1.
After Dalan stormed out, a heavy silence fell over the <Black Wolf>’s hideout.
Even Peter, who had been teaching Yuria.
Even Kassler, who always spoke of a cold heart.
Even Han-Ryang and Luna, who used to giggle quietly—
Even Yuria, who had maintained her brightness throughout her time in <Black Wolf>.
They were all frozen in silence, unable to even swallow their saliva.
The reason was simple.
“…”
Because their captain, Nahan, was leaning in the shadows in silence.
Dalan’s actions were a form of insubordination.
He had rushed out and acted on his own before Nahan had even given an order.
To dare forget the grace of salvation and endanger the captain’s life?
The day Nahan brought Ruby in, didn’t they all swear together?
That if anyone ever endangered the captain, they would take their life without hesitation.
So the members thought.
‘We have to find Dalan first, destroy the contract, and kill him.’
And if—
If Dalan dies before they find him, while the contract is still intact, and the captain dies as a result?
Just like before they were saved by the captain, they would destroy this world without a trace.
This resolve was shared by the rest of the team.
Dalan, who rushed out on his own.
Ruby, captured by <Eclipse>.
And themselves, still safe for now.
Because of the captain’s request, they were still maintaining the <Black Wolf>’s Restriction. But if a situation arose where death was inevitable—
They would first destroy the contract and make sure to protect the captain’s life.
‘So if Dalan and Ruby are in danger, we prioritize rescue. If that’s not possible, we forcibly break the contract and kill them.’
Of course, there had also been a report that Lactea was in combat against the full Hero Party.
‘Let’s worry about someone who actually needs worrying.’
Worrying about her was as pointless as worrying about the sky falling.
With that, the members reaffirmed their resolve and quietly turned to look at Nahan.
Their eyes showed determination—no matter what command came, they would carry it out perfectly.
Whether they cared or not—
Nahan reviewed the situation again and let out a deep sigh.
‘Ruby’s captured by <Eclipse>, Dalan deserted to rescue her, Lactea is fighting the Hero Party.’
If the mission fails—Game Over.
If Ruby and Dalan die—Game Over.
If the Hero dies—Game Over.
Even Lactea, a semi-final boss, couldn’t be allowed to die just yet.
‘This is driving me insane.’
Nahan’s head throbbed from the sudden, steep difficulty spike.
‘There is a solution.’
Rescue Ruby.
Stop the fight between Lactea and the Hero Party.
Kill the last remaining noble that they failed to eliminate.
Of course, the question of how to solve it remained unanswered.
‘…No. Don’t panic. Take it slow, one step at a time.’
Nahan revisited Lactea’s report.
Ruby captured.
Lactea fighting the Hero Party.
One final noble to kill.
‘Honestly, if the entire <Black Wolf> moved, this would be over quickly.’
But the aftermath was the issue.
If <Black Wolf>’s now-enhanced strength was revealed, what would happen?
First, the Hero Party would fall into despair.
The current <Black Wolf> was merely hiding its power. If he included himself—Nahan—even the Hero Party wouldn’t be able to draw their swords before being overwhelmed.
A demoralized protagonist and his party.
For Nahan, who must eventually save the Hero and the Empress, this was a situation he had to avoid at all costs.
‘And what about <Eclipse>?’
They were already sneaky and cowardly. If they realized <Black Wolf>’s strength was far beyond what they expected?
‘They’d hide even deeper.’
It might take years—decades—to drag them out again.
And for Nahan, who wanted to resolve everything quickly and go home, decades of extended duty were definitely not welcome.
‘We need to fight just enough… enough to make them think they have a chance.’
Unlike before, when he had been struggling with how to solve it—now he had to worry about how much strength to conceal.
‘Me, and <Black Wolf>. We’ve grown differently from the <Babylonia> original storyline.’
With a bitter-sweet feeling, Nahan continued his thoughts.
‘Anyway—rescuing Ruby, stopping Lactea and the Hero Party’s battle, and eliminating the last noble…’
It was clear now: the situation had to be resolved with the utmost subtlety, and only with a level of force that seemed manageable to the outside eye.
‘I’ll need to borrow the strength of the members.’
Realizing that it was impossible to do alone, Nahan finally spoke after a brief moment of thought.
First, the rescue of Ruby.
“Peter. Retrieve Ruby and Dalan.”
He entrusted the mission to Peter, the No.1 of <Black Wolf> and the one with the power to twist faith.
“You may release the Restriction and use your full power if Ruby or Dalan are in danger. Otherwise, limit your strength to match the opponent’s level.”
“Yes, Captain.”
The moment the order was given, Peter vanished from the hideout with a smile.
Next was stopping the battle between the Hero Party and Lactea.
‘I’ll handle this one.’
The Hero Party, second only to <Eclipse> in terms of danger.
While <Black Wolf>’s full strength could overwhelm them, member for member, they were roughly on par.
If he carelessly sent someone else and things went awry, both sides could suffer losses.
‘I’ll intervene as Ian Red.’
If the words came from Ian Red, even the Hero Party would listen. And if it came down to it, he could reveal to Lactea that Ian Red was just an act of Nahan, resolving things that way.
Lastly, the third task.
Assassination of Count Valentine, the last survivor on the Empress’s purge list.
‘Since the commotion arose in Count Valentine’s territory, he’s likely already noticed and fled.’
As a high-ranking noble, he would be skilled at covering his tracks, and the knight escorts and his own combat ability would not be insignificant.
‘I need someone skilled in tracking and assassination. And even if they’re discovered and it turns into an all-out battle, someone strong enough to survive and return.’
Nahan picked up the dossier containing Duran Valentine’s information and handed it to one of the members.
<Black Wolf>’s elite assassin.
The one who had shadowed the Hero Party throughout their campaign without being discovered.
In the <Babylonia> original, not a single line of dialogue existed for this character—yet his very name gave off an overwhelming sense of dread.
“Take care of it, Kassler.”
The tall, blond man accepted the file, his blue eyes glowing faintly.
“Ah… it has been far too long. To drift through a bloody night steeped in the thick scent of fresh blood… the Cold Heart—Chaotic Core of Sorrow.”
“Enough. Depart immediately.”
“…Yes, Captain.”
There was a brief disturbance, but with that, the three biggest issues were addressed.
Now all that remained was.
‘Preparing for a worst-case scenario—making sure the Empress doesn’t die.’
Nahan turned to the remaining members—Han-Ryang, Luna, and Yuria—and issued their orders.
“Han-Ryang and Luna, head to Duke Halorand’s territory immediately and monitor the situation.”
“Yes, Captain.”
“Yup, Captain! Let’s pack and go, Han-Ryang!”
While Luna grabbed a few light snacks, Nahan gestured for Yuria to follow him.
Once they were alone, he lowered his voice and quietly gave her instructions.
“Yuria. You are to protect the Empress.”
“I’ll kill her!”
“…No, that’s not it. You are to protect—”
“Ah, punishment! Should I punish her and come back!?”
“…”
Is this what Peter would be like if he turned into a woman?
“I’ve learned well from the Senior Punisher! You can’t just hurt bad guys. You have to punish them with exactly what’ll torment them most—at eye level…!!”
“…”
Possession.
Absolutely must not be found out.
“That’s not what I’m ordering.”
“Eh? Then what is it?”
Meeting the sparkling eyes imbued with divine power, Nahan gave a firm command.
“Protect the Empress.”
“…Uuuuugh.”
Her face crumpled in an instant.
“Killing the bad guys is more fun… But if it’s the Captain’s order… Ah, should’ve followed the Senior Punisher… But if he says do it, I gotta do it…”
Though she made her distaste extremely obvious, Yuria reluctantly nodded.
“…I really don’t wanna… but yes, Captain. I’ll take care of it…”
“…Yeah.”
Maybe it was because she was the most recent recruit, but she had a stronger sense of self than the other members.
‘Well, her skills are undeniable, so it’s fine.’
The Saint of Massacre who appeared in the <Babylonia> original.
If the name of a mercenary group had the word <Black> in it, and they had even the slightest sin, she would wipe them out—without a trace—like a crimson phantom.
<Black Wolf> had once been her target, too. After joining the Hero Party, she tormented them until her dying breath.
Ironically, the divine authority she gained as a saint was mostly healing-based.
“…If I repeat killing and reviving… then, just like Senior Punisher said, education should match their level…”
But for those she marked as targets, that just meant their nightmare lasted longer.
‘Anyway, that settles it.’
Now all that remained was to ensure those three tasks succeeded.
‘Let’s go.’
Six bad endings left.
Once those were over, maybe he could fulfill his dream in this world—or return to the original one.
【Main Scenario – <The Unredeemed> in progress… (<Black Wolf> – 3/10)】
Save the remaining seven members.
The seven remaining members.
The Hero and the Empress.
And everyone else.
He would save them all.
‘Let’s clear this cleanly.’
…However.
‘Luna, Han-Ryang, the Saint… the rest of the members…’
Even counting Nahan himself, weren’t there only nine members of <Black Wolf>?
2.
Dalan’s memories—remembered and forgotten freely, just like how he lived.
Was it because he always focused on fleeting happiness?
Dalan tended to forget anything that wasn’t deeply important to him.
But that didn’t mean he forgot everything easily.
The green fields beneath his feet,
The brisk, cold air of dawn,
The earthy scent of damp soil—
Dalan’s joys were remembered through sensations, and when he experienced them again, they would resurface—like emotional compound interest.
Among all those happinesses, Rose Red had been the greatest one of all—but ironically, the memory of her was now colorless and scentless.
It had worn away.
Slowly eroded over time by the constant wind of the years, until Dalan eventually lost all traces of her.
If he tried hard to recall, the lingering scent of that moment would return—but only for a fleeting second.
Before he could even grasp it, it would slip through his fingers like sand.
So Dalan hoped.
And hoped again.
He knew it was impossible to meet her again. But if fate ever gave him the chance, he wished at the very least to catch her scent one more time.
Because if his memories returned through scent and color, then surely, his memories with her would become vivid again.
But…
But Rose—
“I suppose you’ve lost your way?”
“…What did you do to Ruby?”
This isn’t how I wanted it to happen.
.
.
.
【Warning.】
【The <Seed of Regret> within <Ruby Red (S+)> is blooming, nourished by sorrow.】
