Inside one of the rooms,

There were two couches set in the middle of it, with a glass table placed in front of them.

Elizabeth sat comfortably on one couch, while Amon sat on the other. They were facing each other.

Meanwhile, Sophie, the strict-looking maid, poured cups of coffee for both Amon and Elizabeth.

After that she stand behind the couch. Where Elizabeth sat.

Amon took the cup and brought it to his lips. He took a sip, the hot liquid touching his tongue.

"Hm... haah... I can’t believe I can drink coffee again. I survived for so many months without it," he said with a relieved expression.

Elizabeth, who sat across from him, also took a sip and then smiled while looking at him.

"Amon, you sure have gone through a hard time, I suppose. But now you are safe. So where will you go? What are you planning to do once you return to the kingdom?" she asked calmly.

Amon thought for a moment before replying, his expression turning slightly uncertain. "To be honest, first I will contact my friends and tell them that I’m back... and then..." He trailed off.

"I don’t know... My first year at the academy is gone. So I guess I have to find work... maybe I will try to become an adventurer. Or—"

"Hey, wait! Wait!" Elizabeth interrupted him suddenly, placing her cup on the table.

With a confident expression, she continued, "Boy, who said you can’t join the academy? You can join directly in the second year, which will start next month."

Amon’s eyes lit up with excitement upon hearing that. "Oh! Really? You mean it?" he asked eagerly.

Elizabeth smirked slightly. "Of course. Do you think I would lie to you? Don’t worry, just go back to the academy. The headmistress will place you in the second year. And if you face any problems, just contact me," she added with a light laugh.

Amon nodded enthusiastically.

"By the way," he said politely, "I have a request I would like to make, if you don’t mind."

Elizabeth studied his face for a moment before nodding. "Go on. If it is within my capabilities, I will help you."

"It’s nothing difficult," Amon said with a calm smile. "You mentioned that you will be helping Roland and the others build a village. So... please build a large and good house for me there as well."

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow slightly at his request. "That’s easy. I will do that, don’t worry. So, you want to live in that village?"

Amon nodded. "Yes. I lived with them for more than four months. They were kind to me, like a family. Since I am an orphan, I don’t even have a place to call home. But I guess this way... I would have a place to return to."

Elizabeth’s expression softened upon hearing that. "Yes, I suppose you’re right. And I am more than happy for you to live there. Since the village will be under my dukedom, and you are also a student who was supposed to be sponsored by me, it works well."

"Thank you very much, Lady Elizabeth," Amon said sincerely.

"It’s alright," she replied. Then her expression turned serious. "Now, I wanted to talk about something important."

Seeing her serious expression, Amon straightened his posture as well. "What is it?"

"I spoke with Roland and heard about what happened. Now I want to hear it from your side. Everything, from the moment you entered the island, how you ended up in the village, and how you managed to get out."

Amon remained silent for a moment, thinking carefully, then nodded. "Alright. I will tell you everything in detail. I entered the unknown portal opened by one of the assassins who attacked the academy airship..." 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

---

After more than an hour,

"...And that’s how we got out from there. Then, with the help of Scarlett’s communication device, we contacted her family and asked for help." He exhaled deeply. "Haah..."

He then looked at Sophie. "Can I get some water?"

Sophie snapped out of her focused expression. She had been listening to him too intently.

She stood behind Elizabeth’s couch and nodded quickly. "Y-yes, of course."

She walked toward the corner of the room, where a wooden table held a water jar and glasses. She poured a glass of water and handed it to Amon.

"Thanks."

Gulp.

He drank it immediately.

Elizabeth had remained silent the entire time while listening to his story.

Sigh.

She sighed softly.

"I have to say... you suffered too much, young man," she said with a sympathetic expression. "I had heard about you from Sir Galahad, but hearing your entire story... I truly feel sorry for you."

Amon shook his head calmly. "It’s alright. Despite everything I went through... for some reason, I don’t hate it. After all, I found someone very important while being stuck there."

Elizabeth smiled knowingly. "Yes... I suppose you’re right."

"By the way," Amon asked, "when did Galahad and the others return to the kingdom?"

Elizabeth replied thoughtfully, "About a month after you went missing again during the fight with the demons. They did find the demon base, but it was too late, they had already left. They found the bodies of Harvey and Mira, both half-burned... but there was no sign of you. They searched for you, but couldn’t find anything. So they eventually returned."

Hearing the names Harvey and Mira, old memories surfaced in Amon’s mind.

He remained silent for a moment.

"Anyway..." he said, pushing those thoughts aside, "do you know anything about Vetaal?"

He explained how Vetaal had helped him and how Kazriel was defeated, carefully hiding the part about using Vetaal’s power himself.

He stated that Vetaal had killed Kazriel using his body.

Elizabeth frowned slightly. "To be honest, I have no idea. There is no known individual with the name Vetaal."

"And you also said that Vetaal was not his true name," she continued, leaning back against the couch. "Understanding who he really is will be very difficult. Only if we had his real name..."

She paused briefly, then added, "Although, it does seem like he was related to vampires... but at the same time, he was not one. I will look into it. For now, you should just relax and enjoy your time. Thank you for sharing everything. What you experienced... is remarkable. You are amazing, Amon."

She smiled genuinely. Her mature smile was dazzling.

Amon narrowed his eyes slightly, maintaining his composure. He had grown more accustomed to such beauty after spending so much time with Scarlett... though only slightly.

"Thanks for compliments. By the way..." he said, his tone turning curious, "there was one thing I wanted to ask you."

Elizabeth looked at him. "What is it, Amon? You can ask me."

Amon met her gaze. "Why did you give me the golden ticket that allowed me to be admitted to the academy?"