Nova Uruk
As was customary, several more days passed without anything truly significant occurring—aside from the minor detail that all 355 Melammu Dingir cannons had finally been completed and properly positioned along the city walls.
The enormous magical weapons gleamed beneath the sunlight, aligned like divine sentinels ready to unleash destruction if necessary. Their mere presence served as a silent warning to any enemy bold enough to approach.
Whoosh!
A giant eagle descended from the skies and landed beside Souei. Its sharp eyes glinted for a brief moment before, through Thought Communication, it transmitted all the intelligence it had gathered regarding the Kingdom of Falmuth.
"So they're finally making their move…" Souei murmured, his eyes narrowing slightly.
He showed no anxiety—only the calculated coldness of someone who had expected this all along.
"Nansou, Hokusou. Keep a close watch on the spies who infiltrated the city. If they make any suspicious moves, arrest them immediately. Use force if they resist."
"Yes!"
The two accepted the order without hesitation and vanished.
As an open and prosperous nation, Nova Uruk had recently received numerous spies from multiple kingdoms. Even a certain Demon Lord had dispatched a particularly skilled agent.
However, the overwhelming majority were already under constant surveillance by Souei and his squad.
"Souka, Touka. Contact Gobta, Gobzo, and Gobte. Those three Otherworlders must be captured immediately."
It had to be acknowledged: as head of the Intelligence Department, Souei's abilities were indisputable.
More importantly, Arthur had never given them any order such as "do not harm humans."
In public interactions, they maintained a friendly posture. But they never lowered their guard.
In this imminent war, Arthur had given no specific instructions regarding espionage or counterintelligence. Everything was being handled by Souei according to his own judgment.
And his judgment was merciless.
"Understood!"
Souka and Touka departed at once.
Since then, many spies had been captured.
Among them, the three Otherworlders were the most troublesome: Shogo Taguchi, Kyoya Tachibana, and Kirara Mizutani.
"This is strange… how were we discovered? We haven't even done anything yet!" Kyoya complained, frowning.
Kyoya was a Japanese teenager with light-brown hair and dark-brown eyes.
Shogo smirked arrogantly.
"Since we've been exposed, let's cause a little chaos."
He had spiky black hair and dark-brown eyes, his expression brimming with excessive confidence.
Kirara sighed.
"It's all we can do now…"
Short in stature, with shoulder-length light-brown hair and brown eyes, she appeared to be the most sensible of the three—though equally reckless.
They were people from another world, each possessing the potential to become a hero.
But potential was not the same as power.
The battle ended almost instantly.
Kyoya lay on the ground, eyes half-lidded, his face twisted in disbelief. He had been defeated by a mere goblin.
A goblin.
It was disgraceful.
But it was too late for regrets.
Meanwhile, Mjurran—who had also infiltrated the city—was consumed by terror.
Unlike the other three, Mjurran was a subordinate of the Demon Lord Clayman.
She had infiltrated human kingdoms long ago. Even within the Marionette Kingdom, very few knew that she was, in truth, a witch.
But now… it seemed she had been discovered.
Damn it, how did this happen?
If she failed her mission, death would be mercy. The punishment would be far worse.
Her heart was still in Clayman's hands.
As she fled, Mjurran mentally reviewed every step she had taken during her infiltration of the citadel. She could not identify where she had erred.
After running more than thirty kilometers away from Nova Uruk, she finally slowed down.
She had escaped.
Barely.
But then—
Her body froze.
Ahead of her, atop a hill, a blond man dressed in unusual attire stood calmly.
The breeze tousled his golden hair.
He turned and smiled at her.
The smile was warm and devoid of hostility.
Yet it made Mjurran's heart sink.
It was none other than Arthur, ruler of Nova Uruk.
"You… why are you here?" she stammered.
Arthur ignored the question.
"If you run like this, Clayman may not kill you immediately… but a painful punishment will be inevitable. It's never good to have your heart in someone else's hands."
Mjurran turned pale.
"What do you want?"
Even in the Marionette Kingdom, very few knew that secret.
And yet Arthur had revealed it so casually.
Completely ignoring her question, Arthur opened his hand. A golden portal appeared above it, and from within, a beating heart fell into his palm.
Mjurran stared, confused.
"This is an artificial heart I created. It can completely replace your original heart, which is under Clayman's control. With this one, even if he crushes the other, you will suffer no harm. Do you want it?"
She gave a bitter smile.
"So now my life will be in your hands… Tell me, what do you want me to do? After all, in your hands, I'm nothing more than a pawn…"
Arthur stepped forward.
Without hesitation, he pressed the heart into her chest, merging it with her body.
Then he took out a senzu bean and made her swallow it.
Soon, Mjurran felt strong, steady heartbeats echoing within her chest.
Tears welled up.
The sensation of a heart pounding… was overwhelming.
But at the same time, the thought of continuing as a piece in someone else's game plunged her into sorrow.
Bang!
A sudden pain struck her forehead.
"What are you thinking?" Arthur said, withdrawing the finger he had used to flick her. "Now that I've given you your heart, your fate is in your own hands. I don't need a slave. Feel free to do as you please."
Mjurran froze completely.
Do as she pleased?
Someone like Arthur wouldn't lie about something like that… would he?
But—
"Why?"
"Why?" Arthur tilted his head slightly.
"Perhaps… it's a hero's duty to save a damsel in distress."
A hero's duty?
Mjurran was speechless.
"Farewell. If you wish, I can accept you as a citizen of Nova Uruk."
He turned and began walking away.
Watching his back gradually disappear into the distance, Mjurran's cheeks suddenly flushed.
Without realizing it, her feet began to move.
Unconsciously, she started following him.
---
Meanwhile…
"After her! Don't let that damned witch escape!"
The commotion erupted at the heart of the Kingdom of Falmuth's expeditionary camp. Soldiers ran in all directions, armor clanking, orders shouted in chaotic disarray.
Amid the turmoil, Shizu crossed the camp's perimeter at high speed, her light steps barely touching the ground as the wind swept through her hair.
In truth, considering her own strength combined with the new weapon Arthur had given her, she could have wiped out everyone there with relative ease.
All she needed to do was speak the words and unleash the sun.
But the moment blood was spilled, war would become inevitable.
And once it began, she could not guarantee that there would be no further deaths.
She had spent decades protecting humans.
How could she now raise her blade against them?
No matter how corrupt, arrogant, or greedy their leaders were… they were still human.
And so, all she could do was leave.
"I'm sorry, Arthur… I failed…" she murmured.
Her eyes fell upon the sun-shaped mark on the back of her left hand. The symbol glowed softly beneath the evening light.
A pang of sadness pierced her chest.
The King of Falmuth was unbearably pedantic.
And his ministers… insatiably greedy.
They demanded millions in compensation from Nova Uruk, as though they had already won a war that had yet to begin.
It was outrageous.
Did they truly believe they had defeated Nova Uruk?
Ignorant. Foolish. Absurd.
They were marching straight toward their own destruction.
And that left Shizu torn between fury and helplessness.
Since forming bonds with Arthur and the people of that city, a hope had been born in her heart—the genuine possibility of peaceful coexistence between races.
Humans and monsters living side by side.
How naïve…
"There's no other way… I can only try to persuade Hinata!"
If it were Hinata Sakaguchi, perhaps there was still a chance.
Hinata was strict and relentless… but she was not irrational.
If only she could reach her before swords were drawn.
However, the whereabouts of the Holy Knights led by Hinata were difficult to track. When they marched, they rarely remained in one place for long.
Finding them would not be simple.
"There's no alternative… I'll need Yuuki's help."
As leader of the Free Guild, Yuuki Kagurazaka possessed enough influence and information to locate Hinata far more easily.
Without hesitation, Shizue changed her route and immediately headed south, toward the Guild branch in Blumund.
The wind cut against her face, but her determination was sharper still.
---
After Shizu's departure.
Inside the main tent of the camp, the atmosphere was heavy.
"Your subordinate is incompetent. How dare he allow the Conqueror of Flames to escape?!" the King of Falmuth mocked, his tone dripping with contempt.
Archbishop Reyhiem inclined his head slightly before speaking:
"Your Majesty, since the monsters of the Forest of Jura sent that witch as an envoy, it means our expedition plan has already been discovered. There is no longer any need to conceal ourselves. We should begin our march at full force."
His voice was calm, but the fanatic gleam in his eyes revealed his enthusiasm.
King Edmaris smiled arrogantly.
"Very well. Since we have been discovered, we shall use our full might to crush that nation."
The decision was made.
Unaware, they had taken the first step toward a war far beyond their comprehension.
(End of Chapter)
A/N: The bonus chapter by the power stones will be posted tomorrow