Smashed tables, spilled liquor, and chairs missing legs—Yujin and Daniel worked in silence to clear the wreckage of the tavern. The other "patrons" had already departed to treat their wounds.
Now formally in an interim alliance, the two shared a strange bond. Yujin hadn't expected to be catapulted straight into the main rounds of the Grand Knight Territory without so much as a qualifying match. He had anticipated a slow climb from the bottom, but instead, he felt like he‘d been shoved directly onto a high-stakes executioner's stage.
Of course, the enemies were formidable: the Armorless Union and the Kazimierz Merchant Association.
Daniel had provided a brief breakdown. The Armorless Union was a shadow organization, the literal hands and feet of the Merchant Association. It was composed of stray knights who refused to follow the government, mercenaries, and political outcasts. Their hierarchy functioned like an inverted pyramid.
At the base was the rank of Platinum, held by one. Above them were the Lazurites, held by two. At the pinnacle stood the Darkirons, a trio of master assassins.
While there were enough witnesses to confirm Platinum‘s existence, Daniel noted that information on the Lazurites and Darkirons was almost non-existent—they were treated more like urban legends.
Yujin recalled the black flash of that arrow from the night before. His instincts had screamed in a way they hadn't in years. A normal warrior would have been pinned to a wall like a specimen. Even after deflecting it, Yujin‘s hands had hummed with a residual vibration, as if he hadn't parried a manual arrow, but a bolt fired from a heavy ballista.
And the ones pulling the strings were the Merchant Association.
The Association had humble beginnings as squires. Originally responsible for the logistical and financial affairs of the knights, they had eventually accumulated enough wealth to flip the power dynamic. Now, the former servants held the leashes of the knights.
"They created the 'Sport Knight' concept," Daniel had explained. "They turned warriors into circus clowns."
According to him, the Association had seized control of the Knight Association, rerouting the prestigious title of "Knight" away from the veterans on the frontlines and granting it instead to the marketable celebrities of the arena. This wasn't a problem that could be solved with a simple duel; it was a Gordian knot of corporate greed, political maneuvering, and the deep-seated resentment between the Sport and Campaign branches.
"Total mess..." Yujin muttered. That summed up the state of Kazimierz perfectly.
The upcoming Major would be the catalyst for change. Depending on who seized the championship, one side would be forced to its knees. And Yujin, a total outsider, knew the world wouldn't look kindly on his interference.
Time was their enemy. Once the Armorless Union started their true interference, the Nearl family would be systematically dismantled. Yujin couldn't be everywhere at once to protect Daniel.
"Hmm. Maybe I should drop a few strategic weapons into the city?"
"What on earth are you muttering about, Yujin...?"
Daniel looked up, startled. Since the fate of the Nearls rested on this gamble, he was naturally on edge. The "strategic weapons" Yujin referred to were his four friends—the "Four Calamities," as he jokingly thought of them.
If he brought in Buldrokk, the Wendigo could probably dismantle the Armorless Union solo. If he brought in Theresa, her Arts could likely reduce the entire Merchant Association to a collection of drooling catatonics. Yujin hadn't even realized how far Theresa‘s growth had accelerated until she started using her mental Arts during their training sessions.
But calling them in was a last resort. This was his journey; he had started it, and he intended to see it through alone. He needed one more reliable piece on the board.
"…Lately, I feel like Master isn't focusing."
"The old man?"
"Kisha, I‘ve been meaning to ask... he isn't actually that old, is he?"
"My mind, my choice," Kisha replied with a huff.
Sitting on a bench and staring blankly at the sky, Yujin was the subject of the children's whispered conversation. Kiril, who had initially looked down on Kisha because she was smaller, had been soundly beaten by her and now treated her like an older sister. Kisha hadn't objected.
But they couldn't help their Master with his brooding. Kisha was also growing anxious about her frequent visits to the park; if her "sister" found out she was sneaking away, she might be forbidden from coming out at all.
Just as they were settled into their respective anxieties, a blood-soaked raven tumbled out of the air and hit the pavement.
It was an ominous sight. The bird landed right between Yujin and the children, its feathers matted with gore. Yujin recognized the aura immediately—it was the same bird that had guided him to Raquelamalin.
Kisha bolted forward, her face pale. "Wh-why is Sister's raven like this...!"
The raven wore a small necklace that resembled a crown of thorns. Kisha lifted it gently. Yujin looked into the bird's eyes as it gasped for breath.
Raquelamalin—Larin—was in trouble. Kisha looked from the bird to Yujin, her lower lip trembling.
"Sir."
"…I know."
"Please help her."
The directive was clear.
"Can you find her?"
"I can use my Arts. Sister and I... we‘re connected, just in case."
Unlike Yujin‘s platinum light, Kisha‘s Arts flickered like starlight. Within a swirl of energy that looked like a condensed night sky, Kisha‘s eyes sharpened. A spectral compass formed over her palm, its needle spinning and locking onto a coordinate.
"There..."
Yujin didn't wait. Even though it was broad daylight, he vanished in a blur that made the air crack.
"…Whoa," Kiril whispered, staring at the empty space where his Master had been a second ago.
How did it come to this?
Was it when she thought she could survive alone after leaving Kazdel? Or was it when she took Kisha in and brought her to Kazimierz?
Raquelamalin glared at the figures surrounding her. Before her stood a series of "Experiments"—Sarkaz husks with no emotion, wielding hand-axes—and a woman wearing a mask of ancient wood.
"I didn't think you‘d follow me this far."
"Unfortunately, young lady, what you stole is far too vital to our interests to let go," the masked woman replied.
Larin had been careless, assuming she was safe within the city walls. She had been ambushed by one of the "Pillars" that had sustained Kazdel for centuries. Even as a Banshee Princess, she was being pushed to her limit.
Blood dripped from her side. Her vision was blurring, and a rhythmic throbbing in her head signaled blood loss. She gripped her bone-whistle tightly. The raven had already reached Kisha. She prayed the girl would stay hidden, rather than trying to come to her rescue.
Leaving her "cage" had shown Larin the reality of the world. It wasn't just indifferent to the Infected; it was predatory. As a princess, she had never known hunger; here, she learned its price. She saw how the world treated the Sarkaz. It was a downward spiral that had eventually forced her to steal just to survive.
Her thoughts were interrupted as she focused her remaining strength. She wrote characters into the air with her bone-whistle. If she could take even one more of them down, maybe Kisha could escape.
Spectral fragments of script erupted in a chain of explosions. The experiments charged through the light, ignoring their wounds, while the masked woman slammed her staff into the ground to anchor her power.
In a momentary gap as the energies clashed, one of the experiments lunged, hurling a hand-axe with pinpoint accuracy. It wasn't a random throw; it was aimed directly at Larin‘s heart.
She watched the rotating blade approach. Time seemed to crawl. Raquelamalin closed her eyes.
Then, a bolt of platinum light descended from the heavens.
CRACK!
The hand-axe was crushed into splinters under a man‘s boot. Yujin stood in the center of the impact crater, his sword already cleared of its scabbard.
Through the rising dust, his eyes burned with a cold radiance.
"…So it‘s you. The ones responsible for this disgusting display."
It wasn't a question; it was a death sentence.