The spot where Lily had just left.
The five archangels remaining at the round table were still dazed by the bomb Lily had dropped.
Sword Saint and Eight Swords.
They never even imagined that those strong ones would use the siege war to swallow the continent.
What’s more, the incredibly hard-to-meet Lily even offered to help them without hesitation in the name of the Angel Guild to support the Empire…
“Ugh.”
“What is this?”
Uriel and Sandalphon let out a hollow laugh.
Just thirty minutes ago, it felt like they could fly to the sky, but now it felt like they had plummeted to the bottom of the ocean like a roller coaster.
“…What are we going to do?”
Uriel asked the leader of this place.
Michael maintained a moment of silence before eventually speaking up.
“It’s already decided.”
“No, I know Lily went off after hearing a definitive answer, but what are we going to do next?”
Lily had returned after receiving a proposal and a firm answer right there.
Now, once the siege war began, Lily would be part of the Angel Guild’s mercenaries and fight against the Empire.
It would be nice if they could just defend, but knowing what Lily mentioned, and given her nature, she definitely wouldn’t only play defense.
“Informing us of the Empire’s intrusion and saying she would help us— we’re absolutely thankful. If what Lady Lily said is true, we’ll just be wiped out.”
No matter how much the Angel Guild prided itself on being the strongest and the best, they knew their own abilities best.
From their position, the moment they realized that the Sword Saint and a significant portion of the Eight Swords were coming in, they already anticipated defeat.
Even if it were a head-on confrontation rather than a surprise attack.
“I… Ah. I like Lady Lily, but this is really…”
“Uriel. Stay calm.”
“Sister…”
Gabriel bestowed divine light upon the completely tangled Uriel’s hair.
With her mind a bit clearer, Uriel regained her original composure.
“Huh… Well, it can’t be helped.”
“Lady Lily’s proposal is perfectly valid. We were destined to lose, and thanks to her, we have hope now.”
Lily was expected to be stronger than Leo and possibly even stronger than the Sword Saint, according to many rumors.
If Lily were with them, even the Empire wouldn’t find it easy to unravel the Angel Guild.
“We have received help, and now it’s our turn to support Lady Lily.”
“Are you saying we should also invade the Empire?”
Sandalphon asked.
Among the Seven Archangels, aside from the newly arrived Laguiel, they all spoke informally with one another, but the only one who wasn’t included was Gabriel.
The oldest member of the Angel Guild and the only saintess.
The elder and the only Saintess.
Although her level is weak, it was a restriction created by Michael to consider her penalty.
“……”
Of course, Michael doesn’t use the restriction.
Gabriel shook her head.
“As Lady Lily said, if she needs help, she will call us separately. So we just need to focus on our defense.”
“I’ll have to completely revise the plan. We’re canceling all attack plans from now on.”
Everyone nodded at Michael’s words.
Originally, the Angel Guild was planning to launch a siege against the guilds of other kingdoms in addition to their defense.
Of course, it was not for occupation but for simply gaining points and resources for the siege, but with the large-scale invasion upon them, they needed every bit of strength possible.
“Should we call Raphael as well?”
Raphael is one of the Seven Archangels but also a member of one of the three strong teams in DCK.
At Uriel’s words, Sandalphon and Michael shook their heads.
“No. Pael is doing well these days; calling him would be a bit much.”
“That’s right. No matter how important the guild is, we have to respect what’s important to him too.”
For the Archangels, the guild is the most important thing, but the Angel Guild fundamentally respects personal matters as well.
“Moreover, if Lady Lily’s words are true, there’s no need to call Raphael. Unless we’re planning to occupy the Empire.”
“Wow… how did it come to this?”
“Maybe it was something that was foreseen.”
The Eden Federation, closely tied to the Empire, was maintaining the second largest force on the continent.
Their collision may have been inevitable.
“But seriously, what is Metatron doing?”
“If he comes, I was thinking of locking him in the punishment room.”
“Actually lock him up, and do away with him. After all this, he still hasn’t shown up.”
“……”
■
After securing the promise with the Angel Guild, time quickly passed.
Before they knew it, the day of the siege was just a day away, and people spent their time waiting for the upcoming siege.
Yena was disappointed that I wasn’t actively participating in the guild, but when I hinted at the events to come, she had a shocked expression.
‘…Is that really true?’
‘Yes. Yena, your guild is in the south, so you will be less affected, but make sure to prepare just in case.’
The Sword Saint is attacking the North, where the Eden Federation is located.
Leo is attacking the West, where relatively strong kingdoms are distributed.
In contrast, Yena’s guild is in the south, making it not a target of the Empire’s attack.
If the Empire’s plans go accordingly, Yena’s guild would also be in danger, but…
‘I said they wouldn’t go that far.’
Leo and Arne assured that if a definite issue arose from the Sword Saint’s side, their advance would end in the West.
Leo firmly declared that even if things went wrong, he would never attack Yena’s castle.
‘Did he really say he’d betray even if the Empire pressured him?’
It was a rebellious statement against the Empire, but considering that the Spirit Lord, one of the Archdukes, was already thinking of turning against a fellow Archduke, there wasn’t much to be surprised about.
Betraying someone and using someone else…
For a kingdom that claimed to be the strongest on the continent, it was nothing less than a messy group.
Anyway, Yena understood and focused on preparing for the broadcast and the Siege War, while I quietly continued the live stream.
“…Anyway, tomorrow is finally the Siege War.”
[Wow, finally]
[Where’s Lily going tomorrow?]
[Siege War!]
[I heard it’s being broadcasted on DBC]
[It’s on public broadcast]
[Wow, Lily is on public broadcast… She’s really grown up]
[Is Lily’s affiliation confirmed?]
[I’m expecting 1 million viewers tomorrow lol]
[Is the Sword Saint really coming out?]
[Is she on Leo’s team?]
“Well, if I tell you in advance, it won’t be fun, so I’ll let you know on the day.”
I hadn’t mentioned much about the Siege War in the past week.
I hadn’t ruled out the possibility of not participating, but I hadn’t really stated that I would take part either.
Of course, this wasn’t to hide my intent from the Empire.
‘You can’t really hide it anyway.’
I was a broadcaster, and the moment I participated in the mock Siege War, my participation in the real deal was almost guaranteed.
The Siege War was a core content of Deoen, and it had a massive viewership last year, reaching a whopping 41% through public broadcasts.
From the viewers’ perspective, my participation seemed somewhat confirmed, but whose side I would actually support remained uncertain.
[I think it’s Yena]
[Is the Real Lily going to the Empire?]
[Seems like it’s not the Empire]
[The Empire and Lily are enemies lol]
[Is she attacking the Empire?]
[Black Moon… is En with them?]
[Yena]
[I’m really curious lol]
[One-man guild?]
[What’s going on?]
“Hehe. You all have some interesting thoughts.”
After reading their reactions and opinions, I ended the broadcast with a smile.
“Well then, see you all tomorrow. I might start a little early?”
[Come quickly!]
[Liliba~]
[Please, may it truly be a bloodbath against the Empire]
[Are you going to crush the Empire?]
[So is the Sword Saint coming out?]
[Liliba]
[Don’t go,ㅠㅠㅠㅠ]
[When you leave, turn on the donations]
[Ah]
[Why is the broadcast ending so abruptly today?]
[Still made it into the top 30 rankings]
“Phew…”
After finishing the broadcast, I looked around at the now quiet surroundings and gazed up at the dark night sky of Deoen.
Indeed, it was an exceptionally beautiful night sky.
“…By the way, there was Black Moon in the west, wasn’t there?”
There were quite a few guilds in the west, but the strongest among them was undoubtedly Black Moon.
There are quite a few guilds, but of course, the strongest guild among them is Black Moon.
Ranked 8th, led by Black, the top-tier guild.
In particular, they boast a strong influence in the West, comparable to the Eden Federation, with a large number of rankers leading the charge.
And just like the Sword Saint, Leo’s first target is Black’s castle.
I briefly thought of the two I was somewhat familiar with and then looked back up at the night sky.
‘Does it even matter?’
I have a connection with Black but not with his guild.
If anything, I might even have a bad relationship.
‘Taebaek.’
The Deputy Guild Master of Black Moon, who shot me a displeased look during the mock battle.
Though I’m used to that unpleasant glare, the mythical-level ‘Flute of Abyss’ that lowers his stats didn’t sit well with me at all.
It made me recall memories I had intentionally submerged beneath the surface.
‘I actually hope it gets wrecked.’
“Shall I start preparing soon?”
■
The morning of the day the Siege War begins.
Early rising birds are eating their food before soaring high, while castles across the continent are busy making war preparations.
In reality, it’s just the time they are starting to set up the stream.
Before the Siege War starts, I visited Leo’s marquis house for the last time.
Entering the marquis house secretly through perception inhibition, I entered the office as Leo instructed and pulled out a book from a shelf that Leo couldn’t reach.
Creeeak…!
The bookshelf slid aside, revealing a dark staircase leading underground.
I slowly descended the stairs.
The dark underground, as I went deeper, began to fill my sight with whimsical brown spirit statues and cozy walls.
Oof.
“……”
Even the stairs look whimsical.
Upon reaching the bottom floor of the underground, a small child was engrossed in something.
Finding the sight cute, I watched for a while until the child sensed my presence and turned their head.
“Ah, you’re here?”
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