Transmigration After Possessing the Final Villain, I Have Only One Year Left 【Scene 01】Modern Apartment · Late Night · Interior The ending screen of Inner Lunatic loops on the computer monitor. Empty medicine bottles, a diagnosis, and an ashtray crowd the corner of the desk. The player leans back in his chair, his pale fingers still gripping the mouse. System Text: Inner Lunatic Part One has been fully cleared. Total clears: 27. Player: I even got the hidden achievement this time. If I weren't going to die next month, this really would be a perfect clear. He glances at the calendar on the wall. Only one square remains without a red X. After a moment of silence, he moves the cursor to “Create New Character.” Player: It's the last run anyway. One more time. 【Scene 02】Character Creation Screen · Timeless · Interior A character card rises out of the darkness. The player enters the name “Karl,” then selects “Genius of Swordsmanship and Combat” and “Genius of Mana Perception.” At the bottom, in red letters, is “Little Time Left.” Player: One year of life in exchange for two genius traits. Fine. A glass cannon it is. System Text: Character created successfully. Character name cannot be assigned. Character name has been forcibly changed. Player: What do you mean, forcibly changed? Blinding electricity erupts from the screen. The player clutches his chest as darkness swallows his breath. 【Scene 03】Reinheiber Estate Infirmary · Early Morning · Interior Nox von Reinheiber bolts upright in bed, his chest burning as if set on fire. In the mirror is a sickly pale boy with long silver-white hair and light violet eyes. The maid Rona stands beside the bed. Rona: Young Master? Did you have another nightmare? Nox: What year is it? Rona: Imperial Year 612. Have you even forgotten your own birthday? Nox presses a hand to his heart. Scarlet letters float into view. System Text: Remaining lifespan: 365 days. Nox: I'm not a game character. I really came into this world. 【Scene 04】Estate Training Ground · Morning · Exterior Rona tosses Nox a wooden sword. The twins Allen and Hartz laugh nearby, convinced the frail fifth young master will not last a single exchange. Allen: A spoiled young master thinks he can go to Elidien? Hartz: Try not to break your wrist first. Nox looks down and grips the sword. Time seems to stretch before his eyes. Their centers of gravity, the gaps around their arms, and even the path of the wind become perfectly clear. Nox: Both of you. Come at me. The wooden swords cross. Nox retreats three steps, then suddenly turns his wrist, flicking Allen's sword away before placing the pommel against Hartz's throat. Rona: Young Master... when did you learn to do that? Nox: Starting today. 【Scene 05】Reinheiber Estate Corridor · Dusk · Interior The family head, Theo von Reinheiber, stands in the shadows and watches the entire bout. As Nox sheaths his sword, he notices his father has not left. Theo: You hid it well. Nox: I simply don't want to die. Theo: If you want to live, don't let anyone see your true sword. Nox: Are you teaching me, Father, or warning me? Theo: Both. Elidien has no shortage of geniuses. What it lacks are geniuses who survive to the end. Theo walks past him and stops beside the oldest sword mark on the training ground. Theo: Your brothers will treat victory as glory. The Empire will treat talent as a bargaining chip. But a truly powerful person will first ask whether you can be used. Nox: And what will you ask, Father? Theo: Whether your sword will leave its sheath for the family when danger is greatest. Nox watches his father walk away without answering. The Black Flame Ring in his palm gives a faint pulse, as if reminding him that the family, too, is part of the future. 【Scene 06】Estate Forecourt · Evening · Exterior The red-haired girl Talia Stileina jumps down from a carriage, her cloak covered in dust. She walks straight over and blocks Nox's path. Talia: I'm Talia. The elders say I'm going to marry you someday. Nox: Didn't they tell you I'll die young? Talia: No. But I heard you hate me. Nox remembers the scene from the game where she drove a sword through the Dark Knight's chest. His gaze turns cold. Nox: I hate trouble. Talia: Then I'll make you get used to me. 【Scene 07】Royal Stables · After the Rain · Exterior It is the day to choose a horse. A young obsidian-black horse lies in a corner, breathing weakly, and no one is willing to approach it. Nox crouches down and listens to its dying heartbeat. Stablehand: That one won't survive, Young Master. Nox: His name is Karl. Stablehand: He doesn't have a name yet. Nox pulls out a yellowed page. Black mist seeps into the horse's wound like ink. Karl opens his eyes again, ghostly blue fire burning in his pupils. Talia: What did you do to him? Nox: Gave him a second chance. We both need one. 【Scene 08】Entrance to the Lost Forest · Night · Exterior Moonlight washes over the twisted woods. Nox rides Karl past the warning sign, while Talia secretly follows behind. Nox: Come out. Talia steps out from behind a tree, gripping her short sword. Talia: I wasn't following you. I just... didn't want my fiancé to die in a beast's jaws. Nox: Go back. Talia: First tell me what you came to get. Nox: The Black Flame Ring. If I get it, I might live a few more days. 【Scene 09】Deep in the Lost Forest · Night · Exterior A pack of gray wolves bursts from between the vines. Talia is driven against a giant tree and loses her short sword. Nox charges in on horseback, his black sword severing the wolf king's foreleg. Talia: On your left! She picks up a dagger and throws it straight into the wolf king's eye. Nox uses the opening to pierce its heart. Black flame rises from the corpse and coils around his fingers. System Text: Lifespan absorption successful. Talia: You could have left me behind. Nox: If you died here, a great many people would come bother me. Talia: Then I'll take that as you saving me. 【Scene 10】Forest Altar · Dawn · Exterior At the center of the ruined altar, the Black Flame Ring is embedded in a stone pedestal. Nox puts it on. The ring burns a bloody mark into his palm, which immediately heals. Talia: It's feeding on your blood. Nox: And it will steal time back from my enemies for me. Talia: What exactly do you mean by “one year to live”? Nox stops. For the first time, he does not immediately send her away. Nox: It means I have to win, within one year, a war that everyone else has lost. Talia: Then don't win it alone. 【Scene 11】Family Head's Study · Afternoon · Interior Theo pushes a blonde girl in front of Nox. The girl bows, her back rigid. Theo: Gitri de Rovellia. From today onward, she is your personal maid. Gitri: At your command, Young Master Nox. Theo: She will report your words and actions to me. Gitri jerks her head up. Nox: At least Father is honest. What about you, Gitri? Gitri: ...I will report. But I will also carry out every task you give me. Nox: Then stay. I happen to need someone who isn't afraid of me. 【Scene 12】Reinheiber Ancestral Sword Chamber · Late Night · Interior The ancestral sword Stormbringer hangs above a stone platform, lightning continuously lashing Nox's arm. Theo keeps time. Ten minutes feel like an execution. Theo: Let go. It will drain every trace of your mana. Nox: Mana isn't what it wants. System Text: Lifespan being consumed. Nox bites through his lip as the Black Flame Ring lights up. At the tenth minute, Stormbringer settles quietly into his hand. Theo: What did you pay? Nox: A small piece of my future. Theo: From this day forward, that sword must never point at the family. Nox: As long as the family does not point a sword at me first. Theo steps forward and grips his shoulder. The boy beneath his hand is trembling violently. Stormbringer's lightning patterns crawl over the back of Nox's hand as though trying to burrow into his heart. Theo: You think obtaining it means you conquered it? Nox: No. I borrowed it once. Theo: Borrowed power always has to be repaid. Nox: Then I'll kill enough things that deserve to die and earn the price back. Theo releases him. For the first time, something like concern cracks his expression. Theo: Don't treat your own life as something that can be traded. 【Scene 13】Chedes Territory Border · Day · Exterior Nox arrives in Chedes with the subjugation force led by his second brother, Glein. Villagers hide behind broken walls, while a griffin's shriek tears across the distant sky. Glein: You're only here to see the world. Don't steal the glory. Nox: I'll only take what belongs to me. Gitri organizes the supplies behind him. Gitri: Young Master, the air smells of rotting meat and medicinal powder. Someone is luring the monsters here. Nox: The monsters aren't besieging the city. Someone brought them. 【Scene 14】Chedes Sewer Entrance · Evening · Interior Nox follows the medicinal powder into the sewer and runs into the drunken half-elf alchemist Elena. She hugs a crate of explosive potions, while moldy experiment notes lie at her feet. Elena: Take one more step and I'll send you flying with the rats. Nox: Your potion ratio is off by thirty percent. You're the one who'll go flying. Elena freezes. Nox: You want a laboratory. I want someone who can make medicine. Come with me. Elena: Kid, what gives you the right to order me around? Nox: I know how to refine a griffin's heart into an Elixir of Wind. 【Scene 15】Chedes Guard Barracks · Night · Interior Guard Captain Tagen and bandit chief Long divide their spoils over a map. Schultz corners Gitri as she delivers medicine and reaches for her. Schultz: A maid from a fallen noble house dares give me that look? A black sword nails itself through the table, stopping just before his fingers. Nox walks in through the doorway. Nox: Move your hand. Tagen: Little Master Reinheiber, this isn't a place where you can throw your weight around. Nox: Good. As of today, it won't be your place anymore. 【Scene 16】Chedes Square · Dawn · Exterior The evidence, smuggling ledgers, and monster-luring powder are laid out across the square. Tagen tries to draw his sword and flee, but Nox breaks it with Stormbringer. The villagers close in. Long: Kill me, and the griffin will tear this city apart! Nox: It came because you fed it human flesh. Now it will bury you. Gitri raises the ledger. Gitri: The evidence proving that the Chedes guard colluded with bandits is all here. Does anyone still wish to speak for them? No one answers. Beyond the city gate comes the beating of wings. 【Scene 17】Chedes City Wall · Early Morning · Exterior The griffin dives, its talons shattering the wall. Nox leaps from the broken stones, driving Stormbringer's lightning into the beast's chest. Glein: Get back! It'll tear you apart! Nox: Then we'll see which one of us dies first. Elena throws an Elixir of Wind into the air. Nox slices the bottle open, and the storm wraps around his blade as it pierces the griffin's heart. System Text: Lifespan absorption successful. Gitri watches him land, her eyes red. Gitri: Young Master, you used yourself as bait again. Nox: Bait is only worth using if it works. Glein rushes over holding his broken sword, his face darker than the blood on the wall. Glein: You stole my subjugation. Nox: You led the troops into an ambush. If Gitri hadn't smelled the powder, the entire city would have died. Glein: You trust the word of a maid? Nox: She's more worthy of trust than you. Gitri freezes. Nox lifts his blood-dripping sword and walks past his brother. Nox: Send the survivors to Elena. If you still want the credit, first learn not to use other people as bait. 【Scene 18】Chedes Lord's Hall · Afternoon · Interior The Emperor's envoy reads out the reward. Administrative authority over Chedes is granted to Nox. Theo learns of it through a letter, his expression complicated. Envoy: His Majesty asks whether there is anything else you desire. Nox: Alchemical materials, authorization for city defenses, and money that will keep the common people alive. Gitri: You don't want a higher title? Nox: A title cannot save a life. Walls and medicine can. Elena hugs the griffin's heart. Elena: I'll refine it into an elixir. Don't die before it's finished, Young Master. 【Scene 19】Reinheiber Study · Night · Interior Theo questions his son by candlelight. Nox stands before a wall covered in ancestral portraits. Theo: Do you want to inherit the family? Nox: No. Theo: Chedes, an alchemist, Stormbringer. Everything you do looks like a bid for succession. Nox: I'm gathering bargaining chips to stay alive. Theo: One day the family will stand at the center of the storm. Nox: Which is exactly why I cannot be trapped in the seat of family head. 【Scene 20】Elidien Academy City Gate · Opening Day · Exterior Towers and suspended bridges block out the sky. Among the new students, Talia looks up at the academy crest. Eleanor de Rivalin steps out of an ornate carriage and casts a cold glance at Nox. Eleanor: To think I'd run into you again. The spoiled lord of Chedes. Nox: Even the Golden Fox comes to school? Eleanor: A merchant must learn early who is worth investing in. Talia hooks her arm through Nox's. Talia: He doesn't accept investments. Eleanor: That isn't his decision alone. 【Scene 21】Academy Grand Hall · Day · Interior The petite headmistress Noah von Trinity steps onto the dais, silencing the entire hall with her presence. Professor Bernon unfurls a teleportation scroll beside her. Noah: Elidien does not teach the weak how to grow up safely. The entrance trial lasts ten hours. Find the mana crystal inside the labyrinth. Bernon: Those who call for rescue are eliminated. Those who steal from others are eliminated. Those who die... are also eliminated. The new students turn pale. Nox looks toward the island labyrinth in the distance. Nox: Just like the first stage in the game. Talia: You're talking about something no one understands again. Nox: It's nothing. Stay close to me. 【Scene 22】Noah's Assembly Labyrinth · Day · Interior Ice walls shift as swarms of insects pour from the cracks. Nox draws his sword and leads the way, but Eleanor deliberately takes another path. Eleanor: I don't need you to lead me. Nox: That route has a Nightwalker. Eleanor: How do you know? A shadow lunges out. Nox catches its claws on his blade, and Talia cuts through the monster's hind leg. Eleanor falls silent for a moment. Eleanor: Coincidence? Nox: Coincidence. Eleanor: When you lie, your eyes move first. 【Scene 23】Top Floor of the Labyrinth · Dusk · Interior Nox leaps alone onto a stone pillar, shatters the ice troll's core, and takes the only black mana crystal. The bell rings, ending the trial. Bernon: First place, Nox von Reinheiber. Noah watches him through a crystal screen. Noah: Interesting. It's as though he read the labyrinth in advance. Nox scans the crowd but cannot find the protagonist who should have been there. Nox: The original protagonist is gone. Then I'll have to play both roles. On the crystal screen, Eleanor helps an injured student out of the labyrinth. She looks toward Nox across the crowd, clearly still remembering his “coincidence.” Talia: You came first. Why don't you look happy? Nox: Because first place wasn't supposed to be mine. Talia: Then whose was it supposed to be? Nox: Someone who shouldn't have disappeared. Talia does not understand, but she drapes her cloak over his shoulders. Talia: Whoever that person was, you're the one standing here now. Don't lose yourself too. 【Scene 24】Goblin Tavern Basement · Late Night · Interior Wearing a half-mask, Nox enters a chamber carved with moon patterns. Moonlight condenses into the outline of a woman, and Luna steps out of the shadows. Luna: A first-year student managed to find Lunatic? Nox: I'm here to take the Moonlight Trial. Luna: Those who fail lose their sanity. Those who succeed lose their name. Nox: The name was borrowed to begin with. Luna smiles and pushes him through the blood-red moon gate. 【Scene 25】Moonlight Trial Ground · Full-Moon Night · Exterior A misshapen chimera drags itself from the altar in chains. Maddening whispers try to tear apart Nox's mind, and he drives the Black Flame Ring into his own palm. Luna's Voice: Give up. You only have one year left. Nox: Which is why I have no right to give up. The chimera lunges. Nox blocks its fangs with Stormbringer as phantoms of Talia, Gitri, and every dead ending flash before his eyes. Nox: I didn't come here to repeat the ending. He cuts off the monster's head. The chimera's remains continue to twitch. Blood mist becomes countless phantoms, all reaching to drag Nox down. Phantom Talia: Put down the sword. You were going to die anyway. Phantom Gitri: Young Master, please stop going forward. Nox closes his eyes and lets the black flame burn through his palm. Nox: You aren't them. They would scold me, stand in front of me, and force me to drink my medicine. Luna's Voice comes from above: Who are you talking to? Nox opens his eyes and sweeps every phantom away with his blade. Nox: The things that want me to accept my fate. 【Scene 26】Moonlight Altar · Dawn · Exterior The blood moon fades. Luna places a black-and-silver uniform and a Moonshadow Mask on the stone platform. Nox: Did I pass the trial? Luna: No. You did very well. Nox looks up. Luna: Welcome to Lunatic. Nox: I obey no one. Luna: I don't need slaves either. I need people who can point a sword at demons. 【Scene 27】Academy Dormitory · Night · Interior While bandaging Nox, Gitri slaps a list of bullied maid trainees onto the table. Gitri: I don't need you to take revenge for me, Young Master. Nox: I know. Gitri: Then why did you give me this recording crystal? Nox: So the people bullying you will know they can end up like the bandits of Chedes. Gitri suppresses a smile. Gitri: Young Master always says he's a bad person. Nox: I am. Gitri: Then I'll always stand behind the bad person. 【Scene 28】Academy Training Ground · Afternoon · Exterior Noble students are beating the gray-haired swordsman Paracelsus. Nox draws his sword and blocks their attacks. The students turn their blades toward him. Noble Student: Reinheiber wants to meddle too? Nox: I don't meddle. I just hate watching a crowd gang up on one person. Paracelsus: I don't need your help. Nox: I'm not helping you. Pick up your sword and fight me. They clash fiercely. Nox stops his blade an inch from its target, and Paracelsus lowers his weapon, panting. Nox: Your sword is too straight. If you want to become strong, stop swinging it only out of anger. 【Scene 29】Academy Greenhouse · Evening · Interior Rick offers Nox tea and hands him an imperial secret order. Outside the flowered window, Eleanor is speaking with people from the merchant guild. Rick: Prince Louis admires you. Leave Reinheiber, and the Empire will give you a greater position. Nox: Are you finished? Rick: The dark family will eventually be purged. A wise man does not perish with it. Nox crushes the communication crystal. Nox: Speak of my family in that tone again, and I'll make sure you don't even have a hand to speak with. Rick's smile remains, but his eyes turn cold. 【Scene 30】Horsemanship Class Forest · Day · Exterior The students ride along a forest trail when magical fences suddenly rise from the ground. Rotting horse corpses claw their way out of the mud, and the demonized Rudger stands in the treetops. Rudger: Geniuses of Elidien, all of you will remain here today. Princess Penelope draws her sword to protect the other students. Leon von Marbas bends down to inspect the runes. Leon: This isn't a wilderness ambush. Someone set up a teleportation array from inside the academy. Nox: Everyone, form ranks. Paracelsus, break through the right side with me. 【Scene 31】Forest Battlefield · Afternoon · Exterior Talia knocks aside an undead knight's spear. Eleanor blasts apart the vines with an alchemical fire flask. Paracelsus and Leon escort the new students in retreat. Penelope: Nox, how do you know how to break the formation? Nox: Because whoever laid it was an idiot. Rudger's mana suddenly erupts, striking straight at the princess. Nox charges in on horseback and splits the magic projectile in two with his black sword. Penelope: You saved me. Nox: I saved someone who was blocking the way. Rudger raises a hand, and every undead horse in the forest neighs at once. The formation of the new students begins to collapse, and the youngest child falls from his horse. Leon: The left wing has been cut open! Paracelsus: I'll reinforce it. Nox: Not alone. Talia, take Eleanor and protect the wounded. Leon, find the core of the array. Paracelsus, come with me and drive the undead back. Paracelsus: What gives you the right to command me? Nox: I know that in ten breaths, the second wave will come from underground. Ten breaths later, the earth splits open. Paracelsus stares at the skeletal hands surging out, grits his teeth, and follows Nox. 【Scene 32】Forest Altar Ruins · Dusk · Exterior Professor Lars kneels beside the corpse of the demonized man and recognizes his missing student. Nox, covered in blood, quietly withdraws the Black Flame Ring. Lars: I failed to save him. My research, my judgment... turned him into a monster. Nox: Then go back. Lars: What? Nox: Are you planning to abandon the students who remain as well? Lars looks up. Nox: I'll become your assistant. Turn the failed thesis into something that can save people. 【Scene 33】Academy Medical Tower · Night · Interior Bernon and Lars count the wounded. Penelope looks through the window at Nox, clutching the severed magic arrow in her palm. Penelope: He isn't the wastrel from the rumors. Leon: If the rumors were true, he wouldn't have stood at the front today. Talia: He doesn't need a princess to decide what he is. Penelope: Then I'll ask him myself. Outside the door, Nox hears half the conversation and turns away. Nox: One problem ends, and another begins. 【Scene 34】Royal Capital Banquet Hall · Night · Interior Emperor Esteban sits on the high dais, with Prince Louis at his right. Nox has been summoned for saving the princess, and the surrounding nobles whisper among themselves. Esteban: What reward do you desire? Nox: One entry into the Holy River Acliber. Louis: A mere first-year student thinks himself worthy of touching a royal sacred site? Penelope: He saved my life. He is worthy. Esteban: Granted. Louis looks down at Nox. Louis: In that case, first let me see whether your sword is worthy. 【Scene 35】Royal Capital Duel Arena · Night · Exterior Ceremonial cannons sound. Louis attacks repeatedly with the royal sword style, while Nox continues to retreat. The spectators assume he is about to lose. Louis: A border noble like you has no right to stand beside Penelope. Nox: I never wanted to stand there. Stormbringer suddenly erupts in lightning. Nox steps into the dead angle of his opponent's sword path, slices through the prince's shoulder guard, and stops his blade before Louis's throat. Nox: But if you insist on pushing me up here, don't blame me for embarrassing you. The arena falls silent. Louis retreats through clenched teeth. 【Scene 36】Holy River Acliber · Late Night · Exterior Nox steps into the river glowing with golden light. Ancient draconic speech echoes beneath the water, pouring countless memories into his mind. System Text: Mana perception increased. Incomplete Draconic acquired. Penelope waits on the bank. Penelope: I want you to join me. Nox: I belong neither to the royal family nor to any faction. Penelope: Then I will give you a position no one can look down upon. Become a candidate for my hand in marriage. Nox: Your Highness, that isn't a reward. It's a declaration of war. Penelope does not avoid his gaze. Instead, she steps farther into the sacred river. The water reflects their separated figures. Penelope: My brother will treat you as an enemy. The nobles will call you ambitious. Having no faction means anyone can strike at you first. Nox: Becoming your candidate would make me everyone's target. Penelope: You already are. At least when you stand beside me, I can make some of them hold back. Nox: I don't like owing favors. Penelope: I don't like being rescued either. We both hate it, so that makes us even. Nox: Talia won't like this arrangement. Penelope: Then you should tell her yourself instead of deciding whether she deserves to know. The words stop Nox short. Draconic rumbles again beneath the water, as though mocking his habit of trying to shoulder every route alone. Nox: I will not pledge loyalty to the royal family. Penelope: I did not ask for your loyalty. I only hope that before this capital falls, you will not stand on the side of its destruction. Nox looks in the direction Louis left and tightens his grip on the wet sword hilt. Nox: Then we'll see whom the royal family drives toward destruction first. 【Scene 37】Academy Terrace · Early Morning · Exterior Talia learns the news, her red hair disheveled by the morning wind. Nox approaches, but she does not turn around. Talia: Did you accept? Nox: No. Talia: Everyone is acting as if you did. Nox: I'll handle it. Talia: You always say that. Then you go alone into the forest, the trial, or the duel. Nox: Because I don't have time to explain. Talia turns, her eyes red. Talia: Then at least live until the day you do. 【Scene 38】Academy Restricted Library · Afternoon · Interior Lars leads Nox through bookshelves that move on their own. A book-guarding beast named Gletney blocks the way and opens its mouth to devour the surrounding magical light. Lars: It only recognizes those who can read black magic. Nox recites the seal on the spine in Draconic. Gletney growls and pounces. Nox: I don't want to fight a dog. Gletney: I am an ancient magical beast! Nox knocks it unconscious with the pommel and takes out The Essence of Black Magic. Lars: Just how many abilities are you hiding? Nox: Enough to finish the thesis. 【Scene 39】Moonshadow Chamber · Late Night · Interior Luna hands Nox a crystal map engraved with a grand duke's seal. The blue-haired archer Marion stands in the shadows with her arms crossed and bowstring fully drawn. Luna: Paimon's mana crystal is beneath the academy. Bring it out. Marion: If he slows me down, I'll shoot him through first. Nox tilts his head aside to avoid a testing arrow, which buries itself in the wall. Nox: Could you learn to knock first? Luna: She's your partner. If Marion loses control, kill her if necessary. Nox: I'll accept the mission. I won't accept the part about killing her. 【Scene 40】Academy Second Campus · Night · Exterior Marion releases water magic, and maze-like walls rise from the ground. Wearing the Moonshadow Mask, Nox splits off another figure. Marion: Who is that? Nox: An actor who needs to take the stage. The Moonshadow double takes the form of a gray-haired young man named Shane and walks into the depths of the labyrinth with sword in hand. Nox lowers his voice. Nox: You hold off the students. Luna and I will go underground. Marion: Will the double obey you? Nox watches Shane's back. Nox: I'd like to know that too. 【Scene 41】Study Building Labyrinth · Night · Interior Talia, Eleanor, Penelope, Leon, and Iana are trapped by spatial magic. The walls repeatedly shift, and the students panic. Leon: This is support magic. The core is underground. Forcing our way through could collapse the building. Penelope: Split up and find an exit. We can't leave the younger students alone. Iana curls up in a corner. Iana: I-I can use a charm spell and stop the guards for a little while... Talia: Then stay close to us. You can be afraid and still move forward. 【Scene 42】Labyrinth Hall of Dreams · Night · Interior Nox, Talia, and Eleanor fall into the same illusion: under a full moon, Talia's sword pierces Nox's chest. Nox stands frozen, and the black flame nearly runs wild. Talia: Nox! Look at me! Eleanor grabs his wrist. Eleanor: If you truly wanted to die, you wouldn't have dodged just now. Nox gasps, his sword tip dropping to the floor. Nox: That's an ending I've seen. Talia: It isn't the ending now. Nox swings his sword and cuts the illusion apart. 【Scene 43】Labyrinth Central Square · Night · Interior Shane stands before the students and deliberately suppresses them with nonlethal sword techniques. Eleanor is forced to the edge of a broken bridge, and Shane pulls her back. Eleanor: Why did you save me? Shane: I happened to be passing by. Eleanor: You're a lot like Nox. Shane: Then you have terrible judgment. Shane shatters the ground crystal with the back of his sword, deliberately leaving a passage underground. Eleanor watches his retreating back, deep in thought. 【Scene 44】Academy Underground Museum · Night · Interior Louis and Rick stand beside the sealing array. Demonic remains for a sacrifice lie before the mana crystal. Rick's smile disappears, revealing his dark true nature. Louis: I only need a heroic achievement that will make Father acknowledge me. Rick: When Paimon awakens, Your Highness will seal him with your own hands. Everyone will believe you are a hero. Louis: And if he gets out of control? Rick: Then let the students and the academy die first. The dead keep secrets best. The seal cracks, and fire bursts upward from below. 【Scene 45】Underground Museum Main Hall · Night · Interior Grand Duke Paimon tears through the stone door, his enormous demonic body filling the dome. Luna strikes down with a moonlight sword, while Noah raises a wall of ice. Both attacks break only the first layer of his shield. Paimon: You again—the remnants of the Night of Slaughter. Luna: This time, no one will die by your hand. Noah: Don't promise too much, little girl. Paimon spits out two seas of fire toward the dormitory district above. Nox charges from the shadows. Nox: Marion, aim left. I'll take the right. Paimon's laughter shakes fragments from the dome. His shield regenerates rapidly through the cuts, and distorted human faces emerge within the flames. Paimon: You cannot protect them. It was true on the Night of Slaughter, and it is true today. Noah's ice wall burns half a foot thinner, and she takes a small step back. Nox: Headmistress, he's forcing you to remember the past. Noah: I know. Nox: Then don't give him a second chance. Luna looks at Nox, moon shadow falling across his shoulder. Luna: Three breaths. That's all we can give you. Nox: Enough. 【Scene 46】Sky Above the Academy · Night · Exterior Marion's water arrow strikes the first sea of fire, but the rebounding mana twists her face in pain. Nox reflects the second wave of flame with Stormbringer, his sleeve burning away. Marion: Don't order me around! I'm not anyone's weapon! Her arrowhead turns toward the back of Nox's head. Luna: Kill her, Nox! Nox does not turn around. Nox: Marion, shoot me. Marion: What? Nox: Trust yourself to place the arrow exactly where I need it. 【Scene 47】Edge of the Underground Museum · Night · Interior Iana walks trembling behind Marion, her pupils glowing violet with charm magic. Fighting down her fear, she places a hand on Marion's shoulder. Iana: P-please stop. You don't want to kill him. Marion's bow lowers slightly. Images flash before her eyes: glass tanks, Jay's severed arm, and her own water arrow out of control. Marion: Was it me... who killed Jay? Nox: No. The people who turned you into a weapon did. Iana: I can only hold her for a little while! Nox: A little while is enough. 【Scene 48】Underground Museum Main Hall · Night · Interior Paimon drives Noah back, his flaming claw smashing through the ice wall. Nox steps in front of the headmistress, Stormbringer held across his palm. Noah: You'll die. Nox: I was going to die soon anyway. Noah: That isn't an answer. Nox: Then take it as me not wanting to watch you lose another student. Noah freezes, remembering the ruins of the Night of Slaughter. Frost begins spreading beneath her feet again. Noah: Fine. My ice will bind him for three breaths. Don't let your sword be slow. 【Scene 49】Underground Museum Main Hall · Night · Interior Luna leaps high and splits Paimon's shield with her Moonlight Sword Style. Noah's ice thorns lock the demon's feet. Nox charges into the flames, the Black Flame Ring burning his hand until the bones show white. Paimon: A man at the end of his life dares covet a grand duke's soul? Nox: I'm not coveting it. I'm here to collect a debt. System Text: Time of Genius forcibly activated. Everything around him slows. Nox sees the final barrier before Paimon's heart. Only Nox's heartbeat remains in his ears. Each beat feels like a page torn from his lifespan. The time absorbed by the Black Flame Ring is forcibly drawn out by Stormbringer and burns along the ridge of the blade. System Text: Warning. Life-support value continues to fall. Nox: Shut up. Within the slowed world, Paimon's eyes move—and he can still see him. Paimon: You and I are the same. We both prolong our lives by devouring the lives of others. Nox: We're not the same. Paimon: What makes us different? Nox: I save people. You only turn them into corpses. Nox crushes the final shard of ice beneath his foot and rushes straight at the demon's heart. 【Scene 50】Academy Rooftop / Underground Main Hall · Night · Interior/Exterior Marion regains consciousness within Iana's charm. She nocks an arrow, tears running down her face. Marion: Jay, if I miss again... Nox's voice comes through the moon shadow: You won't. Aim at my face. Marion: You're insane. Nox: I always have been. The arrow tears through the dome, grazes Nox's cheek, and shatters Paimon's final shield with pressurized water. Nox uses the force of the arrow to step onto the demon's shoulder. 【Scene 51】Underground Museum Main Hall · Night · Interior Paimon's giant hand slams down. Nox grips Stormbringer together with the black flame, his body turning almost transparent in the lightning. Talia's voice comes from the passage: Nox! Eleanor: Don't die where I can see you! Penelope: Everyone, fall back! Nox drives the first half of the Black Sword Style into Paimon's chest. The demon's roar shatters every pane of glass, and the mana crystal and heart turn to ash together. System Text: Large amount of lifespan consumed. Before Nox falls, the last thing he sees is Marion lowering her bow. 【Scene 52】Academy Ruins · Dawn · Exterior The ice walls collapse one by one. Luna pulls the unconscious Nox from the broken ice. Noah looks at the place where Paimon vanished, blood dripping from her sleeve. Bernon and Lars arrive with the other professors. Lars: The underground mana crystal shattered? Where is Paimon? Noah: Dealt with. Bernon: By whom? Noah does not answer. She only looks at Nox's face. Lars rushes over and checks his pulse. Lars: My disciple! His middle dantian is almost torn apart. Is he still alive? Luna: Alive. But don't ask him what happened tonight. Bernon: The royal family will not accept that report. Noah: Then write, “The seal collapsed and the headmistress handled it.” They can believe it or not. 【Scene 53】Edge of the Academy Ruins · Dawn · Exterior Luna and Noah stand with their backs to the whitening eastern sky. In the distance, students and rescuers remove fallen walls. Luna: On the Night of Slaughter, you awakened Paimon to destroy that mana crystal? Noah: I did want revenge. But I could never have done it alone. Luna: Next time, don't make the students pay for your silence. Noah returns to the form of a child, her oversized headmistress robes trailing on the ground. Noah: That child walked in by himself. Luna: He isn't an ordinary child. Noah: I know. Which is exactly why the royal family must not discover him first. 【Scene 54】Academy Medical Tower Corridor · Early Morning · Interior Lars pushes a hospital bed at a run while Bernon repeatedly casts stabilizing magic. Nox convulses in unconsciousness, with flickering moonlight and frost rising over his chest. Lars: His mana circuits were forcibly stretched open! Bernon: Who placed protection on him? Lars: Moonlight, ice... at least two top-class casters. Noah walks up from behind with an innocent smile. Noah: Some children are afraid of the cold. We put two more blankets on him. Bernon: Headmistress, blankets cannot explain this. Noah: Then treat him like your student, not like a report. 【Scene 55】Academy Hospital Room · First Night · Interior Nox sinks into a dream. Every failed route from the game passes before him: Talia in flames, Gitri fallen in blood, Eleanor watching coldly, and the capital devoured by demons. Voice from the Letter: You changed Paimon's route ahead of schedule. Nox: What is the price? Voice from the Letter: You are losing the time with which to pay it. Nox: I killed a grand duke. There can't be no reward at all. Voice from the Letter: This is not a settlement. It is a warning. The true enemy has seen you. Nox draws his sword in the dream, but cannot cut through the darkness. 【Scene 56】Academy Hospital Room · Third Day · Interior Talia, Gitri, Paracelsus, Leon, and Penelope gather around the bed. The bowl of medicine on the table remains untouched, and the room is crowded with restrained breaths. Talia: He's been unconscious for three days. I'm notifying Duke Theo and having every elixir sent here. Gitri: Young Master would not want you to alarm the family head like that. Talia: Then tell me what I should do. Paracelsus: Wait for him to wake up, then fight me. He won't allow himself to stay in bed forever. Leon: This isn't a sword wound. It's as though something drained away his life. Penelope: The royal physicians are on their way. Gitri: No one from the royal family needs to touch the Young Master. 【Scene 57】Academy Hospital Room · Third-Day Evening · Interior Outside the door, Lars and Bernon argue over the report. Nox keeps his eyes closed, but a finger moves slightly beneath the covers. Bernon: If we tell the truth, Louis will first ask who killed Paimon. Lars: If we hide it, the academy may be charged with treason. Noah: Then say only that the headmistress and Luna handled the broken seal. Nox is merely an injured first-year student. Bernon: But he was clearly at the scene. Noah: Being present is not the same as being guilty. You're teachers—hide the student first. The tension in Nox's brow eases almost imperceptibly. 【Scene 58】Academy Hospital Room · Third-Day Late Night · Interior Everyone leaves, and only moonlight remains outside the window. Eleanor closes the door and sits beside the bed. Nox senses her approach but continues pretending to sleep. Eleanor: Stop pretending. You're awake. Nox slowly opens his eyes. Nox: Is breaking into a hospital room at midnight part of Rivalin etiquette? Eleanor: I only have one question. What is the connection between you and Shane from the labyrinth? Nox: What are you talking about? Eleanor leans closer, her voice low. Eleanor: When you lie, your pupils shift and your fingers tremble. You've already done both twice. 【Scene 59】Academy Hospital Room · Same Night · Interior Nox looks toward the shadow of the curtain and works to keep his breathing steady. Nox: Shane is connected to me. You could call him a hidden collateral branch of the family. Eleanor: Similar eyes, similar swordsmanship, and both of you rescue people in danger. Do you think I believe in coincidence? Nox: What do you want from him? Eleanor: To repay him—and recruit him. Someone like that shouldn't be buried in the shadow of some noble family. Nox: He doesn't like being used. Eleanor: I'm a merchant. I'll give him what he wants. She places a business card beside the pillow. Eleanor: One week from now, Rivalin Trading Company in the Fourth District. Have Shane come see me. 【Scene 60】Academy Women's Dormitory Corridor · Same Night · Interior Iana sits curled up on a bench, hugging her knees. Marion sits opposite her, her bow tightly wrapped in cloth, though her hands still tremble. Marion: I almost killed him. Iana: But in the end, you hit exactly where he asked you to shoot. Marion: That isn't comforting. Iana: I almost lost control too. My charm magic... it was like someone else was borrowing my mouth to speak. Marion looks up. Marion: Nox said it wasn't our fault. Iana: But we might lose control again. Marion: Then we'll make him keep his promise. We won't let him act tough alone. 【Scene 61】Balcony Outside the Academy Hospital Room · Dawn · Exterior Luna leans against the railing and looks toward Nox in the hospital bed. Marion approaches and bows her head. Marion: Captain, I am willing to accept punishment. Luna: You completed the mission, and nearly became its failed product. Marion: I don't want to be a weapon anymore. Luna: Then learn to decide for yourself where your arrow should fly. Marion: Nox refused to kill me. Why did you allow it? Luna: Because his gamble was right. But if he is wrong next time, all of you will die. Marion: I'll make sure he never has to gamble again. 【Scene 62】Academy Hospital Room · Fourth Day · Interior Nox wakes and is immediately grabbed by the shoulders by Talia. Gitri stands beside her holding a bowl of medicine, while Penelope and the others block the door. Talia: Why did you throw yourself into the fire like a moth again? Nox: At least a moth can see the light. Gitri: Young Master, drink the medicine. Nox: Can I say one thing first? Gitri: No. Paracelsus: When you're done, fight me. Leon: Fight after he recovers. He can barely stand right now. Penelope: The royal inquiry can be postponed, but the marriage-candidate matter cannot. Nox pushes the medicine bowl away. Nox: I'd rather go back and fight Paimon again. 【Scene 63】Academy Hospital Room · Later on the Fourth Day · Interior Iana timidly enters with Marion behind her. She cannot look Nox in the eye, and her fingers twist the hem of her skirt into wrinkles. Iana: I-I came to fulfill our agreement. Last time, I took dark mana from you... Nox: You saved Marion and you saved me. We're even. Iana: But the other me said something terribly improper. Marion: She said she wanted to kiss you. Iana's face turns bright red. Iana: Marion! Nox coughs and avoids everyone's gaze. Nox: This subject ends here. Both of you need to learn to control your power. Don't put your lives in someone else's hands again. 【Scene 64】Academy Underground Museum · Day · Interior The repair team clears the crater left by Paimon. Bernon picks up a burned royal crest and hands it to Noah. Bernon: The sacrificial array included people belonging to Prince Louis. Noah: I smelled it. And something even filthier. Lars: Should we report it to His Majesty? Noah: The report will reach Louis first. Find evidence and protect the students. Bernon: The merchant guild agent named Rick? Noah: Watch him. He doesn't seem entirely human. Lars looks toward the distant hospital room. Lars: And Nox? Noah: He'll walk to the answer himself. We only need to stop him from dying first. 【Scene 65】Reinheiber Estate Reception Room · Tenth Day · Interior Theo receives the academy's secret report and presses his fist against the desk. Luna stands beside the window, her shadow darker than the candlelight. Luna: Your eldest son, Garen, has already sided with the demons. Theo: I know. A storm is coming to the continent. Luna: Don't forget our agreement. Anyone who obstructs the war between Lunatic and the Seventy-Two Demons—including your son—may be killed. Theo closes his eyes. Theo: Everything for the fall of the Imperial State and the subjugation of the Seventy-Two Demons. Luna: You left out one name. Nox. Theo: Don't drag him into this. 【Scene 66】Reinheiber Estate Reception Room · Same Moment · Interior Luna turns, and the moonlight at her feet contracts into a thin line. Luna: Do you think he is still outside the storm? He killed Paimon and drew Louis's attention. Theo: He is only fourteen. Luna: Paimon would not spare him because of his age. Neither will the demons. Theo: I will ask him about everything—from the princess's marriage candidacy to the black sword that should not exist. Luna: Ask him. But don't force him to stand against you. Theo remains silent for a long time. Theo: I never intended to point a sword at him. Luna: Fathers often say that—until the family orders them to choose. 【Scene 67】Academy Entrance Hall · Afternoon · Interior Nox leaves the medical tower in a coat. Gitri, Talia, and Elena wait beside the carriage. Elena holds a medicine chest while her young assistant May keeps urging her to calm down. Elena: I just finished medicine that can stabilize your circuits. Refuse to drink it and I'll pour it down your throat. Nox: This is my carriage. Gitri: It is also your life, Young Master. Please drink. Talia: Are you really going home? Nox: The academy won't reopen soon. Father is already waiting. Elena: And so is Karl. He hasn't seen you for three days and nearly kicked the stable apart. Nox: Then we go home first. 【Scene 68】Fourth District Guild Tea Room · Afternoon · Interior Shane, in the form of a gray-haired young man, sits across from Eleanor. Contracts, ink, and gold coins fill the table. Eleanor studies him as if appraising a rare commodity. Eleanor: Once you sign, you stay near me. Protect me when I need you. Your payment will be gold and artifacts. Shane: I have family matters. Eleanor: Nox already agreed. Shane nearly spits out his tea. Shane: ...That man truly enjoys making decisions for other people. Eleanor: He only said you dislike restraints. He didn't say you couldn't calculate profit. 【Scene 69】Fourth District Guild Tea Room · Same Moment · Interior Eleanor pushes the contract toward Shane, speaking as though discussing an ordinary deal. Eleanor: The term is open-ended. You need not swear loyalty to Rivalin. You only have to appear when I need you. Shane: And if I refuse? Eleanor: I will keep looking for you. You saved me, so you have to let me repay the debt. Shane: Do merchants express gratitude through contracts? Eleanor: Feelings change easily. Contracts do not. Shane looks at her, remembering how she nearly fell from the broken bridge in the labyrinth. Shane: Fine. I'll sign. He writes his name on the paper. For the first time, Eleanor's smile is not entirely calculated. 【Scene 70】Merchant Guild Corridor · Evening · Interior Eleanor catches Shane's hand from behind and places a Flame Spirit Pendant in his palm. Eleanor: This is the deposit and my thanks. Don't tell Nox. That man would definitely covet it. Shane: He isn't as bad as you think. Eleanor: You only say that because you know him. Shane looks down at the pendant, and system text appears. System Text: Flame Spirit Pendant. While equipped, location will be continuously shared with Eleanor de Rivalin. Shane: This gift is too expensive—and too troublesome. Eleanor: Don't describe my gift as if it were a trap. 【Scene 71】Merchant Guild Rooftop · Dusk · Exterior Shane hides in an empty place and removes the mask. Nox's black hair reappears. He clenches the pendant in his palm, cold sweat forming on his forehead. Nox: In the game, this only appeared before the ending. System Text: Name: Flame Spirit Pendant. Equip restriction: Eleanor's love or favor. Nox: What exactly is she thinking? System Text: Special Effect: Location sharing while equipped. Nox stuffs the pendant back inside his clothing. Nox: More importantly, I can never let her see that Shane and Nox are the same person. 【Scene 72】Merchant Guild Office · Same Time · Interior Rick stands before Eleanor's desk, wearing his usual smile. Rick: Mr. Shane seems to have won your favor. This is the first time you have personally recruited someone, my lady. Eleanor: Your job is to act as an accounting agent, not to question my affairs. Rick: Of course. I am merely concerned about Nox von Reinheiber. Eleanor: Concerned about what? Rick: That he is too talented—and may live too long. Eleanor lifts her eyes, her cold gaze weighing down the room. Eleanor: Then be careful not to die by your own calculations first. 【Scene 73】Merchant Guild Secret Chamber · Night · Interior Rick closes the door alone, and the smile peels away from his face. He looks into a black mirror with demonlike eyes. Rick: Louis lost to him. Paimon is dead as well. Nox is more troublesome than expected. Whisper from the Black Mirror: Remove him. Rick: And Shane. Eleanor has begun to care about him. The guild cannot be allowed to slip out of control. Whisper from the Black Mirror: You fear a fourteen-year-old child? Rick clenches his teeth. Rick: I don't fear his age. I fear that he looks as though he has seen all our fates. 【Scene 74】Merchant Guild Rooftop · Night · Exterior Nox looks toward the Reinheiber estate. The lights of the capital sway in his eyes, while Karl's neigh carries through the night wind from afar. Nox: The protagonist's identity, the marriage candidacy, Lunatic, the merchant guild... everything is a mess. He draws Stormbringer half an inch. Lightning reveals the exhaustion on his face. Nox: But if the route is in chaos, then I have a chance not to follow the original ending. An unsigned letter rises out of the black flame. Voice from the Letter: Player, you have deviated from the predetermined route. Please continue forward. 【Scene 75】Merchant Guild Rooftop · Night · Exterior Nox opens the letter. It contains only one line of scarlet text. The wind flips up his collar, but he does not take another step back. System Text: Remaining lifespan: 18 days. Nox: Are eighteen days enough? Voice from the Letter: That depends on whether you still dare to hold a sword. Nox does not move immediately. He looks down at his palm, scarred by flame and lightning, where the last heat of Paimon's destruction still lingers. Nox: To kill him, I wagered almost all the time I had gained. Voice from the Letter: You claimed a victory that did not belong to this part of the route. Nox: A victory is a victory. Voice from the Letter: In this world, victory attracts covetous eyes. Louis, Rick, the demons—and the person you least wish to suspect. Nox remembers Theo's warning, Talia's tears, and the warmth of Eleanor placing the pendant into Shane's hand. Nox: That's why I'm returning to Reinheiber. The academy repairs will take at least two weeks. That's just enough time to put every question before Father. Voice from the Letter: You fear that estate. Nox: I do. But fear isn't a reason not to go. He fully sheathes Stormbringer. Beside the carriage, Gitri peers toward the rooftop through the crowd, clearly having guessed that her young master has hidden himself away again. Gitri: Young Master! If you don't come down, Karl is going to kick the coachman into the air! The corner of Nox's mouth lifts slightly. Nox: Make him wait. I won't leave him behind again. Gitri: Then please don't leave me behind either. Nox: All right. Nox puts away the pendant and turns toward the waiting carriage. Nox: First, go home. Survive these eighteen days. Then take the ending of this world back from their hands. The black flame dies between his fingers, and the bells of the capital begin to ring. At this moment, dawn is about to break. —End of Season One— View
Gaming The Creator of Ubers Act One: The Player Awakens (Chapters 000—028) 【Scene 01】Ron's Apartment·Late Night·Interior In the pitch-black room, two monitors cast a deathly pallor over the man's face. Beneath the game launcher, a line of numbers glows silently: Playtime—100,000 hours. On-screen, Ron controls his character and destroys the final target. A notification chimes, and the modding community immediately floods with comments. User A (on-screen text): Are you insane? Do you not have a real life anymore? User B (on-screen text): Ava's animations have been bugged since the last update. Are you fixing them or not? User C (on-screen text): When's the new character coming out? I can't even play characters you didn't make anymore. Ron watches the comments stream by and smiles as he flexes his stiff fingers. Ron: I really took it this far. He pushes the animation-fix patch, then opens another upload window. Ron: Push the hotfix now. I'll schedule the new content for later. The upload is set for six in the morning. Ron returns to the game, dispatches the characters still at the stronghold on expeditions, and leaves only a handful on standby. Ron: Off to work, kids. I'll check the feedback after work tomorrow. He collapses onto the bed, too exhausted to keep his eyes open. Ron: Ugh... I need sleep. I really need sleep. The clock in the lower-right corner of the screen ticks forward. 05:59:58. 05:59:59. 06:00:00. 【Scene 02】Unfamiliar Bedroom·Early Morning·Interior Harsh sunlight falls across Ron's face. He instinctively reaches for his phone, but his palm sinks into a mattress far softer than it has any right to be. Ron opens his eyes. Above him is an ornate domed ceiling; silk bed curtains hang at his sides, and beyond the enormous floor-to-ceiling windows stretches a forest with no end in sight. Ron: Where am I? He staggers to the glass. The man reflected there looks barely twenty, with brown hair, green eyes, and sharply defined features—the very game character he has used for years. Ron touches his face, then looks down at his youthful hands. Ron: Isn't this my game character? He tries waving his hand through the air. Ron: Status screen. Inventory. System. Nothing appears. Ron rushes out of the bedroom. Just as he reaches the door, it opens from the other side. A blond woman stands there holding a washbasin and toiletries. She freezes when she sees Ron, then gives him a familiar smile. Ava: Master, dawn has come. Ron stares at her. Every contour of her model was shaped by his hands, yet the woman before him blinks, breathes, and grows confused beneath his gaze. Ron: Evangeline? Ava: Yes, Master. Ron reaches out and grips her wrist. Her skin is warm, and a pulse beats clearly beneath his fingertips. Ava: Master? Is there something on my face? Ron releases her and turns toward the window as though to hide his reaction. Ron: Ava, was our home... always like this? Ava: Yes. The manor you built with your own hands has always been this way. 【Scene 03】Manor Great Hall·Early Morning·Interior Attendants and guards stand in orderly ranks beneath the domed ceiling. Ron descends the staircase, his gaze passing over face after face that he has only ever seen through a screen. Ava follows behind him, quietly introducing those who remained at the manor. Ava: Rachel is preparing the meal. Lady Helena is at morning prayer. The others away on expedition will return according to schedule. Ron stops in the center of the hall. Ron: I did not summon everyone at this hour to issue an order. I only wanted to confirm... that all of you are here. The giant Graham, encased in golden armor, drops to one knee. The clash of metal makes the floor tremble faintly. Graham: All is normal at the manor. No one intruded last night. Azelia stands in the shadows, one hand never leaving her dagger. Azelia: However, the space around the manor has changed. Every original road has vanished, and the terrain differs from yesterday. Ron: Lead the way. Ellie hurries after them with a neatly folded set of clothes in her arms. Ellie: Master, you have not changed yet. Ron glances at his oversized sleepwear, then at the solemn faces in the hall. Ron: ...Use the usual outfit. Ellie: Understood. Everyone disperses to prepare. Ron remains where he is and quietly clenches his fist. To them, he is not a stranger in the slightest, but he knows nothing about the lives they have truly lived. 【Scene 04】Manor Storehouse·Morning·Interior The heavy iron door opens. Potions, equipment, magic stones, and materials that once existed only in the game's inventory now fill the entire storehouse. Ron picks up a bottle of red potion. The glass is cool, and the liquid sways realistically with the movement. Ron: The numbers are gone. No descriptions, no quantities, no reloads. Ava: Shall I have everything counted again? Ron: Register all of it. Food, medicine, and timber take priority. There are no save files here. We cannot treat anything as an item that will respawn. He removes several Zodiac Rings from a box and hands them to Ava and Azelia. Ron: These can show the wearer's location and vital state. We do not know what is outside. Wear them. Ava looks down at the ring, her fingers tightening slightly. Ava: This is a precious item prepared for you, Master. Ron: That is exactly why I am giving it to you. If something happens, I need to know immediately. Azelia accepts the ring and slips it onto her finger without hesitation. Ava glances at her, then solemnly puts hers on as well. 【Scene 05】Outer Edge of the Manor Grounds·Day·Exterior Ron and the others leave the manor. The entire attached village, gardens, lake, and farmland have been transplanted into a mountain basin, but the roads that once led to other areas of the game map are now blocked by ridgelines. Clint crouches beside a dry irrigation channel and inspects the mechanism. Azelia unfolds a hastily drawn map. Azelia: There are steep mountains to the east, west, and south. The forest to the north is the densest. No road has been found yet. Clint: The waterwheel still works, and the granary is intact. But our current food supply will last six months at most. Ron: Six months is not a reserve. It is a countdown. He walks to an open patch of ground and raises one hand. Ron: First, I need to confirm what this body can still do. Flame. A fireball that should have been no larger than a fist suddenly swells with a roar. The heat wave overturns nearby barrels. Ron hastily withdraws his hand, and the flames skim the ground before exploding into a charred crater in the distance. No one retreats. Instead, they all look as though this is only to be expected. Ava: As formidable as ever, Master. Ron: You do not need to praise me for something like this. He looks at the scorched earth. Ron: The power is still here, but the control feels like I am holding a blade for the first time. Suspend all high-tier magic. We scout the surroundings first. 【Scene 06】Cave in the Mountainside·Day·Interior Ron and Ava follow a narrow fork deeper into the mountain. A sphere of light glows above Ron's palm, revealing ancient ritual markings on the walls. Ron: Light. The stench of decay grows stronger. At the end of the cave lies an underground altar. Desiccated corpses are piled beside a stone platform, while several suits of black armor rest silently against the wall. Ava: There are life signs inside the armor. Ron: Stay alert for hidden threats. Ava draws a short blade and steps in front of Ron. Ava: So long as I walk beside my liege, I fear nothing. One suit of black armor suddenly opens crimson eyes. It lunges at them, and what bulges through the gaps in its plates is not machinery, but twisted flesh. Ron hurls it into a stone pillar with telekinesis. More black suits awaken in response. Ron: Chain Lightning! Lightning pierces the first armored figure but does not stop. The arcs race wildly through the altar's patterns, shattering one stone pillar after another. The entire cave begins to collapse. Ron: Damn it! Ava, get out! Boulders fall from overhead. Ava grabs Ron's hand. Ava: Teleport! They vanish. A second later, the entire ruin is swallowed by the mountain. 【Scene 07】Manor Workshop·Night·Interior Akasha cuts open a fragment of black armor recovered from the ruins. Human tissue remains inside the armor, fused to forcibly connected mana circuits. Akasha: It is not a corpse stuffed into armor. A living person was transformed into part of the armor itself. Sasha leans against the workbench, her usual smile absent. Sasha: The technique is old, but practiced. Whoever made this would not have stopped at one. Ron: The ruin is at least a thousand years old. The experimenter may have died long ago. Akasha: Or merely moved elsewhere and continued. Ava places a report in front of Ron. Ava: Smoke was found in the northern forest. Azelia has confirmed there is a human village there. Ron looks at the flesh congealed within the black armor. Ron: We make contact with the village first. Helena, you are coming with me. Everyone else guards the manor. No one approaches the ruin alone. 【Scene 08】Magna Carta Empire·Council of Magic·Night·Interior A crystal used to monitor an ancient experimental site suddenly goes dark. The white-haired chairman, Olba, shoots to his feet. Olba: Why did the altar's signal disappear? Councilor: The ruin may have collapsed naturally. Olba: It stood for a thousand years and chose now to collapse? Send an investigation team. If anyone saw the specimens— Willis stands at the far end of the long table, his face grim. Willis: There is a village nearby. Investigate the ruin if you must, but there will be no silencing civilians. Olba: A knight's duty is to carry out orders. Willis: The Imperial Knights serve the empire, not a council that sends civilians to the experimentation table. The meeting room falls dead silent. Olba gives a cold laugh and hands the orders to another mage. Olba: Then we need not trouble the vice commander of the Knights. Let someone truly loyal handle it. 【Scene 09】Old Ubers Village·Dusk·Exterior Ron and Helena enter the village disguised as traveling clergy. Every door is shut, and the villagers wear rough cloth masks. The hunter Ronan blocks their path with his bow already drawn. Ronan: Stop. There is a plague in the village. Outsiders are not allowed in. Ron: The plague is precisely why we came. She is a priestess, and I am the mage accompanying her. Ronan: The empire's physicians already said there is no cure. Helena: Because this is not a plague. Inside the sickroom, Ronan's fiancée breathes weakly, her skin covered in black markings. Helena places a palm on her forehead. Holy light reveals dark mana spreading along her veins. Helena: Mana erosion. The source of contamination is nearby. Ronan: Can you save her? Helena looks to Ron. He nods. Helena: Yes. Please gather everyone with the same symptoms in one place. Holy light washes over the patients one by one, and the black markings recede from their skin. Outside, the waiting villagers break into sobs they have held back for far too long. Village Chief: What compensation do the two of you seek? Ron: We have only just arrived and know nothing of this place. Tell me what year it is, what countries lie nearby, and what happened in that mountain. That will be enough. 【Scene 10】Old Village Council House·Night·Interior A badly worn map of the continent lies spread across a wooden table. Village Chief: Continental Year 1627. To the west is the Magna Carta Empire, Narsil to the north, Izmir to the east, Irenia to the south, and the Holy Nation of Praros at the center. Ron stares at the map, his finger resting on the familiar outline of the continent. Ron: 1627... Helena looks at him in silence. For them, the age they remember has already been gone for a thousand years. The village chief takes out an old journal. Village Chief: The village was named after an elven ancestor. Her name was Ubers. Legend says that when she was young, she met two travelers who did not age—one with brown hair and green eyes, and one with blond hair. Ron opens the journal. In a faded illustration, a younger version of himself and Ava stand beside an elf. Village Chief: Ubers died only about fifty years ago. Until her final breath, she insisted that the two of them would return one day. Helena speaks softly. Helena: To Master, it may have been only a brief journey. Ron closes the journal. Ron: To her, it was a lifetime. 【Scene 11】Outer Forest Ruins·Day·Exterior The imperial investigation team enters the ruins. The mage Adam examines the remaining runes while soldiers carry barrels of oil toward the old village. Soldier: The council's order is clear. Once exposure of the ruins is confirmed, the nearby villagers are to be dealt with as well. Adam: First determine why the signal disappeared. The ruins suddenly explode. A black-armored golem that has absorbed the investigation team's corpses claws its way out of the ground. Flesh dangles beneath the armor, then lashes toward the surviving soldiers. Ronan arrives with the village watch, only to find severed limbs scattered everywhere. Ronan: Everyone fall back! Turn around slowly— The black armor turns and locks onto them. Ronan: Run! Run! He fires arrows alone to draw the monster away, leading it toward a cliff far from the village. His quiver is soon empty, and only a dead end remains ahead. The black armor leaps. From the other side of the ravine comes a calm voice. Ron: Ice Arrow. Hundreds of ice crystals pierce the black armor at once and pin it in midair. The ice shatters, and the monster breaks into fragments that tumble into the gorge. Ron crosses the rocks toward him. Ron: Ronan, are you all right? Ronan collapses to the ground. Ronan: ...Mr. Ron? 【Scene 12】Manor Guest Room·Day·Interior Ronan wakes on a bed as Helena withdraws the last of her healing light. Helena: Your wounds are healed. Avoid strenuous activity today. Ronan sees the orderly fields and towering manor outside the window and abruptly props himself upright. Ronan: What is this place? Ron: A territory that appeared with us a little over ten days ago. We do not know why we came here either. Ronan: There was no village in that forest before. Ron lays two maps side by side. One is from the game world a thousand years ago; the other came from the old village. Ron: The mountains and cities have shifted, but the continent's outline is exactly the same. Your age comes a thousand years after ours. Ronan: Then the people recorded by Ancestor Ubers... really were you? Ron: I cannot prove why the world became this way. But I would never lie using her name. He slides the list of patients from the old village toward Ronan. Ron: The empire has already found the ruins. The old village is no longer safe. We have empty homes, farmland, and water here. I want to invite every villager to move here. Ronan: Invite? Not order? Ron: Whether they stay or leave is entirely their choice. 【Scene 13】Manor Construction Zone·Montage·Day Exterior Clint swings a hammer to realign the waterwheel axle; villagers and attendants carry timber together; Ellie assigns rooms; Helena reexamines the patients; Ron lifts an entire roof beam with telekinesis, only to wedge it into the wall with too much force. Clint: Master, building a house does not mean driving the timber into the wall. Ron: I am learning. Clint: Then start by learning to listen to the craftsman. Ron reluctantly withdraws his mana. Nearby children cover their mouths and giggle. In the square, the old villagers gather in a circle. Village Chief: The water, food, and houses are real. The lord has not demanded a slavery contract either. Elderly Villager: The empire already knows where we are. If we remain in the old village, the next visitors may not be monsters. Ronan steps before the crowd. Ronan: I saw Mr. Ron save me with my own eyes, and I have seen this village myself. I am willing to move, but each person must choose for themselves. A child raises a hand first. Child: Is there hot water at night too? Ellie crouches down. Ellie: As long as you do not turn the bath into a swimming pond. Laughter rises from the crowd. At last, the tension begins to ease. 【Scene 14】Entrance to the Old Village·Dusk·Exterior The migration caravan has barely left the old village when one hundred and twenty imperial cavalry emerge from the forest road. Adam rides at the front as the mages raise their staffs in unison. Adam: An imperial investigation team disappeared here. Surrender the culprit, and everyone will submit to inspection. Ron stands in front of the villagers. Ron: I destroyed the black-armored golem. Your investigation team was preparing to slaughter the village first. Who will answer for that? Adam: The empire has no obligation to explain itself to frontier rabble. His gaze moves past Ron and lands on Ava. Adam: But that woman— Cold instantly blankets the clearing. Ava lifts her eyes, her smile gone. Ron: Ava. Ava: Yes. Ron: Do not let the villagers get caught in it. Adam: All units, attack! Fire and lightning surge toward them. Ron sweeps one hand and tears the torrent of spells into a sky full of glittering fragments. A pale magic circle unfolds behind the imperial troops, and death knights block their retreat. Ava: Lance of Ice. Ice spears tear through the cavalry line, freezing horses and weapons to the ground. Azelia flashes across the flank, and commanders fall one after another. The imperial soldiers collapse before they can even reform their ranks. Ron looks at the people lying in pools of blood. His breathing grows ragged, but he does not look away. Ron: Do not pursue anyone who lays down their weapon. Ava: Understood. At last, only Adam remains kneeling on the ice. Ron walks up to him. Ron: Go back and tell the empire. This is not a village they may erase whenever they please. 【Scene 15】Deep Forest·Nightfall·Exterior Willis arrives with a handful of knights and finds the ground covered in frost and signs of evacuation. Ava suddenly appears behind him, a short blade pressed to the side of his neck. Ava: Another survivor who slipped through the net? Willis slowly lowers his weapon. Willis: I came to stop the massacre. The council excluded me from the operation, so I could only chase after them. Ava: The word of an imperial is worthless. Willis: I do not ask you to trust me. I only want to confirm that the villagers are safe. Ava studies him for a moment, then withdraws the blade. Ava: If you intend to go to Ubers, abandon the thought and turn back now. Willis: Understood. May I ask your name? Ava: Evangeline Meyer. Willis gives her a knight's salute. Willis: Thank you for saving the people of Ubers, Lady Evangeline. 【Scene 16】New Village Square·Early Morning·Exterior The migration is complete. The old villagers stand before newly built homes, while the manor's residents form ranks on the other side. Ron does not climb onto a platform; he stands in the middle of the crowd. Ron: From today onward, everyone who lives here follows the same rules. Personal property belongs to the individual. Work earns wages. Whether you remain is your own decision. Those from the manor may not use their strength to oppress the villagers, and the villagers may not harm one another. Villager: Then what is this place called? Ron looks at Ronan. Ron: If no one objects, I would like to name it “Ubers.” Ronan and the village chief exchange a glance, then turn to the crowd. Ronan: This name carried us through a thousand years. I agree. The villagers nod one after another. Ron: Then from this day forward, this is the new Ubers. Cheers erupt. Walter tosses a wooden sword to Ronan. Walter: A captain of the watch cannot know only how to lead people in retreat. Ronan catches the wooden sword. Ronan: Please instruct me. With a casual swing, Walter cleaves an approaching stone-bull gorgon in two, horns and all. Ronan freezes. Walter: First lesson: do not stand there gawking. 【Scene 17】Manor Office·Night·Interior Village maps, food inventories, and items seized from imperial soldiers cover the desk. Ron rubs his forehead as Rachel brings him hot tea. Rachel: Master, you should rest in moderation. Ron: I would like to, but the list of tasks is mountainous. Rachel: And that is why you intend to go to the empire in person? Ron: We know too little about this age. Why the empire preserves living-human golems, how the nearby cities survive, where the village can buy seeds and glass—I need to see it all with my own eyes. Rachel: Lady Ava will surely want to accompany you. Ron: That is precisely why she must remain. Only by leaving this home in her hands can I travel far without worry. 【Scene 18】Entrance to Ubers·Early Morning·Exterior Rachel has traded her cook's uniform for practical traveling clothes. Ava adjusts Ron's cloak, moving more slowly than usual. Ron: Ava, what do you think about changing the village's name? Ava: If it is your will, Master, Ava will obey. Ron: I am not asking whether I should. I want to know how you feel. Ava looks up at the cooking smoke rising from the village. Ava: I like the name. Because Master was willing to remember someone who waited a thousand years. Ron nods and turns to Ronan. Ron: Guard the village well for me, Captain of the Watch. Ronan straightens. Ronan: Yes. You may rest assured. Ron: Rachel, let us go. Rachel: As you command, Master. The two depart along the newly repaired mountain road. Ava remains at the village entrance until their figures vanish completely. Act Two: The Empire's Fangs (Chapters 029—063) 【Scene 19】Forest Exit·Dusk·Exterior Ron and Rachel finally emerge from the dense woods. Wagon tracks cross the distant plain, and villages and farmland can be seen beyond. Ron: This should be the forest's exit. Rachel hands him a waterskin. Rachel: Master. Ron: Thank you. Outside Ubers, call me your older brother. To everyone else, we are ordinary travelers. Rachel: Understood, Brother. They rest briefly beneath a tree. Rachel suddenly turns serious. Rachel: Have you considered the matter of an heir, Master? Ron chokes on the water. Ron: Why bring that up all of a sudden? Rachel: You are a lord. Ensuring the continuation of your bloodline is something those who serve you should naturally consider. Everyone would be willing as well— Ron: Everyone thinks that way? Rachel: Of course. Serving you is the purpose of our existence and the source of our happiness. Faces flash through Ron's mind—Ava, Azelia, and the others. He immediately stands and begins packing. Ron: We will discuss it another day. Let us find somewhere to camp before dark. 【Scene 20】Forest Road to Aldert·Day·Exterior A merchant caravan has stopped outside the forest. The guards hold their bows ready while the caravan leader, Kleber, listens carefully to the sounds in the brush. Kleber: You two are travelers, yes? Monsters have been sighted ahead. Do not enter the forest for now. Ron: If you know there are monsters, why is the caravan taking this road? Kleber: Aldert lives on trade. A one-day detour could mean missing an entire shipment. The treetops suddenly snap, and a wyvern dives from above. The guards' formation falls apart, and Kleber is knocked to the ground. Rachel reaches for her blade, but Ron raises a hand to stop her. Ron: Wind Blade. An invisible edge flashes past. Before the wyvern can beat its wings, its wing membrane is sliced open, and it crashes heavily into the woods. Kleber stares at the enormous fallen creature for a long time before finding his voice. Kleber: Was that... your doing? Ron: It was lying in wait for us in the forest. Kleber: Just who are you? Ron: Merely a mage from a village in the woods. Ron leaves the wyvern's corpse to the caravan, asking only for transportation and information along the way in exchange. Kleber looks at the immensely valuable prey and smiles meaningfully. Kleber: If every mage from that forest village is this capable, I should pay it a visit sooner rather than later. 【Scene 21】Aldert City Gate·Day·Exterior Caravans form a long line outside the high walls, their accents from different countries mingling together. Ron watches the tax collectors, merchants, and garrison through the wagon window. Kleber: Aldert belongs to the empire in name, but cross-border merchant guilds are what truly keep the city alive. The capital remembers this place only when it is time to collect taxes. Ron: You are the head of the Plume Trade Guild. Why personally take such a dangerous route? Kleber: Because in the last three months, I have survived five assassination attempts. Staying at headquarters may be no safer than traveling through the forest. He produces a stolen itinerary. Kleber: Every time I was attacked, the enemy knew exactly where I would be, even after I changed my route. Someone inside the guild is working for the empire. Ron: You want to hire me to find the traitor? Kleber: I want to ask a friend who can kill a wyvern in a single strike to accompany me back to headquarters. 【Scene 22】Plume Trade Guild Headquarters·Afternoon·Interior An explosion suddenly shakes the hall. Shards of glass rain down from the staircase, and Akasha emerges from the smoke with her hair in complete disarray. Ron: Akasha! Akasha: Oh? If it isn't Master. She spots Kleber and immediately puts on an innocent expression. Akasha: My hand slipped and I dropped a bottle of explosive reagent. A headquarters this large can afford the damage, can't it? Ron: My deepest apologies. She comes from Ubers as I do and wished to demonstrate something she created. Kleber does not become angry. Instead, he studies Akasha even more carefully. Kleber: If she is Mr. Ron's disciple, she must be an exceptional mage as well. Akasha: Disciple? Master, is that how you introduce me outside? Ron answers under his breath. Ron: Play along for now. Someone here is watching Kleber. The smile on Akasha's face instantly turns dangerous. 【Scene 23】Aldert Market Street·Dusk·Exterior The three blend into the crowd. Akasha eats pastries while quietly laying down a detection barrier. Akasha: I cannot weave barriers with Ava's precision. Ron: Neither can I. Akasha: Aren't you her teacher? Ron: It is perfectly natural for the student to surpass the teacher. The barrier suddenly flickers. A small figure shoves past pedestrians and runs into an alley. Akasha lifts one hand, and vines erupt from the ground to coil around the fugitive's ankle. Erika falls, spilling a few cheap copper coins from her arms. Akasha: The great Master asks you a question, and you only think of running. That is rather rude, isn't it? Ron stops her. Ron: She is not an assassin. Erika bites her lip and refuses to speak. Rachel arrives from another alley with three thinly dressed children behind her. Rachel: I found the place she kept looking back toward. The youngest child throws himself into Erika's arms. Child: Big Sister! Erika finally breaks down. Erika: I only watched you for someone! They paid me to report where you went. I did not know they were going to kill anyone! Ron: Who gave you the instructions? Erika: Kleber's blond secretary. 【Scene 24】Trade Guild Conference Room·Night·Interior Kleber summons every core member to the conference room. The blond secretary stands behind him, still wearing a deferential smile. Kleber: In all five previous attacks, you were the only person who knew every revised route. Secretary: Is the chairman truly listening to the ravings of a street thief? Erika stands behind Rachel and raises her head with all the courage she can muster. Erika: Your men came to collect my reports every time. The west warehouse, the clock tower, the old bathhouse—I remember all of them. The secretary's smile disappears. Armed men burst in through the doors at the same moment. Secretary: In that case, there is no reason to continue the performance. By order of the royal family, the Plume Trade Guild is now under imperial control. Ron: Why must an order from the royal family be carried out through assassination? Secretary: The weak have no right to question the method. He draws his sword and thrusts straight at Ron. In the distance, a Zodiac Ring gives off a faint glow. Ava appears from thin air in front of the blade and catches it in one hand. Ava: You intended to use this sword to harm my master? Secretary: What— Ava snaps the blade and smashes him into the wall. Frost locks the feet of the other armed men in place. The secretary struggles to take out a black potion and swallows it. His skin splits, and his bones fuse with the flesh of the men around him, rapidly swelling into a malformed golem. Akasha takes half a step back, her eyes lighting up. Akasha: The same lineage as the black armor in the ruins, but made with newer materials. Ron: Research later. We are in the middle of a city. The golem crashes through the wall. Ron opens a barrier to protect the street, and Ava raises a hand. Ron: Ava, eliminate it. Ava: Understood. Frost Devour. Extreme cold erupts from inside the golem. Every strand of twisted flesh freezes along with its mana core, then shatters into fine ice particles. Not a single fragment escapes the barrier. 【Scene 25】Plume Trade Guild Safe House·Late Night·Interior Erika and the three children sit beside the hearth, devouring food. At another table, Kleber studies the imperial secret orders recovered from the attackers. Kleber: The empire is not only trying to control the guild. It is also searching Aldert for routes suitable to transport “special cargo.” Ron: That potion is part of the living-human golem experiments. Kleber: You want me to become Ubers's eyes in Aldert. Ron: And its bridge. The guild employs Erika and protects these children; Ubers gives you sanctuary if the empire retaliates. All future trade must be fair. You may not use my name to oppress people in the city. Kleber laughs and holds out his hand. Kleber: I thought you were merely an extraordinary mage. I did not expect you to be such an ambitious lord. Ron: I have only one ambition—to give the people of Ubers a better life. Kleber: Good. The Plume Trade Guild accepts this partnership. 【Scene 26】Road to Leskes·Montage·Day Exterior The caravan travels north. The closer it comes to Leskes, the more barren the fields become and the quieter the villages along the road. When they enter the city, gray buildings crowd their view, and almost no able-bodied adults can be seen in the streets. A stone-bull gorgon charges into the street. Several teenage soldiers raise their spears in panic. Ryan: Do not scatter! Spears up! The monster drives the youths backward. Akasha leaps down from the roof of the wagon and throws a potion that explodes at the gorgon's feet. The beast crashes to the ground. Ryan stares at her, his spear still trembling in his hands. Ryan: Did you save us? Akasha: If you want to thank someone, thank my master. He dislikes standing by and doing nothing. Ron approaches. Ron: Your name is Ryan? Ryan: Yes. I have no family name. Just Ryan. I can take you to an inn. Ron looks over the shuttered shops lining the street. Ron: Where have all the adults in the city gone? Ryan: Conscripted. Those who remain will be called up soon too. 【Scene 27】Lord's Manor of Leskes·Night·Interior Count Wilfred holds a banquet for the three travelers. The dining table stands in glaring contrast to the streets outside. Wilfred: I heard that you aided in the subjugation of the gorgon yesterday. You have my sincere gratitude. Ron: The credit belongs to Akasha. Wilfred: Since you travel together, it was naturally a shared act of valor. Is the tea to your liking? Ron lifts his cup and detects the faintest scent of medicine. He exchanges a glance with Rachel and Akasha, and all three drink at once. Wilfred: You must be weary from your travels. Please rest at the manor tonight. Deep in the night, guards drag an “unconscious” Ron underground while Rachel and Akasha are transported to a warehouse in the city's north. When the cell door closes, Ron opens his eyes. Ron: They could not even spare a proper dose. Chains rattle in the neighboring cell. Ryan leans against the wall, his face covered in bruises. Ryan: Mr. Ron? Ron: Why are you here? Ryan: I investigated my missing companions and was caught by the captain of the guard. The people who were “conscripted”... never went to a battlefield. 【Scene 28】Leskes Underground Detention Facility·Night·Interior Ron tears the cell door apart. The cells on either side hold elderly people, youths, and civilians unable to pay their taxes. Ryan: Every so often, the lord must send fifty people to the capital. They call it tribute. Ron: Human lives traded for supplies and status. The city watch rushes into the corridor. Ryan picks up a spear, but Ron pushes him back into the shadows of the cell. Ron: Hide and do not move. Ryan: I can fight too. Ron: You must get out alive before you have the right to speak of fighting. Ron raises a hand. Ron: Fireball. The fireball skims along the floor, destroying only weapons and chains. The guards continue to charge, and Ron's voice turns cold. Ron: I do not have time to play with you. If you want to die, come all at once. Telekinesis overturns the entire corridor. Ron opens each cell one by one and leads the prisoners toward the exit. 【Scene 29】Lord's Office, Leskes·Same Night·Interior Wilfred marks the route to the capital on a map. A guard crashes through the door. Guard: Count! The northern holding facility has revolted! The captured mage has joined forces with last night's city guards! Wilfred: Gordon cannot even contain a man without a staff? Summon every guard in the manor! The sound of paper turning comes from the window. Wilfred spins around to find Ron and Ryan already standing before the map. Ron: What kind of map is this? It shows nothing but noble estates and transport routes to the capital. Wilfred: How did you get in? Guards! Ron: Answer one question. In tonight's performance, who is the perpetrator and who is the victim? The steward, Reitel, charges with her sword drawn. Ron turns a finger, and the pressure of the wind slams her into the wall. Ryan stares at Wilfred, his spear hand shaking uncontrollably. Ron: The people you captured were meant to be sent to the capital, correct? Wilfred: They were nothing but criminals and useless paupers! The empire has supported them for years. Now they simply— An ice spear forms before his eyes. Frost gathers along his eyelids. Ron: Where does the Council of Magic send these people? Wilfred's legs give way, and he falls to his knees. Wilfred: I will talk! They were never going to a battlefield. Every one of them was sent to the capital as a golem test subject! For every shipment, the council gives Leskes food and equipment. I was only following the rules! Ryan: So my companions, the adults in this city... you sold all of them? Wilfred: If I did not send people, the entire city would starve! Ron: The people in the city are starving while your manor overflows with gold and silver. Do not call your own decision everyone's decision. He takes the route map and roster from the desk. Ron: Ryan, remember his face, and remember what you heard today. Before seeking revenge, first determine how many people truly bear responsibility. 【Scene 30】Northern Transit Warehouse·Same Night·Interior Rachel and Akasha are loaded into a cargo wagon. The moment they enter the warehouse, both open their eyes. Rachel: Master should have found the dungeon already. Akasha: Then we find the ledgers. Inside the warehouse, men in black inspect a new shipment of “cargo.” Black-Clad Man A: Is this all you have this time? Guard: The count ordered us to move quickly. Too many people have gone missing lately, and the city is growing suspicious. Black-Clad Man A: They are scraps being sent to the capital. They need only be alive. Rachel steps out of the shadows. Rachel: You call people cargo? The guards draw their swords. Akasha strikes two potion bottles together, and thick fog instantly fills the warehouse. Akasha: Do not burn the ledgers. Anything else is fair game. After a brief fight, Rachel pins the final guard against a table. Ron arrives with Ryan. Ron: Rachel, did you run into any trouble? Rachel: None, Brother. Akasha pulls a thick ledger from a cabinet. Akasha: Names, ages, receiving departments, suitable experiment types—it is all written here. The empire treats the entire city as a warehouse of materials. 【Scene 31】Old House in Leskes·Dawn·Interior Ryan pushes open the front door. No one answers. He rushes into the inner room and freezes. His mother lies on the floor, the blood around her long since dried. Ryan kneels beside the body and takes her cold hand. Ryan: Mother... Ron stops outside the doorway and does not enter. Ryan emerges with red-rimmed eyes. Ryan: Take me with you. I want to kill Wilfred, storm the imperial capital, and kill every last— Ron: As you are now, you would not make it past the city gate. Ryan: Then you want me to forget? Ron: I want you to survive first. Go to Aldert and find the Plume Trade Guild. Give them my name. When you are strong enough to choose how you take revenge, come to Ubers. Ryan grips his spear until his knuckles whiten, then finally lowers his head. Ryan: I will go. 【Scene 32】Council of Magic·Day·Interior Olba slams the report of the destroyed Leskes transit warehouse onto the table. Olba: It has been only days since our attempt to seize the Aldert trade guild failed, and now the transit warehouse has been compromised as well? Councilor: The attackers are likely connected to the unknown force in the forest. Olba: One village. First it destroys the ruin, then kills the investigation team, and now it dares interfere with the empire's transport network. Councilor: How should the expeditionary force be deployed? Olba: Three thousand soldiers and one hundred golems. Inform the Knights that they are to cooperate. Councilor: Three thousand? Against one village? Olba: Precisely because it is only one village, everyone must be shown what happens when they oppose the empire. 【Scene 33】Ubers Council Chamber·Night·Interior Ron places the Leskes ledger on the table. The manor's residents and Ronan sit around both sides. Ron: The assassinations in Aldert, the black armor in the ruins, and Leskes's human tribute all point to the imperial Council of Magic. Sasha: Why not go directly to the capital and crush them? Then it ends. Ron: There are civilians in the city, and people like Willis who oppose the experiments. Possessing power does not give us the right to classify everyone as an enemy. Walter: Then we hold the gate and wait for them to bare their fangs first. Ron: I have no intention of establishing diplomatic relations with the empire. Trade may continue, however, and ordinary people should not pay for the council's crimes. Ubers will raise its alert level, and we will rehearse the civilian evacuation routes again. Ava: And if they cross the boundary once more? Ron looks out at the newly built houses beyond the window. Ron: Make certain there is never a third time. 【Scene 34】Imperial Encampment / Ubers·Cross-Cut Montage·Day Exterior Imperial mages load magic stones into war wagons; knights inspect their lances; one hundred golems are dragged from a warehouse in chains. In Ubers, Ronan leads the watch in evacuating the elderly and children; Clint reinforces barrier nodes; Helena distributes potions to the shelters; Walter stands at the village entrance, polishing an old, rusted sword. Rita secretly follows Viola out of the village to gather herbs. Rita: I will be very quiet. I will not cause trouble. Viola: Today, you must stay beside me. The distant sky suddenly turns black with arrows. Viola snatches Rita up and rushes into the forest. The arrows strike the transparent barrier over the village and rain densely to the ground. Willis breaks from the rear of the imperial formation and gallops toward the village entrance. Willis: Stop the attack! There are civilians here! Olba: Stop that traitor! All forces, advance! 【Scene 35】Battlefield Outside Ubers·Day·Exterior Ron stands at the front line with the manor's residents behind him. Ron: Those who lay down their weapons live. Anyone who continues attacking is to be eliminated. Do not let the shockwaves damage the village. Ava: Leave the rear to me. The imperial mages chant in unison, and fire descends like a tidal wave. Ron takes one step forward. Black flames devour the spell in reverse and rip a vast opening through the center of the formation. Azelia disappears, then reappears on the enemy command platform. Several mages fall before they can even turn around. Graham charges through the storm of arrows, his shield smashing the cavalry line apart. Zeke leaps onto a war wagon and tears a golem's neck off with his bare hands. Ellie guards the narrow path toward the village, striking down every soldier who attempts to flank them. Imperial Soldier: Monsters! They are all monsters! Walter bars Willis's path with his sword. Walter: State your purpose. Willis: I came to stop Olba. Let me see Lord Ron. Walter looks at his empty hands, then steps aside. Walter: If you lie, this old man's sword will know first. 【Scene 36】Center of the Battlefield·Continuous Olba releases the hundred golems. The malformed giants trample their own wounded and charge toward Ron. Olba: This is the empire's true power! Ron looks at the monsters assembled from human remains, and his face turns completely cold. Ron: You call this power? He curls a finger. Azelia, Zeke, Graham, and Ellie plunge into the horde. The flesh giants are torn into scattered pieces before they can even stand fully upright. Olba collapses into the mud. Ron: I will ask one final time—is this the full extent of your forces? Olba: Impossible... Three thousand men, one hundred golems... Ava approaches from the rear line. Ron: The rear? Ava: Completely pacified. Ron walks up to Olba and severs the arm holding his staff. Ron: Since matters have come this far, let us have a conversation. Chairman of the Council of Magic, Olba Luthers. Adam suddenly drops to his knees among the prisoners. Adam: Please spare me! I opposed this expedition from the beginning. It was the chairman who insisted on the order! Ron: Your name? Adam: Adam König! Ron: Speaking with you may prove more efficient than speaking with the chairman. 【Scene 37】Ubers Reception Room·Night·Interior Willis and Adam sit at the table, while Olba is confined in an iron cage. Ava stands behind Ron, her eyes never leaving the two prisoners. Ron: Tell me why the empire continues making golems, and explain the current state of the continent. Willis: The emperor and the Council of Magic monopolize power. The Knights oppose experiments on living humans, but we have been excluded from the center of authority. The empire was previously at war with an alliance of four nations. At present, there is only a temporary ceasefire. Adam spreads out a map of the continent. Adam: Narsil in the north, Izmir in the east, Irenia in the south, and Praros at the center. Smaller kingdoms are caught between the great powers. A world upheaval also occurred a thousand years ago, when mountains, rivers, and cities shifted position overnight. Ron: No one knows the cause? Willis: Only that after the upheaval, high-tier magic and many races gradually disappeared. Ron studies the familiar yet displaced continent on the map. Ron: The empire must recognize that Ubers is not under its rule, cease all military action, and end experimentation on living humans. Cross the border again, and the consequences will not be as light as today's. Willis: Who will go to the capital to deliver those terms? Sasha pushes open the door. Sasha: Obviously, I will. 【Scene 38】Ubers Square·Early Morning·Exterior Two hundred undead guards stand in perfect formation. Olba's iron cage has been secured to a wagon, and Willis and Adam stand nearby. Ron slips a Zodiac Ring onto Sasha's finger. Ron: Conditions on the ground may change at any moment. Use your own judgment. You do not need to wait for my order in every matter. Sasha: You are entrusting such an important mission to me? Ron: Because I trust you. He hugs Sasha. Her entire body goes rigid, and then she topples straight backward. Rose and Weiss catch her at the same time. Ava: Fainting from a simple embrace. What happened to the Demon King's dignity? Sasha bolts upright. Sasha: I was merely checking whether the ground was level! Everyone struggles not to laugh. Ron takes a step back. Ron: Come home safely. Sasha closes her hand around the ring. Sasha: I shall not fail you. 【Scene 39】Entrance to Ubers·Several Days Later·Dusk·Exterior Kleber arrives with Erika and Ryan. Ryan kneels on one knee before Ron. Ryan: I want to remain here. I want the strength to hold the murderers accountable with my own hands. Ron: I can give you a home and training, but I will not immediately start a war for one person's revenge. Ryan: I understand. Ron: When a real opportunity comes, I will help you determine who is responsible. Until then, learn to protect those who are still alive. Ronan tosses him a wooden training spear. Ronan: Assemble before sunrise tomorrow. Ryan: Yes! Kleber unfolds a map of trade routes. Kleber: If Ubers is to develop over the long term, it needs goods no one else can replace. The eastern mountains may contain high-purity magic stones and coal, but Irenia has been excavating tunnels across the border. Ron: Then our first task is to open the road east. 【Scene 40】Across the Continent·Cross-Cut Montage·Night In the Izmir council chamber, Diana and Werner receive orders to investigate Ubers. Knight-Lord of Izmir: Determine the source of that power. Do not show hostility first. In the capital of Magna Carta, an official carries a confidential report of the three-thousand-man army's defeat into the palace. Imperial Official: More than two-thirds of the expeditionary force has been lost. The chairman is missing. Emperor: To a village? In a distant kingdom, Werner places intelligence on his lord's desk. Werner: The empire lost. This was not a border skirmish. It was a complete defeat. Back in Ubers, the first wooden stake of the road project is driven into the eastern mountain path. Ron studies the route Clint marked, then looks toward the distant mountains. Ron: The empire has seen us. The other nations will come next. Ava: No matter who comes, Ubers will remain here. Ron: Which is why we cannot only defend. Open the road. We will go and see this world for ourselves. Act Three: Ubers Takes Its Place in the World (Chapters 064—099) 【Scene 41】Ubers Training Grounds·Early Morning·Exterior Walter swings a wooden sword and knocks down a line of watchmen one after another. Ronan braces his hands on his knees, gasping, while Ryan grits his teeth and rises again. Zeke sits on the fence and laughs loudly. Zeke: This is ridiculous. Gideon: Indeed. The old man is wearing every piece of restraint gear, and they still cannot touch the hem of his clothes. Ron approaches the training ground. Walter stops and salutes with his sword. Ron: The road has reached the forest entrance. We need to continue the eastern survey, but it is also time for Sasha's party to depart. Zeke: The Black Knight has already obeyed the summons. Unless you personally call the Blue Knight, she will probably throw another tantrum. Ron: For now, Rose and Weiss will escort Sasha. The empire does not dare openly turn hostile, but that does not mean it will negotiate honestly. Nearby, Sasha puts on her formal cloak and inspects the two knights. Sasha: Once we reach the capital, behave as my attendants and do not create unnecessary trouble. Rose: Since Master has entrusted you to us, we shall support you with all our strength. Sasha looks toward the window of Ron's office. Sasha: If I return in triumph, surely my dear companion will praise me a little? 【Scene 42】Ubers Office·Morning·Interior Kleber uses a lump of coal to mark a route on the map. Kleber: Starting from Ubers, the north already approaches imperial territory. If you want a trade route beyond imperial control, east is the only option. Ron: The east is nothing but mountains. Kleber: Precisely. That is why it is sparsely inhabited and may still contain coal and magic-stone deposits. More importantly, Irenia is already mining across the border from underground. Ryan stands by the door, hesitant to speak. Ron: What is it? Ryan: Other than fighting, I cannot do anything. If I remain in Ubers, I will only consume food. Ron: We are short of hands. Roadwork, patrols, surveys—every task requires people. I cannot promise to complete your revenge for you, but I can help you grow stronger and give you a place to belong. Ryan: You truly mean that? Ron: You are already here. From now on, answer for yourself through your actions whether you deserve to stay. Ryan bows solemnly. Ryan: Please take care of me from this day forward. 【Scene 43】Eastern Mountain Road·Several Days Later·Exterior Ron, Ava, Ellie, Graham, and Ryan make camp at the end of the newly opened road. The mountain walls are steep, and not a single wagon track runs through the forest. Ryan carries heavy equipment, his pace slowing with every step. Ron: Are you all right? Should we slow down? Ryan: I am fine... I can keep going. Ellie easily carries timber several times larger than her own body. Ryan stares at her, then looks down at his burden. Ron: Do not compare yourself to her. The equipment worn by the manor's residents suppresses roughly seventy percent of their abilities. Graham's armor is a limiter as well. Ryan: The empire faced you... and that was not even your full strength? Ron: The greater the power, the more important it is to learn not to destroy everything nearby. What you must learn is not how to let hatred drive you forward, but how to stop even after you have power in your hands. 【Scene 44】Mountain Church·Dusk·Interior A solitary stone church emerges from the mist. A blind woman named Stella sits alone before the altar, with only a worn longsword at her side. Stella: Those footsteps are unfamiliar. Are you travelers who have lost your way? Ron: We are surveying the eastern road. Does this place belong to Praros? Stella: It did eleven years ago. I do not know about now. She feels her way as she pours water for her guests. Ava: Why do you remain here alone? Stella: Treason. My sentence was ten years. One year has passed, yet no one has come to collect me. Ron: How do you obtain food? Stella: I go down the mountain to buy supplies at regular intervals. The road is dangerous, but one becomes accustomed to it. Ron: Can you tell us about Praros? Stella falls silent for a moment. Stella: What I know is the Praros of eleven years ago. The pope renamed himself the Holy King and tried to change a faith the nation had held for a thousand years. Some opposed him, and afterward there was what they called a rebellion. I accepted the charge on behalf of my subordinates. I lost my eyes, and I lost my homeland. Ron: If I learn news of Praros, I will return and tell you. Stella: Why help a stranger branded a criminal? Ron: Because being convicted and being guilty are not the same thing. 【Scene 45】Border of the Neutral Zone·Day·Exterior Diana carries an iron pole across her shoulder, with the injured Werner tied to its far end. As they climb over the ridge, they run into Albion and Lumière arguing about the route. Lumière: The western path is fastest if we go straight! Albion: It is safer to descend into the valley first and then cross the forest road. They both notice Diana, then look at Werner hanging from the iron pole. A long silence. Werner: ...Hello? Diana sets the pole down but keeps a hand on her weapon. Diana: Diana, attached to Izmir's Supreme Council. We were ordered to investigate Ubers. Albion: Perfect. We are heading back as well. Lumière: Provided you stop insisting on that absurd detour. 【Scene 46】Entrance to the Underground Mine·Day·Interior Ava stops before the mountain wall and signals everyone to be silent. From behind the rock come the crack of whips and muffled screams. Ron: Fly through and scout. Ava becomes a streak of light and passes through a fissure, returning moments later. Ava: An artificially expanded mine. More than two hundred miners are shackled. The overseers possess a control device. Ron's party enters the tunnel. An overseer is whipping a miner who has fallen to the ground. Overseer: Are you deaf? Get moving! Graham's hand closes around his sword hilt. The giant, once a gladiator slave, breathes heavily beneath his armor. Ron: Graham, look at me. Graham turns. Ron: No one will be treated as a slave again today. Seal the exits. Do not harm the miners. The mine director orders the soldiers to activate the shackle device. Forced by agony, the miners charge at Ron. Ellie steps forward. Ellie: Master, please allow me— Ron: Stand back. He points his staff at an unoccupied mountain wall. Ron: Annihilation Beam. A dazzling beam shears away half the rocky mountain. When the tremors cease, every weapon falls to the ground. Ron: Are you willing to talk now? 【Scene 47】Underground Mine·Shortly After·Interior The miners' representative, Sieghart, and the mine director, Grantel, are brought before Ron. Sieghart: We were losers from Irenia's arenas. Those who survived were sent here to work until death. Grantel: I was only following orders! Now that the mine has been exposed, the kingdom will spare none of us. Ron: Which means none of you have anywhere to return to. He looks at the miners. Ron: I will not decide for you whom to forgive. Those who wish to leave will have their shackles removed. Those who wish to go to Ubers will receive shelter and work, but must live by their labor. Whether the overseers may come with you is for their victims to decide. Sieghart: If we go there, will we still be slaves? Ron: Ubers has no need for slaves. Albion's group arrives at that moment with Diana and Werner. Diana stares at the mountain wall that has been sliced flat. Diana: You did all of this? Ron: Before we introduce ourselves, do not draw your sword. I am Ron Greenfield. Werner: This is an illegal Irenian mine. Under the treaty, the discoverer must hand it over to a signatory state. Ron: If I hand it over, these people will be silenced. He shatters every shackle with a raised hand, then has Graham seal the tunnel leading to Irenia. Ron: From this moment, the official record will say you all died in a collapse. Sieghart: What? Ron: Dead men do not have to return to the arena. Those who want to live, come with me. 【Scene 48】Ubers Square·Dusk·Exterior More than two hundred miners are teleported into the square. Ronan and Clint have already cleared the area and quickly begin arranging food and shelter. Ron: Ronan, send the wounded to Helena first. Clint, register everyone's trade. Walter, guard the former mine director, but do not torture him. Diana and Werner are led toward the manor by Ava. Ava: I will prepare two guest rooms. Diana: One is enough. Ron looks at the injured Werner. Ron: Are you planning to make him sleep in the corridor? Diana: We are married. Werner: You did not have to announce that in front of everyone! Ron freezes for two seconds. Everyone nearby discreetly looks away. 【Scene 49】Temporary Miners' Camp·Night·Exterior Sieghart and the other miners sit around a fire. Grantel and the remaining overseers are guarded separately. Ron: Ubers needs roads built, ore mined, fields tilled, and borders guarded. Every job is paid, but no one will support you for doing nothing. Miner A: We are willing to stay. Miner B: What about Grantel and the others? Ron: You decide. After a long silence, Sieghart speaks. Sieghart: They were also pushed here by those above them and left to die. They may stay, but from now on they work as we do. Anyone who raises a whip again is out. Grantel lowers his head. Grantel: I accept. Ron: Then we begin with your name. You are no longer the mine director. You are simply Grant. 【Scene 50】Royal Palace of Rozier·Day·Interior Sasha enters the audience hall under the name “Alexandria Ul Elbenia.” The emperor remains seated high upon his throne. Sasha: May Your Majesty be in good health. I am the envoy of Ubers— Emperor: I expected some extraordinary figure. Instead, they send a filthy demon mongrel of a dying bloodline. Rose and Weiss look up at once. Sasha raises a hand to stop them. Sasha: I represent Ubers, which defeated your army. If Your Majesty does not know how to receive an envoy, send someone who understands proper conduct. A royal knight draws his sword in fury. Royal Knight: Insolence! He takes a single step forward, but Rose has already passed him. His armor and four limbs hit the floor at the same time. Another knight draws his weapon, and Weiss snaps the blade with two fingers. Sasha never moves from where she stands. Sasha: So long as no one provokes them, they will naturally cause no trouble. These two are my personal guards. The emperor's face turns livid. Emperor: Robert, you will handle the subsequent negotiations. 【Scene 51】Palace Reception Room·Afternoon·Interior Second Crown Prince Robert pours the tea himself. Robert: I apologize for His Majesty's discourtesy just now. Has your side come to discuss the future relationship between our two powers? Sasha: Ubers is not a nation and does not need the empire's recognition. We require only compensation and a guarantee that this will never happen again. Robert: If we sign a treaty between states, Ubers's standing would be far more secure. Sasha: It would also give the empire a pretext to interfere in our affairs. Your Highness has not hidden the bait deeply enough. Robert's smile stiffens slightly. Robert: The envoy misunderstands. Sasha: Then write terms that cannot be misunderstood. Robert excuses himself. Outside the room, he uses a magical listening device, but hears only the clink of teacups. Sasha has already deployed a soundproof barrier. Sasha: Rose, investigate the imperial family. Weiss, investigate the nobles connected to the golems. Rose: Understood. Sasha rubs the ring Ron gave her. Sasha: It seems we will remain a few more days. 【Scene 52】Sasha's Memory·Demon King's Palace·One Thousand Years Ago·Interior A young Ron is dragged before the Demon King's throne by soldiers. Sasha: A mere human dares trespass here? Ron: Let me confirm something first. You really are the Demon King? Sasha: We are the sovereign of the Kingdom of Elbenia—Alexandria Ul Elbenia! “Demon King” is merely a slander invented by humans! Ron studies her for a moment. Ron: Your way of speaking is really awkward. Have you never noticed? Sasha slams the table. Sasha: Throw this madman into the dungeon! The scene shifts. Ron pushes the dungeon door open from the inside and extends a hand. Ron: Your name is too long. Sasha, would you like to come with me? Back in the present, Sasha smiles to herself by the window. Rose: What is Lady Sasha thinking about? Sasha: A madman who gives people new names without permission. 【Scene 53】Palace Banquet Hall·Night·Interior Sasha accurately names every noble and their fief, neutralizing Robert's attempt to humiliate her. Marquis Smythe approaches. Smythe: Do not imagine that one minor victory means the whole empire will bend to your will. Sasha: We regard no one as our superior, nor do we treat anyone as base. So long as no one harms us, Ubers will not commit evil first. Smythe: If the empire's main forces mobilize, you will be reduced to ash in the blink of an eye. Sasha: The council's hundred golems believed the same thing. The expressions of several nobles change instantly. Sasha notes every reaction. After the banquet, she quietly instructs her guards. Sasha: Investigate Marquis Smythe. Among the noble heirs present tonight, there must be at least one fool incapable of holding his tongue. Rose: Understood. 【Scene 54】Ubers Training Grounds·Day·Exterior Ron faces Walter with a wooden sword in hand. Ron: I have not held a sword in a very long time. Walter: Your body remembers, my lord. They charge at the same moment. Ron instinctively blocks the slash, and his feet carry him through the counterattack on their own. Wooden blades clash again and again as the surrounding watchmen hold their breath. At last, both wooden swords break simultaneously. Ron looks at his hands. Ron: It is not that I remember. This body remembers. Walter: Then that too is a road you once walked, my lord. Azelia drops from a tree. Azelia: Nine intruders have been found along the northwestern border. They are approaching Ubers on foot. Ron: Civilians? Azelia: Armed, with a precise route. They look more like hired adventurers. 【Scene 55】Northwestern Forest·Day·Exterior Nine adventurers from the “Night” Guild move through the woods. Adventurer A: All we have to do is find the village, steal a few things, and grab a few women. Then we get a heavy purse. Adventurer B: I heard even the imperial army suffered losses there. Leader Lecter: The client only asked us to probe them. If it looks bad, we withdraw. Ava steps out from behind a tree. Ava: I am a representative of Ubers. What business brings you to our village? Lecter: A little girl like you is their representative? Before he finishes speaking, all nine weapons freeze at once. Ava takes a single step, and every adventurer is pinned to a tree by bonds of ice. Ava: Now, can you answer me? 【Scene 56】Akasha's Laboratory·Night·Interior Lecter is strapped to a chair. Akasha places golem tissue into a reagent, then picks up a bottle of restorative potion. Lecter: Kill me. Akasha: Master did not permit you to die. She uses the golem's genetic material to aggravate his wounds, then immediately applies an excessive restoration effect. Lecter's screams echo through the underground room. Ron stands outside the door with his fists clenched. He pushes the door open. Ron: Enough. Tell me who hired you, and I will let you leave alive. Lecter: Dialg... Someone paid us to raid Ubers. The contact worked for the second crown prince. Ron: Go back and collect your payment. Report exactly what they asked for. Say all your men died and the village has a massive army. Lecter: You want me to deceive the client? Ron: I want him to step into the open himself. 【Scene 57】Secret Trading Post in Dialg·Night·Interior Lecter appears at the appointed place. Azelia, disguised as a guild member, hides in the shadows. After hearing his report, the crown prince's agent refuses to pay. Agent: The job was to raid the village. You did not even reach its outskirts. Why should you be paid? Lecter: Hand over the money! No one could raid an army that size! The agent waves a hand. Soldiers emerge from ambush on every side, preparing to silence all witnesses. Azelia activates a recording crystal, then steps out of the darkness. Azelia: We have enough evidence. Short blades flash between the lanterns. Every soldier falls, and the agent is pinned to the trading table. Azelia: Tell Robert that the hand he tried to hide has been seen. 【Scene 58】Ubers Office·Late Night·Interior Ron finishes watching the recording crystal. Sasha appears above the communication crystal on his desk, looking unusually uneasy. Sasha: I have stayed in the imperial capital for so long, yet I failed to discover that Robert had already sent men to Dialg. Ron: You have already bought us more than enough time in an unfamiliar place. Sasha: But Master nearly— Ron: You are not the one who owes an apology. The fault belongs to the person who placed this burden on you. He pauses. Ron: I will come for you in three days. Do not leave the palace grounds. Sasha's eyes light up. Sasha: You are coming in person? Ron: I was too complacent before. The empire has acted twice already. I will not wait for a third time. 【Scene 59】Ubers Armory Square·Dawn·Exterior The undead army stands in formation. Albion inspects the weapons, while Clint activates the mobile fortress. In the distance, an enormous spatial gate gradually opens. Diana stands beside Ron. Diana: Bringing an army to the capital is equivalent to declaring war. Ron: The empire first sent one hundred and twenty men to massacre the village, then sent three thousand to attack, and later hired adventurers to raid us. The war never ended. Diana: Do you intend to destroy the capital? Ron: No. I intend to show them, without harming a single civilian, what continuing this war will cost. Ava raises both hands. Ava: Dimensional Gate! A colossal portal spans earth and sky. The mobile fortress slowly passes through, its pure-white armor blotting out the morning light. The ark “Deucalion” descends from the clouds, casting an immense shadow over the square. Ron: All forces advance. Unless attacked, do not harm the city's residents. 【Scene 60】Outside Rozier·Day·Exterior The mobile fortress advances toward the capital along the main road. Unmanned ballistae and magic cannons turn toward the city walls, while Deucalion hovers above the palace. Soldiers inside the city hurriedly close the gates. Robert rushes onto the wall and turns pale at the sight of the undead army. Robert: How are they here? What are the guards doing? Sasha emerges from inside the city gate and meets Ron's gaze across the formations. Ron: You have worked hard. Sasha hurries forward, but slows during the final few steps and forces herself to appear composed. Sasha: It was nothing. Ron: You did well. Leave the rest to me. 【Scene 61】Imperial Audience Hall·Day·Interior Ron, Sasha, Ava, and the two knights enter the hall. The emperor, Robert, and the assembled ministers stand at the far end. Robert: Ubers surrounds the capital with an army, yet still dares accuse the empire of aggression? Azelia places the recording crystal on the table. Lecter's confession, the commission exchange, and the attempted silencing unfold one after another. Ron: Who suffered injustice first? Robert: The testimony of a few adventurers is enough to slander the imperial family? Ron: Then let us discuss the golems, a subject you know better. You first attacked Ubers to recover experimental specimens. You rushed to end the war against the alliance of kingdoms because you no longer had enough golems to deploy. If you open another front now, does the empire still have strength to spare? No one in the hall speaks. Emperor: What do you want? Ron: Aldert, as compensation for two invasions and one covert raid. Robert: You defeated a mere detached force and now presume to demand imperial territory? Ron raises his eyes toward the window. Deucalion's shadow passes over the palace. Ron: If you consider the terms excessive, we can continue the discussion by other means. The emperor grips the arms of his throne until his knuckles whiten. Emperor: The empire agrees to cede Aldert. 【Scene 62】Outside the Audience Hall·Shortly After·Interior In the presence of envoys from various nations, Ron announces the new boundary. Ron: From this day forward, Ubers regards the entire neutral zone as its territory. We will not force the villages within it to submit, nor will we prohibit ordinary passage. But any army, secret mine, or slave-hunting band that crosses the boundary again will face Ubers. He points toward Willis and Adam. Ron: These two will handle future negotiations with the empire. Do not send another man who knows only how to shift blame onto his subordinates. Robert's face darkens, but he cannot answer. Sasha walks to Ron's side and speaks softly. Sasha: Partner, I am sorry. Ron: What is there to apologize for? You gave it everything you had. Sasha looks up. Ron: Let us go home. Sasha: Yes! 【Scene 63】Ubers Square·Night·Exterior The returning army finds no curfew. Instead, long tables, bonfires, and streets full of lights await them. Miners, old villagers, manor residents, and watchmen mingle as they prepare a celebration. Ron: What is all this? Ava: Today is a joyous day. Everyone believes that Ubers has finally established its true place upon this land. Ron is pushed to the front of the crowd. Ron: Strange events have followed one after another, but thank you all for tolerating my recklessness. The days ahead may still be unsettled— Zeke: My lord, no official speeches today! Drink first! The crowd bursts into laughter. Ron accepts the cup. Ron: Then I will say only one thing. Welcome home, and thank you all for giving me a home to return to. Every cup rises at once. Everyone: To Ubers! 【Scene 64】Manor Observation Deck·Late Night·Exterior Zeke, Gideon, Albion, Walter, and Ron hide away on the observation deck to drink. Zeke: A situation like ours is not easy. Gideon, you say something too. Gideon: I am not like you. I never lived in human society. Zeke: You have lived here this long. Does that not count as human society? Walter: You have already told this story five times. Zeke: Those were the hardest days of my life. Women would tremble just from looking at me. Albion: With a face like yours, fear is perfectly natural. Zeke: My face may look vicious, but my heart is warm! Walter: So you admit your face frightens people. Everyone laughs. Zeke slaps the table in frustration. Zeke: And you, old man! Saying you never intended to choose anyone at all is the biggest problem! Walter: Am I not allowed to tell the truth, you mangy mutt? Zeke: Lions are cats! The laughter grows louder. Ron leans on the railing and watches the children chasing one another below. 【Scene 65】Ron's Old Apartment / Ubers·Memory Montage A young Ron walks alone through a school corridor. Transfer notices land on his desk again and again. While his classmates discuss competitive online games, he sits in a corner holding a guidebook for a single-player game. At fifteen, Ron picks up “Seed 7: The Laws of Taea” from a game store. When he returns home, he steps into its vast continent for the first time. Young Ron (inner voice): It was like seeing another world. The computer remains running constantly. Before school at dawn, he starts expeditions; after returning home in the evening, he continues playing. More and more player-made mods appear on the forums. Ron opens modeling software for the first time and clumsily shapes Ava. User A (on-screen text): The modeling is awful. User B (on-screen text): The animations clip through everything. User C (on-screen text): Try watching this tutorial channel. Young Ron stares at the final comment and clicks Subscribe. 【Scene 66】Ron's Old Apartment·Continuous Montage·Interior A tutorial fills half the screen. On the other half, Ava's model is revised again and again. Young Ron: Make the facial contours more natural. The arms cannot be too thin, and her expressions cannot be the same as every other character's. The computer dies from running too long. Ron sells his collection, replaces the parts, and starts it again. Six months later, the improved model is uploaded. User A (on-screen text): You can never have too many female characters! User B (on-screen text): Not bad. User C (on-screen text): She is just a village NPC. Nothing distinctive. Ron does not stop. He writes Ava's growth path, personality changes, and different encounter branches. Bugs appear constantly, and the code is rewritten over and over. Two years later, a new version is released. User One (on-screen text): I cannot play without Ava anymore. User Two (on-screen text): The master of progression mods! User Three (on-screen text): God-tier creator! The images accelerate. High school, university, military service, work—the room and computer change repeatedly, but the number of characters continues to grow. After Ava come Azelia, Sasha, Akasha, Walter, Zeke, Clint, and every person now living in the manor. 【Scene 67】Ubers Square·Dawn·Exterior The celebration is over, though empty cups remain on the tables. Children are already running through the streets again. Ron stands alone at the edge of the square, and Ava approaches from behind. Ava: Master did not sleep all night. Ron: I used to do that often. From fifteen to thirty-five, I made mods, fixed bugs, and waited for expedition teams to return. Back then, I thought it was enough as long as everyone inside the screen lived well. Ava: And now? Ron looks toward the new houses, the fields, and Deucalion anchored in the distance. Ronan is training the watch, miners push carts toward the worksite, and Sasha chases Zeke through the streets after he mocks her. Ron: Now you laugh, get angry, and make your own choices. I do not know whether this is the future of the game or merely a world that happens to resemble my creation. Ava: Does that matter? Ron shakes his head. Ron: The only certainty is that I am the lord of Ubers. I will make sure all of you can live here in peace and prosperity. Ava stands beside him. Ava: Then let us continue forward. No matter how far you wish to expand this world, I will walk with you. Morning light crosses the mountains and illuminates all of Ubers. Ron (inner voice): The utopia I wanted to build—the obsession that the characters I created with my own hands should live in peace—has never once gone out. The image freezes on the children running across the square. —End of Season One— View
Comeback As the Villainess, I Decided to Be No One's Pawn 【Scene 01】Outside the University Library · Late Night · Exterior Action: Only the streetlights remain on the winter campus. Yoon Do-hee leaves the library with an old laptop bag over her shoulder. Her phone screen shows messages from her group members: no one submitted their materials on time. Yoon Do-hee: It's all right. I'll finish it myself. Action: She says it calmly, though her hands are red from the cold. Rounding the corner, she sees Kim Han-jun smoking and talking with a returning student. Kim Han-jun: Yoon Do-hee? She's the easiest person to fool. Tell her a relative died and she'll transfer the money. Returning Student: Does one of your relatives die every week? Kim Han-jun: I'm not the bad one. She's just stupidly kind to people. Action: Do-hee freezes in the shadows. Looking down at the 100,000 won she just transferred, she suddenly remembers the voices at home always telling her to wash the dishes, give way, and be understanding. Yoon Do-hee: So I wasn't kind. Everyone just thought I was easy to push around. Action: She rushes out of the campus gates. An old woman at the roadside grabs her and asks for bus fare. For the first time, Do-hee forcefully pulls her hand away—only to be struck by a speeding motorcycle. Her laptop bag flies far across the road. The screen shatters, and rainwater mixes with blood. Yoon Do-hee (Voice-over): If I get another chance, I will never again use “kindness” to pay someone else's debts. 【Scene 02】Seymour Ducal Estate · Early Morning · Interior Action: Enormous velvet curtains, a bed embroidered with gold thread, and maids kneeling on the floor. Yoon Do-hee opens her eyes. The woman in the mirror has long purple hair and ruby-red eyes. Maid: P-please spare me, Lady Deborah! This servant saw nothing! Action: The maid is so frightened that she knocks her forehead bloody against the floor. Do-hee instinctively touches her face, and the unfamiliar, dazzling face in the mirror lifts with her. Yoon Do-hee: Deborah... Seymour? Action: The door opens. Duke Seymour, Jorgea, enters with cold silver-gray eyes. Duke Seymour: Starving yourself over a pink diamond necklace wasn't enough, so now you're staging self-harm? You are a disgrace to House Seymour. Yoon Do-hee: I didn't— Duke Seymour: Cause fewer problems and behave yourself. Don't ruin the face your mother left you until it too is worthless. Action: The duke sweeps out. Do-hee watches the terrified maid leave as fragmented memories flood into her mind: this is the novel Devouring the Black Thorn; Deborah is the villainess who torments the heroine Mia and is eventually sent to a convent. Yoon Do-hee: Dying and possessing a villainess sounds absolutely awful. Action: She presses the bell beside the bed. The maids bring breakfast, hot water, and dresses with almost military speed. Yoon Do-hee (taking a bite of bread): Still... the life of a villainess is certainly comfortable. 【Scene 03】Deborah's Study · Afternoon · Interior Action: The desk is covered with the “Rules for Survival” she wrote from memory. Snow falls outside the window, while the fireplace keeps the room warm. Yoon Do-hee (writing): First, don't pull Mia's hair. Second, don't touch the pink diamond. Third, stay away from Philap Montes. Fourth, never make a curse doll. Action: She stops writing and recalls the future in the original novel: Mia saves Philap with divine power, receives the pink diamond, and is then abused by a jealous Deborah. Yoon Do-hee: I don't want to steal the male lead or become a saintess. I only want freedom, money, and a life that no one can casually throw away. Action: She draws a heavy line under “freedom,” then writes, “Improve relationship with Father.” 【Scene 04】Seymour Estate Rose Garden · Dusk · Exterior Action: In the magical rose garden that never leaves bloom, Deborah digs beneath the bushes beside the greenhouse with a shovel. Duke Seymour arrives in anger. Duke Seymour: Who allowed you to destroy Marianne's garden? Action: Deborah hands him a sheet of pale violet stationery. The duke sees his wife's handwriting, and his fingers tremble. Deborah: I didn't come to destroy what she left behind. I found a letter she buried. Duke Seymour: What are you trying to get with this? The pink diamond? Jewels? Deborah: I only want to ask one thing. Which is more precious: a flower that never wilts, or a diamond that never breaks? Duke Seymour: ...What do you mean? Deborah: Mother wrote that flowers are beautiful when they bloom because they will wither. Sealing everything forever in magic may not truly be remembrance. Action: The duke opens the letter. His wife wrote of missing winter flowers, old tea cakes, and words they never managed to say. His forced anger slowly crumbles. Duke Seymour: How many more letters are there? Deborah: Many. If you wish, I will give them to you slowly. Action: Deborah turns to leave, but the duke calls after her. Duke Seymour: Remove half of the preservation spell from the garden. Let the flowers bloom and fade with the seasons. Action: The rose garden's light flickers softly. Deborah exhales in relief but does not turn around. 【Scene 05】Duke Seymour's Office · Late Night · Interior Action: The duke reviews a mountain of documents. Deborah enters with tea and a lemon tart, then cautiously sits across from him. Duke Seymour: Say what you want. Don't circle around it. Deborah: I would like you to invest in my business. Action: The duke looks up, more surprised than if she had asked for the pink diamond. Duke Seymour: You want to do business? Deborah: I need start-up capital. I will submit a plan and bear the losses. Please treat it as an investment, not a gift. Duke Seymour: How much? Action: Deborah writes down a deliberately modest figure. The duke frowns. Duke Seymour: Did you leave out a zero? Deborah: This is enough. Duke Seymour: This isn't an elaborate attempt to get the pink diamond? Deborah: You already said publicly that you would not bid on it for me. I don't want to make you break your word. Action: The duke looks at his daughter and says nothing for a long time. After Deborah leaves, he summons the butler. Duke Seymour: Send her the investment capital. And that pink diamond at the auction... acquire it for her, no matter the cost. 【Scene 06】Deborah's Study · Three Days Later · Interior Action: Four heavy chests of gold sit on the carpet, with a black jewelry box on top. Deborah opens it. A heart-shaped pink diamond gleams under the light. Deborah: Father bought it? Action: She finishes reading the letter and remains silent for a long time. There is no blame in it, only an awkward attempt at restitution and the words, “Don't trap yourself inside your anger.” Deborah: This isn't what I wanted. But I can't waste the feeling behind it. Action: She examines the pink diamond's certificate and discovers that the wax seal bears a cat with its tail raised. A memory flashes through her mind: it is the mark of Blansha, the mysterious intelligence organization from the original novel. Deborah: So you're the one who can help me buy my freedom. 【Scene 07】Basement of Atla Jewelry Store · Night · Interior Action: Wearing a black cloak, Deborah gives the password and is led to a hidden teleportation array. In a mist-filled underground hall, a gray-haired man sits behind a table. The golden beast Cookie lies at his feet. Master Blansha: Why does Lady Seymour know of the golden dragon's seventh fang? Deborah: Information has a price. State yours first. Action: Cookie suddenly runs to her feet and rolls against the catnip sachet at her waist. For the first time, the master looks visibly startled. Master Blansha: What did you do to him? Deborah: Ninety-nine gold. I'll give you a ninety-nine percent discount. Action: The master laughs despite himself when she turns his usual sales line against him. Deborah: First commission: investigate Louis Gazelle. My second brother Belreck chose him as a marriage prospect for me. Master Blansha: And the second? Deborah: I want to know how much it costs to buy a title that truly belongs to me. Master Blansha: It won't be cheap. You want independence from House Seymour? Deborah: I want a name that will let me survive even if I leave Seymour. Action: She takes out a pouch of jewels, which clatter brightly across the table. Deborah: Third, sell the pink diamond. Father cannot find out, and his feelings must not be diminished. Master Blansha: It is already famous throughout the world. A secret resale is impossible. Deborah: You'll find a way. Master Blansha: I can dispose of it at a higher price. But we split the profit fifty-fifty. Deborah: Seventy-thirty. Master Blansha: Fifty-fifty. And tell me why Cookie likes you. Deborah: Deal. Action: The master leans forward slightly, unable to hide his interest in the supposedly foolish, arrogant villainess. 【Scene 08】Blansha Secret Chamber · Continuous · Interior Action: The master displays a deep-red pouch set with a mana stone. Master Blansha: This is a spatial pouch. It can hold enough gold to fill fifty safes, and its summoning coordinates recognize your hand. Deborah: I'll buy it. Master Blansha: The price isn't money. Give me one idea valuable enough to satisfy me. Deborah: If I wanted to hide a large fortune, I wouldn't simply bury it. I'd buy a low-tax island and establish shell merchant companies, moving the books between different firms. Anyone investigating would see only a pile of unrelated transactions. Action: The master's fingers stop on the pouch. For the first time, he studies her seriously. Master Blansha: A dangerous idea. Deborah: I simply hate having other people keep custody of my life. Master Blansha: The spatial pouch is yours. If you have another commission, find my agent at Maison de Dessert in Yones. Deborah: Aren't you afraid I'll steal your business? Master Blansha: Rich, intelligent, and courageous clients are rare. 【Scene 09】Royal Academy · Spring · Interior Action: The carriage bearing the Seymour crest stops, and the students part like a tide for Deborah. She sits in the seat nearest the classroom window. Just as she is about to relax, she sees the short, flame-red-haired Philap Montes enter with the pink-haired Mia Binoche. Action: Deborah's body instinctively tenses. The original owner's obsession with Philap and hostility toward Mia flash through her like afterimages. Deborah (quietly): These aren't my emotions, and they will not become my fate. Philap: Mia, sit beside me. Ignore the person over there. Mia: That lady with the purple hair... she's beautiful. Action: Philap's face darkens. He thinks Deborah deliberately left off the pink diamond and is using silence to attract his attention. Deborah stares only out the window, avoiding eye contact entirely. Professor: Today we study political theory. Who can explain the boundary between noble authority and imperial power? Action: The lesson has barely begun when Deborah starts sketching the academy buildings in the corner of her book. The lines come out unexpectedly precise, and an idea strikes her. Deborah: I can't use magic, but I can draw plans. And I understand how to make a place people willingly enter and spend money in. 【Scene 10】Academy Corridor · Afternoon · Interior Action: Deborah wakes from a nightmare to find the blond, green-eyed Isidore Visconti standing before her. Smiling, he holds out the quill she dropped. Isidore: You slept deeply during political theory, my lady. Was someone bullying you in your dream? Deborah: The people in my dreams aren't worth my time. Isidore: And in reality? Philap Montes doesn't look at you kindly. Deborah: I have no interest in him. If he continues misunderstanding, that is his loss. Action: Isidore's smile deepens. Isidore: Those words are quite novel coming from Deborah Seymour. Deborah: You're different from the rumors too. They say Duke Visconti cares only for ledgers and gold. Isidore: I do enjoy gold. Occasionally, however, I also take an interest in unexpected people. Action: Students in the distance whisper because Isidore has approached Deborah. Uncomfortable with such direct attention, Deborah turns away first. Deborah: Then please direct your interest toward proper matters, Duke. Classes are beginning. 【Scene 11】Terrace of Maison de Dessert · Evening · Exterior Action: Deborah tries the coffee from a corner of the menu and grimaces at the bitterness. Several noblewomen at the next table loudly discuss her bad reputation, the pink diamond, and “Seymour's useless daughter with no mana.” Noblewoman A: Pearls around a pig's neck don't make it a lady. Action: The wind blows Deborah's hood back, revealing her face. The air goes silent. Deborah: Continue. You sounded so energetic a moment ago. Noblewoman B: W-we were only— Deborah: Call me rude or incompetent if you like. But after saying it behind my back, don't stand before me unable to form a complete sentence. Action: She pours red cherry juice over the lips of the first woman who provoked her. She does not strike again, merely turns away coldly. Deborah: Control your mouths. That is enough for today. Action: They flee in panic. Deborah picks up the coffee again, smells it, tastes it, and thinks. Deborah: The beans aren't undrinkable. The roasting, storage, and brewing are all wrong. With milk, sugar, ice, and desserts... Action: She picks up paper and sketches a bright shop beneath the words “Purple Seal.” 【Scene 12】Blansha Secret Chamber · Night · Interior Action: Master Blansha studies the shop logo Deborah drew. It is a simple purple profile. Deborah: I want to open a café. The first will be at Fountain Square by the academy's east gate. Then a second, a third, and a hundred more. Master Blansha: A hundred? How will you manage them alone? Deborah: I won't manage all of them. The flagship store will create standards, then lease the name, menu, interior design, and training to others. They fund the branches and pay a share of revenue. Central purchasing lowers costs, and the larger the brand becomes, the more valuable it is. Action: The master looks at her, near admiration flashing through his eyes for the first time. Master Blansha: You intend to lease out the business name. Deborah: You can call it franchising. I want you as my partner. You handle supply, accounts, and staffing; I handle locations, design, and the menu. Master Blansha: Why choose me? Deborah: Because you make money better than the crown prince and honor a deal better than most nobles. Master Blansha: When you praise someone like that, refusal becomes difficult. Action: They sign a partnership agreement for the Leticia Trading Company. Elsewhere, Isidore listens to an agent's report in his true appearance, holding the same purple logo and smiling in silence. 【Scene 13】Seymour Estate Workshop · Day · Interior Action: Belreck Seymour, wearing a monocle, looks disdainfully through Deborah's plans. The pages show a blender, a coffee grinder, and the flow of movement through the shop. Belreck: Is this high-speed device with blades meant to mince corpses? Deborah: It's meant to make fruit juice. Belreck: It sounds more suited to corpses. Deborah: Clause Seven. You are required to manufacture the devices proposed by your sister and may not mock them. Belreck: What Clause Seven? Action: Deborah pushes the fine-print addendum before him. Belreck's fingers tremble with anger. Belreck: You deceived your own brother with terms like these? Deborah: I used the inherited talent of House Seymour to make efficient use of resources. Action: Belreck curses aloud but begins breaking down the plans. Deborah adds conditions for patent royalties and future equipment supply. Belreck: Do you truly believe a few cups of bitter water can make up for my silver mine losses? Deborah: When the first shop opens, you'll regret not asking for more shares. 【Scene 14】Leticia Café · Midsummer · Interior Action: Beneath the purple sign, the café is packed with academy students, young nobles, and researchers from the magic tower. Ice drops into cups of coffee, and fruit spins inside the blender. The first run of menu items sells out. Employee: My lady, we're out of cold brew and cream coffee! Only three fruit ice drinks remain! Deborah: Have the kitchen replenish them according to the standard recipes. Don't sacrifice flavor for speed. Action: Isidore stands in the shadows on the second floor, watching her check the cups, finished drinks, and customer flow one by one. Isidore: So this is what you meant by “dyeing the Empire purple.” Deborah: Perfect timing. Tell your agents that three people in the queue by the back door are trying to copy the sign. Isidore: You already knew? Deborah: When a shop succeeds, someone always tries to imitate it. First catch whoever is leaking the recipes and ingredients. Then we'll discuss compensation. Isidore: You resemble an intelligence broker more than I expected. Deborah: And Duke Visconti resembles a customer who drinks sweetened iced coffee more than I expected. Action: They exchange smiles. In the distance, Philap sees them and darkens. Mia grips the hem of her old dress. 【Scene 15】Blansha Secret Chamber · Late That Night · Interior Action: Four ebony chests fall onto the carpet through spatial magic. Master Blansha opens them, revealing layers of gold coins in the candlelight. Deborah holds the pink diamond's original certificate with a complicated expression. Master Blansha: Under our contract, the pink diamond sold for two and a half times its original auction price. After deducting the buyer's confidentiality payment and my channel fee, this is your half. Deborah: The buyer suspected nothing? Master Blansha: He only knows that he bought a rare jewel. He does not know it once belonged to Lady Seymour. People will pay for “one of a kind,” and then pay again for “never to be revealed.” Action: Deborah rolls a gold coin between her fingers. For the first time, she owns a vast sum that requires neither her father's permission nor an explanation to anyone. Deborah: Father didn't give me a pink diamond. He gave me the regret he couldn't express. I sold the necklace, not that feeling. Master Blansha: You are unlike the rumors that say you only know how to demand. Deborah: If the rumors were true, I wouldn't be sitting here dividing profit with you. Action: The master hands her a new ledger with a purple crest on its cover. Master Blansha: Leticia's first-period profit report. We have already received seventeen branch applications. Deborah: Screen the applicants first. Many people are willing to spend money; few are willing to follow standards. Better to open fewer shops than turn the purple sign into a cheap lie. Action: The master watches her study the ledger and chuckles, pushing a cup of tea with five spoonfuls of sugar toward her. Master Blansha: It appears I found not a partner, but another calculating monster. 【Scene 16】Royal Academy Academic Hall · Day · Interior Action: The magic tower hosts an exhibition of improved magical devices. Belreck reluctantly brings the coffee grinder, blender, and several construction drawings. Academy faculty and students gather around. Belreck: I only built them according to the plans. Don't attach the reputation of these strange contraptions to me. Deborah: The patent will bear your name—and state my share. Action: She places fruit, ice, and syrup into the blender. The blades spin, and vivid purée rises in a transparent cup. The spectators initially step back, then are drawn in by the aroma. Researcher: This isn't a weapon? Deborah: Of course not. It allows one employee to make ten identical drinks in a very short time. Efficiency, standardization, and patents are its true value. Action: Fifth Princess Margaret sits in the front row and tastes the first iced drink with interest. Fifth Princess: Lady Seymour, if this were placed in military camps, half as many soldiers would collapse in summer. Deborah: If Your Highness truly needs it, I can provide a military version. But sign the procurement contract first. Don't expect it for free. Action: The hall erupts in surprise. Belreck covers his face, while Isidore applauds from the back. Isidore: As expected, my lady never accepts a losing deal. Fifth Princess: Excellent. This term's Innovation Laureate goes to you. Action: Students look at the commendation banner hanging at the academy entrance. For the first time, they speak not only of “the villainess Deborah” with fear, but also of her businesses, designs, and patents. 【Scene 17】Academy Gallery · Afternoon · Interior Action: Philap blocks Deborah after the exhibition. The fire spirit on his shoulder flickers irritably. Mia stands nearby, watching them with worry and expectation. Philap: Where did the pink diamond go? Didn't you starve yourself over it and make the entire capital talk? Deborah: I don't need to report what I do with my belongings to Young Lord Montes. Philap: Who did you sell it to? That jewel would suit Mia best. Action: Deborah freezes for a moment, then realizes that he still sees her as the old Deborah whose world revolved around him. Deborah: I see. You aren't asking for Mia. You're upset because you think I shouldn't have taken away the gift you intended to give her. Philap: You— Deborah: The pink diamond was never yours. Neither is Mia. Action: Philap's face turns purple. Mia steps forward. Mia: Lady Deborah, I never wanted to take what belonged to you. Deborah: I know. You don't owe me an explanation either. Action: It is the first time the two women have spoken directly. Mia looks up in surprise, but as Deborah walks away, she notices the admiring gazes still following her. Mia's gentle expression slowly fades. Mia (quietly): She doesn't have to do anything, and she still gets all of this. 【Scene 18】Eastern Border Village · Overcast · Exterior Action: Rosad arrives with knights escorting a black mage in chains. The village well has turned black, and several children lie unconscious. Deborah, Isidore, and Enrique arrive at the scene. Rosad: He admitted abducting people, but refuses to name the one who ordered it. The children all bear the same blood-red mark. Black Mage: You understand nothing. We are preparing for the true light. Deborah: By using children's blood? Who is this “light” you speak of? Black Mage: The saintess will descend. She will choose the one meant to sit upon the throne. Action: Enrique's holy-water spirit rushes toward the well, only to be knocked back by a strand of black energy. Isidore quickly erects a barrier. Deborah places her hand in the black water, and white light travels along the water vein. Deborah: This isn't illness. It is contamination left by sacrifices. Action: The well reveals sacrificed animal bones and splintered boards marked with a hexagram. The black mage grins, bites through a poison capsule hidden in his tooth, and collapses. Isidore: Stop him! Action: It is too late. Before dying, the black mage forces out one final sentence. Black Mage: The brighter the light... the deeper the shadow... Action: Rosad silently covers the corpse with his cloak. Deborah looks at the unconscious children, her gaze turning truly cold for the first time. Deborah: They don't want a saintess. They want a saintess who will cleanse their crimes. 【Scene 19】Underground Ritual Chamber of the François Marquisate · Flashback · Interior Action: The scene enters Mia's memory. A younger Mia, wearing a faded dress, stands in the center of a magic array drawn in blood. Lady Ophelia strokes her pink hair with a gentleness bordering on cruelty. Ophelia: Your father's debt is enough to sell House Binoche ten times over. But you carry the seed of divine power. Come with us and you can enter the academy, join society, and become a lady admired by everyone. Young Mia: What is the price? Ophelia: A little blood and a little courage. If you want a better life, you must always pay something. Action: In the shadows, the Fourth Imperial Consort has not yet begun using the name Astra. In a foreign accent, she speaks her true name, “Jamila,” and a demon chuckles in the dark. Jamila: Her shadow runs deep. Good. The deeper the desire, the more easily the holy blood takes root. Action: A blade opens Mia's neck. Dark-red liquid drips into the array and is then poured into her body. The girl is in too much pain to scream. She can only hear a demon whispering in her ear. Demon's Voice: You want to be loved, acknowledged, and possess a light no one can take from you. Action: The memory ends. The present-day Mia wakes in her dormitory and touches the healed side of her neck. Mia: I am not a puppet. I will become the true saintess. Action: Her voice is firm, but a moment of unease appears in her eyes. 【Scene 20】Visconti Ducal Estate Greenhouse · Night · Interior Action: Isidore shows Deborah black-market ledgers intercepted by Blansha. Fine rain falls outside the greenhouse, and Cookie curls beside the stove. The books record large purchases of herbs, children's identity papers, and temple access seals. Isidore: The François Marquisate's merchant company pays the money, but the recipient changes every time. The true receiver is hidden deeply. Deborah: Yet they are all preparing the same thing. Mia's divine power, the Third Prince's military achievements, and each failed charity event of the crown prince... whenever disaster occurs, someone's reputation rises. Isidore: That is a conviction, not evidence. Deborah: I know. But if we wait for evidence to walk onto the table by itself, more people will die. Action: Her fingers turn white as she reaches the final page. Isidore closes the ledger and gently covers her hand with his. Isidore: I'm not telling you to stop investigating. I'm telling you not to investigate alone. Deborah: I'm used to being alone. Isidore: Then starting today, try not to be. Action: Deborah looks up. Isidore does not move closer or pressure her. He waits for her to decide. At last, she pushes the ledger between them. Deborah: Fine. You handle intelligence, and we make the judgments together. But if someone tries to use children as sacrifices, I will not wait for royal permission. Isidore: In that respect, we are alike. 【Scene 21】Royal Hunting Grounds · Dusk · Exterior Action: During the noble autumn hunt, hundreds of horses move through the forest. Isidore rides beside Deborah, while Rosad and Belreck compete for prey behind them. It appears to be a relaxed social event, but envoys from the temple and senate secretly observe the pair. Noblewoman: If Duke Visconti and Lady Seymour truly marry, the magic tower, gold, and eastern knights will all be connected. Senate Envoy: Which is why they cannot be allowed to establish themselves too quickly. Action: A monster suddenly bursts from the woods toward a group of young nobles. Isidore shoots first. Deborah immediately releases a net of holy water that traps the monster inside a curtain of light. Isidore: Left! Deborah: I see it! Action: Their coordination is effortless. Rosad lands the final blow, while Belreck wipes his sword with disgust. Belreck: This is supposed to be an autumn hunt? My sister brought a glowing turtle. How are any of us supposed to get prey? Rosad: Stop complaining. Tell Father that someone tampered with the nearby barrier again. Action: The watching nobles' amazement spreads rapidly. Deborah, however, notices only Isidore wiping mud from her cheek. Isidore: Are you hurt? Deborah: No. Isidore: Good. Action: His hand remains beside her face for a moment before he withdraws it. For the first time, Deborah does not immediately shield herself from his concern with a joke. 【Scene 22】Seymour Estate Study · Night · Interior Action: Duke Seymour finishes reading the investigation report sent by Isidore. Deborah stands by the window, with Rosad and Belreck nearby. Father and daughter remain silent for a long time. Duke Seymour: You knew black mages were targeting you, yet you still went to the border, the altar, and the library? Deborah: If I didn't go, they would target someone weaker. Duke Seymour: Do you think this is some game of heroism? Deborah: No. Precisely because it isn't, I don't want to pretend I saw nothing. Action: The duke begins to rebuke her, but ultimately pushes the Seymour family crest across the desk. Duke Seymour: From today onward, you may use this to mobilize the eastern knights, magic-tower researchers, and family accountants. But Rosad or Isidore must be informed before every operation. Deborah: You're giving me authority? Duke Seymour: I am giving my daughter a path to survival. If you insist on walking into the storm, at least don't go empty-handed. Action: Deborah takes the crest, her eyes reddening, though she stubbornly refuses to cry. Belreck: Father, does this mean I get an explanation too? Can she now mobilize my laboratory? Duke Seymour: Yes. Belreck: ...I knew it. Action: The heavy atmosphere breaks. Rosad nods to Deborah, silently acknowledging that she is no longer the sister they once despised. 【Scene 23】Royal Academy Courtyard · Autumn · Exterior Action: Mia is surrounded by Philap, the crown prince's faction, and the attention of the nobility, yet continues healing everyone who asks for help. Deborah walks past with Enrique and has no intention of interfering. Enrique: Sister, her power is strange. It looks like light, but it feels unpleasant. Deborah: You can feel it too? Action: A small white turtle-shaped holy-water spirit peeks from Enrique's sleeve and growls toward the shadows. An explosion sounds from the magic tower, and a thin crack opens in the sky barrier. Student: The rift is opening again! Philap: Everyone, get back! Action: Monsters fall from the rift and throw the campus into chaos. Deborah grips Enrique's hand. White holy water forms a barrier at her palm and blocks a small monster lunging toward them. Enrique: You have no mana. How can you control holy water? Deborah: I don't know either. But it seems to know what doesn't belong here. 【Scene 24】Seymour Estate Council Chamber · Late Night · Interior Action: Duke Seymour, Rosad, Belreck, Isidore, and Deborah gather around a map of the Empire. Children with faint divine power have recently been abducted in the east. Rosad: I captured one of the kidnappers. He chose to bite off his own tongue rather than name the one who hired him. Isidore: Both the corpse and the hideout contain traces of black magic. Using children as sacrifices is not the act of a lone criminal. Duke Seymour: Black mages hide in the capital while the barrier keeps cracking. What is the royal family doing? Deborah: Don't only repair the barrier. First investigate who profits every time a rift opens. Action: The room falls silent. Isidore looks at her. Isidore: You suspect a member of the royal family? Deborah: I suspect anyone who uses disaster as a staircase. Action: The duke studies his daughter and, for the first time, does not dismiss her conclusion as nonsense. Duke Seymour: Rosad will continue investigating the abductions. Isidore, give her your intelligence. Deborah, from today onward, you are forbidden from going out alone. Deborah: Is that protection or confinement? Duke Seymour: An order. And protection. 【Scene 25】Abandoned Altar · Stormy Night · Exterior Action: Following a lead, Deborah and Isidore infiltrate an altar. Twisted hexagrams cover the walls, and blood has seeped into the stone cracks. A masked black mage prays to a vast shadow. Black Mage: With holy blood as the key and the rift as the gate, may our lord's will descend. Action: Deborah's holy water trembles violently. Isidore draws his sword, covering the blade with golden mana. Isidore: Stay behind me. Deborah: You're not an ordinary information broker. Isidore: And you are not an ordinary villainess. Action: The black mage releases mist-like evil spirits. Isidore stands at the front, and black fog pierces his ribs. Deborah rushes to him. White light instinctively flows from her palm into his wound. Isidore: Don't... exhaust yourself. Deborah: Be quiet. If you die here, who will manage Leticia's accounts for me? Action: White light suppresses the black mist. The spirits shriek and disperse. The black mage destroys the magic array, leaving only charred runes and a broken whisper. Black Mage (Fading Voice): The brighter the light, the deeper the shadow... the red moon will repay you for everything. 【Scene 26】Seymour Estate Guest Room · Late Night · Interior Action: Isidore remains at the Seymour estate because of his injury. Deborah sits beside the bed, repeatedly studying the white light in her palm. The duke stands at the door, his expression complicated. Duke Seymour: That isn't ordinary holy water. It's divine power. Deborah: I am not Saintess Naira. Duke Seymour: Who says you must become anyone else? Action: Deborah looks up. Her father's tone is still hard, but the old disgust is gone. Duke Seymour: You saved Duke Visconti, and many others besides. We will investigate the nature of that power later. For now, remember this: Seymour will not allow anyone to use my daughter as a sacrifice. Action: Half-conscious, Isidore grips Deborah's wrist. Isidore: I trust you. Deborah: You don't even know what I am. Isidore: I know you were afraid and still refused to abandon anyone. Action: Deborah does not pull her hand away. 【Scene 27】Fourth Imperial Consort's Palace · Same Night · Interior Action: Deep within a chamber decorated in a foreign style, Fourth Imperial Consort Astra sits in a black high-backed chair. Her former retainer Albert kneels before her, with a pale Mia behind him. Fourth Imperial Consort: Seymour's daughter awakened divine power, yet you allowed her to return alive. Albert: Duke Visconti arrived too quickly. I will make another arrangement. Mia: Why does she deserve that power? I am the chosen one. Fourth Imperial Consort: You were not chosen. I created you and placed you on the board. Action: Mia's face twists. She remembers being taken into a bloody ritual by Ophelia to repay her family's debt. She believed she was fighting to survive, but gradually accepted infusions of “holy blood.” Fourth Imperial Consort: You will become the saintess and win the people's love. Then you will choose my son Javier. Even a prince without blue hair will possess enough legitimacy to take the throne. Mia: If Deborah lives, everyone will question me. Fourth Imperial Consort: Then she will die. Just not yet. 【Scene 28】Royal Temple · Noon · Interior Action: The incense ceremony begins. Nobles, priests, and members of the royal family gather. The crown prince intends for Mia to display divine power before everyone and secure public support. When the ceremonial bell rings, a black fissure opens beneath the altar and evil spirits burst from the ground. Crowd: Monsters! Protect the royal family! Action: Mia is forced to the edge of the altar, her fingers trembling. She can heal the injured but cannot fully suppress the spirits. They rush toward the densely packed crowd. Deborah: Holy water, unfold! Action: Deborah's white holy water becomes a vast curtain of light covering the crowd. Isidore draws his sword and charges into the black mist, while Duke Seymour erects a seventh-circle magic array in the distance. Isidore: Don't let it touch her! Action: The spirit repeatedly reforms, and Isidore's wound tears open again. Deborah closes her eyes. In her dream, images overlap: a desert, a blond man who resembles Isidore, and the memories of a saintess named Naira. Naira's Voice (Off-screen): Light does not exist to prove that you are nobler than others. Light only lets you see whom you should save in the darkness. Action: Deborah opens her eyes. Divine power weaves together with the mana in the air, forming a sharp spear of light that pierces the spirit's core. The black mist collapses with a shriek. Priest: That power... didn't come from Lady Mia? Crown Prince: Then who was it? Action: Deborah steadies her swaying body and refuses the cheers. Across the altar, Mia sees the doubt in everyone's eyes and digs her nails into her palm. 【Scene 29】Seymour Estate Garden · Dusk · Exterior Action: After the temple incident, rumors spread that “Deborah is the true saintess.” Deborah practices shaping divine power into fine rays of light in the garden, with Isidore beside her. Deborah: I don't want to become anyone's banner. Isidore: Then don't. You can simply be Deborah. Deborah: Easy for you to say. The senate, the temple, the princes, and black mages hiding who knows where are all watching me now. Isidore: Which is why Seymour and Visconti must first stand on the same side. Deborah: Are you speaking of an alliance, or something else? Action: Isidore steps closer, unusually serious. Isidore: The two do not conflict. I will place Blansha's eyes, Visconti's treasury, and my sword beside you—provided you are willing to trust me. Deborah: I don't like owing favors. Isidore: Then call it an investment. You always provide a return. Action: Deborah cannot help smiling. Their fingers interlace briefly. 【Scene 30】Seymour Estate Banquet Hall · Night · Interior Action: Duke Seymour formally invites Isidore to dinner. Rosad and Belreck sit on either side, and the atmosphere resembles an interrogation. Enrique hugs the white holy-water spirit and peeks around nervously. Belreck: Duke Visconti has been visiting our home too often lately. Isidore: The desserts here are excellent. Rosad: If you make her cry, I will first find out whether your sword is fast enough. Isidore: Then I will do my best not to give her a reason to cry. Action: Duke Seymour sets down his wineglass and speaks evenly. Duke Seymour: Continue sharing all information regarding Mia and Marquis François. As for Deborah's divine power, the family, Visconti, and Blansha will jointly suppress the information. Isidore: Understood. Deborah: Father, are you acknowledging our alliance? Duke Seymour: I acknowledge that the enemy has acted against Seymour. Duke Visconti has a brain, money, and a sword. For the moment, he is worth cooperating with. Belreck: Only “for the moment”? Duke Seymour: Be quiet and eat. Action: For the first time in years, a little laughter appears at the family table. Looking at her father, brothers, younger brother, and Isidore, Deborah finally feels that she is no longer a wandering soul merely borrowing Deborah's body. 【Scene 31】Imperial Library Forum · Afternoon · Interior Action: The forum ends, and Isidore is called away by an urgent report of a southern rift. Deborah remains in the library to research the history of black magic. The holy-water spirit suddenly retreats into her sleeve and cries out urgently. Deborah: Something is wrong. There's something here. Action: Flames suddenly rise outside the windows, and the corridor is deliberately sealed. Masked assassins climb over the wall. Albert stands above them and releases a swarm of venomous spider monsters. Albert: The oracle says you are the light blocking our path. Then we will extinguish that light here. Action: Deborah cuts through the first wave of spiders with divine power, but the assassins force her into an open area. She realizes their true purpose is to make her exhaust her strength. Deborah: You deliberately lured Isidore away to kill me. Albert: Clever women are always the greatest waste to kill. Action: Several poisoned daggers fall at once. Deborah blocks them with a shield of light, but one still cuts her arm. At the instant the shield begins to collapse, spatial magic tears open the air. Isidore: Get away from her. Action: Isidore leaps from the teleportation array. His sword energy falls like golden rain and cuts off the assassins' retreat. He protects Deborah and turns to fight Albert. Albert: You abandoned the south for one woman? Isidore: Not “one woman.” Someone I cannot lose. Action: Isidore gravely wounds Albert. Albert escapes as a shadow of spiders, leaving behind only a page burned around the edges. Deborah leans against Isidore and looks at the strange letters remaining on the paper. 【Scene 32】Seymour Estate Study · Late Night · Interior Action: Enrique lays the word puzzle from Deborah's mother's diary across the desk. The damaged page, black-magic runes, and puzzle correspond with one another, eventually spelling two words. Enrique: Sister, this says “JAMILA.” And this says “DEMON.” Action: Deborah's expression darkens. Isidore searches Blansha's register of nobles but finds no “Jamila.” Deborah: Mother often attended royal tea parties. She would not hide a puzzle in her diary without a reason. Isidore: Perhaps “Jamila” is not the name she uses now. Duke Seymour: You suspect the royal family? Deborah: I suspect the person who always benefits from the rifts, the saintess rumors, and the Third Prince's military achievements. Action: She remembers the Fourth Imperial Consort's calm gaze, the Third Prince's deliberate approaches, and the unnatural quality of Mia's divine power. Deborah: Investigate the old maids the Fourth Imperial Consort brought from the Kingdom of Nelman. Check the list from ten years ago. Do not overlook a single changed name, death, or disappearance. Isidore: I will investigate personally. Duke Seymour: No. You will go together. Rosad's people will follow in the shadows. 【Scene 33】Small Convent Outside the Capital · After the Rain · Exterior Action: A former royal maid clutches a pouch of silver coins, terrified. Deborah and Isidore sit across a table from her. Former Maid: I only wanted to live. After I left the Fourth Imperial Consort, the two maids who worked with me both died. Deborah: Answer one name. Jamila. Action: The former maid drops her cup. Former Maid: That was... the Fourth Imperial Consort's true name in the Kingdom of Nelman. Later, His Majesty granted her the name Astra and ordered everyone to forget the old one. Isidore: Why was her name changed? Former Maid: I don't know. But there were always people around her who should not have been alive. She said names are things needed only when making an offering to a demon. Action: Deborah and Isidore exchange a look. At last, every fragment fits together: Fourth Imperial Consort Jamila is bound by a contract with demons; Mia was manufactured into a false saintess; the Third Prince will use the “saintess's choice” to claim legitimacy for the throne; the rifts, kidnappings, and disasters are all moves in her game. Deborah: She was never trying to support Mia. She was using Mia to forge a crown for her son. Isidore: And you ruined her most important steps—the pink diamond, the academy, society, the temple ceremony. She will no longer treat you as an ordinary obstacle. Deborah: Then we will no longer treat her as an enemy hidden in the dark. 【Scene 34】Seymour Estate Terrace · Late Night · Exterior Action: After the rain, the night sky is clear. Duke Seymour, Rosad, Belreck, Enrique, Isidore, and Deborah gather around a map of the Empire. Rosad: The Fourth Imperial Consort has the senate, Marquis François, and a group of black mages behind her. We do not yet have enough evidence to move against her openly. Belreck: Then cut off her hands first. Investigate her money, trade routes, and every sorcerer she has contacted. Isidore: Blansha will watch the capital's underground network. Visconti will block maritime funds, and Leticia can serve as our eyes in public. Duke Seymour: Seymour will handle the magic tower and eastern personnel. Every rift, sacrifice, and disappearance will be reported here first. Action: Deborah looks at each of them. Deborah: This is not about making me a saintess or putting anyone on the throne. I want a world where no one can use children, Mia, me, or anyone else as a sacrifice. Duke Seymour: Spoken like a Seymour. Deborah: I am one. Action: The duke presses the Seymour seal onto one corner of the map. Isidore places the Visconti seal beside it. The two seals lie together like a two-headed serpent with its fangs temporarily withdrawn and a golden shield. Isidore: From today onward, you do not face them alone. Action: He gently takes Deborah's hand. She does not pull away. 【Scene 35】Fourth Imperial Consort's Palace · Same Night · Interior Action: Jamila stands before a high window, watching the ominous moonlight. Mia kneels in the shadows, an old wound still visible at her lips. Mia: Deborah knows too much. Let me kill her. Jamila: You are not strong enough yet. She has Seymour, Visconti, and a light that truly answers her. Mia: Then what am I? Jamila: Desire. As long as desire lives, it remains useful. Action: Jamila opens her palm. Black flame burns around the shadow of a blood-red moon. Jamila: When the red moon rises, the gate between the demon realm and the human world will widen, and the main god's interference will weaken. On that day, true demons will erase every accident for us. Action: The moon outside has not yet turned red. Only a thin cloud slowly passes over it. 【Scene 36】Seymour Estate Council Chamber · Late Night · Interior Action: Every curtain is drawn. At the center of the long table lie the former maid's testimony, splintered altar boards, black-market ledgers, and the word puzzle from Mother's diary. The Seymour seal, Visconti seal, and purple crest of the Leticia Trading Company press down on the documents. Duke Seymour: Testimony alone cannot establish guilt. The Fourth Imperial Consort is a member of the royal family. Without irrefutable proof, the Emperor will accuse us of using the saintess to seize power. Deborah: Then we cannot rush to expose her. She intends to use the red moon to create a catastrophe. First, we take away the hands she needs to create it. Rosad: The east will patrol along the rifts. My men have rechecked the list of abducted children. Anyone connected to rituals, medicine, or false priests will be captured alive first. Belreck: I will have the magic tower retrieve ten years of barrier-maintenance records. If someone repeatedly tampered with the same places, their mana frequency will remain even if their name was erased. Enrique: I can make the holy water remember the smell of darkness. It smelled it once at the well. When it encounters the same black magic again, it will warn us. Action: The small holy-water spirit sits on Enrique's shoulder and gives a short, serious cry. Deborah strokes her younger brother's hair. Deborah: You do not have to stand at the front. Remember: your role is to find danger, not to die in place of the adults. Enrique: The same goes for you, Sister. Action: The child's innocent words silence the room. Duke Seymour looks at his daughter. His expression remains stern, but he places his own staff beside her hand. Duke Seymour: This staff can activate the family's emergency teleportation array. If you face an enemy you cannot judge, come home first. Seymour did not survive this long by showing off. Deborah: I'll remember. Isidore: Visconti will cut off Jamila's money and communications. She hides black mages underground; I will use Blansha's underground network to trace them backward. The moment she rushes to mobilize people, she will leave a trail we can bite into. Deborah: What about Mia? Isidore: She is both a pawn and potentially the most dangerous variable. The Fourth Imperial Consort controls her, but she already knows too much. We cannot provoke her now, nor allow her to access temple resources alone. Rosad: You still want to save her? She participated in black-magic rituals. Deborah: I want to stop her from hurting more people, not absolve her. She must answer for what she has done, but we cannot push her back into Jamila's hands. Duke Seymour: That is your judgment? Deborah: Yes. Jamila is best at turning desperation and desire into chains. If all we do is drive people into desperation, then we are no different from her. Action: The duke remains silent for a moment, then nods. Duke Seymour: Then we prepare according to that judgment. But if Mia harms someone of her own will, Seymour will show no mercy. Deborah: I understand. Action: Isidore places a sheet of paper before Deborah. It contains a recent astronomical calculation: the red moon may appear within several weeks, though the exact date is unknown. Isidore: This is not a prophecy of the ending. It is only a moment the enemy believes they can control. If we prepare first, they will no longer be the only ones placing pieces on the board. Deborah: I used to think I had to avoid every major event in the original story. Now I see that it doesn't matter if I can't avoid them. Isidore: Because you are no longer alone. Action: Deborah aligns the Seymour crest, Visconti seal, and purple emblem side by side. Everyone takes a copy of the task list. Candlelight illuminates their different expressions. Deborah: Then let Jamila learn that villainesses form alliances, keep accounts, and collect debts. Action: Belreck laughs despite himself, and Rosad barely suppresses a smile. Duke Seymour does not laugh, but for the first time, he does not deny his daughter's use of the word “villainess.” 【Scene 37】Seymour Estate Garden · Dawn · Exterior Action: The rose garden is no longer fixed by eternal magic. Morning wind carries petals naturally to the ground, while new buds open on the branches. Deborah walks alone along the path. Isidore catches up from behind and offers her a cup of iced coffee. Isidore: Leticia's new recipe. Less sugar. Deborah: You've finally learned that not everyone loves sugar as much as you do. Isidore: I'll learn slowly—including how to work with my future partner. Deborah: Partner? Isidore: In business, on the battlefield, or somewhere else. You decide. Action: Deborah takes the cup and tastes it. After the bitterness comes a clear, lingering sweetness. Deborah: First rule: don't decide my life for me. Isidore: And the second? Deborah: Before the red moon arrives, we'll remove a few pieces from Jamila's board. Action: Isidore smiles and holds out his hand. Deborah looks up and watches the still-pale moon fade into the morning mist. Yoon Do-hee (Voice-over): I once believed that survival only required avoiding the ending of the original story. Now I understand that true freedom is not hiding beneath someone else's wings. It is seeing the enemy clearly and still choosing whom you want to protect. Action: She takes Isidore's hand and walks toward the rising sun. Behind them, the roses of House Seymour sway softly in the wind. —End of Season One— View