-Kuuuuu.
The giant's arm that emerged from the gap in the sky took away the Candy Castle.
Although the airship fired shots, determined not to let it go, the giant's arm didn't even flinch when hit by that firepower.
Eventually, the Candy Castle disappeared beyond the gap in the sky, just as it had appeared but it couldn't take away one thing.
Foolish Hans felt a chill.
The first time he felt this sensation was when the Saint Tree board members couldn't control their greed and did something stupid.
At that time, he couldn't properly feel the chill because he was overwhelmed by feelings of irritation and disgust.
The second time he felt it was when the incident occurred at Saint Tree headquarters.
When the plan went awry, and he realized he wouldn't be able to collect everything he had sown, he was able to make a cold judgment instead.
The operation ends here. We retreat.That's how he tried to escape using the prepared emergency exit route, boarding the airship as originally planned.
Even when that was interrupted, he didn't worry much. Because he had sent coordinates to the Candy Castle in preparation for this moment.
However, he never thought that would be the final moment.
As his plans crumbled one by one, and the puzzle picture he had drawn became completely distorted.
Foolish Hans realized that he had completely failed.
That chill had been a warning flying toward him all along but he realized this came too late.
However, more frightening than the acute pain from his severed arm was the sight of Osian glaring at him.
Standing in the center of the melted, liquefied ground, the golden knight felt like a massive star had gained consciousness and was opposing him.
From whom else could one feel such overwhelming pressure?
It was a spirit that even Mother Goose, who gave birth to him, couldn't display.
"What exactly are you?"
At first, he thought he was just a meager connection Diolan had made in this city.
While fighting, he felt the guy's skills were extraordinary, but he still thought it was within his calculations.
But now, in a situation where all plans had gone awry and even escape had failed, Hans, living up to his title symbolizing foolishness, realized his mistake.
"Me?"
Although it was a question asked thinking there wouldn't be an answer, surprisingly, Osian responded.
"I'm a fixer trying to resolve what you've done. And..."
Osian's words weren't finished because the light in his eyes behind the helmet suddenly went out. The thick and massive solar handcuffs covering his body were also instantly released.
His body, barely standing, slowly fell forward.
At this rate, he would plunge into the molten metal that he himself had melted.
Mist, who had come to support Osian, saw this and quickly moved while surrounding himself with fog but there were those who moved before Mist.
-Wheeee.
A cold wind blew. Simultaneously, an intense chill settled in the surroundings, quickly cooling the heat Osian had created.
The unfortunate event of Osian face-planting into the ground didn't occur because there was a woman who gently grabbed his body.
A woman who was completely white was staring intently at Osian's face with her transparent eyes.
*
Clever Thumb Sam blankly stared at Hans' arm that he had brought.
When he tried to save Hans, all he managed to bring was this part of his body.
Everyone inside the Candy Castle saw this sight.
"What's this? What exactly happened? Where's Hans? Why is there only an arm when he's gone?"
Inside the Candy Castle where light barely reached, the eyes of everyone gathered there were fixed on the single arm Sam had brought.
"When, when I brought him, this was all there was. From what I last saw, something presumably cut off Mr. Hans' arm..."
"His arm was cut off in that short time? Khahaha!"
A booming laugh erupted from the darkness.
It was the sound of a brutal, foul-smelling beast.
A dim silhouette was laughing with shaking shoulders.
Those sharp eyes turned to one side.
It was Solomon Grundy, who had now entered his forties.
"Hey, Solomon Grundy. Say something. What exactly happened down there? You stepped up so confidently, but why couldn't you save him?"
Solomon Grundy remained silent, without a word.
At this frustrating sight, the beast in the darkness clicked his tongue.
"Right. It was a mistake to send a kid who can't even speak properly from the start. If I had gone instead, things would have been different."
"Shut that mouth. Wolf."
It was Queen Bee, who seemed half-mixed between human and bee, who snapped.
"Solomon is clearly shocked right now. That means their forces weren't something to be taken lightly."
"Ha. Is that so? I wonder how many subordinates our noble queen lost this time? Have you paid the price for those sacrifices?"
"What? Do you want to die?"
"Oh my. I was just asking."
As Queen Bee's mood was disturbed, killer bees began to appear around her but the shadow called Wolf merely grinned instead.
In the darkness, a mouth split like a crescent moon revealed white teeth.
"What difference will it make if those who'd fly away with just my breath point their pathetic stingers? Or should I swallow them all instead? They'd make perfect appetizers."
"Try it if you dare."
Just as the atmosphere between the two was about to turn hostile, a pair of siblings intervened between them.
"Hey. Have you forgotten where we are? If you want to fight, do it outside."
"We're already annoyed because some of the castle's functions are malfunctioning, and now you're doing this too? Should we just kick you out like brother said?"
The blonde twin siblings, Hansel and Gretel.
They were familiar servants born not from Mother Goose, but from another witch known as [The Candy Witch].
However, the twins killed their creator and mother, [The Candy Witch], by pushing her into a furnace and seized the Candy Castle she had made.
As can be seen from that, these siblings' personalities were truly the worst.
That's to say, nothing good would come from dealing with them.
When the siblings revealed their displeasure, Wolf raised both hands in the darkness.
"Oh my, oh my. When the castle owners say so, how could I continue? It was just play between us, just play."
"Anyway, keep it moderate. The castle's condition is serious enough as it is. We'll have to focus on repairs for several months."
"I vaguely felt the impact, but was it that bad?"
The Candy Castle, which had an auto-repair function, could restore its original form within a day even if half-destroyed by external attacks.
The period of several months Hansel mentioned wasn't easily comprehensible.
"One of the crucial engines is completely gone. Beyond repair. At least if half was blown away it could be repaired, but since an entire engine was lost, we have to make a new one."
At Hansel's words, Gretel muttered in an irritated voice.
"What is this, really? Originally, we could have rampaged through Tirna and killed lots of people."
Gretel regretted not being able to kill many people during that battle.
While Tirna's response was quick, there had clearly been opportunities to cause massive damage before their initial response.
"What was that anyway? A sword of light flying from the ground?"
It was an attack Gretel couldn't comprehend at all.
Instead of firing an anti-aircraft gun from the ground, sending a sword of light that melts everything?
"Was that the rumored Tirna's Executor?"
"No. It wasn't the Executor."
It was then that Solomon Grundy, who had been quiet until now, opened his mouth.
"The Executor was separate. He was an entirely different person."
Solomon Grundy pressed his lips shut again after that, as if he had nothing more to say.
It was a very rare scene for him to open his mouth like this, when he hadn't made a single sound throughout those numerous battles.
"We knew Tirna's forces were stronger than we thought, but our losses are no joke."
Wolf clicked his tongue as if regretful. Although he usually didn't get along with his other siblings, he couldn't be happy even in this situation.
"Above all, we revealed the giant too. What are we going to do about this?"
The giant was one of their hidden cards.
Now that they've revealed it at the end, Tirna will move considering that aspect as well.
"Why is everyone so gloomy? Whatever happened, what we need to do hasn't changed, right?"
A new voice rang out then.
The familiar servants' gazes turned toward a new figure.
What emerged from the dim darkness was a person with a huge head, shaped like an egg.
The egg had arms and legs attached, and a huge face was imprinted in the center where there was no distinction between body and head.
Though he wore a suit trying to look stylish, it didn't feel that way at all due to his ridiculous appearance and waddling gait but no one laughed at him because this person was one of Mother Goose's familiar and her closest aide.
Like Foolish Hans, he was [Humpty Dumpty], responsible for being the team's brain.
"We can use this failure as an opportunity to do better next time. And it's not just a loss for us. Because we gained information."
"Information?"
To Wolf's question, Humpty Dumpty answered with a laugh.
"Yes, you wouldn't know but I, who have been with mother for a long time, know that the strike that pierced this fortress."
The attack that not only blew away but penetrated one of the fortress' engines.
At those words, everyone's attention focused on Humpty Dumpty.
"It belongs to the one who lights the fire."
*
Osian opened his closed eyes.
The first thing he saw was the ceiling of a hospital room meant for patient care.
It wasn't an ordinary hospital facility, but rather a special room that anyone could tell was made to treat important figures.
The bed felt the same way. Perhaps because they used the highest quality bedding, it was so cozy he wanted to keep lying there.
Although he usually didn't care much about bedding, he thought that after experiencing this, he might not be able to sleep properly when he returns.
"Where is this...?"
Raising his upper body, Osian looked down at both arms.
The arms that should have been severely burned with pus flowing were perfectly fine as if nothing had happened.
Osian turned his head to look to the side.
On one wall, his protective coat was hanging on a coat rack, and his sword was carefully placed beside the black bed.
What was the intention of leaving weapons untouched even for a patient?
Whatever the reason, it didn't matter to Osian as he picked up his sword and put on his coat.
As soon as he did so, the door opened and someone entered.
He thought it might be a Violet Fox colleague, but it wasn't.
"Ah!"
The woman who opened her eyes wide as if glad to see him was someone Osian barely remembered.
Short white bob cut, snow-white skin, transparent eyes.
She was dressed all in white too, making him wonder what kind of person she was. If not for her unique atmosphere, he would have mistaken her for someone from the Petra Papacy.
"Who are you?"
"You don't know me?"
At the woman's response, asking back as if genuinely surprised, Osian's head tilted slightly to the side.
Her tone suggested she knew him, as if it was natural for them to know each other.
An old acquaintance? But he really couldn't remember.
'Is she a character from the game?'
How many years had passed for someone from that era to still be around?
Moreover, no matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't remember an NPC like this woman.
"Whatever the case, did you transport me here? I'm grateful for that part."
"No, um..."
"However, since I don't know how long I've been unconscious, I should probably return quickly."
While the white woman was at a loss for words, another person entered through the open door.
"That's why I said, he wouldn't remember in the first place."
"Hmm?"
A faint chill wafted in with her entrance.
It was a coldness that could freeze things, but strangely felt comfortable, like the first heavy snow falling in winter.
The newly arrived person was a queen wearing what looked like an ice tiara.
"...A witch?"
That unique indescribable atmosphere and appearance. Anyone would recognize that the woman's appearance, which didn't fit the current era, was unique to witches.
"I'm Koroleva, the [Snow Witch] of the Witch Tea Party. I'm also a close friend of this person here."
"I'm Osian. The cold I vaguely felt before collapsing was your power then."
Osian's gaze turned back to the white-haired woman.
"You, who exactly are you?"
"Could we postpone that conversation for a moment?"
Another voice was heard.
As Koroleva stepped aside to make way, an elderly man with a solemn expression entered.
With a bushy white beard and flowing white hair, though his appearance was old, his straight posture and robust build showed his strength.
But what caught Osian's attention most was the old man's forehead.
On both sides of his forehead grew curved horns.
"...A dragon?"