Unedited*

The incessant metallic clanging against the ground echoed throughout every corner of the Commercial City. It was the symbol of the arrival of true power.

This true power did not stray from its path and quickly reached the Commercial City’s main building, the government complex.

The city governor and his mayors were waiting for him there.

"Count..." The politicians and some business leaders greeted him hurriedly.

"Spare me the pleasantries," said the Count, cutting off the greeting. "My men informed me a few days ago of the presence of a dangerous group living in the Commercial City. I came as soon as I could. But what I find is chaos, a building in flames, and many families affected. What the hell has happened here?" He looked directly at the governor, waiting for his answer.

The governor nodded. "We had no idea about this organization, sir. We sent people to investigate, and they haven’t returned yet, but the information we’ve received is that an organization called the Red Moon Cave was operating there. A very large criminal organization with connections to the Cursed Lands."

"We don’t know who their leaders are, but they used the cover of..." The governor proceeded to tell him everything he knew about it.

The Count simply nodded. "Let’s go there. On my way here, I saw the flames and watched from afar, but I didn’t expect it to be as you say."

They walked to the site.

The fire was still burning, but the five-story building had vanished; it lay in ruins. The top five floors had been destroyed and had collapsed to the ground, destroying everything inside as well.

On the other hand, the underground floors where the organization operated didn’t even have a single access point.

"Break through the floor to see if we can fall through and see what’s on the other side." The count ordered one of his men, and the man did as he was told.

Even so, after breaking through the floor and falling down, the man dropped only half a meter and landed on the debris below. Everything down there was littered with rubble, making it impossible to see anything.

He walked to another part of the building that was still on fire and did the same thing, but it didn’t work. He repeated it more than four times, until he gave up and returned to the count’s side.

"My Lord Count, there’s nothing to be done there. Everything below is full of debris, and it’s practically impossible to walk." He replied.

He wasn’t just trying to destroy the floor; he also used his magic to peer inside. He was a peculiar member of the Intelligence Group.

The count frowned slightly for a brief moment before returning to normal.

"Whoever did this did an excellent job. However, I’d like to see what that cave looked like. Although the destruction was thorough, we can never be complacent when dealing with these kinds of organizations, and we must always investigate everything to the very end." The count sighed.

"Maybe they made a rookie mistake..." The governor laughed. "Still, they did an excellent job." 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

The count sighed again. "I’d like you to investigate who was responsible for this. Setting aside the fact that destruction isn’t something just anyone can pull off, I’ve heard the name ’Red Moon Cave’ mentioned several times."

"It’s a den of traitors, so this is quite an impressive feat," the Count acknowledged.

"I’ll try to find out, sir," the governor replied respectfully, quite surprised by his response.

"That won’t be necessary." Suddenly, a different voice interrupted their conversation. "We did it, Count Hazzard. I hope you are satisfied with our work."

Count Hazzard raised an eyebrow and turned to see who it was. He was stunned when he saw him.

"Young Gideon, it’s been a while since we last met," said the count.

"It really has been a while, Count." Gideon smiled as he approached. Behind him were seven people, the seven members of his core group, and in the distance, the rest of the 101st Regiment could be seen. "If you have any questions, feel free to ask. As long as I can answer them, I will."

"If it was the 101st Regiment that did this, I have only two things to say. First, just as I expected from you. You’re the most prestigious regiment in the academy for a reason, and today you’ve proven it once again."

"I’m afraid none of the other celestial regiments would be capable of accomplishing a feat as great as this."

Gideon laughed and shook his head helplessly. "If you gathered the other 11 Student Council Members into a single regiment, along with Miss Elara, and asked them to complete this mission, I assure you they wouldn’t be able to do it." He stated with complete confidence.

"What is that second thing?"

The count laughed at his statement so full of confidence, but he couldn’t deny it. He knew the capabilities of the 101st Regiment and knew how impressive it was. Moreover, this was Gideon, the Mage.

Within the Academy—and, in his eyes, throughout the entire kingdom—he is the greatest mage there is, even surpassing the Prince. He had every right to speak with arrogance.

"The second thing is that if this was done by you, I have nothing to ask. Rather, I must thank you." The count suddenly bowed slightly to Gideon. "Thank you; you have been fighting the traitors for a long time. You have finally managed to destroy such an important organization. I am deeply grateful for what you have done in my territory. In the future, I will name you heroes of these lands."

Gideon opened his eyes slightly, but smiled. "I had a bad impression of you, Count Hazzard. But it seems you’re not as bad as they say. I’m grateful for the trust you’ve placed in us. Although we’re not on your territory this time, we have worked on yours many times. If you want my advice, you should be more careful. Your territory is teeming with traitors at every turn; you wouldn’t want to end up dying at the hands of one of them."

With that, Gideon turned and returned to his men.

The count thanked him for his goodwill and advice, then dismissed them.

Finally, he ordered his men to investigate further what had happened here and left with the governor. He planned to stay in this place for a while to investigate more thoroughly and ensure there were no traitors lurking about.

--

That same night, Harry returned to Lor City with his men, and Aurora’s men returned as well.

Yet Edward did not return.

In a dark alley in the Commercial District, Edward was leaning against a wall, watching a figure moving quickly as if fleeing.

The man’s feet splashed through a puddle, soaking Edward’s clothes, but he didn’t stop.

Edward watched him pass by.

Suddenly, he began to speak. "I had seen a familiar figure while investigating the Cave. I wondered: Who would look familiar to me, since I have few friends and no family?" His voice shook the body of the man clad in black.

"It was hard to believe when I found out that you might still be alive. But now that I look at you, I can’t keep running from the lie my mind tried to make me believe, can I, old friend Lander?" Edward laughed. His white teeth glinted in the moonlight as he stepped in front of Lander and punched him in the chest.

Lander lost his balance and slammed into the wall behind him, feeling a terrifying force close in on him. ’That strong?’ His eyes trembled as his body froze with fear.

"You know, there are a lot of things on my mind that make me believe you were innocent at first and that you weren’t a traitor from the moment we met. I find it hard to believe that the coincidences I think led us to meet were actually intentional. But then I realize that I only need to change a single sentence or a single word in the whole story for my mind to understand that you were always a traitor."

"That’s why I came here, despite the danger. I want to know the answer," Edward said, moving his hands toward Lander’s shoulders to pin him against the wall. "I want to know, Lander. Now that we’re face to face again, I think you’ll have a lot to say, so you can talk as much as you want."

At first, Lander met his gaze. But the more Edward spoke, the more he felt the need to look away. He felt guilty.

But it was an empty guilt.

After several minutes of silence, Edward sighed.

"You’re going to die anyway, Lander," he said coldly. "You could say it and leave without regret. Or you could not say it. Either way, your fate has been sealed, and you’ll never have a tomorrow again."

The coldness of his words hit Lander hard. However, it wasn’t because he felt pity or was moved.

He wasn’t as naive as Edward. He knew the world very well.

Rather, it was because he sensed that his life was about to come to an end.

Lander suddenly smiled. "Do you believe in coincidences, Edward Lux?" he asked coldly and removed the hood covering his face.

His face was now completely covered by a red scar. The mark of his curse.

"Do you think I would have done this to myself—something that hurts like nothing else—just because someone talked me into it over the course of our friendship?" Lander scoffed.

Edward shook his head. "No. Coincidences don’t exist. I firmly believe that everything that happens is because something caused it to happen."

"Then why did you ask?"

Edward sighed. Nostalgia was evident on his face. "I just thought... maybe coincidences can exist in friendship. Maybe a person’s spontaneity and their crazy antics can create coincidences when it comes to friendship. But it seems I was wrong."