Jane Willow was a blonde Vouivre woman with a gentle appearance. She looks like a delicate young girl, but her race alone was proof that she was anything but weak. As a Vouivre, she could easily rely on her racial advantages to deal with anyone who meant harm.
She currently served as the flag bearer of the Victoria Ceremonial Guard, a position that, to outsiders, sounded insignificant.
It might have seemed like a dispensable role, yet Jane cherished it deeply and treated every assignment with absolute seriousness.
Outcast gestured for her to take a seat and poured her a cup of sweet hot cocoa. Jane smiled shyly before sitting down obediently.
"Is the situation at the front still tense?" Outcast asked.
"Yes…" Jane replied softly.
The situation in County Hillock was extremely grim. As fighting on the front lines intensified, large amounts of food and supplies were requisitioned by the Victorian nobility and sent south. Under these circumstances, the troops stationed in Hillock began plundering what little remained. Ordinary residents were left with almost nothing. Worse still, these so-called purchases were made at absurdly low prices, barely better than outright robbery.
Yet whether one had money or not hardly mattered anymore. Food prices in other mobile cities and regions had skyrocketed to the point where the Tara people could not afford them at all.
What angered them most was the cruel irony: the food taken by the Victorian nobles was being used to fight against the Tara nobles. County Hillock had once been part of the old Tara region. Now, the actions of the Victorian nobles and soldiers were even more excessive than before, leaving the locals with no way out. With the front lines on the brink, nearly every Tara resident secretly hoped for a decisive victory by the Tara nobles.
Of course, no one dared voice such thoughts. County Hillock was still under Victorian military control, and any sign of defiance would be tantamount to suicide.
"Tara Street is practically deserted now," Jane sighed. "People don't dare leave their homes. If they do, the Victorian army might demand money from them. More than half the shops have closed, but even that hasn't stopped the garrison. Only the areas where most Victorians live are somewhat stable."
Many Victorians lived in County Hillock as well, but the divide was obvious. They ate and drank well, while Tara families went hungry behind closed doors.
"Jane, I hope you can stay," Outcast said quietly as he adjusted his hat. "Tomorrow's Development just received a message. As of this morning, the Victorian noble armies have fallen into internal conflict, and the front lines have collapsed."
"What?" Jane gasped, springing to her feet.
Outcast, who usually carried a faint air of softness, looked utterly serious now.
"If the estimates are correct, the Tara army will reach County Hillock in the early hours of tomorrow morning."
Jane opened her mouth, her mind going blank. The war was already lost, and the enemy was about to arrive. What could she do? What could someone like her, a mere Ceremonial guard, possibly accomplish?
"Don't worry," Outcast said calmly. "We've already requested reinforcements."
She nodded toward the players waiting nearby. Solesar returned the gesture. The message had already been sent to the main force, and the King of Dawn would certainly be aware of the situation. While it was impossible to deploy the entire Venus to County Hillock, sending a group of reliable operators and players was still feasible.
"Jane, what worries me isn't what will happen after the Tara nobles arrive," Outcast continued. "What worries me is what the Victorian military might do beforehand, especially if they already know what's coming."
Jane blinked, her eyes widening as a terrifying possibility took shape in her mind.
"I… I have to warn them!"
"Stop! It's too dangerous for you to act alone right now!" Outcast shouted as Jane reached the door.
She bit her lip and turned to the members of the Blue Rain team. "This is an urgent mission, adventurers."
Solesar stepped forward. "I understand how critical this is, but shouldn't we maintain the status quo until the Victorian military makes a move? Tomorrow's Development has no law enforcement authority within Victoria. Aside from treating the infected, we have no grounds to intervene in the conflict between Victoria and Tara."
Before he could finish speaking, a deafening roar echoed across the city. Windows shattered as the shockwave hit, and Solesar and the others lost their footing, crashing to the ground.
Solesar covered his head and waited for the dizziness debuff to fade a few seconds later. He staggered to his feet, stepping over shattered glass as he looked out the window. Thick smoke rose from the direction of the Tara district, and the flames had spread so widely that they seemed to stain the sky itself.
"What… what happened?" Jane murmured, still unable to believe what she was seeing.
Outcast let out a quiet sigh and glanced at Solesar, Dandao Dantart, and the other adventurers, whose expressions said they already knew the answer. "Now we have a reason to intervene, don't we?"
"Ms. Outcast, please remain at central command," Solesar said immediately. "Leave the rest to us adventurers. We'll head to the scene and treat the wounded. As for the Victorian army, we'll avoid contact if possible."
Outcast nodded slightly. "I'm counting on you."
After settling Jane down, Outcast turned to the other operators who were still regaining their composure. Her voice was calm, steady, and reassuring. "When His Highness established the County Hillock branch, he anticipated its unique circumstances and prepared two contingency plan, Plan A and Plan B. Plan A assumed the Victorian army would surround and attack us, forcing a retreat. Plan B assumed County Hillock would fall, and we would have to defend it. Activate Contingency Plan B."
"Clear!"
The operators rose and moved quickly. Since Tomorrow's Development had purchased the entire building, they were free to modify it as needed. The small three-story structure was fully operational in a short time. With Tomorrow's Development's advanced mechanical technology, the once ordinary walls transformed into a solid defensive network. Weapons and automated turrets were deployed, while scouting drones launched into the air and dispersed throughout the city to assess the situation.
At that moment, someone knocked on the door.
Outcast peered through the gap, her expression shifting in surprise before she opened it.
A figure stood outside, carrying another person over her shoulder.
___
Ten minutes earlier.
The scene had been horrific. Blood soaked the streets, and bodies lay scattered across the ground.
Bagpipe's face was smeared with blood as she carried the unconscious Captain Horn on her shoulder.
The two had left the Victorian district during their earlier supply run and taken a shortcut through the Tara district. Horn had chosen the route because she wanted to see the current state of the area. Though she had inspected it only two days earlier, the Tara streets were now noticeably more desolate. The main roads were nearly empty, yet many Tara women knelt by the sewers, begging. Unlike their husbands, who still had work, they had no food at home and nothing to cook. Begging was their only option.
Tragically, as Tara people, they were strictly forbidden from entering the Victorian streets.
So they could only beg within the Tara district, where there was almost nothing to give.
Bagpipe couldn't help but feel pity. She glanced at Captain Horn and saw her staring straight ahead, silent as ever. They were carrying bags of supplies meant for the Tempest Platoon, and there really wasn't much extra.
How could soldiers fight if they weren't properly fed? With no news from the front, the Tempest Platoon could be deployed at any moment. Without supplies, how could they endure sustained combat?
"…Captain, I just realized I've been eating a bit too much these past couple of days," Bagpipe said lightly.
"Nonsense," Horn replied.
She hesitated, understanding what Bagpipe meant, and frowned. "Your portion alone won't save an entire family. Even so, are you prepared to give up your share?"
"…Aren't soldiers supposed to fight to protect the people?" Bagpipe said softly, her voice firm. She looked straight at Horn. "Captain, the Tara people are people Victorians should protect too."
"You…"
With a sigh, Horn reached into her supply bag, took out two portions of food, and stepped forward.
"Captain…"
"Go back as soon as this is done."
They had only taken a few steps when they noticed a man in a black hood sneaking around the corner ahead. He collided head-on with a child, crashing to the ground as a large number of food packages spilled from his arms.
"Bastard… bastard!"
The man cursed furiously, but the child did not even apologize. Instead, his gaze was fixed on the cookie closest to him.
"Food… it's food!"
His cry drew the attention of the nearby Tara people. When they saw so many scattered, ownerless packages on the ground, they rushed forward in a frenzy, scrambling to grab them while the man shouted curses in rage.
Horn paused for a moment, then stopped. Bagpipe stopped as well. The Tara people had food now; at the very least, they might be able to endure a little longer.
But, something seems wrong...
The instant Horn saw the red flash erupt into sparks, she stepped in front of Bagpipe and took the full force of the explosion. The shockwave hurled them both into the wall behind them, like weightless plastic bags swept away by the blast.
A sharp pain exploded at the back of Bagpipe's head, leaving her dizzy. She looked down at Horn in her arms and felt the sticky warmth of blood soaking her hands. Gritting her teeth, she lifted Horn up. This place was no longer safe. The police from County Hillock had arrived, and there was nothing to be gained by staying. Treating their injuries came first.
She hoisted Horn onto her shoulder. With her free hand, she tightly clutched the supplies they had bought for their team and headed toward the Victoria district.
She remembered that there was a public hospital there.
___
Back in the present, Outcast brought Bagpipe and Horn into the hospital. The medical operator on duty was visibly shocked by their condition and immediately began treatment.
Horn was taken straight into the operating room. She had endured the shockwave of the explosion head-on, and if not for her exceptional physical strength, she might already have been dead. Bagpipe, by contrast, had only suffered light abrasions and minor injuries from the impact, trivial for someone of a Vouivre's physique.
Bagpipe sat alone outside the operating room, her hands clasped tightly together as she prayed that her captain would survive.
Meanwhile, Solesar led Blue Rain's forces to the area surrounding the explosion. The buildings near the epicenter had been reduced to rubble, and the blackened remains scattered across the ground were once Tara civilians. The Victoria police recoiled at the sight and immediately ordered the area to be cleared.
From the officers' conversation, Solesar learned that the death toll had reached 176. The number sent a chill down his spine. Those closest to the blast had been reduced to dust, while houses slightly farther away had also collapsed, killing the Tara people inside before they even realized what was happening.
The tragedy made the players frown. More than a hundred lives had been lost.
To the Victoria police, however, these victims were treated like livestock. They casually grabbed two crying children and began to question them slowly and methodically about the incident.
"I believe this was a premeditated attack."
After the Blue Rain team reached a secluded street, Dandao Dantart spoke up and shared his speculation. "This bomb was most likely planted deliberately in the Tara district. The goal was to cause mass casualties among the Tara people and satisfy the Victorians' sense of superiority."
"Dandao Dantart, isn't that conclusion a bit rushed?" Solesar said after a moment of thought. "Even with the open and hidden hostility between the Victorians and the Tara, would they really turn their weapons on civilians?"
"The Victorians might not," Dandao Dantart replied calmly, "but the Victorian military definitely would. What do you think they would do if they learned of a defeat on the front lines and were forced to evacuate County Hillocks?"
Solesar raised an eyebrow slightly. "That's a bold hypothesis… but it may point us in the right direction."
"So, Captain, what's our next move?"
"We head to the Victoria garrison base," Solesar said. "We'll scout and see what they're up to. We're operators of Tomorrow's Development, so this time we'll rely on Clever surveillance instead of charging in blindly."
"Understood!"