“Small... favor?”

Tyron shuddered.

Although Lord Bruce’s smile was very kind.

Although the distance between his thumb and forefinger was extremely close, only a tiny little gap.

For some reason, Tyron still had a very bad feeling.

As though what that gap represented...

Was not a gap, but a bottomless abyss, an immeasurable galaxy.

“Wh-what small favor?”

“Very simple. Same thing you were doing just now. Help me defend a place.”

“A place? Where?”

“Trof Street.”

“Trof Street?”

Tyron stroked his chin, brows furrowing slightly. “That place sounds a little familiar... Wait, isn’t that the street outside the west gate of Saint Haze Palace?”

“Yes. It’s the main road on the west side of the Kingdom’s royal palace, Saint Haze Palace. It runs through most of the western district, one of the few straight roads in this ancient, complicated city, and also the most important traffic hub in the entire western district.”

Muen took out a map and pointed to the road marked in red as he showed it to Tyron.

In reality, though, he did not need to show him at all, because Tyron had lived in the western district since he was a child. Although he rarely went around the area near Saint Haze Palace, he still knew it like the back of his hand.

“That road won’t be easy to defend. It’s wide and open, not like here. There’s basically no terrain we can rely on.”

Tyron gestured. “If the enemy attacks from the outer end of the street, then with a road that broad, they can even charge straight in with cavalry!”

“I’m sorry. The enemies you’ll be defending against are the ones coming from outside,” Muen said softly.

Tyron froze.

“Then... are we supposed to go inside Saint Haze Palace and defend from there? If we can rely on the inner moat and walls, then maybe we can hold for a while...”

“No. The people inside Saint Haze Palace are your enemies too, so you cannot enter Saint Haze Palace. You cannot even get close to Saint Haze Palace. You can only defend along Trof Street.”

“...And the enemy?”

“The same ones you just encountered... the Kingdom’s finest...”

“Impossible!”

Tyron’s tone abruptly turned furious. Even though the person before him was a great figure whose thigh he wished he could keep clinging to forever, he could not help being angry in this moment.

“The fact that we managed to hold just now was already a complete miracle. Those were the Kingdom’s finest soldiers, plus royal knights, and they’ve all gone mad! With us gutter rats, us thugs... how could we possibly hold again? How is that any different from sending us to our deaths?”

“I know. It’s difficult.”

Faced with Tyron’s anger, Muen showed no particular reaction.

Persuasion?

Inducement?

Coercion through power?

No. All of that would be meaningless.

He merely placed the map, which had already been marked with defensive positions and the enemy’s attack directions, into Tyron’s hands.

“So the choice is yours.”

“Huh?” Tyron, who had been about to argue his case, froze. The words he had just been about to say lodged in his throat.

“Is that strange?”

“No, I thought you...”

“This is not my order. It is not an order from Bruce, the Dark Emperor. It is my personal request. A request made as a friend. I also know exactly how unreasonable this is.”

Muen looked into Tyron’s eyes and said,

“So whether you go or not is your choice.”

“...Choice?”

Tyron was a little dazed.

For one instant, he had thought the other man was issuing him an order he absolutely could not disobey.

He had given Tyron so much, and now the time to collect the price had finally come.

Tyron had already prepared himself for that.

But now... this Mr. Bruce was saying it was only a request?

And... friend?

The lofty Dark Emperor would be friends with him?

Was this really not some new method of deception?

No...

Tyron denied it in his heart.

If it was this person, then no.

Because now, when this city was about to be destroyed, this man who clearly had nothing to do with this place was still here.

He had stayed here. Surely not to deceive one insignificant gang boss.

Tyron lowered his head unconsciously and carefully looked at the map.

On what was clearly not a civilian map, red arrows had been drawn in meticulous detail. Those arrows came from every street in the entire western district, and the target where they ultimately converged...

Was the west gate of Saint Haze Palace.

The west gate was the gate on the western side of Saint Haze Palace. For this ancient building, which occupied an extremely vast area, if one wanted to go from the west gate to the other gates, one had to cross the broad Kodoir River.

And the Kodoir River... Tyron saw several red crosses marked on it. That meant the bridges had already been destroyed... or rather, by the time those mad soldiers launched their attack, they would already have been destroyed.

If they were going to defend, all the pressure would be concentrated on the west gate.

Then...

Successfully holding this place was not difficult.

It was absolutely impossible.

Tyron closed his eyes and took several deep breaths.

As though he wanted to suck all the air he would breathe in this lifetime into his lungs.

Right now, he very much wanted to throw this map back and curse, asking what the hell this had to do with a guy like him, who only knew how to grope women’s asses while collecting protection money.

But...

“Lord Bruce, may I ask a question?”

“Ask.”

“This west gate... is it important?”

“Very important.”

Muen said,

“You should already have looked at the map. At present, the area where those controlled soldiers are rampaging is still the entire western district. So if they want to return to defend Saint Haze Palace, with the bridges destroyed, they can only take the west gate.

“In other words, as long as the west gate is held, as long as Trof Street is held, their route for returning as reinforcements can be cut off.”

“Cut off... reinforcements...”

Tyron murmured.

He did not know the purpose of cutting off reinforcements, and from Lord Bruce’s expression, he did not seem to intend to explain in detail.

However, if those madmen rampaging through the city district were suddenly going back to defend, then something extraordinary must be happening inside Saint Haze Palace.

Saint Haze Palace.

The Kingdom’s royal palace.

The King’s residence.

The highest seat of power.

To someone like Tyron, what a lofty place that had once been.

Even at the peak of his power, he could still only stand in the filthy, stinking city district and look up at it.

But now, someone wanted him to fight for something happening inside that palace.

How...

Absurd.

So ridiculous he wanted to laugh, yet no matter what, he could not.

“Lord Bruce, may I ask one more question?”

“Ask.”

“If that certain thing about to happen inside the palace succeeds... can it save this city?”

Tyron looked seriously into Muen’s eyes, his expression heavier than it had ever been.

“Yes.”

And so Muen also nodded and answered more solemnly, more seriously than ever.

“I guarantee it. It absolutely can. That is also precisely why I am doing all of this.”

“I see. It can be saved? As long as we hold this place, this city can be saved?”

Tyron slowly exhaled the breath he had drawn in earlier, as though he were breathing out all the air he had ever breathed in this lifetime.

The air still carried an unpleasant smell.

He hated the air here, just as he hated this city.

But as he had once said, even if this place was a bottle of terrible cheap liquor...

It was still the only liquor he had ever drunk in this life.

He could not leave this place.

And there were many others who could not leave this place.

So, if this was a lifeline, then he had to seize it.

Tyron... convinced himself that way.

“Fine.”

Tyron gripped the map tightly in his palm, abruptly raised his head, and said,

“I’ll take people there and defend it. How long do we need to hold?”

“Three... no, two hours.”

Muen said, “No matter what happens, no matter how it ends, as long as you hold for two hours, everything will be over...”

For all of you... that is.

Muen murmured in his heart.

But he did not say those words aloud.

...

...

A bonfire had been lit in the cemetery.

The gloomy woods cut off the destruction and conflict of the outside world. Warm flames leaped, bringing this place a warm orange silhouette unlike those cruel fires.

Tombstones stood one after another, silently watching a group of children sing and dance around the fire to hide the fear in their hearts.

They had probably never experienced such liveliness before.

“Where did Mr. Bruce go?”

Aviva sat down beside Pero, holding freshly toasted bread in her hand.

After being toasted, the black bread gave off an alluring aroma. Aside from being harder than usual, its taste had unexpectedly improved quite a bit.

“And that priest you mentioned. I wanted to invite him to eat bread with us, to thank him for taking us in, but there’s no one in that little wooden house over there at all.”

“Don’t know.”

Pero hugged his knees. He was clearly the one who had suggested the “party,” yet he looked entirely uninterested.

“Who knows where that guy went?”

“I see. I even wanted to invite him to dance.”

Aviva propped up her chin, secretly studying this “younger brother” of hers out of the corner of her eye.

“Are you angry? Because he left without saying goodbye again?”

“I-I’m not!”

Pero gave a soft snort. “Getting angry over someone like that isn’t worth it at all. Besides... he must have something very important to do.”

“Is that so?”

Aviva raised a brow and casually poked at the bonfire in front of her. “Then why are you so unhappy?”

“...I don’t know why, but just now, I suddenly remembered things from before again,” Pero said softly, burying his head in his knees.

“...” Aviva’s movements stiffened. “You mean before you met me.”

“Yes. I thought I’d already forgotten all of it, but ever since we fled the orphanage earlier, those scenes keep appearing in my mind for no reason... those scenes I clearly don’t want to remember at all.”

Blades.

Fire.

Bloodstains.

And... someone’s roar.

And those words that seemed as though they would be carved into his bones.

Pero abruptly closed his eyes, only then forcefully suppressing the images that had surfaced.

“I hate it.”

“It’s okay...”

Aviva hugged Pero. “The you now is completely different from the you back then. Those people absolutely won’t find you. Absolutely...”

Under Aviva’s comfort, Pero’s emotions gradually calmed.

He lightly breathed out a turbid breath and accepted the bread from Aviva’s hand.

“There’s one more thing.”

“What is it?”

“Do you feel like this place is familiar?”

“Familiar?”

Aviva froze, then instinctively looked around. “N-no way. This is a cemetery. If I’d been here before, I’d definitely remember it clearly. How could it feel familiar?”

“But that’s exactly the feeling I have. It’s very strange, and it also started back at the orphanage.”

Pero took a hard bite of the black bread, confusion showing on his face.

“Fire, disaster, ruins, cemetery... from the orphanage to here, I feel like I’ve seen all of this before. And... more than once.”

...

...

The raging flames in the western district were still burning, dyeing the night red, as though they would never go out.

Thick smoke concealed the sky, yet still allowed a faint thread of dim daylight to pierce the clouds and fall upon the exquisitely classical roof eaves.

Muen sat high atop the palace wall. Beside him was a black-flame lantern giving off a gloomy, faint light. Two teams of men passed beneath him between the ramparts, yet they were completely unaware of his presence.

“Let’s organize this again.”

Muen took out paper and pen and began writing and drawing.

And on the notebook, several pieces of information had already been recorded.

[The only Crowned-level powerhouse the Salvation Society can move freely outside is the Witch of Repentance. Confirmed.]

Boom!

A grand sound thundered from the other side of the city. Terrifying power swept open the clouds, welcoming the daylight.

Unknown existences fought all the way from the city district into the sky, yet were concealed by some mysterious power, making it extremely difficult for ordinary people to perceive.

[The Salvation Society cannot use the ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) person maintaining the Ancient Magic that cuts apart the timeline. Confirmed.]

[In order to deal with the only two remaining third-party Crowned in this city, the Salvation Society will also deploy its last high-end combat force. Confirmed.]

[Therefore, Saint Haze Palace has been completely controlled by the Salvation Society. There are large numbers of Salvation Society members along with soldiers controlled by the Witch of Repentance guarding it, but no Crowned exists there. Confirmed.]

[Saint Haze Palace has a grand barrier. Confirmed.]

[Most of the grand barrier’s power is being used to divide the city. It has basically no protective ability over Saint Haze Palace itself. Confirmed.]

[But I cannot avoid the grand barrier’s detection. Concealment has lost effect. Confirmed.]

[Because of the Archbishop’s death, the cathedral is leaderless. Combined with its misunderstanding of me, it will be difficult for it to contribute. Confirmed.]

[At this point in time, Fubeka, as an Evil God’s scion, has already been taken away. Confirmed.]

[The priest can hold back the Witch of Repentance for at least three hours. Confirmed.]

Muen tapped his pen. After a brief moment of thought, he continued writing.

[The route from the west gate to the central courtyard and then to the King’s bedroom is comparatively weak. Confirmed.]

[After the incident begins, the enemy will immediately mobilize soldiers back for defense. They are extremely cautious. Evidently, Saint Peron V’s importance is consistent with my speculation. Confirmed.]

[This time, Tyron will bring people to hold the west gate. How long they can hold... unconfirmed.]

“For now, that’s everything.”

Soft daylight shifted with the surging clouds and finally fell upon the side of Muen’s face.

That face was handsome and calm. His eyes were as blue as the sky hidden behind the clouds.

Muen closed the notebook, stood, and gazed at this grand palace whose style was entirely different from the imperial palace in Belrand.

The palace was beautiful.

Unfortunately, he did not like it.

Because although it looked magnificent, it was filled everywhere with the scent of rot.

“Is it because of the people? Or because of the land?”

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

The hands of the pocket watch set aside moved constantly, and finally, along with Muen’s silent count, reached their original position.

“Whichever it is... let’s begin.”

Muen murmured softly, then without the slightest hesitation...

Leapt into the palace wall.

“Who’s there?”

Someone cried out in alarm, but before the sound could travel far, it was completely crushed in the darkness.

...

...

“So this is that kid’s so-called plan?”

As though sensing something, the Limping Priest abruptly turned back and looked toward Saint Haze Palace.

“He’s going to... cut his way alone through a palace full of enemies? Absolutely fucking insane, kid.”

But...

Was he any better?

What difference was there between someone who trusted a madman and a madman himself?

The priest smiled mockingly at himself and stopped walking.

Not far away, the gentle woman in the white dress gave a light sigh and brushed the hair before her forehead aside.

“I clearly let you go once already. Why come back to throw your life away again?”

“I don’t want to either. But some mistakes always need someone to correct them, don’t they?”

The priest took out the scripture from inside his coat and prayed to the Goddess.

“Mistakes? Yes... I have mistakes too. Couldn’t you let me go correct mine first?”

The Witch of Repentance also looked toward Saint Haze Palace, her beautiful eyes filled with helplessness... and anger.

She had been chasing an ant for so long and still failed to kill him...

And now he had started stealing home in broad daylight. What a damn ghost story!

“Being forced into this state by one little brat... if this continues, not only inside the Salvation Society, I’ll become the laughingstock of the entire continent.”

“Isn’t that wonderful?”

The priest smiled, lifted his trouser leg, and revealed his crippled leg.

“Let’s all become laughingstocks together.”

“...”

The hem of the Witch of Repentance’s dress stirred, and killing intent abruptly thickened.

“It seems that before I deal with that major mistake... I must first resolve this small mistake.”

“Hey, I’m the stronger Crowned here, remember?”

The priest shrugged helplessly. “You’ve got that... backward!”

Radiance descended. Holy Light rose.

A brilliant crown hung above the priest’s head.

With one hand, he held the scripture and loudly chanted the Goddess’s holy words. With the other, he tightly gripped the execution sword and swung endless holy punishment.

As though time had reversed, returning to decades ago.

“Olive, let us begin again...The execution that has yet to end!”