Junior left New Terra and headed south.
Originally, she had planned to travel alone, but for safety reasons, a security detail had been assigned to her. It felt excessive to her, but to Ash—the owner of the Jupiter Foundation and the one who had trained her for fifteen years—her safety was the highest priority.
And so, moving slower than she had expected, she made her way south, visiting town after town.
She met old comrades, conducted interviews, and recorded their stories.
By the time she reached a quiet town near Crossroad, the summer was drawing to an end.
She had been here once before, so the town felt familiar. Humming to herself, Junior walked through the streets, excited to see an old friend again.
This was the town where Chain, the black mage of the Monster Front, lived.
While the guards accompanying her settled their things at the town’s only inn, Junior hurried toward Chain’s house.
She found the small brick house on the outskirts and knocked gently on the door.
“Ah!”
The one who opened the door and peeked outside was Chain’s daughter, Kate.
“Junior, you’re here!”
“Kate!”
They had met once before when Junior had visited in the past, and since she had sent a letter in advance about her arrival, Kate welcomed her warmly.
Junior handed over a small gift she had brought.
“It’s been a while. How have you been?”
“Ah… well, we’ve been okay.”
Kate’s voice trailed off.
Junior immediately picked up on the complexity in her expression, her tone turning more cautious.
“Is everything alright? Did something happen?”
“That’s…”
“Where’s Chain?”
“…This way.”
Kate led Junior inside.
Through the house, out to a small terrace that overlooked the backyard.
There, seated on an old rocking chair, was Chain.
He sat in the sunlight, his wrinkled face blank, eyes staring vacantly into the distance.
“Chain?”
Junior stepped closer, calling his name.
“Chain. It’s been a while. It’s me, Junior.”
“…”
“Chain? Are you alright?”
But Chain didn’t respond.
His face, slack and unfocused, remained turned toward the empty air.
Junior placed a hand on his shoulder and gave it a light shake before turning to Kate.
Kate let out a small sigh.
“It’s dementia.”
“What? Since when?”
“It started getting worse about two years ago… and now, it’s completely taken over.”
Chain had always been older than most of them. He had been a black mage, someone who ate away at his own body to wield his power.
And fifteen years had already passed since the war.
Junior was at a loss for words.
She looked at Chain’s profile, his once-fierce presence now faded.
Kate continued in a quiet voice.
“If there’s a silver lining, at least he doesn’t get violent. He just… stays like this.”
“…”
“My mother actually says it’s a relief. She jokes that after spending his whole life wandering around and causing trouble, he’s finally settled down.”
“Where is your mother?”
“Out shopping.”
Kate smiled faintly.
“She wanted to make one of my father’s favorite potato dishes today.”
“…”
“Since you’re here,, stay for dinner.”
“Alright. Thanks.”
Junior barely managed to nod, her gaze lingering on Chain’s unmoving figure.
Kate hesitated for a moment before slipping inside, leaving the two of them alone on the terrace.
“…”
Junior struggled to sort through the emotions swirling inside her as she looked at Chain.
A mage who had fought beside her on the front lines.
A battle-hardened veteran who had survived countless brushes with death.
A foul-tempered and ruthless man—but a man who had undeniably helped save the world.
And now, reduced to this.
“…Time really has passed, huh, Chain?”
Junior murmured, gently resting a hand on his shoulder.
Once, it had been draped in chains of black magic. Now, only skin and bone remained.
“I should have come to see you sooner…”
At that moment—
The faint rustling of grass came from the backyard.
Junior turned to look.
A boy, probably in his early teens, approached with a sullen expression.
She recognized him.
Chain’s grandson.
It had been years since she last saw him, and he had grown quite a bit.
The boy stopped in front of his grandfather and clicked his tongue.
“That’s a lie.”
Junior blinked.
“What is?”
“That my grandfather was a war hero.”
“What do you mean?”
The boy let out a scoffing laugh.
“He spent his days wandering the town, gambling, drinking all night, and crying his eyes out… And now? He just sits there drooling, not even knowing when he needs to go to the bathroom.”
“…”
“The kids in town all make fun of me. They call him Gambler Chain. Drunk Chain. Senile Chain. And they say I’ll end up just like him.”
“…”
“How can this man really be someone who saved the world?”
“He was.”
Junior reached into her bag and placed her interview materials on the small table in front of her.
“I don’t know what kind of grandfather he was to you.”
“…”
“But I do know that he played a crucial role in saving this world.”
She turned on the recorder.
Spread out the blank pages.
Held her pen.
And looked at Chain.
“Can you introduce yourself, Chain?”
“…”
“I’ll do it for you. Name: Chain. Joined the Monster Front at the twenty-third line of defense. That’s correct, isn’t it?”
Was it just her imagination?
For the first time since she had arrived, Chain’s fingers twitched ever so slightly.
“The five of us stayed at the casino in Crossroad. That was when we got blacklisted, so Sir Lucas suggested we name our party Blacklist.”
“…”
“At the time, the Gorgon Sisters launched an attack, but His Highness, Crown Prince Ash, had already deployed to the Imperial Capital. That left Crossroad short on troops, so Sir Lucas hastily conscripted you all. Is that right?”
At that moment—
A spark of light flickered in Chain’s previously vacant eyes, as if a fog had lifted.
“…Yeah.”
A hoarse voice escaped his lips.
“I remember it like it was yesterday… those terrifying Gorgon Sisters…”
As soon as his grandfather spoke, the boy gasped in shock.
But Junior remained composed, continuing to take notes and ask her questions.
“Do you remember how that battle played out?”
“We got conscripted, sure, but all we wanted to do was run. Why the hell would we risk our necks protecting some random town?”
Chain let out a wheezy chuckle, still staring at the air in front of him.
“But then… hah. Someone said a pregnant woman was giving birth in the temple.”
“…”
“So those idiots—every last one of them—jumped in. Just to save some kid they didn’t even know.”
“What happened next?”
“Buckler and Idiot died. Candler was badly injured. But we saved the mother and child.”
That was how they had saved Sid and Lilly.
A shadow of sorrow flickered across Chain’s face at the memory of his fallen comrades. But at the same time, a hint of pride surfaced—pride in having protected that child.
“After that, we got dragged into the war and suffered like hell on the Monster Front…”
Chain began recounting his experiences, rambling without structure.
His memories were scattered and disorganized, jumping from one moment to the next.
But Junior skillfully pieced the fragments together, guiding the interview along.
“And Candler… that damn fool of a woman…”
When the conversation reached the Thirty-Fifth Line of Defense, the battle against the King of Flies, Chain let out a heavy sigh.
Junior gave him a wry smile and gestured at herself with her pen.
“Remember? You and I got swallowed whole by the King of Flies while trying to save Candler after she got separated.”
“Right. There was this young, sharp kid named Junior. We got captured together… dragged right into the belly of that damn monster.”
“That was me. I was the kid.”
“That bastard King of Flies… a truly horrifying creature. And in the end, Candler…”
Chain went on to describe, in vivid detail, what he had witnessed that day—how Candler had given her life to summon a massive golem in one final act of defiance.
At some point, his grandson had crept closer.
Now, the boy sat crouched beside Junior, listening intently to his grandfather’s story.
The conversation gradually led to Chain’s final battle—the Black Dragon War.
Chain straightened his hunched back.
The frail, listless old man who had slumped in the rocking chair was gone.
In his place sat a warrior once more.
No longer a man suffering from dementia, but a hero who had fought to protect the world.
The boy barely breathed as he listened to the tale.
Fighting five dragons. Killing, capturing, forming alliances—then finally, facing the Primordial Evil Dragon.
“And then… for the final mission, against Nightbringer, we took to the sky in the airship. But everyone got swallowed by the darkness… trapped in nightmares. Myself included.”
Chain’s voice trembled as he continued.
“But then… Nobody.”
Tears welled in his aged eyes as he spoke the name of an old comrade.
“That damn, one-eyed bastard… even with his life hanging by a thread, he swung his sword and slashed the nightmare sky itself. And because of that, we all woke up.”
“…”
“And then… he died.”
The energy that had momentarily returned to Chain’s voice faded once more.
“Nobody died… and I was the only one left. Just me.”
“…”
“Buckler. Idiot. Candler. Nobody… They all died. And I… I alone…”
Tears streamed down Chain’s weathered cheeks.
“I’m the only one… who survived…”
“…”
Only then did the boy begin to understand.
The drunken ramblings his grandfather used to mutter between sobs.
The meaning behind them.
The wounds carved into the soul of a soldier who had returned from war, wounds that had never healed.
“…”
Junior tidied up her notes and turned off the recorder.
She pulled out a handkerchief and gently wiped Chain’s tear-streaked face.
Then, in a warm voice, she asked,
“Chain. Want to go see them?”
For the first time, Chain’s gaze shifted toward Junior.
“It’s been a while. Let’s go visit them together.”
“…”
Chain’s lips moved slightly before he hesitantly asked,
“Crossroad?”
“Yeah. Let’s go back to Crossroad. We can visit their graves, leave flowers, pour a drink for them. What do you say?”
“Would it… really be alright?”
“Of course. It’s not far.”
“If I go… do you think they’ll hate me for it?”
“Not a chance. They’d be glad to see you.”
Junior reached out and lightly grasped his thin wrist.
“You have every right to go, Chain.”
“…”
“Come with me. I’ll take you there.”
Chain didn’t nod.
He only stared at Junior, his expression unreadable.
But Junior knew.
He wanted to go.
Then—
“I-I… I want to go too…”
A small, trembling voice spoke up.
Junior turned to look.
The boy stood there, his face flushed as he mumbled,
“I help take care of Grandpa. Feeding him, cleaning up after him… because, well, you know, he has dementia…”
“…”
“If he’s going far, I want to stay by his side and take care of him.”
Junior smiled warmly.
“That’s actually what I was hoping for. Will you help me with your grandfather’s trip?”
The boy clenched his fists tightly and gave a determined nod.
The next day.
With his daughter and son-in-law seeing him off.
With his wife and grandson supporting him.
Chain boarded Junior’s carriage.
He was on his way to Crossroad.
To visit the comrades who had gone before him—
And to meet the other veterans who still remembered him.