"It's faster to just show you than explain."
Astarotta said that and handed over a stack of docunts without emotion.
The stack was fairly thick, but that was only natural. Nearly a thousand people had been present when the Urae struck.
'Straightforward enough...'
The docunts, apparently sourced from the royal intelligence agency, were neatly formatted from top to bottom.
No. 1: Keldun Nilteon.
Status: Deceased.
Notes: The body was not recovered, but there is highly credible eyewitness testimony.
Na, status, and a brief note.
And whenever the status read "deceased," the word was printed in red, making the whole thing easy to scan at a glance.
Not that the clean formatting made reading it any more pleasant.
No. 17: Anthony Bolton.
Status: Deceased.
Notes: Body has been transferred to Morgue 7; belongings are in possession of a surviving clan mber.
Sigh... This guy must’ve been one of those smaller clans who joined us from the Sanctuary...
No. 19: Gelta Fanun.
Status: Deceased.
Notes: Body was not recovered, but highly credible eyewitness testimony exists.
Every ti the na of soone I actually knew appeared, not just recognized but had seen several tis before, my heart lurched.
But...
Crunch—
They were under my responsibility, yes. But to be blunt, the [Record Stone] wouldn’t have called them “comrades” just because they died.
I kept flipping through the docunts.
"Wait a minute, what's this? It says 'missing' for their status."
"Exactly as it reads."
"Didn’t you just say everything had already been accounted for?"
"It ans Intelligence hasn’t found them yet, so practically speaking, you can assu they’re dead. But since there's no body or witness report, they’re still officially marked as missing."
"......"
"And more importantly—aren’t there specific nas you’re really looking for?"
Well, yeah.
Couldn’t deny that.
So I silently resud reading, and before long, I found the nas I truly wanted to confirm.
No. 119: Sven Parab.
Status: Alive.
Notes: Currently serving in the 7th Legion, 4th Wall garrison under mandatory duty.
'Phew... so he made it.'
I’d heard he’d gone missing during the chaos, and that had worried...
But then again, with that ridiculous sixth sense of his, it'd be weird if he did die when war broke out.
"...Was it your doing that he got placed in the 4th Wall garrison?"
I asked, having noticed the note.
The 4th Wall garrison's jurisdiction was along the barrier adjoining Gnomtree. Technically an assignnt, but in reality, more like being on standby.
"...Of course it was. Do you know how many are trying to get in there right now? I placed the others there too. They should all be doing fine together."
"I see... thanks for that."
When I offered a simple thank-you, Astarotta made a strange face I couldn’t quite read.
‘Uh...’
...Don’t tell she’s embarrassed?
Thinking that made feel a bit awkward too.
"Must be because of your pretty na. You’re so considerate."
When I lightly joked, Astarotta clicked her tongue in displeasure, and with the atmosphere now lighter, I turned back to the docunts.
No. 170: land Kaislan.
Alive.
No. 242: Riris Marone.
Alive.
No. 310: Ainard Prnelin.
Currently listed as “missing” since she only just arrived in the capital, but she’s alive. The ones who were with don’t really need checking...
No. 381: Versil Gowland.
Alive.
No. 404: Jas Carla.
Dropped in the middle of the battlefield, arm severed, treatnt delayed—declared irrecoverable...
Alive.
Grit.
At that point, I realized my jaw had tensed on its own.
And with good reason. Only two nas remained whose fates I hadn’t confird.
Elwen and Misha.
The comrades who’d been with since those earliest days, back when I was just a clueless Barbarian starting with nothing.
Slide.
As I hurriedly flipped through the pages, my fingertips started to tremble slightly.
Thump thump thump thump thump...
No matter how quietly I exhaled, my heart was pounding like mad.
No. 606: Misha Kalstein.
The mont I found the na, I held my breath for a second.
Status: Alive.
When I confird those black letters beneath her na, I let out a long breath.
'She’s alive.'
But the mont of relief lasted only a heartbeat.
Slide, slide.
I flipped through the pages even faster now, scanning for the final na I needed to see.
And then...
No. 777: Elwen Fornaci di Tersia.
Status: Alive.
Notes: Currently serving in the 7th Legion, 4th Wall garrison under mandatory duty.
The mont I read her na, the strength drained from my body, starting from my fingertips.
She made it.
None of them died.
Overwheld by a wave of unmistakable joy—
"Then why that expression? They’re all alive."
—I couldn’t smile.
Because one burning question filled my mind.
‘Why...’
Why are they all still alive?
Could the [Record Stone] have been wrong? Did I misunderstand sothing?
I don’t know.
But precisely because I don’t, a formless dread began to seep in—like smoke, fear crept into my thoughts and slowly began to take shape, drawn from the experiences buried deep in my subconscious.
‘Don’t tell ...’
...It’s not over yet?
The mont that thought brushed past my mind—
Knock knock knock.
A knock echoed through the room, and the royal knight who had guided here stepped inside.
No evidence. No clues. Nothing concrete.
Yet human intuition has strange depth. The mont I saw that knight’s face, I felt suffocating dread.
And—
"What is it?"
Once again, my gut feeling hit the mark.
"An incident occurred within the 4th Wall garrison."
"What kind of incident?"
"Well..."
"Bjorn Yandel is fine. /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ Just report it quickly."
The usually quiet and curt knight hesitated even after the order, but eventually began speaking.
"Two mbers of the Anabada Clan have been killed."
...Goddamn it.
***
When I ca to, I was sprinting down the boulevard of Karnohn, the capital. Even using psychic abilities—strictly forbidden within the city.
Boom—! Boom—! Boom—!
How long had I been running?
By the ti I reached the western wall of Karnohn, which borders Noark’s territory, a knight who looked like a supervisor was waiting.
"...We were inford you’d be arriving. This way."
Must’ve been Astarotta who gave the heads-up after I stord off.
Doesn’t matter.
"Run."
"...Excuse ?"
"I said don’t walk—run."
His sluggish pace annoyed , so I gave the order, and the knight who’d initially started leading on foot now broke into a run.
Following him, I arrived at a temporary tent.
There, gathered at the entrance, were my comrades.
"Yandel...?"
land Kaislan.
"...B-Bjorn?!"
A shocked-looking Misha.
"A-Ajussi!"
Elwen, Sven Parab, and others...
Their expressions were painfully complicated.
Normally, they would’ve rushed at the mont they saw , overjoyed.
But they stood there awkwardly frozen, unable to approach.
Tightly shut lips. Uncertain, restless gazes.
"Would you all step aside for a mont?"
I asked calmly, suppressing my emotions, and they silently made way.
"B-Bjorn, sir! We’re still in the middle of investigating the—"
What the hell is this bastard saying?
Thunk.
I lightly shoved the knight aside and stepped into the tent.
Slide.
Inside, it looked like a cri scene—disordered and grim. Near the entrance were two movable cots.
On each lay a figure covered head-to-toe with a white sheet...
"...It’s Sir Yandel. Stop work for now and step outside."
The investigators, startled, complied with the knight’s order and filed out.
And then—
Whip—!
I pulled back the sheet on the left cot first.
I only uncovered it down to the upper torso, but that was enough.
The condition of the body was horrific.
One arm had been blown off and poorly healed, the head and neck completely separated. It looked like soone had just loosely pieced together parts of a doll.
"...Jas Carla."
He’d joined our clan after bonding during the Icerock expedition.
We hadn’t spent as much ti together as my original comrades, but he was so good-natured that everyone liked him.
Myself included.
"......"
I pulled the sheet back up and moved to the other cot.
And then—
Slide.
Slowly, I drew back the cloth, revealing a face pale and lifeless but unmistakable.
"Versil Gowland..."
We’d t at the Round Table wearing masks. Sohow, that strange fate had led her to beco one of us.
She was from the sa Earth, and her administrative skills were second only to Alia’s, so I’d leaned on her a lot in running the clan.
That’s why I’d appointed her deputy leader before we left.
"......"
I stared down at her for a long ti before finally replacing the sheet.
Perhaps that was the cue to speak—the knight, standing awkwardly nearby, began explaining.
"It appears to be an assassination. When first discovered, Sir Jas Carla was lying in bed. Given the neck wounds and blood evidence, experts believe he was killed in his sleep."
Assassination...
The words didn’t even make laugh bitterly.
Fuck, are you kidding ? I figured he’d die in battle, not like this.
"...And Versil Gowland?"
"The investigation isn’t complete, so there’s so disagreent among the team, but... the leading theory is that the assassin targeted Sir Carla, and Miss Gowland was tragically caught in the act."
"...Caught in the act?"
"Yes. First, the tent was assigned to Sir Carla. Second, Miss Gowland’s body was found near the entrance. Third, there were traces of struggle on her and in the tent."
"And what else should I know?"
"Well, the investigation is still ongoing, so..."
"Doesn’t matter if it’s not confird. Tell everything you know so far. Call the investigators back in if you have to."
Maybe it was the tone of my voice, but the knight didn’t argue. He complied, and I was briefed for a long while on everything—from recovered items to murder weapon analysis.
And then—
"That’s enough. Go about your duties."
I left the tent and walked toward the wall.
My comrades asked where I was going, but I brushed them off, saying I needed to take a look around.
I needed ti alone.
"......"
Wandering near the wall, I found a suitable rooftop and lay down, arms spread wide, staring up at the sky.
I did nothing, yet ti kept flowing. The color of the sky gradually changed.
From gloomy gray, to patches of blue as the clouds parted briefly, then yellow, then red, as the sun set...
"......"
By the ti the sun had fully gone and the sky turned pitch black—
A familiar voice called out from sowhere behind .
"Hyung, you eaten yet?"
There was no need to guess.
I sat up and, instead of greeting him, glared coldly.
"What? Not surprised?"
I had a feeling he’d show up if I waited like this.
Given his personality, especially so.
"......"
I stared at him. He stared right back.
Ibaekho.
Truthfully, I’d had a lot of thoughts about this guy.
Yes, he was dangerous—but there were things I could use him for too.
He’d brought closer to the secrets of this world. Hell, the reason I’d even been able to join the Round Table was because of him.
So I’d treated him like poison—swallowing the sweet parts, spitting out the bitter.
I believed that since he wanted sothing from , he’d never cross the line.
If he didn’t co at first, there was no need for to strike him either.
But—
‘If that was my mistake, then so be it.’
Breaking the long silence, I finally asked him:
"Why did you kill them?"
No subject, but no confusion.
He paused, then smirked.
That smile told , clearer than anything, how I needed to see him from now on.
"...So you figured it out after all?"
This bastard is my enemy.
My top-priority target.
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