Far from the royal district—

  in Aissuren… or more precisely, the area that was once part of Aissuren but no longer under its control—

  the night felt far colder.

  Most of the houses there had already turned off their lights.The buildings looked slightly different from the part of Aissuren managed by Mr. Gilbert.

  The pce felt a little more developed… even though both areas were still regions without mana.

  The night wind moved slowly through the empty dirt roads.

  Meanwhile Lily and Mr. Gilbert, who had already arrived in that area, were preparing a pn.

  Suddenly Mr. Gilbert began shouting while running through the town.

  REHZU!!!!Rehzu!!!!Don’t hurt my people!!!Where are you!!!!I’m already in your territory!!

  He kept shouting the same words again and again.

  A loud sound of wood being smashed echoed from one corner of the street.

  In the middle of the town’s main road, Mr. Gilbert stood with his travel coat fpping in the night wind.

  In his hand was a long wooden staff.

  And intentionally—

  he began striking empty barrels, wooden crates, and boards along the street.

  KLANG! BRAK! KLANG!

  The loud noises echoed between the stone buildings.

  Several residents began opening their doors.

  What’s going on?Who’s making noise this te at night?!

  House lights began turning on one by one.

  Some city guards also stepped out of their posts, looking toward the source of the disturbance.

  But Mr. Gilbert didn’t stop.

  Instead, he walked to the center of the wider street.

  Then he smmed his staff against a metal barrel.

  KLANG!!

  The sound echoed even louder than before.

  Now almost the entire street had awakened.

  Some residents stood outside their homes.

  Some looked confused.

  Some looked angry.

  But Mr. Gilbert stood there with a serious face.

  He even deliberately knocked over a rge basket.

  BRUK!!

  The commotion grew bigger.

  And just as expected—

  a disturbance this rge couldn’t possibly go unnoticed by the one who ruled this city.

  Not long after—

  Mr. Gilbert was quickly restrained by the townspeople.

  Hey old man!! Shut up!!

  Mr. Gilbert trembled slightly.

  He knew very well he couldn’t keep running forever.

  The area he managed was mostly inhabited by young men from the Ink region and travelers from other nds.

  This pce was different.

  Then one of the residents spoke.

  Eh… wait… isn’t that Gilbert? The one who manages that territory that still keeps the name Aissuren alive?

  He ughed loudly.

  Haha!!Has he gone crazy???

  The others began ughing as well.

  No way!!! Hahaha!!!Isn’t that pce full of old people… and even women????Hahahaha!!!

  Suddenly someone interrupted.

  Hey!!! Watch your words!!!

  The townspeople immediately panicked and dragged the man who had spoken rudely.

  Here he is! The one who insulted women! Wherever you are, please don’t hurt us!!

  The man being dragged trembled in fear.

  S-sorry… forgive me… wherever you are…

  Then someone said firmly,

  Say our names.

  The man trembled violently.

  S-sorry… Frisa… Fefe… Garta… Juna…

  Suddenly—

  a rge building at the end of the street lit up on its upper floor.

  A figure appeared on the balcony.

  A figure known by everyone in that town.

  Mr. Rehzu.

  And the criminals under his command.

  He looked down at the street filled with residents with an annoyed expression.

  Meanwhile the criminals—

  Fefe, Frisa, Garta, and Juna—

  casually killed the trembling man.

  Mr. Rehzu’s gaze then stopped at the person standing in the middle of the road.

  Mr. Gilbert.

  The night wind gently moved Gilbert’s coat.

  Rehzu ughed mockingly.

  Hahahaha!!!Welcome, Gilbert!!!You should be grateful my criminals saved you.If one of my citizens hadn’t said something stupid… you’d probably be the one executed for making noise in my territory right now!

  Rehzu casually walked toward Gilbert.

  Well… looks like you’ve finally decided, huh?That makes me very happy… seeing the leader of Aissuren finally thinking realistically and handing his territory over to me.Haha!!!

  Mr. Gilbert simply stood there, trembling slightly, his face hidden under a shadowed expression.

  Meanwhile—

  behind the dark shadows of the buildings—

  someone else was waiting.

  Lily.

  The person who had deliberately drawn Rehzu and his criminals’ attention to this pce.

  For a moment, Lily remembered what had happened earlier.

  While Gilbert and Rehzu seemed to be negotiating—

  Lily watched silently.

  She saw Rehzu smiling.

  She saw the criminals still standing there, alive.

  Her teeth clenched from anger.

  She remembered how brutally Sasa had been taken down by someone who didn’t even use a weapon.

  One of those criminals—

  Juna.

  The group working under Rehzu.

  And how everything had happened so quickly.

  Lily clenched her fists and whispered.

  Sixty days…More than enough… to achieve our goal and dream, Sasa…

  Then Lily muttered again with a slightly savage smile.

  And… to begin everything…I need to deal with the source of the problem first…Get ready…Rehzu… and all of you criminals… including you…Juna!!!

  But suddenly—

  a powerful wind appeared without warning.

  At first it was just a normal gust.

  Then within seconds it turned into a sharp, spinning storm.

  Dust from the road shot into the air.

  Clothes hanging outside homes were violently dragged by the wind.

  Then—

  SWOOSH!!

  The wind swept across the street like a giant scythe.

  Several residents immediately covered their faces.

  What is this?!The wind—!

  People began to panic.

  Some rushed back into their houses.

  Others ran into narrow alleys.

  The wind wasn’t just strong—

  it felt like it had direction… and purpose.

  Wooden house boards creaked loudly.

  Old rooftops began shaking.

  In the middle of the chaos—

  Mr. Gilbert still stood in the center of the street.

  But strangely—

  the raging wind swirling everywhere didn’t touch him.

  Around his body was an empty space.

  A safe circle in the middle of the storm.

  On the other side—

  Mr. Rehzu struggled to keep his bance against the wind while being supported by the four criminals.

  Garta.Frisa.Fefe.And Juna.

  They all stared toward the source of the disturbance.

  Garta held Rehzu’s shoulder.

  Frisa narrowed her eyes.

  This wind… isn’t natural.

  Fefe gripped her staff tightly.

  Juna looked irritated while rolling her shoulder.

  Before anyone could say anything else—

  KRRRAAAAK!!!

  A massive lightning bolt tore across the night sky.

  Blinding white light split the dark clouds.

  Heavy clouds hung low above the city.

  Yet not a single drop of rain fell.

  The lightning struck the ground at the end of the street.

  DUARRR!!

  The explosion made several citizens scream.

  A wooden house near the strike partially colpsed.

  Run!!The lightning hit a house!!

  The residents were now completely panicked.

  Some ran in random directions.

  Some tried helping others who had fallen.

  But the lightning didn’t stop.

  KRRAAK!!!

  A second bolt smmed into another rooftop.

  Wood splinters flew everywhere.

  Some residents who were too slow were struck by debris.

  More screams echoed across the street.

  Mr. Rehzu looked up at the sky with a cold expression.

  Who’s pying with the weather in my territory?

  The wind continued spinning violently.

  Dust and wooden fragments filled the air.

  Then—

  from within the swirling storm—

  a shadow slowly appeared.

  Footsteps echoed softly across the stone road.

  The figure slowly stepped out of the dust.

  Metal armor glinted under the lightning.

  Her hair moved with the wind she herself controlled.

  Lily.

  She stopped a few steps in front of them.

  Her gaze locked onto one person.

  More precisely—

  the first target she had chosen.

  Mr. Rehzu.

  Lightning struck again.

  The white fsh illuminated everyone’s faces on the street.

  Garta muttered coldly while speaking to the others.

  Looks like someone wants revenge…Everyone… get ready!!!

  Frisa immediately took a confident fighting stance.

  Fefe looked nervous.

  Juna simply stared at Lily with a cold expression.

  Mr. Rehzu remained calm.

  His eyes carefully evaluated the situation in front of him.

  Behind Lily—

  the wind continued spinning violently like a storm controlled by a single person.

  And that night—

  the entire city belonging to Rehzu finally realized something.

  Someone had come.

  Not just to make trouble.

  But to bring war.