Chapter 754: Chapter 754: First Strike (4)

"Sir, if it's not too presumptuous, may I ask you one question?"

The old man with white hair sipped his tea without a word upon hearing the wolf-masked man's inquiry.

And then...

"Presumptuous? Nonsense. Go ahead."

"Why did you stop him from heading °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° to the Sanctuary? Forgive me, but I truly cannot understand your reasoning."

"What part is hard to understand?"

To the old man's question, the wolf mask replied.

"As a result of him going to the Sanctuary, Brown Rotmiller, a 7th-rank explorer, died, and Sven Parab became a 'Saint.' Ah, of course, he's not fully there yet."

"Hmm?"

"In the end, he lost a useless guide but gained a comrade far more useful for the journey. So I can’t help but wonder why you told him not to head to the Sanctuary."

"Ah, so that’s what this is about..."

Hearing the wolf mask's doubt, the old man gave a kindly smile. But if you looked closely, his eyes sparkled with the mischief of a prankster.

"Where's the fun in just telling you?"

"...Excuse me?"

"Why don’t you try thinking it through? Why do you suppose I did it?"

Presented with a question in return, the wolf mask fell into thought before speaking cautiously.

"I believe it must be one of three things."

"Go on."

"The first is that you predicted how he would act."

"You’re saying I told him not to go to the Sanctuary precisely because I knew he’d disobey—like a disobedient frog. Incorrect. If that were the case, why would I have sent you to offer the advice? He would’ve gone there on his own if left alone."

"Yes... That was part of my confusion too."

"And the second?"

"The second... is if Brown Rotmiller was fated to die no matter which path he took."

"Oh?"

"Of course, that wouldn’t explain why you tried to send him to District 7 in the first place... but I thought perhaps you didn’t want Sven Parab to become a Saint."

"Interesting. Go on."

"You’ve said it before, haven’t you? That Sven Parab has a soul attuned to the divine. That even uncontracted dark gods might speak to him first."

"I did say that."

"So I wondered if perhaps you feared Sven Parab might grasp the hand of a dark god instead. After all, a priest of Karui could be more dangerous than a Saint. Either way, he’d still be helpful to the journey."

The old man smiled warmly at the second theory.

"I’m glad I asked your thoughts. That’s quite the compelling worldline."

"So... I was wrong again?"

"Yes. If he had gone to District 7, Sven Parab would have died."

"I see..."

The wolf mask’s voice deflated, as if a masterstroke had missed the mark.

"The third possibility... is that Brown Rotmiller is more valuable than Sven Parab, even as a newly ascended Saint..."

Even to himself, that seemed unlikely.

How could a retired 7th-rank guide be worth more than a soon-to-be holy knight Saint—?

"That’s the correct answer."

"...Excuse me?"

"I judged that, for his journey, Brown Rotmiller would be of far greater help."

The wolf mask couldn't comprehend it.

Still, drawing from his experiences following the elder and observing the fates of countless people, he offered one more hypothesis.

"...Sven Parab actually hinders his journey, doesn’t he."

He spoke with certainty.

It was the only thing that made sense.

Something that seemed like a plus turning out to be a minus.

Fate was full of strange and fickle twists—such cases weren’t rare—

"Wrong again."

"...What?"

Surprised by his own voice cracking, the wolf mask looked at the old man, who now turned his gaze to the window.

"Sven Parab will contribute as much to the journey as we hoped."

"...And yet you still chose Brown Rotmiller."

"Judging the future by only what a person is now... that’s a foolish thing to do. Who’s to say kings and nobles are born with royal blood? Even a beggar can become a king in this world."

"...Are you saying Rotmiller had that kind of talent?"

The old man chuckled softly at the binary thinking, shaking his head.

And then...

"He didn’t have that kind of talent. But all value is determined by what is recorded."

His voice grew heavy with regret.

"If Brown Rotmiller had survived, he would’ve left a far greater legacy in this world."

But of course, that future no longer existed in this world.

***

It feels like I just shut my eyes for a moment.

That’s why it doesn’t feel real.

I didn’t see it with my own eyes, didn’t experience it firsthand—I only heard about it afterward, once everything was already over.

Maybe they got it wrong somehow?

That naïve hope refuses to leave my head.

But...

[Be good to Miss Shabin. She's a good woman.]

There’s no way.

Ainard Prnelin has been captured and taken prisoner.

And Brown Rotmiller, my first guide, is dead.

That’s the unchangeable reality.

Which is why...

Crunch.

I clench my fist.

Where did it all go wrong?

Before heading to the Sanctuary, the “wolf mask” gave me a warning.

If I go to District 7, A will die.

If I go to the Sanctuary, B will die.

So I assumed A was Rotmiller.

And I went to the Sanctuary just as planned—ended up saving Rotmiller, who was in danger at the time.

But now...

“B was Rotmiller...?”

So the result of heading to the Sanctuary was his death.

It’s not like I’m blaming myself, saying I killed him. I’m not that stupid.

I know the difference between what I can and can’t do.

I’m not the type to beat myself up over failures I had no control over.

Yeah, I’ve always been that way.

"..."

But then, what is this goddamn feeling?

This barbarian body, branded with deep violence, begins to boil.

I want to fight.

Until I stop thinking.

I want to smash everything in sight.

But I hold it in.

Because this barbarian body isn’t Ihansu’s.

Breaking a mouse or keyboard won’t cut it anymore...

A wise warrior knows how to wait for the right moment.

Wait for the moment I can release this feeling—

Sffft.

At that moment, the tent entrance lifted, and someone stepped inside.

Arua Raven. A welcome face.

But something was off.

"...!"

Our eyes met, and Raven froze in place at the entrance.

Her complexion pale, her small white body trembling like a leaf.

What... did something bad happen to her?

That’s what I thought—just as I was barely calming the urge to destroy again, the fire began to rise anew.

"...I-I’m sorry."

Seeing Raven avert her eyes in fear, I realized.

"I-I’ll just... stay outside until you’ve calmed down..."

It was me Raven was afraid of.

"Hoo..."

I let out a long breath, like I was expelling every toxin in my body. Then I called out to Raven, who was about to bolt.

"Don’t go. I’ve calmed down now."

Raven looked back at me cautiously, studying me, and finally let out a breath of relief.

And then...

"...I heard what happened, too."

She struggled for a long time, unsure of what to say, and finally offered that small comfort.

"..."

I didn’t reply.

Because I felt like I’d boil over again.

But there was one thing I had to ask.

"Do you know what happened to Rotmiller’s body?"

"Um... I don’t think you want to hear this..."

"Don’t worry. I’ve calmed down."

"Uh... I really don’t think you should—"

"I said I’m fine."

Raven only looked at me with eyes that clearly said I wasn’t fine, hesitating to the very end.

And in the end, the answer came from outside the tent.

"Noark soldiers took his head. Once it’s confirmed he was your comrade, they’ll claim it as a military achievement."

Thump—!

My heart pounded.

Unbelievably fast.

Crack.

My jaw clenched.

So tight I worried I’d lose a tooth.

"You might’ve been hoping to use the Resurrection Stone... but too bad."

My heart thundered again.

"That bloodlust—mind reining it in? I’m fine, but... she looks like she’s about to die."

Haa...

Seeing Raven trembling again like she was about to seize up, I forced myself to reel everything back in.

And to think about something else, I changed the topic.

"What happened to you all? Where’s that Vivian?"

"After you disappeared with the Corpse Collector, Orkulis’s leader showed up. There was a battle... long story short, we were the first to retreat."

"...What?"

"I mean—we didn’t run, exactly. We pulled back at a reasonable point."

She talked about how she’d done it to protect Raven, or how they could’ve won if they fought properly...

But only she knows the truth.

Anyway, here’s the summary of what happened next.

The leader, who originally came after me, realized I was a royal knight and changed targets.

While the leader chased Astarotta, I slipped out of the underworld at just the right time.

After entering the capital, Astarotta recovered from her injuries and rested for a while.

Ah, and Vivian, who had tagged along, got thrown in prison, apparently?

"She’s useless now anyway. Thought about just executing her, but decided to keep her alive just in case."

After regrouping, they tried to find me—but the ancient magic caused them to lose track of me.

When word came that I’d entered the capital unconscious, they rushed over.

"So now I want to ask—what are you going to do?"

At Astarotta’s question, I closed my eyes for a moment.

What should I do now?

It didn’t take long to decide.

"First, we have to rescue Ainard. No matter what."

"I see."

Astarotta nodded at my answer.

Then she asked:

"And how?"

"..."

"Just so you know, all we’ve heard is that she was taken prisoner. We have no idea where she is now, or if she’s even alive."

Right, of course...

We need intel first.

"Astarotta, I have a request."

"Speak."

"Even if it’s only in the areas the royal family still controls—can you gather the scattered comrades and bring them together?"

"No need to ask. That’s already underway."

"I see... good."

She may seem rigid, but in moments like these, she proves she knows what she’s doing.

"If you need anything, or once your plan is set, call for me again."

With that, Astarotta left the tent once more.

I sat quietly on the bed, turning things over in my mind.

I reviewed every piece of information I had, checking for anything I might’ve missed. Every few minutes, I bothered Astarotta again.

Where was Ainard?

Were there any more comrades stranded in enemy territory?

And—was the Marquis’s location still unknown?

In a wartime scenario like this, I had no choice but to rely on military intelligence.

But no matter how long I waited, no news came. I was starting to feel the pressure.

‘...Wait a second.’

The information I’d been desperately seeking came from an entirely unexpected place.

Thinking of the Marquis led me to think of Ragna.

Thinking of Ragna reminded me of that girl who was like Ragna’s right hand—Hyeonbyeol.

And that led me to remember the ‘Love Note’ she gave me a long time ago...

‘No way...’

I hurriedly pulled out the ‘Love Note’—and there really was writing on it.

It boiled down to two things:

[Ainard Prnelin, Alminus Central Bank Basement Vault.]

Presumed current location.

And...

[Execution Scheduled.]

Current status.