Naturally, to everyone else present, Ian’s gaze didn’t resemble the crazed stare of someone obsessed with collecting characters.

To Nameita, it looked like admiration—a human hero showing genuine goodwill toward other races.

And true to expectations, Ian said:

“Actually, I should be the one thanking you. You went to all this trouble for the sake of my subordinate. Louise’s tragedy can’t be undone, but restoring his parents’ honor may free him from the guilt that’s haunted him all his life.”

“Hero...!”

Nameita looked deeply moved.

Truthfully, he had nearly given up already.

Was harmony between races nothing more than an impossible fantasy? Was he simply struggling toward a dream that could never be realized?

He couldn’t even stop the corruption within his own people, so how could he possibly help unite the rest of the world?

Despite those doubts, Nameita had resisted Gorea in every way he could.

But his strength was pitifully small, while Gorea himself was monstrously powerful.

All Nameita had managed to do was sneak into White Rock Village to free prisoners or secretly steal from Gorea’s home while searching for the secret behind his “superhuman strength.”

He had obtained evidence that could clear his friend’s name, but exposing the truth alone would have been nearly impossible.

Who would patiently listen to the ramblings of an old dwarf?

The moment he mentioned the ‘traitor,’ people would sooner demand his execution than hear him out.

But this man was different.

A human hero.

No—

The Hero of All Races.

Surely, this man would become the savior of the Middle Realm.

Still, before anything else, Nameita needed confirmation.

His voice trembled slightly as he asked:

“You accepted a child of the wandering clan—the lowest and most despised race of all. You fought for elves and dwarves alike. Why? Surely it must have brought you trouble. Didn’t your companions oppose you? What could you possibly gain from doing such things?”

Ian, with his jet-black hair, dark eyes, and pale skin, looked strangely immaculate.

The darkness of his features resembled the abyss itself, while his white complexion felt like untouched parchment. Together, they gave him an air of unnatural purity—clean, distant, almost sacred.

And in a voice utterly free of selfishness, Ian answered:

“What does profit have to do with it? Someone asked me for help. That’s all that matters.”

“Of course...!”

Nameita never noticed Keith and Louise exchanging complicated looks behind him.

Emotion swelled in the old dwarf’s chest.

“All my life, I’ve studied ways to unite the races. Yet because of my own shortcomings, I couldn’t even prevent division among my own people, let alone build alliances with others. And then you appeared. You punished Gorea, who sold both dwarves and humans into slavery for his own greed. You saved our people from the disgrace of demon worship.”

“Yeah. I did.”

“......?”

Nameita blinked, momentarily thrown off by Ian’s absurdly casual response, but it didn’t lessen his gratitude in the slightest.

“Hero Ian. May I ask something of you?”

“Let’s hear it.”

“Please... fulfill the prophecy.”

“A prophecy?”

Ian raised an eyebrow.

Nameita hurried over to a bookshelf, pulled out a thick volume, and set it carefully on the table.

It was a book considered essential reading for anyone wishing to understand humanity.

The Bible.

“......!”

Keith, the Holy Knight, visibly stiffened.

Nameita quietly let out a breath of relief.

The ‘Agent of God’ had seemed frighteningly severe, but at the very least, he apparently wasn’t so fanatical that he would condemn a dwarf for revering scripture. Otherwise, such a man could never have received that title.

Placing one hand atop the Bible, Nameita spoke solemnly.

“God declared that if all races unite as one, the demons will lose the power to stand against them.”

“......”

“In the previous war, we were divided—and because of that, the demons invaded. Since then, we have scattered, hiding like cowards while surrendering the vast continent to them. Gorea enslaved dwarves and humans alike to sell to demons, but the truth is... we were already slaves long before that. Those merciless creatures can strip away our freedom whenever they please, using their overwhelming power against us.”

His face flushed red with emotion.

“Please, have mercy on us. Extend the same compassion you showed my friend’s son, the humans, and the elves to the other races as well. Unite us and drive back the demons! This is the final wish of an old man.”

He looked earnestly at the young hero before him, praying his plea would not be dismissed.

Countless great warriors had fought against demons before.

But none of them had ever attempted to unite the races.

They simply did not trust one another enough.

Ian was different.

Only he could bring this war to an end.

For Nameita, the war had never truly ended at all.

Even though the Demon Realm had long since established dominance, part of his heart remained stranded on that battlefield beside Rick, still screaming in grief.

Finally, Ian spoke.

“All right.”

“......!”

For a moment, Nameita couldn’t process the casual acceptance.

Then his eyes widened in stunned disbelief.

This man would save the continent.

Nameita was a scholar—a rational man by nature—but at this moment, he surrendered entirely to instinctive certainty.

A tremor ran through him.

Then Ian asked:

“Is that all you want?”

“All I want? What else could I possibly desire? If the prophecy is fulfilled—if the races of the Middle Realm can finally trust one another—I could die content. Ah... what a blessed death that would be.”

“That’s convenient.”

“......?”

Ian’s expression brightened.

Nameita briefly wondered if he had misheard.

Surely a hero wouldn’t respond to an old man declaring himself ready to die with, “That’s convenient.”

“I’ve got a favor to ask too.”

“You mentioned earlier that you had a request. Anything—anything at all! If it lies within my abilities, I will gladly do it.”

“It’s nothing complicated. If I grant your wish, then how about becoming my subordinate in return?”

“......?”

Did this human just ask a dwarf to serve under him?

Granted, Nameita had practically asked him to unite the races and save the world moments ago, but still...

He almost wanted to ask if Ian was serious. Wouldn’t his companions object?

Yet the atmosphere in the room felt strangely calm.

Keith—the ‘Agent of God’—had fallen deep into thought, while Rick’s son looked at Ian with shining eyes that practically screamed:

“As expected of Lord Ian.”

No one objected.

“Could an old man like me truly be of any use?”

“Of course. You just asked me to unite the races and defeat the demons. Don’t tell me you’re trying to back out already.”

“Never! If this old body can contribute even a little, I would gladly devote myself to the cause. I simply... don’t know whether I still have any value left...”

“That’s perfect.”

“......?”

“Then devote yourself. Whether you’re useful or not isn’t your problem.”

The hero Ian smiled gently.

“So? What’s your answer?”

Nameita looked around the room in bewilderment.

He genuinely had no idea how the conversation had somehow led to this point.

At that exact moment, the clouds outside parted.

Golden sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating Ian’s black hair with a radiant glow.

Keith, the Holy Knight, watched silently from the side, while Rick’s son waited anxiously for Nameita’s response.

Though Nameita did not worship the human god, he couldn’t help feeling as though this moment itself had been ordained by divine will.

Slowly, the old dwarf extended his hand toward the human hero.

“I pledge my loyalty.”

Recalling the etiquette customs he had once read about in a human manners book, Nameita lowered himself onto one knee and kissed the back of Ian’s hand.

The movement was awkward.

But sincere.

Meanwhile, Ian found himself wondering why everyone in this world seemed so obsessed with kissing people’s hands.

Keith watched the almost storybook-like scene unfold before him and quietly thought:

“Have mercy upon us, and lead us not into temptation.”

God did not discriminate.

His mercy extended equally to all humanity.

And Ian’s mercy extended to all races.

Keith was not special.

Neither was Louise.

Yet when Keith saw the boy staring at Ian with tearful, shining eyes filled with absolute devotion, ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ he couldn’t help remembering himself.

“Lord Ian.”

Ian turned toward him with a bright smile.

Keith didn’t want to ruin the atmosphere, but there was something he could no longer keep hidden.

“I have something to confess.”

It was time to confess his sins.