“The Northern Fortress was bombed by the Iron Bandits and several mystical power armors were stolen from Empyrean laboratories. Thirty-seven dead. More than two hundred injured.”
Shin read the headline aloud from the newspaper resting on the polished wooden counter. The words tasted bitter in his mouth. His eyes lingered on the front-page photograph—a massive crater gouged into the earth where the proud Northern Fortress had once stood. Jagged ruins surrounded the impact site like broken teeth, while smoke still curled faintly into the sky. The image was dramatic, carefully chosen to provoke outrage and fear.
A scoff escaped his lips.
The article was nothing but a convenient lie, another piece of propaganda crafted by the powers that ruled the continent. His fingers tightened around the edges of the newspaper, crumpling the paper slightly.
If there's one person capable of causing destruction on that scale, it's the Chosen One. And they have the nerve to blame everything on us. Those hypocritical bastards.
Anger simmered beneath his calm exterior. He could still remember the chaos, the screams, and the overwhelming power that had reduced the fortress to rubble. Yet the public would never hear that version of events. The Celestial Wardens controlled the narrative, and ordinary citizens would swallow every word without question.
Shin lowered the newspaper and stared silently at the table. The elegant melody of a violin drifted through the restaurant, its notes smooth and soothing as they floated above the low murmur of conversations. Candlelight flickered across crystal glasses and silver utensils, bathing the dining hall in a warm golden glow. The rich aroma of roasted meat, butter, and expensive wine filled the air.
Normally, the atmosphere would have been enough to calm anyone's nerves.
Not tonight.
A complimentary basket of freshly baked bread sat before him beside a small dish of whipped butter. Steam still rose from the bread, carrying an inviting scent of wheat and herbs. Yet Shin barely glanced at it. His appetite had been drowned beneath a tide of frustration and anticipation.
Despite everything, it was a peaceful evening.
For weeks, Shin had deliberately set aside a portion of his salary and carefully conserved his energy from the Iron Bandits' operations. He had declined invitations, skipped unnecessary expenses, and endured endless teasing from his comrades. All of it had been for this particular Sunday night.
This wasn't merely a dinner.
To him, it felt like one of the most important nights of his life.
He had spent nearly an hour preparing before leaving his apartment. His black suit had been freshly pressed. His slacks were immaculate. Even his usually unruly hair had been carefully styled. He must have checked his reflection dozens of times before finally gathering enough courage to leave.
Then he heard a familiar voice.
“Hi, Shin.”
The soft feminine greeting instantly cut through the noise of the restaurant.
Shin turned his head.
For a brief moment, the world seemed to slow.
There she was.
The warm restaurant lights reflected off her long blonde hair, giving it a golden radiance that seemed almost unreal. Her emerald-green eyes sparkled with life and kindness as they met his gaze. She wore an elegant white-and-red dress that perfectly complemented her figure. The neckline accentuated her cleavage without appearing excessive, while the slit running along one side offered occasional glimpses of her smooth, flawless legs as she walked. Every step she took was graceful, effortless, and dignified.
To Shin, she looked less like a woman entering a restaurant and more like a goddess descending from the heavens.
“Oh, Lady Lireina.”
He immediately rose from his seat, nearly knocking into the table in his haste. Pulling out a chair, he offered it to her with perhaps a little too much enthusiasm.
Lireina couldn't help but smile.
“Thank you.”
She sat down elegantly, smoothing her dress before looking back at him.
“Oh, just call me Lena. No need for formalities.”
“Lena...” Shin repeated under his breath.
The name echoed pleasantly in his mind.
His heart skipped a beat.
Only a handful of people were probably allowed to call one of the legendary Celestial Wardens by a nickname. The realization made him strangely happy, though he desperately tried not to show it.
“That's... great,” he finally managed to say.
Before an awkward silence could settle between them, Shin snapped his fingers.
Almost immediately, several waiters appeared as if they had been waiting for the signal.
A large platter was placed at the center of the table, piled high with crispy vegetable fries covered in a mountain of melted cheese. The golden cheese stretched into long strands as the dish settled onto the table, releasing a mouthwatering aroma. Moments later, another waiter carefully poured deep crimson wine into their glasses. The liquid shimmered under the candlelight, revealing that Shin had ordered the restaurant's second-most expensive bottle.
“W-Wow.”
Lireina's eyes widened as she clapped her hands together.
“This is my first time in a four-star restaurant.”
“Me as well,” Shin admitted with a nervous laugh.
The confession seemed to ease some of the tension between them.
“You shouldn't have spent so much for this, Shin.”
Her voice carried genuine concern rather than criticism.
“It’s fine.” Shin straightened his posture. “You're a special person. A VIP. So you deserve it.”
Lireina blinked before smiling softly.
The smile struck Shin harder than any battlefield attack ever had.
Then, in the middle of the romantic atmosphere, a loud growl suddenly echoed from somewhere nearby.
Both of them froze. Shin looked around in confusion before realizing the source.
Lireina's cheeks turned bright red. She immediately lowered her head and covered part of her face with one hand.
“Can I... can I dig in?” she asked with an embarrassed laugh. “I'm actually really hungry.”
The contrast between the legendary Celestial Warden and the flustered woman sitting across from him was unexpectedly adorable.
Shin couldn't help but smile.
“Y-Yeah, of course.”
He gestured toward the enormous platter.
“Go ahead. You can have the first bite.”
Without hesitation, Lireina reached for a fry, the melted cheese stretching between her fingers and the plate. Her eyes sparkled with excitement as though she had completely forgotten the elegance expected of a hero. Watching her enthusiasm, Shin felt the tension in his chest finally begin to fade.
For the first time that evening, he found himself genuinely looking forward to the rest of the night.
Lireina took her first bite, and her expression changed at once. The crisp vegetable fries gave way under her teeth, and the molten cheese clung in long, stretchy strands before finally snapping back onto the plate. A warm, satisfied look spread across her face as she chewed, her emerald eyes brightening with clear approval.
Shin watched her carefully, and when he saw that delighted reaction, something in his chest loosened. He picked up his own fork and joined in, testing the dish for himself. The fries were hot and seasoned just right, the cheese rich and savory without being too heavy, and the wine beside them carried a sweet sparkle followed by a faint bitter finish. Judging from Lireina’s first impression, the evening was off to a good start.
Shin wanted the date to be as productive as possible, but he knew better than to force the conversation too quickly. Instead, he eased into it naturally, letting the mood stay light while he searched for a way to guide it where he needed.
The violin music drifted through the restaurant in soft, polished notes, mingling with the low murmur of other diners and the occasional clink of glassware. Candlelight flickered over the table, catching the edge of the silverware and the rim of their wine glasses. Outside the balcony, the city lights glimmered like scattered jewels in the dark, quiet night.
“So, how was your week? I heard that the Celestial Wardens faced off against the Iron Bandits,” Shin asked.
Lireina glanced at the folded newspaper lying beside him, and it was easy for her to guess where the question had come from. Her shoulders shifted slightly, and her elf ears lowered in a way that made her look more troubled than regal. “It was terrible. Apparently, Empyrea is holding three of the Halochassis in the Northern Fortress, and the Iron Bandits beat us to it once more.” She frowned as she spoke, her tone heavier than before. “I’m sorry about this, Shin. We couldn’t protect your friend’s legacy.”
Shin shook his head immediately. “It’s not your fault, Lena. I know you did your best.”
As he said it, a memory rose in his mind with vivid clarity. He remembered Lireina reaching out her hand to him while he was inside the Azazel Halochassis, even when he had been trying to harm her and kill one of her allies. There had been no fear in her expression then, only a strange, stubborn hope that even someone standing on the other side could still be pulled back from the edge. It had been an act of kindness so sincere that he had never forgotten it.
Lireina, meanwhile, was thinking of that same moment. She remembered how close Azazel had come to taking her hand, how for one brief instant she had believed there might still be a peaceful way to stop him. Even now, some small part of her still clung to that hope, even if the world around her offered little reason to believe in it.
Shin took another sip of wine, then let his gaze settle on her face before continuing with the topic that had been eating at him. “So, about the bomb the Iron Bandits used in the Northern Fortress,” he said, keeping his voice casual. “What was it? I’m curious. I’ve never seen low-level hoodlums blow up a whole castle like that.”
Lireina paused. For a moment, she seemed to weigh her answer carefully, her fingers resting against her glass. Then she gave a small shrug. “I don’t know. Honestly, everything happened so fast that I couldn’t keep track of what was going on that night.”
It was a lie.
The realization stung, even though Lireina barely showed it. This was the first time she had lied to Shin, and it sat uneasily in her chest. She knew exactly what had happened. She knew that Alexander Goldheart had erased the Northern Fortress in a single devastating act, and she suspected he had killed even more people than the Iron Bandits who had raided it. She had opposed it in her heart, but she had never spoken openly about it to her allies.
In the end, she had told herself it was for the greater good, because Empyrea had been secretly building weapons meant to kill her and the other Celestial Wardens. Even so, she knew the truth did not become clean just because it was useful.
Shin noticed the shift in her expression almost immediately. Her smile had thinned, her gaze had gone distant, and the easy flow of the evening had started to fray. He recognized the discomfort in her face and decided to stop before the conversation turned into something too close to an interrogation.
“I’m sorry for bringing up grim things,” he said, softening his tone. “Let’s just enjoy the fries and the wine.”
He raised his glass toward her in a small toast. Lireina’s expression brightened again, and she lifted hers to meet it with a relieved smile. “Cheers.”
The glasses touched with a soft chime, and they both drank. The wine tasted pleasantly sweet at first, then slipped into a gentle sparkle before leaving a slightly bitter trace at the back of the tongue. Shin set his glass down and looked toward the balcony again, where the city’s lights shimmered in the distance. The rooftop garden this restaurant was known for was just beyond that view, and the thought of walking there after dinner made the evening feel a little more real, a little more alive.
“I heard the rooftop garden here is beautiful,” Shin said. “Want to walk around later?”
“Sure,” Lireina replied as she reached for another cheesy fry.
“Great.”
After that, the two of them fell into a comfortable silence, eating slowly while the violin continued to weave its melody through the room. The conversation no longer needed to move quickly. They had time, and for the moment, neither of them felt the need to force anything. The warmth of the food, the soft glow of the lights, and the steady rhythm of the music made the silence feel easy rather than empty.
Then Shin noticed something.
At first, he thought it was just a trick of the reflections, maybe a passing glance from another diner. But when he looked again, he saw the same blonde man staring in their direction. The man had been there long before Lireina arrived, sitting with a composed posture and a pair of eyeglasses catching the light every time he shifted slightly. Shin narrowed his eyes, his attention sharpening as he tried to place him.
Is that the new guy with the Samael Halochassis? Wait... what was his name? Aether?
The thought made his stomach tighten. His brows drew together as suspicion began to creep in. Why would an Iron Bandit be in a restaurant like this, and why had he been watching them for so long? Was he here by coincidence, or was someone following him after all?