Selim and Cecilia rushed toward the town.
After the rout on the battlefield, the monsters had scattered and fled.
So along their route, they encountered only a few monsters, and such small numbers posed no threat to the two of them now.
Before dawn, they arrived at the town gate, which was shrouded beneath a Magic Shield.
Cecilia was just about to call out loudly.
Bang!
A man dressed in leather armor, outfitted like a ranger, was shoved back by a tall guard wielding a shield.
“The general’s orders: No one is to leave this town.”
The man knocked to the ground bounced back up with the agility of a carp, yelling at the guard in front of him, “Orders, orders, everything’s about orders.”
“Can orders really force everyone to die here with your general?”
“Isn’t that right, everyone?”
“That’s right, we have the right to leave!”
“We want freedom!”
“Step aside, we want to survive.”
The man’s words resonated with a group of mercenaries nearby. After hesitating for a moment, they raised their weapons.
Ignoring the protesting crowd before him, the tall guard simply gripped his shield tighter and drew his sword. “Everyone, form up!”
“You want to fight? Then bring it on!”
The mercenaries looked ready to clash with the guards at any moment.
“Enough, this farce ends now!”
A stern, commanding voice rang out.
The speaker was a middle-aged noble who had lost an arm. Dragging his wounded body, he was supported by soldiers as he stood among the crowd.
His presence alone, even without anger, imposed an aura of authority that calmed both sides on the verge of violence.
“I told you, reinforcements are on the way. Hold this place, and everyone can live.”
“Leave? That’s nothing but a death sentence!”
No one spoke. They exchanged glances, and in the end, all eyes converged on the ranger who had first stepped forward.
Now, with the pressure of everyone watching, he had no choice but to brace himself and step up.
“Forgive me, General.” The ranger bowed, then continued, “We’ve already lost. Why make everyone wait here to die?”
“We’re transcenders. If we choose to break out together, we have a good chance of surviving.”
“When that giant frog gets here, everyone will die.”
The middle-aged noble waved at the soldier supporting him, indicating for him to let go, and then walked up to the ranger alone, his gaze sharp as a blade.
“Do you know what you’re saying?”
“I do…”
“You want me to abandon all the townspeople?” Zevin’s voice grew somber.
Hearing the other’s words laid bare, the ranger stopped pretending.
“Yes! To survive is to have the chance for revenge! We have to preserve our strength, General!” The ranger threw all caution to the wind.
“Shut up!” the middle-aged noble suddenly roared, then coughed a few times from the exertion, before continuing, “In the name of the Lycaon Family, I, Zevin Lycaon, will never abandon my people.”
He swept his gaze around, seeing the crowd, their morale low from the crushing defeat, and couldn’t help but sigh.
If they only wanted to sneak away quietly, he might have turned a blind eye.
But they weren’t content with sneaking off—instead, they wanted to incite his own soldiers to rebel and flee with them.
Such actions would only plunge the town into even greater chaos. These people couldn’t see the deeper consequences, which filled Zevin with regret.
How he wished someone could understand him from a broader perspective.
But now, he had no choice but to enforce his will by force.
As a Moonlight Level transcender, even wounded, dealing with a few low-ranked transcenders was still effortless.
“Those who defy military orders in wartime—die!” He raised his one remaining arm, reaching for the ranger’s throat.
BOOM——!!!
A deafening explosion suddenly erupted at the gate, blasting a gaping hole through the sturdy Magic Shield.
Amidst swirling smoke and dust, Selim led Cecilia by the hand, stepping calmly through the breach before the shield could heal, under the stunned gazes of all.
Under Selim’s direction, it was Cecilia who had blasted open the hole in the Magic Shield from outside.
Zevin’s actions were thrown into disarray by this sudden event. Instinctively thinking an enemy was attacking, he spun around to look at the gate.
At first, seeing the two sisters who had performed admirably on the battlefield, his brows relaxed slightly. But then, noticing the Magic Shield flicker, his eye twitched uncontrollably.
“You’re alive? Good, but attacking the Magic Shield is a capital crime!”
“This should cover it.” Selim tossed out the Oculi Frog Magic Core belonging to the One-eyed Frog Monster.
With his single hand, Zevin caught the item Selim threw. When he realized it was a Moonlight Level Magic Core, his eyes widened.
An incredible thought flashed through his mind.
“This—could it be?”
“Yes, you’re right. It’s dead,” Selim said, holding Cecilia’s hand as she continued. “That One-eyed Frog Monster was slain by my sister, Cecilia.”
“Eh? But it was both of us…”
Selim pinched Cecilia’s hand, cutting off her attempt to explain.
Right now, what the crowd needed wasn’t the truth, but an anchor!
To craft Cecilia’s image as a hero was exactly why Selim had made such a high-profile entrance.
She needed to mold Cecilia into that very figure.
Having witnessed the farce from start to finish, Selim quickly recognized the middle-aged noble, Zevin, as a clever man.
And clever people had an unspoken understanding.
Watching Selim’s actions, Zevin immediately caught on.
He held the Magic Core aloft, raising his lone arm high. His booming voice resounded through the square: “Behold! The Magic Core of the Moonlight Level One-eyed Frog! Our hero—Miss Cecilia—single-handedly brought it down!”
“Cheer! Cheer for our hero, Cecilia!”
Zevin’s words were like a fuse set alight.
“Cecilia! Cecilia! Cecilia!!!”
A tidal wave of frenzied cheers erupted, drowning out all doubt and unrest.
A civil strife on the brink of eruption was so easily quelled by a single Magic Core and a name.
Zevin gestured for soldiers to take away the ranger, now paralyzed with fright. Watching the two young women in the crowd, his eyes brimmed with admiration.
Snap.
A crisp finger-snap echoed through the crowd as Zevin alone calmed the restless mob.
“Everyone, return to your posts, prepare to defend the town, and await reinforcements.”
“Ladies, please join me for a discussion.” As if recalling something, he turned to the tallest guard, saying, “Kaya, you come as well.”
“Yes, General.” The soldier named Kaya set down his weapon and gestured for Selim and Cecilia to follow toward the Council Hall.
In no time, they arrived in a chamber.
Inside the council chamber, the Servants quietly arranged drinks and refreshments before withdrawing.
Selim had long been prepared for this moment; next was her chance to reveal intelligence about the altar and the finger bone.
It would be best if that cleared the stage, but if not, she could also leverage their power for her own ends.
She took a gentle sip of fruit wine and waited for the others to speak.
“Miss, how do you think Kaya performed in this crisis?” Zevin nodded toward Kaya at his side.
Selim frowned delicately, but soon understood.
He was assessing her value as a potential collaborator—testing her perspective.
If that was the case, she saw no need to hide her true opinion.
She set down her glass and spoke plainly, “Courageous, capable, loyal—a fine warrior.”
“But…”
“Rigid, lacking adaptability—he nearly escalated the conflict. Still too inexperienced.”
“Precisely! If I’d woken any later, things would have gone wrong,” Zevin exclaimed, slapping Kaya hard, then turned to Selim, his eyes full of admiration.
Being stared at like that made Selim’s skin crawl; such a scrutinizing gaze made her instinctively uneasy.
“But you can’t really blame him. After all, he’s just a soldier bound to follow orders—he can’t make decisions for the lord.”
“Ah, if only he had your sense of perspective, I wouldn’t have to worry so much.” Zevin cast a slightly exasperated look at the silent Kaya.
A moment later, he spoke slowly.
“Miss, have you ever considered marrying into the Lycaon Family?”
“I promise, Kaya will have only you as his wife.”
“Pfft——!”
Hearing this, Cecilia—who had been quietly enjoying her refreshments—was caught completely off guard and spat out a mouthful of water.