Into the Crimson Wind
"…What? You're running your mouth at me when you don't even know who I am?"
The dark-haired guy grinned sharply and strode toward me.
Kals immediately stepped in front of me, blocking his path.
For a moment, the handsome knight and the scowling thug locked eyes, sparks practically flying.
'Ah, here comes the token jerk character right from the start.'
Of course, I knew exactly who this guy was.
[Character Info] — The Needle Killer.
Youngest son of the prestigious Walt family of the Revolutionary Army.
During the sub-scenario "Island of Death," he is recruited by the necromancers of the Far Eastern Sea.
With the fame of being the son of the Border Warden and the talent to reach 5-Star rank at just nineteen, Hekster was the perfect example of an arrogant prodigy—
a frog who thought his little well was the entire world.
But soon enough…
'He loses everything—his pride, his power—and falls into darkness.'
It was the direct result of repeatedly losing to the player in the main storyline.
Talent and character were separate issues; and just as character and skill didn't always align, skill and fate were rarely the same thing.
'Still, for now, he's the top dog here.'
Which explained why Kals had swallowed his pride and endured the insults while waiting for me to appear.
But me?
"Hey, Hekster."
I didn't need to play nice.
Knowing what I knew about him, I had zero reason to be afraid.
If anything, it was the other way around.
"What, you know me?"
"Yeah. And I also know what you did last summer."
"…What?"
"You drank the Black Water, didn't you?"
"—!"
Just mentioning those two words—
"W-What? N-No! I mean—!"
His face turned pale, then flushed, then pale again, like a candle flickering in the wind.
I smirked inwardly.
'Last summer, Hekster tried to grow stronger faster by contacting the necromancers of the Far Eastern Sea.'
Which, of course, was an absolute taboo among the Revolutionary ranks.
And if your father happened to be the Border Warden?
"Well… how do you even know about that?"
He'd be facing severe disciplinary charges, to say the least.
"I-I don't know what you're talking about!"
The way he fumbled over himself was almost endearing. Even at 5-Star level, he was still just a kid.
'Cute, really.'
"W-Who the hell are you to show up out of nowhere and say crap like that?"
Watching his pupils quake, I chuckled softly.
"Who I am? You'll figure that out in time."
Then I tilted my head.
"For now, I need to talk to my brother—so why don't you make yourself scarce?"
"..."
He glared at me in silence.
I smiled.
"Go on. Unless you want Daddy to drag you home and whip you in the basement."
"Your Highness, you were… rather bandit-like back there. Where did you learn that kind of talk?"
But Kals's eyes were smiling as he said it.
"Bandit-like, huh? Funny thing to say to your lord when you're grinning that wide."
"Well, good is good, Your Highness."
Considering that Hekster had been ogling Tyrbaen earlier, he probably would've gotten a well-deserved beating from Kals even without my intervention.
"…Anyway."
I patted Kals on the shoulder.
"Good work keeping up the act. That couldn't have been easy."
"It was manageable."
"Didn't look that way earlier."
"..."
I chuckled.
"All right. Let's start with what you've learned while I was gone."
Kals gave a detailed report of what he and Tyrbaen had discovered.
"As you predicted, the girl is here, Your Highness."
He was referring, of course, to Eve Wyler.
But her situation wasn't exactly what I'd hoped for.
"…I see."
When Kals finished, I fell silent, frowning in thought.
'This is messier than I expected.'
Maybe I should've skipped the tomb ruins entirely and come straight here… but no.
'If the divine influence on the surface hadn't weakened, I never would've met the Guardians.'
No—it had been the right call.
Still, if everything Kals said was true—
"So you're telling me Eve Wyler has taken control of all the girls in this camp?"
"Yes, Your Highness. She's currently using the name Eve Regal."
At that, I couldn't help but laugh under my breath.
'Mixing both surnames now, huh? Not even bothering to hide it from me anymore?'
It was almost comical.
Like me, Eve was a character who should've died during the main storyline—
but here she was, alive and walking around.
A fellow player in this twisted world.
'Which means she has every right to participate in this quest.'
If she'd joined the Revolutionary faction through the proper channels,
there was nothing stopping her from taking part in the Ritual of the Crimson Wind.
The problem was—
"She came first and managed to win over all the girls, you said?"
A dull ache pulsed behind my eyes.
I knew exactly what that meant.
'That's one of the recognized clear routes for this quest.'
And it was the complete opposite of the strategy I planned to use.
Could I convince her?
Get her to abandon that route and work with me instead?
That, I didn't know.
But my objective remained unchanged.
I had to complete this quest my way—
not only stopping the assassins of the Kishiris Cult,
but also dragging the black hand behind them into the light.
'Even if these arrogant little brats here annoy the hell out of me.'
A quest was a quest—and a life was still a life.
"Your Highness," Kals spoke carefully, pulling me from my thoughts.
"What is it?"
"Wouldn't it be best to meet her in person?"
"Who?"
"The young lady, of course."
"Now?"
"Yes."
I blinked, caught off guard by the suggestion—
but then a thought hit me.
"You mean, over there they already…?"
Kals nodded.
"Yes, Lady Wyler's people have been observing us. By now she's surely been informed that you've entered the camp."
"...!"
So just as I'd been watching her movements, she'd been watching mine.
Through the subordinates she'd already swayed.
'Well… of course.'
That girl was no fool.
She'd think just like me—and likely assigned someone to keep an eye on Kals as well.
'Should I go see her now… and try to negotiate?'
I thought for a moment—then shook my head.
"No. Not yet. It's not the right time. Even if I go, it should be later."
Kals's brows furrowed slightly.
"But, Your Highness, time is of the essence, isn't it?"
"It is."
"Then why wait?"
"Because… even if I wanted to go now, I can't."
I scratched the back of my head with a wry grin—
Dooong! Dooong! Dooong!
A deep drumbeat echoed from somewhere above.
It came from the top of the Abyss of Darkness, rolling down over the cliffs like thunder.
Kals, reacting on instinct, stepped in front of me and half-drew his sword.
I chuckled softly.
"Relax. That's the signal that the ritual's begun."
"Ah…"
Right.
That drum wasn't a warning—it was a call, summoning all the scattered youths in the camp to gather.
The first phase of the Ritual of the Crimson Wind was about to begin.
So, meeting Eve now was out of the question.
"Then the assassins from the Kishiris Cathedral must be on the move as well," Kals muttered, sheathing his sword.
"Yeah, most likely."
Right now, they were probably racing through the forest—intent on slaughtering every boy in this camp.
That was why I'd come here.
And wherever Eve was, she'd probably be doing the same.
'We'll run into each other soon enough.'
But…
"…I doubt that conversation will go smoothly."
"Why do you think that, Your Highness?"
"Just a hunch."
Watching the young participants gather around the bonfire, I could already feel it.
"If she's chosen that route, it'll be trouble."
The first stage of the ritual was team formation.
I'd be meeting Eve soon—and I'd see for myself which path she'd taken.
Western District of Aulrax
This was one of the wealthiest parts of the Revolutionary Army's territory,
home to those who had gained both power and prestige.
The streets were clean, well-kept, and orderly—
Until—
"Catch them!"
"Pursuit team, faster!"
Rough shouts shattered the peace.
Spells exploded, walls crumbled, and chaos filled the pristine alleys.
Tatatatatat!
The heavy thuds belonged to the elite guards of the city, charging like armored tanks.
Whooosh!
And the streaks of light flashing past were the Titan Taskforce, enhanced by acceleration magic.
Citizens stared in shock.
"The guards and the Titans? Working together?"
But the real shock came next.
Because the ones they were chasing—
[Mutational Magic: Shadow Melting]
—were not men, but shadows.
"Th-They're shadows!"
"Why are Imperial troops here!?"
Eight dark figures slithered across the cobblestones like living stains,
slicing through everything in their path.
Shrrrkk!
"Gah!"
"AAAHH!"
They twisted like liquid blades, slashing from below, tearing through anyone who stood in their way.
The streets became a warzone in seconds,
forcing the guards and the Titans into an emergency joint operation—something that almost never happened.
"Squad Three Captain! You were supposed to cut them off from the other side!"
"Damn it! They're too fast! You block them if you can!"
"Is that your idea of teamwork!?"
Despite both being part of the Revolutionary forces,
the City Guard and the Titan Taskforce had always been on bad terms—
and it showed.
But the shadow operatives weren't doing much better.
—Hey! What the hell are you idiots doing? Didn't Duke Penn teach you anything?
—Are you insulting our Duke? Seems to me your Royal Knight Division isn't handling this 'high-level mission' very well!
—Shut up, bastard! Typical pampered palace dogs who only know how to flap their mouths!
—Watch your tongue! I won't overlook this insult!
Their telepathic chatter was full of venom.
Bleeding from numerous wounds, the shadow knights staggered as they fled.
Among them, Senis Edryn, a first-class knight of the Special Taskforce, clicked her tongue bitterly.
'Damn it… this is a disaster.'
The twelve-member Surveillance Unit had been dispatched from the Empire—
specifically to watch over the Third Prince, Gilroshan,
by direct order of Emperor Valeshan himself.
"Select those skilled in covert operations and send them to infiltrate Aulrax.
Have them observe the Third Prince from afar."
In response, Duke Shedric Penn had chosen ten knights from the Royal Order to accompany him.
But then Marquis Reut had stepped in.
"Infiltration falls under the jurisdiction of the Special Taskforce.
Take two of my men as support."
And so, ten Royal Knights and two Taskforce operatives formed the twelve-man Surveillance Unit.
Reut, however, secretly gave his own men another order:
"If you meet the Third Prince, tell him the Emperor's eyes are upon him. Warn him to be cautious."
In other words, he had planted two double agents among the Emperor's watchers.
Those agents were Senis herself—and the man fleeing beside her moments ago, Ralph.
But now… look at them.
They hadn't even glimpsed the Third Prince.
Ralph had already been captured by the Taskforce,
and the rest of the surveillance team was in full retreat, completely bewildered.
'We had intel saying the Third Prince fled into the Western District…'
That testimony had come from someone supposedly close to him—
a man named Thomson.
And yet, when they'd arrived—
The entire district was crawling with pursuit troops.
'What the hell…? Were we set up? Was this a Revolutionary Army trap?'
'Damn it all!'
Hidden in the shadow of an alley, Senis bit her lip hard.
She had no idea that this chaos was all because of false intel—
leaked by none other than Gilroshan himself.
'Whatever. Survival first!'
With that thought, Senis broke formation.
Her shadow peeled off from the others, scaling a nearby wall like smoke.
—Wha? Dame Edryn!
—Where are you going!?
Panicked voices rang out in her mind.
—Every man for himself! Live if you can! Bye!
No one could stop her—
not when shadow-travel was her specialty.