An eagle circled the sky, its entire body dyed pitch black.It spiraled once, then plunged downward, merging seamlessly into the shadow of a certain person below.
The one whose shadow the bird slipped into showed no reaction at all—as if she didn't even notice.
But the eyes behind her were trained intensely on the shifting shadow beneath her feet, like predators watching prey.
Good. Now we just wait for everything to fall into place.
I opened my eyes, returning to my original perspective, where at least two people were sitting beside me.
"You're awake already?"
A gray-black-haired boy with a permanently annoyed expression glared at me. His eyes looked like they could kill someone.
"Ahh…"
I stretched, yawned, and lazily waved at the guy a few years older than me.
"Morning, Euni…"
"You dare greet me like nothing happened??"
He snapped, cursed at me, and stormed off, leaving me alone on the long bench.
I glanced at the time displayed on my wristband, then calmly pulled out a boiled egg and a cup of tea to enjoy.
From here on out, the original novel wouldn't be of much use for the major events anymore.Information would still come, of course—just far less reliable.
"How long do you plan to laze around?"
A clear voice chimed beside me—the owner of that voice had been quietly reading through the documents I gave her.
"Yes yes, I know already."I didn't even bother looking her way. My attitude made the imperial princess frown slightly.
"Your neck needs cleaning."
"I deeply apologize for my discourteous behavior. May Her Highness grant me mercy."
I turned back around, slipping into my noble façade just in time to escape Janeus' piercing stare.
"…So what are you planning now?"
"Your Highness, first allow me to report our current situ—"
"I wasn't asking about that."
"…"
She sighed, skimmed through all the handwritten reports I prepared, tossed them aside, then pulled out a glass of grape juice from her spatial ring.
"What can you actually use for this operation?"
She didn't even bother looking at me as she asked—radiating the arrogance of someone born above others.
This operation?
"…Your Highness, at the moment we have at least seven Rank 7 individuals, around fifty Rank 6 and below, three Rank 8 or higher, and roughly ten students in the academy who can—"
"And the plan?"
"I'm sorry, but the situation is far too strange and unpredictable. We'll have to improvise, but don't—"
"You understand what your mistake will cost you, correct?"
She cut me off, her tone threatening.I had no choice but to swallow my pride and bow my head.
"I understand, my lady."
When I met Janeus during the tournament, I proposed an absurd deal:on the second day at noon, both of us were to deliberately eliminate ourselves.
As a princess, she didn't need trivial prizes or fame—she already had more than enough.But to secure her help and authority for counter-terrorism, I had to put my own neck on the line and offer her everything I had.
Originally, I planned to gather as many items as possible to counter the terrorists—low-rank items, Rank 1–2, but extremely abundant and useful.But after meeting Janeus, I left everything to Marcus and instructed him carefully.
"With your permission, I'll take my leave."
With nothing left to say, I walked off, ignoring Janeus waving me away like a nuisance.
…
—Second Day of the Tournament, 3:49 PM.Ten minutes before the scheduled explosion.Thirteen individuals had already been killed.
"Sir, we've received information regarding the man you killed yesterday morning."
In the city plaza, crowded with tourists, at least thirty reports came in from various witnesses about a fight involving multiple people.
"Who was he? Which faction?"
It was officially considered a minor street brawl involving over five individuals. At first, civilians thought it was just a trivial scuffle—unimportant, even entertaining.
"Sir, the man has been identified as Jinxite, a soldier in the princess' escort unit, and… he's confirmed to still be alive."
However, the fight dragged on for more than ten minutes, dragging civilians into the chaos.
"At least twelve were injured, one severely, and another critically."
"Is it possible they were swapped? Had their appearances altered?"
"Sir, I examined the corpse thoroughly. It was real—or someone extremely powerful created a perfect disguise. As for the one who's alive… he's real too."
After the altercation, all five participants died simultaneously.Moments later, an explosion erupted atop the clock tower, burying the bodies beneath rubble.
"Could it be a clone? An illusion? A puppet?"
Thanks to the royal guards who happened to be nearby, the civilians were safely evacuated—only the bodies were lost. But additional explosions triggered across the city shortly afterward.
"I investigated further, but Jinxite has no Gift or mystical artifact capable of that. I also had our informant check—nothing suspicious found…"
At each explosion site, civilians were saved thanks to the royal guards who coincidentally stood nearby.Then arrows began shooting into the sky.
"I see… the war has begun."
At the Church of the Moon Goddess, bells rang throughout the city, signaling citizens to evacuate to designated shelters.
4:10 PM.
Explosions shook the air—not at ground level but high above the city, cause still unknown.
Burning fragments rained downward, but before touching the ground, they twisted and spiraled into a storm of embers.
"Report! At least three demons have appeared at three different sectors of the city—ranks unknown! Evacuate immediately!"
"Report! Due to unexpected circumstances, all tournament matches are suspended. Students must gather at designated shelters and may bring any items currently in possession!"