1.
Gardner Count Territory.
Located in the northern part of Babylonia, the region was cold and dry.
Naturally, the land was barren.
They searched the surroundings, hoping to find minerals, but there was nothing of value.
This raises a question—
How did such a desolate land manage to accumulate wealth that ranked among the top ten in the Empire?
Was it due to the current head’s competence?
The son who became a Hero?
The daughter with exceptional intelligence?
None of these were entirely wrong, but the single greatest reason for their wealth was this.
– Prepare for battle with the Demons!!
– Subdue the Demons!!
– For the name of <Gardner>!!
It was the result of centuries of frontline defense and the byproducts of monster subjugation.
Thanks to the appearance of the Hero, the Demons’ invasion had momentarily ceased, but the monstrous beasts still roamed, and regular subjugation missions were ongoing.
The materials obtained from these beasts sold for high prices, and the profits were reinvested into securing supplies, training warriors, and other battle-related needs.
Only the most skilled knights and mages were deployed to the northern front, creating a virtuous cycle that accumulated capital.
Thus, the combat forces under Count Gardner were all among the strongest in the Empire.
And now—
“He’s out! Now!!”
“Rescue the young lady!!”
“Kill <Black Wolf>!!”
That same rule applied to those standing in front of <Black Wolf>.
“Excuse me.”
“E-Eh?!”
“B-Be careful! He’s using the young lady as a shield!!”
“Good.”
Even in a land where death was constant, they took another step forward.
They had survived countless battlefields, only to return to the battlefield once more.
Unyielding warriors who would readily sacrifice their own lives for victory.
And now, those fearless warriors—
【Detected target(s)’ fear response.】
【<Veil of Shadows (Ex)> has been activated.】
For the first time in their lives, they halted.
Even Rohan, the right-hand man of Count Gardner, who led these warriors, was no exception.
He had always fought at the frontlines alongside the Count, never once retreating.
Having lived alongside death, he no longer feared it.
Yet, the <Black Wolf> before him was something else entirely.
A black aura flickering ominously,
A killing intent seeping through the cracks of his mask,
A silent, looming death.
If a god of death truly existed, wouldn’t it look like this?
‘What kind of monster is that…!!’
No matter how brave a warrior was, what could they do before a god?
“D-destroy that man at once…”
He barely managed to open his mouth, but what came out was not his usual dignified voice—
It was the quivering murmur of a mere human.
Step, Step, Step…
Hearing that whisper, <Black Wolf> slowly walked toward him, blocking the exit, and asked—
“Me?”
Even his breath was chilling—
Was he truly human?
As everyone stood frozen, waiting for the man’s mercy, Hestia rushed forward, her white nightgown billowing as she screamed.
“N-no!! Mister Rohan!! Snap out of it and run away!! Please, <Black Wolf>!! I’ll die in his place, so at least spare their lives!!!”
A desperate voice cutting through the silence.
The warriors realized it then.
Even Hestia was feeling an overwhelming fear beyond death itself.
“…I said I won’t kill them.”
“Then why are you releasing this much killing intent?! Stop lying and just kill me alone!!”
Even so, she raised her voice for them—
The young lady who had been quietly shunned by her own family.
As the warriors stood frozen in place, forgotten memories resurfaced in their minds.
– Mister! You’re playing with me today, right? You promised you’d smile today!
– I’m sorry, but there is an important battle tomorrow. I will play with you next time.
– Ah… I see! Sorry! I didn’t know. Well, don’t worry about me and be careful out there, Mister!
In the Gardner family, being weak was treated as a sin.
– Hey, don’t you think we’re neglecting the young lady too much?
– She is not a warrior.
– But she tries so hard, doesn’t she?
– Even so, she will never become a warrior.
– Ah, is that so?
Under the excuse of following the will of the strong, we pushed her aside.
– Mister Rohan!! Ugh, your expression is scary again. Today, I’ll really make you smile!
– I’m sorry, but I’m busy.
– Ah… again? Okay… I understand.
We wielded our swords for peace.
– …Hey, Mister?
– Will you be alright later?
– …Yeah. …Just smile a little.
– Understood. I will try.
We decided that if there ever came a day without war, we would finally take care of the young lady.
But we all knew—
– …Take care, Mister. Don’t get hurt.
– Yes, Young Lady.
– …Smile a little.
– I will try.
True peace would never come.
And under the excuse of striving for a better future, we ignored the “incompetent” young lady.
But it was not a mistake.
Only the strong should lead, and those who followed must also be strong.
The weak need only live happily under the peace created by the strong.
That was why, when—
– An accident?! What do you mean?!
– That is… while sparring with a captured beast, the young master Vulcan was in danger, and the young lady tried to save him…!!
Even when she was injured saving the heir, a part of us felt relieved.
Because the “incompetent” one had managed to save the “competent” heir.
We were genuinely relieved.
Because she was weak.
And because weakness was a sin.
Because so many warriors had to struggle day and night to protect her.
So then.
“…We always ignored the young lady.”
Why is it that—
“Run away, Misters!! Don’t just stand there like fools, run for your lives!!”
—Why is she now risking her precious life for fools like us?
The dark corridor was filled with Black Wolf‘s overwhelming killing intent and Hestia’s desperate screams.
“…Hear me.”
Finally, Rohan spoke.
He flipped his sword into a reverse grip and slashed his own thigh.
A searing pain spread through his body, pushing back the terror that had consumed him.
Slash!
Tearing his collar, he pressed the fabric against his wound and then turned to face Black Wolf once more.
“The life the young lady just granted me—I will use it for her.”
Crunch!
One by one, the warriors followed Rohan, inflicting wounds upon themselves to regain their senses.
“Stop it!! Just run away!!”
Hestia was the 1st Legion’s strategist.
She had already finished analyzing the situation.
If the power exuded by Black Wolf’s killing intent reflected his true strength, then the rumors of him being capable of defeating entire legions weren’t lies.
“Please, just run!! You all can feel it too, right?! You can’t stop him!!”
Of course, they felt it.
If the man before them went all out, they would all be dead in seconds.
But—
“Let’s wrap this up quickly so we can go play.”
Even so.
At the very least, they would protect the young lady.
“…Huh? Mister Rohan, you smiled?”
“I will smile as much as you want in the future. So please, just wait a little longer—”
Just as Rohan, resolved, began to step toward Hestia—
BOOM!
Splatter!
Dark, clotted blood filled their vision.
“Huh…?”
…It exploded?
…What did?
…A person?
…The young lady?
As the warriors stood frozen, unable to process what had happened—
Step, Step, Step…
Black Wolf, drenched in blood, placed a crimson-stained nightgown into Rohan’s trembling hands.
“You should have appreciated her while you had the chance.”
With a faint smile, Black Wolf turned and began walking back toward Hestia’s room.
“Relay this to Her Majesty the Empress—if she dares to touch <Black Wolf> one more time, I will slaughter every last soul within the Empire.”
Just as he finished delivering his warning, sitting atop the shattered window frame—
Screeeech!!
A monstrous bird, stitched together from human remains, descended from the void behind him.
“Y-you bastard!!!”
At that moment, Rohan, snapping out of his shock, let out a bloodcurdling scream and charged forward, eyes brimming with fury.
Boom!
A grotesque, flesh-stitched puppet crashed through the ceiling, blocking his path and sending him sprawling to the ground.
“…Swearing at the Captain?”
“Enough. We’re leaving.”
“…Understood, Captain.”
And that was the end of it.
In less than thirty minutes, the Black Wolf Mercenary Corps had successfully “assassinated Hestia Gardner” and vanished, leaving behind a final, cruel smile.
Step.
As Rohan knelt in the pool of blood left by the horrific explosion, his trembling hands brushed against the remnants of destruction.
“Aaaah…!!! You bastards!!!”
His anguished screams followed Black Wolf, who was now soaring away on the back of the grotesque avian beast.
“I will remember this!! The warriors of Gardner will rip you all apart!!!”
No matter what.
No matter how long it takes—
2.
Meanwhile, on the back of the flesh-stitched monstrous bird, soaring high above the clouds—
Wrapped in a robe borrowed from Black Wolf, Hestia Gardner gazed down at the fading sight of her family’s territory, letting out a quiet sigh.
“That was my favorite nightgown. They won’t throw it away, will they?”
“Of course not. It’s a memento now.”
“…I’m not dead, you know?”
“Well, they think you are.”
Black Wolf’s words were true.
Just before their confrontation with Rohan and the other warriors, he had spoken to her in a calm, unwavering voice—
– Make a choice.
One: Follow quietly and pretend to be dead.
Two: Resist.
– Just so you know, if you choose the second option, I will kill everyone in that mansion.
At first, she hadn’t believed him.
Rumors were always exaggerated, and surely the same applied to the tales of Black Wolf.
So she had chosen the first option, thinking she could find an opportunity to escape later.
But—
“…Monsters.”
Not just Black Wolf, but every single one of his subordinates had shattered her expectations.
Their abilities were so incomprehensibly monstrous that she had to reconsider her strategy.
‘From Black Wolf’s actions, it’s clear that he has no intention of actually killing me.’
What he wanted wasn’t her death—only the rumor that she had died.
‘But why?’
Black Wolf had explained it himself—
– Because this way, the Empire will call off the planned legion assault on <Black Wolf>.
And why does that matter?
– Because I don’t want to die.
He had said it so simply.
But Hestia couldn’t believe him.
‘If my calculations are correct, even an entire legion wouldn’t be able to put a scratch on <Black Wolf>.’
Regardless of the exact reason, one thing had become certain after today’s events—
‘The Hero Party will return.’
Her Majesty the Empress’s incompetence.
The growing unrest.
Public sentiment, already teetering on the brink.
And now, if news of her death reaches her brother’s ears?
‘A 100% chance of withdrawal.’
That leads to another question.
At this moment, the only forces capable of opposing <Black Wolf> are either the Great Ten or the Hero Party.
So why would they go out of their way to fake my death and make themselves enemies?
‘…Could it be?’
To avoid an unnecessary conflict with the 1st Legion? To prevent a bloodbath?
‘…Maybe they’re not such bad people after all?’
With that thought, Hestia hesitantly raised her head and looked at <Black Wolf>.
“Grrr, Captain, can’t we at least kill something before we go? My hands are itching.”
“Shut up. Just focus on flying.”
“Pfft! Hey, Blood Demon! Stop shaking so much! My drink keeps spilling! Argh, so frustrating. Move aside and let me take the reins for a bit!”
“No drinking and flying.”
…Yeah.
They’re definitely bastards.
Screeeech!!
On that night, the grotesque bird—stitched together from something that had once been rich—cried out in sorrow.
3.
A week later.
A group of humans marching past the outskirts of Demon Territory, having reached the noble domains, came to a sudden halt.
A dispatch pigeon had delivered an urgent document—not just any message, but an emergency report.
At the forefront of the group, a silver-haired woman unfolded the document and turned her head.
“Stay calm and listen, Vulcan.”
“Huh? All of a sudden? Can’t we eat first? I’m starving.”
“I’ll deliver the message first.”
Without a change in expression, the woman with sky-colored hair opened her mouth and began reading.
“An unidentified group, <Black Wolf>, has attacked Gardner Count Territory. Casualty assessment is ongoing. One confirmed death. The deceased—”
…Hestia Gardner.
“…What did you just say, you bastard?”
.
.
.
【Grace period has ended.】
【<Prologue> has concluded.】
【Bad Ending – <6. The Hero’s Return (A)> has been set as the main scenario.】
.
.
.
“Let me go, you bastards!!! Before I kill every last one of you!!!”
“Hold him down, Marin.”
“Mmm~ Don’t worry~.”
After a brief moment of commotion,
The blue-haired woman, who had been silently contemplating, turned back toward the path they had come from.
“We’re returning to the Empire.”
This time, the decision was unanimous.
“We will exterminate <Black Wolf> and return.”
No one objected.
