It was already deep into the night, long past the hour people should have gone to bed, yet no one left their seats.

Thanks to Theo, it had been a long time since meat and such plentiful food had been laid out. For the first time since the rebels had formed, drinks were even passed around.

Small campfires were lit here and there. People sat in circles around them, raising their cups.

The rebels acted as though nothing had happened. At times, some would stare blankly into space, but whenever that happened, the person beside them would quietly refill their empty cup.

In that way, they tried to force themselves to forget Adeline’s existence. What their leader had truly been, what kind of lies they had been deceived by—they buried it all without digging into it, soothing their hearts with shared laughter.

The delicious food and alcohol helped, but what truly eased the funeral-like atmosphere that had hung over the camp all day were the magical creatures.

“Ahahaha, look at this little guy! With a tongue that small, how does it even hunt?”

“Kiing, kking, kiiing.”

The man laughed heartily as he petted a magical creature that had no offensive ability whatsoever. As attention gathered around them, the doglike creature whimpered and wagged its nine tails.

The magical creatures that had once been forced by humans onto circus stages were now performing tricks to applause.

As I watched the scene with quiet satisfaction, Varen sat down beside me, carrying a plate. It was piled high with grilled meat and boiled potatoes.

“Ceryl, I brought you more food. Hurry and eat.”

After hearing the thunderous growl from my stomach earlier, Varen had been diligently bringing me food. I had already finished four plates, and now the food was practically up to my throat. I waved my hands in refusal.

“Ugh, I can’t eat any more. I feel like I’m going to burst.”

“Eating a lot won’t make your stomach burst. You said the same thing last night, that you felt like you were going to burst, but it didn’t—”

“Ah, thanks. I’ll eat well.”

I hurriedly took the plate, cutting him off. Just smelling the food now made nausea rise, but it was still better than hearing him recount last night in detail.

Varen let out a quiet chuckle and simply watched me eat. No matter how many times I saw it, I couldn’t get used to how that clear, innocent-looking face could casually spout such obscene things.

Just then, someone plopped down across from me with a cup in hand. It was Theo, thoroughly drunk.

His gray hair was completely disheveled, and his usually neat clothing was loosened carelessly.

Everyone in the rebel camp had been shaken, but Theo, who had received a condensed explanation of the past two days’ events, seemed particularly devastated.

At the sight of the completely wasted Theo, I let out a sigh and set down my plate.

“Theo, are you okay? You look drunk.”

“...Ugh, ngh... I’m fine... I have... something to say... hic... to you...”

“Why don’t you go lie down? We can talk tomorrow when you’re sober.”

“You... you... damn it... I have something... to say...”

But Theo didn’t budge. Even while sitting, he swayed, stubborn in the way only drunk people could be.

What is he trying to say? I watched him quietly. Theo, nodding off, suddenly let tears fall and finally spoke.

“Hey, you... you’ve gotta... help us... hic...”

“What?”

“We... hic... we can’t... do this... on our own... you and that... dragon... help us.”

I had been thinking of suggesting we maintain an alliance even without Adeline. But I hadn’t expected them to ask for help first.

As I struggled to find the right words, someone else cut in smoothly.

“Very well. What would you like us to help you with?”

The one who answered Theo was Morpha, who had appeared without a sound.

Morpha, who hadn’t shown their face all day, sat upright and looked at Theo.

“Huh... what? That... I mean...”

“If you’re unsure, may I make a suggestion?”

“Uh... yeah, go ahead...”

“You share the same objective as us. And the rebels are currently without a leader. An army without a leader is nothing more than scattered grains of sand. So how about following Lord Varen from now on?”

Theo blinked his unfocused gray eyes and stared at Varen. Then he raised a finger and pointed at him.

“Th-that dragon...?”

Morpha’s brow twitched at the gesture, clearly displeased, but they didn’t step in to stop him.

I clicked my tongue and looked at Morpha. Is shamelessness just a dragon trait? That’s too much for Theo, who just lost Adeline yesterday.

Still, Morpha’s proposal wasn’t bad. To carry out a cause, more hands were needed.

The rebels weren’t just combat manpower. From the few days I had observed them, their ability to gather information was exceptional, and they also had specialists who crafted and repaired weapons within the group.

There were even those who could manipulate rumors to their advantage or infiltrate key locations as spies.

They were talents we absolutely needed if we were to wage war against the king.

As that thought settled, I found myself glancing at Theo with a hint of expectation.

But once again, someone else answered in his place.

“Do dragons have no conscience? Trying to swallow everything whole.”

Noance approached, his voice thick with irritation. He dropped himself beside me and snatched the cup from Theo’s hand.

Margon followed behind and joined us. Noance and Margon naturally clinked their cups and drank together.

I stared at the two of them in disbelief at the unexpected camaraderie.

“Since when were you two close enough to be making toasts?”

“What are you talking about? We’re still not close.”

“Khahaha! What a shy bastard!”

Noance answered sharply, while Margon burst into hearty laughter.

It was an unbalanced combination, but seeing Noance’s face, noticeably more at ease than earlier, I closed my mouth.

Noance drained his cup completely, then fixed his wide eyes on the central campfire.

“Why wouldn’t there be a leader? I’m right here.”

Having effectively declared his candidacy as the leader of the rebels, Noance turned his gaze to Morpha.

“I’ll be the leader of the rebels. I won’t become a dragon’s subordinate.”

“......”

“But if our goals align, I can work with you as an ally.”

Just as Noance said, the negotiator’s plan to take over the rebels had failed. Morpha clicked their tongue and averted their gaze.

I watched the firm resolve of the new leader before asking carefully. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

“Noance, are you sure about this?”

Had he truly accepted Adeline’s truth and overcome her death?

Was he prepared to stand at the forefront of the thorny path ahead?

It was a question that contained all of that.

Noance tapped the empty cup lightly with his fingertip before speaking.

“I thought about Lady Adeline all day. Honestly, for a while now, she’d started to feel unfamiliar to me.”

Everyone listened intently to his calm confession.

“But no matter how much I think about it... the person who saved me as a child in the slums was human. You can feel it, right? Because you’re human.”

Because you’re human, you can feel it.

I nodded in agreement.

The discomfort I had felt toward Adeline wasn’t because my senses were particularly sharp. It was because I was human—because I could feel the dissonance of something that wasn’t human.

Morpha looked like they had a lot to say, but they stayed silent and listened.

“The old Lady Adeline used to tell me this often. That true strength isn’t power, but love. That’s not something a monster could say.”

“...You’re right.”

“I don’t know when that damned bug took over her body, but at least when she told me that... I believe she was human. And I...”

Noance’s hand tightened around his cup, and it shattered with a sharp crack.

“I’ll carry on Lady Adeline’s will.”

The child who had cried like he’d lost his mother had returned as a resolute adult. The firelight flickered in his determined eyes.

I raised my cup in silent support of his decision.

Then Varen, who had been quietly listening, opened his heavy mouth.

“Not long ago, my father was killed by a human king. But I do not think my father is dead.”

Without a cup to raise, Varen met Noance’s gaze directly.

“As long as I carry on his will, I believe he remains by my side.”

The new leaders of the dragons and the rebels faced each other. Though they were of different races, they had endured the same pain and made the same resolve. A faint smile passed between them.

Morpha, watching the two silently reach an understanding without many words, let out an irritated sigh.

“It seems we’ll be busy again starting tomorrow. I will proceed as planned and take that drunkard with me to the Litmus family.”

I recalled the current situation I had nearly forgotten for a few days and asked Morpha,

“The Litmus family is a physician lineage of the council, right? One that can secure a private audience with the king?”

“Yes, that’s correct. I will be acting independently for the time being.”

That meant we were no longer waiting for Morpha’s instructions—we had to find our own roles and move accordingly.

I rubbed my chin and fell into brief thought. What I needed to do to face King Laskar. What only Ceryl Aylos could do.

“...I’ll go to the Aylos family.”