Morning.

  The plaza was already full.

  Not noisy.

  Not chaotic.

  Waiting.

  Thousands stood in silence.

  No music.

  No festival laughter.

  Just anticipation.

  Shura stood among them.

  "What's happening?" he asked the man beside him.

  "You don't know?" the man blinked. "The Odyssey returns today."

  "Odyssey?"

  "You really don't know? Did you fall from the sky or something?"

  Shura forced a small laugh.

  "Hehe… I just never heard."

  The man leaned closer.

  "Eleven who go beyond the outer radius. They eliminate threats before they reach us."

  "What threat this time?"

  "…A giant snake."

  He swallowed.

  "They say its shadow covered mountains."

  Shura's chest tightened.

  The Gates Open

  The massive gates groaned.

  Slowly.

  Heavily.

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  Stone scraping against stone.

  Ten figures walked in.

  Only ten.

  Their armor was cracked.

  Cloth patched over metal.

  One dragged his foot.

  Another leaned on a spear.

  The captain—

  His left arm was gone.

  The sleeve empty.

  No one cheered.

  Not yet.

  The captain stepped forward.

  Without a word, he placed a relic bag on the ground.

  He opened it.

  And rolled something forward.

  It slid across the stone.

  An eye.

  Massive.

  Scaled.

  Lifeless.

  Bigger than houses.

  The plaza inhaled as one.

  Children cried.

  Adults stepped back.

  "That's… just the eye?" Shura whispered.

  Zenkyou appeared beside him.

  "You're early."

  "How big was the full body…?"

  She didn't answer.

  Shura frowned.

  "Wait."

  "Every monster turns to dust once the heart is extracted, right?"

  Silence.

  "And if the heart isn't extracted, it still decays in days."

  He stared at the eye again.

  "They were gone for a year. There's no way they came back in one day."

  He turned sharply.

  "So how is it still intact?"

  Zenkyou placed a hand on his head.

  "You might be an Fool."

  A pause.

  "But you're sharp."

  Shura froze.

  The same words.

  You're sharp-minded, Shura.

  His mother's voice echoed inside him.

  "…One last question."

  Zenkyou exhaled softly.

  "What's your rank?"

  "Beyond Guild."

  He blinked.

  "That's not a rank."

  "It is when you don't belong to the ranking system."

  A brief silence.

  "I was once a member of the Odyssey."

  Shura's breath hitched.

  "You… were one of the Eleven?"

  She didn't respond.

  That was answer enough.

  He clenched his fists.

  "Train me."

  Zenkyou raised an eyebrow.

  "I'm going to surpass you."

  Full confidence.

  No hesitation.

  She stared at him.

  Then laughed.

  Not mockery.

  Just honesty.

  "Sorry."

  "In this life? Impossible."

  Shura smiled.

  "Then I'll need two."

  For the first time—

  Zenkyou's expression shifted.

  Because he wasn't joking.

  Royal Address

  Yun Shi stepped forward.

  "Humanity does not survive because we are strong."

  His gaze rested on the captain's empty sleeve.

  "We survive because some choose to carry burdens we never see."

  Then—

  He bowed.

  Deeply.

  Toward the ten.

  The plaza froze.

  Then slowly—

  Thousands followed.

  An entire kingdom bowing in silence.

  Shura's eyes widened.

  "Wait… what?"

  "He's the Emperor."

  He turned to Zenkyou.

  "He actually bowed?"

  Zenkyou's gaze didn't move.

  "Ego is small compared to sacrifice."

  "They leave their families for years."

  "They fight where no one can witness."

  "They return without all of their own."

  A quiet breath.

  "They deserve this."

  Shura looked at the ten again.

  For the first time—

  They didn't look legendary.

  They looked tired.

  Human.

  And one was missing.

  The word "Odyssey" suddenly felt heavier.

  After the Bow

  The captain stepped forward again.

  His voice was rough.

  "We request permission to withdraw."

  Yun Shi nodded instantly.

  "Granted."

  "No celebration. No questioning."

  "Rest."

  The ten did not look toward the crowd.

  They did not search for familiar faces.

  They walked past slowly.

  Guards supported them.

  Medical teams followed closely behind.

  Up close—

  Shura saw it clearly.

  Old scars.

  New wounds.

  Eyes that had seen something far beyond the walls.

  "They were gone for a year…" he whispered.

  Zenkyou nodded.

  "The further you go, the longer it takes to return."

  "So families just… waited?"

  She didn't answer immediately.

  "They chose to."

  A pause.

  "If they collapse in front of their families… that would hurt more."

  Shura fell silent.

  The cheering had vanished.

  Only quiet respect remained.

  The ten disappeared into the inner palace gates.

  The massive snake eye remained in the plaza.

  A symbol.

  Proof.

  Victory.

  But it didn't feel triumphant.

  It felt heavy.