The celebration inside the mansion did not stay inside the mansion for very long.

That was simply impossible.

Especially when the servants themselves became excited after seeing the usually lazy and relaxed young master of the Valmont Family in such an unusually good mood.

Orders quickly spread throughout the estate.

More food.

More drinks.

More roasted beasts.

More music.

And before long—

The atmosphere slowly expanded beyond the mansion itself.

Toward the border town.

At first, the townspeople were confused.

Then curious.

And finally—

Excited.

After all, ever since the terrifying beast tides began, the entire border town had lived under constant fear and tension. Every single day felt dangerous. Every night was restless. Everyone feared another rampage.

But now?

The walls were being rebuilt stronger than before.

The beasts around the area had gradually decreased.

The guards looked more relaxed.

Trade had begun returning again.

Even the roads slowly became livelier.

And now—

The young master of the Valmont Family suddenly decided to hold a celebration.

To most people—

This felt like a sign.

A sign that the nightmare had finally ended.

Soon, huge bonfires were lit across the town.

Workers stopped hammering temporarily.

Merchants closed their stalls early.

Children ran through the streets laughing loudly.

Large tables filled with food were brought out one after another.

Roasted meat filled the air with delicious smells.

Alcohol flowed endlessly.

Music slowly echoed through the streets.

Even the exhausted guards finally allowed themselves to relax slightly.

Meanwhile—

Clay quietly sat near the highest balcony of the mansion while watching everything below.

The warm lights from the town illuminated the night beautifully.

People laughed.

People drank.

People celebrated.

And all of it happened because they thought the border town had finally become safe again.

None of them knew the real reason behind Clay’s personal happiness tonight.

None of them knew the terrifying main character had already died somewhere far away.

None of them knew the young master they feared and respected had spent the past several days terrified of fate itself.

They simply celebrated.

And honestly—

Clay preferred it that way.

He slowly leaned back in his chair while holding a drink.

"...This is nice."

Beside him—

Maid Cy quietly stood while observing the lively town.

Then softly—

"The people seem very happy."

Clay nodded.

"Well, they’ve been suffering for a while."

His eyes moved across the streets below.

"Fear makes even peaceful days feel exhausting."

He took another sip from his drink.

"So if they can laugh for one night..."

"...then that’s good enough."

Maid Cy quietly looked at him for a moment.

Her expression remained calm.

But inwardly—

She found it increasingly difficult to understand him fully.

Sometimes he acted lazy.

Sometimes terrifying.

Sometimes absurdly cautious.

And sometimes—

Like now—

He genuinely cared about the peace around him.

Below the balcony—

Borzoi himself could be seen carrying enormous barrels using only one arm while loudly laughing alongside the guards.

Despite losing an arm earlier, the large man still looked monstrously energetic.

"Drink!"

"Hahaha!"

"Tonight we celebrate the peace given by Young Warchief!"

The guards immediately cheered loudly.

"LONG LIVE YOUNG MASTER CLAY!"

"LONG LIVE YOUNG WARCHIEF!"

The cheers echoed throughout the streets.

Clay immediately froze slightly after hearing them.

Then he rubbed his forehead helplessly.

"...They really like shouting titles."

Maid Cy calmly answered.

"They respect young master greatly."

Clay sighed.

"Or fear me."

"...Probably both."

Meanwhile—

Far below—

The townspeople themselves became increasingly excited.

Stories began spreading from table to table.

Some exaggerated the recent battles.

Others praised the strength of the Valmont Family.

Some spoke about the rebuilt walls.

Others talked about how the guards somehow managed to deal with the rampaging beasts now.

Of course—

Rumors still existed.

Whispers still spread occasionally about the young master being connected to the beasts somehow.

But tonight—

Almost nobody cared.

Not when food filled their stomachs.

Not when the town finally felt alive again.

Even Frazanna and the Holy Knights who still remained temporarily within the border town quietly observed the celebration from afar.

Several Holy Knights looked uncomfortable.

After all—

The rumors surrounding Clay still lingered in their minds.

Yet seeing the joyful townspeople tonight made things increasingly confusing.

If the young master truly wanted destruction—

Why protect the border town?

Why rebuild the walls?

Why feed the people?

Why hold a celebration at all?

Frazanna herself quietly watched the mansion balcony from the distance.

Her eyes eventually landed on Clay.

And strangely—

He looked relaxed.

Truly relaxed.

Not like some hidden mastermind controlling everything from the shadows.

Not like someone celebrating manipulation or conquest.

Just—

A tired young man finally able to breathe peacefully for once.

Meanwhile—

Back at the balcony—

Clay suddenly leaned his head backward while exhaling deeply.

The cool night breeze brushed against his face.

The sounds of laughter below continued endlessly.

And for the first time in a long while—

The constant tension inside his chest completely disappeared.

No danger.

No immediate threat.

No main character.

No fate backlash.

Just food.

Music.

And peace.

Then suddenly—

Clay quietly muttered to himself.

"...I really hope it stays like this."

Maid Cy heard him clearly. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

And for some reason—

Hearing those words made her gaze soften slightly.

Below—

The celebration continued growing louder and louder.

Bonfires illuminated the border town brightly.

Music echoed through the streets.

People laughed endlessly.

And while the entire town believed they were celebrating survival and peace—

Only Clay himself knew the truth.

He was celebrating because the main character was dead.

The celebration continued growing louder as the night deepened.

Music echoed throughout the border town while huge bonfires illuminated the streets with warm orange light. Workers who had spent days rebuilding the walls now laughed freely while drinking together. Guards competed in loud shouting contests. Children ran through the roads carrying sticks with burning cloth tied to the ends, pretending to be mighty warriors fighting beasts.

For once—

The border town truly looked alive again.

Meanwhile—

Clay quietly observed everything from the mansion balcony while holding another drink in his hand.

He honestly felt comfortable.

Maybe a little too comfortable.

And somehow—

That alone already made him nervous.

After all, every single time he began relaxing recently, some ridiculous problem appeared afterward.

Still—

He tried ignoring the strange feeling in his chest.

Then suddenly—

His eyes narrowed.

Far below near the entrance of the town square, several familiar figures slowly appeared among the crowd.

White cloaks.

Holy insignias.

Armored knights.

And at the front—

Frazanna herself.

Clay blinked once.

"...Huh?"

He slowly leaned slightly forward.

The Holy Knights had returned.

Not only returned—

They were currently walking directly into the celebration itself.

Several guards happily greeted them.

Some townspeople even cheered when seeing them again.

But Clay’s expression slowly became complicated.

"...Wait."

"I thought they already left."

Beside him, Maid Cy quietly looked toward the same direction.

Her eyes briefly narrowed.

Meanwhile—

Below—

Frazanna and the Holy Knights slowly entered the celebration naturally as if nothing strange had happened.

Some accepted drinks from the townspeople.

Others sat beside guards near the bonfires.

A few even began talking with the workers casually.

The entire scene looked peaceful.

Normal even.

And yet—

Clay’s instincts immediately became uncomfortable.

His relaxed posture slowly disappeared.

"...Why are they back?"

Maid Cy calmly answered.

"Perhaps they returned temporarily."

Clay immediately shook his head.

"No."

"That doesn’t make sense."

"They said they were leaving to help other territories."

His eyes remained fixed on Frazanna.

"...Then why are they celebrating with us now?"

The moment he said those words—

A familiar uncomfortable feeling suddenly crawled up his spine.

Foreboding.

The same terrible feeling he usually got before something troublesome happened.

Clay’s expression slowly became uglier.

"...No."

"Don’t tell me another problem is coming."

His fingers lightly tapped against the balcony railing.

Then suddenly—

Another thought appeared in his mind.

Wait.

What if they found out something about Maxwell?

Clay’s face immediately stiffened slightly.

Even now, nobody should know Maxwell was dead.

At least—

Not publicly.

And yet—

The sudden return of the Holy Knights felt suspicious no matter how he looked at it.

Especially after all the rumors earlier.

Then suddenly—

Clay noticed something else.

Frazanna herself briefly looked toward the mansion balcony.

Their eyes met for a moment.

Clay immediately maintained a calm expression.

Frazanna quietly lowered her gaze afterward.

Nothing strange.

Nothing hostile.

But somehow—

Clay still felt uneasy.

Very uneasy.

System.

The system answered immediately.

Listening.

Do you sense danger?

Brief silence followed.

Then—

No immediate lethal threat detected.

Clay slightly relaxed.

Only slightly.

Because the system’s answers lately had not exactly comforted him very much.

"No immediate lethal threat" sounded like there were still plenty of other threats available.

He slowly sighed.

"...Why do I suddenly feel nervous again?"

Maid Cy quietly glanced toward him.

"Young master?"

Clay rubbed his forehead.

"I don’t know."

"Maybe I’m overthinking again."

Then he looked toward the Holy Knights below once more.

Some were now drinking together with the guards.

Others laughed near the bonfires.

Even Frazanna herself had accepted a drink from one of the townspeople.

Nothing looked wrong.

Everything appeared normal.

And yet—

Clay still could not remove the uncomfortable feeling inside his chest.

Maybe I’m just paranoid now.

Honestly—

After everything that happened recently, maybe becoming paranoid was natural.

The main character had tried targeting him.

The maid secretly hunted the main character.

The main character died.

Fate instability appeared.

And somehow he survived all of it.

Anyone would become nervous afterward.

Then suddenly—

A loud cheer erupted below.

"YOUNG MASTER CLAY!"

"COME DOWN HERE!"

"Hahaha!"

"DRINK WITH US!"

Clay blinked.

Several townspeople were waving toward the balcony excitedly.

Even Borzoi loudly laughed while raising a massive barrel.

"Young Warchief!"

"Tonight no worries!"

"Come celebrate!"

The entire crowd became louder afterward.

Clay stared at them quietly.

Then slowly—

His complicated expression softened slightly.

The people below genuinely looked happy.

No fear.

No tension.

Just celebration.

Maybe—

Just for tonight—

He really should stop thinking too much.

Clay slowly exhaled.

Then finally—

He stood up from the balcony chair.

Maid Cy quietly looked at him.

"Young master?"

Clay rubbed the back of his neck helplessly.

"...Whatever."

"If trouble comes tomorrow..."

"...then tomorrow me can deal with it."

Then he slowly began walking toward the stairs.

Below—

The cheers immediately became louder after seeing him descend from the mansion.

And despite the strange foreboding feeling still lingering inside him—

Clay ended up celebrating anyway.