1.
Just—
I wish everything would just die.
【Until Berserk: …99%】
The heart that had been steadily worn down began to crumble, caught in the current of berserk rage.
“Found you.”
Suddenly, the ceiling collapsed and two black-haired men stormed into the training arena.
Thud, Rumble!
Crash!
Debris from the collapsing building rained down, with crimson sunlight leaking in through the ruins.
“W-What in the world!!?”
“Quiet.”
The Minister of Defense curled up in shock, and Barbara gave him a sharp look.
Even the doll-like members of the Nameless flinched in the chaos, but Reina could only see one person.
He wrapped her in his cloak to protect her, then smiled gently and asked.
“What is this? Were you crying?”
“…”
“Crybaby.”
At his playful and gentle demeanor, Reina barely managed to reach out and ask,
“Why are you… why do you…?”
Everyone else only tries to use me.
They don’t look at me—only the title of Empress.
But you…
Why me, of all people?
To Reina’s tearful question, Nahan took her outstretched hand and answered.
“Because you’re precious to me.”
His sincerity was clear.
“…What?”
“I said you’re precious. Very much so.”
“…!!”
This answer from Nahan was actually tied to the main quest — <Happy Ending>,
but Reina had no way of knowing that.
【Until Berserk: …96% (↓)】
The heart filled with rage and resentment softened, and the berserk meter dropped.
“?”
Noticing this, Nahan pulled out a health potion from subspace, poured it out, and thought.
‘Why did the meter suddenly go down?’
…Was it because of what I just said?
In any case, it was a good thing, so Nahan began treating Reina’s wounds while repeating similar words in a soft whisper.
“Your Majesty is the best.”
“…?”
“You’re essential for the happy ending.”
“W-What are you even…!”
【Until Berserk: …87% (↓)】
Once he confirmed that his hypothesis was correct, he started speaking recklessly.
As a result—
【Until Berserk: …75% (↓)】
The berserk gauge, which had been on the verge of exploding, dropped to around 70%,
and Reina’s health, which had been below 10%, was restored to more than half.
It was the first time since her coronation that she had received help from someone else.
Holding back the tears that threatened to fall, Reina looked at Nahan and asked.
“Can I… trust you?”
Her fingertips trembled.
Nahan held her slipping hand tightly again and nodded.
“As much as you want.”
A lonely life, always used by others.
“I’ll keep protecting you from now on too, so stop crying and get up.”
At the end of her despair, the man’s perfectly bright smile was enough to lift her up once more.
Crash!
Using her sword as a cane, Reina pushed her fallen body upright.
“I’m sorry for whining so much.”
Even Black Wolf, the Empire’s most wanted criminal, was putting in so much effort for the Empire.
How could she, the Empress, allow herself to simply wallow in defeat?
Suppressing her negative emotions, Reina stepped in front of Black Wolf and Peter, her eyes gleaming.
“From here on, I’ll take over. You rest.”
One time—one act of help was enough.
If she couldn’t even handle something like this herself, how could she call herself Empress?
“This is proof of my qualifications as Empress, and a testament that I am still standing strong. Engrave it into your eyes.”
Just as Reina, prepared for death, tried to step forward with resolve—
Nahan grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back again.
“No. We’ll finish them off, so please focus on recovery.”
“No. I appreciate your heart, but I cannot allow you to be in danger any longer—”
【<Veil of Shadows(EX)> – 60% has been activated.】
Crunch!
With its activation, all the members of the Nameless and the Minister of Defense collapsed onto the ground.
“There’s a lot of them. Let’s see—one, two, three…”
After counting their numbers, Nahan began tying them up one by one, then looked up and said.
“Oh, right. Please continue what you were saying.”
“…Ah, I, I was going to say thank you.”
“Ah, no worries. Think nothing of it.”
For some reason, Reina looked a bit sulky, but right now, the priority was sorting out the situation.
“Hold her down, Peter.”
“…Yes, Captain.”
After handing Barbara over to Peter, Nahan approached the Minister of Defense.
The minister struggled beneath the crushing pressure of the Veil of Shadows.
“Guh… What is this!?”
As if to prove his corruption, the fat he hadn’t managed was spilling sloppily from his disheveled clothes.
‘Right after Halorand sent a message, Reina ended up in danger.’
That could only mean these people were connected to Duke Halorand’s faction.
Nahan crouched in front of the Minister and poked at the bulging fat as he asked.
“Did Halorand send you?”
“How dare you!! How dare you recklessly speak the Duke’s name!!”
“What do you mean ‘how dare’—you’re the ones who stormed into Her Majesty’s training grounds. And ‘the Duke’? So Halorand did send you, huh?”
“…!!”
Only then did the Minister realize his slip of the tongue. He glanced over at Barbara and clamped his mouth shut.
“Idiot. What’s the point of shutting up now?”
“Silence!! I don’t know where you belong, but I am the Minister of Defense of this Empire!!”
“Gasp…!! T-The Minister of Defense…!!”
At Nahan’s intentionally overdone reaction, the minister’s lips curled up slightly.
“I, I too was threatened by them just like Her Majesty! We can sort this all out later—state your name and affiliation at once!!”
At the minister’s bold demand, Nahan trembled and muttered in a small voice.
“…ack Wolf’s …ptain, sir.”
“What! Speak up properly!!”
Nahan’s body leaned forward slowly.
He brought his lips close to the minister’s ear and whispered.
“The Black Wolf of Black Wolf.”
“…?! W-Wait!! A country’s empress with a criminal—!!”
The next moment—
Thud!
“Guhhak…”
Nahan struck the back of the minister’s neck, knocking him out cold, then hoisted him onto his shoulder.
‘Loose-lipped and dumb. If we leave the interrogation to the members, he’ll spill everything he knows.’
So for now, the Minister of Defense was kept.
What mattered most right now was uncovering information from those who had tried to assassinate Reina.
‘The connection to Halorand is already confirmed.’
If that’s the case…
Nahan walked toward the subdued Barbara, looking down at her and asked,
“What was your reason for trying to assassinate the Empress?”
“…”
Only silence followed.
Nahan opened his mouth again.
“You must’ve heard who I am by now?”
“…”
“…Final warning. Stay silent one more time, and I’ll take all of <Black Wolf> and go tear Duke Halorand limb from limb.”
【<Veil of Shadows(EX)> – 60% has been activated.】
The sinister and oppressive Aura, limited in release to the Nameless, made Barbara and the others realize Nahan meant every word.
So she hesitated.
‘The ones putting the Duke in danger right now… are us—the Nameless and the Minister of Defense.’
In other words, if they all died, there’d be no evidence tying Duke Halorand to any of this.
‘…Kill the Minister of Defense. Then we all take our own lives, and it’s resolved.’
Barbara’s judgment was accurate.
The only direct evidence of the assassination attempt was themselves and the Minister.
If they killed him before he could talk and then committed suicide, the Duke would remain untouched.
But—
‘…How?’
【<Veil of Shadows(EX)> – 60% has been activated.】
A monster—plain and simple.
The pressure from his Aura scrambled the heart and brain, leaving only the primal instinct to survive in control.
Even struggling with everything she had, Barbara felt death was inevitable.
Every second she considered if it might be better to just give in and die already.
Even keeping her mind intact was a struggle.
“That’s why this is the last time I’ll ask. Why did you join hands with Halorand to assassinate the Empress?”
“T-That’s…!!”
Fear tore through her ears and mind.
Just as she bit her tongue raw in resistance—
Shatter!
Something engraved deep within Barbara’s brain broke, and the bodies of all the Nameless went limp.
“…What is this?”
Startled, Nahan took a step back—
and right on cue, the doors of the training arena burst open.
A flood of Imperial Guards poured in, and among them was a man with golden hair.
“Protect Her Majesty the Empress!!!”
Shouting alongside the Imperial Guard, he drew his sword and charged straight at Nahan.
So, the first thing Nahan did was lower the output of Veil of Shadows.
【<Veil of Shadows(Ex)> – 10% has been activated.】
At the previous output, ordinary guards would’ve died instantly, bleeding from every orifice.
This was to avoid harming innocents.
But in the end, it was a bad move.
The drop in intensity, Peter lowering his guard, and Reina’s confusion—
Through that opening—
【Savior – <Halorand(A+)> removes the <Cause> and draws only the <Effect>.】
【Effect: [The Minister of Defense who attempted regicide was purged by Halorand.]】
Thud!
Halorand’s rapier drove straight through the Minister of Defense’s forehead.
A strength that defied logic and recognition.
Only Nahan and Halorand realized that time had deviated in that moment—
And in that fleeting instant, Halorand spoke to Nahan.
“You said it was your responsibility.”
He said.
