1.
<Eclipse>.
Those who swore to willingly become shadows to eclipse the Empire’s sun.
Because they hate the Empress.
Because they love slaughter too much.
Because they were shadows from the very beginning, and so on.
Among those who became <Eclipse> for their own reasons, only seven rose to become executives.
The only criterion: strength.
Seated around the round table were the seven, ranked purely by survival of the fittest.
The first to speak was the second-ranked among the Seven Calamities, <Calamity of December>.
“That was excessive.”
A deep, gravelly voice.
“Even if it was the Gardner territory, even if the entire Hero Party was there, unleashing all of the <Hounds> there was excessive.”
The <Hounds> mentioned by December referred to the assassins trained by <Eclipse>. It seemed he was displeased that they had been deployed en masse for the <Celestial Barrier Seizure> operation.
As if to argue against his words, a smooth voice came from the fourth seat.
“Why? Do you regret losing the ones you personally raised?”
“…Of course not.”
“Right? No matter how much effort you put in, not all of them will bloom into pretty flowers.”
The woman in the fourth seat, <Calamity of the Blooming Blood>, smirked as she added.
“The <Hounds> are trash. If they succeed, great. If not, we can just blame it on the Empress. They’re the perfect disposable pawns.”
Twitch.
Unconsciously, December’s brow furrowed as he turned toward the fourth seat.
“I agree. The weak are trash. Especially those who only criticize those below them and cower before those above.”
“Hmm? That’s strange. Why do you sound so defensive?”
Crack, crackle.
Even with just a short exchange, the enclosed chamber trembled as stone dust fell from the ceiling.
“A weak dog dares to bark.”
“Oh? I didn’t know you were into that sort of thing.”
Boom!
The impact of their auras colliding sent a chunk of the round table flying into the wall.
As if that wasn’t enough, the entire table seemed on the verge of splitting in two when—
“Ahhh! Stop it already!”
A clear voice, trembling with fear, rang out as the round table was suddenly restored.
“It’s starting!”
It was the sixth seat, <Calamity of Misguided Faith>.
Clap!
The boy brought his palms together, then spread them open, conjuring a screen in midair.
Displayed on it was Count Gardner’s estate.
— Aaaaahhh!
— I-It’s an attack! Intruders!
— What!? Don’t tell me it’s those damn <Black Wolf> bastards!?
— …Shit.
The screen showed a chaotic scene of a hundred <Hounds> clashing with the people inside the mansion.
The frontline assault had thrown everything into disarray, while the rear guard had already begun scaling the estate’s walls.
Watching the methodical movements, the fourth seat, <Calamity of the Blooming Blood>, let out a small hum of admiration.
“Not bad.”
That was the perfect way to describe it.
Even with the Hero Party present, alongside Count Gardner’s knights and mercenaries, and the skilled warriors and mages among the attendees—
– Infiltration complete.
Crash!
In an instant, the <Hounds> had broken into the lord’s office and begun unlocking the vault where the <Celestial Barrier> was supposedly stored.
“That’s impressive. I heard he was once a Grand Master in the Eastern Empire. I guess it’s true?”
“…”
“Staying silent, huh? I suppose that means you’re feeling a bit better. Why don’t you teach me a thing or two, Grand Master of the East, December?”
“Me too! I want to learn too!”
Just as the atmosphere had begun to relax with laughter among the Seven Calamities—
— …Damn it.
A curse echoed from the screen.
The reason?
The <Celestial Barrier>, their main target, was gone.
As the temperature in the room plummeted in an instant, <Calamity of the Blooming Blood> unknowingly muttered.
“…We’re screwed.”
And then—
Rumble…!!!
An overwhelming pressure erupted from the highest seat, incomparable to the previous confrontation.
Crack!
Rumble!
Snap, grind!
The round table split, the ceiling began to collapse, and under the crushing weight, six of the Seven Calamities were left struggling to even breathe.
Standing alone amidst the devastation, the man at the head of the table spoke briefly.
“Find the Saint and kill her.”
A clean abandonment of the mission.
And simultaneously, the initiation of the next plan.
The six remaining Calamities bowed their heads before the First Seat, <Calamity of Destruction>, then vanished in an instant.
Left alone, Destruction continued staring at the screen for a long while before murmuring.
“…<Black Wolf>.”
Was this your doing again?
If so—
“【You failed children… You, too, are the seeds of calamity.】”
We will meet soon.
On the screen, the calamities had begun their rampage.
2.
Just moments ago, I had barely recovered after getting stabbed by pure accident when Hestia fell.
And then—
“KYAAAAAAH──!!!”
“E-Enemies!! We’re under attack!!”
“What!? Could it be those Black Wolf bastards?!”
Before I could even change out of my bloodstained clothes, <Eclipse>’s assault had begun.
And that wasn’t all.
I had gone out of my way to pretend like nothing was wrong, to act like a generous priest and console her, but—
“Come this way, my lady!!”
“Ah! W-Wait!! That person, him too!!”
“If they really are <Black Wolf>, your safety takes priority, my lady!!”
“Let me go, Mister Rohan!! Priest!! P-Priesttttt!!”
Leaving me behind, they rescued Hestia and took off.
“…Oh, for f***’s sake.”
Yeah, I get it.
If those guys really did fall for the provocation and come here, then they’d target anyone connected to <Gardner> first. Prioritizing Hestia makes sense.
She can’t even walk, after all. And she’s the one who protected them from <Black Wolf> before. I get why they’re attached to her.
But still…
“…?”
“…”
Couldn’t they have at least taken care of one of these guys before leaving?
Well, I suppose it’s natural that I got pushed to the bottom of the priority list. They didn’t even get a proper introduction to their ‘savior,’ and here I am, looking like a mess.
“…Priest? Are you a Free Priest?”
“Is that really important right now?”
“Of course it is. Priests are burned alive. Free Priests are torn apart.”
“Whoa. That’s intense— No, wait. I should say that’s ‘impressive’ in your case.”
“…A Free Priest, then.”
Now this was just unfair.
Nahan pondered.
‘What can I even do?’
Right now, I am Ian Red.
By design, I have only a weak power that allows me to determine life and death by touching objects.
That means I can’t use the power of <Black Wolf> or <Yellow Dragon>.
Of course, if no one was watching, I could secretly use my abilities and then shut them off.
‘But I overheard it in the carriage. Hero Selena is monitoring all of Count Gardner’s territory.’
I didn’t ask for details, so I don’t know how extensive her surveillance is. But considering she hasn’t made a move yet, it seems she can’t detect disguise artifacts.
But if I use my abilities?
‘She’ll definitely notice.’
The way she was staring at me back in the carriage… My heart nearly stopped.
So that brings me back to square one.
‘What can I even do?’
Despite all my efforts, the reality is that ‘Ian Red,’ the Free Priest who was cast out of the church—
He really can’t do much of anything, can he?
As survival instincts slowly began to kick in and blood surged through his veins—
“Are you afraid? Afraid you’ll be torn apart?”
“…”
“Heh, of course you are.”
Slurp.
The scumbag licked the edge of his longsword, chuckling as he approached Nahan.
“Don’t worry. I’ll save your tongue for last, so you can scream all you want.”
Wow. How considerate.
Thanks to him, Nahan at least got to keep his tongue. Acting as if he were tense, he swallowed hard and carefully asked,
“Are you <Black Wolf>?”
“…”
“What is your goal?! Why are you attacking?!”
“…”
Silence.
Despite his idiotic voice, the guy was well-trained.
But that didn’t mean I got nothing out of it.
As I slowly backed away while questioning him, I checked his status window.
【Name: Kilson】
– Alias: Kilkilson
– Rank: C+ (Aura User)
– Information: A subordinate of the second seat among the Seven Calamities, <Calamity of December>, under the <Hounds>. Former leader of the E-rank mercenary group Kilson Mercenary Corps, later recruited into <Eclipse>. Favors the longsword and has a habit of licking blood.
*Occasionally cuts his own tongue.
A former mercenary, C+-rank grunt.
A novice-level Sword Expert—at the level of mastery, capable of wielding Aura.
Meanwhile, <Black Wolf> and <Yellow Dragon> are both EX-rank, and most of my equipped artifacts are <Transcendent>.
Due to Selena’s surveillance, I can’t use most of them. But if I discard my identity as ‘Ian Red,’ I could at least survive.
<Black Wolf>’s skills.
<Yellow Dragon>’s skills.
Iaso’s Ring’s regeneration—
None of them match the abilities of ‘Ian Red’.
Vulcanus’ Ring only raises magic resistance, so it’s useless here.
And if I use the <Celestial Barrier>, I risk being discovered by the Gardner family.
That leaves only one option: melee combat.
But in my current state, I’d have to fight a C-rank swordsman as a regular civilian.
‘…Running away?’
Impossible.
He’s using Aura. The difference between us is like a child against a fully grown adult.
And in that situation—
…Thunk.
As I kept backing away, my heel hit a dead end.
A section of the estate’s wall, shaped like a narrow alley.
“Tsk. Nowhere left to run, huh?”
Kilson smirked and shrugged.
He had known all along.
That my retreat would end at this exact spot, surrounded on three sides.
“Heh. How should I kill you?”
That nasty grin—the kind only a predator cornering its prey could make.
But what he didn’t know was—
“I’ll do my best.”
“…What?”
“Try your best and kill me.”
The one who had chosen this location, surrounded on three sides like a fortress and free from prying eyes, was not him—but Nahan.
– Your talent is survival instinct
That was what the eldest brother of the Black Dragon Clan had discovered in Nahan.
But before that—
– Not combat?
– …Well, that too.
It was certainly about combat.
Looking back, Nahan had never once lost a fight in his previous life.
The reason was simple—
【<Sword Specter’s Necklace (A+)> activates.】
【“Covet it, and it shall become mine!”】
【Applying <Restriction> instead of <Plunder> on <Kilson (C+)>’s Aura!】
【Target’s Aura is sealed for 10 minutes!】
If the opponent is placed on equal footing—
“I’m always stronger.”
Before Nahan even finished speaking, Kilson’s Aura was restricted. He flinched, his voice rising in alarm.
“You bastard…!! What the hell did you just do?!”
“If you’re curious, come closer and listen.”
I’ll bite your ear off.
Nahan vs. Kilson.
“I’ll kill you first, then ask!!”
“Go ahead and try.”
Battle begins.
3.
Swish!
A sharp gust of wind split the air as Tehelan Gardner rushed forward.
His destination: the mansion’s back courtyard.
Although the Hero Party and warriors were handling the attackers, it was strange for the head of a noble house to head toward the back instead of the main battlefield.
But he had no choice.
– Please!! Ian Red, if not for him, I would be dead!!
He had just been informed that the man who saved his daughter had been left behind—alone.
Swish.
Even as he sprinted, Tehelan assessed the situation around him.
Most of the attackers were advanced Sword Experts—A-rank fighters.
And these weren’t just any warriors. They were specialists in duels and assassination.
A priest—especially a Free Priest, known for their weak powers—shouldn’t have stood a chance against them alone.
A kidnapped Hestia.
Two consecutive attacks.
The loss of the <Celestial Barrier>.
And now, if Ian Red were to die, failing to repay their debt—
‘Just how much further will the Gardner family fall?’
Growing even more anxious, Tehelan increased his speed.
And the moment he arrived in the back courtyard—
Smack!
Thwack!
The sickening sound of flesh being pummeled made him freeze.
“Damn it!!”
Armed attackers, each wielding their own specialized weapons, were mercilessly beating someone to death.
How could people be so utterly depraved?
Grip.
His hands tightened around his massive shield and short-handled battle axe.
‘I’ll kill them in one blow.’
The moment they enter my sight, my lifelong partner—the axe—will cleave their heads in two.
With that resolution, he stepped forward—only to halt mid-throw.
“…Huh…?”
He found himself letting out a dumbfounded sound.
And no wonder—
“You! Son of a! B*TCH! Why! The! HELL! Do you! Keep! Laughing! You! Crazy! Bastard!!”
“…”
“Laugh again! Do it!! Come on!! You filthy!! Sh*thead!!!”
Thwack! Thwack! THWACK!
The man, matching every description his daughter had given, was relentlessly beating what was clearly an attacker.
“…I really don’t understand priests these days.”
Since when were battle priests a thing?
But his contemplation didn’t last long.
–【You failed children… You, too, are the seeds of calamity.】
An ominous presence began erupting throughout Count Gardner’s estate.
