"I am a sinner."
Asia had to admit her wrongs.
Even if Encrid shielded her and said nothing, what she had done wouldn't just disappear. She didn't believe that her sins would vanish simply because her sister had been taken hostage.
It was all just excuses and justification.
At least that's how Asia saw it, and that made her a sinner.
Krang's response to her confession was simple.
"How about covering your wrongs with merits? As I said, we're in such a tight spot we'd even borrow a cat's paw if we could."
It was said casually, without much weight.
Was it because the situation was so urgent that there was no other choice?
It felt like Krang's attitude was almost too nonchalant.
Was it that anyone would do as long as they were needed? No, that didn't seem to be it. She sensed something like trust directed at her.
Could he really trust someone who had been on the side of betrayal just half a day ago?
She didn't even feel the gazes of the two Marquises watching over them.
Asia opened her mouth.
"How can you trust me?"
She couldn't understand Krang's attitude.
Was it because of the Red Cape Knights? Was he truly so desperate for help? Did he need one of the few remaining forces loyal to the palace? Was it because she was a Junior-Knight?
Asia looked at Krang, and Krang smiled lightly as he looked at her.
"I trust this friend's eyes. That's enough for me."
Krang pointed a finger at someone as he said this, and that was the end of it.
The person he pointed to, the one called 'this friend', was Encrid.
"There's a mountain of things to deal with right now. I'll see you later."
With that, Krang left, and Encrid asked in his wake.
"Should I fix your nose?"
He didn't seem concerned at all about her betrayal.
"I already did."
She looked Encrid straight in the eye and thought to herself.
'Does he know me that well?'
They had spent some time together, but it hadn't been long. She didn't think he truly understood why she was standing here.
She didn't want to explain that she had no choice but to stand in his way to protect her sister.
"We'll talk later."
That was all she could say.
After that, she had to move quickly because her sister's safety was her top priority. Fortunately, her sister was unharmed.
Though she moved fast, Asia's face was still a mess. Her nose was swollen, and her face was covered in purple bruises.
On top of that, every time she ran, the pain in her chest flared, and she had to clutch her side to keep going.
In that state, Asia explained the situation to her sister.
"I owe a debt of gratitude."
That was the conclusion she came to after rescuing her sister and making it back here.
No matter what underlined it all, the other party had shielded her and trusted her.
Not everything had ended well, but for Asia, things had turned out as well as they possibly could.
"Getting your face smashed like that is a debt of gratitude?"
Her sister asked. Though she had been kidnapped, frightened, and even despairing, she now appeared fine. At least on the surface.
It was a calmness meant to keep Asia from worrying. She was grateful for that.
"Yeah."
"If he hits you twice, does that mean you should marry him?"
"I'll think about it."
It was a meaningless joke.
Her sister didn't resent her, even after having her life threatened because of her.
She had grown up well.
Asia could even break her sword if it meant protecting her sister.
That's why she didn't regret her choice. If faced with the same situation again, she would still choose her sister.
She felt the urge to ask Encrid.
What would he do if she betrayed him again?
Somehow, she felt the answer would come easily.
Though she barely knew him and had only received from him without giving anything in return, she felt as if she already knew what his answer would be.
"Just don't let that situation happen again."
That was the right answer. Encrid truly believed that and was acting accordingly.
After rescuing her sister, the sun had set, and she returned home, washed up, and tended to her injuries.
"I'm grateful for your mercy. I won't get another chance to prove myself by standing on the right side and fighting."
A messenger from the Marquis of Octo delivered the message.
She had already planned to do so without needing to be told.
She had looked into who was behind the person who had taken her sister hostage.
The one who had stepped forward was Viscount Mernes, but who had put him up to it?
Crack.
Her teeth shook, but she clenched her molars tightly.
The injuries would heal in less than two weeks.
If she rested completely, she would be fine. Then, she would beg to be placed on the battlefield.
There, she would make her enemies understand who she was and the price they would pay for laying a hand on her sister.
Thinking of that moment, Asia stroked her sister's head.
* * *
'I will definitely get your revenge, Laikanos.'
Laikanos was his brother, a companion who had shared the same dream and started the Black Blade Bandits together.
They were family in all but blood.
It was early dawn, just before sunrise. The surroundings were bathed in a deep blue hue. The man slipped out of the castle and headed toward the northern gate.
Getting out of the castle was the hard part, from here, it would be easy.
No one would suspect him.
The Tax Collector, the leader of the Black Blades, was already dead.
'He was a tool well-used till the end.'
The man walked quickly, brooding over his revenge. He had a plan as well.
'The secret vault.'
For over ten years, wealth had been accumulated there.
The man had been the Tax Collector's servant and the true leader of the Black Blade Bandits.
Once, he had taken up the sword alongside Laikanos to defend the oppressed and persecuted.
While Laikanos had proven himself through strength, he had led the bandits with conviction and intellect.
Of course, every person changes when they are exposed to power and wealth.
That change had led him to this moment.
That change had led to Laikanos' death.
That change left him with nothing but wealth, though realizing that would come far too late.
'I will.'
He continually repeated the thought of revenge to himself, but deep down, he knew.
It was an impossible dream. How could he, after barely escaping with his life, succeed in what had already failed despite all the resources and power they had gathered over the years?
He knew everything, but the vow of revenge was the perfect justification for his escape.
In reality, while Laikanos' death had made him feel a sense of danger, he didn't feel any real sorrow.
He was too far removed from who he used to be for that.
'As long as I get out of here.'
He would likely forget even the vow of revenge.
With the treasure hidden in the secret vault, he would flee to another country and live there.
Perhaps he would even pose as a noble himself.
Or maybe he could establish a merchant guild.
If neither of those worked, living as a wealthy man in some city wouldn't be a bad option either.
His thoughts drifted toward a future filled with possibilities.
He shook his head fiercely.
'No, I will have my revenge.'
He continued to deceive even himself as he walked. The dawn light slowly crept in, and the surrounding blue air was filled with warmth. He walked with his back to the rising sun.
He no longer wore the attire of a servant.
A dirty cloak, hood pulled up, and hunting gear disguised him as a hunter.
'Idiots.'
They would never find him.
When Jaxon had been chasing him, it had felt like he was on the verge of suffocating. The blade had been at his throat.
But now?
'I made it out alive.'
Of course, he didn't intend to simply flee. Until the very end, he had caused as much chaos as possible.
He had ordered every remaining member of the Black Blade Bandits to set fire to the palace.
By now, the flames should be rising.
He turned to look back, expecting to see them. But everything was quiet. The diligent citizens were just now waking up, while those who had stayed up through the chaos of the night were still lingering around.
Although no battles or brawls had broken out in the city, the area around the castle gate had been in turmoil, and the commotion in the palace had instilled anxiety in everyone's hearts.
But there were no flames to crown the night's chaos.
'Why?'
The doubt was momentary. No, even with doubts lingering, his feet kept moving quickly. He slipped out of the alley and walked briskly until he reached the north gate.
"Hold up there."
A soldier, leaning lazily against a side door with a crooked helmet, called out to him. The voice was light and thin, sounding like a woman's.
"What is it?"
The man responded. The soldier took off her crooked helmet, and long blonde hair fell down. She was a female soldier.
"Why do you keep glancing behind you as you walk?"
Is that something worth picking a fight over?
In a situation like this, where was the Commander of the north gate? Why was there just one soldier here?
The leader of the Black Blade Bandits felt a sense of unease. The air was strange, and his heart pounded with a growing sense of danger.
Then he looked past the female soldier. A few other soldiers were sitting calmly, dozing off.
'Sleeping?'
He immediately understood the reason for the strangeness. How could the guards be sitting and sleeping after all the chaos of the previous night?
"Sorry, but no fire will be lit."
The female soldier spoke.
"...Who are you?"
"Geor's Dagger."
She answered, folding her arms, exuding a relaxed confidence. That made the man feel even more uneasy. A cold sweat rolled down his back.
"You're too late."
She added, casting her gaze behind him. The leader flinched and turned.
Standing there was a man with rare, emotionless reddish-brown eyes. His presence was striking.
"Nice to meet you."
The man said.
The leader thought the situation was like a ghoul's erection—absurd and grotesque. And he instantly realized he was the erection in this scenario.
He cursed his carelessness for not having brought a scroll to escape.
But if he had, he wouldn't have made it this far.
To avoid detection by the numerous sensing spells in the palace, he couldn't afford to carry such things.
All he had now was a single sword. He already knew the man before him wasn't someone he could reason with.
He had seen how the Tax Collector, his own puppet, had been killed.
His hands trembled in fear.
"You've had your fun so far, haven't you? Now it's my turn to enjoy myself."
Jaxon had felt something off when he killed the Tax Collector. The man, who had so meticulously hidden his true identity all this time, had fallen so easily?
Right then, Encrid had ordered a cleanup of the palace.
A civil war was on the horizon.
The first priority before any battle was to clear the surroundings.
If a blade flew at your back, you'd lose before the fight even began.
Even Krang and the two great Marquises had agreed on this.
Midway through, Marcus had joined in, speeding up the process.
Jaxon had also done his part. He was hunting down the remaining stragglers.
At that time, a member of the Geor's Dagger Guild, who had been following Jaxon, joined him.
Jaxon had told her there was no need for her to get involved, but she didn't listen.
"Master."
The woman spoke. She was Jaxon's lover and a member of the Geor's Dagger. The title came naturally to her lips. Of course, it did.
Jaxon was the master of the Geor's Dagger, the most renowned Assassination Guild on the continent.
"Are you going to return once this is over?"
She continued. In her judgment, their business here was finished.
"We'll talk later."
Jaxon replied. For now, the task at hand took priority.
* * *
Count Molsen wasn't all talk. He didn't lie. He had sent his forces to the Border Guard.
Among them were more than fifty lycanthropes.
Beasts that transformed from humans into wolves.
The one leading the charge had killed people and gnawed on their flesh even when he was human.
Even back then, he had been at the level of a Junior-Knight, but now he had gained the power of a monster.
"Let's go chew on some tender flesh."
He cackled as he led the way.
"No one can stop us."
He was certain of victory.
No, he went even further than that. He believed that the lycanthrope unit he led would soon become a name synonymous with terror in the region.
A bastard when he was human, the man now literally had the head of a beast. He raised his snout to the sky and howled.
"Awooooo!"
Fifty lycanthropes followed behind him, howling in unison.
"Awoooooooo!"
The howl of monsters instilled fear in humans. It was a fear engraved deep within their instincts.
But the soldiers lined up in front of the Border Guard's gate remained unfazed.
Any task, when repeated, dulls the senses.
The Border Guard Reserve had fought relentlessly.
Aspen forces, monsters, Cultists, territorial armies—the list went on.
A variety of enemies had relentlessly targeted the Border Guard. There had been no rest, either from within or from outside.
When Cultist attacked one side of the gate, Aspen forces would strike the other.
The soldiers who survived such experiences were what remained of the reserve unit.
Their hearts were now hardened, and the city itself had grown more resilient.
In the past, even the mere rumor of battle would have stopped the merchants in their tracks, supplies would have dwindled, and fear would have spread.
"Do they not trust us? Or do they wish for our deaths?"
Now, at the center of logistics for the Border Guard stood the Rockfreed Merchant Guild.
As soon as the guild's merchants became aware of the enemy's invasion, they secured supply routes for food and other essential materials.
Many were there to offer assistance.
Of course, Count Molsen had tried to isolate the Border Guard, putting pressure on nearby nobles and cities.
The warning was clear: If you help them, you're next.
Even so, the city of Martai and others that Encrid had saved from the Knoll colony came to their aid.
Moreover, the reputation that the Rockfreed Guild had built was not insignificant.
As a result, the city itself didn't feel as hostile as it once did.
In short, much had changed from before.
Standing atop the wall, watching the fifty lycanthropes charge, Krais suddenly felt the urge to pee.
"Oh, this is terrifying."
But despite his fear, he knew what had to be done.
If they lost the first battle, even the limited support they had would vanish.
That wouldn't be good.
'The side that strikes first wins.'
The enemy was a high-ranking noble responsible for the entire region. Count Molsen, the so-called King of the Frontier.
"If it comes to it, we'll take hostages."
Krais muttered under his breath, only loud enough for himself to hear.
If things went south, he was prepared to do just that. They were already keeping a close watch on Count Molsen's two children.
In fact, they had been watching them for a while, just in case.
You never knew when or how they might prove useful.
Even with that, Krais didn't expect the hostages to hold much leverage.
Hostages, against Count Molsen?
Not a chance.
But he couldn't just leave them be, either.
If things went wrong, he already had thirty-six ways to escape.
Before he even got to those, though, he had one hundred seventy strategies to win and hold his ground.
The first move, the most useful, rational, and efficient of all, was this:
"Will it work?"
Vengeance, now in charge of the archers atop the wall, asked from beside him. Krais, observing the massive figure ahead, standing two heads taller than the other soldiers, replied.
"What do you think is the first thing to consider in strategy, tactics, and warfare?"
Vengeance thought for a moment before answering.
"...Uh, morale?"
Morale was indeed crucial in warfare.
But there was something even more fundamental to consider.
"Knowing what you have at your disposal."
It might have sounded vague, but in truth, it was a simple statement.
The first step was to properly understand and utilize what you already had.
How could you fight if you didn't even know what you possessed?
Krais knew Audin. He didn't know everything about him, but he knew enough to be certain that Audin wasn't the type to back down from just fifty lycanthropes.
And with him was Teresa, part of the Giant Siblings.
That's why he had ordered not to shoot a single arrow.
It had to be that way.
They needed to crush the enemy's pride in this first battle. Only then would Count Molsen give up on this place.
Krais had finished his calculations.
And as a result, Audin, at the front lines, was already raising his fist toward a lycanthrope that was drooling as it charged at him.