Camilla’s words spilled out, tinged with a hint of coercion.
“…”
Nameless, the one hearing those words, appeared dazed, frustrating Camilla even more.
But Camilla didn’t push further.
“Tsk.”
This guy would eventually need time to think, and there’s no way he’d keep his mouth shut all day, right?
Waiting was the best option for now.
Besides, according to Lucius, there were no casualties, so they had a bit more time.
With that thought in mind, they shared a moment of silence.
As the minutes ticked by—five, then thirty—a full hour approached.
“Ugh…! What are we doing!”
With her face flushed, Camilla stamped her feet and shouted at Nameless.
“Don’t you care about your Master?”
“…”
“You piece of trash, do whatever you want.”
Expressing her frustration by tapping her flat chest, Camilla roughly shoved Nameless’s shoulder, narrowing her eyes.
“I’m starting to worry about an old lady I barely know more than I worry about you, who I’ve spent years with.”
At those words, Nameless’s expression seemed to darken even further, but Camilla brushed it off.
Delaying any longer felt anxiety-inducing.
Who knew when Cheon Ha-rang would make a sudden move? The claim of no casualties didn’t mean there were none at all.
After all, the sky had fallen, right?
Buildings around them lay in ruins, and farmers probably lost their livelihoods.
So it was clear that subduing the rampaging Cheon Ha-rang as soon as possible was the right course of action.
With a quick click of her tongue, Camilla kicked Lucius’s rear and stepped forward.
“Let’s leave the trash behind and go!”
“…Understood.”
Thus, they abandoned Nameless and set off to find Cheon Ha-rang, while Nameless remained behind, staring at them as they left, just softly moving his lips.
*
“Think we can do it?”
As they hurriedly made their way back to Ellen, Camilla, donning an unusually serious expression, directed the question at Lucius, who was keeping pace beside her.
“What do you mean?”
“Aish, are you really that dense?”
At Lucius tilting his head in confusion, Camilla stuck out her tongue in exasperation and sighed heavily before adding,
“I mean stopping the old lady.”
Camilla’s voice dropped low again, and Lucius shook his head slightly.
In Lucius’s mind, he couldn’t foresee anyone with matching strength—ten people couldn’t stand a chance against Cheon Ha-rang.
And yet, he felt no bruising of his pride over this revelation.
Because it was Cheon Ha-rang.
She was simply someone who was beyond normal standards.
Not to mention, even though Camilla had leveled up her mana, would she even be able to reach Cheon Ha-rang?
…He had no certainty.
Seeing Lucius’s reaction, Camilla smirked and added quietly,
“Right? She has to be strong to pull it off.”
No response in return.
Muttering softly, Camilla sighed as if the ground might collapse beneath her.
…To be honest, there was no fear involved in whether she could overpower them; it was just hard to imagine her taking their lives.
After all, it was Cheon Ha-rang.
She was the type to carefully walk around as if she were afraid of crushing bugs.
There was no way she would threaten them, considering the somewhat cordial relationship they had built.
As her thoughts wandered, Camilla caught herself downplaying the situation and let out a hollow laugh.
“…Hah.”
To think she was about to fight someone, and all she could do was entertain those thoughts.
How absurd.
Thus, Camilla chuckled self-deprecatingly.
“…Hey.”
Elia, who had been hanging onto Lucius’s back like a sack of potatoes, called out to the two.
“Wow… is this okay?”
“Yes… it’s fine—ugh!”
Her face turned pale from the motion caused by Lucius’s movements, but somehow, she still felt the need to convey something.
With eyes tightly shut, Elia added,
“Isn’t Harang in an unavoidable situation?”
“Unavoidable situation? What do you mean by that?”
“Think about it.”
Elia’s reasoning was simple.
For Camilla, who felt that way, and for Lucius, who even briefly thought it couldn’t be true, the notion that someone with a genuinely honest disposition like her would do such a thing?
Honestly, if they hadn’t witnessed that carnage, they would’ve thought it was a lie.
That said, it felt like they were all having a hard time believing the reality of this situation.
Lucius and Camilla furrowed their brows, letting out hisses of discomfort at Elia’s words.
It seemed more believable that someone else had ordered this than to see her act recklessly.
Of course, they also knew it was too soon to make conclusions about it.
Could someone even manipulate Cheon Ha-rang? How?
It was hard to believe anyone with her kind of power could be controlled, right?
Just then, a thought struck like lightning in their minds.
“Pedo Master?”
“Nameless…?”
It was none other than the person they realized was unbearably guilty for their question and had said nothing about it.
What if that dark figure had some means to seize Cheon Mu-myeong’s life?
Then they could easily control Cheon Ha-rang.
After all, to her, Cheon Mu-myeong was more than just a Master-disciple relationship.
It was someone valuable enough to threaten her.
In that case, her actions would make more sense.
“And… Lucius, think about it…”
The sinister energy lodged in Cheon Mu-myeong’s heart.
The staff that functioned as its conduit.
As Elia continued, Lucius’s face started to frown more, and by now, his teeth began to grind.
“…The Nameless.”
It was him.
Once again, he was the root of everything.
That guy was the one orchestrating it all.
“Damn it, and I fell for it the last time…”
Why had he ruled out that possibility?
He felt the urge to bury his head in the ground due to his own stupidity and foolishness.
And now Elia practically pointed that out.
Camilla couldn’t grasp the change in Lucius’s expression, tilting her head in confusion.
“What’s up? Do you know something?”
“…Yes, let me explain.”
And thus, Lucius began to share his somewhat lengthy story with a curious Camilla.
*
Nameless gazed around with a dazed expression.
The city, devastated by his Master, Cheon Ha-rang.
His heart ached as he recalled the old sights.
The place where the Cheonma Church was established, the slums.
The place where he first met Lucius and Elia.
The place where he received a sword from his Master.
The place where his Master had delicious strawberries.
The place where they practiced together… the area they wandered around… and the spot from which his Master pulled him back from his trauma…
A location full of cherished happy memories.
Now lay in ruins, completely dismantled by his Master, Cheon Ha-rang.
Consequently, Nameless’s heart ached.
As if it were saying that the memories with his Master meant nothing to her. That she was willing to sever all ties with him.
“…Master.”
I miss you.
Nameless couldn’t bring himself to say those words out loud; he swallowed them back, feeling the corners of his eyes sting.
He felt pathetic.
As Camilla said, if he stayed here, his Master might be in danger.
Not physical danger, but emotional wounds would be carved deeply.
Of course, he could never fathom his Master being overcome—even with the entire world against her.
But what about the future after she subdued everyone?
Would his Master truly be happy?
“…”
Arrogant as it sounded, he didn’t think so.
No, remembering her kind nature, it would be inevitable.
Then what should he do?
How could he make his Master happy without causing her sadness?
It was clear that he couldn’t just do nothing and expect a good future to magically arrive.
But then again, no guarantee came that whatever he did would lead his Master to happiness.
After all, wasn’t the reason she was like this ultimately because of himself?
…He felt no small amount of injustice about it.
Anyway, that wasn’t the important point.
He didn’t want to think about who did what or who didn’t do anything at this stage.
Regardless, his Master had said,
“You must observe deeply and remain always vigilant for even the slightest possibility.”
In other words, if there were even a slim chance that things could turn favorable, he needed to focus on that, ponder it, mull over it, and try to find a way out.
So, didn’t that mean it was time for him to do something? Wouldn’t trying not hurt?
“Ha…”
It had taken so long to find clarity in the swamp of overwhelming gloom.
Nameless rose from the ground, holding not the sword gifted by his Master, but the clumsy wooden sword she had made just for him.
Sure enough, one couldn’t hide their true nature.
He needed to do what he wanted to feel fulfilled.
Simply watching without acting wouldn’t satisfy his spirit.
“I’ll be right back.”
‘Master.’
In that empty space left behind, only the smoke rising from where Nameless had stomped his feet remained.
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