The gryphon slowly descended from the sky.

Its enormous wings spread wide above the road, casting a massive shadow over the people below as powerful gusts of wind swept across the grasslands surrounding the border town. Dust rose into the air while cloaks fluttered violently, forcing several Holy Knights to raise their arms to shield their eyes.

The beast let out a low cry as it lowered itself further.

Step by step.

Closer.

Closer.

Until finally, its sharp claws touched the ground with a heavy thud.

Boom.

The earth trembled lightly beneath it.

Frazanna stared at the scene silently.

The Holy Knights behind her also remained quiet.

Even after all this time, even after hearing countless stories from the border town, seeing Clay Valmont personally still gave them a strange pressure they could not properly explain.

Especially now.

Because the entire border town had changed.

The walls had become larger.

The guards had become calmer.

Even the beasts nearby no longer seemed like an uncontrollable disaster.

Everything had changed after his arrival.

And that alone was enough to make people wary of him.

The gryphon lowered its body slightly.

Then Clay finally stepped down.

Slowly.

Casually.

Without hurry.

His boots landed softly against the ground while the wind gently moved his hair and clothes. His expression looked relaxed, almost lazy even, as though he had merely gone out for a stroll instead of descending before an entire group of Holy Knights.

Maid Cy quietly followed behind him.

Her gaze swept across the surroundings once before returning to Clay’s back.

Meanwhile, Frazanna felt her chest tighten slightly.

It had been a while since she last saw him this closely.

Her former fiancé.

Clay Valmont.

The young master everyone once mocked for being lazy, arrogant, and talentless.

Yet now...

Even standing there casually, he no longer resembled the same person from before.

There was something different about him now.

Something that made people unconsciously careful around him.

Clay looked at the group calmly.

Then he smiled faintly.

"So."

His voice was light.

"Did all of you enjoy your stay in the border town?"

The sudden casual question caught them off guard.

Several Holy Knights exchanged glances.

Frazanna blinked once before answering.

"Yes... Young Master Clay."

Clay nodded slowly.

"That’s good."

He glanced toward the distant walls behind them.

"The place was pretty chaotic before."

He sighed lightly.

"Rampaging beasts everywhere. Broken defenses. Endless trouble."

He looked back at them again.

"I’m glad things became calmer."

His tone sounded relaxed.

Natural.

As if he was merely making ordinary conversation.

But strangely enough, the more normal he acted, the more uncomfortable the Holy Knights became.

Because they could not forget the rumors spreading throughout the border town.

Nor could they forget Maxwell’s words before disappearing.

Frazanna forced herself to remain calm.

"You helped this place greatly."

Clay waved his hand casually.

"It wasn’t that difficult."

Inside his head though, his thoughts immediately followed.

It was absolutely difficult.

I almost died from stress pretending to be some lonely overpowered monster.

Even now I still don’t understand why everyone keeps taking me seriously.

Maid Cy heard every single thought.

But outwardly, she remained expressionless.

Clay looked toward the wagons behind the Holy Knights.

"You’re leaving already?"

One of the knights immediately answered respectfully.

"Yes, Young Master."

"We stayed long enough to help stabilize the surroundings."

Another knight quickly added.

"And with the current defenses of the border town, there is no longer much need for us here."

Clay slowly nodded.

"I see."

His gaze drifted toward the massive walls in the distance.

Workers could still be seen moving around.

Guards continued patrolling the area.

Everything appeared stable.

Peaceful even.

Clay looked genuinely satisfied seeing it.

Honestly...

This was exactly what he wanted.

A peaceful life.

No fighting.

No deadly enemies.

No crazy destiny trying to turn him into some final villain.

Just eating.

Sleeping.

Relaxing.

Maybe getting pampered a little by Maid Cy.

That was enough.

More than enough.

Meanwhile, Frazanna quietly observed him.

The more she looked at him, the stranger she felt.

Because he truly looked relaxed.

There was no visible tension in him.

No nervousness.

No guilt.

Nothing about him resembled someone secretly plotting disaster behind the scenes.

Yet Maxwell...

Maxwell had been completely convinced.

And now the rumors spreading through the border town were becoming worse and worse.

Frazanna herself no longer knew what to believe.

Suddenly, Clay spoke again.

"So."

He glanced at them.

"Where are you heading next?"

Frazanna answered carefully.

"There are still dangerous areas further east."

"We plan to assist nearby settlements before returning to the Holy Kingdom."

Clay nodded.

"That’s responsible."

One of the younger Holy Knights suddenly spoke up nervously.

"The border town really changed a lot because of you, Young Master."

Clay looked at him.

The knight immediately stiffened.

But unexpectedly, Clay simply smiled lightly.

"Of course it changed."

He pointed lazily toward the massive walls.

"I spent a fortune on that thing."

Several knights awkwardly laughed.

The atmosphere became slightly lighter.

Clay himself also seemed more relaxed.

He even began casually asking them questions about their journey toward the border town, whether they encountered dangerous beasts, and how the Holy Kingdom was doing recently.

The conversation continued for quite a while.

Long enough for the tension from earlier to slowly lessen.

At some point, even Frazanna almost forgot why Clay had come personally.

Almost.

Then suddenly—

Clay cleared his throat lightly.

The sound immediately caused everyone to quiet down again.

His expression remained calm. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

Still relaxed.

Still casual.

But this time, his eyes slowly moved across every single face before him.

Then he finally spoke.

"Let me ask you something."

Frazanna’s body unconsciously became tense.

The Holy Knights behind her also straightened instinctively.

Clay tilted his head slightly.

"Do any of you have any idea who spread some baseless rumors?"

The moment the question was asked, the atmosphere immediately became strange again.

Not violent.

Not hostile.

But heavy enough that nobody answered right away.

The wind continued blowing across the open road while the gryphon behind Clay scraped one of its claws against the ground lazily. Somewhere far away, workers near the walls could still be heard shouting at one another as they continued rebuilding parts of the border defenses.

Yet despite those normal sounds, the group before Clay felt unusually quiet.

Frazanna looked at him carefully.

"Baseless rumors...?"

Clay nodded slowly.

"Yes."

His tone remained calm.

Almost too calm.

"The kind that suddenly spreads around an entire border town overnight."

"The kind that somehow involves me."

He lightly dusted his sleeve before continuing.

"I was curious where it started."

One of the Holy Knights immediately shook his head.

"We do not know anything about that, Young Master."

Another quickly followed.

"Yes. We only heard some whispers while preparing to leave."

Clay looked at them silently for a few moments.

Inside his head though, his thoughts were already becoming noisy again.

No way.

There’s absolutely no way they only heard it recently.

The entire town is already looking at me like I’m some hidden mastermind.

How fast did this nonsense spread?

Maid Cy was gone for weeks and somehow my peaceful life collapsed the moment I went outside.

He almost wanted to sigh loudly.

Instead, he maintained his calm expression.

Frazanna suddenly spoke.

"What kind of rumors are being spread exactly?"

Clay looked at her.

Then he laughed lightly.

Not because he found it funny.

More because he genuinely could not believe what he had heard earlier.

"They’re saying I’m the one responsible for the beast evolution tide."

Silence.

Several Holy Knights visibly stiffened.

A few even widened their eyes slightly.

Frazanna herself froze briefly.

And Clay noticed it immediately.

His eyes narrowed just a little.

Not enough to look threatening.

But enough to make the others feel pressured.

"Oh?"

"That reaction is interesting."

Frazanna quickly regained her composure.

"No."

She shook her head calmly.

"I was only surprised such rumors even exist."

Clay stared at her quietly.

Meanwhile, inside his mind—

That sounded suspicious.

No, wait.

Maybe I’m just overthinking again.

Right. Calm down.

People react weirdly all the time.

Maid Cy stood behind him silently while listening to every thought in his head.

At the same time, she herself was also quietly observing the Holy Knights.

Especially Frazanna.

Because unlike Clay, she knew something important.

Maxwell.

That man had escaped.

And before escaping, he had already become convinced that Clay was responsible for the beast crisis.

The timing of these rumors spreading was too convenient.

Too perfect.

Frazanna slowly spoke again.

"Why would people even believe such a thing?"

Clay immediately answered.

"Exactly."

He pointed at himself.

"Look at me."

"I’ve been sleeping, eating, relaxing, and avoiding trouble."

"I even helped stabilize this place."

His expression became slightly irritated now.

"What kind of idiot sees that and concludes I’m secretly causing disasters?"

Several Holy Knights awkwardly looked away.

Because honestly...

The rumors sounded ridiculous.

But at the same time...

The border town truly had changed after Clay arrived.

The beasts became stranger.

More dangerous.

Even Borzoi and the others were suspiciously powerful.

Too many coincidences had gathered together.

And humans naturally feared coincidences.

Frazanna carefully asked,

"Who told you about the rumors?"

Clay casually pointed behind him with his thumb.

"The civilians."

"I went out for a peaceful walk."

"Then suddenly everyone started looking at me like I was some hidden monster preparing to destroy the continent."

He clicked his tongue lightly.

"I almost thought I heard wrong."

The Holy Knights remained silent.

Meanwhile, Maid Cy quietly watched everything unfold.

Then—

Clay suddenly smiled again.

A very relaxed smile.

"So."

"Since all of you only recently heard the rumors..."

His gaze slowly swept across them again.

"Then you probably wouldn’t mind helping me figure out who started it."

Several knights immediately looked uneasy.

One of them hurriedly answered.

"Of course, Young Master."

"We have no intention of spreading lies."

Another nodded quickly.

"Yes. If someone truly slandered you, then they should be punished."

Clay nodded approvingly.

"That’s what I was thinking too."

Inside his head though—

Good.

Exactly.

Punish them.

Whoever started this nonsense deserves suffering.

I was finally relaxing peacefully for once.

For once!

Maid Cy almost felt like laughing hearing his thoughts.

But outwardly, her face remained completely calm.

Frazanna meanwhile quietly looked at Clay.

The more she observed him, the more conflicted she became.

Because his reactions felt genuine.

Too genuine.

He truly seemed annoyed by the rumors.

Not fearful.

Not defensive.

Just irritated.

Like someone whose peaceful life had been unnecessarily disturbed.

Could Maxwell really have misunderstood everything?

But then—

She remembered the beasts.

The evolution tide.

The terrifying Bersuka warriors.

And most importantly—

The maid standing behind Clay.

That terrifying assassin.

Her grip unconsciously tightened slightly.

Clay noticed the movement.

"Hm?"

Frazanna immediately relaxed her hand.

"Nothing."

Clay stared at her for another moment before shrugging casually.

Then he suddenly stretched lightly.

"Well."

"I’ve already asked what I needed to ask."

"You’re all free to leave."

The Holy Knights quietly felt relieved hearing those words.

The pressure around the conversation had become strangely exhausting.

Even though Clay himself never openly threatened them.

Frazanna lowered her head slightly.

"Thank you."

Clay waved his hand casually.

"Just make sure those rumors disappear eventually."

He smiled again.

"Otherwise, people might think I’m actually dangerous."

The joke immediately made several Holy Knights sweat nervously.

Because for some reason...

Coming from him...

It did not sound entirely like a joke.