Terminal 5

The carriage rattled as it rolled onto the main street of the Imperial Capital, Karnon.

Normally, Karnon’s streets were as clean and well maintained as any modern city, but today they were different.

Of course, no matter how chaotic it looked, it couldn’t compare to other districts that had become true warzones. The roads in karnon had simply reached this state because heavy military supplies and construction materials were moving back and forth every day, while there was no manpower available to maintain them.

The moment the war ended, the capital would likely be restored to its pristine condition.

As for the other districts… or more accurately…

‘I could not say the same for District Seven.’

I had not seen it with my own eyes and had only heard about it secondhand, yet I already knew. District Seven, the place I practically considered my home base, was a complete disaster.

“…I’ll think about that later.”

The thought of all the funds and effort I had poured into District Seven made my stomach churn, but matters of ‘loss’ could wait until everything was over.

“Where are we headed?”

“District Five.” I replied to the knight’s question.

Shortly after arriving at Karnon’s military platform, we moved on to District Five, which could be considered the front lines of the war.

And then…

“Nia Raphdonia!”

As we passed the soldiers who froze at the sight of Astarota’s insignia and stepped outside, I heard an explosion somewhere in the distance.

Surprisingly, however, the expressions of the soldiers bustling in front of the platform were calm.

Well… maybe “calm” wasn’t the right way to put it.

“…….”

The soldiers were busy with their duties, their eyes were so sunken and hollow that it wouldn’t have been strange if they collapsed at any moment. Everyone was busy carrying out their duties, and that alone told me more about the state of things than any explanation could.

BOOOOM—!

This was just daily life here.

“Where are we going?” the knight captain asked

“For now, let’s take a look around.”

No matter how many times you hear something, there are things you won’t truly understand until you see them yourself.

The first thing I did was walk the area and take in the battlefield District Five had become. Whenever questions arose, I turned to Astarotta for answers.

“It seems relatively safe here” I said to him “From what I can hear, those explosions are only happening far off in the distance.”

“Ah, because of the military platform?”

“Exactly.”

True. If I were the commander, I would have protected the military platform at all costs. As long as we held this, we could receive supplies and reinforcements from every sector not occupied by Noark.

‘In the worst-case scenario, we can use it to escape.’

In any case, as I continued to look around the area like a noble out on a leisurely stroll, people began to recognize me and whisper among themselves.

“Hey, it’s Baron Jandel…”

“I heard he went missing after the building collapsed…”

“The fact that the Baron is here… it might be a sign that they’re planning to turn the tide of the war.”

“How would we know what the higher-ups are thinking? Just do your job.”

Tch… maybe I should’ve covered my face.

‘But those who knew me would recognize me regardless.’

In any case, I continued to take in the surroundings until we finally reached the outermost part of the camp.

“The Marta Brothers Weapons Shop.”

Erwin had first brought me to this place after my first exploration, when I was looking to sell off my equipment.

Naturally, the shop that used to be crowded with people was now dark and shuttered, and the street was much the same.

The wide road that once handled the massive foot traffic of Sector 5 was now blocked by high barricades, with soldiers standing guard on top.

‘Beyond that is Noark territory, then?’

I’d heard their offensive had been so intense that this barricade line was steadily being pushed back.

“Are you planning to go outside?”

“I’m still considering it.”

After finishing my inspection, I finally checked the sewers. I had heard that Noark had collapsed the sewers entirely so they couldn’t be used as a passage, but I decided that I needed to see for myself.

However…

‘Can’t use this.’

I hadn’t gone far down the sewer entrance before I came to a block of rubble that was preventing me from going any further. Well, clearing the debris while moving forward was an option, but…

‘It would take too much time.’

So, if I want to reach my allies, I have no choice but to break through the middle of enemy territory.

“Astarotta, what’s the situation in District Four right now?”

“I heard the fighting there is fiercer than in any other district. Noark’s main force is stationed there, and the captain of Orcules is said to keep appearing as well.”

Oh… that bastard’s there?

“That complicates things.”

When we met 20 years ago, I’d managed to deal with him using tricks—but there was no way he’d fall for the same thing twice.

“And if their main force present…”

All right. District Four was completely off-limits.

“Then District Eight?”

“It’s been quiet since the rebels took it. The Royal Army has tried to retake it several times over the past few days, but they’ve failed every time because the core members of Orcules are guarding it.”

“Core members?”

When I pressed for details, familiar names poured out of Astarotta’s mouth.

Blood Knight, Black Claw, Screaming Witch, Corpse Collector, and so on…

‘What the hell? I was wondering what he meant by “Core members”…’

Having fought them before when they still had the Lighthouse Keeper among their ranks, Sector 8 seemed like the easiest target. Still, it likely would not be as easy as I first thought. I had heard that several rookies had debuted recently and had yet to earn nicknames.

Then what about the route from District Five to Seven?”

“Demon Eye is commanding District Five, and the Third Corps is stationed in District Seven to provide support.”

“The Third Corps?” I asked, startled. “You mean the one commanded by Eltora Tercerion?”

“Because of information control, the public believes the Third Corps was annihilated, but in reality, they joined the rebels along with the prime minister a few days ago.”

As the story went, most of the Third Corps had apparently been coerced by Eltora Tercerion into switching sides, meaning internal conflicts could erupt under the right circumstances.

“According to reports, Eltora Tercerion was unaware of the plan and initially refused when the incident occurred.”

“Huh? Then why is he there?”

“The prime minister must have used some form of coercion.”

That made sense.

After all, the prime minister’s son was an evil spirit. The marquess was not his truefather, so there was no reason for him to willingly throw himself into the fire alongside him.

‘…This might become important later.’

Afterward, I took some time alone to organize my thoughts. Which route would allow me to pass through District Seven and reach my allies in the barbarian sanctuary most efficiently?

It didn’t take long to find the answer.

“I’ll have to go to Sector 9.”

Although starting from District Five was the shortest route in terms of distance, it was also the most dangerous. Even setting aside the Demon Eye commanding District Five, the area was still adjacent to District Four, where Noark’s main forces were stationed.

“That commander bastard might pop out at any moment.”

At my decision, Astarotta shrugged.

“Going to Sector 9 means you’ll be passing through Sector 8.”

“Is there a problem with that?”

At my question, Astarotta gave a small smirk and dropped a single piece of advice.

“Be careful of the Corpse Collector. He has been unusually active, as if he has been preparing for this war for a long time.”

…Uh.

I could tell he was genuinely concerned for me, but—

But it turned out to be unnecessary.

“No matter how much he’s improved, it’s still just him.”

In terms of stats, I had grown strong enough that I could not lose to a poison necromancer, even if I tried.

***

Before taking the military lift to District Nine, I asked Astarota for several things essential to my plan, and he agreed despite how excessive the requests were.

Preparations complete.

‘Now I just need the signal…’

As I waited for the right moment in front of the tightly closed city gates, I saw a nervous Raven.

“Raven, why are you so anxious?”

“How can I not be? I didn’t know you were going to be this reckless.”

It seemed Raven expected me to command the army and force my way through the enemy or something. But that would take far too long.

“Relax. Sometimes moving with a small group is better than to be stuck with a crowded mess.”

“…That’s supposed to be comforting?”

“If you’re that worried, you can stay behind—”

“No! I’d be more anxious if I didn’t go. And it’s not like they’re strangers…”

No matter what she said, she was someone closely tied to us.

While I was still smirking to myself at the thought, Astarotta approached us. He looked pleased about something.

“Got something to say?”

“I’ve got updates. The command in District Five responded—your requests will be carried out by tomorrow morning.”

“…That’s late.”

“Don’t whine. They need time to prepare too.”

Fair enough.

“Anything else?”

“Yes. Two of your missing companions were found.”

My heart skipped a beat.

“Who?”

There were four people whose whereabouts were unknown.

Sven Parav.

Lyris Marone

Auyen Rocklove.

And Amelia.

“…Say it.”

“Auyen Rocklove and Emily Raines.”

“Where are they?”

“District Four.”

“…District Four?”

“According to our spies, there was a violent incident in District Four. They were the perpetrators.”

“What happened to them?”

“We don’t know. But they reportedly managed to escape safely from the scene.”

Phew

How had they ended up in District Four after getting separated in District Seven?

I was worried beyond words.

“…Don’t worry too much,” the knight captain said, noticing my unease. “I am confident they can at least take care of themselves.”

“…I suppose.”

Since I couldn’t rush to Sector 4 right now, I decided to stop thinking about it as much as possible. If I kept thinking, only the worst-case scenarios would come to mind. As always, ominous predictions were the seeds from which tragedy would grow.

“Raven, since we won’t start until morning, find somewhere to rest for now.”

Tonight was the last chance to rest.

From tomorrow onward, grueling days awaited.

I intended to rest as well, but disasters always struck when you least expected them.

Rrrrrk… rrrrrk…

A sound that should never have been heard began to echo from the distance.

Creak, creak, creak.

It was the sound of the city gates opening.

“W-what is that? Why is the gate opening? They’re not attacking, right? This would throw the plan off from the start—!”

No way. That could not be right. It had to be a mistake made by some soldier.

This section of the wall had not seen any fighting yet, and the Noarka bastards advancing on the capital had no reason to send their forces this way.

I immediately discarded those optimistic thoughts. Because with my luck, there was no way things would be that simple.

“Get ready.”

As soon as I spoke—

Thud.

Something fell from the sky.

Then another.

Thud, thud. Thud—!

The sounds were far too heavy to be raindrops.

Crunch—!

“Eek!”

Only after it fell right before my eyes did I realize what it was.

“Human corpses…?”

They were barely recognisable as corpses; it was as though they had been torn from a Corpse Golem. The one that landed at my feet had come over the towering wall ahead.

“Raven, get back!”

CRACKLE—!

The corpses burst open, spraying poison everywhere.

“We’re under attack!” Along with the shouts of the soldiers on the wall, the alarm bells installed everywhere began to ring loudly.

As the soldiers hurried at the sound of the bells, I calmly checked my equipment and looked toward the half-open gate.

[Grrrrrrrk!!]

The gates had been lifted just enough for a single carriage to pass, and below them emerged a familiar army of corpses.

“S-stop them!!”

“Nia Raphtonia…!”

Despite the immediate response of the soldiers, it wasn’t enough.

And the corpses weren’t the only threat.

BOOOOOOM—!

Meteors crashed down from above, obliterating squads of soldiers on impact.

And then—

[Grrrrrrrr—!]

Like a dam breaking, the corpse army surged forward in a tidal wave.

“Hey, Mr. Jandel?”

“You stay here. Astarotta, protect her.”

“Understood.”

Leaving Raven in safe hands, I smashed my way through the corpses, crushing their skulls with my hammer as I headed toward the gate. Through the now fully open gates, I caught sight of someone confidently riding in atop a chimera.

“My, my! To think you’d be so helpless just because a single gate opened! You must have been incredibly careless! Psssit!”

This bastard is still acting like that, even when he’s alone.

“I formally declare that District Nine now falls under Orcules’ authority.”

Huh?

“…Uh?”

Why did you stop talking?

“Bjorn… Jandel…?”

Oh, so it’s because you saw me.

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