"Hey."

"......."

"Hey!"

At the shove to his shoulder, Allerik snapped back to his senses.

Turning his head, he saw Ribia staring at him with obvious irritation.

"Wake up. The assault’s starting again soon. Got it?!"

"......ha."

Allerik ran a hand over his face.

He was still in shock from what had happened just moments ago.

"The squad leader has been terrifying you for days now. You should be used to it already."

Muttering, Ribia adjusted his cloak.

Allerik looked at her in silence for a moment, then said:

"What do you think... has she trained for at least thirty years?"

Ribia lifted her head, and Allerik continued seriously:

"At first I thought at least fifty. But no matter how I look at it, she doesn’t seem that old at all."

Ribia dragged out thoughtfully:

"Hmm... actually, to me, she does seem like an adult."

"......based on what?"

"She’s way too naive and full of gaps."

"Wouldn’t that be more reason to think the opposite?"

Ribia clicked her tongue.

"Hey. Obviously that’s all calculated behavior! So if anything—she’s probably around eighty... no, at least ninety."

"......that much?"

"That’s why you don’t get it. Didn’t you see how the squad leader charms old people?"

"......."

"Take the master or old man Nordix—she’s always around them. Wherever she goes, she especially gets along with the elderly."

"......."

"That’s because they’re the same age, get it? Since she’s lived that long, she knows how to deal with them."

Confusion spread across Allerik’s face.

"Is that really true...?"

After thinking for a long time, he finally shook his head briefly, pushing the thought away.

"Anyway. Let’s just... try not to get hurt today too."

At Ribia’s words, Allerik let out a quiet breath and stood up.

"Allerik, Ribia."

Victor approached quickly from afar.

"The sun’s down. It’s started."

The final stage of this state commission—the assault.

From the clock tower of the old palace, magical beasts poured out.

And then, exactly twelve hours after the assault began—

Piiing—pung!

Under the dim moonlight, a red signal flare shot up.

"Reinforcements requested ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) from the north!"

A scout on horseback raced across the battlefield.

Basto, who had just crushed the head of a mid-level beast with his war hammer, straightened up.

"Hah... hah...."

His breathing had already grown heavy.

"Damn it, when does this end?!"

Nearby, Bale wiped blood from his face.

The assault that should have ended in six hours had dragged on until dawn.

"Are we seriously not finishing today?! Are we doing this again tomorrow?!"

Hearing Bale’s shout, Basto tightened his grip on his weapon.

"Squad leader! Left side! Hey?! They’re coming from the right too!"

Meanwhile, behind Basto and Bale—

Tie, sitting in Ribia’s arms, was hurling fireballs at the beasts.

"Yap...!"

With a bright expression, she showed off her new signature attack.

Each time, the brown bear with glowing red eyes spun around her.

But Basto saw it.

'This is bad.'

Tie was clearly weakening.

And it wasn’t surprising.

Even he himself was nearly out of strength.

And a four-year-old child, fighting all night without sleep...

With a heavy expression, he looked ahead.

Around the tower, massive rifts still gaped open.

By now, the number of beasts should have decreased, and the rifts should have begun closing.

But the magic core entwining the tower remained untouched.

"We’re seriously going to die here! When does this end?!"

Hearing Bale shout again, Basto turned.

He took a deep breath and answered:

"Just a little longer! Dawn’s almost here!"

When the sun rose, the beasts would retreat into the rifts.

Of course, the assault would have to continue in the evening—but right now, everyone needed rest.

'Even the Holy Knights are barely holding on...'

His face darkened as he looked at the signal flare.

'This won’t work.'

Basto changed his decision and turned toward Tie.

The sky was already beginning to lighten.

"Bale, I’m pulling back! We need to get Tie to the rear!"

Bale nodded.

Basto rushed toward Tie.

"Uncle Basto!"

Tie waved when she saw him, drenched in sweat.

"Yeah, Tie! Stay there!"

But at that moment—

Rumble—

The massive vine wrapped around the tower suddenly trembled.

Basto froze, staring at the rising sun.

In the morning light—

The rift widened even further.

"No way..."

The catastrophe that had once taken his family.

A rare phenomenon that occurred once or twice a year.

Still not fully understood.

"Why...!"

The day of destruction had returned.

"Tie!"

But just as he realized—

"Eh?! Hey...!"

A vibration from the magic stone rippled through the ground, and the earth began to collapse.

"No—!"

"Kid!"

The next moment, Ribia and Tie’s figures disappeared into a cloud of dust.

The ground beneath them caved in, and Ribia, Allerik, and Tie began to fall into a deep pit.

"Astie!"

Basto threw aside his weapon and rushed forward.

But debris from the tower crashed down in front of him, blocking his path.

He froze, his face drained of color.

Through blurred vision, he saw—

Someone leap in after them.

It was Tesetan.

"...A-Aunt Ribia."

In the darkness, Tie hurriedly shook Ribia.

Around them, a barely sustained barrier flickered.

Collapsed chunks of stone lay everywhere.

"Auntie!"

Tie shook her again.

But she didn’t move.

When Tie pulled her hand back, her palm was stained bright red with blood.

"What do I do...!"

The child’s face twisted in fear.

Tie sprang to her feet and ran to Allerik lying nearby.

"Uncle Allerik! Aunt Ribia...!"

But Allerik was unconscious as well.

Tears filled Tie’s eyes.

"If Tie had put up the barrier faster...!"

At the moment of the fall—

When the ground gave way, Ribia had grabbed Tie.

If she had let go and tried to save herself...

She might not have been hurt.

Allerik had tried to catch the falling Ribia.

That’s why all three of them ended up here.

"No, I have to pull myself together."

Tie bit her lip and raised her head.

Out of habit, she reached for her shoulder—

But—

"My bag...!"

Her small backpack was gone.

The strap must have snapped during the fall.

"Pupu! Marr!"

Tie called out desperately.

But no one answered in the darkness.

And not only that—

"My subordinates..."

She wanted to summon even a small light.

But from exhaustion, her magic wouldn’t respond properly.

To put it simply, she could barely maintain the barrier right now.

And at that moment—

"...khh!"

A strained breath came from Ribia’s direction.

Tie jumped and rushed back to her.

"Aunt Ribia!"

"S-squad leader..."

Ribia barely opened her eyes and looked at Tie, her lips pale.

"I... think it’s bad."

Tie lowered her trembling gaze.

Ribia was clutching her right side.

"It feels like... something..."

"Don’t look."

At that moment, rubble collapsed behind Ribia, and someone forced their way between them.

Tie’s eyes filled with tears again.

"A... vice... squad leader..."

It was Papa.

Tesetan immediately pulled Tie into his arms and covered her head with his hand.

As if not allowing her to see Ribia.

In the darkness, Ribia’s heavy breathing sounded like it could stop at any moment.

Tesetan said tensely:

"Breathe, Ribia."

"Hah... ha..."

"Slowly."

His gaze was fixed on her side.

More precisely—

On the forearm-sized chunk of stone that had pierced straight through her.