The Dawn Unaware Of The Dusk

Another few months passed, and Jewel's second child was born on May 13th—this time, a boy. It was also time for Lilith to rejoin the knighthood.

As she was about to fly off to HQ, Lilith hugged Liebe and said, "Be good for Aunt Gelda, okay?"

But just as she took off, she began to cry, came back down, and hugged Liebe again. She tried flying off once more—and did the same thing again. And again.

"Maybe I'll go tomorrow," she finally said, holding Liebe tightly. "Look at how much he's missing me."

Gelda sighed. "You've been trying to return to the knighthood for a whole week. Every day, you say, 'I'll go,' and then change your mind the moment you see Liebe. Go now, or this little guy is going to get emotional too."

Lilith finally flew off to the base, but she cried the whole way there. As she landed, Jewel greeted her.

"Yo, you okay? Looks like you cried quite a bit."

Lilith wiped her eyes. "Is it that obvious? I just... I miss him so much. And now I don't even know what he's doing without me. What if Gelda forgets to feed him? What if he's left hungry all day?"

Jewel rolled her eyes. "Lilith. Your house is an hour away on foot. Since you fly, it doesn't even take five minutes."

Lilith said, "Five minutes felt like fifty days."

"Well then," Jewel said, "let's go."

"Go where?"

"Didn't Domr tell you? We're being deployed to Vah Medow Village. It's under attack by magic beasts, and the captain wants us to subjugate them."

"What?! Vah Medow? That's another five minutes farther from home!" Lilith groaned.

Jewel said, "Let's go. It'll only take a few hours. Plus, it's just beasts—not diplomatic crap. We'll finish quickly. I'm sure Gelda is watching that baby like some kind of animal in captivity. Don't worry. Let's do this."

As they reached Vah Medow, the villagers rushed toward them.

"Oh, great knights! You've come at last—please help us!"

Lilith asked, "Where are the monsters?"

One villager hesitated. "But you just got here... Don't you want to rest first?"

"Just tell me where the damn monsters are," Lilith snapped.

Jewel said, "She's been under a lot of stress."

The village chief replied, "They're in the southern part of the woods."

As they arrived, they saw about thirty massive, bear-like monsters.

Jewel's eyes widened. "They're Ursarius. But why are so many of them here?"

Without thinking, Lilith launched her attack.

"Void Magic: Summon Sacred Treasure — Orb Type: Null!"

A black orb appeared.

"Void Magic: Black Hole!"

The orb floated to the center of the monsters and began to expand into a black hole.

Jewel gasped. "Has she lost her mind?! Using an attack like that near a village?!"

"Light Magic: Holy Relic — Lamp of Avior!" Jewel countered.

"Light Magic: Castling Strike!"

The lamp moved directly above the black hole, and Jewel teleported into position.

"Light Magic: Rampaging Light Flash!" His fists were imbued with light magic, and he struck the black hole, compressing and canceling its expansion.

The void collapsed.

"Are you nuts?!" Jewel shouted. "You use that spell in a village, and it's not just property damage—we're talking mass extinction!"

Lilith said, "The faster I kill these beasts, the faster I can go home to see Liebe."

Jewel pushed forward. "Stand back. Even if they're vegetarians, Ursarius can destroy villages with sheer brute force."

"Lamp of Avior — Ascend!"

The lamp soared above the clouds.

"Lamp of Avior — Special Technique: Scatter!"

"Light Magic: Burning Surge!"

From the sky, the lamp rained down light beams with incredible precision—striking only the monsters and avoiding all buildings. It was a massacre.

Lilith watched, impressed. His magic power has definitely improved during the six months I was on leave. The strength and precision of his attacks… he's been training hard.

Just as Jewel moved to attack another beast, Lilith stepped in.

"Void Magic: Abyssal Gate!"

A small portal opened, redirecting his attack.

"Why did you stop me?" Jewel asked.

"Look," Lilith said, pointing. "A cub."

The mother bear had been shielding it.

"She was only protecting her baby. It doesn't feel right to kill her."

Jewel nodded. "I can see that... but what do we do now?"

Lilith smiled. "I have an idea. I'll adopt them! Liebe will love playing in their fur when he's older."

Jewel raised a brow. "Alright. I'll leave those two. But you carry them. I still have to investigate why they attacked."

"Can't you help carry them with your light magic?"

"Nope. Work before charity."

"Fine, fine... Void Magic: Abyssal Net!"

She wrapped the mother and cub gently in dark energy and flew home.

As she landed in front of her home, Gelda came out, smiling.

"Look, Liebe—Mama's back!"

Lilith held up her son. "Look, Liebe! I brought you a present!"

But just as she held him, Liebe started to cry.

Gelda blinked. "That's strange. He was quiet and happy all day. Maybe he just realized you were gone."

Lilith stared. "Wait... he didn't even notice I was gone for six hours?! I