“But from the age of eight, I started becoming busy. Kal Worben kept sending me out to the battlefield. The rewards were decent, though, so I just treated it as that and went to suppress Magic Stones.”

In contrast to his calm voice, the wheel in Basto’s hands kept turning without pause.

The ship, with an experienced helmsman, caught the current and rapidly approached the Magic Stone.

“And then I sent Livia first. It was all my fault.”

“.......”

“Bale. There are things where I can’t easily become cold. No... I don’t want to become cold.”

Bale sighed, but Basto continued:

“You saw it too. The face of the ruler of Pearlcity. Her children are there.”

The Magic Stone they approached was far more imposing than expected.

In truth, the size and shape of the Magic Stones rising across the continent all differed.

Aside from the fact that they were entirely made of black stone, they were difficult to distinguish from ordinary structures.

The one before Basto and Bale resembled a temple supported by four pillars.

“We have to save them. I can’t return after seeing living people and leaving them behind.”

One of the pillars.

Even Bale could clearly see it — the hull of a medium vessel, split in two, was dangerously wedged against it.

Above, one person lay as if dead, while another stood, shielding him.

“S-save, please save—!”

As the waves intensified, the one still conscious cried out desperately.

“Mr. Basto! What should we do?!”

The sailors rushed over in haste.

Basto turned his head, checked the direction of the wind, and turned the wheel again.

“Because of the current, it’s difficult to approach. We have no choice but to wait.”

There was almost no time.

Within that brief window, the wind had to blow favorably.

So that they could touch the Magic Stone.

“They found them? Is it true?!”

Marianne sprang to her feet.

Tie, who had been sitting beside her, also startled and jumped off the sofa.

“Yes! They were almost carried out to the open sea, but it seems they’re holding on to the Magic Stone!”

Marianne’s face turned white as a sheet.

She hurriedly looked at Astie.

“We need to go out to sea, Squad Leader.”

“Huh? But it’s dangerous outside......”

Basto and Bale had strictly ordered her not to go out onto the pier.

They said that if she did not wait inside the Administration Office, she would be scolded.

But Marianne was resolute.

“I can’t just sit here! The Magic Stone... they’re near the Magic Stone!”

Looking out the window, Marianne ran outside before Tie could even stop her.

“R-ruler!”

Tie had no choice but to tightly fasten her squad uniform.

Slipping her bag to the front, she ran out of the Administration Office.

Marianne was already pushing through the downpour far ahead.

“H-huff! Ah, this is hard!”

Panting, Tie reached the spot and saw that only a handful of people had gathered on the pier.

Apparently, after hearing the evacuation order, many residents had already left Pearlcity.

‘Until now, I wasn’t scared at all.......’

If she were honest, Tie had not taken the situation seriously.

She was still a child and simply thought that Basto and Bale would definitely find the ruler’s two sons and return in time.

Until now, in Tie’s head, there had only been a future where she prospered by relying on her connection with the ruler.

But when she saw people evacuating and Pearlcity emptying, anxiety gripped her.

‘What if it really gets dark?’

And if Magical Beasts burst out from the Magic Stone?

Tie hesitated and called her bone friends in her mind.

‘Bone friends!’

But, as expected, no answer came.

In the cave Tenebraum and at the First Gate of the Capital, Tie had been able to constantly talk with her bone friends in her head.

As if she had turned on a Bluetooth speaker in her mind and kept the connection open the whole time.

But now it was obvious — she could not ask them for help.

“Raul, Enzo...... please......”

Beside her, Marianne sobbed.

The rain and wind grew stronger, and each time the waves crashed, Tie had to firmly brace her legs so she would not be swept away.

‘Should I find something Tie can do? Grandpa Nordix said Tie was born with enormous power......?’

Nordix was now evacuating people at the entrance to the city.

If he found out that Tie had left the Administration Office, she would definitely be scolded.

‘But Uncle Basto and Bale oppa are there.’

Tie’s green eyes trembled anxiously.

She lifted her head — the sky had completely darkened.

Because of the clouds, it was impossible to tell exactly when sunset would come, but one thing was clear.

‘The sun will set soon.’

While she nervously picked at her nails—

“A, a, a Rift is opening!”

As expected, someone shouted in panic.

Turning around, Tie saw that around the Magic Stone, a pale opening in the sky was indeed forming.

The Rift widened more and more, as if it were about to spew out monsters at any moment.

“L-look! Agavert mercenaries are rescuing the young masters!”

At the same time, another sailor shouted.

Through the thinning curtain of rain, it was visible how Basto was leading two people off the hull wedged against the Magic Stone.

Tie unconsciously clasped her hands tightly.

‘Hurry, Uncle Basto!’

More time had passed than she thought.

If they were delayed even a little longer, something terrible might happen.

Fortunately, Basto handled the ship with great confidence.

The hull sharply turned in place, the bow faced the shore, and the vessel began rapidly approaching.

“Raul, Enzo......”

Marianne was on the verge of losing her mind.

She did not take her eyes off the approaching ship and continuously clutched her chest.

“R-ruler, please don’t worry......! They’ll be here soon......”

Tie hurried over and grabbed the shoulder of the kneeling Marianne.

And at that moment—

“W-what?”

An unbelieving whisper passed among the standing sailors.

Naturally, all eyes turned in the same direction.

“W-why is Des Hound.......”

Tie’s face slowly went pale.

The boundless sea stretched out.

From the Rift near the Magic Stone, the heads of Magical Beasts were already emerging, and for some reason the two hulls had locked together.

The large ship mercilessly crushed the smaller hull.

The passenger vessel of Des Hound had rammed Basto’s ship.

The next moment, fighters of Des Hound began leaping one after another onto the smaller ship.

All of them — weapons in hand.

“What are you doing! It was said that the ruler’s children must be saved!”

Amid the chaos, Kal Worben shouted furiously.

But his voice was drowned again and again in the noise of rain, waves, and mercenaries’ cries.

“Seize only Basto Paerix! Kill those damned bastards from Agavert!”

“Squad Leader! What about the ordinary sailors?!”

“Do I have to answer for them too?! Just throw them into the sea!”

“M-Magical Beasts are coming out!”

“Kill # Nоvеlight # whoever you can! Once we finish Basto, we withdraw to shore!”

From the very beginning, no one had intended to suppress the Magic Stone.

Could it be that Des Hound were truly mad enough to take such a risk?

“Kill him! Kill him! Cut his throat!”

Standing at the front, Kal Worben watched Basto fighting against his subordinates.

The wheel, which had slipped from Basto’s hands, spun uselessly in place.

Grabbing a fragment of shattered wood, he fought several opponents at once.

Bale’s situation was similar.

Suddenly, one of the sailors rushed toward Kal Worben.

“W-what are you doing?! What is this supposed to be?! We’re saving the ruler’s sons...... kgh—!”

Without hesitation, Kal Worben kicked him in the chest, sending him overboard.

Grinding his teeth, he drew the sword from his belt.

“Persistent bastard.”

Basto still had not fallen.

Kal Worben slowly stepped down.

This time, to cut Basto’s throat with his own hands.

At the same time.

“What is happening!”

“Des Hound is attacking Agavert!”

“M-Magical Beasts!”

Tie, watching the battle with a pale face, froze.

She blinked, then slowly lowered her gaze to the black water beneath her feet.

[...... Master]

From beneath the water, a strange voice called to her.

But something was wrong.

[Master.]

It was a voice she had never heard before.

‘Why does it sound like the voice of the bone friends?’