Gilbert lunged at D’Élysée in a blind rage.

Guttural roars echoed through the small cave, reverberating off the stone walls.

“Brother! Run away now—ugh.”

Before D’Élysée could even assume a fighting stance, he became entangled with Gilbert and they tumbled deeper into the cave.

“Gil…!”

Egru, who had been trying to stop Gilbert, abruptly closed his mouth upon seeing D’Élysée. Then he dashed like an arrow toward the two who had begun their struggle.

There was only one thing to do. He had to separate them, even by force.

Without hesitation, Egru inserted himself between them. He waved his hands about wildly to obstruct their vision, trying to make them stop.

But the brawl didn’t end, and remarkably, Egru didn’t take a single hit during the scuffle.

Both fighters were consciously avoiding Egru while striking at each other.

Realizing this approach wasn’t working, Egru grabbed the instigator of the fight.

It was Gilbert, with leaves matted in his wheat-colored hair. His entire body was covered in scratches from tree branches, evidence of how frantically he had given chase.

Egru gripped Gilbert’s forearm with all his might, trying to pull him away.

But Gilbert ignored him completely. Instead, the force of Gilbert’s punch toward D’Élysée only dragged Egru’s light frame along.

Oh no!

In an instant, Egru’s body lifted off the ground and he lost his balance. Just before he would have crashed onto the cold stone floor, time seemed to slow down.

A jagged rock protrusion approached his face in slow motion.

But he couldn’t avoid it. It wasn’t just time that had slowed.

His body felt sluggish while his mind remained clear. Egru squeezed his eyes shut, anticipating the impact.

As darkness enveloped his vision, the sounds of heavy punches suddenly stopped. Only harsh breathing filled the small cave.

It doesn’t hurt yet…

Egru snapped his eyes open.

He was floating in mid-air like a superhero soaring through the sky. D’Élysée’s hand supported Egru’s forehead, while Gilbert’s arm wrapped around his waist, holding him steady.

It wasn’t the method he’d intended, but finally, the fighting had ceased.

Egru quickly dropped down and created distance between D’Élysée and Gilbert. Then he shot glares at both of them in turn—a fair warning in his eyes telling them to stop fighting.

“He stole from me first,” Gilbert said incredulously, breaking the silence.

“Don’t treat my brother like an object.”

“Would it be better to say you kidnapped a person?”

When signs of another argument emerged, Egru waved his hands frantically and tried to explain.

He looked back and forth between them, bowed from the waist, then clasped his hands together and shook them. He meant for them to apologize and shake hands.

When there was no particular response, Egru finally grabbed both their hands and forced them together. D’Élysée furrowed his delicate brow, and Gilbert stuck out his tongue as if about to vomit.

“Brother…”

“Ugh.”

Both were clearly disgusted, but when Egru showed signs of anger, they reluctantly offered their hands.

D’Élysée and Gilbert tilted their heads to avoid looking directly at each other’s faces, shook hands for less than a second, then pulled apart.

Only then did Egru sit down with a satisfied expression.

“The floor must be cold, Brother. Sit next to me. I’ll spread my robe for you.”

When D’Élysée spoke affectionately, Gilbert snorted and blocked the way.

“Do you know him?” Gilbert asked, gesturing toward D’Élysée with his chin. Simultaneously, he firmly gripped Egru’s shoulder as he was about to move toward D’Élysée.

Egru hesitated momentarily, then shook his head.

“He says he doesn’t know you. How can you keep pretending to know him when you’ve never met?”

“Brother is my only family. He’s just forgotten me due to unfortunate circumstances.”

“Your ears are too short to be brothers.”

Suspicious red eyes looked D’Élysée up and down.

If they were both half-elves, it might make sense. But a pure human and an elf? They couldn’t possibly be born from the same womb.

How could he trust someone who reeked of Salvanel from the start?

“A typical con artist. Don’t be fooled. Salvanel probably ordered him to kidnap a new test subject.”

Gilbert leaned toward Egru as he spoke. He didn’t even try to lower his voice as if deliberately wanting D’Élysée to hear.

“Someone as gullible as you will get fleeced down to your last kidney.”

“I’m not trying to convince you,” D’Élysée said.

D’Élysée calmly met Egru’s eyes, ignoring Gilbert.

“Believe me, Brother. We’ll be together from now on.”

D’Élysée smiled kindly and extended his hand.

“Ah…”

When Egru unconsciously reached out, Gilbert firmly grabbed his wrist to stop him. D’Élysée, looking disappointed, lightly grasped the tips of Egru’s distant fingers before letting go. Egru didn’t notice, but veins had risen prominently on D’Élysée’s neck.

As amber eyes glowed as if enchanted, Gilbert openly displayed his displeasure.

A twinge shot through his chest. Egru had followed him willingly before, but now kept turning his attention to another man.

Even though Gilbert had pushed him away first, an indescribable emotion surged within him.

“You seem to know Salvanel,” D’Élysée asked Gilbert while maintaining eye contact with Egru.

“Are you also looking for the first Hero, like him?”

“You know the Hero?”

Gilbert showed sudden interest at the mention of the Hero.

“Salvanel said I was a fake. The real one is…”

D’Élysée trailed off, glancing briefly at Egru.

“Who have you been calling a Hero?”

“The little Saint, sir.”

The echo of Salvanel’s laughter from past memories rang in his mind.

“Don’t you understand yet? You have been living a life stolen from your brother.”

What could it mean that his brother was the first Hero? Was his brother the reincarnation of a mass murderer?

That’s when it happened.

D’Élysée’s heart virtually melted as Egru tilted his head in confusion.

Of course it couldn’t be true.

Though he would keep the possibility open, there was no way his brother could be the century’s greatest villain.

Even if it were true, it wouldn’t matter.

If his brother earnestly asked for it with folded hands, D’Élysée would willingly present the head of a tyrant as a gift.

If it were a benevolent ruler, he might nominally ask his brother to reconsider, but the result would be the same.

He believed that anything his brother wanted must have a valid reason.

“Tell me everything you know about the Hero.”

Unable to bear the lengthening silence, Gilbert grabbed D’Élysée by the collar. Startled, Egru clung to Gilbert’s forearm, trying to pull him off.

Light green eyes slowly turned to Gilbert.

D’Élysée rapidly pieced together the clues he had witnessed.

The thug before him clearly lusted after the first Hero. Even now, the center of his exposed lower body was gradually rising.

If he learns about Salvanel’s conjecture that Brother might be the first Hero…

D’Élysée resolved not to let any facts be discovered. For now, even from his brother. He decided to hold his tongue.

“I don’t know the details either, but your guess that I’m Salvanel’s subordinate is wrong. Salvanel tried to have me consumed by the real Hero.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means he tried to kill me after he was done with me.”

Egru fidgeted anxiously at this shocking statement.

Salvanel tried to kill D’Élysée?

Surely it couldn’t be the Pope. Perhaps he was talking about someone with the same name.

Unable to contain his curiosity, Egru whispered into Gilbert’s ear. Gilbert seemed somewhat annoyed but thankfully relayed the message.

“He wants to know if you mean Pope Salvanel who’s in the Holy Land.”

Light green eyes stared directly at their whispered exchange. Any hint of distortion vanished completely when Egru turned to look at D’Élysée.

“That’s right, Brother. We met him together.”

D’Élysée warned kindly but firmly.

“The Pope is a deranged murderer. If you ever encounter him, you must run straight to where I am, understand?”

“!”

Egru was overwhelmed with confusion. He recalled the warm gestures Salvanel had shown at the northern cabin.

What’s going on? Wasn’t D’Élysée the one who harmed Salvanel first?

Egru put his mouth to Gilbert’s ear again.

“Couldn’t you speak to me directly, Brother?” D’Élysée asked, looking disappointed.

Egru squirmed with an embarrassed expression, appearing apologetic.

“I understand. I won’t rush you.”

D’Élysée lowered his eyes briefly in silence before speaking.

“Until you’re ready, Brother.”

D’Élysée smiled slightly. Expressing gratitude with his eyes, Egru resumed his whispering.

Gilbert was growing tired of relaying messages but endured it. At least he liked that Egru was avoiding direct conversation with the mysterious man.

It felt as if he had become a much more intimate and special figure to Egru than the human he kept calling “brother.”

“What exactly does ‘consumed by the real Hero’ mean?” Gilbert eventually asked on Egru’s behalf, in a noticeably smug voice.

“Though I haven’t fully grasped the Pope’s intentions…”

Lightly dismissing him, D’Élysée explained calmly.

“I know I was meant to manifest the first Hero, and that experiment failed. He said he would reunite me, the first Hero’s incarnation, with him.”

Egru couldn’t shake his confused feelings. It was as if his spinning thoughts had completely stopped.

The only certainty was that this wasn’t a problem that could be solved immediately. What mattered right now was…

After listening to Egru’s next whisper, Gilbert rolled his eyes before speaking.

“He says he doesn’t want you here.”

“Brother wouldn’t say such things to me.”

D’Élysée cut in without showing the slightest agitation. While Egru became flustered, Gilbert turned his head sharply and said:

“He says he’s glad you’re alive.”

“Thank you, Brother.”

D’Élysée smiled truly beautifully and brightly.

“I wanted to tell you first, but instead I heard it from you.”

Just as Egru smiled in return, Gilbert stepped between them.

“If Salvanel didn’t send you, why are you here?”

“I’m taking my brother away. I can’t leave him with someone who can’t even control his rut.”

“Bad timing. He’s leaving with me soon. He even begged me to take him along. You probably don’t know anything about what he wants.”

“Then I’ll come with you too, Brother.”

“Says who?”

Just before another fire could ignite, Egru intervened with an angry face. The two said nothing more and averted their gazes.