Prologue: The Sound of the Twilight Bell

Fate begins to stir.

The gears behind the scenes start to turn.

And now, the curtain risses, and the actors begin to dance according to the script.

The title of the play—Twilight.

All of them, simply and relentlessly, head toward the conclusion—

———.

Luvaphos Holy Calendar 1853, Month of Gram, 9th Day.

At nearly the same moment when Jatice, in the Free City of Milano, exposed the true identity of the Supreme Leader《Grandmaster》of The Researchers of Heavenly Wisdom and performed the ritual to summon the Evil God.

In the Alzano Empire, southern Yorkshire region, the academic city of Fejite.

In the bedroom of the Arfonia estate—

“Honestly… when are you going to wake up?”

A woman clad in a black dress muttered to herself, half-exasperated yet with a gentle tone.

The woman with luxurious golden hair and bewitching beauty—Celica.

Celica stood beside a canopied bed.

And the one she gazed down upon was a young girl lying on the bed.

White hair, pale skin, a delicate frame with little curvature—the mysterious young girl they had found and taken in during the battle with the Silver Dragon in Snowria.

The girl lay on the bed, sleeping so still she seemed almost lifeless.

There was still no sign of her waking.

“…Well, then.”

As usual, Celica settled into the chair beside the bed and opened a book.

Spending the day quietly by the girl’s side had become Celica’s recent routine.

Warm sunlight streamed through the window. A serene stillness, as if time itself had slowed.

Celica reading her book, the girl sleeping quietly… together, they formed a small, harmonious world.

But on this day, something seemed to weigh on Celica’s mind.

“Hey… just who are you?”

Celica found herself speaking softly to the girl.

Naturally, the girl, lost in her silent slumber, gave no response.

Even so, Celica continued.

“There’s no doubt about it—this was our first meeting in Snowria. That’s how it’s supposed to be.”

Yet, fleetingly, faintly, images flickered in Celica’s mind—scenes from some unknown time and place.

In those scenes, she was always traveling with this girl… or so it felt.

“To me… you don’t feel like a stranger.”

But the girl remained silent, offering no answer.

Celica gazed at her for a while.

“Keeping quiet, huh? …Well, fine. I’ll wait as long as it takes.”

With that, she returned her attention to the book in her hands.

That book… The Magician of Melgalius, which she began to read as usual.

But… it was at that moment.

Thump.

A strange palpitation suddenly gripped Celica’s chest.

“What… is this feeling…?”

Her body swayed slightly.

A dark, sinister wave of magical energy seemed to crawl over her entire being. Likely, it had originated somewhere far away in the vast world and reached her through Fejite’s Ley Lines.

The malevolent, blasphemous aura clung to her like tar— unmistakable.

Celica knew this sensation. It was from two hundred years ago—

“Damn it!”

Fighting back nausea and a throbbing headache, Celica rose to her feet.

She rushed to the window, flung it open, and stared far into the distant sky.

The direction she fixed her gaze upon—the Free City of Milano.

Two hundred years ago, during the Great Magic War—the battle against the kin of the Evil God. The place where it began, and where it ended.

The implications of those signs were clear—

“Impossible…! The harbinger of the Evil God’s descent!? Why!? Why now!? What’s happening in Milano…!?”

Celica glared toward Milano, her forehead beaded with cold sweat.

For her, the world’s greatest magician, there was only one thing that could unsettle her to this degree—

“G-Glenn…!”

As Celica worried for the safety of her beloved disciple, it happened.

“…It’s alright… Glenn… he’s safe.”

A faint stir came from behind her.

“…What?”

Stunned, Celica whipped around.

An unbelievable sight met her eyes.

“……”

The girl, who had been lost in an unending sleep, had sat up in bed, her vacant eyes now open.

“Wha…?”

Despite all the magical treatments they’d tried, she hadn’t stirred.

Honestly, Celica had half-given up, thinking she might never wake.

Yet now, so suddenly and effortlessly, the girl had awakened, and Celica’s sense of time froze completely.

The girl met Celica’s gaze and spoke.

“The ‘Second Descent of the Evil God.’ The true awakening condition you set for me has been met. From my long-sealed slumber, I have finally awakened.”

“Wh… What? I set… a condition…?”

“Sora. My old enemy who once defeated me, my friend. The time has come. Now is the moment to fulfill your mission.”

Celica, utterly bewildered by the girl’s words, could only stand there in a daze.

She had so many questions, so much she wanted to say if the girl ever woke, but now she didn’t know where to begin.

Yet—her inner voice was screaming.

That inner voice, which had been silent for so long, was now roaring at the sight of the girl.

Fulfill your mission, fulfill your mission, now is the time to fulfill your mission—

“What…!? What the hell is going on…!? What’s about to start…!? What are you trying to make me do!?”

Celica, overwhelmed with panic, shouted.

The girl looked at Celica with a pained expression for a moment.

“…That’s right. At this point, you’ve forgotten everything.”

“This point? What are you… talking about…?”

“But it’s alright. I hold the key to unlock the door of your memories. You gave it to me… for this very moment.”

“The door of my memories…? A key…?”

The girl stepped down from the bed and approached the stunned Celica.

Standing on her tiptoes, she touched Celica’s forehead with her finger, gazing directly into her eyes, and said,

“Now, remember… The time has come.”

The moment the girl whispered those words.

Clang! A strange metallic sound echoed through Celica’s mind.

The dark, swirling fog that had shrouded her memories since she awoke in a scorched wasteland four hundred years ago.

In this instant—it was swept away. Her mind became clear.

The past self she had struggled so desperately to grasp, writhing and suffering, yet could never reclaim—now, it all came flooding back. It synchronized with her.

A shock like lightning striking her mind made Celica clutch her head and fall to her knees.

“…Ah… Aah, aaaaaaaaaah—!?”

Celica’s scream echoed through the estate.

Intense palpitations and hyperventilation gripped her as tears streamed down her face.

Yet—her thoughts were strangely clear, like a sky after a storm.

She realized… the inner voice was no longer audible.

Because it had become her own true voice. Her deepest, most fervent desire.

“…I…”

“Have you remembered?”

At the girl’s question, Celica nodded faintly.

“Yes, I remember. I see… so that’s how it is… I understand everything now.”

Gritting her teeth.

“I… lost… I failed, didn’t I?”

“…That’s right. Unfortunately.”

“But I won… I have to win. …That’s what it comes down to.”

With that, Celica stood.

“You’re really going, aren’t you?”

“Yes. I’m going to connect the causality of this world.”

At Celica’s unwavering words, the girl’s face twisted in anguish.

“…Sora. It feels strange for me to say this, but… there’s also the choice to not go.”

At those words, Celica, who had started to walk, stopped.

“Indeed, if you choose not to go, the causality of this world will collapse… and face ruin. But with the last of your power… you could sever just one person from this world’s causality and save them.”

“…Yes, I could probably do that. Now that I’ve remembered everything.”

Celica gazed at her left hand.

In that moment, the face of her beloved, foolish disciple flashed through her mind.

“You’ve already done enough. You’ve suffered enough. If you abandon your mission here, no one could blame you. You stand at a crossroads. You have a choice.”

“……”

“Forget your mission, save the one you love, and live happily forever with them in a world apart from this twisted, doomed causality… or fulfill your true mission, connect the causality, and die alone.”

“……”

Celica fell silent for a moment.

“…I made a promise… with Glenn.”

Slowly, she shook her head…

“I can’t do something so pathetic that I couldn’t face him.”

Celica gave the girl a gentle smile.

“I see. So you’ll choose the thorny path to the very end?”

Celica nodded firmly.

In her eyes, there was no longer any hesitation or doubt.

Only the burning light of her mission remained.

“…Understood. If your resolve is that strong, let us go, Sora… my friend. To weave the beginning of this world’s distorted causality—”

And so, the two of them—

———.

Four days later, the scene shifts.

Luvaphos Holy Calendar 1853, Month of Gram, 13th Day.

In the Free City of Milano, while Lord Ignite staged a coup against Queen Alicia VII of the Alzano Empire, and Glenn and his allies were engaged in the ‘Hour and a Half of Flame.’

It all began with a single message received by the upper echelons of the imperial government in the queen’s absence.

The message reported that ‘a mysterious army numbering in the tens of thousands had crossed the border from the Rezalia Kingdom in the east, passing through Ignite’s territory, and was advancing toward the imperial capital, Orlando, at a terrifying speed.’

Furthermore, it stated that ‘all military strongholds along their path had been completely overrun.’

At the time, all communication with Milano was severed, and the leadership of nations worldwide was in disarray, unable to respond. Information was chaotic, and the enemy’s identity was unclear.

Though the queen was absent and contact with her was impossible, a high-ranking official acting as the government’s proxy took the situation seriously and declared a shift to a special wartime regime.

Considering the possibility that this was an opportunistic invasion by the Rezalia Kingdom’s hawkish faction, or a betrayal by Lord Ignite who allowed the army to pass through his territory, the imperial government hastily formed the Imperial Capital Defense Division to intercept the mysterious force.

Though the initial response was somewhat sluggish, the empire’s elite army, rigorously trained even in peacetime, moved with the speed of the wind and confronted the mysterious force on the Oltrum Plains in the east.

And there, the battle-hardened soldiers of the imperial army were stunned by the true nature of the mysterious force.

It was no army of the Rezalia Kingdom.

It was an army of the undead. A horde of tens of thousands of corpses.

Through some unknown Necromancy, these corpses, eerily fresh as if their blood could still spill, formed a massive swarm—a horrific flood of undeads surging toward the capital.

How could such a ghastly army approach without earlier detection, reaching so close to the capital? There was no time to ponder such questions.

Naturally, they could not allow this army of the dead to reach the capital.

The imperial army mobilized its full strength to eradicate the horde.

At this point, the imperial army’s total forces consisted of the Capital Defense Battalion stationed in the capital, supplemented by three thousand troops urgently drawn from the northern Iteria Regional Army—a total of thirty thousand, ready for immediate action.

At its core were numerous magical soldier units, with the elite mages of the Imperial Court Mage Corps fully mobilized as well, forming an army of the finest warriors.

Their opponents, though numerous, were merely a horde of corpses.

They neither used magic nor acted with coordinated military tactics. A disorganized rabble.

There was no way they could lose this battle.

But—

Before the imperial army, which had been somewhat optimistic about the situation, stood a single girl.

With a vast horde of corpses stretching across the horizon at her back, she appeared alone in the middle of the boundless plain, carrying nothing but a single sword.

“Stop. Sorry, but this is as far as you go.”

Clad in a cloak and surcoat—an outdated knight’s attire—the girl stood there. Her long, untamed blue hair was loosely tied at the nape of her neck.

In her hand was a bastard sword, its silvery blade shimmering with a blue glow, likely crafted from Mithril.

[T/N: A bastard sword, also known as a hand-and-a-half sword, is a type of sword that falls between a one-handed arming sword and a two-handed greatsword in size and handling.]

Her deep lapis lazuli eyes surveyed the entire imperial army with a commanding presence.

At first glance, she was a young woman, slightly anachronistic and detached from the world. But something was different.

Though she merely stood there, sword in hand, her overwhelming presence seemed to overpower and swallow the thirty thousand soldiers facing her.

“…Sorry, but could you all just die?”

The girl slowly raised her sword with both hands, holding it high above her head in a perfect stance.

“Unfortunately, I didn’t bring any flowers for your graves. So at the very least, take this name with you to the afterlife. Elliot Haven《The Sword Princess》. That’s the name of the one who will kill you all—”

With those words.

As the stunned imperial soldiers watched, the girl—Elliot—swung her sword downward in a single motion.

In that instant.

Boom! The heavens and earth roared, and the imperial army was cleaved in two.

Explosive blasts echoed, massive clouds of dust rose, and blood sprayed, staining the sky red.

Countless limbs, heads, torsos, and fragments of flesh scattered into the air.

A massive slash, as if a giant claw had raked the earth, carved a long, deep chasm across the Oltrum Plains.

Nearly a thousand imperial soldiers on that slash’s path were obliterated without question. Another thousand near the chasm fell into its depths, their fates unknown.

In that moment, the elite mages and officers of the imperial army were gripped by visceral terror.

Not because Elliot’s attack was so devastating, but because they realized it wasn’t caused by magic at all.

Yes, with a single swing of her sword, Elliot had somehow caused destruction far beyond the reach of her blade.

Panic swept through the imperial army.

Chaos and madness raged like a storm, and their chain of command collapsed in an instant.

The officers’ shock and confusion were understandable.

In an era where magic was the supreme power, a human achieving such feats without magic could only be a god or a monster.

The officers’ fear and unease spread to the soldiers under their command.

Now, it was the imperial army that had become the disorganized rabble.

Still, the high-spirited soldiers suppressed their panic and unleashed a barrage of military Offensive Spells at Elliot alone.

Roaring flames, lightning, and ice storms surged toward Elliot, intent on erasing her from existence.

The sheer destructive force created a veritable hell on earth.

“……”

Yet, before Elliot, who stood as cool as a breeze, not a single wave of destruction reached her.

Every spell flickered out just before hitting her, as if snuffed like a candle’s flame.

Elliot did nothing.

She simply stood there, sword in hand, eyes closed, serene.

Not a single Counterspell was cast, yet their attacks couldn’t reach her—an utterly incomprehensible situation that plunged the imperial army into even greater panic and chaos.

In truth, Elliot wasn’t doing nothing in the face of this barrage of spells.

She was simply cutting them all down just before they reached her… at a speed imperceptible to the eye.

And then.

“Alright… here I go.”

Elliot swung her sword again, leisurely.

This time, she swung it not vertically, but horizontally.

Yes. Not vertically, but horizontally.

Crash!

On that day, the Imperial Capital Defense Division lost over eighty percent of its forces and was utterly routed.

The Oltrum Plains… a vast expanse known to span roughly forty square kilometers, now transformed into a crimson land stained by the remnants of what were once human.

A massive cloud of blood mist rose, carried by the wind, dyeing even the sky a vivid red—

———.

—It was burning.

Orlando, the proud imperial capital of the Alzano Empire, was burning.

And there, a vision of hell itself unfolded.

Having overrun the devastated imperial army, the legion of the dead reached the capital.

The city’s walls were effortlessly cleaved by Elliot’s sword, the eastern ramparts completely collapsing. From that breach, the horde of the dead poured into the capital in a relentless avalanche.

What followed was a banquet of blasphemy and depravity.

The legion of the dead swept through, attacking and devouring the city’s five hundred thousand citizens one after another.

The victims joined the roaming throng of the dead, their numbers growing exponentially.

Throughout the capital, roars of fury, screams of despair, cries of anguish, and sprays of blood echoed, plunging the city into a crucible of chaos.

The remnants of the imperial army fought desperately within the city, but their efforts were like water on a burning stone.

The legion of the dead, with the momentum of a tidal wave, assaulted and destroyed Feldrado Palace, absent of its queen, along with various government ministries, rendering the imperial government completely paralyzed.

The Great Clock Tower, Sunshine Triumphal Arch, St. Vardia Cathedral, Santarose Avenue, the Imperial Museum, the Royal Park, Alzano Imperial University… all the landmarks that defined the capital’s splendor were reduced to ashes.

The entire capital was stained in the scarlet hue of blood and flame. Red, so red.

There, death reigned. The main streets were flooded with the horde of the dead, surging through the city in search of more victims.

Even now, the surviving citizens, scattered and struggling, desperately tried to escape the capital, each enacting their own drama of survival—

From atop the northern wall, a single man gazed down at this crucible of hell with a gleeful smile.

“…Well now, it’s finally begun. My heart’s practically dancing.”

An elderly man, exuding a grandfatherly air, clad in opulent priestly robes.

Powell Fune,《Magister Templi》of the Third Order《Heavens Order》of the Researchers of Heavenly Wisdom.

This man, a top-ranking member of the organization, stood there with serene confidence.

“The first move toward catastrophe. Truly splendid work, Eleanor-dono.”

He offered praise to the woman standing deferentially by his side.

Black hair, black eyes, skin pale to the point of sickness. A woman clad in black mourning attire.

Eleanor Charlet of the Second Order《Adeptus Order》of the Researchers of Heavenly Wisdom.

“Hehe, my power is hardly worth mentioning… I merely ingratiated myself with the late Cardinal Archibald Ambis of the Rezalia Kingdom, preparing bit by bit over the years until it bore fruit this time.”

“Even so, thanks to your necromancy, we were able to efficiently transport offerings from across the Rezalia Kingdom to this imperial land.”

“Ufufu, indeed. Now, all that remains is to offer these offerings to this land… to the ley lines of the empire, where the ancient magic city once stood—Melgalius’s altar.”

“Precisely. However, the closer the offerings are presented to present-day Fejite, the more effective they will be. Let us refrain from offering them here as much as possible.”

“Yes, I understand.”

At Eleanor’s response, Powell gave a gentle smile and nod.

“That aside, this Last Order plan… despite various unnecessary interruptions and a somewhat premature execution… you’ve corrected it admirably, Powell-sama.”

“Oh my, that Jatice Lowfan fellow, was it? His boorish meddling gave even me quite a headache.”

Powell recalled a certain man’s face with a wry smile.

“As a result, the role of《The Pure Maiden of Darkness》… the kin of the evil god soon to descend upon this world, has had to be drastically altered. The Grandmaster must be terribly busy making those adjustments.”

“How unfortunate.”

“We’re lacking in many areas, but our uneven forces are particularly troublesome.”

“Indeed… Originally, for the execution of this Last Order, we should have had the illustrious members of the《Heavens Order》gathered here—《Iron Cavalry General》Accelo Iero,《Flame Demon Emperor》Via Dhol,《Marshal of Justice and Crime》Jarl Zia,《Thunder God General》Varu Vhol…”

Recalling the unbelievable report that Lord Ignite—《Flame Demon Emperor》Via Dhol—had been slain in Milano, Eleanor muttered bitterly.

“To make matters worse, thanks to that Jatice fellow, nearly all the key members of the《Adeptus Order》operating in various regions have been assassinated without us noticing.”

“…Indeed, our organization’s numbers have dwindled significantly.”

“However, it seems Lord Ignite had something valuable hidden away, which we’ve made use of.”

“The [Ritual of Heroes’ Rebirth] that the Ignite family kept hidden in their stronghold. And the hero resurrected in this modern age through that ritual… correct?”

Powell nodded at Eleanor’s words.

“Indeed. But at the same time, what a pity. If they had simply handed over the hero, we wouldn’t have had to slaughter the entire Ignite clan… Truly unfortunate. The Ignites… they were exceptional mages.”

Muttering with genuine regret, Powell turned to the side.

“Now then, have you given it some thought? The renowned hero of this world… Elliot-dono,《The Sword Princess》… one of the《Six Heroes》, the greatest swordmaster in imperial history.”

“……”

There, standing on the same wall, gazing down at the scene of destruction below, was a young woman.

Blue hair, lapis lazuli eyes. A girl clad in old-fashioned knightly attire—Elliot.

“Hohoho. I have no intention of holding the debt of freeing you from the Ignites’ control over you. I merely ask… do you understand? What we aim for. What the Grandmaster seeks to grasp. And its magnificence.”

“……”

“We simply wish for the great hero, whose name is etched in history, to join us. To become our ally, walking the same path. As someone who once fought the kin of the evil god, surely you can understand the nobility of our cause?”

“……”

“What say you? Shall we not seize it together? The [Akashic Records].”

Then.

“Hmm, not interested.”

Elliot scratched her head as she spoke.

“Sure, seeing that emblem would make any saint or sage abandon their lifelong faith or pursuit, chasing after those [Akashic Records] in a frenzy… but unfortunately, I’m neither a monk nor a mage.”

“……”

“I don’t care about what you call the [Akashic Records] or worship as a god. Your so-called ultimate goal… I couldn’t care less about it either. Do whatever you want.”

“Oh my, that’s a shame. I so wanted the power of《The Sword Princess》… Hmm, recruitment hasn’t been going well lately, has it? Is it the times?”

As Powell sighed in disappointment, Elliot shook her head.

“Hold on. I didn’t say I wouldn’t cooperate. I mean, didn’t I just thin out the imperial army for you earlier? Anyway, hear me out.”

“…Oh?”

“What might you mean by that?”

Powell narrowed his eyes as if sensing something, while Eleanor tilted her head in curiosity.

Elliot spoke with a hint of irony.

“The current me… I feel like a defective human.”

Elliot glanced at her hand.

“Let’s see… [Project: Revive Life], the final form of the [Ritual of Heroes’ Rebirth], right? Through that, I was reborn into this world as a living being. But things like human ethics? Sense of good and evil? Morality? Those seem to have been completely stripped from me.”

With a tinge of melancholy, Elliot gazed down at the burning city.

“I don’t feel anything. Nothing.”

“……”

“Down there, countless people are burning. Being devoured. Running in desperation, suffering, and dying miserably… women and children included. I understand it, I see it… and yet, I feel nothing. Not the slightest bit of sadness. No disgust toward you for doing this. Not a shred of anger. What’s wrong with me…?”

“That… would be Lord Ignite’s doing.”

Eleanor responded reverently.

“You were created as a convenient weapon for Lord Ignite. When you were resurrected, he stripped away everything unnecessary for a weapon.”

“I see. So I’m truly a monster now, huh? I mean, I hate to say it myself, but in my previous life, I was a pretty noble knight, overflowing with a sense of justice and chivalry. Haha, what a mess, what a mess…”

Laughing lightly, Elliot didn’t seem the least bit troubled.

“So, here’s the problem. As a monster, what should I do with this second life?”

She shot a mischievous glance at Powell and Eleanor.

“Since I’ve been brought back to life, I want to accomplish something. That’s only natural, right? As a monster, I don’t have the noble ethics to kill myself to avoid troubling others.”

“Haha, indeed. Do what thou wilt… one of the tenets of mages, but a fundamental law of life for all. So, Elliot-dono, what is your desire?”

“Let’s see…”

Elliot placed a hand on her chin, lost in thought for a moment.

Then, she moved abruptly. Her hand flickered like a spring-loaded mechanism.

Elliot unleashed a lightning-fast sword slash toward the city below.

She froze in a perfect stance, her blade poised in the afterglow of the strike.

Not a single wasted movement, a refined swordsmanship so perfect it didn’t even stir a breeze—the ultimate slash.

Displaying this, Elliot gave a satisfied smile and sheathed her sword.

“Uh, what was the point of that just now?”

“Haha, you couldn’t see it, could you?”

Elliot turned to face Eleanor and Powell.

“…I can see it.”

To Eleanor, who tilted her head curiously, Elliot declared.

“The dazzling golden light that spreads from the tip of my sword.”

“Eh?”

In that instant.

Below Eleanor and Powell—the sprawling capital city—was split.

A tremendous quake, like the end of the world, rocked the capital, the ground heaving violently.

The air trembled, and as if cut by a giant cake knife, the capital was cleaved in two.

A massive chasm, like the claw mark of a giant beast, stretched endlessly, dividing the city.

“Magnificent. But how did you cause such destruction without magic…?”

Eleanor narrowed her eyes at the massive wall of dust rising from the city below.

“Pretty cool, right? Even Celica, who can read and perfectly replicate a wielder’s techniques from their sword, could never reproduce this. It’s my pride and joy.”

To the somewhat proud Elliot, Powell spoke with admiration.

“Oh? Truly remarkable. That’s the Twilight Sword… the pinnacle of swordsmanship, isn’t it?”

Elliot nodded at Powell’s words and continued.

“I want to master this light.”

“……”

“This light is more than it seems. There’s more… so much further to go. A pinnacle no one has ever reached. I want to see the world that opens beyond this light at the tip of my sword… That was my desire in my previous life.”

“……”

“But I knew it was impossible back then. My ethics always got in the way. In my previous life, I was just an ordinary girl who loved swords a little too much. But when you think about it… isn’t mastering the sword ultimately about this?”

Elliot drew her sword and slashed again.

Another tremor rocked the capital, this time splitting it vertically.

The city was carved into a cross—devouring the lives of countless survivors still desperately struggling to escape and live.

“The way of the sword, self-discipline, mental training… no matter how nobly you dress it up, a sword is just a tool for killing. It’s all about slaying people… Am I wrong?”

“Not at all, you’re absolutely right.”

“Right? That’s why I’m excited. The current me might just be able to master this sword.”

Elliot smiled without a care.

There was no guilt. Not even malice.

Only the pure form of an angel—or perhaps a demon—devoted solely to the sword stood there.

“Hehehe, I see. The《Sword Princess》Elliot-sama, praised as the epitome of justice and chivalry, harbored quite the fiend within.”

Eleanor gave a chilling chuckle.

“My, my… Lord Ignite has created a truly terrifying monster.”

Powell smiled gently as he spoke.

“You are not a mage, nor do you seek truth. But the pursuit of mastery is universal, and thus you are worthy to stand with us… Very well, Elliot-dono. Hone your sword as much as you desire. We shall provide the battlefield for you.”

“Thanks! Haha, I’ll have to cut down lots of people! Hmm, I hope there are plenty of strong ones! Numbers are important, but quality over quantity, right?”

Ignoring Elliot’s enthusiastic innocence, Powell turned to Eleanor.

“Now, Eleanor-dono. After securing the capital, let us wait for additional offerings to arrive from the east. Of course, we’ll also procure locally. How is the transport of the offerings proceeding?”

“Yes. Currently, the offerings gathered from across the neighboring Rezalia Kingdom are converging here via the Ignite territory, taking advantage of the chaos among the nations’ leadership caused by the Milano incident.”

Eleanor gave a cold smile.

“Winning over Lord Ignite was a major coup. After all, the Ignite territory is the eastern bulwark of the empire, its shield against the kingdom. With it in such a state, crossing the eastern border is remarkably easy.”

“Indeed. Continue transporting the offerings. The number of offerings we can present on the altar of this empire is the crux of our plan.”

“As you command.”

“And when enough offerings have been gathered… we shall march south with them in tow… to take the true target, Fejite.”

“Along the way, at the Grandmaster’s summons, we shall rally the full might of the surviving Researchers of Heavenly Wisdom.”

“A total war, then. Hohoho, let us name this army we lead into battle the《Last Key Legion》.”

“Let us declare war on the entire empire at once. The Researchers of Heavenly Wisdom shall, by the end of this month—Gram’s month—bring down the curtain on the Alzano Empire’s thousand-year history.”

“Ufufu, Powell-sama, you’re quite the cunning one. The more fiercely people resist this destruction, the closer we come to achieving our grand ambition… That’s the way of it, isn’t it?”

“Hohoho, precisely. Shall we begin, then? The beginning of the end.”

———.

Fate begins to stir.

The gears behind the scenes start to turn.

And now, the curtain rises, and the actors dance according to the script.

The title of the play—Twilight.

All of them, rushing headlong toward the conclusion—

It is the supreme script, penned over countless ages by a peerless, cunning playwright.

No one can resist it. They can only dance toward the singular conclusion.

Clumsily. Comically.

…But.

If there were someone to overturn this catastrophic artistic stage.

It would be none other than an extraordinary《Fool》.

For it is always《The Fool》who surpasses the designs of《The Sage》—