The red caterpillar loved Medeia Lahert.

The Lahert Grand Duke family who took in the dying wandering orphan.

The young Medeia he first saw there was the most beautiful being he had ever seen since being born into this world.

– He wanted to place her in the highest and cleanest place untouched by the filth of the world. –

That was the red caterpillar’s dream.

The caterpillar tore out the old scar on his forearm. Underneath the hollow flesh were two small white and black cylinders.

The white one was sleeping gas, and the black one.

The caterpillar smiled a fishy smile. And handed the white cylinder to Julia Nugent.

“Call the knights guarding the door. When they open it, spray this immediately.”

Like all other women in the North, Julia had learned swordsmanship. So her body was agile.

She subdued the two surprised knights who opened the door with sleeping gas and stole the key, pulling the caterpillar out from behind the bars.

[This is the timeline separator]

What Arcadia encountered upon returning was the corpse of the apprentice knight who had been guarding the room where Julia was imprisoned.

Arcadia closed the dead boy’s eyes. Then, drawing his sword, he went up to the corridor where the Nugent family’s secret vault was located.

Two knights had collapsed in front of the room with the vault. They were the reserve knights who had remained to guard the castle.

‘Sleeping gas.’

Arcadia quickly covered his nose and mouth. After the black bug incident, he had become able to instinctively recognize this gas.

The room with the vault was open, and so was the vault.

Infidel Nugent lay unconscious in front of the vault.

The red teleportation stone inside the vault was already gone.

Upon discovering this fact, Arcadia only confirmed that his brother was alive before rushing out.

‘He escaped, the red caterpillar. Is he still inside this castle?’

In another distant annex resides Count Antoine, the younger brother of the Empress.

The elderly count, with his deteriorated hearing and eyesight, is unlikely to have witnessed the full extent of the incident. And that annex is in the innermost part of the Grand Duke’s castle.

To escape, one must head towards the outer part of the castle where the entrance is.

Arcadia began galloping his horse towards the main gate, the outer part of the castle.

It was then.

“Budajani! (Vice Captain!)”

Arcadia, who was returning to the castle entrance, stopped at the desperate cry calling him.

Under a large tree in a small forest by the roadside was Yora, with a deep stab wound to his abdomen.

“Yora!”

Arcadia leapt off his horse and ran to Yora.

Yora, trembling in pain, opened his mouth.

He had fought against the red caterpillar but let him escape, he was stabbed in the abdomen while slashing one of the caterpillar’s eyes, the caterpillar fled on a black horse while bleeding.

“How long ago did he leave?”

“Orae. (A while.)”

“I see. Stop talking now, Yora.”

Arcadia tore his clothes to stop the blood gushing from Yora’s wound.

“Vice Captain?!”

At another voice, Arcadia turned towards the road.

There stood the head maid, Luwine Axel, with disheveled hair and an astonishingly dirty dress.

“Head Maid! Are you alright?”

Luwine approached Arcadia with an expression mixed with shock and fear, like a frozen wooden doll.

“What happened?”

In response to Arcadia’s question, the head maid silently took out the image stone she had received from Esther.

“!”

Arcadia tried to take the stone. But the head maid withdrew her hand and put the image stone back into her bosom.

“Julia Nugent.”

“!”

“Vice Captain, can you be fair even in the face of your own blood’s crime?”

The head maid’s face was contorted with sorrow.

[This is the timeline separator]

We stood atop the castle walls again, gathered within the yellow aurora Adrian had already spread.

But.

As soon as we stood on the wall, something attacked the aurora.

With a sharp metallic sound, as the aurora shook, a giant demon beast revealed itself.

My heart sank coldly.

A long snout with sticky liquid dripping down. Saw-like teeth were visible inside the triangular horn-like elongated mouth.

Three eyes on a relatively small face. And four extremely long arms and two legs.

At the ends of the arms and legs were claws as long and sharp as the snout.

It was its claws that had struck the aurora.

‘This is Caligari.’

I unknowingly looked towards the Grand Duke.

He was looking at the already disappeared beast with a grave face.

‘Grand Duke, have you been fending off these things all this time? Without any help from the Empire.’

The cracking sound – kaang – continued to be heard from below the castle wall.

Each time, the entire massive wall shook as if standing on ground shaken by an earthquake.

“Are you alright! Adrian?”

The Grand Duke asked the magician.

“Yes!”

But contrary to his answer, the boy’s face had turned pale.

The width of the aurora he had spread was also narrower compared to before.

‘You’ve used too much power.’

I unknowingly gripped my sword tighter.

“Pour the oil!”

The Grand Duke’s shout becomes an order transmitted downwards.

“Pour the oil!”

“Pour the oil!”

Small doors attached here and there below the castle wall opened, and the Northern army poured boiling oil. But only the small demon beasts were hit by the oil.

The giant praying mantis-like Caligari quickly disappeared, only to reappear in the same place once the oil stopped.

‘Incredibly fast speed.’

At that moment, one Caligari slashed through a huge barrel containing oil.

– Aaargh!

Several Northern soldiers fell down the castle wall with screams.

‘At this rate, it will be difficult to win.’

It was then.

“Adrian, can you come outside the wall with me?”

The Grand Duke asked.

“Can you ride behind me and spread the aurora? I will attack them from within your aurora.”

“It’s dangerous, Your Highness!”

Moby shouted.

Adrian answered.

“I can split the aurora into several. It takes more effort than spreading one, but I can protect up to five people. It’s better than you going alone-.”

“Then I’ll go too.”

Moby said. Ergo opened his mouth.

“Your Highness, is there no other way? If we wait until sunrise, the Caligari will also leave-.”

“The walls will crumble before that. Night will come again.”

Sadly, the Grand Duke’s judgment is correct.

In this situation, by the time the sun rises, the walls will have crumbled. If that happens, it’s all over.

“If we leave it be, tomorrow might be the North’s last day.”

The Grand Duke said.

Everyone closed their mouths. They know, the Grand Duke’s words are right.

“I’ll go too.”

I raised my hand.

The Grand Duke looked at me.

“It’s dangerous, Esther.”

“Aren’t you doing that dangerous thing too, Your Highness?”

“I have experience fighting them.”

“I…”

Even without experience, I’ll fight better than Your Highness.

Because I’m the first ‘Sword Master’ to appear in the history of this empire.

“I am currently the most agile knight here, in the absence of the Vice Captain. There must be something I can do.”

“…”

It was then.

– Kuk!

Adrian, who had been spreading the aurora continuously, groaned and clutched his chest.

It was because another Caligari appeared in the air and struck the aurora.

“If we’re going to do it, we should hurry.”

Adrian said.

Though a young boy, he’s a magician who comprehends all things in the world, he has courage.

“Alright.”

The Grand Duke said.

“Esther, stick close behind me. And the majors of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th units who have experienced Caligari, follow me.”

Then, Bran raised his hand.

“I’ll go too!”

“It’s too much.”

“Your Highness! I can ride with someone else. We can defend front and back, increasing our chances of survival.”

I said. Moby agreed.

“It makes sense, Your Highness.”

“…Alright. Then with whom?”

“I’m the lightest, so I’ll take Lord Bran on my horse.”

I answered.

To face a monster with four arms, it’s better to have one more person. I’m confident I can protect Bran.

[This is the timeline separator]

In front of the gate leading outside the castle wall, I whispered to Adrian Eodel.

“Mr. Eodel.”

“Oh, yes!”

The tense boy answered in a loud voice.

I lowered my voice even more.

“If it becomes too much… release the protective barrier around me first.”

“What?!”

“What are you saying? Are you crazy?”

Bran, clinging tightly to my back, shouted.

“Do you want to just stay here, Bran?”

“…”

“Together, we have four arms. You saw me throwing wooden dolls in the training ground, right?”

Bran, who had been hesitating, trailed off.

“Dolls are dolls…”

“That was sword energy.”

“What?!”

“Sword energy, I said.”

I spoke to Eodel again.

“Trust me. I’m talking about the worst-case scenario. And in the very last moment, protect the magician and Grand Duke. I’ll protect the rest.”

“?”

The pink eyes of the blonde boy widened.

With an expression that said, What is this person trusting in to say such things?

But.

Finally, the boy nodded at my unwavering determination. Then he ran towards the Grand Duke and climbed up behind him.

Shortly after, five divided aurora spheres enveloped five horses and the seven people riding them.

“Open the gate!”

The Grand Duke shouted.

The gate opened.

“Bran, don’t let go of me.”

Bran wrapped his arms around my waist.

We charged forward.

[This is the timeline separator]

Like carnivores encountering fleeing prey, the Caligari attacked.

They were invisible except when striking the aurora. But on the muddy ground, huge bird-like footprints of the beasts were imprinted.

“Look at the footprints!”

The Grand Duke shouted.

Fortunately, the four majors also fought well against the Caligari.

The beasts couldn’t penetrate the aurora, but our swords could cut them outside the aurora. That was fortunate, if anything could be called fortunate.

Then at some point, one Caligari that looked the largest struck down at the Grand Duke.

Adrian, sitting behind the Grand Duke, ducked his head in surprise.

It happened in an instant.

And at that moment, the yellow aurora enveloping the 4th Major running in front of me faded.

– Kieeeeeek.

With an ear-piercing metallic sound, the Caligari’s claws flew towards the Major. The claws pierced through the aurora.

The Major’s sword blocked those claws, but it was not enough. The Major’s right arm fell off along with the sword.

The Major fell from his horse, and simultaneously, his horse was cut in half mid-gallop and rolled on the ground.

“Bran!”

I handed the reins of my silver-gray horse to Bran and leapt off the horse.

“Esther!!!”

The Grand Duke’s cry was heard.

The Caligari appeared right above the 4th Major’s head.

I jumped up, kicking off the ground. I infused sword energy into my sword. The iron sword instantly elongated to three times its length as it received the sword energy.

Just as the Caligari’s claws came down right above the Major’s head, my swung sword energy blew off the beast’s arm.

The 4th Major, who had resigned himself to death, looked at me with wide eyes.

“Greini!!!”

My horse, enveloped in yellow aurora, came running towards me with Bran on its back.

I put the bleeding 4th Major on the horse and shouted at Bran.

“Return to the castle!”

“Esther, you!”

“Are you going to let the Major die?!”

At those words, Bran returned to the castle wall.

I could see Adrian sweating to maintain the aurora enveloping my horse, Bran, and the 4th Major. The young magician’s eyes were on me.

And in front of him, the Grand Duke’s blue eyes that held many stories.

At that moment, the Caligari whose arm had been cut off appeared right in front of my nose.

An attack time of less than 0.01 seconds.

But I am faster.

The beast’s body exploded in front of my eyes from the sword I swung.

“Let’s play. Caligari.”