1.
“We’ve arrived, Captain. Now, your mask.”
“…Understood.”
Click.
As I put on the mask handed to me by Luna and raised my head, a literal tower came into view.
The Gate of the Blue Magic Tower.
A revolutionary transportation method completed with the late emperor’s unwavering support and the Blue Magic Tower’s relentless research.
Though commercialized after countless trials, it was still so expensive that even nobles hesitated to use it.
But Ruby was different.
“Two single-way tickets to the capital gate.”
“Wha…? M-Miss R-Red?! What brings you here at this hour?!”
“We’re in a rush; let’s save the chit-chat for another time.”
“Ah…! M-my apologies! Two single tickets to the capital. I’ll prepare them immediately!”
Without hesitation, Ruby pulled out a check to pay the fare and stepped onto the gate platform as soon as we arrived at Viscount Gapelt’s gate.
‘A-rank or higher mercenaries get full gate fees covered. The Mercenary Alliance is truly generous.’
I naturally followed behind Ruby to step onto the gate platform, but—
“Hold it right there.”
A calm voice stopped me in my tracks, and I turned around.
“You can’t just leave without registering. Please come over here and fill these out.”
The receptionist, pulling a pile of documents from their bag under a blue robe, handed them to me.
“Just fill out the parts marked in blue and return them.”
“…?”
“Oh, is this your first time using a gate? If you’d like, I can fill them out for you while you—”
Before the receptionist could finish approaching me, a sharp sound of heels interrupted.
Click.
Ruby, who had returned in a single step, glared at the receptionist.
“I told you we’re in a hurry.”
“B-but, Miss Red, you know the regulation to record all users’ personal details.”
“Hah. Wouldn’t a little flexibility here make the Mercenary Alliance more inclined to use your gate more often?”
“T-that’s true, but this regulation was established by the late emperor and the Magic Tower Master, so I can’t just—”
As the receptionist hesitated, Ruby let out a short sigh.
【Warning】
【<Black Wolf> – <No.3 Tal (S)>’s remaining HP is below <10%>.】
【If HP falls to <0%>, the Bad Ending – <5. Tyrant’s Omen (A)> will occur.】
The situation had become even more urgent.
‘A bad ending means it’s all over.’
Losing any chance to return to my original world.
Which also meant…
— Fulfill my dream in my stead.
I would fail to grant the wish of my only friend.
‘Let’s think about it.’
I had to return to the capital, find Han-Ryang, and prevent the Bad Ending.
After a moment’s thought, I spoke.
“…So, I’ve been caught.”
“Pardon?”
“You only get one chance, so listen carefully.”
Adjusting my mask, I bowed slightly to the receptionist.
“I’m holding her hostage. If you want to save her life, activate the gate.”
“…Huh?”
The receptionist frowned before scoffing dismissively.
“That’s not funny. I don’t sense any power from you—how exactly do you plan to harm Miss Red?”
The receptionist wasn’t wrong.
At the moment, I couldn’t properly sense or use aura or mana.
But—
—Take these, Captain. My beloved miniature flesh puppets.
—Get rid of them.
—Ah… But I’ve already linked them to you. You can summon and command them just like I did. Should I just throw them away?
—Keep them in my pocket.
I retrieved the 10 flesh puppets Ruby had given me, restored them to their original size, and created an ominous atmosphere by grabbing Ruby’s neck.
“Kyahhh! Kyaaahhh!”
“R-Red ma’am!!”
“Don’t! Don’t let him cross to the capital! That <Black Wolf> is a monster we mustn’t let through!!”
As Ruby caught on to my plan and played along convincingly—
【<Stage 2> – <Immersion> complete. 】
【You have perfectly replicated the presence of <Black Wolf>, the original final boss.】
If I could recreate the terrifying aura of the original Black Wolf and use it to intimidate—
“You’re next.”
Would you dare do anything other than open the gate?
Unsurprisingly—
“W-wait, please! I’ll open it immediately, just spare my life!”
The receptionist, now pale as a sheet, scrambled to the gate control in terror.
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【Detected the target’s fear.】
【<Veil of Shadows (Ex)> has been activated.】
◆ Effects
- If the target feels even the slightest fear toward <You>, from that moment, the target perceives <You> as the embodiment of death itself. The status effect <Terror> will linger until their final breath.
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The gate opened, and I silently stood and walked toward it.
‘First, find Han-Ryang and prevent the bad ending.’
After ensuring Ruby, who was still acting as the hostage, was safely accounted for, I stepped into the gate.
This marked the first incident involving the Black Wolf’s appearance.
2.
The night market was as lively as ever.
“Cough!”
“Far sturdier than expected; it keeps things interesting. Let’s see if you can block this one.”
Crash!
“──!!”
“Your arm must be broken, yet you don’t even scream. How delightful.”
A massive man tumbled to the ground, painting the surroundings red.
Despite his bloodied state, the night market remained bright and festive, oblivious to the carnage.
The bloodied man thought.
—Han-Ryang! Go buy some meat!
—Luna-do-it-yourself—
—Oh, please!! It’s for the Captain! He didn’t come back last night, remember? The late-night market is still open nearby!!
—…If-it’s-for-the-Captain, then—
It was mere coincidence that they crossed paths.
—Empress. My-mortal-enemy—
—Other than the Captain, none of us care for the Empress! Seriously, who in the <Black Wolf> would like her?!
—If I meet her, it will be hard to restrain myself—
—I get it, but the Captain will keep us in check, right?
But the rage was no coincidence.
Kill.
No matter the cost.
However, in his rage, Han-Ryang, <Tal> of the <Black Wolf>, failed to understand one thing.
“I’ll kill──!!”
“Haah…”
The golden-haired woman standing before him wasn’t Emperor simply by bloodline.
“So noisy.”
As Han-Ryang clenched his fists and charged, the golden woman snapped her fingers.
—Why did you destroy my carriage?
The fruit skewer she casually picked up before the fight lodged into Han-Ryang’s thigh, piercing it deeply.
And that wasn’t the end.
Whiiiir!
Boom!
Golden aura erupted from the skewered wound, detonating in an explosion.
“──!!?”
Losing his balance, the massive man crashed to the ground. The Emperor, growing bored, didn’t miss the opportunity.
Crunch!
The thick neck was pinned under her heel. She looked down at the subdued Han-Ryang and asked coldly.
“Who sent you?”
“You—will die──!!”
“Why are you trying to kill me?”
“You’re-asking-because-you-don’t-know──!!”
Crack!
“──!!”
Overwhelmed by the pressure that threatened to kill him, Han-Ryang grabbed at her foot, gasping for air. But even as his breath returned, her foot remained unmoving.
It was the same back then.
When the beloved lady he’d devoted his life to was killed by this wretched Emperor.
“Your-knight-looked-down-on-me-with-those-filthy-eyes──!!”
“My knight?”
“Excuses! Lies──!! It-was-your-order!! Why-did-you—?!”
Snap!
As memories of the past resurfaced, Han-Ryang, consumed by rage, braced himself for death and struggled to rise again.
Slide.
The Empress’s foot shifted off his neck, allowing him to regain some composure.
“Speak clearly.”
She leaned closer, whispering quietly enough that her knights wouldn’t hear.
“Before they interfere, hurry.”
But at that moment—
“Too-late. You-just-die──!!”
Baaaaang!!
Han-Ryang’s vision plunged into the ground as his head slammed deep into it.
—Don’t push yourself, Han-Ryang. Your body won’t hold out.
—M-My lady!!
Finally, the life he’d clung to so desperately began to burn away.
There was guilt in his heart.
—<Tal>. That’s what I’ll call you from now on.
—Understood–Captain.
For betraying the Captain who had become his everything.
“…I-am–sorry–Captain.”
As Han-Ryang muttered to himself from beneath the ground, he finally resolved to risk everything and break the constraints of <Black Wolf>.
Thud, Thud, Thud.
BOOM!!
The earth began to tremble, and a familiar presence swept through the area.
“…Ruby?”
Caught off guard, Han-Ryang peeked cautiously above the ground, thinking reinforcements had arrived.
But at that moment—
“You’ve disappointed me in the end.”
“Ah—C–Captain—”
“And thus, this is your punishment.”
With eyes as deep as the abyss.
Crunch.
Han-Ryang’s vision faded to black.
Boom!
The massive man’s body hit the ground with a resounding crash, his neck broken. The noise brought an eerie silence to the area, plunging the surroundings into a tense stillness.
That stillness, coupled with rising dread, was precisely what the intruder had intended.
【Fear detected from target(s).】
【<Veil of Shadows (Ex)> activated.】
Whoosh!
An overwhelming, oppressive aura erupted in an instant, causing the Emperor and her knights to pale.
Satisfied, the intruder retrieved an emerald ring and slipped it onto the fallen giant’s finger.
“However, a chance for redemption must be granted.”
Click.
Silence returned once more.
The brightly lit night market, the knights guarding the Empress, and the fleshy puppets surrounding them—all froze in place.
Even the once-proud knights, who had swept across battlefields before becoming imperial guards, instinctively realized.
‘If you move, you die.’
Their A-rank pride, prized swords and artifacts, and even the hidden reinforcements shadowing them meant nothing in the face of the black-clad figures standing before them.
The Empress, sensing the ominous presence that loomed so close, was no exception.
‘He seemed on the verge of S-rank, yet he killed that man with a mere gesture? Could one of the ten have betrayed the Empire? No… No. These are far beyond even the ten…’
As her mind raced, the Empress feigned composure, her sharp gaze fixed on the intruders.
Crack!
The fallen man’s neck snapped back into place, and he gestured behind him.
“Persona, take him back.”
“Yes, Captain.”
Without hesitation, the smallest of the intruders slung the giant over her shoulders and disappeared into the night.
Now, only two intruders remained.
“Captain, what will you do?”
One, a woman wielding a longsword, and the other.
Thump, thump.
Thump.
A man tapping his thigh with his right hand.
…Gulp.
The Empress and her knights swallowed nervously as the man slowly stood.
His next decision would determine whether they would take their last breaths.
Tock, Tock.
In the now-familiar silence, the man pondered briefly before giving a curt reply.
“We’ll see.”
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─『Subquest Activated!』─
◆ For the Worst.
: Aggravate the Empress of Babylonia, <Reina Babylonia (S+)>!
◆ Conditions
- Mention <Black Wolf>.
- Receive an elite wanted notice.
- Kill three imperial guards. (0/3)
◆ Reward
: <Lactea Babylonia (S+)>’s love.
◆ Failure or Refusal
: <Lactea Babylonia (S+)>’s death.
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What the hell am I supposed to do with this?!
