1.
Vulcan thought.
‘The only one who knows Hestia’s fate right now is <Black Wolf>, standing before me.’
Of course, even that information is highly likely to be false, but he had to confirm it.
‘If I kill Black Wolf now, I’ll be left with nothing but empty hope for the rest of my life.’
There was also the option of killing and then figuring it out afterward, but the opponent was <Black Wolf>.
Extermination of Sewer Rats.
Eradication of fanatics.
Threatening the Empress and attempting to assassinate Hestia.
A monster that had accomplished things no ordinary force could even attempt, all without suffering losses.
‘Even if I ask Marin to use a post-mortem information retrieval spell, there’s no guarantee it will work.’
Vulcan reached a swift conclusion.
‘It’s best to keep him alive and extract the information.’
This was not the judgment of Vulcan the Hero, but the decision of a man who had lost his family.
Confirming Hestia’s survival took precedence over annihilating the enemy before him.
However, Gardner had overlooked one thing.
And that was—
“What do you think you’re doing, Vulcan?”
The presence of another Hero.
One who moved like a flawless machine, or a beautiful doll devoid of emotion.
Vulcan knew her better than anyone, which meant he could predict her next move instantly.
‘Asha will continue her attack.’
Asha Mirabelle, the Hero of Light.
Gardner, Selena, and Marin each acted with different missions—world peace, racial prosperity, and the pursuit of knowledge.
But Asha had only one mission.
‘The eradication of evil.’
She moved as if nothing else mattered, so this time as well, exterminating <Black Wolf> and <Black Wolf’s Captain> would undoubtedly be her top priority.
Clank.
Clatter.
Vulcan adjusted his grip on his shield, lowering his voice while keeping Black Wolf behind him.
“I’ll handle this. Leave, Asha.”
Asha hesitated, resting her holy sword on her shield.
‘Ian Red said it.’
That Hestia was alive.
That she was somewhere, still breathing, held captive by <Black Wolf>.
But if they left <Black Wolf> and <Black Wolf’s Captain> unchecked?
The current situation—
The main force of Gardner’s troops was neutralized.
The reinforcements consisted mostly of mercenaries.
‘Mercenaries have loose lips, so rumors will spread.’
Rumors that even the Hero Party had been utterly helpless against <Black Wolf>.
Most of these rumors would be exaggerated falsehoods, fabricated by those watching from a distance.
And yet, that was exactly why they had to be wary.
Baseless rumors grow in size, and only the accused suffer the consequences.
‘The Babylonia Empire was already rotting under the Empress’s tyranny, but <Black Wolf>’s emergence has only accelerated its decline.’
If rumors started spreading that the Hero Party had grown weak—
‘We will lose our power as a deterrent.’
The moment <Black Wolf>’s notoriety surpassed that of the Hero Party, the Empire would be doomed.
Thus, Asha Mirabelle had to set her priorities straight.
‘As much as I want to confirm Hestia’s survival first…’
—I swear on my life. Lady Hestia is alive.
Ian Red.
That kind, upright man had risked his life to give them this information.
‘…He wasn’t someone who would lie. I’ll trust him without doubt.’
If they had kept Hestia alive despite faking her death, there had to be a reason for it.
Why would <Black Wolf> spare Hestia?
‘…To exchange her for the Celestial Barrier?’
With too little information, a precise guess was impossible.
But one thing was certain—
‘There is no chance of Hestia dying within the next 10 seconds.’
In that case—
‘Within 10 seconds, I will annihilate <Black Wolf>, then use Marin to locate Hestia.’
With her plan set, Asha subtly signaled to Vulcan with her eyes.
‘I have a plan, so help me Vulcan.’
That was the message she intended to convey.
However, Vulcan misunderstood completely, his expression twisting in frustration.
“So you’re telling me to stop you if I can? That you’ll kill me along with Black Wolf?”
“…?”
Right. This was Vulcan.
She had assumed his intelligence had awakened after hearing about Hestia’s fate and flying into a rage.
“Fine!! If you’re going to be that ruthless, then I’ll meet you with my full strength!!!”
Vulcan was still just Vulcan.
And so, he thought.
‘She’s going to kill me along with Black Wolf if I get in her way! I have to kill her before she kills me!’
At the same time, Asha thought.
‘…He’s just Vulcan.’
For a moment, the sudden wave of emptiness dulled the edge of the holy sword, and Vulcan did not miss that opening.
“Hhup!!”
Clang!
At the exact moment Vulcan’s one-sided misunderstanding took hold, the clash between the holy sword and the shield resulted in both rebounding away from each other.
Vulcan, who had lowered his stance in preparation for a charge, and Asha, who quickly readjusted her sword.
In that fleeting instant, the two Heroes locked eyes.
—BOOM!!!
A shield split into two, and a razor-sharp holy sword clashed once again.
Blocking the downpour of slashes, Vulcan shouted with all his might.
“Gardner’s shield is the best in the world!! No force can ever break it!!!”
“Enough… It’s pointless to continue this conversation any further.”
Vulcan charged like a wild beast, and Asha, having abandoned persuasion, aimed her weapon with unwavering resolve.
Boom!!
The shields, worn like bucklers on their arms, displayed their utmost destructive power.
…Swoosh.
The sword, which left behind countless afterimages, twisted fluidly like water, deflecting every attack.
A battle beyond the limits of an S-rank, one that even the most skilled warriors would struggle to follow with their eyes.
Only five seconds had passed, yet already, they had exchanged hundreds of blows.
The mercenaries watching were confused.
“…Why are those two fighting?”
“Does that even matter right now, you idiot!? Look, <Black Wolf> can’t even move!!”
“As expected of the Heroes!! That monster can’t even twitch…!!”
The second assault by <Black Wolf>.
The near-annihilation of Gardner’s main force.
The emergency call for reinforcements.
With their limited information, the mercenaries could only comment based on what they saw. But at the very least, it seemed Asha’s worst fears would not come to pass.
However, the reinforcements weren’t the only ones observing the situation.
“…”
A man cloaked in darkness.
A man radiating an aura so vile and murderous that it seemed to swallow everything around him.
He slowly turned his head, as if irritated by the mercenaries’ words, and lowered his gaze.
At the same time, a sliver of his black aura seeped out, coiling around the mercenaries’ bodies.
Mercenaries.
Masters of survival, living day to day on the edge of death.
The moment that ominous energy touched them, some instinctively recoiled, waving their hands frantically as they stepped back.
“……!! W-Wait!! Not me!! I didn’t say anything!!”
“Y-Yeah!! We wouldn’t dare utter that name!! No, we haven’t uttered it!!”
“Who was it!? Which bastard dared to speak that name!?”
Words that would certainly bring the wrath of the Gardner family once this ordeal was over.
But right now, every mercenary had the same thought—
Screw it. What’s the point if we’re dead?
The moment the B~A-rank mercenaries, trembling under <Black Wolf’s Captain>’s gaze, turned their eyes away from the Heroes and toward the fools who had spoken…
“You crazy bastards!! Keep your eyes on them!! Are you even comrades!?”
“Comrades, my ass!! We—!! No, we never said that name!!”
“Exactly!! The ones who slipped up should take responsibility!! Why should we all die for their mistake!?”
Frightened by <Black Wolf’s Captain>’s gaze, the mercenaries shoved the two who had dared to utter the name out of the group.
“Damn it, damn it!!!”
One of them, a burly man, immediately dropped to his knees and begged.
“I-It’s a misunderstanding!! I wasn’t the only one who shouted!! This bastard here egged me on!! Damn it, you idiot, why aren’t you bowing and begging too!?”
Dragged forward by a rough hand, another figure was exposed—causing Luna’s furrowed brows to twitch ever so slightly.
—Don’t be scared, everyone!! One of the Great Ten, the mightiest of them all, the Yellow Dragon is coming to save us!!
—A new Hero has been born!!
The man who had given people hope during the incident in the central plaza.
“I refuse. Why should I beg for my life from such a villain when I’ve done nothing wrong?”
“You little bastard!!”
“And I think there’s been a misunderstanding. The Mud Mercenary Corps isn’t here to beg for scraps. We’re here to work for what we were paid for.”
A man who carried the fresh scent of grass and the rich aroma of mud.
Mud.
“So I will fight as well. To exterminate the most wanted criminal, <Black Wolf>.”
Unlike the other mercenaries who had shrunk back in fear, he stood his ground, raising his head.
‘…I’m scared.’
If the Yellow Dragon was radiant and warm, then this man, <Black Wolf>, was dark and cold.
The weight of his presence crushed everything around him like a singularity, while inside, an unbearable nausea churned in his gut.
If he fought, he would die.
If he didn’t fight, he would still die.
Even if he simply stood there, he would die.
‘…I’m going to die.’
As he reached the inevitable conclusion of death, a flood of regrets surfaced.
‘If only I had the power of Yellow Dragon…’
If only I were as sharp as Asha-nim.
If only I were as resilient as Vulcan-nim.
If only I were as wise as Marin-nim.
If only I had the tenacity of Selena-nim.
If I had even a fraction of the power those Heroes possessed, maybe I could have made a difference…
‘No. Get a hold of yourself.’
Crunch.
He bit down on his lip so hard that it bled, using the searing pain to jolt himself back to his senses.
‘Even if I die here, we still have the Heroes… More than anything, we have the new Hero, the Yellow Dragon.’
If his death could at least uncover valuable information—
‘It will be of great help to Yellow Dragon.’
A radiant golden light.
Fueled by that brilliance, Mud overcame his fear of death and pointed his longsword at Black Wolf.
“Come down here, Black Wolf !!! I have come to avenge my fallen comrade, Loren!!!”
Even if it was just a small death in the midst of a great event, his sacrifice would not be in vain.
2.
Nahan was impressed.
The novel had depicted Vulcan as an utter fool, to the point where he had thought it was excessive.
“Gardner’s shield is the best in the world!! No force can ever break it!!!”
“…Tsk.”
But in reality, that portrayal wasn’t excessive—it was lacking.
‘Well, thanks to that, things are playing out quite easily.’
The clash between Vulcan and Asha.
Everything happening right now was unfolding exactly as Nahan had planned.
‘Asha confirmed Hestia’s survival through Ian Red, but Vulcan firmly believed she was already dead.’
So if he fed just a small piece of information—a mere hint that Hestia might be alive—
‘He wouldn’t be able to kill Black Wolf before hearing the full truth.’
Asha, on the other hand, was different.
She already knew that Hestia was alive thanks to Ian Red.
Unlike Vulcan, she wouldn’t let herself be manipulated by the enemy. Instead, she would defeat them first and find Hestia herself.
That was why he had predicted this would happen:
Vulcan trying to save Black Wolf.
Asha trying to kill Black Wolf.
The two were bound to collide.
And unlike the blinded-by-rage Vulcan, Asha would still hold back enough to avoid killing him.
‘Her ultimate skill, <Judgment>, has already been used, so she can’t overpower Vulcan completely.’
Which meant—
“Gardner’s shield is the best in the world!! No force can ever break it!!!”
“…This is getting a bit much.”
Their fight would not end until Asha managed to persuade Vulcan.
Vulcan possessed hero-level physical abilities, but he was fundamentally simple and reckless.
Asha, on the other hand, never revealed her emotions and always seemed detached.
With such clashing mindsets, there was no easy way for them to resolve their misunderstanding.
This ensured my immediate survival and bought me enough time to plan my next move.
‘The condition for avoiding the bad ending is the same as in the original: Luna must fight Vulcan.’
As things stood, Luna would have to face both Vulcan and Asha, which was too risky.
‘…What should I do?’
How could I separate Vulcan and Asha, ensuring that only Luna and Vulcan clashed?
“Gardner’s shield is the best in the world!! No force can ever break it!!!”
“…You got the words in the wrong order this time.”
“No!! What’s wrong is Asha’s refusal to listen to reason!!”
…Gods, this is loud.
I could almost feel myself losing intelligence just by listening to them argue.
Turning my gaze away to clear my mind, I glanced around.
“…!”
“…!!”
“………!!”
…What were they doing?
The mercenaries, keeping their distance from a certain group, were loudly discussing something amongst themselves.
“…!”
“…!!”
“………!!”
I couldn’t hear a damn thing.
Annoyed, I furrowed my brows—and as my killing intent leaked out, a few mercenaries panicked.
Then, two of them were pushed forward.
“……!!”
One, a portly mercenary, immediately prostrated himself and began begging.
The other, a familiar mercenary, grimaced in disgust.
‘…What are they up to now?’
A split within the mercenaries?
Were they offering up a sacrifice to appease the enemy?
…A hostage?
Just as I was starting to piece together an idea.
Step.
A vaguely familiar man stepped forward, raised his longsword, and pointed it directly at him.
“………ra …rang!!! ……………ryo!! …………………da!!!”
…Huh.
Still couldn’t hear a damn thing.
But—
‘…A hostage situation. I like it.’
A brilliant idea formed in my mind.
‘One step at a time. Slowly.’
Reconfirming his new plan, Nahan turned and declared.
“Vulcan Gardner. Asha Mirabelle. If you do not stop fighting immediately—
I will kill Hestia.”
