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Before the wounds from the Academy attack, which resulted in numerous casualties, could even heal, a shocking truth came to light. Horizon, known as the Great Sage and a professor at the Academy, was revealed to have colluded with the New Resistance.

The source of this information was none other than Gilbert Lion Heart, who was currently at the peak of his influence within the Empire. Gilbert believed that the repeated attacks on the Academy were not due to flaws in the security system but rather the work of an insider from the New Resistance who had infiltrated the Academy. He initiated an investigation based on this belief.

Gilbert ordered Layla, the leader of the Golden Mane, a renowned Ranger unit under his family’s command, to uncover the insider. It didn’t take long for them to discover a startling truth: Horizon, who had been revered as the Great Sage for many years and held the position of Demeia professor, was the insider.

The entire Empire was shocked by this revelation, and attention quickly turned to Gilbert’s insight and Princess Seraphina, who had brought him under her wing. With the official declaration of the throne succession war, this achievement was seen as a step closer for her to the long-vacant position of the Empire’s heir.

However, as the throne succession war had just begun, it was premature to make any definitive judgments. Even though there were visible differences among the successors, ultimately, the one who could completely eradicate the New Resistance would become the heir.

Thus, the people of the Empire eagerly awaited and prayed for the successor who could uproot Horizon and the New Resistance, hoping that the person who could continue the Empire’s reign would become the heir.

***

Gilbert, guided by Layla, recovered the bodies of Johnson and Roel. Whether it was because Horizon was furious that his identity was exposed and Layla had escaped, their bodies were in a state that couldn’t even be described as intact.

It was a difficult task just to gather their torn bodies, which had been shredded by explosive magic. The fact that the only relatively intact part was their heads gave a clear indication of how they had died.

Layla, still not fully recovered, personally took charge of recovering their bodies. Although she enlisted the help of other soldiers, she was the one who worked the hardest.

Gilbert also assisted Layla. It was to honor the spirits of the two who had died following his orders.

Despite their efforts to gather the fragmented bodies, it was impossible to restore them to their original state. Johnson, with his buzz cut, was missing his right leg, and Roel, with his shaggy hair, couldn’t have his arms found.

Layla, with a near-paranoid attitude, searched the abyss, but it seemed that the powerful magic had already obliterated any remains.

Unable to accept this, she wanted to continue the search, but Gilbert stopped her. Instead, he ordered the creation of high-quality prosthetic limbs to fill the empty spaces in their coffins.

“Unit Leader Layla. Did these two have families?”

“Johnson was alone, and Roel had a wife and a son.”

“I see.”

Gilbert, feeling a familiar yet unbearable emotion, looked at the tightly sealed coffins. Johnson had been deprived of the chance to start a family, and Roel had gone to a place from which he could never return to his family. Gilbert, who had given the search order, felt a deep pain in his heart.

This emotion was one Gilbert had tried hard to forget. He had sent many comrades ahead in the war and had always attended their funerals. Sometimes he even stood as the chief mourner for comrades without relatives or helped their families.

As the war dragged on, his attendance at funerals became more frequent, but it never became easier, and it was something he could never get used to.

The deaths of Johnson and Roel brought back those memories Gilbert had wanted to forget.

He knew there had been many casualties in the previous Academy attack. While their deaths didn’t hold a different value from Johnson and Roel’s, the reason for their deaths was fundamentally due to his orders.

If he hadn’t ordered them to investigate, Johnson might have married and had children, and Roel might have returned to his family to live a comfortable life.

And yet…

This isn’t good.

Gilbert shook his head, trying to shake off the spiraling thoughts. This was one of his bad habits.

Assuming the futures of comrades who died during missions and feeling guilty.

Whether it was directly related to Gilbert or not didn’t matter. He would imagine the futures of his fallen comrades with “what ifs” and wonder if there was a way they could have survived.

And he would always blame himself for their deaths, caught in a vicious cycle of guilt for being the one who survived. It was a kind of post-traumatic stress disorder. In fact, that was the diagnosis he received from a psychiatrist.

“Send them to Bismarck and hold a grand funeral. Also, ensure Roel’s family receives sufficient compensation. Tell them I will visit them personally later.”

“Personally, my lord?”

“It happened because of my orders. At the very least, I should see Roel’s family in person.”

Layla, sensing Gilbert’s feelings, bowed her head. She was deeply impressed by him, as a unit leader, taking care of his fallen subordinates.

“Unit Leader Layla.”

“Yes, Lord Gilbert.”

“After Johnson and Roel’s funeral, bring the Golden Mane here.”

“The entire unit?”

Layla’s eyes widened as she asked. Even just summoning her, the unit leader, and the team leader had stretched Gilbert’s authority thin.

It was only possible because they were investigating the Academy attack; otherwise, it would have been reasonable to be refused.

“Yes, I’ll speak to the Count myself.”

“Are you sure that’s alright?”

“No problem.”

Even though summoning the entire Golden Mane unit was more challenging than just the unit leader and team leader, Gilbert remained unwavering.

He was well aware of the Lion Heart Count Family’s strict neutrality, focusing solely on border defense, yet he didn’t seem to care.

Layla had many questions but didn’t show them. She gave the Golden Mane’s salute, tapping her chest once, and headed towards Johnson and Roel’s coffins.

It was to bid them farewell one last time before they departed for Bismarck.

“You guys went ahead without following the captain’s orders till the end. What’s so good about going first, you bastards? Be prepared because I’ll give you a smack on the back of your heads when I join you someday.”

Layla spoke calmly, addressing the two who had embarked on a long journey, as if nothing was different.

No, it wasn’t that nothing was different; she was suppressing her emotions to the extreme. To let them depart without burden, Layla continued to act as if nothing was wrong.

But she failed to swallow the rising grief from the depths of her heart. Tears streamed down her face as her emotions overflowed.

Layla clenched her fists so tightly that her hands turned white.

“Just wait a little longer. I’ll send that bastard along as a gift to the afterlife.”

Layla’s eyes were filled with cold determination and killing intent. It was a promise to them and to herself.

Meanwhile, Gilbert, who had been watching Layla, realized that her eyes looked familiar. He felt like he had seen them somewhere before, yet they also felt familiar.

As he struggled to grasp the elusive memory, he finally recalled it. The look in her eyes resembled the fierce, vengeful gaze of Layla from the game, which he had only seen once.

Gilbert guessed how her mindset had changed. Although Layla’s eyes were different from the game, her mindset had become filled with the same vengeance and anger as Layla in the game.

Because of this, Gilbert couldn’t even begin to predict the impact it would have on future events.

***

“Arrogant and lowly scum!”

Ugh! Damn it!

Bandike, kneeling before Horizon, who smashed various objects several times a day, desperately hoped his anger would subside.

A few nights ago, this crazy old man had hurriedly come to the New Resistance’s hideout, shedding his previously carefree demeanor to become irritable and eccentric. He would suddenly burst into rage, smashing everything in sight.

At first, the servants attending to him tried to stop him, but Horizon, in a fit of rage, exploded any servant who touched him. The servants, panicking, tried to refuse serving him, but in a hierarchical society, that wasn’t allowed.

Eventually, this happened several times, and some New Resistance members, unable to bear it, tried to intervene.

They thought the continent’s sage would be reasonable and calmly requested a dialogue. They believed someone with his knowledge would act rationally.

Of course, they were mistaken. Horizon, having been thoroughly outsmarted by Johnson and Roel, didn’t act rationally at all. He exploded the members who tried to stop him, just as before, earning their resentment.

Bandike had to directly deal with the members’ anxiety and dissatisfaction while also being wary of Horizon’s explosive magic, which could erupt at any moment.

“Bandike.”

“Here, Lord Horizon!”

“Gather all the members immediately.”

Horizon, having abandoned his benevolent tone, issued the order with eyes blazing in anger. He couldn’t accept that all his carefully laid plans had been ruined by a moment of carelessness and two damn Rangers.

To the public, he was the benevolent Great Sage, but in reality, he was far from it. Horizon was a miserly, petty, and narrow-minded individual.

He refused to accept that his plans had failed because of two people. Instead, he convinced himself that now was the opportune time.

After all, Horizon knew someone who possessed two of the things he desired.

Ian Tigress Line Barrel.

He was the one who possessed the two items the Great Sage Horizon desired.

The Lion King’s sword, passed down in his family, and the ultra-artificial spirit Fressia were exactly what he wanted.

“Understood. Is there anything else, my lord?”

Bandike, sweating profusely, asked Horizon. Horizon, lost in thought for a moment, nodded with a cruel smile.

“Yes. Prepare for war.”

Horizon dredged up the conqueror’s desire that had lain dormant in his blood.

The time to put an end to the long years was approaching.

 

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