1.
A brief reunion.
A fleeting moment where even saying two words felt precarious had passed.
“…Cough. Cough, Cough!”
With a violent fit of coughing, Nahan, who had been standing upright, collapsed in an instant.
“P-Priest!”
Selena, who had been holding onto him, barely managed to support him, but due to her own heightened emotions, she ended up falling along with him.
Thud!
An unexpected tumble.
Selena, pinned beneath Nahan, instinctively rubbed the back of her unguarded head—only to find that his hand had already cushioned it.
“Ugh…! Cough, khuh…!!”
Even as he writhed in pain, his instincts had made him reach out to protect her.
An inherent kindness.
Even if someone was much stronger than him, he wouldn’t hesitate to shield them.
—Mom! Why did you marry Dad? Dad’s way weaker than you!
—…Because he’s strong.
—Huh? What do you mean, strong?
—His heart. His heart was stronger than mine.
A faded memory, blurred with time, resurfaced vividly because of the man before her.
—Then I’ll marry someone with a strong heart too!
The trailing memory made her flustered for a moment, but right now, the Priest’s well-being was the priority.
Selena hastily reached into her coat and pulled out a vial containing an elixir.
“Priest, drink this!!”
“Mmff!”
Without giving him a chance to refuse, she shoved the elixir into his mouth, and he swallowed it down in gulps.
However, not only was he not actually injured, but the rush in drinking it also caused him to choke, making his coughing fit even worse.
To make matters worse, in her urgency, she had hit his gums with the vial, causing them to bleed.
To put it simply, his coughing worsened, now with added blood.
“Cough, kuhuurgh!!”
“Priest!!!”
What was supposed to be Nahan’s brief act of collapsing from exhaustion for five minutes ended up dragging on for nearly ten.
After he finally managed to regain his composure, they exchanged a few more words.
Apologies for the suspicions.
Asking if he was okay.
Asking again if he was really, really okay.
And before she left, after promising to bring him a proper elixir—
“…How many years have you been using it?”
A question about his lifespan.
Nahan hesitated briefly before shaking his head with a gentle smile.
“Don’t worry too much.”
“But…!!”
“I’m really fine. I’m just a little tired, so I’d appreciate it if you could head back for today.”
…Clench.
Lowering her head in guilt, Selena hesitated for a long while before muttering in a small voice.
“I will definitely return what I’ve received, and more.”
She gave a deep bow before reluctantly tearing her gaze away.
This made Nahan hesitate.
‘I’ve only spent a few hours with her, and now I don’t want her to die.’
In the original story, Selena’s death was caused by her saving Asha in a moment of crisis.
‘…Maybe I should lower the difficulty a little.’
If he worked together with his squad, a few high-ranking priests could be eliminated without anyone even noticing.
‘Yeah. They’re just human-sacrificing scum anyway, so this would be better for everyone.’
Having made his decision to intervene, Nahan whispered softly to her.
“This may be an odd thing to say, but… don’t hate <Black Wolf> too much. In a way, they might be victims too.”
“…Huh?”
“I heard that one of the members had a connection to the Hero’s mother. That person cherished her like family… like a daughter of their own.”
As expected, Selena was visibly shaken.
Not only had he defended the Empire’s most-wanted fugitives, <Black Wolf>, but he had also hinted at the connection between Mother and Luna.
‘Right now, <Black Wolf> is acting for the sake of the world, but if misunderstandings keep piling up, things might get difficult later on.’
And honestly, he had been feeling pretty frustrated about it too.
Since his words were practically anti-Empire, he had expected her to scold him, but after a brief hesitation, she simply whispered,
“Priest, I appreciate your advice, but you shouldn’t say such things to just anyone.”
Rather than reprimanding him, she seemed more worried for his safety.
‘Looks like I’ve at least gained some favorability with Asha.’
Satisfied with that judgment, Nahan gently took her hand in his and smiled.
“But the Hero isn’t just anyone.”
“O-oh…”
Was it just his imagination?
Her ashen-gray eyes, reminiscent of Mother’s—or perhaps even darker—seemed to briefly gleam with life.
As she stared directly into his eyes, Selena quickly snapped back to reality and fumbled.
“I-I’ll be taking my leave now. I’ll return soon with a proper elixir.”
“There’s no need for the elixir, but feel free to visit whenever you like to rest.”
“…Thank you. Truly.”
“May the Goddess’ blessing be with you.”
Until she completely disappeared, Nahan waved with a warm smile.
And then—
“Well then. Time to use my reward.”
Raising his hand, his expression shifted into a sly smirk.
“Iaso’s Ring, come to me…”
Difficulty lowered, let’s go.
2.
At the outskirts of the Imperial Capital.
In the inner part of the emerald forest, deep beneath a crumbling hunter’s cabin, a secret underground hideout.
Despite the early morning, the air was thick with tension.
The reason being—
“Prepare. Han-Ryang is about to wake up.”
The Empire’s most wanted criminals, the third member of <Black Wolf>, Tal – Han-Ryang.
Though he usually revered the Captain’s words as if they were divine commands, showing absolute loyalty, that was only when he was awake.
“Ah, damn it…!!”
Once every few months, on days like today, when he was tormented by a deep nightmare stemming from his past—
“Get ready, Luna. He’s coming.”
“Okay, Sister.”
At least two members had to be present to stabilize Han-Ryang upon waking.
“Miss Ruby!!!”
Crack!!
With Han-Ryang’s desperate scream, the protective barrier inside the cabin trembled as if it were about to shatter.
“Whoa, Han-Ryang!! That’s my bed!! Don’t throw it!! Ahh, I said don’t throw it!!”
Luna flailed as she rushed forward, trying to rescue her bed from his grasp.
Boom!!
But by the time she got to him, the bed had already been hurled toward Lactea and shattered into pieces.
With just a slight motion from Lactea’s hand, the remains of the teddy bear blanket and bed were split cleanly in half, cascading to the floor.
“Damn it!!”
Luna clenched her small lips tightly before moving behind Han-Ryang and wrapping her arms around his neck.
His thick, tree-like neck was so massive that she had to use her entire body just to barely lock her grip.
Creak…!
“Kuhh…!! Ah, damn it…!!!”
“What the hell is up with your sleep habits, seriously!! Hngh!!”
Luna, barely managing to hold him down without using <Persona>, shouted toward Lactea.
“Sister!! Now!!”
At that moment—
…Click.
Cutting through the chaotic battlefield of noise, a single, quiet footstep echoed.
Just one step.
With that alone, Lactea was suddenly standing before Han-Ryang, her red lips parting as she whispered.
“Do you regret it?”
“To death!! To the point where my heart is tearing apart!!”
“What is it that you regret so much?”
“The duty of the guardian statue that I failed to fulfill!!”
“…But, child.”
Lactea’s chilling expression hardened.
A faint smile from the past—one that belonged to the 1st Imperial Princess in her benevolent days—rose behind her.
With all traces of her former coldness gone, her now-gentle gaze settled on Han-Ryang as she spoke her final words.
“You’ve already lost, haven’t you?”
“…Ah.”
“To the ruthless Emperor, to your greedy kin, and to your own weakness. You’ve already lost her, haven’t you?”
“Aaaah…!!”
Covered in shadows, his bloodshot eyes glowed a deep blue as uncontrollable tears streamed down.
“I… I was weak—!!”
“Yes, you were weak.”
“I… I failed—!!”
“Yes, you failed.”
“I…!!!”
A scream so desperate and heartrending that even those listening were moved to tears.
And then—
“I… killed her….”
A voice barely above a whisper.
“Ahhh….”
The flood of tears gradually slowed, and light returned to Han-Ryang’s eyes.
“…I’m sorry.”
At last, he was fully awake.
As always.
“Han-Ryaaang…”
Luna, swept up in emotion, embraced him and cried alongside him.
“Don’t blame yourself too much…”
Lactea, who had been about to say something more, bit her lip hard before turning away indifferently.
“Ten minutes. Pull yourself together and come out.”
Once every few months, an uncontrollable outburst of grief from the tragedy that occurred four years ago.
—Lord Halorand! What do you mean Reina is trying to kill me?!
—…I’m sorry.
—Why? Why would Reina…!!
A dawn where every member who restrained him was reminded of their own tragedies.
And as always—
…Creak.
The only one who could pull them out of that heart-devouring despair.
“Have you all been behaving yourselves?”
The Captain of <Black Wolf>, the Black Wolf himself.
“Captain!!”
“…You have arrived.”
Luna and Han-Ryang, wiping away their tears, instinctively stepped toward him.
—You’re telling me, an Imperial Princess, to follow a criminal? Are you insane?
—You were planning to die anyway, weren’t you? Just think of it as starting a new life after already dying once.
—Do you even hear yourself…?!
—I’ll hug you, then. Warmly.
—What kind of lunatic are you…!!
Recalling the moment he saved her on the battlefield, Lactea—
“…Captain.”
Embraced him.
The one who always remained composed.
The one they always wanted to lean on.
The one who always saved them.
That was why—
“Effective immediately, <Black Wolf> will infiltrate the Aria Church and assassinate five targets.”
“Yes, Captain.”
No matter what happens, Captain, we will follow you to the very end.
