"He... why did he wake up at this moment?" Marcus shouted in astonishment.
"I don't know. I was nearly successful, but then he appeared and saved Master Harkin and the others," the soul of Arno replied slowly.
"How many of them are there?" Cole inquired.
"Five. But Lord Cole, you must be cautious. Among them are two youngsters with an incredibly powerful aura within them. Their strength should not be underestimated."
"Two youngsters. Are they from the United Nations? If they are magicians, then it's no concern. They cannot harm me," Cole responded solemnly.
"No, they are neither magicians nor from the United Nations. They are probably the ones who killed Merlin."
"Alright, I understand now. Come back to me," Cole said, raising his sword. The soul of Arno standing before them was then drawn into Cole's blade, transforming into a swirl of white mist.
"Lord Cole, what should we do now?" Marcus asked, his face still pale with fear.
"Do not worry. Now we simply wait. The little king will certainly come to reclaim what is his. At that time, we will annihilate them together," Cole spoke as he sheathed his sword and tucked the mysterious green stone away.
"But Lord Cole, Arno said their strength cannot be underestimated. Should we just sit idly by?" Marcus questioned.
"Do you know where they are right now?" Cole retorted.
Marcus remained silent, only shaking his head absently.
"Rather than searching for them, it is better to prepare right here. I believe they are out seeking more allies. Otherwise, with only five of them, it would be a foolish dream for them to reclaim the United Nations."
"Yes, yes!" Marcus answered excitedly.
"So, searching for them now is a waste of time. The better course is to carefully consider how best to deal with them," Cole added.
"Yes, Lord Cole," Marcus muttered, bowing his head in agreement.
...
Meanwhile, the five of them had already left the eastern part of Roland Continent, crossing the borders of the United Nations and heading towards the Aros Empire.
"We've left the borders of the United Nations. We should be safe for now, right?" Will asked.
"If they've set their sights on us, safety is no longer a guarantee," King Sam II replied.
"King Sam, must you make our enemies sound so formidable?" Will said with a wry smile.
"I am not exaggerating. You don't know how powerful Cole truly is," King Sam II responded gravely.
"Ah, I asked Master Harkin about him before, but he said he knew nothing of Cole, only that he came from the south," Will said, perplexed.
"Master Harkin is correct. The most crucial detail is that he comes from the south, from a place rife with demons."
"A place teeming with demons?"
"Yes, that place is one where no ordinary person dares to tread, for nearly all the evil entities on Roland Continent are concentrated there. The south can truly be considered the hell of Roland."
"Then, what about Cole?"
"I once heard a story from a traveler who wandered across Roland. He told me that despite the terrifying nature of the south, there are still a small number of people who live there."
"What? People live there?"
"Yes. There is a family, the Brand family, who has lived there for hundreds of years, longer even than the history of our three great empires."
"Brand... a family? Just one family? I thought there was an entire kingdom!" Will asked incredulously.
"Yes. According to the traveler, he was saved by the Brand family when he was attacked by monsters. After he was injured, they invited him into their home to treat his wounds."
"Seems like they're not bad people. But what does this have to do with Cole?"
"Listen to me, boy," King Sam II said dismissively to Will.
Embarrassed, Will lowered his head, listening attentively.
"When the traveler was brought into the Brand family's territory, he noticed something strange. In the vicinity of their land, there were no evil monsters, and it was like an oasis in the desert," King Sam II described, gesturing with his hands as they stopped to listen intently.
"The traveler described how the houses of the Brand family were not much different from our own, with decorations similar to those here. Then, one night, as he was preparing to sleep, he suddenly heard a strange sound. It was something like a human cry, but also like that of some wild beast. He went out to find the source of the sound and stumbled upon an unlocked door. He quietly pushed it open and saw something utterly unbelievable through the crack."
"What... what was it?" Will asked, fear creeping into his voice.
"There was a man, an old man with white hair, torturing a monster. The creature had human-like limbs, but its head was that of a ferocious beast. The shrieking sounds were coming from it. The traveler was so frightened, he quickly covered his mouth, afraid he would scream. After torturing the creature for a while, the old man with white hair drove a black sword, inscribed with unknown runes, into the monster's chest."
At this, Will's face contorted with fear.
"That's not all! After a while, white gas began to emerge from the monster's corpse and was slowly absorbed by the black sword."
"White gas?"
"Yes. From my judgment, that white gas must have been the monster's soul. The terrified traveler fled back to his room. Fearing for his life, he suppressed his fear and hid under the bed, trembling. The next morning, he pretended to know nothing and left under the watchful eyes of two Brand family members."
"Why... why did the traveler tell you this?" Will asked, recovering his composure.
"It's simple. I got him drunk, and he started rambling," King Sam II replied.
"Can we trust what a drunk person says?" Will exclaimed, anger flashing in his eyes.
"He spoke so in-depth and coherently. How could it not be true?" King Sam II said with a wry smile.
"By the way, what does this story have to do with Cole?" Will asked.
"Cole's full name is Cole Brand," King Sam II said solemnly.
"What?" The four of them exclaimed in unison.