Although Laman’s subordinates dreaded the thought of returning without him, they had no choice but to do so. Before they left, they straightened out their stories about what had happened here.

During their covert pursuit, Eugene Lionheart had attempted to enter the Kazani Desert, forcing them to try and stop him. However, it had been impossible for them to stand firm in the face of the stubbornness from this young master from the Lionheart clan, and they had also failed to persuade him.

As such, their captain, Laman, had decided to accompany Eugene alone. For now, they allowed Eugene to enter the Kazani Desert as long as he promised to turn back at the first sign of danger or trouble.

None of them could be sure that Tairi Al-Mandani, the Emir of Kajitan, would accept such a story. The wounds that they had received from Eugene had been treated somehow with potions and healing magic, but…. in the end, their master’s orders had been to prevent Eugene from entering Kazani, not to act as an escort and go with him if they weren’t able to deter him.

Thanks to this, Laman was so unsettled that he couldn’t help but stay up all night long. After admitting to himself that even if his subordinates hadn’t spoken up for him, he wouldn’t have been able to stand the fear and pain that Eugene had brought him for much longer, Laman felt greatly ashamed of himself.

Owing your loyalty to your master and having tight lips were important virtues for a warrior. But Laman had betrayed his master. His lips, which should have been as tight as a lock,[1] had flapped freely. He was also concerned about how his subordinates, who had been left with no choice but to return, would be treated….

However, this was for the best. Although dying at Eugene’s hands was certainly a scary thought, Laman was more afraid that both his and his master’s honor would be tarnished because of this failure of his.

He tried to comfort himself with the thought that he was protecting their honor by following Eugene, but Laman’s heart still couldn’t rest easy. On top of that, Laman couldn’t sleep because of all the slices and bruises that Eugene had inflicted upon his body, especially his face, which had been repeatedly smashed into the sand.

On the other hand, Eugene was having a good night’s sleep. While Laman was tortured throughout the night with pain...