Leaning against the cold iron bars of the cage, Lante looked dejected, his once bright and spirited face now clouded with gloom. After that blast of dark magic, the young nobles had been thrown into disarray, overwhelmed and defeated in mere moments. Fortunately, the mage seemed to have no intention of killing them all—he ordered the Cyclops to drag them into cages and bring them to this godforsaken place.
Where exactly was this?
Lante lifted his head, gazing at the dim river valley. Ever since he'd been captured, he'd been in a daze, too exhausted to think clearly. Now, as he surveyed his surroundings, all he saw was a sunken, shadowy hollow dotted with filthy wooden huts and crackling bonfires. It was clear the Cyclops had no concept of hygiene—scraps of rotting food littered the ground, and the air reeked of a nauseating mixture of roasting meat, decaying flesh, and the Cyclops' own putrid body odor. It was enough to make one wonder if they'd been thrown into the most revolting corner of an open-air garbage dump.
For a nobleman, this was sheer torment. Lante was no exception—he was forced to clamp a hand over his nose and mouth to block out the stench. The others fared no better. The two young noblewomen huddled tightly together in the farthest corner of the cage, their faces ashen as they stared at the grisly remains outside—a half-eaten human leg, discarded by some wasteful Cyclops.
The young nobles had no idea what fate awaited them, but judging by the scene before them, they could make a pretty good guess: torture, followed by being devoured by those monstrous beasts. The two girls, who'd likely imagined even worse fates, trembled with far greater terror than their companions. Still, these young nobles were not without backbone. Though death loomed over them, they clenched their jaws, determined not to show an ounce of weakness in front of these repulsive brutes. If they were to die, they would die with the dignity of humans.
Only the black-haired maid remained impassive. She'd woken long before Lante and the others, and since then, she'd been leaning against the cage bars, reading a book by the light of a nearby torch, as if utterly indifferent to her predicament. Lante had tried speaking to her a few times, but she'd ignored him every time. He couldn't blame her—Cyclops guards patrolled everywhere, their weapons had all been confiscated, and escape was impossible with their bare hands. To make matters worse, the mage was still at large. After waking up, Lante had noticed strange, faintly glowing runes carved into the bars of their cage—undoubtedly the mage's handiwork. As a swordsman, Lante knew nothing about magic. He had no clue what those runes did, but he was certain they were beyond his ability to break.
Fight, and they would lose. Flee, and they would fail. What other choice was there?
It seemed there was none.
The thought filled even Lante with despair. To be honest, their journey had been nothing but a string of misfortunes. They'd answered the royal call to reinforce the fortress, hoping to earn honor and status, only to be ambushed and defeated by bandits halfway, barely escaping capture. Then, after struggling to reach the fortress under Black's protection, they'd found that the soldiers there had no need for their help. Now, their first real mission had ended in utter failure…
Was it simply that they were not good enough?
Lante bit his lip and slammed a fist against the bars. Most of them had been born into disreputable families, sneered at and looked down upon their whole lives. They'd worked tirelessly to prove themselves, yet so far, they had nothing to show for it…
He never got an answer. At that moment, a commotion erupted outside.
The Cyclops, who'd been standing silently nearby, suddenly let out low, rumbling growls. They split apart, forming a path, and a much smaller figure clad head to toe in a black robe stepped forward, approaching the cage.
He lowered his hood slightly, gazing down at the prisoners with a look of contempt and mockery. The gesture filled the nobles with anger, but they said nothing—instead, they turned their heads away coldly, refusing to acknowledge him.
"Who are you?"
At last, the robed mage spoke. His voice was hoarse, like that of a man in his thirties, but his face remained hidden beneath the shadow of his hood, making it impossible to see his features clearly. Lante and the others had already made up their minds not to answer a single question—though they were helpless against him physically, they could resist with the pride of warriors.
They held no hope of rescue, either. Before setting out, they'd studied the valley's terrain, and even with their limited expertise, they'd recognized how treacherous it was—narrow paths wound through the hills, making it impossible for large forces to maneuver. To make matters worse, they'd spent most of their captivity unconscious, leaving no trail for rescuers to follow. Besides, Black had explicitly told them there would be no reinforcements for this mission. They'd long since abandoned all hope, clinging only to the resolve to die with honor rather than surrender.
"Hmph."
Seeing that they refused to speak, the robed mage said nothing more. He let out a cold snort and turned to leave—only to stop a few steps away, his eyes narrowing in surprise as they fell on the black-haired maid, still leaning against the bars and reading by torchlight.
"Hm?"
The mage frowned at the sight of her. He could tell that the other nobles were putting on a brave front, their defiance nothing but the futile stubbornness of doomed captives. But this girl was different. Her expression was calm, utterly unafraid of her situation—and it was not a pretense. It was genuine indifference.
How could a young girl possess such composure?
The mage's brow furrowed. Instinct told him there was something odd about her, but he couldn't put his finger on it. Still, he felt a flicker of interest.
After all, the task Lady Sidvi had assigned him was tedious beyond measure—stuck here day after day with a bunch of brainless Cyclops. A little diversion would be most welcome…
He eyed the black-haired maid up and down, nodding in approval. He could hardly wait to see the look on her face when she lay naked on his bed. It would be a memory worth savoring.
The thought made him think of another, smaller figure.
Sidvi.
Hmph. Just a brat. If it weren't for her Gifted Knight abilities, she'd never be able to command an army. And now she had the audacity to order *him*, a mage, to babysit these idiotic beasts? He'd dreamed countless times of possessing that petite body, of showing her what a real man could do. But that little devil was far too strong for him to handle… Still, this girl was different. Hmph. Now that he thought about it, her expression was almost as cold as that brat's…
The mage's mind wandered, and for a moment, he was distracted. That was when the silent girl finally moved.
Her action was simple. Faced with everything happening around her, she did only one thing—she suddenly raised her right hand and hurled the book in her grasp with all her strength.
It was a hardcover volume, thick and solid. With the force of her throw, it slammed squarely into the eye of the Cyclops holding her.
The attack was so sudden that the mage had no time to react. The other prisoners stared in stunned silence—but they were not the only ones who responded.
The first to react was the Cyclops itself. Though it lacked the intelligence to understand what was happening, the searing, agonizing pain in its eye screamed a single message: *I've been attacked!*
"ROOOOAR!!"
With a deafening roar, the Cyclops tightened its grip on the black-haired maid, lifting her off the ground like a ragdoll before slamming her violently against the rocky cliff face nearby!
"You fool! Stop!!"
By then, the mage had finally snapped out of his daze. He shouted at the top of his lungs, trying to stop the Cyclops—but the beast, driven mad by pain, was acting purely on instinct. Before the mage could finish his cry, the girl's petite body was crushed against the unyielding stone!
*Splat.*
A sickening wet sound echoed through the valley. When the Cyclops lowered its massive hand, its palm was drenched in bright red blood. The girl's body lay broken and mangled on the ground below. Her pale skin peeked through the tattered remains of her clothes, stained crimson with blood. Her intestines spilled out from a gaping wound in her abdomen, emitting a faint, nauseating squelch. Her once-slender legs were bent at an unnatural ninety-degree angle, white bone protruding from the mangled flesh, dripping with blood and muscle tissue.
"By the Holy Light!!"
Lante gasped in horror. The two noblewomen fainted on the spot without a sound—only a few feet away from them lay half of the black-haired maid's face. The Cyclops' immense strength had shattered her skull completely. Her once impassive features were now twisted beyond recognition, her pink lips stretched into a grotesque rictus, white teeth broken and jumbled. A thick, viscous mixture of white, yellow, and red fluid oozed from her head, dripping onto one of her eyes—her swollen eyeball rolled around once before popping out of its socket and falling into the dirt below.
"Dammit all!!"
The mage cursed under his breath, glaring furiously at the Cyclops before turning on his heel and storming away without another word. Clearly, this unexpected turn of events had ruined his evening thoroughly.
"Stand guard, you idiots!" he snapped, issuing one final order as he left. He couldn't help but feel a twinge of regret—what he'd thought would be an entertaining night had ended in such a frustrating mess. Just his luck!
He never noticed the faint wisp of white light that drifted upward from the girl's broken body at that moment.
Pure as snow.
"It's time," Black said, pulling a pocket watch from his coat and checking the time. He stood bathed in the silvery glow of the moon, his voice low and calm. At that very instant, a faint, white light emerged from the deepest shadows of the valley, floating gently toward him. When he saw it, Black's eyebrows quirked slightly—and then his sword slid out of its sheath with a sharp *shing*.
Even under the moonlight, the blade was pitch-black, swallowing all light. But the faint white glow seemed to home in on it—no sooner had the sword left its sheath than the light darted forward, merging into the dark steel without a trace. Almost immediately, Black, Ophelia, Charlotte, and Judy all closed their eyes.
A moment later, they opened them again.
"I trust you all know the location now," Black said, sliding his sword back into its sheath. He turned to Ophelia.
"Now… here's the plan…"
He never finished his sentence.
A cold wind swept through the valley, carrying with it a dark, icy aura. When Black felt it, he paused, falling silent abruptly.
"Lord Black?" Ophelia asked, looking at him in confusion. She was ready and waiting, but his sudden silence made her wonder if something had gone wrong.
But unlike Ophelia's bewilderment, the twin sisters who'd been standing silently behind Black broke into smiles as bright as blooming flowers.
"Brother?"
"Daddy?"
They exchanged a glance, then turned their eager gazes to the young man beside them, waiting for his decision.
After a moment of thought, Black shook his head, then turned to Ophelia with his usual elegant smile. At the sight of it, Ophelia tensed instinctively—from experience, she knew that smile rarely boded well. What he said next confirmed her suspicions.
"Miss Ophelia, once we reach the rendezvous point, you will be in charge of planning the attack."
"Huh?"
Ophelia's eyes widened in shock.
"Lord Black? Do you mean…?"
"I mean you will be the overall commander of this assault. You may deploy all our forces as you see fit—I will order Charlotte and her maidservant guard to assist you."
"Why me, my lord? What about you…?"
"I will not be participating in the battle," Black said, shaking his head.
"Messiah, Semia, Judy, and I have other business to attend to… so we will not be fighting those monsters this time. Relax, Miss Ophelia—battle is simpler than you think."
He paused for a moment, then smiled a mysterious, knowing smile.
"As for us… we have other matters to take care of."