Nathan’s eyes widened ever so slightly, his usually stoic expression faltering.
That light...
He recognized it.
SSS-Rank Skill. Healing class.
Not just rare—legendary.
Nathan’s thoughts drifted to Liphiel, the Divine Knight known for her powerful healing magic. Her divine light had saved him from death before—an ability that once seed unmatched in his eyes. Yet, now, as he watched the soft, radiant glow envelop the injured slave girl under Elin’s touch, he couldn’t help but feel a subtle, undeniable shift.
This power... it surpasses even Liphiel’s.
There was a depth to Elin’s healing—an almost sacred resonance that seed to not only nd the body but gently soothe the soul. He didn’t need further confirmation. If he had doubted it before, he no longer did now.
Elin was a Hero.
Whether she hailed from the fad Amun Ra Empire, or was part of the more recent Second Summoning from the Light Empire, Nathan wasn’t entirely certain. But considering the strict protocols surrounding the Light Empire’s summoned champions—how tightly their movents were regulated—it seed highly unlikely that a Hero of the Light would be wandering the streets, healing slaves in the open. No, she was too young, too untethered. Her presence aligned more closely with what he knew of the Amun Ra Empire’s more lenient approach.
She was likely summoned by them—a Hero of Amun Ra.
"It’s over now," Elin whispered gently, offering the injured slave girl a warm, reassuring smile as her hands withdrew. The healing light faded slowly, leaving the girl visibly unscarred, her wounds completely gone. "You’re healed. You’re free."
The girl rose to her feet, her movents slow and chanical, like a puppet unsure of its strings. Her slave collar clinked softly, the tal ring chafing against her thin neck as she stood. Her voice ca low and hollow, almost a whisper lost to despair.
"I will never be free," she said, her tone carrying years of pain that no healing spell could erase. Yet, despite her lingering sadness, she offered Elin a small, fragile nod. "But thank you."
Then, without another word, she turned and walked away—awkwardly, as if unsure how to carry herself without pain.
Elin opened her mouth, her eyes following the girl with sympathy, lips trembling with a desire to say sothing. But no words ca. She clenched her fists instead, a silent storm of frustration passing through her. And then—perhaps seeking comfort, or maybe out of habit—she looked toward Nathan.
When their eyes t, she blinked and rushed toward him, cheeks tinged with the faintest blush of nervousness.
"Th-thank you very much, my lord... for helping ," she stamred out, offering a formal and slightly exaggerated bow—a gesture reminiscent of a noble greeting, though her awkwardness betrayed her inexperience. From her expression, it was clear: she had mistaken Nathan for soone important—perhaps a Roman senator or an imperial officer of high standing.
Nathan raised a brow but didn’t correct her.
"Are you one of the Heroes summoned by the Amun Ra Empire?" he asked calmly, already fairly certain of the answer.
"Yes, I am," she responded at once, nodding with a bright, almost eager energy. "We arrived three days ago. Since then, we’ve been waiting for the Emperor’s return."
Nathan offered only a brief nod, his expression unreadable. Without another word, he turned on his heel, prepared to walk away and disappear into the flow of the city once again.
But Elin stepped quickly after him, her voice halting him mid-step. "Um, my lord—might I know your na, at least?"
He glanced back, considering her for a mont. Then, he replied in a composed tone, "Septimius."
It was the na he used in this guise—a borrowed Roman identity, carefully crafted to mislead.
"I am Elin Berg," she said, introducing herself with a radiant smile that could have belonged to soone untouched by the darkness of this world. "It’s truly a pleasure to et you, Lord Septimius."
Nathan held her gaze for a mont longer.
Her innocence baffled him.
How could she still smile like that? How could her eyes still hold so much light? She had been in this world for nearly as long as he had—yet she hadn’t been broken, hadn’t been hardened by its cruelty.
Had she simply been lucky? Sheltered? Had she never faced the sa monstrous truths he had?
That might explain so of it... but not all. There was sothing else about her. Sothing he couldn’t quite na.
"I don’t rember seeing you before, Lord Septimius," Elin said, her head tilting slightly in curiosity. "At least not since I arrived here three days ago. Did you just co to Ro?"
Nathan gave a slight shrug, his gaze steady. "I was part of Caesar’s army."
Her eyes widened the instant he said it. "J-Julius Caesar’s army?" she repeated, almost breathless. Her expression quickly shifted—surprise giving way to sothing more conflicted, a quiet storm behind her eyes. "Then... that ans you took part in the war in Alexandria?"
She paused after the question, her lips tightening ever so slightly, and Nathan caught a flash of guilt flicker across her features.
Alexandria.
Of course. That was where she had been summoned. Elin Berg had arrived in this world in the heart of Amun Ra’s turbulent sands, brought forth during one of the bloodiest sieges in Roman history. It wasn’t difficult to guess what troubled her. Perhaps she regretted not having taken part. Or perhaps she was wondering—
Whose side would I have fought for... if I had been there?
Ptolemy—the boy king who had summoned her and her classmates... or Cleopatra, the woman he tried to kill ti and again?
"Yes," Nathan answered simply, not elaborating.
Elin’s brows furrowed slightly, and she took a mont to gather her thoughts. Then she asked with a softer voice, "Queen Cleopatra... she’s ruling now, isn’t she? Is she a good monarch?"
Nathan’s reply ca without hesitation. "She’ll be a far better ruler than her idiotic brother ever could’ve been."
Her expression shifted again, this ti tinged with a mix of disappointnt and quiet resolve.
"He wasn’t idiotic," Elin said, almost defensively. "Just... naïve. He was young."
Nathan narrowed his eyes slightly.
Young? That was true—Ptolemy had only been fifteen.
But it hadn’t stopped him from ordering assassinations. From betraying his sister. From trying to drown her legacy in blood.
Nathan had killed him regardless.
He’d had chance after chance to make peace with Cleopatra—to stand beside her, to choose unity over treachery. But each ti, he’d chosen ambition and cruelty instead. There was no innocence left to protect.
Nathan almost told Elin that she was being naïve too. But he held his tongue. It wasn’t worth the argunt. Besides, he had more important matters on his mind.
"You said you’ve been here for three days?" he asked, casually shifting the topic.
Elin nodded, brushing a stray lock of her golden hair behind her ear. "Yes, we arrived three days ago and settled in the guest district."
Nathan’s tone turned slightly more inquisitive, though he kept it light. "Have you encountered any... unusual guests? From other kingdoms, perhaps?"
He couldn’t ask her directly about Ariah or Auria. That would draw too much attention. Elin didn’t seem like the kind of person who dissected conversations or read between lines. That worked in his favor.
"Guests from other kingdoms?" she echoed, blinking. Then her eyes lit up with recognition. "Oh—yes! I rember now. Lord Brutus ntioned sothing just yesterday. Sothing about a princess from... the Demon Kingdom, I think?"
Nathan’s breath caught for a fraction of a second. His eyes widened, just barely.
He couldn’t believe it—again. That damn luck stat of his must be in play, warping reality to his favor. Of all the people he could have run into in the capital, he had crossed paths with Elin Berg, soone who unknowingly carried the very information he needed.
Ariah and Auria... they were here.
He felt the questions piling up at the edge of his tongue, hungry for answers—but he swallowed them back down.
As tempting as it was to press further, he knew better. Asking too much now would only raise suspicions, even in soone as open and trusting as Elin.
Instead, Nathan kept his composure, offering only a small, neutral nod. "I see."
He would ask no more.
But now he had a lead.
Brutus.
If what Elin said was true, then this Brutus had information about Ariah and Auria—or maybe had even t them. That would be his next target.
"Lord Septimius," Elin called out, her voice tentative but clear.
Nathan paused mid-step, turning his head slightly to glance at her. She stood a few paces behind him, clutching her hands together in front of her, the way a student might before addressing a stern teacher. There was a faint flush on her cheeks—embarrassnt, maybe even nervousness—and her eyes struggled to et his.
"I... I know it’s sudden," she began, her tone hesitant, "but could you take to see Emperor Caesar?"
She gave a sheepish smile, the corners of her lips twitching upward in an apologetic expression. "I think I may already be a little late. We were supposed to et him as soon as he arrived, but I got distracted..."
Her voice trailed off awkwardly as she gestured vaguely in the direction the slave girl had walked off earlier.
Nathan raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. Truthfully, he had no reason to refuse. Escorting her would take little effort, and part of him was curious. He wanted to get a look at the other summoned Heroes—those who had arrived with Elin.
"I’ll take you," he said simply. "But in exchange, I want sothing."
Elin blinked, visibly surprised by the condition. "Oh?" she tilted her head slightly, intrigued. "What is it?"
"Tell everything you’ve learned about the Roman Empire since your arrival," Nathan replied, his voice calm but firm. "What you’ve seen. What they’ve told you. Anything and everything."
For a brief mont, Elin looked taken aback by the request. But then, just as quickly, her features brightened. A genuine smile spread across her face—innocent, unguarded, and strangely sincere.
"Of course!" she said cheerfully. "I’ll tell you everything I know. It’s not much—I’ve only been here three days—but I’ll do my best. Honestly, I’ve been trying to figure it all out myself."
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