“It’s a familiar ceiling.”
With a throbbing headache, Ian woke up and glanced around.
He remembered that he had collapsed on a Friday morning, but now darkness had draped over the sky.
“Did I sleep for about 12 hours?” After checking the clock, he realized the time.
“Saturday at 11? So, I’ve been asleep from Friday morning until Saturday night?”
He was astonished by the fact that he had slipped into such a deep slumber, far exceeding 24 hours.
“Have I ever slept this long in my life?” He pondered, feeling dazed and speechless.
‘Even if I pushed myself to the point of fainting… I didn’t expect it to be this severe.’
He was aware that a 12-hour combat without rest would strain his body.
In reality, he had reached his limit after about 11 hours, nearly losing consciousness.
Yet, he never imagined he would sleep this long.
‘I thought my body’s fatigue would be handled by Super Regeneration, so I planned to just sleep for about 8 hours.’
Was he so exhausted that he couldn’t even manage that?
As if affirming this thought, Ian looked at Neltalion, who was sleeping soundly beside him.
– Hmm… Hmm….
‘If Neltalion had woken up during that time, I wouldn’t have slept this deeply.’
It wasn’t surprising that even Neltalion, who could use Super Regeneration, couldn’t wake up.
Regardless, his body needed to resolve the accumulated fatigue through sleep.
‘Should I consider myself fortunate that the intense battle ended here?’
It was unfortunate that half of his precious weekend had already flown away. Still, he decided to be satisfied that it hadn’t ended worse.
Honestly, it wouldn’t have been surprising if he had ended up with a physical problem due to the overload.
If sleeping for a while could prevent him from falling ill, it would be a fair deal.
‘First… I need to let Neltalion rest comfortably.’
Gently patting the head of the peacefully sleeping Neltalion, Ian carefully opened the door and stepped outside.
It was already a quiet night, and with the hallway completely empty, any mistake might wake Neltalion with the sound of the closing door.
Yes, the hallway should be empty and devoid of any presence.
‘What’s this? Why are the lights on in the dining hall? And what’s that smell?’
Ian tilted his head in confusion at the unexplainable phenomenon.
Why were the lights on in a dining hall that should have been empty? And why was there a smell of food?
‘There shouldn’t be anyone at this hour?’
At the Blue Moon Pavilion, it was typical for no one to be present at night, except for guards or patrols.
Of course, there were times when the dining hall lights stayed on late for breakfast preparations for the next day. However, this place was different.
‘I don’t eat breakfast here.’
Ian usually skipped breakfast.
Even when he did eat, he had it at the dormitory dining hall after morning training with Igor, which meant there was no need to prepare a breakfast since it would be a meal arranged by Ark.
Yet, the dining hall was lit? That was impossible.
‘Unless someone is completely insane. It can’t be a thief… So who could possibly be…’
Keeping the lights on in the dining hall at this hour?
Curiosity piqued, Ian cautiously made his way toward the dining hall.
As he peeked in, he could see.
“Are you finally awake? Perfect timing. I was just about to wake you up after finishing everything.”
“Eri? What is going on?”
Amidst the spread of dishes that filled the long table, she was in the midst of moving them around.
Ian’s eyes widened in confusion, unable to comprehend what was happening. She said with a smirk, covering her mouth with one hand as she looked at his bewildered expression.
“Today is your birthday, after all. Come quickly; it’ll get cold and tasteless.”
***
The table was a feast beyond compare.
Starting with an enormous barbecue, the array of dishes was astounding, almost as if they had been procured from a faraway land.
Seeing Ian at a loss for words, Eri smiled slightly and approached slowly to sit him down before beginning to explain.
“The barbecue in front is prepared by Igor. I heard it’s a special species found only in Vishen and raised solely on magic stones. It’s known for its exceptional flavor, so I thought it would be best to roast it whole.”
“…”
“And the lamb fry and horse meat stew here were made using lamb and horse meat sent from the Hurst family. Of course, they’re the finest quality that money can’t easily buy.”
“Um…”
Eri continued to explain, but Ian could only focus on her words.
He was feeling something he had never felt before.
Receiving congratulations from someone was one thing, but the idea of receiving a gift was something he had never dared to dream of.
He had thought that this was impossible, just like in his past life.
‘What on earth…?’
Was it joy or surprise? The overwhelming emotions left him momentarily speechless.
As if she understood his feelings, Eri extended a glass toward him.
The glass was filled with a luminous ruby-red wine.
Her face bore a gentle smile as she handed it to him.
“This is the Ruby Blush wine I prepared. The Everhart estate is famous for its vineyards. It’s made by one of the top wineries in the empire, so I believe you’ll enjoy it.”
“Why… go to such lengths…?”
“Yes?”
“I’m not sure if I deserve this.”
He didn’t want anything extravagant just because it was his birthday.
Even receiving a trivial gift, or even just a word of congratulations, would have left him touched.
‘I thought I was living a life where I couldn’t expect congratulations.’
Having lived thinking he didn’t deserve such things, the emotion of feeling blessed for the first time was overwhelming for him.
It was for this reason.
“I don’t know what to say at a time like this.”
The man who had faced demon lords with confidence was showing genuine surprise in front of such a grand gift.
In response to Ian’s bewilderment, Eri could only laugh in amusement.
“You just need to smile.”
“What?”
“When you’re happy, you smile. That’s the norm, isn’t it? Wouldn’t it be nice to see the Squad Commander’s smiling face on a day like today, even if I appreciate your serious expressions?”
If a bright smile appeared on his face, usually shadowed by gloom, there would be no greater joy.
It was thanks to her thoughtfulness.
“Yeah. Thank you, Eri.”
“Of course. Same to you.”
Clink!
Their glasses clinked together, and the ruby liquid flowed into their throats.
***
When facing death, recalling memories of the past is referred to as “the galloping horse”.
For ordinary people, experiencing this phenomenon even once in a lifetime is rare, yet Celia Wignoron had already experienced it twice.
‘I lost consciousness during the last attack…’
Alone, she let out a deep sigh, feeling frustrated.
She had taken on the role of protecting Bianca, who was concentrating her magic to dispel the barrier.
While it was certainly more comfortable than directly confronting monsters, it was by no means safe.
Dispelling the barrier was an act that would irritate the monsters, and the agitated creatures had focused all their firepower on the rear, abandoning the front lines.
The implication was simple.
‘I fainted due to the imps’ charge…’
While the front liners, Ariel and Reina, were clashing with the Minotaurs and Trolls, it was Celia’s responsibility to intercept the imps and ghouls that were looking for an opening.
As a scion of the renowned Wignoron family, she had managed to hold her ground until the midpoint of the battle, but as the fight wore on, gaps began to form in her defense.
‘I was so focused on blocking the ghouls that I didn’t notice the approaching imps.’
Unlike the earlier stages when she had fiercely defended against the monsters’ advance, the fatigue of the front lines allowed the monsters to penetrate their ranks exponentially.
The ghouls slashed at her with sharp claws, and the imps hurled bombs made of magic.
Of course, Celia did her best to fend them off, but the problem lay with the imps’ self-detonation.
One had stealthily approached and sacrificed itself to create an explosion. Knowing that avoiding it would put Bianca in danger, Celia had no choice but to use her body as a shield to absorb the blast.
Though she fainted immediately afterward, it was thanks to this act that she had fulfilled her role.
‘Bianca should be okay…’
She had succeeded in protecting Bianca, so despite losing consciousness and being unaware of what happened afterward, she couldn’t say she had done nothing.
‘Right… there’s nothing more I can do. It’s already over.’
It might seem irresponsible, but it was a stark reality.
Having already lost consciousness, all she could do in this situation was hope for Bianca’s survival.
She resolved not to dwell on the past. With that thought in mind, Celia tried to clear her mind.
Instead of agonizing over what she could not change, it would be better to let go.
Meanwhile, the galloping horse continued to flow steadily.
As she looked at the young Ian before her, Celia stared blankly.
‘He seems so young… Is this a memory from the time we spent together? But why is it only Ian that appears?’
The galloping horse was meant to show memories with precious people, and she naturally assumed that if Ian appeared in a memory, she would also be present.
It was impossible for only Ian to emerge from her recollections.
‘But why…?’
She glanced around the room where Ian was.
Yet, her younger self was nowhere to be found.
What was happening? Was she hiding? Just as she was pondering this, she heard a voice.
‘Is it not possible for me to take away the curse placed on Celia…?’
‘What? What do you mean, Ian? My curse…?’
The moment she saw Ian, gazing into space while speaking words she couldn’t comprehend.
‘You’re going to take my curse away… What does that mean?’
As the unbelievable words reached her ears, Celia instinctively covered her mouth with her hand.
