Chapter 382:

Chapter 382:

Even after Patrick and the soldiers of the Salio Empire had retreated, Baek Seoryeon’s expression didn’t ease.

She had been overwhelmed by a sense of unease for some time, unable to feel at ease.

Baek Seoryeon knew better than anyone else that the Salio side wouldn’t withdraw so easily.

Retreating without resistance meant that they certainly had something planned for later.

“Yura. You should go home now.”

“What? You want me to go alone? What about you, oppa?”

“Yuhyun will stay with me. The same goes for Hye-rim unni. It's okay now, so hurry home.”

“Why... why are you trying to send me away like this? Unni, tell me the truth. Something's going on, right?”

“...That’s not true.”

“Don’t lie. Something’s been strange since earlier. They’ve been trying to frame oppa as the culprit, and suddenly, soldiers from the Salio Empire appeared. Unni, I’m not stupid. Even though I may look like this, I’m the captain of the guard. I know at least what's happening within the alliance.”

“...I said it’s dangerous, so you should step back.”

“What’s so dangerous? And what about you, unni? Wouldn't you be more in danger if a battle breaks out?”

Baek Seoryeon could only purse her lips at Kang Yura’s sharp observation and couldn’t come up with a proper response.

In the end, Yuhyun stepped in, unable to watch any longer.

“She’s just saying it because she’s worried about you, so don’t take it too harshly. Besides, Seoryeon’s not wrong.”

“But, oppa...!”

“A big fight is going to break out soon. A lot of people might get involved. I’ll protect Seoryeon, so you should take care of our parents.”

“It’d be better if I helped though...”

“It’s okay.”

Yuhyun smiled and patted Yura on the shoulder.Upstodatee from n(0)/ve/lbIn/.(co/m

In the past, she had been just the right height for him to ruffle her hair, but in the last five years, she had grown significantly, making that impossible now.

Still, in Yuhyun’s eyes, Kang Yura was still a child.

To him, she was like another version of himself, one with potential he had not been able to realize.

Kang Yura couldn’t afford to stop here. She had to keep moving forward. Her potential wasn’t something that should be limited to a place like this.

“Leave the rest to me.”

“Oppa... you're going to fight those hard battles again...”

“This has been my job from the very beginning.”

From the moment Yuhyun had regressed and returned to the past, he had vaguely felt it.

Even though he had vowed to live a different life, to shed the role of a supporting character meant to highlight another protagonist...

Now that he thought about it, the path he had walked had ultimately been shaped by devotion to others.

He had told himself he wanted to see the end of his own story, but was it really for himself that he had wanted to see that ending?

Perhaps, without realizing it, his entire life had been for this.

“So don’t worry.”

“...Okay.”

Kang Yura couldn’t insist any further.

Seeing Yuhyun speaking with a smile, she found herself overlapping his image with that of their parents. Unable to suppress her sadness, she nodded her head.

“Make sure to visit home later, okay?”

“Yes. Of course.”

Leaving behind the words for him to keep his promise, Kang Yura turned and left.

Now, only Baek-hyo, Kang Hye-rim, Yuhyun, and Baek Seoryeon remained.

“Yuhyun, we should move now too.”

“Do you think the Salio Empire will move right away?”

“I don’t know. Personally, I think we’re safe for at least a few days. Although sending an Executor was unexpected... it’s hard to believe they’d act to this extent...”

Baek Seoryeon couldn’t finish her sentence.

Kwaaang──!!!

A massive explosion from the first floor of the Central Administration made Baek Seoryeon’s face go pale.

The worst possible scenario, something she hadn’t even considered, was now unfolding.

“Don’t tell me...!”

“It seems like they’re even crazier than we thought.”

“No matter how crazy they are, to do something like this in broad daylight!”

Baek Seoryeon was flustered, but Yuhyun had a vague sense that something like this would happen.

The look on Piren’s face as she led Patrick away had been far too calm, as if she had already anticipated this situation.

Despite their failure to recruit Yuhyun, they had retreated far too easily.

There was only one reason.

They had already anticipated the possibility of failure in this plan and had a backup strategy prepared.

‘But to execute it so quickly...’

If they were so blatant in their actions, it meant they were confident they could deal with the aftermath.

Correct.

Yuhyun nodded without any attempt to conceal it.

The power of Descartes that he wielded made it possible. Currently, Kang Hye-rim, Baek Seoryeon, and Baek-hyo were all in the wandering world he had created.

Unless Yuhyun brought them out, there was no way for Piren’s side to find Baek Seoryeon.

“If you want to find them, you’ll have to kill me.”

“I was planning to do that anyway. You’re completely insane, revealing everything to your enemy like this. But it doesn’t matter.”

Piren had wanted to fight Yuhyun anyway. Earlier, the First Prince had prevented her from acting recklessly, but now things were different.

Although she had only been concealing her identity in a perfunctory way, the robe she wore—though it appeared simple—was a special one created by the magical engineering of the Salio Empire, ensuring that her identity would not be easily exposed.

“To think that someone referred to as a Lord would hasten their own demise with such arrogance.”

Piren couldn’t help but sneer at Yuhyun’s recklessness.

Originally, she had intended to face him one-on-one, but with his actions, Yuhyun now had to face over thirty elite soldiers of the Great Army along with her.

If this wasn’t a s*****e mission, what was?

“You should have just run away. Didn’t you think about what would happen if you stalled for time here?”

Yuhyun smiled as he looked at Piren.

For a moment, Piren felt as if darkness had descended around Yuhyun.

‘I can’t see his expression?’

No, that wasn’t it. A mask had appeared on his face in an instant.

‘A demon mask with four eyes. Just as the intel described. They said wearing that thing greatly boosts his combat power.’

The eerie aura emanating from the mask was no joke. If she had faced it unknowingly, her skin would have crawled. If she had brought a ragtag group, it would have caused chaos.

However, since this situation had been anticipated, Piren felt no hesitation.

“Those words...”

Wearing the Mask of Aporia, Yuhyun’s eyes glowed as he looked at Piren.

Above the mask, four lights flared up, and an overwhelming pressure radiated around him.

“I’ll send them right back to you.”

Yuhyun drew his sword from his waist.

A white sword paired with a black mask. Piren thought it was an oddly mismatched combination.

But the intensity was real.

“Everyone, attack!”

At Piren’s command, the elite soldiers of the Great Army, still cloaked in their robes, launched themselves at Yuhyun.

* * *

“What an impressive city.”

High above the clouds, overlooking Old Town, a being muttered in admiration at the sight of the city.

How ridiculous had it been to hear that a coalition of lowly beings had created something called a ‘Lords Alliance'?

But seeing such a beautiful city made by those same creatures, he had to admit that they had some use.

“If we take control of this, we won’t have to worry about getting good laborers to build a proper fortress.”

The bearded man laughed heartily, pleased with his own statement.

However, his eyes weren’t laughing. His gaze was fixed on the towering structure at the center of Old Town, the Central Administration.

He was closely watching the clash of powers inside its very heart.

‘Hmm. It seems our warriors aren’t performing as well as I expected.’

He thought he had selected the finest ones, but it seemed they weren’t enough.

The Dragon Knights from Olympus had been sent, and yet the soldiers inside were struggling so much. Just how strong was the one they were facing?

“Even among those lower beings, there seem to be some strong ones.”

To him, humans and all those who lived in the lower world were nothing more than insects.

Crush them, and they would die without a peep, scattering in droves. Of course, some had sharp stingers or teeth that could hurt if they struck, but that was all.

Ultimately, to those who stood in the place of the gods, the beings of the lower world were nothing but creatures to rule and oppress.

“Those who talk about supporting the potential of these creatures must be dreaming.”

The man muttered, rotating his arms and loosening his shoulder muscles.

He didn’t need to do this, but it was a habit he often displayed before going into battle.

For now, he planned to just watch. But if things took a turn for the worse...

“Well, then I’ll just step in.”

Although they had only promised to support Salio Empire with the Einherjar, did it really matter if he broke a treaty with such lowly creatures?

If they failed despite all this support, that would be their fault, not his for breaking a treaty.

The man muttered to himself as he grabbed the hammer hanging from his waist with his right hand.

He hoped the moment would come when he could swing it.

Crackle.

A faint current of electricity ran through the hammer.