At the gates of Ashvarn, Ethan and the others entered together, greeted by two men.
Both bore fiery red hair .. one in his forties, the other in his twenties.
Seeing them, Moon stepped forward first.
"Welcome back, Third Hunting Party... I see you all survived. But I cannot say the same for the other parties that accompanied you."
The rough-featured man in his forties spoke with a stern expression.
He stood straight as a spear, radiating authority.
The young man beside him carried similar traits — though less pronounced.
Moon faced him without hesitation.
"The other parties were lost during the hunt... the night showed them no mercy."
"I see. Then go inside and rest first. We will discuss the details later."
Moon nodded.
"I appreciate it, Lothric. I’ll come see you soon."
She passed the stern man .. Lothric Heart .. and the others followed silently as his gaze lingered on each of them.
They entered the city.
But additional words from Lothric stopped them all.
"I see you lost your arm, Ethan... yet you already obtained a new one."
Everyone froze in place .. Ethan most of all after hearing that.
Lothric’s observational acuity was terrifying; he had noticed everything at a glance.
He had already realized that the arm was no ordinary one... placing Ethan’s plan to hide his ability in serious danger.
But Moon intervened immediately, casting a frightening glare that served as a warning to Lothric.
"I already told you I would come to you later and give you the details. Didn’t I?"
Moon turned toward him.
"If you have something to say, say it to my face .. not to members of my squad."
Her tone was not normal. It was a threat.
Ethan remained completely silent, watching the young woman.
Though she looked to be his age, she carried the presence of someone far older.
Even the unyielding Lothric relented.
He raised his hands apologetically.
"My apologies, Lady Moon. I meant no ill intent with my question .. mere curiosity."
He tried to ease the tension, but Moon did not follow his lead.
"Stay away from the Third Squad."
She spoke seriously, then turned and left .. the others following in silence.
Step after step, until they were far enough away.
Lothric exhaled and smiled broadly.
"As expected of the granddaughter of the uncrowned emperor... dealing with her is never easy."
"You shouldn’t have provoked her like that. She might come to hate you later," the young man beside him said before entering as well.
"It wouldn’t matter if she did. Feelings mean nothing between us hunters."
Lothric followed inside, leaving the entrance empty once more, guarded only by sentries.
---
Inside the city .. beneath its modest lights and dark-stone buildings .. Ethan and the others walked behind Moon, who was clearly their leader.
Walking beside Ethan, Raiden leaned close and whispered:
"What do you think of her?"
Hearing that, Ethan glanced at him, then at Moon.
"She’s a great leader."
"Right? Moon doesn’t joke around when it comes to protecting her squad."
Ethan nodded, offering no further comment.
It was reassuring to have someone step forward to defend him... but he had no intention of indebting himself to any of them more than he already had.
After all — as he looked at the familiar walls of Ashvarn — he realized something important.
’I won’t stay here long.’
His true intentions lay hidden behind a carefully crafted mask.
As they walked through the early morning hours, Ethan and the others chatted for a while.
Raiden and little Chai eagerly introduced him to the city’s various facilities and districts.
Alicia also showed him some of her favorite places .. all of them trying to restore his memories.
They didn’t know their efforts were futile.
There had never been any memories to restore in the first place.
They walked a few more minutes before stopping when they noticed another group approaching from afar.
Moon was the first to halt, a frown forming on her face.
Unlike her, Raiden and Chai smiled upon seeing them.
"That’s... Princess Lucille!" Chai said happily.
Ethan blinked in surprise.
"The Maiden?"
Raiden nodded.
"Yeah — your Maiden, man! Go to her!"
Hesitantly, Ethan stepped forward, eyes fixed on the girl running toward him with several knights behind her.
As he passed Moon, she suddenly grabbed his shoulder and stopped him.
"What is it?" he asked, startled by the disturbance on her face.
But she quickly released him.
"Nothing... I grabbed you without thinking."
She spoke softly, gesturing for him to continue.
Ethan looked at her curiously before turning back toward Lucille.
A girl about his age .. beautiful silver hair, sapphire-blue eyes, flawless pale skin.
She was a princess in every sense of the word.
"This is... my Maiden?" he asked as Lucille ran faster toward him, joy written across her face.
"Ethan!! Welcome back!!"
She called out, a faint blush on her cheeks.
Ethan unconsciously smiled as well .. extending his hand toward her.
His mechanical hand.
The princess had been radiant — almost bursting with happiness.
But the moment he extended that mechanical arm...
Her face flipped completely.
Her eyes darkened, and terrifying expressions replaced all that joy.
The sudden change made Ethan tense in alarm.
Lucille rushed toward him .. but instead of embracing him, she shoved him, sending him onto his back before her.
Staring up at her, Ethan felt fear creep in as Lucille’s face twisted in a horrifying way.
His companions were just as shocked.
She trembled, clutching her head.
"What is this?" she pointed at the mechanical arm.
Then she asked again ..
"What is that? What the hell is that?! What did you do? What did you do?!!!"
Out of nowhere, she began screaming.
A horrifying scream .. nothing like her usual calm voice.
Ethan, on the other hand, understood nothing... because the princess now looked genuinely terrifying.
"You’re ruined!! You’re no longer beautiful!!! You’re no longer perfect!!!"
Lucille screamed in utter hysteria .. to the point she tried to stomp on Ethan, but his companions rushed in and pulled him away from her.
At the same time, the guards surrounded her, shielding her from the Heart citizens drawn by the commotion.
"Filthy! Deformed! Disgusting!" Lucille continued to shriek.
Ethan stared at her from afar, wondering —
"Is that really... a Maiden?"
Because to him... she looked more like a wicked witch.
Lucille’s breakdown continued, prompting Ethan’s companions to move him farther away, afraid she might say something that would harm him like an order.
Raiden and Chai were visibly shaken, sharing Ethan’s stunned reaction.
Meanwhile, the knights escorted Lucille away. Victor approached Moon.
"Forget what happened today .. and keep your friend away from the princess... if you want him to remain alive."
He spoke in a threatening tone before leaving with his escort, taking Lucille with them.
Moon watched them from afar, hatred evident on her face.
It seemed she knew the truth.
...
...
After the scandal, everyone withdrew from sight, and Moon finally decided to tell them what they did not know.
What Ethan heard made him laugh involuntarily.
"A sex slave?"
Moon nodded, hesitation clear on her face.
It turned out Ethan... had been nothing more than that princess’s personal toy.
"Like a living doll, if you want to put it that way."
"Hahah— pfft—"
Ethan burst into laughter. At this point, nothing could surprise him anymore.
Sitting nearby with her knees hugged to her chest, Alicia revealed she had already known.
"Ethan is... handsome, in a way. He’s been her target for a long time. Some nobles have strange desires like that... and we Hearts become the object of those desires..."
She spoke with an expression she rarely showed ..
Hatred, mixed with sorrow.
"The same thing happened to my mother... when they took her from me."
In the end, Ethan had been nothing more than an obedient, attractive servant who could never refuse orders.
Who knew what Lucille had done to him exactly...
But apparently, after losing his arm — he was no longer appealing in her eyes.
Realizing all of this, Ethan laughed until tears streamed down his face.
A Maiden helping him level up?
"Yeah right. I’m cursed."
He lay back on the ground, staring at the sky.
"It’s like I’m playing the game... but on the highest possible difficulty."
And yet, despite everything, Ethan looked calm.
"Fine then. Let’s play. I’m good at games."
And so... Ethan’s first day in Ashvarn began in the strangest way imaginable.