"Haha, the stars during midnight look beautiful tonight. This is the perfect time to drink."
"Don't you think so too, Vice Chief?"
Suntaunter stood on the edge of a building, the building which contained his office, staring at the incompletely built streets down below.
Those who strived desperately to survive in the wilderness and sheltered themselves in caverns and makeshift tents across the entire region heard of the development of one of the first new cities that would belong to this new world and all rushed to the alleged safety of this far from finished city without a second thought, not knowing that this city was completely under the control of the Crimson-Bladed King.
"I'm sure if they knew the true name of our king, or even his original title, the "Demonic Scourge of the Twelve Tyrants", they wouldn't be so hasty to come here, even if they were desperately looking for a place where they could live."
The Vice Chief General stepped forward behind him. He was a tall, pale man wearing blackened robes that hid a fairly built body. His eyes were a yellowish-green and were particularly emotionless.
"Suntaunter. You of all people should know that people want to live, rather than just survive. They wouldn't have cared even if he proclaimed himself as a daemon."
"And, I don't even think half of these people know the significance of what evil-adjacent titles like "scourge" implied back in the Desolate Lands."
Suntaunter nodded.
"Vice Chief, Sir Untainted Blade, I hold some respect for you, which I can't say the same for the other Generals, so I expect you to also have figured out the reason why the Chief General isn't sending the both of us out of the city yet."
The Vice Chief General, "Untainted Blade" as Suntaunter called him, remained quiet for a moment.
"…Yes, I do know the reason. The Lesser Kings have joined forces with others to knock down the King of Conquest for a while. Because of that, Stormwalker Specter and Feather Ghost would be here too, but they have an equally important task to do."
Suntaunter grinned.
"…As I suspected. We are still here to make sure the Lesser Kings don't realise that this place is a trap for them. They will surely realise their place once some of their forces are crippled for a while."
Untainted Blade nodded.
"Restrain your thoughts for now, Suntaunter. We still do not know who is helping them. But, as soon as their plan springs into action, ours will too."
"Heh, then I hope it's soon…"
Suntaunter noticed something on the streets. An invisible being with a faint, ghostly aura that seemed to be chasing after something.
"Hold on…"
Suntaunter's eyes darted in the direction that this peculiar being was running towards, and then he saw a group of people that he was too far away from to even specify their clothes. They were laughing and chatting away, not knowing that the creature was approaching quickly.
"Ha, I guess I'll need to do my job as a temporary guardian of the city!"
"Good luck."
Suntaunter leapt up into the air and smiled feverishly as he dashed through the cold winds that carried the midnight air. He had always liked these moments because they reminded him of when he was a child and when he was as free as a flying phoenix.
Meanwhile, the group that easily entered through the city gates with the help of a certain righteous knight was one that William and Sarah were a part of, and they laughed and giggled with each other behind Shard and Lady Celine, who was subsequently behind Sir Arthur, walking with some of his knights.
Shard glanced at Sir Arthur and began to ponder why he walked along with them.
"The Golden Gatekeeper of the Skies has a reputation that far surpasses both mine and Lady Celine's, despite what we've done and did during our lives," Shard muttered to himself, "So why… Why is he still walking with us?"
"Celine gave him some of the information he needed, but he still insists on coming with us, or rather, bringing us with him. He also accepted William back into our group without hesitation."
"Does he still think he needs us to locate the Angel of Delusion?"
"But, besides that…"
Shard glanced at Lady Celine, who looked mildly uninterested in the unfinished scenery of the city.
"I guess you prefer the dirty scents and smells of the sewers, huh? We barely managed to cover up the bad odours using your special perfume, but why bother carrying that if you're just gonna remain down there anyway?"
Lady Celine glanced at him.
"…I've grown used to it. That's all."
"Hmph, I'm sure you have," Shard replied, garnering a look of irritation from her, "But anyway, what exactly did you tell the Golden Gatekeeper for him to think that this is where the Angel of Delusion might be?"
"Well…"
Lady Celine was about to reply, however, a sudden halt from Sir Arthur and his knights caused her to ram herself into his broad rear.
"…An enemy is approaching. Brace yourselves."
In front of them, a wolfish beast raged and charged forth at them, frothing at the mouth.
It was exuding a crimson-red, foreign power that seemed to defy the existence of life itself, and only Sir Arthur alone could tell in an instant that power could corrode the soul on a more complex scale than Karmic Debt. It was purely unnatural.
And, what was more terrifying was that William noticed that it was melded with a familiar energy that he felt underground.
However, the Golden Gatekeeper of the Skies held that exact title for a reason. His light could certainly handle such a foreign power since it was not an omnipresent element like Mana or Karmic Debt.
But, before he unleashed his golden slash, a man descended from the midnight skies and unleashed a devastating blow to the wolfish beast's head, killing it instantly and catching even Shard off-guard.
"Ha… there. That should've done it… what the…"
Suntaunter caught a glimpse of the Golden Gatekeeper, and his eyes suddenly widened.
"Woah…?! I didn't expect such a big shot to be here!"
Sir Arthur looked at him for a moment but then directed his gaze to their surroundings. A crimson glow emanated from their surroundings, and William felt this familiar energy more clearly.
"Hm… Unfortunately, things are gonna get real bloody from this point on."