"A will!"
Lyxander's shout shocked the entire room. He was clearly startled—but what felt strange was the fact that he was the *only* one who was.
The other crows remained calm. In fact, they seemed more surprised by Lyxander's outburst than by Simon's announcement.
"Ahem," Simon cleared his throat lightly, as if Lyxander's reaction was nothing more than a minor interruption.
"As you all already know, the Second Prince of the Hell Empire will be arriving in Faulust City."
'This again,' Lyxander grumbled inwardly. That name had been popping up everywhere lately—spoken by everyone.
"Claudius Jahanam," Simon continued, "is one of the strongest candidates to become the next emperor. Because of that, all divisions—except Division 1—will be deployed as his escort."
"Alright. Any questions?"
No one raised a hand.
In the end, Lyxander was the only one who did, clearly highlighting the vast gap in experience between him and the others.
"Why isn't Division 1 being deployed?" Lyxander asked bluntly.
Simon frowned, his face becoming visibly creased. "If Division 1 is deployed, then who will guard the headquarters?"
"I know that," Lyxander replied quickly. "But why does it have to be Division 1? Aren't there many other divisions?"
"Ah!" The frown vanished, as if Simon had just realized something. "You don't know, do you? The captain of Division 1 is a 4-Star."
"A 4-Star?!"
Lyxander knew just how vast the gap in power was between 3-Stars and those at 4-Star and above—and how rare they were. Still, he hadn't expected one of them to be stationed at this headquarters.
"I see. I have no more questions."
"Then, does anyone else have questions?" Simon scanned the room.
No one spoke.
Lyxander raised his hand again.
Simon pinched the bridge of his nose. "Didn't you say you had no more questions?"
"Hehe," Lyxander smiled sarcastically. "I didn't back then. I do now."
"…Fine. Ask it quickly," Simon urged.
"Isn't Prince Claudius scheduled to arrive in August? That's still eleven days away. So why are we preparing now?"
"Good question," Simon praised. "It's true that Prince Claudius was originally scheduled to arrive in August. However, because the schedule was leaked to the public, he's accelerating his arrival to avoid hitmen."
"Any more questions?"
Once again, no one raised a hand.
And once again, Lyxander did.
"Can't you just ask all your questions at once?" Simon muttered.
Lyxander chuckled. "When does the escort mission begin?"
"Monday. The escort mission will last for seven days and seven nights."
'Good. I still have time to ask around in the group chat.'
Lyxander planned to form his 2-Star identity as soon as possible, but he was still lacking clues. That was why he intended to seek answers through the group chat.
"Alright. Any final questions?"
Simon waited a full five seconds. None came.
"We'll be on leave from tomorrow until Sunday. So collect your wills today."
Quartz's eyes lit up. "So I don't have to write a report?"
"You still do."
"Eeeeh?!"
—
One by one, the members of Division 5 left the room, searching for quiet corners to write their wills. The room slowly emptied, leaving only Lyxander, Quartz, and Vivi behind.
Lyxander stared at the blank sheet of paper. Thinking about his own death, he honestly had no idea what to write.
The paper before him remained empty.
His mind gradually followed suit.
'It's been almost a month since I transmigrated…'
This world—once unfamiliar and cruel—had, at some point, begun to feel comfortable. He still missed his family, of course. But the news of Earth's destruction had forced him to accept this new life.
He looked around, searching for someone to ask about writing a will. Only Quartz and Vivi were present. Quartz was clearly busy with his report, leaving Vivi as the only option.
Lyxander walked over.
"Senior, what did you write in your will?"
"I always leave it blank."
"Huh?"
At first, Lyxander was confused—then he quickly jumped to a conclusion.
"Damn, isn't that way too cool, Senior?"
"Cool?"
"You leave it blank because you're confident you won't die, right?"
"No."
That flat answer shattered his imagination. His expression shifted from admiration to blank disbelief.
"Then why do you leave it blank?"
Vivi fell silent for a moment. "I don't know what to write."
Lyxander recalled what Vivi had once said—there was no one she worried about. That also meant she had no family, no real place to return to.
'Honestly, I'd be just as lost if there was no one to leave a will for.'
He fell silent, unsure how to respond, his gaze resting on the small girl with the eyepatch.
"Then," Lyxander said slowly, "why not try writing a letter to us?"
"Us?"
"I mean… the members of Division 5."
Vivi's expression didn't change—it remained as emotionless as ever. But her head lowered slightly. In a quiet voice, she whispered, "…I'll try."
Lyxander smiled faintly.
He had finally found inspiration for his will.
—
Elevator.
Lyxander was searching for the other members. After asking around, he learned they were outside the headquarters. Eventually, he headed out and took the elevator.
The elevator came to a stop, its walls sliding open. Lyxander stepped out.
The outside air was cold and damp. Several members of Division 5 stood nearby, cigarette smoke drifting through the air—Zircon, Tadeus, and Simon.
"Oh, Lyxander. Want one?" Zircon offered, holding out a cigarette.
Lyxander waved his hand in refusal. In his previous life, he had been a professional athlete—smoking had never been part of it.
"By the way, I wanted to ask something."
The smokers ignored him, choosing to enjoy their cigarettes instead. Lyxander didn't mind and asked anyway.
"What did you write in your wills?"
Tadeus answered first. "An apology to my wife—if I die."
'I can't imagine how his wife would feel if he actually died,' Lyxander thought.
"Same here," Zircon said. "I was raised by my grandfather. The last time we met, we fought. So I want to apologize."
Lyxander's eyebrows lifted slightly. He had spent plenty of time training with Zircon, yet this was the first time he'd learned that Zircon was raised by his grandfather.
'That's true…' he mused. 'I've known Division 5 for less than a month. I barely know anything about them.'
Despite the short time, Lyxander had already formed bonds with Division 5. Realizing how little he knew about them made his chest feel heavy.
'After this mission, I'll try to get to know Division 5 better,' he silently vowed.
Simon answered last. "Same as them. I wrote an apology to my daughter."
"I see… so everyone's writing apologies."
Lyxander's inspiration grew even stronger. Writing an apology did feel fitting, considering how terrible the original Lyxander had been. But if he did that, wouldn't it mean he was writing the original Lyxander's will—rather than his own?
"Hm?" Lyxander frowned. "By the way, where are the others?"
"I don't know about everyone," Simon replied. "But Peter went to visit his sick wife, and Thomas went to see his father in prison."
"In prison?"
Lyxander was genuinely surprised. This was the first time he'd heard about Thomas's past.
"You didn't know? Thomas is a former terrorist. His father was a revolutionary."
Lyxander's pupils widened, his mouth falling slightly open. "Seriously?"
"That's right. I arrested Thomas back when he was still a terrorist—he was fifteen at the time."
Simon's story left Lyxander stunned. He could only absorb the shock before returning to his original purpose.
"So… there's no one else I can ask?"
Simon pointed upward.
"You can ask Amethyst. She's up on the dam."
Lyxander's face twisted. Amethyst was the last person he wanted to ask—but it seemed he had no other choice.