The rain had stopped.
But the night still carried its memory.
Moist wind drifted softly through the Southern capital, brushing against rooftops and narrow alleyways with the lingering scent of wet stone, damp earth, and extinguished storms. Water droplets clung to balcony railings and tiled roofs, reflecting fragments of moonlight like scattered silver.
Above the city—
The sky stretched endlessly.
Dark.
Ancient.
And at its center hung a crescent moon.
Thin and pale, like a blade suspended in the heavens.
Around it, countless stars shimmered across the night, distant yet unnervingly clear, while drifting clouds occasionally veiled the moonlight before allowing it to return once more.
The city beneath that sky remained restless.
Even at this hour.
Lanterns still glowed through tavern windows.
Carriages moved through distant streets.
Shadows exchanged whispers in hidden corners.
The South never truly slept.
It merely changed masks.
Inside the mansion—
Silence lingered.
The earlier tension had faded, leaving behind only the quiet crackling of the fireplace and the distant murmur of rainwater dripping from the roof outside.
Kel stood near the open window.
Once again—
His mask concealed his face.
A smooth dark mask, simple in appearance yet enough to obscure identity beneath shadow and moonlight. It covered the upper half of his face, blending naturally against the black fabric of his coat.
The moonlight spilling through the window outlined his figure faintly.
Still.
Composed.
Untouchable.
His coat shifted gently in the night breeze, the dark material flowing softly around him like a living shadow. One gloved hand rested against the window frame while the other adjusted slightly near his side.
Behind him—
Landon watched silently.
The room's dim lantern light illuminated only fragments of his expression now. His earlier composure remained, yet there was visible reluctance in his eyes.
Not because Kel was leaving.
But because of how.
"My lord…"
Landon finally spoke.
His voice was lower than before.
Respectful.
Careful.
"…you do not need to leave this way."
Kel did not turn immediately.
His gaze remained fixed upon the city beyond the mansion walls.
The crescent moon reflected faintly against the polished black surface of his mask.
For a moment—
Only silence answered.
Then—
Kel spoke calmly.
"I infiltrated your mansion."
A faint wind entered through the open window, stirring the lantern flame behind him.
"I did not arrive here officially, Landon."
Landon straightened slightly.
Listening carefully.
"You are no longer merely a knight."
Kel's tone remained even.
Controlled.
"You are a Southern noble now."
The city lights below flickered faintly beneath the drifting clouds.
"And nobles…"
A brief pause.
"…are watched constantly."
Landon's eyes darkened slightly in understanding.
"It would become scandalous."
Kel continued.
"…if an unknown man stayed inside your mansion overnight without invitation."
His posture remained relaxed despite the topic.
But his words carried precision.
Calculation.
The kind Landon had come to expect from him.
"Especially now."
Kel's gaze shifted faintly toward the distant city.
"Your name is spreading through the South."
Another pause.
"People are already searching for weaknesses."
The atmosphere in the room quieted further.
Even the fire seemed softer now.
Landon lowered his gaze slightly.
"…Understood."
Yet despite saying that—
There was still hesitation in his posture.
Kel noticed immediately.
"You have another question."
It was not phrased as curiosity.
But certainty.
Landon remained silent for a brief moment before speaking carefully.
"…What should I do tomorrow?"
Kel finally turned.
Moonlight and shadow split his figure in half, revealing only the lower part of his face beneath the dark mask.
Calm.
Unreadable.
"We meet publicly."
His answer came instantly.
"At the central square."
Landon frowned faintly.
Confused.
"As a lord…"
Kel continued.
"…and a potion maker."
A brief silence followed.
Then realization appeared in Landon's eyes.
Kel stepped away from the window slightly.
The wooden floor beneath his boots gave a faint creak.
"You will encounter me by chance."
His voice remained steady.
"You will discover my talent."
A pause.
"And afterward…"
A faint trace of amusement touched his tone.
"…you may officially invite me to stay in your mansion as your exclusive potion maker."
Landon stared for a second.
Then slowly exhaled.
Understanding fully now.
This way—
No suspicion.
No scandal.
No unnecessary attention.
Only a beneficial arrangement between a rising Southern lord and a talented outsider.
Perfectly reasonable.
Perfectly believable.
And most importantly—
No connection to Kel von Rosenfeld.
Sairen's voice echoed softly within Kel's mind.
"…You truly dislike attention."
Kel answered internally.
"Attention creates variables."
A brief pause followed.
Then Sairen added quietly:
"…Yet you continuously place yourself at the center of events."
Kel's eyes narrowed slightly behind the mask.
"That is different."
Sairen gave no reply.
Though faint amusement lingered through the soul-link.
Across the room, Landon spoke again.
"…You intend to hide your identity completely?"
Kel nodded once.
"Yes."
His voice lowered slightly now.
"At least for now."
The moonlight outside dimmed briefly as clouds passed over the sky.
"The South is unstable."
Another pause.
"And unstable lands reveal their truths faster when they believe no one important is watching."
Landon remained silent.
Absorbing every word carefully.
Kel adjusted one of his gloves calmly.
"The fewer people who know I am here…"
A brief pause.
"…the better."
Outside—
The wind strengthened slightly.
Cold air swept through the room, carrying distant sounds from the city below.
Laughter.
Arguments.
A woman singing somewhere far away.
And beneath it all—
The endless pulse of the South.
Landon stepped forward slightly.
Not enough to stop him.
But enough to speak sincerely.
"…My lord."
Kel's gaze shifted toward him.
"…It is good to see you again."
The words were simple.
Without embellishment.
Without strategy.
Honest.
For the first time since entering the mansion—
Kel's expression softened slightly.
Only slightly.
But enough.
"You've done well here."
His voice was quieter now.
More personal.
Landon lowered his head instinctively.
Respectfully.
Yet there was visible relief in his posture now.
As though hearing those words mattered more than recognition itself.
Then—
Kel turned back toward the open window.
The city stretched endlessly before him beneath the crescent moon.
Dark roofs.
Shimmering streets.
A kingdom of ambition hidden beneath beautiful skies.
And somewhere within it—
Countless predators.
Some obvious.
Some hidden.
Some waiting.
Kel placed one foot against the edge of the window frame.
Balanced effortlessly.
The wind pulled faintly at his coat, causing its dark fabric to flutter behind him like shadowed wings.
"My lord—"
Landon called instinctively.
Kel paused slightly.
Not turning fully.
"Until tomorrow."
Then—
He moved.
Without hesitation.
Without sound.
His body disappeared from the window in one smooth motion.
A controlled descent into darkness.
The night swallowed him instantly.
Landon stepped forward quickly, reaching the window just in time to see a faint shadow land soundlessly upon a lower rooftop before vanishing entirely into the cityscape.
Gone.
As though he had never been there.
The crescent moon emerged once more from behind drifting clouds, illuminating the rain-washed city in pale silver.
Landon stood silently by the window.
Watching the empty rooftops.
The distant streets.
The endless Southern night.
Then slowly—
A faint smile appeared on his face.
Small.
Respectful.
Determined.
Because his lord had arrived.
Not as a noble.
Not as a king.
Not even as himself.
But as a hidden force beneath the South's surface.
A shadow preparing to move unseen through a land already drowning in ambition and blood.
And Landon understood clearly—
Once Kel truly began acting here…
The South itself would change.