Reaching an iron door, a strange masked figure severed his own finger.Bone and blood were exposed, and with his own blood he drew a strange symbol on the door.
A serpent biting the tail of another serpent—and the bitten one bit back, the two snakes devouring each other's tails to form a circle.
The figure pulled back his hood, revealing a face without facial features, though the muscles and expressions were still there.
After finishing the symbol, he used his blood-soaked finger to draw on his own face.
A pair of lips, a nose, two ears, eyes, eyebrows—painted in bright red blood.
Finally, he walked to a nearby signboard, slammed his head against it over and over, and died.
When the blood splattered and his body collapsed, from the very center of his chest, a flag slowly sprouted.
Far away, atop a building in the center of the city, a hand reached out and touched a city map. Small red flags were pinned everywhere, looking random at first glance.
Holding a black brush pen, the hand drew connecting lines.
Ten red flags, originally scattered without pattern, suddenly formed a star—each point linked to the others, with five inner points and five outer ones, creating fifteen straight lines.
Those lines were the paths drawn for the puppets to move between the flagged points.
Lloyd sat heavily on the ground, silent. He was waiting. His path, his life, was staked on this single gamble.
He looked out the window. A sphere wrapped in a cosmic-patterned cloth slowly unraveled, revealing a twisted smile. He awaited the demon within to be released.
Click.
The door behind Lloyd opened, and two figures stepped inside.
Luce Olaf, and behind him, someone short—dwarf-sized.
"Phelion…"
…
Clang. Clang.
Metallic sounds reverberated everywhere as a massive figure—at least three meters tall—rose and strode through a flower garden.
He looked like a bear messing around with tiny flowers.
The Eastern Hunting Guild was one of the factions involved in the terrorist attacks. They had been founded and led by Renno, known as the "Night-Hunting Maniac."
And this bear-like man was his son—Bucky, the leader assigned to this terrorist operation, though in truth he was the only one here.
He had been abandoned, cast into the battlefield alone to die. However, his core was rank 10—making him a one-man army. Only the higher-ranked elites of other terrorist divisions could compare, at least in this isolated city.
Bucky tilted his head upward. In the sky, hundreds of steel bars and metal fragments clashed together, forming sparks, then rapidly merging into enormous cubes.
Bucky waved his hand to the side. The cube instantly drifted to the designated area, joining other identical cubes.
He glanced to the side, excitement on his face like a child looking at new toys, then turned behind him.
Jax stood there, calmly observing the bizarre cubes. His expression was cold—as it always had been, no matter the situation—which made it impossible for anyone to know what he was thinking.
"Good," Jax responded to Bucky's expectant look.
…
"I'll take my leave, milady."
"It's fine. Leave it there."
The maid stood up slowly, bowed in gratitude, and carried the tray out of the room.
The Royal Family—one of the three great powers of the original novel.
They were innately powerful, blessed with endless resources and weapons. They ate the finest food, had the best teachers and environment. They were destined to succeed.
Because of that, they were people whom tens of thousands envied. Even becoming a servant for them placed one above countless others.
And because of that, Janeus knew only one thing for certain—She had to be careful.
Her path had been predetermined from the beginning. She could not afford to stumble even once. If she fell, everything around her would collapse as well.
Janeus lifted her teacup, took a sip, then waved the butler and the remaining servants out of the room.
She looked toward the doorway—just a brief glance, as if toward an annoying fly—and asked:
"When are you planning to come in?"
"…Isn't that a bit too obvious, princess?"
I stepped out from thin air, dressed in formal attire like a young noble, forcing an awkward smile.
"I knew the moment you followed the servants in. So I figured: why pretend?"
Standing in the corner, I bowed to the princess, thinking, As expected, I couldn't fool her.
I had used One-Eyed Impostor to disguise myself as a servant and slip inside, but I never expected her to see through me so quickly—faster than even the guards.
Still, Janeus didn't chase me out. Because we had been cooperating from the start. I had recklessly revealed the terrorist plan, and she had helped significantly in recent days. She assumed I might have something more to report. And since the previous encounter had been an emergency, she only knew I was someone arrested for illegal information dealing; she didn't know my identity.
"Sit. I've poured tea already."
I sat across from her, studying the woman before me. She had slightly wavy golden hair, a feminine face yet carrying maturity—calm and composed.
"With your permission."
I lifted the teacup and took a sip. By etiquette, I was being disrespectful. But I knew she wouldn't mind.
"…You look quite comfortable."
"I apologize for my rudeness, milady."
I quickly set the cup down, sitting upright, embarrassment written all over my face.
"Though we've only met once a few days ago, your neck seems clean enough now."
"Haha… your jokes are always amusing."
I forgot—her comfort is reserved for those close to her, not for criminals like me.
I adjusted my posture and expressions. Basic skills for someone like me.
"You should be more polite, more proper in your manners. I'm only warning you because it's just the two of us here, you understand?""I understand, my lord…""So then, what brings Sir Joe here today?"
I held my breath for a moment to gather my thoughts, unconsciously tapping my fingers against the armrest. Janeus glanced at my hand as if disapproving of the discourtesy, but said nothing more.
"...I want to talk more about how I intend to save the people here…""Oh? Go on."
I took a deep breath, looked at her, and said:"I thought the two of us were the same kind of person."