I'm fighting Kal'tsit? Really?

So he strolled up and down the castle stairs, following the candlelight as he walked through the vast space.

He walked past the main tower, and the wind quietly slipped into the tower's windowpanes, searching for a presence that was breathing, a presence with a sufficiently strong aura.

He walked through a corridor, which was the servants' rest area. The busy servant lost consciousness the moment he stepped into the corridor. His body was carried by the wind to a bench, where a tablecloth temporarily served as a blanket, covering him.

He walked into a dark passage leading to the wine cellar, where the aroma of Letania wine filled the air, but the fragrance could not mask the stench emanating from behind the walls.

Pegasus probed the wind into every corner of the room, then silently closed his eyes and continued forward.

Finally, he climbed the spiral staircase to the tower's terrace, overlooking the entire castle courtyard.

Since he couldn't find what he wanted, he needed at least some other solace to comfort his soul.

Here, he can see the most beautiful scenery first thing in the morning.

……

The night is deep.

The banquet was drawing to a close, and the tipsy nobles gathered in twos and threes. The servants had already silently retreated, as remaining in the room would disturb the mood of others.

As night fell, they would naturally have time to clean up the remnants of the banquet, sending the remaining wine glasses and plates back to the kitchen to be thrown away and replaced with new ones.

The firelight still flickered on the candlesticks, but the temperature inside the castle seemed to have dropped somewhat without anyone noticing.

A nobleman dressed in a magnificent robe slowly walked to the gate, raised his hand and gently struck the bronze bell beside him, the dull sound echoing in the night.

As is customary, the guards outside the gate would immediately push open the heavy iron gate upon hearing the bell to welcome the guests who had finished enjoying the banquet.

However, the expected noise did not occur.

The heavy iron gate stood silently in place, not even a crack open, as if it had become one with the entire space.

The nobleman frowned slightly, glanced back at the others present, and then impatiently rang the bell again. This time, he rang it more forcefully, and the sound of the bell echoed in the corridor, startling several guests who were resting in their seats.

"Are the guards outside dead?!" His tone was already tinged with annoyance.

The commotion drew the attention of those around, and a murmur of discussion arose. Finally, a young knight stepped forward and pushed the iron gate.

—It remained completely still.

The nobles' expressions shifted from confusion to alertness. Some began to mutter under their breath, while many others instinctively took a few steps back, their gazes darting between the door and the surrounding space, seemingly searching for the source of the anomaly. The merchants, however, acted more quickly, pulling out their communication terminals the instant the problem arose and attempting to contact the outside world.

But no matter what they did, all that remained for them was silence.

The atmosphere in the banquet hall gradually shifted from initial confusion to unease.

Some suggested using Originium Arts to destroy the gate, but the older nobles vehemently opposed it.

"Fools! This door is as old as the castle, its inlaid metal bearing the glory of our ancestors. You want to destroy it by brute force?!"

But the guards outside didn't reply; now we should be focusing on security.

The knight in charge of protecting the family originally wanted to say this, but after thinking about it, he held back—there was no need to contradict these family leaders; he only needed to show his importance at crucial moments.

"If needed, the Business Federation will hold discussions with you regarding compensation matters later."

A well-dressed businessman stepped forward and, after quickly weighing the pros and cons, calmly said, "However, before that, we need to ensure our own safety."

After receiving tacit approval, several accompanying arena knights stepped forward. They exchanged a silent glance, then dismissed the others and retreated to a corner of the room before unleashing their respective Originium Arts—power capable of destroying an arena converged at a single point and slammed into the heavy iron door.

However, it had no effect.

The moment the intense energy touched the door, it was as if it were swallowed up by an invisible barrier. Both the elemental attack and the enormous impact were completely dissolved.

They soon realized something.

This is not physical solidity at all, but some kind of deeper isolation.

The knights relentlessly increased their power, but no matter how they used Originium Arts, the door remained standing silently, without a single crack, without a single tremor, and without even the slightest sign of being shaken.

And so fear began to spread.

Suddenly, a gust of wind swept by, overturning a candlestick and causing the flames to fall to the ground, spreading rapidly along the red carpet of the banquet hall.

At first, it was just a faint flame, but as the air currents surged, the flames seemed to be pushed by an invisible hand, gradually spreading throughout the entire room.

"Wait a minute, put out the fire first!" someone exclaimed, and hurriedly tried to use a container to isolate the air connected to the flames.

But what was truly chilling was that the flames not only did not go out, but instead moved around the room with the airflow, as if they were alive, leaping and devouring, climbing up the knight's armor, spreading on the nobleman's robes, and burning on the merchant's skin.

"What...what is this?!"

A series of piercing screams rose and fell as a gladiator knight attempted to create a barrier to protect himself using Originium Arts. However, the flames, like some strange creature imbued with a will, pierced through his defenses, scorched his skin, and instantly turned him into a burning fireman, turning into charred remains as he tumbled and struggled.

"curse?!"

"It's an ambush! Has the business alliance forgotten—"

A nobleman roared in terror, hastily grabbing the woman beside him and forcibly pushing her into the flames. However, before the terrified woman even touched the fire, she was already engulfed in the raging storm, her body convulsing violently, emitting desperate screams, and then turning to ashes within a minute, scattering across the ground.

As a result, no one dared to utter meaningless words anymore, and fear completely turned into despair.

The knights drew their swords, vying for the last vestiges of life, while the seasoned warrior knight slaughtered the others at breakneck speed, using them as fuel in an attempt to delay his own demise.

But the demon's karmic fire seemed to have a mind of its own, clinging to the hilt of his sword, scorching his eyes, and leaving him lying on the ground unable to move, with only his senses telling him that death was coming.

The young offspring smashed the iron gate in front of them frantically, their malice and profanities echoing throughout the room, while flames fell into their mouths, silencing their last words.

The merchants found their money utterly useless, and were now cowering in a corner, not even allowed to move, until the flames engulfed them.

The fire burned ever brighter, and the entire banquet hall gradually became a burning inferno.

In the end, only one person was still standing.

The head of the household sitting by the fireplace.

He staggered backward, watching helplessly as the knights and families who had once been loyal to him struggled, screamed, and died in the flames, the scorching air burning his skin.

Strangely, the smoke didn't suffocate him; instead, it seemed to deliberately avoid him, keeping him awake and allowing him to see everything clearly.

So he lunged at the still-standing iron gate with all his might, pressing his hands tightly against it, trying to push it open.

Even though the door was scorching hot, his skin was charred black and bloody, and blood was dripping from between his fingers, he didn't care. He just pushed frantically, trying to open this only way out.

Then--

A miracle happened.

The heavy iron gate made a chilling "click" sound.

A narrow crack slowly opened, and the dark night outside seeped in through the gap. The cool air rushed in along the crack, carrying the scent of the world outside the castle.

At that moment, his eyes widened suddenly, and a look of ecstatic joy at surviving a calamity appeared on his blood-stained face.

He staggered, almost collapsing to the ground, desperately crawling towards the door of life. His fingertips were already mangled and his robes were tattered from the flames, but he couldn't care less. Driven by instinct, he dragged himself step by step toward the path to survival.

Then, he fell into the courtyard of the castle.

The icy air rushed towards him, as if he had been suddenly plunged into the deep sea. He gasped for breath, greedily inhaling the cold that felt like salvation.

survived.

That fact alone is enough.

His mind was still not fully clear, his body was still trembling, and his hands were still gripping the ground tightly. The skin and flesh on his palms had been completely peeled off, revealing a shocking bloody texture, but he could not even feel the pain. He could only lie weakly on the cold ground.

However, in that brief moment of respite, a sudden gust of wind arose around him.

His body felt as if it were being held up by an invisible giant hand, and he was suddenly lifted into the air. His limbs struggled instinctively, trying to grab onto something and stop himself from being dragged off the ground.

But there was nothing for him to rely on.

His body rose higher and higher in the gale, swept through the dark night, over the castle fence, and finally came to rest on the terrace of the tower.

Someone was waiting for him there.

Golden eyes shimmered slightly in the night, and a chilling smile appeared in their eyes.

He wanted to say something, but his throat was locked, and he couldn't breathe. He could only watch helplessly as the Pegasus in front of him opened and closed its mouth.

The wind carried the sound into his ears.

"I feel I need to give you a reason to explain why these things happened."

"Why did you suffer this situation? Why did this happen to you?"

"..."

Pegasus remained silent for a while, waiting for the pain in the head of the family to gradually disappear, watching the crocodile's tears flow from the corner of his eyes.

Is indulgence and acquiescence a sin?

Even if the person in front of him wasn't the murderer who willingly handed over the knife, he would still be happy to see another knightly family destroyed, thus reducing the power distribution by one person. Not to mention the despicable things he had done in private, which could be attributed to a family that had already been destroyed, leaving no one to testify against him.

This is the consensus and unspoken rule among the nobles, which no one can defy, not even the Grand Knight Commander of the country, who simply observes quietly.

The only difference lies between people. It's like comparing an old man from a certain family who always hurled insults in the National Assembly and almost threatened suicide to oppose the verdict regarding the Wind Chaser family, to this fool who did all sorts of dirty deeds and only regretted it on his deathbed. The two are almost incomparable.

Since these corrupt nobles have decided to stand idly by when faced with a choice.

He was just dealing with the merchants of those business associations when he accidentally dragged these nobles into it, and in the end, because the fire got too big, he decided to stand by and do nothing—right?

However, he didn't need to state this reason.

"Fine, I think it's more suitable for you to die with unanswered questions."

Gerald shook his head, smiled, and released his grip on the other person's hand.

Then a figure fell from the sky.

A hoarse, mournful cry erupted from his throat, like a wild beast whose throat had been ripped open by a raptor, desperately trying to escape death. But no matter how much he twisted and turned, his body continued to plummet straight to the ground.

The flames spread and rose along the burning building, soaring into the sky with the help of the wind, and swallowed the last offering.

It did not die out.

As if it had a mind of its own, the flames straightened up under the influence of the wind, gazing at the endless neon lights in the distance, using their former power and honor as fuel to grow vigorously.

at this moment.

The neon lights paled in comparison to the glow of the flames.

Chapter Two: The Sound of Wind and Cranes (4K8)

10:41 PM, Central Kazimierz, Four Cities United, June 15, 1097 Terra Calendar.

When Hintleya was abruptly woken up by a phone call on the first day of her vacation, and was practically coaxed and chased to the castle, she didn't really think the situation could be that bad.

The Supervisory Council and the Unarmored Alliance are at odds, but inevitably some members will engage in clandestine transactions with the Business Federation. Therefore, she has heard of some secrets, such as the fact that the Brant family castle she is going to has a secret passage that is specially provided for distinguished guests.

In this way, they can outwardly proclaim slogans like "The spirit of chivalry should return!" and "Glory to Kazimierz!" while secretly planning to build several new casinos underground in Kazimierz.

Given that the territories are currently still in the hands of knights and nobles, the alliance between commerce and politics is inevitable. It's just that both sides want more and want to trample the other underfoot.

Even if Hinterlea didn't need her gleaming university degree, she could tell that neither of them wanted to completely destroy the other—otherwise, where would they make money? What about their reputation in the industry? Would they still want to enjoy those prestigious new services? Did they owe the conquering knights a desperate counterattack?

It's just another pointless fight between some family scions and competitive knights... It's always the same, and she always has to clean it up.

Even her holidays are filled with work; she can't stand being in this Wuzhan Alliance for even a second longer.

……

In the darkness, Hintley quickly scaled the castle wall. Using the subtle unevenness of the wall and the cover of the night wind, she lightly leaped over the high wall and landed silently on the inner stone floor.

Based on the fire she had seen earlier, the ancient castle should have long since been reduced to ruins, yet the flames still shone wherever she looked.

This is very wrong.

The flames should have spread with the wind, engulfing the entire building, or crawled along the path of the fuel, gnawing at the wooden structure and ultimately turning everything to ashes. But here, the fire burned at a specific point, motionless, as if bound by some kind of cage.

A broken statue was engulfed in flames, its half-stone body still standing in place, its exquisitely carved armor covered with charred cracks, while the wall next to it remained undamaged.

Hinterlea pressed the arrow tip against the wall behind the armor and tested the feel of the arrow—it didn't even get much warmer.

What kind of Originium Arts can achieve this level?

The castle is far from the city center, and it takes the fire department at least half an hour to arrive. On this private property of the powerful, no one dares to approach without permission.

The original defense system had been dismantled at some point, and it now seems more like an attack launched from within. After all, she hadn't seen a single servant since she arrived.

Hinterlea didn't know who was behind it. But she knew that if it were a "normal" event, the fire would have already engulfed the entire building.

But now, the castle looks like a long-dead corpse, only partially burned by human hands, yet deliberately not completely destroyed, so that this tragic state can still be preserved.

A familiar scent filled the air.