Sestain narrowed his eyes in response to Osian's words.
"You're still impudent. If someone came to help you, you should just be grateful."
"Wasn't it an action done by both of us out of necessity?"
"That, I cannot deny."
People froze at Sestain’s appearance, which was clearly extraordinary.
Blue Beard also hesitated. He knew Sestain and hesitated for a different reason.
Sestain, the oldest executive of Tirna and the man whose behavioral principles were most impossible to read.
However, since he belonged to the city government, he was bound by formalities and wasn't overly concerned.
His appearance here meant that the precarious tightrope walk had finally ended, and moreover, ended in their failure.
"Guards are here! Tirna's guards are coming!"The cry came from the rear.
The security personnel of Saint Tree, who were preparing for battle, were all bewildered and couldn't act.
The guards waiting outside had pushed their way in, sensing their moment.
They tried to block them somehow, but it wasn't easy.
Blue Beard wrinkled his nose. He had realized how the situation was unfolding.
"I tried to end this early, but look at this mess when I entrusted it to these incompetent fools."
Now was the time to retreat but Blue Beard couldn't easily move his feet.
Even if he tried to escape, they would surely not let him go easily.
In that case, he needed to take Lucent with him. It would be good if he was alive, but if not, he could just take his head.
Blue Beard raised his scimitar. The blue jewel embedded in the hilt glowed brilliantly before seeping into the surrounding security personnel.
"What are you doing? Do your job."
His voice, more desolate than usual, spread through the cave like a vibration.
By the humming vibration and the peculiar power of the blue jewel, the guards' eyes lost their focus.
Soon, the guards' expressions twisted brutally, and murderous intent swirled in their eyes.
"Kyaaak!"
"Kill! Kill them all!"
Guards stained with murderous intent and hatred rushed recklessly toward Osian's group.
They were no longer in their right minds. If they had been sane, they wouldn't have dared to fight. Even if they wanted to fight, they would have shot their guns.
"That is Blue Beard's ability. A power that paralyzes reason and forcibly amplifies murderous intent."
Diolan frowned while explaining.
"Indeed. To think I'd see Blue Beard's ability that I'd only heard rumors about."
Sestain seemed to have known the information in advance, quickly understanding.
Unlike other familiars, Blue Beard was notoriously known among the "Mother Goose" familiars.
His power might be weaker compared to other familiars, but his tendency to indiscriminately perpetrate massacres ranked among the worst even among Mother Goose familiars.
What he was showing right now was proof of that.
A power that maximizes human murderous intent and turns people into beasts that kill.
As Osian was about to sweep them all away, Sestain stopped him.
"What?"
"We've come this far, and if I leave everything to these young people, my pride won't allow it."
Even facing the wave of madness-filled masses, Sestain’s expression remained incredibly calm.
He wasn't even looking at them.
"We've come this far, so isn't it okay to rest a bit?"
"Ha. You sure talk well."
Osian met Sestain’s eyes and laughed out loud.
"Actually, you're the one who wants to fight the most."
"Oh. Am I that obvious?"
Just as the madness-filled crowd approaching step by step was about to reach out to Sestain, their bodies stopped in mid-air as if time had frozen.
Diolan opened his eyes wide at the sight. His excellent vision had discovered the semi-transparent threads hanging in the air.
"After sitting still doing nothing for days, this body has gotten quite stiff. We've come this far, and an opportunity has presented itself - wouldn't it be a shame to miss it?"
Revealing his intentions without hiding them at all.
Osian couldn't help but smile, finding it absurd.
He had felt it when they first crossed swords, but this old man was definitely not ordinary. That's why he's still working as an Executor at his age.
"Don't be too disappointed. Instead, I'll tell you some good news."
Sestain’s attitude was so relaxed that one couldn't imagine he had just bound the crowd with wires.
"Good news?"
"Yes. It seems those who realized we've invaded are escaping through a secret emergency exit. And the exit location we've already identified is quite far from here, in Disctrict 34. Oh, but we happen to be short-staffed, so we don't have enough personnel to be deployed there."
"You crafty old fox."
Osian chuckled and nodded.
"Right. You're telling me such good things, so I should make some concessions."
"It's like begging to be trampled. Do you think so too?"
"I..."
Diolan couldn't answer quickly. He wanted to hear from Blue Beard where Mother Goose was located but it wasn't difficult to distinguish what was more important.
Diolan reluctantly nodded.
"Alright. So leave this to me."
Sestain said this and approached the people struggling, bound by wires.
"You're honestly not even worth an appetizer, so just scram."
Sestain swung the sword in its scabbard. The wire sparkling at the end of the sword's handle was pulled sideways, pushing the people away all at once.
Those caught like fish in a net, unable to move, tangled together in one mass.
Blue Beard, who was trying to sneak away hidden behind the crowd, was revealed.
"Where do you think you're sneaking off to? If you've caused trouble, you should quietly receive justice's hammer."
"You're truly arrogant. Not killing them and subduing them instead - does that mean you're that confident?"
"Well, I've never heard of myself being pushed around anywhere. Rather, I want to ask you - if you're so confident, why are you trying to sneak away? Could it be you're scared? Haha! No way. A child of the witch, scared of an old man like me? Impossible."
"What a loose mouth you have. I don't have time to deal with you. So if you don't want to die, get lost."
"Oh my, is my hearing bad because I'm old? Could you speak louder? Or could it be that you can't even take the life of this old man? No way. The famous Blue Beard can't possibly flee without handling an old man?"
It was truly an unceasing, high-level provocation.
Even Blue Beard, who knew fighting would waste time, found it unbearable.
His vicious face turned red and blue.
"Fine. If you want to die so badly, I'll take your neck right here."
"Oh my, how scary. Go ahead and try."
Sestain lowered his upper body and took a stance.
"If you can do it, that is."
*
"What do we do now? Since the city government has moved, it seems our role is over."
Lorraine, having heard the situation, judged that everything was finished. In fact, it wasn't unreasonable to think so.
"No. It's not over yet. Some of the board members have escaped, and most importantly, we haven't resolved Diolan's matter."
"But didn't you say we need to go to District 34?"
District 34 was the city's heart, the transportation hub with the most railway lines.
"The fact that they escaped there means there's probably an underground subway route connected to District 34. And they've likely already escaped by boarding a pre-prepared train."
In other words, physically catching up to those who had already departed to District 34 was impossible.
"That Executor said earlier that they didn't have personnel to dispatch. That's probably a lie. They definitely would have prepared something when they know exactly where they're going."
"That's right. But does that mean we have a reason not to act?"
Osian asked Diolan.
After some contemplation, Diolan spoke.
"I'm sorry to everyone. I know this is somewhat unreasonable. But for me, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. So, could you please help me?"
"...Sigh. What am I supposed to do when you say it like that?"
Lorraine shook her head and picked up her weapon.
"Well, what can we do? Let's go."
"Thank you. Lorraine."
"Why are you being so sentimental about this? Edgar, are you coming too?"
Everyone's gaze turned to Edgar.
Edgar frowned at the reaction. Given his personality, coming this far was already more than enough.
"...Well, even if I say no, you'd probably drag me along anyway."
Edgar said this and turned his head slightly.
It essentially meant he reluctantly permitted accompanying them.
"Good. Unanimous decision."
"Oh, what about me? Am I being left behind?"
Lucent, who had been quietly listening, asked.
"You're coming too."
"What?"
"Your request isn't finished yet. Have you forgotten? Those who caused all this must receive proper punishment. We're going to catch those fleeing right now. Shouldn't you witness that?"
"That's true."
Lucent was actually relieved by those words. Although the Saint Tree incident was gradually coming to an end, being left alone here would have looked awkward.
In fact, going to a dangerous place felt more reassuring when accompanied by the Violet Fox members.
"But how are we going to go? If they're already moving through underground railways, how can we catch up?"
In response to Lucent's question, Osian, Lorraine, and Edgar's gazes all focused on one place.
"Me?"
Diolan pointed to himself.
The three simultaneously nodded.
Osian stepped forward and said:
"Take off your boots."
*
In the bustling streets of Tirna, above the roofs of towering mansions, a pitch-black shadow raced like the wind.
Diolan, transformed into a massive cat monster, leaped between rooftops at an incredible speed.
Riding on Diolan's back were Lorraine, Lucent, and Edgar.
"Uwaaak!"
Lucent screamed, unable to even open his eyes from the air resistance.
Every time his body lifted and dropped, his legs tingled intensely.
He could only desperately clutch Diolan's black fur with his eyes tightly shut.
At first, he thought he might die, but as they continued racing, he started to get somewhat accustomed to it.
Lucent took the opportunity to ask something he was curious about.
"W-Where is Osian? He said he's coming separately."
"Oh, him?"
Osian wasn't riding on Diolan's back. While Lucent worried he might be late, Lorraine spoke casually.
"He said he'd come separately."
"Can he really come?"
"He's coming. Look beside us."
"Huh?"
Lucent slightly opened his tightly shut eyes.
When he turned his head, he witnessed an unbelievable scene.
-Hihi-hiiing!
A horse made of starlight was racing across the rooftops.
And riding on that horse was Osian, his long coat fluttering.
It was a scene devoid of any sense of reality.
It was strange enough to see a mythical horse treading on rooftops, but to see Osian riding it like a painting was even more bizarre.
"What in the world..."
"Don't ask me. I'm just as bewildered seeing this."
Lorraine hadn't even looked before, but this time she was considerably surprised.
Not just any horse, but one keeping up with Diolan's speed.
A horse they thought would only bulldoze like a train was now silently racing across the rooftops, moving light and fast.
Lorraine suddenly became curious about Osian's true nature.
"Anyway, we'll arrive at District 34 soon. Not much left."
The number of railway lines visible between buildings gradually increased.
Finally, an area with so many intertwined railways that it was hard to count them appeared.
Trains emitting steam raced everywhere. Some were transporting goods, others were passenger trains.
This wasn't just a train station - numerous airships filled the sky, capturing the wind.
"How will we find them in such a complicated place?"
"They'll definitely try to board an airship to escape abroad. The probability is highest there."
"But there are so many airship docks here!"
"That's the problem."
Just as Lorraine was pondering,
-Kwaaang!
An explosion echoed from far away.
An unprecedented, unknown energy could be seen surging at an airship dock.
"It's there."