Solenon, with more than half of his body replaced by machinery, was in a state where it wouldn't be strange to call him a cyborg. However, the body parts that still remained made of flesh were excessively aged. Even using all kinds of drugs, black magic, and scientific technology was useless.
A whopping several hundred years was time enough for even any object to decay and crumble away in the passage of time. For a human, even if prolonging their lifespan, there exists a limit.
"So did you join hands with the witch?"
Deliphiros asked. He was thinking of stalling for time as much as possible here.
Solenon was not unaware of Deliphiros' thoughts. Though senile and broken, he was a man who had possessed humanity's greatest intellect. Still, he decided to play along.
"Because I couldn't extend my lifespan any further with other methods."
Solenon had an intuition that he could no longer extend his lifespan. Being someone who was obsessed only with living, he knew this better than anyone.
He had to find a new method. The first thing he set his sights on was the witch's power, witchcraft.
"So you're going to betray Tirna?"
Deliphiros frowned. Yes. That appearance was exactly why he extremely abhorred Solenon. Extreme selfishness. Because he only considers his own safety important, he coldly discards everything else.
For Solenon, the fact that he had benefited from Tirna until now does not exist. Because it won't help his future self, only resentment remains.
"As expected, you're a monster. Things like being the wise king or the greatest intellect are just disgusting masks. You've gone senile."
"Foolish ones tend to slander wise men like that. I've heard such jealousy-filled words to the point of being sick of them, so I have no particular feelings about it."
Self-rationalization to this degree felt like art.
"And it's bothersome to chatter like this now. You must be prepared to pay the price for betraying me."
Soon, with clanking metallic sounds, shadows fell one by one. They were combat automatons made of jet-black color. Not just one or two entities, but their number easily exceeded several dozen.
"The Puppeteer."
Sestain's expression hardened as he realized whose automatons they were. The Puppeteer was famous. Because they were the one who served as Deliphiros' aide, secretary, and guard.
Whether man or woman, child or elderly, had not been revealed. Truly an existence shrouded in mystery.
Why does the Puppeteer pledge loyalty to Deliphiros? How on earth did Deliphiros discover the Puppeteer?
"I didn't expect to see you here like this."
"I am also regretful, Mayor Deliphiros."
The automaton spoke while emitting red light from its eyes. In the murderous atmosphere, the automatons drew their weapons. Not weapons meant for shooting people. All kinds of modifications were packed into them.
Sestain let out a groan.
"Damn it. No matter how I look at it, this isn't a good situation."
Looking at this scene, one couldn't help but know. From the beginning, the Puppeteer was not Deliphiros' person but a person Solenon had attached to continuously monitor Deliphiros from the side. That was the Puppeteer's true identity.
"Make up for your mistake here."
Solenon said to the Puppeteer.
If Deliphiros had been harboring foolish thoughts about him, the Puppeteer should have eliminated Deliphiros there. But he failed, and made the mistake of allowing Deliphiros to bring Sestain and the special forces.
However, the Puppeteer's abilities were too valuable to discard. So he decided to give him a chance.
"If it's now when the Great Witch has attacked, even if one mayor dies, people won't feel suspicious."
"That would be so."
The Puppeteer answered like that and stared at Deliphiros.
"I regret this, Mayor."
"Indeed. It's a very regrettable matter."
The loaded gun barrel pointed at Deliphiros' forehead. Sestain placed his hand on the sword hilt. In the tension tight enough to constrict even the heart. The Puppeteer pulled the trigger.
Bang!
Toward Solenon, not Deliphiros.
Solenon didn't bat an eye. Before he knew it, an unidentifiable sloshing liquid in front of him had blocked the bullet.
It was one of Mother Goose's familiars.
Solenon's cold gaze turned toward the Puppeteer.
"What is the meaning of this?"
"Have you forgotten that I serve Mayor Deliphiros to begin with. Didn't you instruct me to do so yourself."
The automatons the Puppeteer had brought all stared at Solenon in unison. The ends of the weapons all pointed toward the old monster mad for eternity. Solenon let out a laugh.
"You seem to have forgotten. Whose grasp your main body is in right now. I could dispose of that flesh of yours right now."
"I'm not worried about that."
At the Puppeteer's words, Solenon frowned as if sensing something. His gaze naturally turned toward Deliphiros.
Deliphiros said with a smile.
"If you can't even properly take care of your own subordinate, how could you do the work of Tirna's mayor?"
"You bastard..."
"You should have paid more attention to and cared for the people below you. Because you don't even show interest except for necessary moments, this is how you get stolen by others. The real body of our secretary that you're looking for is no longer there. We extracted it long ago."
It wasn't a lie. Looking at the actions of the Puppeteer who betrayed him and Deliphiros' words, the two had been conspiring from before and planning to betray him.
"This is why I shouldn't have taken in someone who doesn't know gratitude."
"You didn't bestow grace for our sake. You just raised useful horses to exploit."
If he had at least raised them devotedly even in that way, there would have been no complaints.
Deliphiros knows that before he became mayor, how many people were raised by Solenon's hand and disappeared futilely without even leaving their names in his hands.
"I speak as the mayor of Tirna. As a traitor to the city and an enemy of humanity. Kill that monster on this spot."
Solenon's lips twisted.
"Right. I should have trusted someone trustworthy from the start. Since I've already mounted the tiger's back, I must see the end here."
The mirror fragment Solenon held in his hand glowed. Mother Goose's familiars burst out from within it. Sestain drew his sword, and the Puppeteer pulled the gun barrel. The familiars, upon appearing, rushed toward the enemies before their eyes.
In the underground where people's gazes didn't reach, the curtain of fierce battle opened.
Mother Goose looked at the world. The place where she was located was Tirna's central area, where the city hall stood.
She was sitting on the leaves of a giant beanstalk standing tall into the sky and was displaying a fairy-like figure.
Dark brown hair flowing down to her waist, a thin-material black dress draped over her body, snow-white skin and violet eyes emitting a subtle luminescence.
If a stranger saw her, they would have thought of her as an exceptional beauty that catches the eye.
However, her true identity was a terrifying witch who made the world tremble in fear. And she was the very person who caused the situation of invading this Tirna right now.
Mother Goose looked at the city's scenery. The human civilization, which she so abhorred, was still displaying tremendous grandeur.
Though destruction and screams were rampant everywhere, it was still not enough for her. She had to turn everything within her sight into wasteland.
"Hmm. Truly a splendid and brilliant place."
A witch muttered from the side. A beauty with jet-black hair cut in a bob, with an impression so cold it chilled the blood just looking at her.
Evil Queen Grimhilde. Befitting her name as queen, she was wearing a splendid dress adorned with jewels and ornaments.
On the opposite leaf was a witch with a red dress and hair reminiscent of blazing flames.
"Truly a city suitable to come under my rule. If I come to rule this city, I should change its name from the golden city to the red city."
Witch Queen of Hearts seemed to quite like Tirna's scenery.
"No. This city must crumble. What you build on top of it is your freedom, but this much I cannot yield."
At Mother Goose's words, the two queens looked at her with dissatisfied gazes. Mother Goose gazed at the two witches with her characteristic languid violet eyes.
"Hmph."
"Well, fine. It will be fun to imagine what to build here anyway."
The Evil Queen and Queen of Hearts stepped back. No matter what anyone said, Mother Goose held the initiative in this alliance.
"And prepare yourselves soon. Their forces to face us will come rushing in."
"Until then, we must destroy this city as much as possible, is that it?"
The Evil Queen laughed wickedly.
"Now, children. Come out."
The Evil Queen took out a magic pouch and turned it inside out. Seven dwarfs appeared from inside.
The dwarfs were as small as beans. Grimhilde grabbed them and scattered them down below. The dwarfs that fell to the ground wriggled and raised their bodies. Their bodies gradually grew larger, becoming as big as the surrounding buildings. The seven dwarfs, no, the seven giants, began to destroy the surroundings indiscriminately, wielding pickaxes, shovels, and hammers on their shoulders according to Grimhilde's orders.
"I cannot remain idle either. Destruction is also my authority."
The Queen of Hearts also moved. As she spread both arms, the red cloak flowing below her shoulders fluttered.
Swish!
Trump cards began to pour out from beneath the cloak. The trump cards, increasing to an uncountable number, were soldiers with heads and limbs. The card soldiers, gripping weapons and forming rows and columns, began to march in all directions.
Relatively pushed back compared to Mother Goose, but the Queen of Hearts was also a witch whose very existence made possible a battle of numbers reminiscent of a nation's military forces.
"We will also begin to move. Mother."
Humpty Dumpty, one of the operation's staff officers and one of the familiars Mother Goose cherished, spoke. The familiars around began to move one by one to fulfill their roles. But not all of them. Some had to remain here to protect Mother from the enemies' attacks.
Mother Goose, Evil Queen, and Queen of Hearts' gazes simultaneously turned to one place. There was a being approaching while scattering brilliant golden radiance.
"Rumpelstiltskin."
The Evil Queen muttered as if grinding her teeth. A witch's traitor who sided with humanity and joined them. The moment they attacked Tirna, her appearance was a foreseen matter.
"Mother Goose, Evil Queen, and Queen of Hearts. The century's criminals have all gathered here."
"Ha. A dog that survived by wagging its tail at humans dares to babble. Just because they accepted you, do you really think you've become a member of this place?"
The Evil Queen reacted sensitively. She didn't particularly like existences prettier than herself. Especially a woman like Rumpelstiltskin, whose very existence exuded golden nobility, was enough to arouse the Evil Queen's jealousy.
What most greatly influences the Evil Queen's actions is jealousy. Because of that, she killed the witch Snow White and forcibly took from her the familiar seven dwarfs.
The two witches' gazes met. There was no need to exchange words. Their intentions were communicated through eye contact alone. The Evil Queen and Rumpelstiltskin were engulfed in light and shot up into the air.
Boom boom boom boom! Shortly after, thunderous roars that tore through space rang out repeatedly.
"Fighting so flamboyantly. At this rate, it's regrettable to call her a queen. How can royalty move so recklessly without dignity?"
The Queen of Hearts clicked her tongue as if fed up with such barbaric fighting methods and continued to summon card soldiers. If Mother Goose was a witch who summoned powerful familiars individually, the Queen of Hearts could summon far greater numbers, though not as strong.
Entities without self-awareness that only followed orders, in a way like automatons. But if their numbers swelled beyond thousands to reach ten thousand, the story changes.
"Soldiers. Move. Behead everyone you see. Cut off their heads and offer them to me."
The Queen of Hearts' expression, which had been speaking as if humming, suddenly hardened.
The soldiers were fleeing. It was nonsensical. The soldiers were summoned creatures she created. They should only listen to her orders.
The Queen of Hearts had ordered them to kill the enemy. But the soldiers were scattering in all directions like broken machines. And through the scattering soldiers, a man wrapped in jet-black shadows was slowly walking.
A smile formed on Mother Goose's lips.
"It's been a while. My child."
Her violet eyes curved as if finding him endlessly adorable. The familiars around Mother Goose also muttered while looking at the approaching enemy.
"Puss in Boots."
A familiar Mother Goose had devoted her heart and soul to creating, and at the same time, a baby kitten she had discarded as unnecessary.
Diolan appeared with his power unleashed.