Luna gritted her teeth. “Fine, I won’t ask for the name of your organization. But I know you’re the ones who have fought the Circle of the First Light and the Lomuia Grand Cathedral. The military isn’t just what’s shown on the surface; its darker side is controlled by you.”
Conrad stayed silent, which was answer enough.
After a pause, Luna asked quietly, “Conrad, tell me… why do you insist on killing him?”
Conrad gave a cold laugh. “Him? You mean the Dragon Prince of the Lloyd family? Fine, there’s no point in hiding it. If I don’t tell you, you’ll run off to General Turman and force it out of him anyway.
“As you already know, Andrew and I were both part of this organization. We entered during the same period, among the rising talents of Chetvine. But because of that, we both fell into a carefully designed trap from above.
“In that kind of inhuman, suffocating training, the others, geniuses from across our nation’s regions and from Chetvine itself, either died or disappeared mysteriously. In the end, only the two of us survived.
“During that time, our brotherhood was the strongest it had ever been. Back then, Andrew was the one man I could trust to guard my back.”
Here, Conrad stopped for a long moment.
Luna studied his face and saw a mix of nostalgia, hatred, bitterness, and a sorrow he could not quite hide.
“Until the final trial arrived. We were dropped into a small country called Aclania, and the only order from above was simple: survive, and you pass. Die, and it all ends there.
“In that black jungle, I’ll admit that I was afraid. But after so many years of brutal training, I couldn’t give up so easily. It was useless, though. In the end, I was captured by the rebels.”
Luna gasped. “What? You were captured?”
In Chetvine, Conrad stood in a league of his own, so much so that even Luna, proud as she was, respected him deeply and treated him like her senior. Conrad was not only the Cunningham family’s future but a true prodigy.
Often, Conrad’s obsession with martial arts and the merciless standards he set for himself went far beyond dedication. It bordered on madness.
To her, he had always been the definition of perfection.
Conrad continued, “Luna, the irony of this world is exactly that. You think you’re at the top, but often you’re nothing but an ant… maybe even less than an ant. After surviving the training, I thought I could march out of Aclania alive. Do you know how strong that sense of honor was? Just the whispers I heard told me that if I returned, I’d be promoted straight to colonel.
“From there, I would undergo the organization’s martial baptism, undergo a ritual that will rebuild your very foundation, unlocking a direct path to the power of a Martial Emperor. I thought I would soar, becoming someone legendary. But what drew me most was not the title. It was the sanctity and the power of the organization itself.
“Through it, I saw the extraordinary side of the world. I saw the shadows others couldn’t, the hidden truths behind everything. At that time, I believed that being part of the organization meant I was already a god.”
Luna nodded, her eyes glowing with awe. “General Turman said you were one of the few who had the chance to reach the very peak of this world. And it was because of the strength and secrecy of the organization you belonged to.”
Conrad nodded. “That’s right. But everything was ruined by that final trial. I was captured, tortured, and when I couldn’t endure it anymore, I almost chose to surrender just to save my life. At that moment, I hated myself. I hated my weakness, my failure, and the fact that I was willing to compromise for survival.
“But heaven must not have wanted me to fall. Andrew stormed into the rebel camp, risking half his life to pull me out. I will never forget when he grinned at me and said, ‘We’re brothers. If we come together, we’ll leave together. And if we can’t, then I’ll die with you.’
“Right after saying that, he collapsed unconscious. And I wept. I cried in secret, and in that moment, I swore I would protect him, this younger brother of mine. He saved me, he saved my honor, and he saved my very soul.”