’Crap,’ Hajin thought, keeping his face completely flat while his mind raced to find an excuse.

The Captain did not wait for an answer, his eyes narrowing as he took another step forward.

"That ring around your wrist, that golden mana," he said, the claymore still pointing at Hajin’s chest while his voice dropped to a low whisper, "were you the one who caused that incident in the capital?"

"Did you trick the King to get your sponsorship?" the Captain asked, the four Shards around his wrist flickering with unstable silver light. "What exactly are you after?"

The atmosphere on the sand dunes became incredibly tense, the surrounding knights holding their breath while they watched the confrontation.

Juna took a step forward, her tail puffing up while her claws slid out from her fingertips with a quiet click.

Loccy crouched lower, her ears pinning flat against her head while her face turned serious. Vella did not move, but her eyes narrowed while she kept her arms crossed.

Helen stood a few feet back, her hand still resting on the hilt of her rapier while she watched Hajin with a sharp, calculating gaze.

Hajin looked at the blade near his chest, feeling both annoyed and worried. He had known that using his rings in public would eventually draw attention, but he did not expect the Knight Captain to connect the dots this quickly.

The eastern district incident had been a mess, and leaving Maren’s body behind had clearly been a mistake despite someone cleaning it up later.

If he admitted to it, he would be labeled a threat to the kingdom, but denying it would not convince a veteran like the Captain. Moreover, the accusation of tricking the King was dangerous because the royal sponsorship was his only real shield against the Great Families.

A flurry of text began scrolling across his vision as the chat reacted to the situation.

[ CringeSlayer91 ] what is this captain’s problem? pointing a giant sword at our boy after he just saved their asses?

[ ashley(mod) ] this is actually so annoying, he’s threatening a teammate in the middle of a gate.

[ ShadowMage44 ] tbf he’s the knight captain. A random rookie just punched a hole through a 7-shard gate beast and pulled out a divine core. He’s literally just doing his job to protect the capital.

[ NewViewer_02 ] wait is a fight going to start? Didi is not here to stop them this time!

[ CringeSlayer91 ] i get his duty but pointing a weapon at an ally is a garbage move.

Hajin slowly raised his hands, keeping his fingers far from his pockets to avoid triggering a reflex action.

"I don’t know what incident you are talking about," he said, his voice remaining flat while he looked the Captain in the eye, "and I definitely did not trick the King."

The Captain’s grip on his claymore did not loosen, the tip of the blade remaining perfectly still.

"A cheap starter blade, no family crest, yet you somehow pull a Divine rank core from a normal seven-shard gate monster," the Captain continued, his eyes narrowing even further. "Do you expect me to believe that was just luck?"

"Speak," the Captain demanded, the mana on his wrists flaring brighter, "before I have you arrested for treason."

Hajin felt a sharp anger building inside him, the Captain’s words finally hitting a nerve. He took a slow step forward, his chest pressing closer to the tip of the claymore.

"Are you willing to take responsibility for those words?" He asked, his voice incredibly quiet while his eyes locked onto the Captain. "Accusing me of tricking the King is like calling the King stupid, so are you sure you can handle what happens next?"

"Whether my power differs from yours or not, it is not for you to judge and criticize," he continued, his breathing getting heavier.

"WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU KNOW ABOUT ME!!!" he roared.

The sudden outburst released a heavy pulse of divine mana, causing the shifting sand dunes around them to shake violently. The surrounding knights stumbled as the ground trembled, their faces turning pale with sudden fear.

Juna immediately reached out, grabbing his hand as she sensed how worked up he was getting.

He did not back down, looking past the claymore to glare at the Captain’s face.

"Do not get full of yourself just because of a mere captain title," he sneered, his voice dripping with absolute disdain. "Especially when you are not even stronger than your own vice captain."

The Captain’s face went completely red, his mana flaring violently as he raised his claymore to strike.

"You arrogant brat," he snarled.

Helen stepped forward in the blink of an eye, her rapier drawing a cold blue line that blocked the Captain’s path.

"Both of you need to calm down," she said, her voice freezing the air around them while she stood between the two men. "We are still in an anomaly dungeon, so save your energy for the monsters."

The Captain stared at Helen, his chest rising and falling as he struggled to control his breath. He slowly lowered his claymore, the mana around his wrists fading into a faint hum before he turned around.

"Let’s move," he barked, his voice filled with suppressed rage while he walked back toward the front of the column.

Helen watched him go, her expression remaining entirely calm before she turned to Hajin. She gave him a long, silent look, her hand sliding off her rapier before she followed the Captain.

The surrounding knights did not waste any time, quickly falling back into formation and keeping a wide distance from Hajin.

Hajin watched them walk away, letting out a quiet sigh as he shook his head. The screen of his stream chat was scrolling at an incredible speed, the viewers completely losing their minds.

[ CringeSlayer91 ] dude Helen is so badass she literally just shut down the captain without even trying

[ ShadowMage44 ] wait did you guys hear what Hajin said? Helen is stronger than the Captain?

[ NewViewer_02 ] is she really? I thought the captain was the strongest in the squad 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

[ CringeSlayer91 ] he said it so confidently too, there’s no way he’s bluffing about that

[ ashley(mod) ] that was the most satisfying roast I have ever seen, the captain’s face went completely purple

[ ShadowMage44 ] he literally had no comeback lol, pointing a sword at a rookie because he’s insecure about his own power is crazy

[ CringeSlayer91 ] low key the captain is lucky Helen stepped in, Hajin would have obliterated him

[ KnightFan_Real ] yall need to stop glazing Hajin so much, the captain is stronger, way stronger, he would have wiped the floor with that rookie

[ CringeSlayer91 ] Man, who even are you, shut your ass up

Hajin felt the tension slowly leaving his muscles, the warm touch of Juna’s hand helping him calm down.

"I am fine," he said, giving her hand a gentle squeeze before she let go.

Her tail swished slowly behind her, her eyes still scanning the front of the column with a fierce glare.

"If he tries that again, I will rip his throat out," she muttered, her voice dropping to a low growl while her claws retracted.

Loccy stepped closer, her long ears drooping slightly as she looked up at him.

"Master was really scary just now," she whispered, her hands clutching the edges of her combat gear.

"We should keep going," he said, patting Loccy’s head to reassure her before he started walking.

They followed the column at a steady pace, the massive sand dunes stretching infinitely under the dark red sky of the anomaly Gate. The wind howled across the empty desert, kicking up small clouds of dust that stung the skin.

Far behind them, at the very mouth of the Gate where the barrier met the outside world, two figures stepped through the distortion in complete silence.

The boy walked in first, his dark clothes now stained with fresh spots of red blood. He did not seem to care, his flat expression remaining unchanged as he looked out across the endless red dunes.

Beside him, the girl walked with slow steps, her long black hair shifting slightly in the wind. Her fingers were coated in the same deep red, the blood of the gate guards still warm against her skin, not bothering to clean it off.

She tilted her head, breathing in the dry, mana-heavy air before a slow smile crept across her lips.

"It’s good to be back here," she said.