"It must have been Sir Meteor who found the Aurora Orb with Eyes, right?!"
Lucas's excited voice broke through the chatter of the knights.
"None of the others who returned ahead of you managed to locate it! Everyone assumed Sir Meteor found it—how else would we have all made it out alive?"
"...What?"
Meteor finally spoke, his lips parting for the first time. His voice carried a faint trace of doubt, and after a brief pause, he spoke again.
"You're saying no one else found the Aurora Orb with Eyes?"
Evan nodded in response.
"That's right. We can talk about the details later, but no one among us managed to locate the orb. Naturally, we thought you and Crescent found it since you were the last to return."
"...I see."
Meteor’s reply was slow, his voice lingering with a mix of realization and unease.
I kept quiet, unsure of what to say.
The orb I had seen in the Ice Castle—it had to be the Aurora Orb with Eyes, didn’t it?
Meteor finding the orb seemed like the logical explanation, but he hadn’t confirmed it himself, leaving room for uncertainty.
I hadn’t been with him for a good portion of the time inside the Ice Castle. What had happened to him there?
The image of the mighty Ice Castle, reduced to ruins, was still vivid in my mind.
"...I did see that ridiculous orb, though."
"!"
"I knew it!"
"Meteor, you saved us!"
The moment Meteor acknowledged seeing the orb, the knights erupted in cheers. Relief washed over me as well.
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‘So it really was the Aurora Orb with Eyes.’
But why did I still feel uneasy?
Something about Meteor’s demeanor struck me as odd.
He hadn’t spared me a glance since we returned, and an unsettling feeling nagged at me, as though something was out of place.
Just then, a familiar notification rang out:
<Dragon Slayer Sylvester says the exit opened because the two of you were holding hands and hugging in the Demon Realm.>
"What?!"
The words escaped me louder than I intended.
Every knight’s gaze snapped toward me, including Meteor’s.
I quickly shook my head.
"No, no, it’s nothing! Just... never mind."
Thankfully, the knights lost interest quickly and turned their attention elsewhere.
I blinked in disbelief, recalling the moments in the Demon Realm when Meteor had held my hand and embraced me. With everything that had happened since, I had completely forgotten.
But why was it being brought up now?
Before I could ponder further, another system message appeared:
<Yuri-loving Druid Gabriella says to ignore Dragon Slayer Sylvester’s comment. Your unease is justified because Meteor is suspicious about what triggered the exit in the Demon Realm.>
‘Ah...’
That made sense.
Gabriella’s insight crystallized the unease I had been feeling.
If no one found the Aurora Orb with Eyes and the exit had opened before Meteor could retrieve it, then how had we escaped?
Meteor must have been dwelling on the same question.
The exit from the Demon Realm could only open in two ways: fulfilling the demon’s escape condition or killing the demon outright.
If no one had fulfilled Duke Winterly’s condition, Meteor must have realized something was amiss.
Lucas interrupted my thoughts with another loud exclamation:
"It could only have been Sir Meteor! I knew it!"
"Thank you, Meteor. We owe our lives to you."
Alruin, teary-eyed, patted Meteor on the shoulder, his gratitude mirrored by the other knights.
Even Evan chimed in, his tone unusually heartfelt:
"You have no idea how close we came to freezing to death in that godforsaken place. Fighting endless waves of ice monsters... we thought we were done for! And then the exit opened, like a miracle!"
For once, even Edgar seemed genuine as he muttered:
"Thanks, Meteor. Really."
Edgar’s teeth were still chattering from the cold.
Meteor, however, barely acknowledged the gratitude, instead repeating his earlier question:
"Are you absolutely sure no one found the Aurora Orb with Eyes?"
His sharp gaze flickered, pressing for confirmation.
It was clear now—he was questioning what had caused the Demon Realm’s exit to open.
Evan, momentarily deflated, sighed.
"Yeah, I mean... we tried our best, but we just couldn’t find it. It’s not like we had a map. I fought until my sword arm gave out, but there wasn’t a single orb—or even a round stone—in sight. Sorry, Meteor, I guess I’m just useless."
"No, no, that’s not what I meant."
Meteor, uncharacteristically flustered, tried to reassure him.
Lucas chimed in with a sheepish tone:
"Sorry, Sir Meteor. I wanted to help you find it, but I’m still too inexperienced. If no one but you could locate the orb, it’s understandable you’d be disappointed."
"What? No, that’s not it at all."
Meteor’s denial was firm, though his embarrassment was evident.
Alruin chuckled softly, defusing the tension.
"We all know you didn’t mean it that way, Meteor. Let’s head back to the temple for now. Everyone’s frozen and exhausted—we can talk more once we’ve rested."
"Understood."
Meteor nodded in agreement, and the knights began their journey back.
I followed a little behind, trying to avoid Meteor, guilt gnawing at me.
But it was futile—he and I naturally fell to the rear of the group.
"Crescent."
His voice called out to me.
I turned, attempting to appear calm and unaffected.
"Yeah?"
Our eyes met, and a twinge of discomfort settled in.
I knew he would ask about the Demon Realm, and I would have to lie again.
"You seem fine now. Your chest was freezing earlier."
"Ah, that?"
I chuckled nervously.
"Yeah, Winterly was a total cheapskate. He made me work in the kitchen. At least there was an oven, though, so it wasn’t all bad."
"Really? That’s... an odd demon."
"Tell me about it. But what about you? What happened in the Ice Castle? That place looked so indestructible, but it collapsed completely. I was stunned! That huge sphere I saw—was that the Aurora Orb?"
"Yeah. The orb caused the castle to collapse. It launched snow bombs throughout the entire structure."
"Snow bombs?"
What kind of orb had the power to destroy a castle that massive?
The sheer scale and intensity of the attack boggled my mind.
And then, the realization struck me.
"You... you could’ve died in there, couldn’t you?"