Blood splattered everywhere.

Fernandez collapsed forward, pouring blood from his elongated neck. Soldiers watching were startled, letting out screams of horror.

"Fernandez! What have you done!"

A distraught Lark quickly embraced the collapsing Fernandez. But, a moment later, shock painted his face.

"This is...!"

With a sizzling sound, Fernandez’s face contorted and then completely changed into another person’s visage.

His stature shrunk, appearing much less imposing.

In Lark’s arms was not Fernandez, but another mage dressed in the robe of the Magic Corps.

"Illusion magic...?!"

It was then that Lark remembered Fernandez’s expertise.

Illusory magic.

Fernandez had a talent for deceiving and confusing his foes.

Indeed, he was proficient in various types of magic, but he delved deepest into illusion magic.

It was fitting for a leader of the Shadow Squad, but the thought that he could deceive even Lark with such a refined illusion...!

’I used mind control, illusion magic, disguise skills, and items to trick you. I’m honored that I could even deceive you, Brother.’

From a device attached to the neck of the dead mage, Fernandez’s voice echoed. Lark angrily ripped the device off.

"Where are you, Fernandez!"

’I value my life too, Brother. I’m not bold enough to stand right in front of you with your sword drawn.’

Fernandez chuckled faintly.

’You asked earlier, Brother, why I conspired this way.’

Now, Fernandez didn’t even deny his treachery, and Lark’s eyes narrowed in frustration.

"Is it for the throne? If it is, I’ll gladly concede it to you."

’No, it’s not that, Brother. I care little for power.’

"Then what is it? Has someone wronged you? Tell me! I, Lark, will solve it for you!"

’...’

"We are brothers bound by blood, Fernandez...! Whatever I can help with, I will. So, abandon this treacherous plan. Please!"

After a brief silence, Fernandez exhaled a weary sigh.

’You do love us, your siblings. But the problem is, you still see us as children in need of protection.’

"What?"

’We’ve grown up already.’

Fernandez’s voice suddenly became icy.

’Father, the other gods, and even the goddess who graces our empire all see us this way. We’ve matured enough to stand on our own.’

"What the hell are you..."

’You’ll understand in time, Brother. Everything I’ve done is for the empire... and for humanity.’

Fernandez’s voice began to fade from the device.

’I’ll see you again, Brother. Well, if you survive my trap, that is.’

"What?"

The communication cut off abruptly.

Lark, staring at the device with wide eyes, suddenly sensed something amiss.

Bubbling...

The water below the bridge was boiling.

Red lights pulsated from beneath the river’s surface. A panicked Lark shouted,

"Everyone, get ou-"

Before he could finish warning them,

Flash-!magic

The ’Shutdown Protocol’ installed on the Iris Bridge activated, engulfing and preserving all living beings within its vicinity.

***

Not far from the Iris Bridge, surrounded by a circular red magic circle, atop a nearby hill.

An elderly woman observing the activation of the Shutdown Protocol through a telescope slowly folded it.

It was Reina, the commander of the Magic Corps. With a relaxed demeanor, Reina reported her findings.

"The Shutdown Protocol has been activated, and the spatial preservation is complete. The operation is a success."

As Reina turned to her side, Fernandez, seated on a chair, was visible, diligently attending to the documents in his hand.

Reina took the initiative to add, "Congratulations on the victory, Your Highness."

"Victory? Ha."

Fernandez’s reply was dripping with sarcasm.

"Do you know how monstrous my brother is? A little event like this wouldn’t even leave a scratch on him."

"But didn’t we annihilate the vanguard of the First Legion?"

She swallowed the part about sacrificing their own men as bait.

Regardless, they’d managed to thwart the spearhead of the invincible legion led by the Undefeated Knight. To Reina, it was a significant achievement from the outset.

However, Fernandez heaved a shallow sigh."It’s just the vanguard of the First Legion. The rest of the forces are spreading and advancing from the west. They’ll keep pushing."

"..."

"You were once part of the First Legion, weren’t you, Captain Reina? You know how thorough and formidable they are."

"That’s why I mentioned it."

Reina offered a sly smile.

"We’ve managed to score against those monsters."

Originally, the Magic Corps was a part of the First Legion.

But 15 years ago, during the conquest of the Camilla Kingdom, due to the rebellion led by Vice Commander Jupiter, they admitted to war crimes and left a black mark under the emperor’s command.

The Magic Corps was disgracefully expelled from the First Legion and drifted aimlessly, nearly disbanding until Fernandez rescued them.

They later changed their affiliation to directly serve the royal family, but in reality, they had become Fernandez’s personal troops, maintaining their ranks till today.

Reina knew all too well.

She knew the strength of the knights and soldiers in that group and how dedicated they were to the empire.

And now, in the current situation, they had to kill them, all for the sake of the empire.

It gave her the chills. Although Reina had frequently turned on her allies due to orders from higher-ups, the First Legion was a different beast.

’It’s a fun game of friendly fire. It’s maddening.’

The thought of killing her former comrades one by one made it hard to keep a straight face.

But this had been set in motion 15 years ago, the moment she grabbed Fernandez’s hand.

She had already sold her soul to the devil. What was there left to hesitate about?

"Anyway, my brother won’t just stop here. He will continue his march to the Imperial Capital."

Fernandez replied to Reina’s inquiry.

"And what do we do?"

"We need more time. We need to engage in delaying tactics. Drag it out as long as possible."

Fernandez said calmly, rising from his chair.

"We’ve only ’used’ a ’portion’ of the capital defense force. Deploy the rest."

"..."

"Whatever it takes, delay him by a day, an hour, even a second. Delay my brother’s arrival at the Imperial Capital."

"Many will die."

"Weren’t we prepared for this from the beginning? For a greater cause, this level of sacrifice is minor."

"Understood, Your Highness."

Reina bowed her head silently.

"And, I regret this concerning my sister-in-law..."

Fernandez recalled Lark’s wife and their three children, clicking his tongue.

"They’ll have to be our hostages. My brother is terribly sentimental."

"Our troops are already on standby. Should I issue the capture order?"

"As humanely as possible. They are my beloved sister-in-law and nieces and nephews, after all."

Reina hesitated momentarily before carefully asking.

"After capturing them... what happens if something goes wrong?"

"What could go wrong?"

Fernandez nonchalantly shrugged.

"Why keep a horse that has lost its value?"

"...Understood. I’ll issue the capture order immediately."

Though it wasn’t an easy decision to articulate, kidnapping was the forte of the covert unit. Reina was certain that soon Lark’s wife and children would be taken hostage. As for their fate afterward, nothing was certain...

***

Lark’s wife and three children resided in a mansion on the outskirts of the Imperial Capital.

She had relatives there. When she missed her husband, who was away on the battlefield, she often visited her parental home with her children.

They had decided to spend this winter there.

In preparation for the chilly New Terra winter, the mansion had been furnished days ago with thick carpets and heavy curtains, bought from merchants.

Although the wife usually had a modest retinue, this year was different. Perhaps, it was to ensure a warm environment for the young royal children.

The Aegis Special Forces already had all the information. The family of Lark, the First Prince, had always been a high priority target.

And now, it was time for that long surveillance to pay off.

"Internal check."

「Shadows are moving by the living room and kitchen windows. No movement overnight, so everyone should be inside.」

"Good. What about the front door?"

「No abnormalities.」

"And the back and side doors?"

「Same, no abnormalities.」

"Alright. Let’s move in. Don’t miss anyone."

The Aegis Special Forces Team Seven, specialized in kidnapping, surrounded the mansion. After exchanging signals, they stormed in simultaneously.

The team leader of the 7th unit monitored the situation from a nearby building rooftop, a vantage point that offered a full view of the mansion. It was a routine task they performed almost daily.

Even if they were the royal family, with only a few knights for protection, this operation shouldn’t have been any different than the usual.

However...「Re, report!」

The feedback from the subordinates who entered the building was surprising.

「There’s... there’s no one inside!」

"What?!"

「Exactly as I said, sir. The building is empty...!」

"Then what about those moving shadows at the window?!"

「It was clothes on hangers, moved back and forth by a mechanism! They all seem to be set up like this!」

The thick curtains had prevented them from seeing clearly inside.

The leader felt a cold shiver down his spine.

Did they know they were being watched? And they had planned an escape all along?

Since when?

"Damn it, they were here just yesterday!"

「Yes, yes! We confirmed their presence last night!」

"Then they can’t be far! Start the search, now!"

The leader slammed down the communication device.

"Just who beat us to it and kidnapped them first...?!"

***

At the same time, a line of carriages passed through the southern gate of the Imperial Capital.

It was the Silver Winter Merchant Guild.

The guild was so large and had such high trade volume that it almost always received special treatment at checkpoints. Lately, it was practically a free pass.

"Hey! Another busy day, Captain of the Guard?"

Thanks to Alberto, the former palace steward who became an executive of the guild, they enjoyed such privileges. Alberto was already well-connected throughout the Imperial Capital, especially close to the guard units.

He and the guards had shared the trouble of raising the mischievous prince, Ash. They often collaborated when Ash caused trouble, searching for him together.

The Guard Captain greeted Alberto with a warm smile.

"Today, you’re personally traveling, Mr. Alberto?"

"Haha. It’s an important trade. I thought I’d feel more at ease if I went myself."

"It sounds like a lot of work for you."

While engaging in a friendly conversation with the Guard Captain, Alberto casually pulled out a wrapped gift from his possession and handed it over.

The Guard Captain hesitated, showing reluctance, but after hearing Alberto’s twisted logic that it wasn’t a bribe but a gift between friends, he begrudgingly accepted.

"Safe travels, Mr. Alberto!"

"Yes, yes! Let’s grab a drink sometime!"

As Alberto waved back to the saluting Guard Captain, his demeanor immediately stiffened. He stepped into the carriage.

"We’ve made it through."

"...Thank goodness. I was worried we’d have to resort to force."

A woman dressed as a maid, sitting beside him, let out a sigh of relief and sheathed her sword.

It was Elize, a direct subordinate of Serenade. For this mission, she had been dispatched early and had been waiting inside the Imperial Capital.

"...So, we’ve made it out of the Imperial Capital."

From the front seat, a woman who was wrapped in a blanket pulled it back to reveal her face.

"Where should we head now?"

Following her, three young faces peeked out from beneath the blanket.

It was Lark’s wife and their three children.

Under Ash’s directive, Alberto and Elize had been tasked with their rescue mission.

"The region will soon be engulfed in a civil war," Alberto said, stroking his stylish mustache. "Sides will form and battle against each other. Nowhere is safe."

"Anywhere in the Empire?"

"That’s right. Ideally, if you could make it to the western front where Prince Lark is, but..."

Alberto trailed off.

The First Legion and the Imperial City Defense Forces were already clashing.

Heading west would be an excessively perilous choice.

"So where should we seek refuge..."

As Lark’s wife murmured, Elize hesitated before speaking.

"There’s a place that’s politically safe. However..."

"However?"

"Monsters will attack."

At that, Lark’s wife smirked.

"What’s there to fear about monsters, compared to humans?"

"It will be a long journey."

"That’s alright. As long as I’m not a burden to my husband, a long journey is nothing."

Lark’s wife spoke with determination. The three children chimed in with a resounding "Yeah!"

Alberto and Elize exchanged glances. They both nodded slowly.

"Then let’s move."

Alberto leaned out of the carriage and shouted to the driver.

"To Crossroad!"

--TL Notes--

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