Evolving My Undead Legion In A Game-Like World-Chapter 840: Someone From Aurora

Michael watched silently.

Around him, murmurs rose.

"...They’re staying?"

"Why haven’t they departed like the others?"

"Are they remaining stationed here?"

Renn folded his arms slightly, his gaze thoughtful.

"...It’s probably because of distance," he said after a moment.

Michael glanced at him briefly.

Renn continued, voice low but audible to those near him.

"The Black Serpent Empire is extremely far from here. It would take far longer for their ship to return compared to neighboring kingdoms."

He tilted his head faintly.

"It makes logistical sense for them to remain stationed until the expedition concludes."

Renn was not the only one who thought so.

It was reasonable.

Practical.

Strategic even.

And yet...

Despite that logic, many people still felt uncomfortable.

The presence of an imperial war vessel looming over the expedition site was not something that could be ignored easily.

It was like sitting beside a sleeping beast.

Not hostile.

But never fully relaxing either.

Michael understood the sentiment.

But he did not share it.

His gaze drifted briefly toward the ship again before returning to the portal.

’Political nonsense,’ he thought calmly.

Michael’s attention suddenly shifted as he felt a sharp, burning stare that cut through the crowd like a blade.

His eyes narrowed slightly as he traced it back.

And found the source.

Prince Rui.

The same face.

The same cold arrogance.

The same presence that had once been knocked unconscious and dragged out of the tournament arena in humiliation.

Michael’s memory was clear.

He had seen the prince before.

And now the prince was staring at him like he wanted to carve his name into Michael’s bones.

Hatred.

Raw, unmasked hatred.

Michael did not react outwardly, but a faint ripple passed through his mind.

’...Why?’

At first, he assumed it was not directed at him.

It made more sense for that gaze to be meant for Renn.

After all, Renn was the one who had done it.

So Michael shifted half a step to the side.

A casual movement.

Just enough to open Rui’s line of sight toward Renn more clearly.

If the prince wanted his enemy...

Then let him see his enemy.

But Rui’s gaze did not leave.

It stayed on Michael.

Michael’s brows drew together slightly.

Then, to make sure he was not imagining it, he shifted again, letting Renn fall even more into view.

For a moment, Rui’s eyes flicked toward Renn.

Just briefly.

A shared hatred.

A glance that carried the same poison.

Then Rui’s eyes returned to Michael almost immediately, the hostility sharpening instead of fading.

’So it’s both of us?’

Michael’s expression remained calm, but inside, the confusion deepened.

’What did I do to you?’

He had not fought Rui.

He had barely acknowledged his existence beyond recognizing him as trouble.

Yet Rui looked at him like Michael had robbed him of something precious.

Michael’s senses stretched outward instinctively.

And that was when he noticed the second detail.

Someone beside Rui.

A young attendant.

Around his own age.

Dressed with the restraint of an imperial retainer, but carrying the kind of posture that hinted at status rather than servitude.

The attendant’s gaze kept drifting toward Michael.

Not openly or directly.

But Michael still caught it thanks to his sharp perception.

Michael’s eyes lowered slightly, as if he was simply observing the ground.

But his awareness stayed locked on those two.

’Prince Rui hates Renn. That’s expected.’

’Prince Rui hates me too.’

’And his attendant is watching me.’

Michael’s fingers twitched once, then stilled.

His expression remained unchanged.

But a quiet warning settled into his mind.

The ruins were unknown territory.

And yet, before they had even stepped through the portal...

He already had two problems staring at him from the empire’s side.

He exhaled softly.

Fine.

If you want to look... then look.

Just don’t reach.

Unlike what Michael thought...

The young imperial retainer was not looking at him simply because his lord was doing the same.

If anything, he wished he was not looking at Michael at all.

Because the moment his eyes truly recognized that face...

His heart skipped violently.

He lowered his gaze slightly, pretending to be focused on the clearing ahead.

But his peripheral vision kept drifting back uncontrollably.

’It’s him.’

There was no mistake.

Even if Michael’s aura had changed...

That face could not be mistaken.

The man he could only watch from afar back then.

The man whose existence had caused a huge sensation in Aurora.

’Why is he here...?’

The retainer’s thoughts raced.

’What kind of dumb luck is this...?’

Out of all the places.

His lips almost twitched despite himself.

It felt surreal.

’To think I’d actually meet someone from Aurora here...’

’Should I approach him?’

The retainer could not help but think it.

The thought surfaced before he could stop it.

His fingers twitched faintly at his side, hidden beneath the long sleeve of his imperial attire.

’If I greet him... would he even remember me? After all, I could only take a beating in the exam space, which was the only time we were so close in proximity.’

The thought carried hesitation.

’Still... we’re from the same place.’

But that thought did not last long.

Reality returned just as quickly.

His gaze shifted subtly toward Prince Rui standing ahead of him.

’...This will affect the Prince’s plan.’

The realization landed heavily.

He had not climbed to his current position easily.

Befriending Prince Rui had taken time.

His jaw tightened slightly.

Then another thought surfaced.

’But he’s from where I grew up...’

The conflict twisted deeper.

Loyalty to origin.

Or loyalty to opportunity.

The two stood on opposite ends now.

And for a brief moment...

He truly hesitated.

Before it faded.

He would not jeopardize this opportunity for nostalgia over someone who probably did not care about him, or would not be bothered to care about him now.

Not even for someone from Aurora.

In the end...

His gaze hardened slightly.

’This is just an expedition.’

’And if conflict happens...’

’If death occurs... it will not be final anyway.’

Because for people like them...

Death was not always the end.

Respawn exists.

The thought settled coldly in his mind.

’If he dies... he’ll just come back.’

That single justification smoothed over the last trace of guilt.