Ash-colored light was shooting up to the clear sky.
"Let's go."
Alberu stepped off the roof without any hesitation. Mana was roaring around him.
"Mm."
Alberu turned his head.
– Hey crown prince! I'll take care of all the magic! You just do whatever you feel like doing!
Alberu was about to use flight magic but Raon was one step ahead of him and got everybody into the air. He thanked toward an empty spot in the air and started moving toward the King's Palace.
"Identify yourselves!"
Someone shot up into the air at that moment.
It was a royal mage.
"Y, your highness!"
He recognized Alberu, Cale, and Choi Han and urgently rushed over. The mage seemed happy to see them although there was an indescribable sense of misery and guilt on his face.
The Roan Kingdom's capital.
The King's Palace, which was located at the center of the Roan kingdom's royal palace, was completely destroyed.
This made no sense at all.
"I'm sorry, your highness."
"Report in first."
The mage slightly flinched at Alberu's calm demeanor before starting his report as they all moved toward the King's Palace.
"There was a continuous chain of large explosions before all the pillars crumbled instantly and the King's Palace fell."
"Ah."
Choi Han gasped. All of the pillars in the King's Palace broke at the same time. He knew what that meant.
Alberu opened and closed his mouth a few times before finally commenting.
"…I guess not many people would have managed to evacuate."
"…We are currently looking for and rescuing missing people and gathering the corpses."
In addition to the guards, there were a lot of people, such as attendants and individuals in charge of many things, working in the King's Palace. This palace had a lot more people than the other palaces as this was where the king resided.
Cale looked down and inspected the area.
"There were no signs at all?"
Alberu asked in a dry voice and the mage quickly stated the things he knew.
"The Magic Department detected a strong mana fluctuation as soon as we heard the explosions, your highness. However, we did not detect any signs of magic anywhere, including the palace's defensive walls, before or after that."
There were no screams coming from the palace right now.
People were gathered in groups urgently moving around.
"Anything aside from the magical signs?"
"Young lady Orsena requested an audience with his Majesty in the King's Palace one hour prior to the explosion."
"And?"
"The King's Palace crumbled immediately after young lady Orsena left."
"And?"
"Young lady Orsena is now missing."
Alberu turned his head to observe the mage.
"…Nobody was keeping an eye on her?"
The heir of a Duchy had visited the royal palace."
"We had people watching her, your highness."
"But?"
"They said that she suddenly disappeared."
Alberu's eyebrows slightly rose up and Cale turned to look at the mage.
The mage gulped before continuing on.
"It was not magic, your highness."
"It was not magic but she teleported?"
"Yes, your highness."
Cale had seen someone teleport without using magic before.
During the Sloth test when he was facing the illusions in the sealed god's temple… Cale and Choi Jung Gun had met the Hunters, Jung Yi-Rang and Park So Jin.
'Take this offering of karma.'
Hunter Jung Yi-Rang had disappeared instantly even though no magic was used.
"How did she teleport?"
"That is something I do not know-"
This mage did not have much authority.
Alberu looked down.
"I guess I can hear about it down there."
Alberu made eye contact with the second prince.
– We're heading down.
Their bodies descended down after Raon made that comment.
The destroyed King's Palace…
Pss.
Cale stepped on the debris from a destroyed pillar and landed on the scene.
"Your highness! Commander-nim!"
Many people recognized Alberu and Cale. However, there were a lot of people who were so busy that they didn't even notice the two of their arrival.
"Move the large ones first!"
"There's an injured person over here!"
It did not seem very rowdy when they were up in the sky, but the ground was covered in chaos.
"Please come this way first! This person's lung seems injured!"
"Leg, this person has no feeling in their leg!"
It was a horrible sight.
'This is the Roan Palace?'
Choi Han looked forward.
The King's Palace that had completely crumbled resembled a large hill. It was completely destroyed so that it held no shape anymore and the beautiful decorations looked ugly and weird now that they were destroyed.
"There is a body over here! It seems to be an attendant!"
Choi Han saw a limp arm visible through the debris and turned his head.
However, Cale and Alberu did not turn away from the horrible sight.
Alberu and the second prince did not even greet each other.
"Did you evacuate the royal family?"
The second prince responded to the crown prince's question with a tired look on his face.
"The third prince is on it, your highness."
"Your highness!"
The leader of the Mage Brigade, who had been at the palace, immediately approached Alberu.
"Report in first."
"Yes sir!"
The middle-aged mage was completely covered in dust.
"We are currently using magic to move the structural debris little by little but the speed is very slow."
Choi Han could not hold in his frustration and asked.
"Can't you use a large-scale spell to move all of the debris at once?"
The mage, who recognized Choi Han, shook his head.
"..It is difficult to differentiate between debris and people if we use such a spell. Furthermore, we may place any survivors inside in danger or lose some vital clues from the scene if we did not carefully move the structural debris."
The mage turned toward Alberu and continued speaking.
"We are currently using a spell to detect any living beings starting from his Majesty's dwelling. However-"
"It was destroyed the worst."
Of this hill of crumbled debris of the King's Palace… The king's dwelling place was at the center.
Alberu closed his eyes for a moment, opened them back, and addressed the second prince.
"I will take care of things here."
"Then I-"
You take the royal guards and check the barrier side. I need you to take care of figuring out who is responsible."
He was going to leave the defense of the palace to the second prince. Even if he was only giving some royal guards, it meant that he was giving the second prince some of the troops.
The second prince, who knew the meaning of such action, asked Alberu.
"…You want me to do that?"
"Yes."
The second prince was silent for a moment before he bowed his head.
"Okay. I understand… hyung-nim."
Alberu chuckled at how the second prince addressed him and then turned around.
"I trust you."
The second prince bowed and quickly started moving.
He seemed to have completely accepted Alberu as the crown prince and the future king.
As for Alberu, he was looking at Cale.
"I will do it, your highness."
Cale stepped forward.
Oooooong– oooooong–
The ground started to rumble with Cale at the center.
"Huh?! What the hell? Is it magic?"
"Tell them to stop if it is magic! The whole area might crumble if the rumbling goes wrong!"
"…It's the Commander-nim though?"
"Huh?"
"He seems to have come with his highness?"
The people, who had been frantically removing the debris, raised their heads.
– I guess it's my turn.
'Is it possible?'
– I won't touch any of the debris surrounding injured people.
The broken rocks responded to Cale's thoughts.
– I've done things like this quite often in the past.
During the ancient times, the Super Rock did more protecting than destroying and frequently rescued something or someone from broken things.
– The King's Palace is something made from the ground and made from rocks in the end.
Cale reached his hand out toward the King's Palace.
Now this pile of rocks that had lost its glorious appearance…
Boooooooom-
The ground started to rumble with Cale at the center.
"…Ah."
One of the attendants, who had been moving a destroyed piece of marble, gasped.
Crack.
It started with the small pieces of debris.
One by one, the things that were made from materials mined in the mines started to rise up to the sky.
"Everybody stop your spells!"
The head of the Mage Brigade shouted and people started to move back.
The debris they were standing on started floating up as well.
'Cale-nim.'
Choi Han was looking at Cale.
Cale seemed more focused than ever before.
'This is harder.'
Choi Han knew it.
He knew that it was more difficult to control your powers to do something like this than to destroy things.
"The pillar!"
"Finally…!"
The people watching clenched their fists.
The 10 largest pillars of all pillars that had supported the King's Palace… Nine of those pillars shot up into the air.
"This is enough, sir! This is enough to speed up the search!"
A mage shouted toward Cale in awe.
"There is a survivor over here!"
"Over here as well!"
Cale turned his head toward Alberu.
"It is fine to rescue them now, your highness."
Alberu nodded his head and immediately raised his hand to give the order.
"Resume the search!"
– Human, I'll take care of moving things! Don't overdo it!
Raon spoke into Cale's mind before the debris, pillars, and piece of the roof that were floating in the air moved to the rear garden of the King's Palace and other nearby gardens.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
There were loud noises as the pillars were placed in the rear garden as if they were stabbed into the ground.
"T, this-"
The people who had seen Cale and the others moving through the sky or had heard information from the site at the King's Palace shouted to inform the shocked people of the palace.
"His highness came with the Commander-nim!"
"These are pillars from the King's Palace! His highness is here! Tell people that the Commander-nim moved them!"
Information about Alberu and Cale's arrival was spreading throughout the palace.
The anxiety, fear, and concern on their faces relaxed a bit after hearing that news.
However, the looks on the faces of the people at the site of the King's Palace was stiffer than before.
"…Too many-"
"Stop there."
A knight stopped a junior knight from speaking.
He could anticipate what the other knight was about to say.
Too many people died.
People were blanking out while looking at the signs of people who had tried their best to escape, flailing around to survive. They blanked out looking at the pale faces of people they had greeted just a few hours ago this morning.
It was even more miserable at the bottom of the hill of the crumbled palace.
"Your highness."
The head of the Mage Brigade quickly followed behind the walking Alberu.
Alberu stopped in front of the only pillar Cale did not manage to move.
"…This person died."
The swordsman who was always by King Zed's side along with the Chief of Staff as if he was the guard…
That person was dead.
Alberu knelt down to look at the swordsman's corpse.
Cale stood behind Alberu and looked around.
This pillar was the pillar located in the king's dwelling, which meant that they were in the king's dwelling right now.
"…He couldn't even close his eyes."
"It looks like he was taken out in an instant without being able to react at all."
Alberu closed the swordsman's eyes after hearing Choi Han's comment. He then added on.
"There are no traces of the secret passage being used."
Cale and Alberu made eye contact.
"There are no signs that the secret passage I know about in the King's Palace was used."
"The Chief of Staff is not here either, your highness."
The King and the Chief of Staff disappeared without a trace.
The two of them looked at each other and thought of two potential reasons.
'Abduction or teleportation.'
The Chief of Staff was a mage.
The king either teleported away with the Chief of Staff or the two of them were abducted together.
"Either way, it is highly likely that he is still alive."
Alberu immediately stood up.
"Commander-"
"I will go visit the Duke's House of Orsena and the Flynn Merchant Guild, your highness."
Alberu pointed to Choi Han.
"Instructor-nim, you go with him too."
"Will you be okay, your highness?"
Alberu chuckled after Choi Han asked with concern about Alberu's safety.
Choi Han thought that Alberu gave off a cold demeanor.
"Of course not. No matter who it is or what their goal is… I must find out the answer first."
"…I see."
Choi Han had the thought that Alberu would not lose to most individuals who messed with him right now.
"We will head over first then, your highness."
A teleportation magic circle appeared under Cale's feet as he said that and Choi Han stood behind him.
– Human, should I take you to the Orsena Estate first?
"Is there a need to go somewhere that burned down first?"
The grey smoke shooting up beyond the walls of the palace…
He was certain that it was the Orsena Estate.
Young lady Orsena was missing and most of the Estate was said to have burned down.
Cale recalled something the fake Hilsman, the man who ran off with his money, had said.
'The second child of the Flynn family who has received young lady Orsena's sponsorship will soon become the merchant guild leader.'
The second child is aligned with young lady Orsena?'
The residences of the king and young lady Orsena, two people related to the Hunters… They were both destroyed.
If the Flynn Merchant Guild is still fine in such a situation?
"The Flynn Merchant Guild main location. We will head there first."
– Ah! I know the location because of Billos, that guy who spends money well!
Ooooooooong-
The teleportation magic circle started shining and Cale's body started to become faint.
"I hope you will tell me everything, no matter what you find out."
"Of course I will do that, your highness."
Cale let the teleportation magic circle take him after that short conversation with Alberu and addressed Choi Han.
"Choi Han, pull out your sword."
"Excuse me?"
As Choi Han asked back at the unexpected order…
Cale calmly continued to speak.
"We are breaking in right away."
Paaaat-!
Cale saw the bright light and closed his eyes for a moment. He could see the door to the Flynn Merchant Guild main location once he opened his eyes again.
The second child of the Flynn Merchant Guild who seemed to have aligned with the Hunters…
Billos's life was in danger as soon as the second child was named as the successor, leading Billos to come find Cale and ask him to destroy the Flynn Merchant Guild.
Cale had not managed to hear the details as Billos was not awake yet, but Billos was not the type of person who would ask him to destroy the Merchant Guild because of his emotions.
This Merchant Guild was Billos's dream.
"W, who goes there?! Where are you from?! Identify yourselves!"
"…I, isn't that the Commander?"
The guards at the door pointed their weapons at Cale and Choi Han.
"Choi Han, we don't have much time."
Someone who might have information…
They needed to capture that person before they disappeared. If not, they at least had to find some traces of evidence the person left behind.
A sudden visit was best for something like that.
"Break the door down first."
"Yes, Cale-nim."
Choi Han immediately swung his sword.
Baaaaaang—!
Wiiiiiiiiiiiiing–!
A loud alarm echoed through the building as soon as the door broke.
"What the hell is going on?!"
"I think the sound came from the door!"
The building beyond the door became rowdy.
The guard at the door recognized Cale and Choi Han but had to complete his duties despite his mind being a chaotic mess.
"I, intruders!"
"There are intruders! They are-"
One of the guards clenched his eyes shut and shouted.
"Com-"
Plop.
The eyes of the man who was about to shout, Commander, opened wide.
Choi Han, the youngest sword master and the pride of the Roan Kingdom, the person who had destroyed the door, had placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Quiet."
Choi Han was looking at the guard with a sunken gaze. The guard had no choice but to close his mouth. Choi Han resembled a sword right now.
He felt as if he would be cut in two if he went against Choi Han's words.
Swooooooosh-
The guard then saw Commander Cale with whirlwinds by his feet.
"Choi Han, you start from the bottom and come up."
"Yes, Cale-nim."
"Raon, you stay alert and immediately head to the location if mana changes somewhere in the middle of the building."
– Human, what about you?
Cale lightly kicked off the ground.
Swoooooooosh-
Cale shot up to the sky with a strand of wind behind him.
"I'll start from the top."
Cale then sent the whirlwind in his hand out like an arrow.
Bang!
The top floor of the building… The central terrace window on the fifth floor was destroyed.
"I will start from the top and head down."
– I understand, human! I will keep an eye on the mana to make sure nobody teleports away!
Cale quickly nodded his head and moved efficiently through the broken terrace window.
Smile.
He then smiled.
"What the? Did you know that I was going to come?"
The fifth floor was quiet unlike the rest of the building, which was as chaotic as the first floor.
Instead, there were people who looked like knights pointing their swords at Cale.
He could see a luxurious door decorated in gold behind this wall of people.
"Mm. I guess it doesn't look like they knew I was coming."
All of the swordsmen except for the person standing at the center of the group were unable to hide their anxiety.
Swooooooosh-
A whirlwind started to roar as it gathered in Cale's hand once again.
"…We cannot allow such intrusion even if you are the Commander."
The person standing at the center spoke extremely calmly.
"We will have no choice but to attack you if you attack us first."
Cale responded to him.
Swoooooooosh-
He responded with his whirlwind.
Chhhhhh–!
The swordsman who seemed to be the leader sliced through the whirlwind with his sword. There was a faint trace of aura in his attack.
"Attack!"
The swordsman charged toward Cale after receiving that order.
"Ugh!"
"Shit!"
However, Cale had used the whirlwind by his feet to jump up into the air when he launched the other whirlwind, allowing his body to easily pass over the wall of swordsmen.
"There's no need to fight."
"Mages!"
A swordsman shouted and the mages standing at the end of the hallway launched their attacks.
'The Flynn Merchant Guild really did get much larger.'
Cale had that thought as he leisurely reached a hand out.
Paaaat.
Silver wings appeared as a half-transparent silver shield surrounded Cale.
Baaaaaaaaaang—!
All of the spells touched the shield and exploded without any results. Cale then believed in the momentum of the wind and the sturdiness of the shield to…
"H, he's going to crash!"
"Dodge, dodge it!"
He just flew toward the door.
The people standing in front of the door naturally dodged him.
"It's okay! We used magic to securely lock the door! Don't miss this opening and bind the Commander!"
A swordsman shouted from the back and Cale let out a sigh.
"…I'm a bit strong now."
'I fought against the White Star. I fought against a damn god.'
Unless this barrier spell was cast by a Dragon or someone as skilled as Rosalyn…
Baaaaaaaaaang-!
He was strong enough to break it with a force greater than what the barrier could handle.
"The door-"
"The door is destroyed!"
As the knight-like swordsmen and mages could not hide their shock…
Cale, who was still covered by the obviously completely intact shield, quickly observed the area behind the door.
'It's the guild leader's room.'
It was splendid and luxurious.
This luxurious area seemed to use about two thirds of the fifth floor.
Cale's expression stiffened up.
"Eek-!"
"…What the."
Some of the swordsmen following behind Cale plopped down on the ground.
Many others had already stopped walking.
Cale immediately turned around.
"He's dead."
On the shabby looking desk and chair located at the center of this otherwise luxurious room…
An aged man had bled to death on that chair.
His blood was already dry and there was no life in his eyes. He didn't need to go close to see that this man was dead.
"T, the guild leader-nim has passed-"
Cale immediately shot forward like an arrow as he heard one of the swordsmen mumble.
He then reached his hand toward the back of a bastard who was running away.
"Ugh, ugh!"
The swordsman who looked like the leader…
Cale asked the bastard a question.
"The second. Where is the second son of the guild leader?"
"I, I don't know!"
Someone climbed the stairs up to the fifth floor and revealed himself in front of Cale as the swordsman shouted.
It was Choi Han.
Choi Han had walked up the stairs while holding the guard from the door dangling on his side.
"They said that the second son of the guild leader has gone away for business today."
"Haaa."
Cale let out a short laugh-like sigh.
However, his expression soon changed.
Chhhhh-
A strand of water gathered in Cale's hand before he shoved his hand into the mouth of the swordsman he was holding.
"Ugh!"
"Like hell I'd let you die."
Cale pulled out a small pill from inside the swordsman's mouth.
"Cough, ugh!"
The swordsman could not close his mouth because of the water Cale shoved in there.
"You can't bite your tongue either so just-"
Cale's eyes opened wide.
The swordsman started to hold his breath. It was as if he was trying to kill himself that way.
'This crazy bastard!'
Cale became shocked and threw the swordsman at Choi Han. Of course, he was not using his own strength but the Sound of the Wind.
"Make him faint!"
"Yes, Cale-nim."
Choi Han put the guard down and received the guard before efficiently hitting the back of the man's neck to knock him out.
"Ugh. This-"
The swordsman mumbled something to protest but he was already losing consciousness.
"…Wow."
Cale was amazed at Choi Han's ability to cleanly and efficiently knock the man out.
It was at that moment.
Baaaaaang—!
There was a loud explosion and the entire building started to shake.
"Eek!"
"Mm!"
The people who had been feeling shock and chaos at the merchant guild leader's death as well as Cale and the one swordsman's actions curled their bodies in fear.
– Human! Someone tried to teleport away so I just destroyed the magic circle on the ground!
– The bastard who was trying to run away is the merchant guild leader's first son!
– I used magic to tie him up despite remaining invisible and he started telling me everything while shaking in fear!
Cale quietly nodded his head after hearing the culprit of this rumbling, Raon, speaking to him in an excited voice.
'…Scary bastards.'
Choi Han and Raon truly were vicious individuals.
'It's a good thing they are on my side.'
Cale had that thought internally as he calmly commented to the individuals looking at him and gently smiled.
"Don't be shocked too much as none of you will get hurt."
They all avoided Cale's gaze without saying anything.
Cale was at the center of all these things.
"People from the palace will be here soon. You will all need to remain quietly in place until then. Only then will there be no misunderstanding between us."
Cale didn't think that there seemed to be any problematic people except for this leader swordsman or the first son who was trying to run away. However, he had to prepare for the unexpected and spoke as gently as possible in order to prevent any innocent people from trying to run away because they were scared.
"Ah, by the way, I memorized all of your faces so there is no point in running away. There is someone who will make sure each and every one of you is caught."
That extremely thorough crown prince would not let even one person get away.
Cale spoke as if he was giving them advice and turned toward Choi Han.
Clang.
Cale didn't care about the sound of one of the swordsmen dropping their swords. Instead, he had a slightly confused look on his face while looking at Choi Han.
"Choi Han-"
"…Yes, Cale-nim?"
'What the?'
Choi Han, who was looking out the destroyed terrace, urgently looked toward Cale.
"What is it?"
Choi Han looked around before shaking his head.
"It's nothing, Cale-nim."
"Okay."
Choi Han looked suspicious but Cale didn't care as he knew that Choi Han did not hide anything if there was something he needed to say.
"You guard this place. I am going to go to Raon and contact the palace. Of course, I'm sure that his highness already sent some reinforcements."
"Yes, Cale-nim."
Cale then headed down to Raon on the fourth floor.
Choi Han watched Cale disappear before turning his head to look past the terrace window again.
"…That should have been a crow, right?"
A black figure had landed on the terrace ledge for a moment before disappearing just now. It had been so short and he had not paid much attention to it because he did not sense any mana, aura, or any other sensation.
However, there was one thing that was on his mind.
It was such a short moment that he did not see properly, but…
"…A bat? A hawk?"
'It's the middle of the day and we are in the capital. Why would there be a bat?
Isn't a hawk not fitting for a city like this?'
The confused Choi Han shook his head.
'A hawk, a bat, none of them should be a problem.'
Raon would have noticed it if it had contained any weird force.
Choi Han thought that he would either pull out his sword, report to Cale, or do something if he saw that black figure again as he addressed the people on the fifth floor.
"Please listen to me. I do not wish to fight. If possible."
He meant it.
The fourth floor was quiet as well.
Everybody was breathing quietly while looking at one person.
Tap. Tap.
Cale walked down the silent hallway at a leisure pace before opening the door.
"C, Commander-nim-!"
– Human, I'm glad you are here!
Some people in the room were bound up with black rope. Anybody would be able to tell that these ropes were made of mana.
'That guy must be the first son.'
The man who was tightly bound compared to the others could not hide his chaotic mind once he saw Cale. This seemed too realistic to be an act.
'Hold on, was the first son of the Flynn Merchant Guild the type to reveal his emotions like this?
In that case, it makes sense why the second son and Billos were being considered to be the heir.
Cale stood in front of the first son and calmly spoke.
"The merchant guild leader is dead."
"…."
The eldest son was silent.
"You knew."
Cale asked.
"Where did the second child go?"
Flinch. The first son's shoulders started shaking. He was finally looking at Cale properly. He then warily looked around before speaking.
"What relationship with the second-, no."
The eldest son shook his head. Cale could feel a sparkle returning to the eldest son's eyes.
"I'm not sure where the second went. I just, I just-"
He clenched his eyes shut and continued to speak.
"I was worried that the second would try to kill me, Commander-nim."
"…Why?"
The eldest son looked into Cale's eyes that had been calm since the beginning.
His eyes seemed deep but transparent. He also could not feel any emotions through them.
'My eldest son. Immediately look for Billos, no, go to the Commander if something ever happens to me. I'm sure that Billos would have gone to look for him."
The eldest son recalled what happened this morning.
He had a stealthy conversation with his father.
"My father stealthily visited my residence late last night. He then told me… He said that he was going to remove our second brother from the successor position.
"And?"
"He seemed quite concerned that second brother would find out about it. If he found out- and if-"
The eldest son lowered his head.
"He said to run away without even looking behind if something happened to the Flynn Merchant Guild. He said that he could already be dead if that was the case."
His voice was shaking so much.
Cale calmly responded to him.
"Raise your head."
Cale needed to see the look on this person's face.
He felt the sadness of a son who had lost his father, but Cale also thought about Billos's terrible appearance and the people who did not consider him a part of the family.
Cale only focused on the task at hand.
"Then did you try to run away as soon as the chaos started?"
"Yes, Commander-nim. I was certain that I would be next after Billos and my father."
"Why?"
The eldest son observed Cale. Although he did not have his name in line as successor as the second son and Billos, he was skilled enough and had enough tact to maintain his position as the eldest son.
"…It looks like you don't have a good relationship with second brother, Commander-nim."
"And?"
"Will you protect me from him?"
The eldest son lowered his head and pointed at his pocket.
"I have a map of the secret location where the official stamp of the Flynn Merchant Guild Leader is hidden. No business can take place without this stamp."
"I will protect you."
The deal took place in an instant.
The eldest son sighed. His head was down and his shoulders slightly moved up and down before his whole body started to shake.
"…F…ather…"
This cry that sounded almost like a full sob made Cale look at him for a moment before motioning to the air.
"Please connect the video communication device to his highness."
– I got it, human! But can I be nice when I tie the eldest son up? I promise it'll be enough so that he can't run away!
"No."
Cale shook his head and asked the eldest son a question.
"Will you go up to the fifth floor?"
The fifth floor was where the merchant guild leader was located.
"…Please."
Cale spoke in a low voice after seeing the eldest son, who was kneeling on the ground while tied up, basically bowing to the point of falling over.
"I guess you have a pretty good idea as to what the second child has done."
"…I believe that he did something that does not bode well for the Roan Kingdom."
Cale's close relationship with Billos was one factor, but this was the main reason why this guy did not resist and bowed so respectfully right now despite Cale's sudden intrusion.
– Human, I'll come after moving him there! Here's the video communication device!
A video communication device that had just started to connect appeared in the air and Cale grabbed it in his hand.
Raon used magic to move the tied people up to the fifth floor.
Cale watched this for a bit and turned to look at the video communication device now that he was alone.
The crown prince's face should appear soon.
Cale subconsciously commented in that short instant.
"…Many have died."
Too many had died in such a short period of time.
The people at the King's Palace, the Flynn Merchant guild leader, there were probably a lot of people dead at the Orsena Estate as well since it was on fire. Most of them would have no relation to this incident.
This was basically the first time Cale faced such a situation in this world aside from during the wars.
'The Hunters.
What the fuck are these sons of bitches thinking?
Then there is young lady Orsena and the second son of the Flynn Merchant Guild. And what of the king?'
The king definitely showed a lot of hatred for the Hunters.
As a result, it was extremely unlikely for him to have sided with the Hunters.
Numerous theories popped into Cale's mind.
'Did the second son and young lady Orsena really side with the Hunters and try to abduct the king?
Is that why the king was either abducted or ran away?'
"Hmm?"
Cale flinched mid thought and pulled a black book out of his inner pocket.
It was the God of Death's divine item.
Endable
It was the book where the word, Endable, had been written.
That book suddenly started to react.
It heated up and started gently shaking.
"Mm."
Cale got chills on his back for some reason. He placed the video communication device on a table and quickly opened the book.
Chhh.
Once Cale touched the book, the pages moved on their own and stopped on a page.
"…Huh?"
It wasn't there.
Endable
The word describing where Lee Soo Hyuk was had disappeared from the book.
Something else was written there instead. It was not in Korean but in the language of this world.
Puzzle City
But those words were slowly disappearing as well.
New words took their spot.
"…Hu…"
Huiss City
"The capital?"
Cale jerked his head up.
"Here?"
'He's at the Roan Kingdom's capital?
The reincarnated team leader is here?
How?'
"…I thought that he would be a baby."
'Is he much older than I thought?'
Cale had thought that the team leader had reincarnated not too long ago.
However, would a baby be able to go from Endable and come to the Roan Kingdom's capital?
'Maybe?
If it is the team leader, something like that does sound possible.
No, either way-'
"Here?"
'He came here?'
– What's here?
The tired face of the crown prince appeared on the screen of the video communication device at that moment.
"The Flynn Merchant Guild leader is dead. The second child has run away."
Two sentences were enough.
– I'll send people over right away.
The capital, Huiss City.
The atmosphere in the capital was extremely dull, unlike the blue sky despite it not being long since they heard about the victory at Puzzle City.
"I don't see smoke anymore."
"…The Orsena Estate was on fire, right?"
"Yes. My next-door neighbor Charles said he saw it."
"Ho. What the-!"
The man stopped talking and quickly closed his mouth.
Clack. Clack. Clack.
Around ten soldiers fully clad in armor were walking by in formation.
Soldiers were efficiently moving around like this all around the capital right now.
Furthermore, a knight on a horse was moving quicker than they normally did in the capital.
"…Hey."
The man who closed his mouth asked his close friend in an extremely quiet voice.
"Aside from the Duke's Estate, at the palace earlier-"
"…."
"Didn't you hear a loud noise coming from there? It sounded like something was crumbling down."
"…I don't know either."
The eyes of the person who responded were slightly shaking.
The palace and the Orsena Estate, which was located in the area with all the residences of the nobles… Neither location was close to her house.
That was why all she knew was that something had happened.
"I guess we should probably close for the day."
Her close friend quickly put the goods back into the store. She started to move to help him when she saw someone coming toward them and her eyes opened wide. The shop owner, who was putting away the stand, reacted the same way.
"Oh! You are-"
"Hello, mister. You still have some medicinal roots, right?"
"Huh? Y, yes!"
"Please organize all of the ones you have and send them to our estate!"
"Hey, wait a minute."
The medicinal roots merchant urgently called out to the young boy who was speaking quickly. His voice was a bit cautious.
"Did something happen?"
Some of the people around them turned to look at the young boy as well.
This young boy was someone who worked at a Count's Estate and had come from the neighborhood of the nobles.
"That-"
Furthermore, the fact that he was buying large quantities of medicinal roots must mean that something had happened.
It was because the person who wants these medicinal roots must be someone at the Count's Estate.
"The Orsena Estate caught on fire and burnt down completely."
"What?"
"And, umm-"
He looked around, confirmed that there were no soldiers nor knights near them, and continued to speak.
"Ah, I don't know if I can really say this…"
"Are you really going to be like this? I'm friends with your father."
"Mm, that is true."
That was the reason this young boy was in charge of purchasing goods from this merchant. He approached his father's close friend and whispered quietly.
"I heard that one of the palaces was destroyed."
"…Huh?"
"Apparently it was a terrorist incident."
Gulp.
The merchant's pupils started shaking. His close friend, who was listening as well, could not say anything because she was so shocked.
The young boy saw their reactions and grabbed the merchant's arm as if to snap him out of it.
"Hey, mister."
"Huh, huh? S, should we run?"
The young boy shook his head after hearing what the merchant barely managed to say.
"The Commander-nim entered the Orsena Estate moments ago. I saw him myself."
"Hmm?"
"I heard that his highness, the Crown Prince, was here as well."
The Commander. The Crown Prince.
The merchant's chaotic eyes slowly started to focus again.
The news about Cale's arrival at the capital was slowly being spread.
While that was going on…
Rustle.
– Human, this place really is almost completely burnt down.
Cale was stepping onto the Orsena Estate.
He had left the issues at the Flynn Merchant Guild to the people Alberu had sent and then immediately headed over here.
"Commander-nim."
The knight who seemed to be in charge of the situation at the Orsena Estate bowed toward Cale.
'Something is different.'
This was the first time that the knight had met the well-discussed Commander in person.
He found it difficult to look at Cale.
'…I feel a sense of pressure. Is this the Commander; is this the hero named Cale Henituse?'
The knight gulped and looked at Cale who was standing in front of him.
– Human! Why are you pretending to be strong? There's nobody here who is strong.
Cale casually ignored Raon's question.
He looked around.
To be more specific, he was looking past the troops surrounding the Orsena Estate. He was also looking at the beautiful residences around here as well.
"…!"
"Mm."
Click.
There were people peeking through the wall of soldiers despite knights telling them to leave. There were also people looking through their windows.
Subordinates of nobles, staff of nobles' houses, and even some nobles themselves flinched and looked away after making eye contact with Cale.
"This should be enough."
Cale quietly mumbled to himself.
The king was missing.
The King's Palace was destroyed.
The Estate of the Duke who controlled the central faction at the capital was burnt down.
All of this had happened in an instant.
There may be some nobles who used this chaos as an opening to run. There were bound to be people who try to use this gap of authority for their own benefits.
'I'm sure that his highness will take care of everything, but… It should be okay for me to help out a little bit like this, right?'
No matter what happened, the Crown Prince's biggest ally was the Duke's House of Henituse which had his sworn brother and his sword art instructor.
"…Excuse me?"
Cale spoke to the confused knight in charge.
"Please report in about the situation."
"Ah, yes, sir!"
The knight turned his head.
Cale followed his gaze.
The Orsena Estate that was completely black…
"The main building and all annexes caught on fire."
The main building was maintaining its form as the pillars and foundation were still standing.
Most of the other buildings had been destroyed.
"The start of the fire according to witnesses and the reporter…"
The knight stopped for a moment before speaking as if he found it to be odd.
"The fire did not slowly start from somewhere, but rather everything caught on fire in an instant. They stated that it took less than 10 seconds for everything to catch fire."
"I see."
Cale nodded his head.
This was not just any building but a Duke's Estate. Even if a building caught on fire, it was rare for everything to quickly catch fire like that.
The Duke's Estate had completely caught on fire to the point that the crown prince and Cale could not do anything about it by the time they arrived at the capital.
"I thought it was weird because the fire was difficult to contain even with magic, but then…"
The knight held something out.
"We found these magic stones all around the Duke's Estate."
It was a magic stone that had turned black from soot.
"Was it a magically induced fire?"
"That is one of our hypotheses, Commander-nim."
Cale hesitated for a moment before asking in a calm voice.
"Survivors?"
"…You should probably see for yourself, sir."
The knight struggled to get those words out before starting to walk.
Cale followed behind him.
There were white tents that looked as if they were urgently installed on top of the now burnt garden of the Duke's Estate. Each tent was quite large.
The knight raised the entrance flap of one of the tents and Cale looked inside. Both of them stopped walking.
"…Is that all?"
The knight responded to Cale's question with a look that seemed to show that his shock from initially seeing this earlier had not disappeared.
"Yes, sir. These are all of the survivors from the building."
Less than ten patients were lying down while being treated. Most of them had serious injuries.
The Duke's House of Orsena.
This place was different from the Henituse Estate in the capital.
The House of Orsena's territory was in the capital. That was why they had a five-story main building and numerous annex buildings around it.
As a result, there should have been a lot of people who work here.
"They stated that large flames suddenly engulfed the building. They said that they would have died if they did not run through the flames and barely make it out alive."
"The flames engulfed the building?"
"Yes, sir. They said that flames shot up as if they were walls. They also said that they suddenly felt dizzy."
"…Dizzy?"
Cale's eyes sparkled.
"Yes, sir. They said that the dizziness almost made them faint. They didn't have the time to look around properly, but they said that some of their friends around them suddenly fainted."
"Then the reason there are so few survivors-"
"Yes, sir. The fire was one thing, but it sounds as if something else happened inside the Duke's Estate as well."
Cale nodded his head and the knight continued to speak.
"We are still continuing our search for any survivors. As for any corpses we find, we confirm their identity before moving them while making sure to keep the sight as intact as possible. In addition…"
The knight lowered the entrance flap, looked around, and spoke in a quiet voice that only Cale could hear.
"We found the Ducal couple's corpses as well as the second son's corpse."
"Any traces of young lady Orsena?"
"None at all. However…"
He pointed to the tent next to them.
"The youngest young lady was found in the playground within the rear garden."
"The youngest young lady?"
"Yes, sir. She turned seven this year and she is in quite the chaotic state right now-"
Shh.
The knight lifted the entrance flap a bit.
Cale looked inside and gulped.
"…Oo…ooooooooo…."
A child was lying on a bed with her eyes closed. She seemed to be sleeping but her body was shaking and she was groaning as if she was having a nightmare.
"Aaah!"
She screamed from time to time as well.
"Stop."
The knight put the entrance flap down at Cale's command.
A royal mage and someone who looked like a priest were inside the tent with the child.
"The child's guardian?"
The knight immediately answered Cale's question.
"We have contacted the House of Orsena's closest collateral line. However…"
He continued with a stiff expression on his face.
"Young lady Orsena is being suspected of being responsible for the palace terror incident and the only survivor of the House of Orsena is the youngest young lady. We cannot loosen our guard on the child because of that."
He wasn't wrong.
"Of course, we are focusing on the child's treatment and stability."
"Okay."
He spoke into the air without caring about the knight standing there.
"Ask the Saint-nim and Miss Cage to come to the capital."
– I understand, human! What about the unconscious Billos?
"Tell them to bring him with them. Please do it as quickly as possible."
– But for them to teleport such a long distance-
"Contact Sheritt-nim as well."
– Ah! Okay!
The black castle that had returned to the Forest of Darkness…
Former Dragon Lord Sheritt and a few Dragons were there right now.
"One of them should be enough."
If at least one of those Dragons came to the capital with the Saint, Cage, and the others…
If a Dragon resided in the capital…
"Cale-nim."
"You're here?"
Choi Han was running over after finishing things up at the Flynn Merchant Guild.
Two Dragons and Choi Han.
'No matter who the hell those Hunters are…'
They won't be able to touch the capital anymore.
"I'll need to go into the building."
"Yes, sir."
"Hide the information about the youngest young lady's survival and the Ducal couple's death as much as possible."
"Yes, sir!"
It was at that moment.
"Vice Cap, eek, Commander-nim!"
A mage was urgently running out of a tent when he saw Cale and stumbled over his words.
– Human! I'll be back after contacting them! I'll tell as many Dragons as possible to come!
The invisible Raon commented and moved away but Cale didn't pay much attention to him.
Inside the tent from where the mage ran out from…
"Is the child awake?"
"Yes, yes, sir! She said that she has something to say."
Cale walked into the tent.
The now awakened child was holding onto the priest's sleeve and shouting something.
"The fire-, the fire-!"
Cale cautiously approached the child.
Of course, he withdrew the Dominating Aura.
The child's eyes were wandering aimlessly in the air and her mouth was shaking.
"The fire-!"
The child made eye contact with Cale at that moment.
The child looked at Cale's red hair before making a comment.
"S, shield-"
Cale slowly activated his shield.
He then cautiously approached the child.
The shield with silver wings appeared in the tent.
The youngest young lady stepped off of the bed.
"Young lady Orsena, you need to rest-!"
The priest stopped her but the child reached her hands toward Cale and tried to walk.
Cale walked over and extended his hand to the child. The child grabbed his hand.
'Mm.'
The child's grip was stronger than he had expected.
Her movements seemed extremely desperate.
Cale lowered his body and made eye contact with the child. The child shouted.
"Fire, fire- white magic-!"
Cale calmly responded.
"Was it white magic that caused the fire?"
The child nodded her head and fell into Cale's arms before losing consciousness.
Cale laid the unconscious child on the bed and the priest started to look after her.
"…Uhh… How could it be white magic-"
The most flustered person here was the mage.
"You, what is your affiliation?"
"Ah! I am a support mage of the Third Mage Brigade, Commander-nim!"
"What does white magic exactly mean?"
The mage, who looked quite tense while revealing his affiliation, had a confused look on his face.
"…Generally speaking, any magic that is not black magic is considered white magic. However… It is usually not called white magic but just magic."
This world considered black magic to be taboo and was very wary of it.
This wariness could have gone up because of the black mages who worked as the White Star's subordinates.
It was different from people's perspective on Dark Elves and necromancers, which had gotten better.
"Mm, the white magic that the youngest lady Orsena mentioned seems to be different from the regular magic we know and use."
The mage shared his thoughts in a sincere tone.
"Your hypothesis makes sense; however, we cannot accept it until we are certain."
The mage nodded his head as the knight in charge responded to him.
"Of course. The report will only contain the facts of the matter."
Cale calmly nodded his head. However, his mind was moving quickly.
'It is more likely than not that the mage is right.'
The Duke's House of Orsena.
Only a few people, including Cale, knew that this family was related to the Hunters.
He also knew one of the unique traits of hunters.
'Those bastards can travel through dimensions and use a lot of peculiar abilities.'
That was why this white magic might be a form of magic that Cale didn't know about.
It could be something that didn't exist in this world.
"Continue to observe youngest lady Orsena's condition."
"Yes, Commander-nim."
Cale commented to the knight as he walked out of the tent.
"I will head over toward the main building."
"I, it's still dang-"
The fire was out but the main building was in such a terrible state that it wouldn't be weird if it fell over at any moment.
That was why the knight was trying to stop Cale, but he eventually closed his mouth.
"Yes sir, I understand."
After considering everything this Commander had done until now, he didn't think that something like this would be very dangerous.
"Then I will go inspect the evidence left on the corpses once more."
"Got it."
Raon returned from making the calls as soon as Cale answered.
– Human! I contacted all of them! They said that they will all come!
Raon had come with good news as well.
– Billos has regained consciousness! He will come with them! Human, he says he must meet with you!
A small smile appeared on Cale's face after hearing that Billos was awake and coming to the capital but he couldn't help but think about the merchant guild leader's death.
"…It'll be difficult for Mr. Billos."
Cale silently nodded his head at Choi Han's quiet comment.
Even if he was ostracized for being a bastard son, nobody could fathom what his father's death would mean to Billos.
"Cale-nim."
Choi Han's voice became even lower after he moved to stand right behind Cale.
'Hmm?'
Cale slightly turned his head to the back after feeling an unexpected cold aura.
"…Do you think that the Hunters are responsible for these fires?"
"I can't exclude that as a possibility."
Choi Han nodded his head, looked at the burnt Duke's Estate, and made a comment.
"…They are trash."
Cale flinched and turned away from Choi Han. Although Choi Han's face was calm while looking at the tents and the Duke's Estate…
'His eyes are… a bit weird?'
His eyes seemed a bit possessed.
Choi Han was giving off quite the vicious aura.
'It makes sense.'
Cale was quite angry right now as well. He was so upset to the point that he could admit that he was extremely angry.
He was just trying his best to maintain his calmness and remain collected.
'If I am like this, I'm sure it is worse for Choi Han.'
He would feel even more anger based on his personality.
Cale didn't say anything else to Choi Han and entered the main building of the Duke's Estate.
The door must have either burned away or been destroyed as it was gone without a trace.
Pss.
Cale entered into the bare and gruesome Duke's Estate while stepping on ashes.
Choi Han followed behind him and observed the black ashes.
'…The Hunters are a stronger organization than I expected.'
They were able to destroy the King's Palace, a Duke's Estate, and a large Merchant guild in an instant.
A lot of people died as a result as well. That fact made Choi Han angry, sad, and concerned.
'We're going to fight against such a strong organization?'
Choi Han raised his head and observed Cale's back.
'It is different from the time with the White Star.'
It always felt as if Cale's side was one step ahead of the White Star. However, this issue with the Hunters seemed more like an unexpected raid from the Hunters.
'If they attack us like this-'
If the King's Palace became the crown prince's palace…
If the Duke's House of Orsena turned into the Duke's House of Henituse…
If it was not the Flynn Merchant Guild leader who died but Billos…
Going past that-
Choi Han's eyes sank with a dark gaze.
'I need to get stronger.'
He was deep in thought when he heard Cale's voice.
"Let's head to young lady Orsena's bedroom and study first. Raon."
– I understand, human!
Cale and Choi Han's bodies floated up. They used flight magic to head to the third floor as the stairs might break.
They heard that young lady Orsena used the entire third floor on her own.
This was an area reserved both in name and in reality for the most likely heir.
"Ho."
Cale gasped.
– Human, this isn't burnt-
"Yeah, there's nothing here."
There was nothing in the area following the third floor hallway.
"There's nothing other than a minimal amount of furniture."
"Yeah."
Only a desk and a single chair were in the study.
There were no traces of bookshelves or books.
"Do you think that young lady Orsena erased all of her traces before these fires?"
"…Who knows?"
The knight would have reported it if it was like that.
He would have said it was something peculiar.
However, he had not made any comments about it.
That meant that it was possible that young lady Orsena always lived like this.
"Choi Han, go look into it."
"Yes, Cale-nim."
Choi Han immediately jumped through a window sill and down to the ground.
"Mm."
Cale watched Choi Han's choice of alighting from the residence with an odd gaze before heading for another room.
"…There's only a bed."
The bedroom only had a bed, a small table, and a chair. They could barely make those out as they were basically all burnt.
"Let's go up."
The fourth floor was where the other children of the house lived and the fifth floor was reserved for the ducal couple.
"…This was completely burnt."
It looked as if an extreme fire swept through the fourth and fifth floors. They were completely destroyed unlike the third floor, which was still at least somewhat recognizable.
The aftershock of the fire was stronger the higher they went in the building.
"Raon, even if magic stones were used, how skilled does a person have to be in order to cause a fire of this magnitude?"
Raon spoke out loud since only the two of them were here.
"Mm. Not as skilled as Rosalyn but still needs a decent level of skill! Hmm…"
Raon seemed to be contemplating something for a bit before he continued to speak.
"By the way, human! This… Some of the mana isn't familiar."
"What does that mean?"
"What I am trying to say is… Most of the mana is mana that I am familiar with! However, I can faintly sense a different kind of mana now that we came up to the fourth and fifth floors. It's a bit-"
Raon hesitated before adding on.
"It's a bit as if it is mana from a different world. That… You know how apple pies are apple pies but the apple pies made in the Henituse territory and the apple pies made in the palace taste different? It's that kind of feeling!"
'Ah.'
Cale knew exactly what Raon meant.
"It is extremely faint, but a different kind of mana is here. However, it looks like it will disappear soon. The mana of this world is trying to push that other mana away."
Cale nodded his head at the continued explanation.
"It must be mana from a different world."
The Hunters could travel through dimensions.
The current situation was easily possible if a Hunter, who was a mage in a different world, brought over the mana of that world to carry out this plot.
"…What a headache."
Cale started to frown.
'Different dimensions.
If young lady Orsena or the Hunters who caused this incident are not in this world but traveled to another world?
How do I capture them?'
Cale did not have the power to travel through dimensions.
"…Mm."
As he was about to fall deeper into thought…
"Huh? Human!"
Raon spoke in a slightly shocked voice.
"Human, look toward the main door!"
"Hmm?"
Cale looked toward the door of the house at Raon's urging.
"Hmm?"
He started to frown even more.
"What the hell? Why the hell are they coming here?"
There were people wearing baggy robes with wide sleeves confronting the knights.
"Aren't they priests of the God of Death?"
The priests of the God of Death, a large number of them at about twenty or so, were gathered in a group outside the Duke's Estate.
They seemed quite serious.
"Who is the gramps that walked inside?"
The knight in charge was speaking with an aged priest, the only one who actually entered the Duke's Estate.
He looked as if he was trying to escort the old priest out. The Duke's Estate was currently closed off to outsiders.
However, the knight was stern but respectful.
If it was an old priest to whom the knight would be this respectful…
"Is he at least a bishop?"
A knight of the palace would only act so respectfully to a priest who was going against his commands if the priest was at the bishop level or higher.
"Human, Choi Han is running over!"
Cale could see Choi Han urgently running toward the building.
"Mm."
'This is giving me a headache already.'
Cale felt an unexplainable sense of iffyness as soon as he saw the priests of the God of Death.
'I need to inform Cale-nim.'
The running Choi Han was also in a similar state.
He recalled what the old priest, who had walked past the wall of soldiers and knights to enter the building, had said.
'We must meet the esteemed sir who will become the prophet of our church.'
The old priest had said that he was a bishop.
'You must be Choi Han.'
'Could you deliver our wishes to the prophet, no, the Commander-nim?'
The bishop continued speaking before Choi Han could even ask him what he meant.
'The God of Death has bestowed a divine item for the Commander-nim. This is the first time something like this has ever happened to our church. We know it is extremely rude to visit like this, but we are here because we must inform him about this glorious news that will bring joy to the entire church. I ask for your understanding.'
He then respectfully bowed to Choi Han and the knight.
However, Choi Han recognized that the bishop's eyes gave away his wicked thoughts.
'Honestly speaking, those wicked thoughts aren't important.'
The bishop's wicked thoughts or schemes would be nothing in front of Cale.
'But it's the God of Death!
Do we need to get mixed up with that god again?'
Choi Han couldn't suppress this feeling of uncertainty.
"…Human, it seems quite urgent based on how Choi Han is acting."
"…I know, right?"
Cale and Raon awkwardly chatted as Choi Han jumped through the outside of the destroyed building to urgently come to the fifth floor.
"Cale-nim!"
Choi Han easily jumped over the window ledge to enter the fifth floor and didn't even seem out of breath.
"Uhh, what is going on?"
Cale asked while suppressing his anxiety only to see Choi Han's stern gaze.
"The bishop of the Church of the God of Death is here."
"So what?"
"He says that the God of Death sent you a divine item, Cale-nim."
Cale had not heard about this.
"Ah."
There was something that came to mind.
The God of Death had said the following when Cale met him.
'An item that can replace the cintamani will be delivered to you soon.'
'….He bestowed it as a divine item to the church?'
Cale scowled.
In the future, Alberu would apologize about this saying that he was going to inform Cale but Billos showed up and the King's Palace was destroyed so the message did not get delivered. However, that was not the issue right now.
Cale asked in a low voice.
"…And?"
"…And the bishop is saying that you are their prophet… That the whole church would be happy about this…"
Choi Han almost stumbled over his words while watching Cale's face scowl harder and harder. Cale then lowered his head.
"Haaaaa."
Cale let out a deep sigh before mumbling.
"There is something I need to say, but-"
"Huh?!"
It was at that moment.
Raon, who had been watching the two of them, jerked his head somewhere.
Clang-!
Choi Han pulled out his sword at the same time and started to move.
"As I expected!"
His eyes were looking at one of the broken window sills in the fifth floor ducal couple's bedroom.
'It was a hawk.'
A black hawk was observing them.
This must be the same figure he saw in the Flynn Merchant Guild.
"Hmm?"
Cale finally noticed the hawk as well.
The moment the hawk's red eyes met Cale's eyes…
Flap.
The hawk opened up its wings.
Choi Han swung his sword toward the hawk at that moment.
"Swinging your sword first without understanding your enemy?"
The hawk easily dodged Choi Han's sword.
Cale raised his hand to stop Choi Han from attacking again once a white whirlwind surrounded the black hawk.
"Hold on."
"Excuse me?"
"Stop for a moment."
It was the first time that Cale heard that voice.
However, that relaxed tone and those choices of words…
He was familiar with it.
Swoooooooosh-
The whirlwind disappeared and a young boy landed on the ground.
Tap.
The young boy with white hair and red eyes opened his mouth.
"Little Han still has a lot to learn."
The young boy smiled at Cale. That smile was identical to a certain someone's.
"Rok Soo, no. Cale. It's been a while."