Even Geoffrey himself never expected to be part of the Seeker of Glory’s conflict, let alone survive it.

"I want to retire," Geoffrey said to Bologue. "For someone contemplating retirement, the more you know, the heavier it becomes."

"I don’t think the Decision Room will let you off so easily. They don’t let go of anyone with value."

Bologue said calmly. These days, Geoffrey had been complaining to him about these matters.

In fact, Bologue also knew that Geoffrey was not tired or weary; he was just relieved and lacked the motivation to continue. All his enemies in the secret war had practically perished here.

According to some novels Bologue had read, people like Geoffrey would consider their great revenge complete and would be left with a sense of loss. Usually, authors would end the story here, not writing any further, leaving the character frozen in this tranquil moment, as the story afterward would be quite dull.

It was unfortunate that this was real life, not some novel. With enemies dead, Geoffrey’s life had to go on. He tried to return to his Logistics Department mindset, carefree and without worries, but the current Geoffrey couldn’t do it anymore.

Many things had changed.

Bologue pushed Geoffrey to the end of the corridor. Hesitating for a moment, Bologue still opened the door. A thick smell of disinfectant hit them. The room was poorly lit. Through the glass window, Bologue could clearly see the scene inside the sealed room.

A figure almost wrapped like a mummy lay on the hospital bed, tubes inserted all over him like a machine. Bandages nearly covered his entire face, leaving only his mouth and nose exposed.

Colorful drug fluids were continuously being supplied into his body, and beside the bed, a complex machine roared. Bologue had heard doctors introduce this strange medical equipment; according to them, it was an extracorporeal circulation device to help sustain the patient.

"Is Lebius still alive?"

Geoffrey asked. He couldn’t see the scene inside the room, only hearing the low hum of machinery.

"He’s still alive... seems to be recovering well," Bologue lied.

In the Seeker of Glory’s conflict, Lebius was the most severely injured. To kill Red Dog, he nearly twisted every bone in his body, forcefully commanding himself.

When the Border Sanatorium took in Lebius, he was practically a mass of mangled flesh, limbs twisted weirdly, organs completely misplaced. If not for Etherealization and Nesanel’s timely rescue, Lebius would have surely died.

Even so, it took doctors a long time to reposition Lebius’s limbs, remove fragments of bone piercing the organs, treat his wounds, and sustain his life. During these days in the hospital, Lebius had undergone major surgeries daily. Until today, all surgical procedures finally ended, and his vital signs barely stabilized.

Apart from them in the battlefield’s core area, Aimou also sustained some damage. But because of her nature as an Alchemy Puppet, as long as the Constant Motion Core was undamaged, she could always repair herself. Unlike the wounded here, Aimou was within the Sublimation Furnace Core, repairing herself.

And then... Palmer, lucky Palmer. Among them, he was the least injured.

This enviable lucky one missed the most frenzied part of the battle. Palmer barely encountered the First Seat or Red Dog. The only injury on him was the decay plague’s erosion. After simple treatment by the doctors, Palmer was allowed to be discharged. However, Palmer didn’t leave and stayed with them, wasting precious medical resources.

"What do you think Lebius will feel when he wakes up?" Geoffrey asked.

"In what respect are you asking?"

"Not anything specific... Just guessing, what might he be thinking?" Geoffrey asked. "The thrill of killing the enemy or the void after success?"

"Or maybe..."

Geoffrey recalled the eerie frenzy emanating from Lebius, feeling an unprecedented complexity. "Perhaps he’ll wish he had died in the conflict."

Both fell into silence, with absolute stillness spreading around.

The Protection from Belphegor, concealed by Lebius for a long time, was now exposed. The situation was urgent back then, leaving Geoffrey no time to think. But now thoughts surged back, and Geoffrey felt the long-missed confusion.

Geoffrey knew Lebius. He was a proud person, which was why he stubbornly persisted on the front lines. Even now, Geoffrey could understand Lebius’s desperate measures and the humiliation in seeking aid from the Devil for such a proud person.

Now that Lebius’s goal was achieved, how would he justify his actions? He might disdain to justify himself or feel intensely pained in solitude.

"I’ve always thought that humans are incredibly resilient creatures."

Bologue suddenly spoke, stepping forward, his face close to the glass, as if wanting to cross the barrier to Lebius’s bedside.

"No matter the wounds, tortures, or how terrifying the environment... we can always adapt and survive."

Bologue recalled those history-changing events, "Scorched Earth Fury, Fall of the Holy City, secret war... every time we felt the apocalypse looming, we always got through it."

"It isn’t difficult for Lebius, nor for you, nor for anyone."

Bologue said quietly.

"We always manage to survive."