"So now all we can do is wait for Dior to come," Roger said, looking down at the sword in his hand.
Incursio was still trembling faintly. Having found its new master, it was clearly even more excited than before. Compared to its previous owner, it felt something strangely different about this one—like he wasn't the same kind of person at all, different in a major way.
But when Roger looked at it, he felt an odd familiarity.
To him, a sword was just a sword. Nothing special. It could cut, it could carve, and it could be used as a weapon—already more than useful enough.
As for whether it needed intelligence, or a soul… that was far too fantastical for Roger, and completely unnecessary. What would he even do with a talking sword?
Though if the sword could fly to him from a hundred meters away and land in his hand… then that would be a different story.
"Based on Dior's personality, he won't wait long," Torin said, looking at Roger. "But after the few clashes you've had with him, he's probably already figured out you're not weak. You have enormous room to grow. If he keeps letting you develop and learn, you might end up forging some kind of trump card."
"Mr. Torin, doesn't your swordsmanship count as a trump card?" Roger asked. "I feel like after learning this, I can easily beat Dior. I've already seen through all his moves."
"No. Seeing through him has no meaning," Torin said. "He's nothing more than a dog under that man. If his master comes to fight you personally, then even you have no chance."
"That man is really that strong?" Roger asked.
"I don't know how strong. But he definitely won't be weak," Torin said. "Dior is already this strong—his master can't be far behind. The General once said that the power inside him also came from that man. If that man had given him no favor, then he would have had no chance to come to this world—no chance to carry out his revenge plan—and he wouldn't have had the chance to father you either, Roger."
Hearing that, Roger nodded as if something clicked.
"But what if I run into him by chance next time?" Roger asked.
"Then you leave it to fate," Torin said with a sigh. "The General knew long ago that everything he did might end up being futile, meaningless. Even with you, he didn't have absolute confidence—he could only do everything possible to push you to experience, to temper yourself. One day you might defeat him… but we don't know how you'd do it. Or it could be a complete crushing defeat. But you still have to try, don't you?"
Hearing Torin's words, Roger turned many thoughts over in his mind.
Beside them, Levi listened while trying to piece together what they were even talking about. From what he gathered, there was some mysterious person hidden in the dark who wanted Roger dead—and Roger didn't have absolute confidence he could seriously injure them, much less kill them.
That was clearly unfavorable for Roger in the current situation. But if they could drag that hidden enemy into the open, and learn exactly how strong they were… maybe there'd be a sliver of a chance.
The problem was, Levi still didn't even understand where that enemy came from, or where to start looking.
After taking his leave of Torin, Roger brought Levi back to the Scorpion Corps headquarters.
Unlike the old days, the Scorpion headquarters had now become Roger's home.
He ate, slept, and lived there. And around him were the residences of other soldiers.
Those soldiers were all veteran Scorpions who had fought through blood and fire with him—men who, even when Roger declared he would turn everyone into Titans, still stood unwaveringly before him.
After the Rumbling, Roger came to trust them deeply. He knew that even in death, they wouldn't betray him.
After Tours died, Roger developed an even stronger affection for these loyal soldiers. He no longer treated them as ordinary troops, or as tools to be used—he treated them as friends, as comrades.
Every time he returned home, he would see those veterans' familiar, warm faces.
Hearing them call him "Boss" filled Roger with a powerful sense of accomplishment. He felt he couldn't let them down.
Who would've thought they used to be criminals—murderers looked down upon, their names posted on wanted notices?
The punishments inside the Walls weren't particularly brutal, but the system was prone to loopholes.
Under the old royal regime, it was easy for power to cover things up or frame the innocent.
These men might have been innocent from the start—later used as tools by high-ranking nobles.
Because of some connection to those people, they were turned around and exploited, made into scapegoats.
In prison, they wanted nothing more than to be released, hoping someone would pay a fortune to bail them out. But after becoming scapegoat families, their households no longer had any extra assets.
When Roger arrived and redeemed them completely, they felt as if a god had descended to grant them salvation.
So from that moment on, they decided to sell their lives to Roger. No matter what Roger did, they were willing to run ahead of him and work for him.
And because Roger was so capable, they enjoyed benefits they never could have imagined.
They became lords. Even if they held no real authority, rich stipends were distributed to them every month.
Beyond that, they could choose to remain at Roger's side as guards.
Roger naturally didn't lack guards, but he didn't want his surroundings to be cold and empty. He needed people at his left and right—so his lonely house would feel a little more human.
Night gradually fell. Roger brooded over how to deal with Dior.
Just then, Nelly walked in through the doorway.
"When I saw you at the entrance earlier, Boss… your expression didn't look right. So I wanted to ask what happened. Can you tell me? Maybe I can help."
Hearing that, Roger raised his eyes and looked at Nelly.
It was true—Nelly was smart. But whether he was smart enough to think of a way to deal with Dior… Roger didn't know.
So he told Nelly everything about Dior.
After listening, Nelly seemed to grasp something.
"You're saying they fear sunlight—they're vampires from another world. And around them there are all kinds of strange Stand enforcers that normal people can't even see. Honestly, I don't know how to deal with them… but I have an idea. I don't know if you want to hear it."
"Oh?" Roger said. "Let's hear it."