****(POV)

This is insane!

Right now I am devouring everything on my plate. I should know better than to do something so dumb. I have been a mercenary leader for a long time after all!

That food might very well be poisoned but I just can't stop my hands or mouth.

It is that delicious. Who doesn't love pancakes! But there is something weird about the whole thing. I can see one of my companions eat it ravenously too. The thing is he hates pancakes. Chances are this is not real.

Earlier we stumbled upon the kitchen. It was totally empty. Yet here we are eating a feast. Either our host knows storage magic, or this is all an illusion. Both cases are extremely scary as both are extremely strong magic.

Talking about our host there is obviously something wrong with him. More accurately he is perfectly fine…as a vampire. I've heard tales of them. Some extremely powerful and evil race. Illusion magic tends to be right in their cords. The moment one falls to the charm it is already too late to fight back. He could simply kill us all while we are feasting.

I know that, but I still can't stop at all!

This is crazy! I was about to despair, but then that man told us to keep eating. That everything would be fine. Not to use that so-called newfound energy, however. Of course, an illusion is not filling at all. That's when I realized something. He knew all along.

He saw through the illusion instantly. We all succumbed to it, yet it never affected him in the first place!

He alone is stronger than all of us. Is it him being on another level completely? Is it his will being that firm? After all, I was able to discern the threat, I am just not resolute enough to defend against it.

I that survived many life and death fights and am known for my cool head is not his match.

At all.

I'm truly glad we came here with him. Otherwise, we would have joined the pile of skeletons outside. Maybe the most unresolved to death between us would have turned into wraiths.

Yet all because of him, we are still alive. And now we get to just relax while he takes care of everything.

I'm not sure if I should feel bad or just ask him if he won't take us under his wing. That would be pretty shameless wouldn't it?

Now that I think about it I should have known something was up since the beginning.

He requested guides, never protectors. He didn't bat a single eye to the larger and stronger mercenary group. He didn't have to.

Then later on he met a unicorn. Stuff like that doesn't happen to the common mortals. These creatures are way too proud to show themselves to normal guys, or so I've heard anyway.

After that, we got ambushed on the road. Not sure how they evaded his detection, but we did fall into their trap. Still, he never panicked. At first, he had a smirk on his face and then surprise, but not fear. Not once. I first mistook that for him being too surprised but turns out I was the one in the wrong.

Well after a while he did come back to his senses and started running with us too. Was that all an act? He seems to like to act weak for some reason.

We dived right into an unknown portal and came here.

He guided us all around evading the enemies until we reached the middle area where we fought the skeleton army.

When people were getting antsy, he started singing. Good plan, but it requires the courage to apply it. A weak soul would just despair and want to run confronted by such an army. Not him. Even then kept leading us.

Then came a huge bone dragon. That is when we all collectively gave up on life. No one spoke but we all knew this place was going to be our tomb. Still, I wanted to try one last stand burning my life soul. He went alone to confront the creature. Alone against a damn dragon! He did it naturally without a hint of doubt too!

He seemed to have trouble dodging every attack, yet he remained fine. I concentrated on my casting. Chanting is not always necessary but it does increase the power of magic. I was going to pour everything into that one spell: my power, my body, my soul, all of it.

We kept charging through and actually made it across finally reaching the fog. I understood how after looking at him dancing with the dragon. He wasn't only dealing with the big guy but also countless skeletons at the same time.

All the while dodging barely at the last second and making it look as clumsily as possible. That's when I truly understood that he had been faking all this while. His unsteady posture only an illusion. This man was a hardened warrior. The worst is he had many opportunities to counterattack yet he would playfully run around the dragon even then.

I figured he might be able to actually produce a miracle. Especially with my support.

I waited for him to come nearby and started enchanting his sword. This would have been my most powerful cast ever…except I never even finished it. First I realized he didn't have his sword anymore. Not sure when it disappeared. Then when I was about to ask someone to lend him one he took something that was hanging at his neck. I never really paid attention to that.

Grave mistake. Or it would have been had he been an enemy. For us, it was the best news possible.

He took out something I will always recognize instantly. The Bringer of Calamity.

The sword that made the Eagle of Massacre into a legend.

Right there and then I simply blanked out.

The only thing I could think to myself was…

WHAT THE FUCK!!!!