Medusa carried Sota out of the restaurant.
Carefully moving through the crowd, he took him to a nearby park. Soon, they reached inside.
The park was silent.
A warm breeze touched the leaves of the trees, and the soft fragrance of flowers spread through the air, calming the heart.
Medusa slowly walked to a bench and sat down.
He gently placed Sota's head on his lap and softly stroked his hair.
Tears slowly slipped from the corners of Sota's eyes.
"Why…?"
"T-that child…"
he whispered faintly in his unconscious state.
Medusa looked up at the sky while moving his hand over Sota's head.
"I didn't think this would happen…
This is because of me…"
After some time, Sota's eyelids began to tremble. His fingers moved slightly.
"Ehh…"
He slowly opened his eyes.
A blurred face appeared in front of him.
"W-who…?"
After a few seconds, the face became clear.
"Medusa… where are we?"
Suddenly, Sota shut one eye tightly. His body began to tremble again, and he grabbed Medusa's hand firmly.
Medusa held his hand calmly.
"Sota… just rest for a while."
As he spoke, a soft golden light came out from his hand.
Slowly, Sota's body relaxed. His heartbeat became normal, and his breathing slowed down.
The tension on his face disappeared.
His eyes slowly closed again.
The warm wind touched his face…
And he fell asleep in Medusa's lap.
Silence returned to the park.
Only the sound of the wind remained.
Medusa also closed his eyes and got lost in deep thought… and soon, he also fell asleep.
Far away, in the center of the city, near the statue of Leo Setol, a clown was performing a small magic show.
Children were laughing happily.
"Woo!"
"Hahaha!"
Everyone was enjoying the show.
Then, the clown noticed a man standing at a distance, staring at him.
After finishing the show, the clown walked toward him.
The man spoke directly,
"Come to the Stelo Building at 12:00.
If you're late, you won't get this chance again."
The clown smiled.
"Alright… I'll be there on time."
Both of them turned in opposite directions and walked away without looking back.
After some time, a large clock on a tall building struck twelve.
"Dong…"
"Dong…"
"Dong…"
The sound echoed across the city.
In the park, Medusa's eyes moved slightly.
His head tilted forward, but he quickly steadied himself.
"Ehh…"
He stretched his neck and looked at Sota.
Sota also slowly opened his eyes and rubbed them.
"Ehh… what time is it?"
Medusa looked toward the clock tower.
"It's 12:00."
Sota scratched his head.
"12…? How long was I asleep?"
Medusa replied in a tired voice,
"A long time."
He thought to himself,
We've already wasted a lot of time… we should leave now.
He looked at Sota.
He seemed better now.
"Let's go. We've already rested enough."
Sota looked at him.
"What? We just woke up… we should stay a little longer."
Medusa stood up and adjusted his bag.
"We've already wasted too much time.
If we don't leave today, we won't reach Numalicus City on time."
Then he added,
"And you'll get the answer to your question there."
Hearing this, Sota remembered that moment in the forest… the light that entered him… and the questions in his mind.
He quickly stood up.
"Alright… then let's leave today!"
Medusa shook his head slightly.
"Not so fast. We need to gather food first."
They left the park and entered the crowded area again.
People were moving everywhere.
"Come here!"
"Why is this so expensive?"
"Hey! Don't shout at me!"
Sota followed Medusa through the crowd.
They bought food from a shop and started moving toward the outside of the city.
Suddenly, Sota noticed a familiar person—
The clown.
He was walking quickly toward a building.
Medusa spoke,
"We've got everything. Now we should head to Numalicus City."
Sota grabbed his hand.
"How long will it take to reach there?"
Medusa stopped for a moment and closed his eyes as if calculating.
"Hm… around 4 to 7 months.
But including time for earning money through hunting… it may take about a year."
Sota's expression changed.
"What… that long?!"
Medusa nodded.
"Hm."
They walked far away from the city.
After some time, Sota asked,
"You said you would train me… when will we start?"
Medusa looked at him and said,
"You're not ready yet."
Suddenly, Medusa felt something.
The ground trembled slightly.
He closed his eyes.
At the same time, in Ottar City, people were doing their daily work when the ground suddenly began to shake.
Shops started trembling, and people tried to hold their belongings.
Medusa opened his eyes and quickly turned toward the city.
Then—
"BOOM!"
"BOOM!"
A loud explosion echoed from the direction of the city.
The sound spread across the surroundings, shaking the air itself and making everything feel heavy and still.
For a moment, it felt as if even time had stopped.