Alminus Central Bank.
The place where all the world’s wealth flows, and with all manner of treasures locked away in private vaults, it’s no exaggeration to call it a dragon’s nest.
And naturally, with such a concentration of gold and jewels, the security is top-tier...
Even I have to admit, it seems like a far better place than the security bureau or guild underground prison—
To imprison soone important.
"Isn’t it a little too obvious...?"
That was Raven’s response after I explained the situation to her.
"Harin Suevi? I don’t know why you two were exchanging sothing like a ‘Love Note’ in the first place, but she’s the right hand of Countess Peproc. And Peproc is obviously aligned with the Marquis faction."
"..."
"This is clearly a trap. I hate to say it, but why do you think they didn’t just kill Ainard on the spot and dragged her away instead?"
To be honest, I had been thinking the sa thing.
Of course, Raven doesn’t know that Harin Suevi is Hyeonbyeol, or what kind of relationship she has with .
And I don’t believe Hyeonbyeol intentionally fed false intel to mislead , either.
But...
'A trap is still a trap.'
Even if the info ca from Hyeonbyeol, the fact that it reached my ears at all is the problem.
If the Noark side had really wanted to keep this top secret, it never should’ve reached .
'And considering that bastard Marquis’s personality...'
It goes beyond “maybe a trap.” It’s 100%.
Like Raven said, the fact that they kept Ainard alive rather than killing her is suspicious enough.
So I figured they’d try negotiating or sothing—but now they’re saying execution scheduled?
Too transparent.
But...
'If it’s right now...'
This might be the golden window.
Because the info ca through Hyeonbyeol.
Even the Royal Army probably hasn’t received it yet. Which ans they’d never imagine I already know.
In short, there’s a good chance the trap hasn’t been fully set up yet—
'I have to move fast.'
Ti is short.
***
A building directly across from the Alminus Central Bank.
It used to be the headquarters of the Alminus rchant Guild, but had long since been looted and reduced to ruins.
And in that building, a woman was hiding quietly.
"Lady Emily...?"
"Quiet. I’m thinking."
Alia Rainwales stared out the window.
But just by looking, could anyone really know what she was thinking?
"Even for you, Lady Emily, this is too much... I won’t ask you to retreat to the capital or to District 3. But at least stay hidden and rest until your wounds heal."
Auyen’s voice was full of concern. And his sincerity matched it.
He didn’t know what the others thought of a forr marauder like himself, but to him, Alia and Yandel were saviors.
He couldn’t just sit by and watch.
"Besides... you don’t even have one arm right now."
Auyen pressed a little harder.
Under normal circumstances, maybe. But right now, Alia’s right arm was severely injured.
It happened during a chase with Noark forces—not that the entire arm had been blown off or anything.
But in so ways, it was worse.
Her forearm’s bones and muscles had been completely split vertically. And due to her unique essence, she couldn’t even take potions.
"You only just stopped the bleeding—what exactly do you think you can do in that state?"
He wasn’t literally clinging to her legs, but his tone and posture weren’t far off from begging.
But...
"I said I’m thinking, didn’t I."
Alia replied, flat as ever, not batting an eye.
Which only made Auyen more nervous.
Because he knew what “thinking” ant in her case.
It wasn’t about deciding whether to do sothing.
The decision was already made.
She was only contemplating how to do it.
"Do you think Captain Yandel would approve if he knew what you were doing?"
Auyen finally played his trump card—and only then did Alia’s gaze shift from the window to him.
"......."
Just her gaze was enough to make him feel overwheld.
But even trembling, Auyen didn’t look away.
"Auyen Rockrove, you’re crossing the line."
"I don’t have a choice. To stop soone who already crossed it, I have to cross it too."
A clear declaration: he wouldn’t back down.
At that, the cold killing aura around Alia dispersed. She sighed, as if admitting defeat.
And then, in a gentler tone:
"It’s not like I don’t know it’s dangerous. But this is sothing I have to do."
"Why?"
"...Because I don’t want Ainard Prnelin to die."
That was the root of everything.
They # Nоvеlight # happened to be hiding in a building near the route Ainard was being transported—and once they saw her being led into the bank, they began tracking her.
"Why do you think she’ll die? If they wanted her dead, they wouldn’t have taken her alive. No, they’re definitely trying to use her as leverage against the royal family or Captain Yandel."
"Maybe. That’s possible."
"Exactly. So first—"
"But what if not?"
Alia cut him off.
"What if I waited, thinking the ti wasn’t right—and she ends up dying in that bank?"
"...Even if that happens, it wouldn’t be your fault."
He wasn’t lying.
But as he said it, Auyen found himself averting his gaze.
Alia chuckled softly at that.
"You don’t need to say that. Honestly, you’re not wrong."
Alia herself once believed in such logic.
Survive by any ans necessary. No matter what.
"...Ah! Then—!"
"That’s enough."
Alia ended the conversation.
She wasn’t skilled at persuasion.
In truth, she didn’t even know what she could say to explain it.
"I’ll be careful. You just stay hidden here."
It was more of a notice than a request.
And Auyen didn’t argue further.
"Yes... please be careful..."
Alia didn’t respond.
At so point, her presence disappeared from Auyen’s sight—and he was alone.
"......."
The third floor office of the ruined rchant building.
In the empty stillness, Auyen stepped to the window and watched the bank’s front entrance.
But no matter how long he stared, he didn’t see Alia.
Which, of course, made sense.
She wouldn’t go in the front if she was trying to be stealthy.
Even if she did, he wouldn’t have been able to see it.
"...Please be safe."
He had no religion, but he closed his eyes and prayed.
Then kept a wary watch on the bank, just in case sothing happened outside.
How long had passed?
"What the—there really is soone here."
"Told you. I sensed life energy."
Startled by voices behind him, Auyen turned around.
And at that mont—
Thunk—!
A blunt weapon smashed into his forehead, and he collapsed.
As his consciousness faded, he heard the voices of the Noark soldiers.
"So who the hell is this guy?"
"Isn’t he one of Yandel’s scattered comrades?"
"Eh, I doubt it. Guy passed out from one hit. No way he’s a real comrade."
"Probably just a regular civilian hiding out, or a transferred explorer. I heard hundreds of barbarians and a bunch of small clans were mixed in."
"Hmm. So he’s one of those, then."
They tried to guess his identity.
Fortunately—or unfortunately—they didn’t recognize him as a mber of the Anabada Clan.
Still, that didn’t an he had much hope of survival.
"So what do we do with him?"
"Why even ask? Dump him at headquarters like always. They're already short on fuel for the magic weapons."
"Ugh, do you know how far HQ is from here?"
"They’ll still pay. And he looks like he’s absorbed a few essences. Worth a bit of pocket change."
"Hmm... fine, let’s do that. No point keeping him here—"
Then one of them suddenly cut himself off.
"Wait—he’s still awake?"
Crack—!
That was Auyen Rockrove’s last mory.
***
Greed brings ruin.
Auyen Rockrove agreed with that saying.
In fact, the reason he’d survived so far was because he had never been greedy.
"Next."
He gave up on dreams of being a great explorer.
So he learned sailing instead.
"Next."
Even when he joined a vicious clan and was worked like a slave, he felt grateful just to survive—and dared not hope for more.
"Next."
When the barbarian took him in, he didn’t dream of escape, even trapped underground.
"Next."
In ti, they began to accept him. And that fact alone saved him.
They called him nas like Rockrock or Ngu-Yen, but...
That didn’t matter.
They ate the food he cooked, said he did a good job handling the horses—
And in those monts, he felt sothing inside him finally fill, sothing he thought would always remain empty.
Sure, he was more of a pack mule than a comrade of Yandel’s but...
"Next."
So what?
Heroes don’t fart rainbows.
"Next."
Yeah. People like him needed to exist too.
He was helping in his own way.
So he worked hard.
Read cookbooks while out shopping, got better at handling horses.
He even studied navigation so he could help when the Anabada Clan needed to sail or move between floors.
Maybe he’d forgotten it for a while—
"Next."
Greed brings ruin.
A snake who lives beside a dragon doesn’t beco a dragon.
So, yeah...
'This must be fate, too...'
He accepted the situation as natural.
Because really, wasn’t it?
He was a burden. So blindly following them around—it was only fitting this was how it ended—
"You deaf? I said next!"
A soldier in armor grabbed his collar and dragged him forward.
At the end of the path stood a massive machine.
It looked crude, simple in construction.
A vertical structure with a shaft running down. They were throwing people in without hesitation.
'So this is how I die...'
To soone like him, used to suppressing desire, acceptance was like breathing.
"Ugh...!"
He didn’t even think to resist.
Sure, he could maybe take down one or two—
But then what?
He’d be tortured and killed.
Better to just go quickly inside that thing—
"Wait. Stop."
Just as he was leaning over the endless shaft, soone stepped in and halted the execution.
A man in a knight’s uniform.
He examined Auyen’s face, grabbing his chin, then nodded.
"Yeah, it’s him. Auyen Rockrove. He’s technically a mber of the Anabada Clan."
"Really?"
"Don’t know where you picked him up, but I’ll take it from here. His Excellency will want to see him personally."
And so, Auyen was led away by the knight.
When he ca to, a middle-aged man with a chilling aura was looking down at him.
He knew who it was at a glance.
"I brought the one you asked for, Your Excellency the Marquis."
"His hands are untied?"
The Marquis comnted, and the knights hastily explained.
"He’s supposedly one of Yandel’s allies, but only served as a navigator. Estimated combat ability—below an orc. No threat."
"I see..."
The Marquis accepted that and dropped the subject.
Auyen went blank for a mont—but then it clicked.
'They don’t know.'
Of course not.
The royal family knew Yandel acquired that essence—but they’d never imagine he gave it to .
And I never used it, so the info never leaked.
Yes, so...
"Uh, uh..."
Maybe...
'This is my chance...'
"Speak, if you want to live."
His thoughts didn’t last long.
It was a surreal mont.
He’d been the kind of guy to agonize over which eggs to buy—
But this ti, he didn’t hesitate.
"How valuable are you to Bjorn Yandel?"
As soon as the Marquis finished speaking, he activated the skill.
Unavoidable. Instant.
Bypass defense.
Respectable power, minimal soul cost, short cooldown—Yandel had praised it.
The special ability of the third-tier monster, Bellarios:
「Auyen Rockrove has activated [Crush].」
It surged from his hand.
And—
The instigator of this civil war.
Forr chancellor of Lafdonia.
Marquis Tertherion himself.
A man so far above soone like Auyen that he never should’ve been within speaking range.
A man the entire city now wanted dead.
"Guohk...!"
Coughed up blood and collapsed.
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