conclusions based on tone alone."
Elena blinked, but still looked unconvinced.
"I'm serious," Garrick continued. "That man is not my son, not my relative, and not even someone I've known before today."
He leaned back in his chair, expression turning more thoughtful.
"And if anything… Kael Virent is someone far more dangerous and far more important than that kind of misunderstanding."
"I think it's just his personality—he doesn't care about status," Garrick said calmly.
He tapped his fingers lightly against the desk as he continued thinking out loud.
"And more than that… I think he's chasing something."
Elena tilted her head slightly, still trying to piece together Kael's strange behavior and calm attitude.
"Wait, what's his name again?" Elena asked again, narrowing her eyes slightly.
"…Kael Virent," Garrick replied without hesitation. Then he leaned forward slightly. "By the way, I know you're not here just for that man. Tell me what you really came for."
Elena paused for a brief moment, then exhaled softly.
"Uhmm…" she said, lowering her voice a little. "I heard a Nightmare appeared inside the kingdom… I-I was just worried."
Garrick studied her expression carefully, as the seriousness slowly returned to the room.
"You really never change," Garrick said with a faint smile. "But don't worry about that. The incident has already been resolved."
Elena blinked in surprise. "Resolved?"
Garrick leaned back in his chair, his expression turning serious again. "The man you mentioned earlier… he's the one who took down the Six-Core Nightmare alone."
For a moment, silence filled the room as Elena tried to process what she had just heard.
"Huh!!! Six-Core Nightmare… alone?" Elena's eyes widened in shock. "So my sense earlier wasn't lying…"
She instinctively placed a hand over her arm, recalling the faint sensation from before when she had released her killing intent toward Kael.
"I felt it… earlier," she muttered slowly. "When I used my killing intent… it felt like I was facing a monster that could cut through countless slashes without even trying."
Her expression tightened as realization settled in.
"…So that wasn't just an ordinary man I met," she said quietly, almost to herself, her tone now carrying a mix of disbelief and caution.
Garrick watched Elena closely, noting the shift in her expression.
"That feeling you had," he said calmly, "is exactly why I didn't stop him when he left."
Elena looked up at him, still unsettled. "You mean… you already knew?"
Garrick nodded once.
"I didn't know everything," he admitted. "But I knew enough to understand one thing—Kael Virent is not someone we can measure with normal standards."
He leaned forward slightly, his voice lowering.
"And now that you've felt it too… I think you understand why I said he's the hope we've been waiting for."
"Hope? Why?" Elena asked, still struggling to understand Garrick's confidence.
Garrick's expression remained calm, but his tone carried certainty.
"Because he can heal people who have been corrupted by Nightmare energy," he said simply.
Elena's eyes widened slightly at the statement.
That ability alone was something the entire fortress had been struggling with for years—and yet Garrick spoke of it as if it were already proven.
Elena took a slow step back, clearly trying to process the implication.
"Wait… you're saying he didn't just kill the Nightmare?" she asked quietly. "He also removed its corruption?"
Garrick nodded once.
"That's what the reports and Cheng Soo confirmed," he replied. "The residual Nightmare energy was completely erased. Not suppressed. Not stabilized. Erased."
Elena fell silent, her thoughts turning back to Kael's calm expression.
"…No wonder he didn't react to my killing intent," she murmured.
"When you're already here, I have a request for you," Garrick said, his tone shifting back to command. "Go to the basement archives and retrieve the three Books of Healing Techniques. Also, call Volaan and Cheng Soo—bring them to Kael."
Elena blinked. "Why?"
Garrick paused for a moment, then shook his head slightly.
"I don't fully know," he admitted. "But… this is his request."
The room fell silent for a beat as Elena processed the order, realizing just how seriously Garrick was taking Kael's words.