As Asher stood atop the Rivelle Barony city wall, observing the vast field of destruction that stretched endlessly before him, four figures suddenly streaked up the vertical face of the wall, defying gravity itself. Their movements were swift and precise, a blur of motion that left faint trails of energy in the air. They were Caldor, Annabelle, William, and Finch, four individuals whose every step resonated with haste and exhaustion alike.

"Father!" Caldor and Annabelle shouted in unison the instant their feet landed firmly upon the horizontal surface of the wall. Without a moment's hesitation, they rushed toward Baron Rivelle.

Asher's eyes drifted toward the siblings and his team members, noting carefully that none of the four bore any visible wounds. He silently deduced that the healers had already tended to them. After all, compared to the healers stationed at the city, Caldor and the others were still relatively low-ranked Life Rankers. It was only natural that they would have received swift treatment.

"I'm fine," Baron Rivelle said with a steady tired voice. "You know I am. Getting injured isn't anything new during a Monster Tide. You should already be used to such sights by now, and you mustn't lose your composure during moments like these." His tone was firm, carrying both authority and a subtle sense of fatigue and care.

Caldor and Annabelle exchanged glances, their lips twitching slightly. They couldn't comprehend how their father could so calmly tell them to grow accustomed to such horror. The bloodshed and chaos that accompanied every Monster Tide were things no one could truly get used to, yet their father spoke as if it were routine.

"Where is your mother?" Baron Rivelle asked, remaining seated upon the cold stone wall. His armor bore scratches and stains from battle, and though he appeared pale and drained, his eyes still glimmered with duty. He was tired, utterly so, but abandoning his post was unthinkable. His men were still working and rebuilding; he could not simply retire to his manor to rest while they labored.

"We met her on our way here," Annabelle replied softly, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "She's fine. She's coordinating with several of the knights, giving out orders and ensuring that the wounded are taken care of." Her tone was calm yet carried an undertone of exhaustion, which was to be expected after such an ordeal.

"You should learn from her," the Baron said, his gaze stern. "Both of you should have been doing the same, helping, managing, commanding. Not standing here fretting about me." He paused, his expression softening slightly. "I'll be passing on the family title to one of you eventually. Use this time wisely. Learn everything you can before I make my choice."

Caldor and Annabelle nodded solemnly. Though each desired the prestigious title of Baron, neither had stooped to sabotage the other. They had reached an unspoken agreement long ago, to simply prove their worth and allow their father to choose the successor based on merit.

Asher, who had been quietly observing the reunion, remained silent. His deep purple eyes shifted from the family scene to William and Finch, who stood respectfully a few paces away. Just as they were about to approach him, Asher suddenly stepped forward, and without a word, he leapt off the high wall. His body plummeted gracefully, landing on the ground below with a deft, almost weightless motion. Without glancing back, he began walking forward with his usual calm composure.

Finch and William exchanged a brief look before instantly appearing beside him, Finch on his right and William on his left.

"How was your battle?" Asher asked as they walked, his tone even, his eyes scanning the ruined landscape ahead. "This was our first mission, after all."

Finch sighed deeply, brushing some dust off his sleeve. "Although I've witnessed battles before, I didn't expect the front lines scenes of a Monster Tide to be this... relentless. The exhaustion, the smell of blood, the screams, it's nothing like training or regular battles. I didn't realize how draining it would be to fight wave after wave of monsters." Despite his words, Finch's appearance remained mostly pristine. His skin was almost flawless, except for a faint layer of dust and grime. It was evident that his Astra energy reserves were still mostly intact.

William, however, looked far worse. His complexion had turned pale, his breathing a bit shallow. "You might have it easy, Finch," he muttered. "But for me, switching between four elements during combat nearly drained me dry. My Astra reserves are running on fumes, it's like pouring water into a bottomless abyss."

He paused for a moment, rubbing his temples before adding, "Honestly, I think seven thousand points is too little for this mission, especially when we have to split it three ways. After what we've been through, the pay feels underwhelming." His tone was half serious, half weary, already calculating how many training sessions those points would cover.

Asher nodded slightly, acknowledging their words without saying anything further. His gaze wandered across the devastated city streets below. Among the chaos, he noticed a young girl kneeling beside the lifeless body of her mother. The woman's chest bore a deep, gaping claw mark, a fatal wound from one of the monsters that had attacked during the Tide. The girl's cries pierced through the muted air, raw and heart-wrenching.

Asher's eyes softened for a brief moment, but his steps did not pause. He continued forward, his pace steady, his face expressionless. He passed the girl just as he had passed countless corpses, wounded soldiers, and broken families throughout the day.

He wasn't heartless, far from it. Deep inside, he felt pity, even sorrow, for those who had lost everything. But pity wouldn't resurrect the dead, nor would it change the cruelty of reality. He wondered fleetingly how many lives would be forever altered by this single event, how many futures destroyed or created.

It was his first time witnessing a Monster Tide firsthand. Finch and William had seen such tragedies before in their own territories, but for Asher, this was new. And though the scene weighed lightly on him, his face betrayed nothing. His emotions remained buried beneath a mask of calm indifference.

Despite the turmoil in his mind, Asher didn't stop to console anyone, didn't offer a helping hand or a word of comfort. That wasn't his role. He wasn't a healer or a savior, he was a fighter, and his mission was already complete. The rest was no longer his concern.

As his boots crunched against the dirt and rubble, Asher tilted his head slightly upward, staring at the blazing sun suspended high in the afternoon sky. A strange thought crossed his mind. 'If gods truly exist,' he wondered, 'what do they feel when they look down upon scenes like this? Do they pity us, or have they long since grown numb to humanity's suffering?'

He shook his head faintly, dismissing the thought. Such questions had no answers, and even if they did, they wouldn't change anything.

The battle was over. The Monster Tide had raged since morning, and now, as the shadows grew long across the broken landscape, it was past three in the afternoon.

'The Star Academy gave us six days to complete this mission,' Asher mused inwardly. 'Yet we managed to finish in less than twenty-four hours.' His expression didn't change, but a faint spark of satisfaction flickered behind his eyes. 'That leaves us with five free days, and an extra one to spare. Six days free to spend however we want.'

Although the mission was complete, Asher felt no urgency to return to the Star Academy. His body ached, his mind was tired, and all he wanted now was rest. The Baron's manor would do just fine for that.

Helping the Rivelle knights or guards rebuild the city? That wasn't part of his mission. He wasn't being paid for such work, and Asher was not the kind of person who offered free labor.

As he continued down the dirt path, Finch and William quietly followed behind him. None of them spoke. The distant cries of the wounded and the faint clatter of rebuilding efforts echoed through the air. Above them, the sun began to dip ever so slightly, painting the ruined land in hues of fading gold.

And as Asher walked on, his figure cast a long shadow across the blood-stained ground, a silent witness to the price of survival.

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