Karkan Lord's Castle.
Deng-
Dang-!
There was no way for the ringing of the great bell echoing through the streets to stop.
"P-please spare my life, please, anything, whatever you ask for, I'll even give you my entire fortune—cough!"
The nobleman, dragged out from the castle to the square like a dog, collapsed before his plea was even finished.
The bright red blood gushing from the neck seeped heavily into the cracks of the cold stone floor.
"Drag this guy away, too!"
The soldier snatched the nobleman standing next to him by the neck and threw him to the ground.
The splendid jeweled ornaments worn by the nobleman were held in the soldier's rough hand like a woven net.
It was chaos where the execution of the daughter and the sister-in-law took place simultaneously.
"Captain, it hasn't even been half a day yet. Didn't we agree to kill one person every time the bell rings?"
The captain chuckled in response to the subordinate soldier's question.
"So what? It’s not like it’ll be a big deal if I ring it a little earlier than I’m going to do it later. Just call their name loudly instead. This is all happening because Rosien, that girl, didn't show up on time."
The vile laughter of the Barmia soldiers filled the square.
The people of Karkan held their breath and watched the madness with terrified eyes.
"Continue the execution. I need to search the streets one more time."
Mixed with the arrogance of having completely blockaded the territory and the anxiety of having failed to even catch Lou and Les, the cruelty of the Barmia army had already exceeded its limits.
"If you don't come out, I will set fire to this! Rosien, where are you! While you stay hidden, these houses will burn down completely, and people will die!"
The soldiers poured black oil on the gates of civilian houses near the waterway.
"Ah, no! Sir! If this house disappears, our entire family will be forced onto the streets!"
"Get out of the way! Unless you want to die!"
Whether there were elderly or young children inside, they paid no attention to them.
As if all of this were merely fuel to draw out Lou.
"Ah, God, why do you forsake our Karkan!"
"Rosien, who on earth is that guy to think we...!"
Even as the loud screams of the dying and the trembling resounded, Joachim's patience had run its course.
"You useless bastards! Are you saying you still haven't found her?"
At Joachim's roar, the subordinates' faces turned yellow.
"This won't do. We'll need a clearer example."
He gestured arrogantly.
Then, he pressed down hard with his shoe on Eric, who was forcibly made to kneel at his feet and bow his head.
"Hang this fellow from the city wall. Let's see if she still doesn't show up."
“Yes, Your Excellency!”
"Let go. I said let go! Just kill me instead, you devils!"
Eric, wrapped in bandages all over his body, resisted with a pale face.
However, he could not overcome the physical strength of the knights holding him on both sides.
Joachim stood at the edge of the castle wall and looked down at Eric, who was hanging upside down.
The people gathered in the square below the city walls stirred as they tried to identify the hanging boy.
Eric's face was a mess of blood and sweat from the night, and his consciousness was fading like a thin thread.
"So you still won't crawl out, huh...?"
Joachim seemed lost in thought for a moment, then turned and went down the stairs.
"Get that guy off and drag him to the center of the square."
A knight, seeing him personally pick up and strap on his sword, stood in front of him in surprise.
"Your Excellency, do you plan to do this yourself? We will handle it, so it would be better if you remained inside the castle..."
"If she intends to stay hidden even when my subordinate's head is cut off, I must personally send him off with my own hands. That is the only way to truly turn Rosien upside down."
Joachim drew his sword with a twisted smile.
Center of the square.
The atmosphere in the square stirred with every step Joachim took.
The fierce knights and soldiers were densely visible behind him.
The people vaguely realized that he was the mastermind behind this entire tragedy, yet they could not even breathe in fear.
A bitter smile played on Joachim's face as he witnessed the influence he was exerting firsthand.
The sight of them fearing him gave him a sense of satisfaction, as if he had made the entire nation of Valdina kneel at his feet.
Dang-!
The sound of the great bell, longer than usual, rang out solemnly.
Joachim raised his head and moved as much as possible to block out the blinding sunlight.
The sharp, gleaming blade reflected the dull afternoon light and aimed at Eric's slender neck.
"Alright, Rosien. Just three steps left."
Joachim muttered, as if his words might reach her, even though she was invisible.
Eric hung his head as if he had already lost his mind.
Joachim raised his arm, and his sword sliced through the air.
It was the very moment the blade was about to fall toward Eric's neck.
“Stop!”
A streak of voice struck the square like lightning, piercing through the pitch-black darkness beyond the city gate.
Lou appeared.
A strange silence spread from the end of the square.
The murmuring people parted to the left and right as if by prior agreement, giving more way.
At the end of the road, a woman dismounted from a brown horse and walked in.
The torn hem of the dress fluttered like a flag.
Her face, stained with dust and wounds, looked as if she had just returned from a war. The hardships she must have endured while evading the search of the Barmia army were clearly etched in her appearance.
However, there was no hesitation in Lou's steps.
She walked boldly toward the center of the square without showing even a hint of fatigue.
Hundreds of soldiers aimed their spearheads, but Lou's gaze was fixed on only one spot.
"Look who it is. The protagonist has finally arrived."
Joachim waved his hand and dismissed his subordinates.
"You have no idea how long I've waited, thanks to the unforgettable 'gift' you gave me."
A crunching sound escaped from the corners of his mouth as he pronounced 'gift'.
"But, where is that zealous savior of yours? Did you have a disagreement?"
There was no one behind her as she walked alone. Joachim's smile deepened.
"Did he run away, leaving you behind, or did he die from his injuries? Either way, it’s a joy."
"Put that sword away. Weren't you making all this fuss just to see me, Joachim?"
Lou's voice did not waver despite his provocation.
"To think you take innocent people hostage... that's way too low-class for the royal family of Barmia. Hey, is it because you've been Lord Osric's dog for so long?"
Joachim's eyebrows twitched.
Even though she looked precarious, as if she might collapse at any moment, that arrogance of calling him a dog was clearly what he wanted to break. Joachim opened his mouth with a bitter smile.
The first question directed at the woman standing alone in front of the army was unexpected.
"Is that fellow your man?"
Lou keenly noticed the twisted inferiority complex in Joachim's eyes.
"Right, he is the one I chose. Do you understand now? Why, then and now, I never even glance at a defective product like you?"
She twisted her lips with a mocking smirk, as if to crush his cowardly pride.
I hope you now clearly understand the "difference."
Joachim's face contorted hideously.
With Lou's answer, the possibility that he was dead was eliminated. Then, only one remained.
"Are you talking about that bastard who cowardly ran away alone, abandoning you?"
He snorted.
"The estate is under blockade. Whether he tries to escape or stays here, he is nothing but a rat in a trap."
It was right then.
Buuuu!
The heavy sound of a conch shell cutting through the air echoed, shaking the entire Castle.
Joachim raised his head.
North of the square, bathed in dazzling morning sunlight.
A man stood nobly at the edge of the vast hill leading down to the castle wall.
The silver mask sparkled as light reflected off the man's face.
"Look over there, your lover has come. It looks like he has come to dig his own grave; how brave he is."
Only a group of three or four on horseback could be seen behind him.
Compared to the massive army of Barmia that filled the square, the number was truly pathetic.
Joachim, having confirmed the contrast with his own eyes, let out a mocking laugh.
"Look, you dogs of the Facade! No matter how many arms dealers dominate the continent, you are nothing but lowly merchants. Do you think you can stand against my army with such a mere number!"
At Joachim's shout, the Barmia soldiers beat their spears and cheered.
Six or seven cavalrymen standing before a large army of hundreds.
It was a reckless appearance that was tantamount to suicide in anyone's eyes.
However, Joachim's mockery came to an end.
Behind the man, thousands of spearheads rose in unison as if the horizon were surging.
The moment they saw the pattern engraved on the brilliantly reflecting silver armor, the Barmia army could not even scream.
The pattern on the armor was not a rose symbolizing the facade.
"See? It's a running horse, shaped like a horse."
That symbolizes the continent's greatest military power.
"Agema! Agema is here...!"
It was an immortal name.
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