The Evil Eye, Roland Banossant.
Under the law of Orkulis, where strength determines rank, he killed the previous deputy commander in a single blow and claid the position for himself. A top-tier psychic.
I’ve heard dozens of stories about this guy’s career—too many to recount—but if I had to na the most recent one:
The defeat of Ainard Prnelin, the New Spear.
It feels strange to say this, but Ainard was the strongest of my early comrades after Elwen. Even back when she was called the Violent Spear, she was one of the Seven Peaks. That says it all.
Ainard is objectively very strong.
But that bastard beat her.
Without suffering even minor injuries himself.
More than that—he captured Ainard alive.
Even one of those feats would’ve marked a massive power gap. But both? The answer is simple.
He’s very, very strong.
Maybe that’s to be expected, given he’s Orkulis’s deputy commander. Still, I didn’t see it coming.
In my mory, the guy was making a dumbstruck face, getting his skull smashed in by a hamr as he died.
Sure, I had the elent of surprise back then, but still.
Now to hear that the sa guy wiped the floor with Ainard? That’s enough to break my sense of reality.
“Yandel... be careful. He uses so really strange abilities...”
I chuckled when I heard Ainard’s advice.
'...So she can talk like that when she’s scared, huh.'
Well, she probably doesn’t know what kind of Essence that bastard has.
To her, it really would’ve seed like “so strange ability.”
'Even if I take care of the Evil Eye... can Alia and Ainard handle the rest? While dragging those two burdens?'
Tsk... this might be tough.
Just as those thoughts were forming—
“Ahem!”
The bespectacled man, who’d previously shattered the (forr) symbol of peace’s ntal composure, cleared his throat and boldly stepped forward.
Well, not too close. He was still quite a distance away...
“Baron Yandel! Hear !”
'...Huh?'
, this ti?
“You are already surrounded! If you’re still hoping the Imperial Army will save you, abandon that hope imdiately. The Royal Army is currently in retreat!”
“...So?”
“To soone whose fate is already foretold, I present a proposal. Lay down your arms and surrender. I cannot speak of the details here, but the Lord wishes to et you.”
I stayed quiet out of curiosity. It seed like a recruitnt attempt. I glanced at Alia, silently asking who the hell is this guy? She answered:
“He’s one of the Lord’s people. Doesn’t have a fixed post. They just call him in whenever they need sothing done.”
It was a vague concept, but easy enough to understand.
I’d heard Alia herself used to occupy that very role.
In short, this guy held the sa position Alia once did...
'No wonder I didn’t recognize his face.'
Still, it was kind of funny.
Here we were, facing the elite forces of Orkulis, yet the one trying to win over was the “Lord.”
“Well then, what say you? I won’t wait long. Decide here and now.”
The glasses-wearer looked absolutely certain that I wouldn’t refuse. But after hearing his offer, my only impression was:
'What a completely half-assed, shitshow family.'
My answer was already decided.
“I refuse.”
“...Excuse ?”
“Is there sothing wrong with your ears? I said I refuse.”
I an, the marquis is just up ahead.
And once I take him down, my mission’s complete.
That was the one task the king gave .
Capture the marquis, and my companions and I avoid the wrath of the royal family.
But surrender now?
'Are you stupid?'
Even if the marquis wasn’t nearby, my answer wouldn’t have changed.
Barbarians only kneel when they’re crouching to build montum.
And right now, every instinct I have tells —
There’s no montum in that offer.
“Tch.”
The bespectacled man looked confused, and the Evil Eye clicked his tongue and spoke.
“I told you, didn’t I? He’s not soone that kind of offer would ever work on.”
Apparently, he’d been sure from the start that I wouldn’t accept. Maybe it’s because he’s had his head smashed once before?
“What a waste of ti.”
With an annoyed expression, the Evil Eye stepped ahead of the glasses-wearer, who reluctantly backed off.
And then—
“There’s no point in talking when both sides walk parallel paths.”
“Parallel? Stop using fancy words.”
I tilted my head with mock confusion as the color of the Evil Eye’s irises slowly began to change.
That subtle shift in the air—only felt right before a fight.
I tightened my grip on the new symbol of peace.
And just then—
“Fweeeet—!”
A ridiculous whistle cut through the tension like a knife, reminding again of just how unpredictable humans can be.
“Hey, Deputy Commander!”
The Evil Eye turned toward the sound, and I followed his gaze.
And I saw him.
“......”
Platinum blond hair slicked back with pomade.
Skin pale as if it had never seen sunlight, with cold, sharp features.
A mischievous grin that didn’t suit the rest of his face.
“Aha! This humble one has arrived!”
A walking wildcard—Ibaekho.
***
Ibaekho appeared on the roof of a three-story inn—and he wasn’t alone.
Behind him, sitting casually at the edge of the roof, were familiar figures.
Rek Aures. Jaina, the disciple of Karui. The Destruction Old Man.
And...
'Who the hell are those guys?'
Dozens of cloaked figures, radiating an ominous presence, standing behind him.
Since when did Ibaekho have ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ his own private army?
It was suspicious, but the Evil Eye didn’t even glance at the ones behind. He only stared at Ibaekho and asked:
“What brings you here...?”
Sothing in his tone made feel oddly sympathetic.
Because clearly, even this deputy commander knew—
How utterly unpredictable Ibaekho was.
“Oh, just here to watch.”
The Evil Eye didn’t reply.
He simply stared at Ibaekho, like he was trying to read the truth from his expression.
And then—
'Shit.'
I suddenly beca extrely tense.
Because the last ti I saw Ibaekho had been a disaster.
Sure, exploring outside the walls together had been fine. But in the end, things went south and his group jumped . I held out as long as I could, and when my comrades ca out looking for ... they saw everything.
In a final standoff, he dropped to his knees before .
[I deeply... apologize... for threatening... the Baron...]
The sha and humiliation he must’ve felt then—probably unimaginable.
He definitely holds a grudge against now.
Which ans, in this situation, he should be classified as a negative variable—
“That’s a lie.”
Suddenly the Evil Eye muttered sothing, and Ibaekho grinned.
“Correct!”
“...Explain your business.”
“I was just watching and thought it looked boring.”
“Boring...?”
Naturally, the deputy commander didn’t understand the slang. And instead of clarifying, Ibaekho cut straight to the point.
“But with these numbers, a gang fight won’t be balanced, right?”
“What are you trying to say?”
“Just go one-on-one.”
Completely unconnected logic—no beginning, no buildup, no justification. Classic Ibaekho.
But because it was so primal, its aning hit harder than anything else.
“If you refuse, we’ll side with Baron Yandel.”
“You an to break the pact?”
“Yup!”
The deputy commander was stunned by the cheerful reply. And Ibaekho, embodying pure chaos, didn’t miss the opportunity.
“What, you really trust a piece of paper? I didn’t know our deputy commander was such a romantic.”
Infuriating taunts, delivered in a childish tone—designed to provoke.
The Evil Eye clenched his teeth.
“This is why you don’t trust stray dogs that bite anyone they see...”
“Whoa now, that’s harsh. Why ‘dog’?”
Despite the provocations, the deputy commander quickly regained his composure.
“So this... ‘one-on-one.’ What does it an?”
“Oh! Right, I should explain. It’s like, a duel... no, not quite. So...”
Ibaekho lowered his voice, suddenly serious.
As if to prove he wasn’t joking.
“You two fight. One-on-one.”
His tone almost sounded like a threat.
The Evil Eye calmly asked just one thing.
“Why?”
“Gang fights with unbalanced numbers are boring.”
The conversation paused there.
The deputy commander fell silent, calculating his options. And I wasn’t doing much better—my head was spinning.
Is Ibaekho a positive variable?
Or the opposite?
There was no easy answer.
Ibaekho’s “boring” excuse was obviously a lie.
He had an agenda.
But...
'For now, maybe it’s actually positive...'
I reached that conclusion.
Because honestly, if Ibaekho had joined the enemy right now, I’d be screwed. The fact that he wasn’t taking an openly hostile stance—that alone was a positive.
Whatever this leads to.
Anyway—
“Ah! Co to think of it, I didn’t ask Baron Yandel if he was okay with it! Baron, is one-on-one fine with you?”
“I don’t care.”
“Kya! As expected, barbarians are real n!”
I made my choice.
And Ibaekho, thrilled, turned back to the Evil Eye.
“How about our deputy commander?”
“No answer?”
“Don’t tell ... scared...?”
“Wow, he’s totally scared!”
The insults kept coming. Finally, the Evil Eye spoke.
“...If I accept this ‘one-on-one,’ can you promise not to interfere?”
“Huh... promise?”
Ibaekho tilted his head.
Didn’t expect the guy to bring up promises again after mocking them so thoroughly.
But—
“Sure! I promise! A hundred tis if you want!”
“...Very well. I accept.”
“Oh, really?”
I don’t know what logic brought him to that decision. But the deputy commander agreed to the duel.
It’s not like he believes Ibaekho’s promise.
'Then what’s he thinking?'
The answer ca soon after, in his own words.
“You are to watch them closely. No matter what happens, do not assist . Just focus on preventing interference from the others. Understood?”
“Yes, sir.”
And in that mont, it hit .
I let out a small sound without aning to.
“Ah.”
He really thinks... he can beat .
At first, I felt insulted.
But soon, a smile crept across my face.
“How amusing.”
There’s nothing more fun than shattering soone’s beliefs.
Especially when their head is full of flowers.
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