The heavy oak doors of the Vesla command center creaked shut, momentarily sealing out the relentless howl of the ashen wind.
Mu Zhong didn't wait for an invitation; he walked straight to the central high-backed chair—a seat usually reserved for the highest-ranking military officials—and collapsed into it with an impassive Yawn.
His hands remained buried in his hoodie pockets, his posture so relaxed it bordered on a deliberate insult to the tension radiating from everyone else in the room.
Clara moved to his side like a faithful shadow, her blue eyes darting between the Hero and the "Red General," Iriel, who followed them inside with a heavy, deliberate stomp.
Several Legion Captains—men and women whose armor was held together by prayer and rusted rivets—filed in behind them, keeping a respectful but terrified distance from the man who had just mowed down two kilometers of nightmare with a snap of his fingers.
The silence was thick, punctuated only by the distant, rhythmic thumping of the light-ball still melting the ink outside.
No one dared to speak.
To the Captains, Mu Zhong was a force of nature they couldn't calculate.
To Clara, he was a miracle.
But to Iriel, he was an uncontrollable trouble.
Mu Zhong could also see their state of mind but he didn't care.
Once again he will eventually leave this world and what the people of the world thought about him was non of his interest.
Finally, Iriel stopped at the foot of the strategist's table, her white-knuckled grip on her spear causing the wood to groan.
She raised her head, her eyes burning through the a beautiful face that bore slight marks from continuous wars.
"What did you do in the Capital?"
The question hung in the air as she asked straightforwardly.
The Legion Captains leaned in, their breath catching.
This was the question they were all curious about after they heard that the supplies were low and the Hero donated his own supplies out of nowhere.
After all they were privy to corruption but it shouldn't be that bad right?
Thought the Legion Captains hopefully although their hopes were about to be dashed soon.
Mu Zhong didn't even open his eyes.
He merely shifted his head against the back of the chair, his voice flat and bored. "Naturally, I blew it up."
The reaction was instantaneous.
"YOU WHAT?!" Iriel's roar was a physical shock-wave.
Before anyone could blink, the Red General blurred.
Driven by years of trauma and a sudden, visceral fear for the home she was supposed to be protecting might be gone as well, she lunged across the table.
Her gauntlet-ed hand reached out, clawing for Mu Zhong's throat with the strength of an A-Rank warrior.
Mu Zhong didn't flinch.
He didn't even stand up.
He simply moved one hand from his pocket and gave a lazy, dismissive wave through the air.
CRACK.
A localized pulse of Wind Magic force slammed into Iriel's chest.
She didn't just stop; she was launched backward, her boots skidding across the stone floor before her back slammed into the far wall with a thud.
She crumpled to the ground, her breath escaping in a pained wheeze.
The Legion Captains drew their swords in a reflexive, clattering panic, their faces twisting with discomfort and hostility.
"Oh seriously!
Did you forget the power difference already?"
Mu Zhong asked, his eyes slowly opening to reveal a casual, SSS-Rank confident smile.
"I'm not in the mood for a wrestling match, General.
Sit down and speak like a commander, or stay on the floor like a civilian."
"Have you lost your god-damned mind?!"
Iriel coughed, pushing herself up, her armor sparking where the force had hit her.
"The Capital... Valroy is the heart of the world!
If the Capital falls, the soul of humanity is extinguished!
You're a Hero!
You were sent to save us, not to erase the only city we have left!"
Clara jumped in, her hands waving frantically as she tried to bridge the gap before Mu Zhong decided to start another killing streak.
"General, please!
It's not like that!
Big Brother didn't blow up the entire city!
Mr. Hero... he would never kill innocents!
It was... it was a Judgment.
A divine Judgement from the Goddesses!
He only destroyed the Royal Castle and the nobles who were hiding there.
The people... the commoners and the honest priests... they were all protected by a shield instead!
He even revitalized everyone with healing and purification spells."
Clara spoke and blurted out everything like a Machine Gun.
Iriel's Brain Froze, her eyes wide with a mixture of disbelief and frantic confusion.
"Only the Royal Family?
Only the Nobles?
Do you have any idea what you're saying, child?!
That is the entire administration!
The supply chain!
The law!
Is there any difference between blowing up the castle and killing the kingdom?!"
Mu Zhong interjected, his voice cutting through her hysterics like an ice-cold blade.
"There is a massive difference.
Those people were trash.
They were blacklisting your supplies, hoarding holy water in private bunkers, and planning their own escape while you were out here fighting like idiots.
They would have caused nothing but trouble later.
I simply removed the idiots before they could cause any excessive trouble."
He leaned forward, his gaze piercing.
"I left Voltrex behind.
He's a Good man.
And as a Good man he will feel bad if this kept going on so he will definitely try to restore order.
The common doings of good men who are usually used as tools
He'll take care of the immediate chaos, and with the Goddesses' Oracles guiding the remaining priests, things will return to normal in a month.
Maybe better than normal, since the 'Pigs and Donkeys' are no longer causing anymore trouble."
I said casually as I knew Voltrex will think everything was his fault and will definitely try to restore things normal.
"A month?!"
Iriel barked, slamming her fist onto the table.
"A month without supplies is a death sentence for Vesla!
We are at the end of our ropes!
The grain is gone, the holy water is stagnant, and our weapons are literally breaking against the ink!
We don't have a month!
We have days!"
"I already told you,"
Mu Zhong said, gesturing vaguely toward the courtyard where his crates had landed.
"I can support the entire fortress.
My inventory is deeper than your Brainless Queen's Warehouse.
Food, water, gear—consider it handled.
Now, stop barking about the past and talk to me about the [Black Calamity] and the condition of this Fortress.
That's why I'm here."