By the time Horace's carriage entered Lakeside Town, dusk was approaching.
The carriage stopped in front of the Manor in the town center.
Before Horace could get out, the Manor's doors flew open, and a tall figure rushed out.
Uriel, the weather-beaten old warrior, was now Lakeside Town's de facto administrator.
She practically threw herself toward the carriage, her face weary from a long journey, but her eyes lit up the moment she saw Horace.
Then his expression froze.
"My lord, you..." Uriel's voice trembled slightly.
"Your hair..."
Horace lifted the carriage curtain, his long, silver-white hair stirring in the evening breeze. His dark red eyes swept over Uriel, and he nodded slightly. "It's a long story. Let's go inside first."
Rellana got out on the other side of the carriage as well, greeting Uriel with a nod.
But Uriel was still staring at Horace, his eyes wide and his lips trembling, when suddenly-
"My lord!"
The old warrior seized Horace's legs, tears and snot streaming down his face. "You've finally come back! Those documents, those reports, those endless visiting cards from the nobles-I, I'm going mad!"
Horace: "..."
He tried to pull his leg free, but Uriel held on for dear life.
"All right, get up." Horace sighed.
"I'm back now, aren't I?"
Only then did Uriel release him and wipe his face, though he still looked Horace up and down in amazement. "My lord, your appearance... has changed again. It won't keep changing after this, will it?"
"It was just an accident. It won't happen again." Horace offered no further explanation and turned toward the others following behind.
The Dragon Girl Froesanks, the Black King, Alberich, and the White Wolf Warhound Blaidd and Errant True Magic User Vyre, who had joined them at some point—the five stood behind