The commotion at the Revolutionary Army headquarters quickly drew attention. Soon, many members arrived to see what was going on.
"What happened here? Timothy, what are you doing?"
A group of Revolutionary soldiers emerged from the hallway. The leader, a senior officer, surveyed the scene and quickly pieced together what had occurred. The chubby boy lying on the ground was a well-known troublemaker—head of the so-called "child gang" in the headquarters.
"Alright, Timothy, why are you picking fights with children?"
Timothy, the officer who had intervened earlier, remained silent for a moment before replying in a low but firm tone.
"...Wasn't the reason we joined the Revolutionary Army—to build a new, equal world? So that our children would never have to suffer the same oppression and discrimination we did under the Empire?"
He looked around at the gathering crowd, his voice rising.
"But what do I see here now? Bullying. Prejudice. Exclusion. Even a taste of entitlement! How is this any different from the Empire we swore to overthrow?!"
The other senior officer, standing beside him, wanted to comfort Timothy with a pat on the shoulder—but seeing the seriousness in Timothy's eyes, he held back.
"Is it really that bad?" the man asked cautiously. "They're just kids..."
"A thousand-mile dam collapses from an ant's nest," Timothy replied grimly.
Without hesitation, he knelt and gently picked up the small, dust-covered girl—Mine. "Take her to our western base," he ordered his guards. "Headquarters isn't safe for her anymore."
As he gave the order, his gaze shifted briefly to the crying children sprawled on the ground—especially the chubby boy who had led them. There was no mercy in his eyes. That ugly sneer, that sense of superiority—it reminded Timothy too much of the pampered nobles of the Empire.
The Revolutionary Army, founded to destroy the Empire's tyranny, was now showing signs of the same rot it sought to purge.
"So late at night—what's the commotion about?"
A deep, steady voice cut through the air.
At once, Timothy and the other officer—Boolean—turned and saluted. "Commander."
After hearing a quick account of the situation, the Revolutionary Army Commander spoke calmly, "Enough, Boolean. Timothy. We'll settle this later. You came here in such a hurry—does this mean you have urgent intelligence?"
Timothy collected himself, forcing down his frustration. "Yes, Commander. It's important."
The Commander's expression hardened. "Then let's not waste time. To the conference room. Summon all department heads."
"Yes, Commander!"
...
In the castle's central meeting hall, Timothy relayed the latest intelligence report to his comrades.
"What?! All our intelligence operatives... wiped out?! Are you sure there's no mistake?" Boolean exclaimed, leaping to his feet in shock.
"It's confirmed," Timothy said grimly. "Our disguise strategy has been compromised. Every new intelligence network we built has been dismantled."
"B-but..." Boolean hesitated, his face pale.
The Commander turned to him sharply. "Boolean, did you hear something?"
"Yesterday, my outer base reported the arrival of two intelligence agents—wounded, barely alive... but we can't tell if they're survivors or traitors," Boolean admitted, unease in his voice.
"Keep them under observation," the Commander said coldly. "If there's even a hint of betrayal—eliminate them immediately."
Then he turned back to Timothy. "You're certain Selene was behind this?"
"Almost undoubtedly," Timothy replied. "The merchants we impersonated were part of Selene's subordinate guild network. She's always treated us with absolute hostility. I knew this strategy wouldn't last forever—but I didn't expect her to catch on so quickly."
"...I thought that old warhorse Budo would be our biggest obstacle," the Commander muttered. "But now another monster has emerged—Selene. Our southwestern allies were nearly wiped out by her forces. This... does not bode well for us."
The Commander's expression grew grave. With the power Selene had displayed—equal to, if not greater than, that of Great General Budo—he truly didn't know how they could defeat her. Unlike Budo, she wasn't content to stay within the Capital's walls.
"Commander," one of the senior members spoke up, "regarding Selene... I believe it's time we conduct another divination."
Though the suggestion seemed unrelated to the current discussion, it was, in truth, a reliable method the Revolutionary Army had used many times to avoid disaster.
Among them was one individual who possessed a divination-type Teigu. Thanks to it, the Revolutionary Army had escaped numerous crises, and many of their strongest members had been found through its guidance.
However, divination—peering into fate—always came at a cost. Even with the Teigu's power, the user paid a steep price each time. Both the wielder and the Teigu required long periods of recovery afterward. Forcing another reading before they recovered risked permanent injury to the user—or even the destruction of the Teigu itself.
Despite its dangers, this Teigu remained the Revolutionary Army's greatest trump card.
"Proceed with the divination," the Commander ordered after a brief silence.
...
Elsewhere, after two full days of searching through the southern mountain ranges for all possible locations suitable for human habitation, Selene and Esdeath finally arrived at their destination—a vast, ancient fortress hidden deep within the primeval forest.
Sensing the countless life signatures pulsing within, Selene smiled—a kind, yet chilling expression. "Here it is. The southern rebels' headquarters."
"Oh... right, here." As if remembering something, Selene turned and handed Esdeath a rhombus-shaped crystal.
Esdeath blinked in confusion, examining it closely. It was a perfectly symmetrical diamond-shaped crystal, about the length of a thumb, glowing with a faint violet hue threaded with red light.
"Hmm? What's this?" she asked with innocent curiosity.
"It will protect you," Selene replied casually. "Right now, you're not strong enough to join a battle of this scale. I could let you participate, but there's no need. You're my property, and seeing you injured would make me quite... unhappy."
Resting her silver-gloved hand on the young Esdeath's head, Selene added softly, "Watch carefully. Someday, I expect you to become my right hand."
...
"—An omen of great misfortune?!"
The cry echoed through the Revolutionary Army's council chamber as the divination result was revealed.
"How is that possible? Since the day we acquired the Divination Teigu, we've never drawn a 'Great Calamity' before!" one officer exclaimed in disbelief.
Though skeptical, the Commander ultimately chose to trust the result. The Teigu had guided them faithfully through countless perils before.
"It seems we'll need to adjust our plans for the coming years..." he muttered.
But before he could say more, the sky above the fortress suddenly erupted in blinding light.
"What's going on? Why is the sky glowing in the middle of the night?"
"Look! What is that in the sky?"
"It looks... like a meteor?!"