The captain said calmly, "I mean, you won't be alone. But for now, the three of you."
The vice-captain nodded slightly. "I know. I've already made my preparations. Everything is set."
Their conversation was interrupted by the sudden sound of the door opening.
A young elf girl stepped inside.
She did not hesitate. She did not look afraid. She entered with absolute confidence, as if she belonged there.
Her voice carried a mix of anger and confusion.
"Sorry for the intrusion," she said, "but I have questions."
The moment she spoke, the world fell silent.
The people outside the residence stopped moving.
Their bodies froze in place.
Absolute silence filled the air.
Then their faces began to glitch.
Subtle at first.
Then violently.
Something beneath their skin twisted, as if something terrifying was trying to break free from inside them.
The Captain did not even look at her.
He did not blink.
"Questions?" he said calmly.
"Who dares to question me in my domain?"
"How arrogant."
The peaceful city immediately began to change.
The calm streets twisted.
Buildings distorted.
The normal houses and markets shifted into burning structures.
Flames spread across the streets.
The sky darkened.
Screams filled the air.
The illusion of peace shattered and turned into something wild and insane.
The city became a vision of destruction.
Flames spread everywhere.
Bodies burned.
Genocide unfolded across the streets.
Even the residence where the Vice Captain sat began to ignite.
Fire crawled across the walls.
Without moving from his seat, the Captain released an attack toward the elf girl.
The power rushed toward her.
And vanished.
The moment it reached her, it dispersed completely.
The elf girl did not move.
"It's no use," she said calmly.
"I'm not stupid enough to walk into my own death."
"And I don't think you're stupid enough to attack the protection of my royal family."
Her eyes remained steady.
"I only want answers to my questions."
"Then I'll leave."
She looked directly at the captain.
"I was waiting for you."
"I knew you would come here."
For the first time, the captain stood up.
And for the first time...
He looked at her.
"You believe you are invincible?" he asked.
As he spoke, the burning world began to collapse.
The flames faded.
The destroyed city vanished.
The illusion shattered piece by piece.
Reality returned.
The city reappeared as it truly was: a fortified settlement guarded by knights.
The residence returned to normal.
Nothing seemed to have happened.
The domain shrank rapidly, compressing into a dense concentration of power around the Captain.
He spoke again.
"I did not fight through countless wars and trials…"
"…just to be questioned by a little girl."
His voice became colder.
"Let's see if you can ask questions…"
"…if you are turned into a mute abomination."
Immense power condensed in the air.
It surged toward the elf girl.
The pressure twisted the air itself.
But as the power reached her,
It vanished again.
Her protection erased the attack.
Again.
And again.
But something changed.
For the first time, the captain's power began pushing through the barrier.
The attacks stopped disappearing completely.
The captain's mouth began to bleed slightly.
The strain showed.
Slowly...
The girl's body began to change.
Her hand twisted.
Sharp nails grew from her fingers.
Her arm bent into the shape of a clawed limb, almost like the leg of a beast.
The transformation spread.
Her face elongated.
Her jaw stretched into the shape of a horse.
Her mouth disappeared.
Her feet twisted and reshaped themselves into something resembling the limbs of an octopus.
The transformation was grotesque.
But it was real.
Not an illusion.
The Captain watched her calmly.
"Did you know," he said quietly, "that creatures like these are very common in the deep sea?"
The light in the room intensified.
His own face began to change.
His features disappeared.
His face became empty.
A smooth surface with no eyes, no mouth.
Only tiny floating dots, drifting across the surface like distant lights beneath dark water.
His voice remained calm.
"The small amount of power I lent to Scarecrow is already diminishing."
"What a shame."
"This would have been a good opportunity to see which unique ability is stronger."
"Mine…"
"…or the ability of the royal family of the elves."
The Vice Captain sighed.
"You didn't have to do that," he said.
"I had plans for this girl."
"Someone as naive as her would have been easy to trick."
The Captain smiled.
"What I did was necessary."
"And you know that better than anyone."
His body began fading.
The power around him weakened.
Before he completely disappeared, he spoke one final time.
"Start the plan as quickly as possible."
Then he vanished.
Silence returned.
The twisted transformation covering the elf girl slowly faded as her protection continued to restore her body.
The Vice Captain watched her quietly.
Then he sighed.
"The protection of the royal family…"
"I've heard it's very strong."
He studied the fading traces of the captain's attack.
"The Death phase."
"It should teleport its holder to a safe location when subjected to this level of power."
He paused.
"But that wasn't enough to trigger it."
The girl remained where she stood.
Alive.
Protected.
The Vice Captain looked at her calmly.
"Well," he said quietly.
"I hope I can still get some use out of you."
The Vice Captain looked down at her unconscious body.
"Passed out."
He observed her quietly for a moment.
"Interesting."
A brief pause followed as he studied the faint protective aura still surrounding her.
"It seems the royal protection only stops physical harm," he said calmly. "Anything that directly damages the body."
His gaze sharpened slightly.
"But psychological pressure… that is different."
He tilted his head slightly, analyzing the result.
"If the mind cannot withstand it, the protection forces the holder to lose consciousness."
Another pause.
"This transformation was clearly too much for someone her age."
His tone remained neutral.
"Her mind shut down before she could lose control of the ability."
A faint breath escaped him.
"A defensive measure."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"Interesting."