"Haa… haa…"

Felicia and her goons were breathing heavily as they approached the Royal Estate, all covered in dirt and grime. Their armors clinked loudly and their hurried footsteps echoed with impatience as they swiftly closed in on the gates.

They had killed hordes of Monsters, finally exterminating them all, and now… it was time to retrieve their prize.

'Endgame is in sight!' Felicia licked her lips as she kept her sights forward.

Several thoughts were already running through her mind, but she controlled herself and chose to postpone all the grand thoughts until after the day was over.

"Hehehe… did you see Justin? I can't wait to see him after this is all over!" Lyvia was especially giddy, causing eyes to roll again.

This infatuation of hers had only grown stronger after Felicia controlled Justin and made him a part of their team. She also promised that she would make Justin fall in love with Lyvia, which further made the girl crazy over him.

Of course, Felicia didn't mind proceeding with the deal since it would make Lyvia happy and more indebted to her. The others—Lyvia, Byron, Devin, and Cayden—also had desires, and she was sure to grant them all once she got what she wanted.

Once they arrived at the gate, they found no one at the entrance.

That made sense, considering every single soldier was dispatched to handelt the Monsters plaguing the city. So, they simply opened the gates and barged into the compound; their target being the Royal Council.

However—

"H-huh…?"

—The moment they all stepped in, they saw an army of both Warriors and Mages standing opposite them, with the two members of the Royal Council standing in front of them.

'Why are those two here?' Felicia thought to herself as she saw the Conrad and Vida But, that was only the tip of the iceberg.

'Why are there so many soldiers? Shouldn't they be out quelling the conflict? And why are they staring at us like this…?'

The gaze of everyone was that of disgust, rage, and slight hints of fear. It almost felt like… they were being viewed as the opposite of heroes.

"What in the world is happe—?"

"Halt! All of you!" Brutus emerged from behind the group of soldiers, and so did Lucielle. The two of them had stern frowns on their faces, and they were even outfitted with Enchanted Items that brimmed with incredible power. They stood right in front of the Royal Councilors, almost as if they recognized what Felicia planned to do with them.

"You are hereby under arrest for the murder of all the recognized Nobles of the United Human Alliance, as well as treason against the Royal Council."

'What the hell are they talking about?!' Felicia was bamboozled by the information that she didn't even know what to say or how to respond.

The allies she had behind her also seemed as shell-shocked as her, and she could see from their expressions that they were scared.

They had all been assured that their plans would flow seamlessly, yet what was with this obstruction right as they were about to get to their goals?

It was absurd! It was unfair! 'This… this shouldn't be happening!' It wasn't in the plan, and Felicia knew it. 'Maybe we should—'

"Don't try to escape and fight back. We won't let you." Lucielle added, almost as if she could read her mind.

"Escape? Fight back? W-what are you talking about?!"

Cayden was the one who spoke up, completely taking over the conversation on their end since Felicia was dead silent.

"We just killed so many Monsters and even helped civilians escape, yet you're branding us as traitors? What the hell?!"

"Yeah! That's right!" Lyvia yelled out too. "We got ourselves all dirty and exhausted for your sake, yet—!"

"Screw this! We should be rewarded instead!" Byron protested.

"What the hell is wrong with you people? What is going on here? Felicia, Felicia, what is happening?" Devin turned to Felicia, who was still silent.

Her heart was racing, and even when she was already hearing the murmurs of her allies, she didn't have the courage to speak.

After all… in her hand—right where the blade that she tightly held was supposed to be—was the severed head of the Noble that she directly served.

She held the thing by its hair, but she could see the head… she could smell its stench.

And then… turning back to look at her comrades, she could see them holding heads of various Nobles as well. She could see the entrails and blood of humans decorating their armor—all of it proving their guilt.

Felicia wondered if she was the only one among her allies who could see this.

Everyone seemed to be complaining, unable to recognize why the Royal Council was hounding them for treason, but she could see what they were seeing.

It was pretty bad.

'We've been set up by the Reaper Group. There's no point trying to continue the mission or argue our case…'

It was over.

The best thing they could do now was escape, and even with Lucielle and Brutus trying to prevent their escape, Felicia believed they had the higher numbers.

'We're Otherworlders, with equipment from the Reaper Group. We should still be able to—'

Right as she was about to complete her thoughts, the gate behind them opened up, and the Otherworlders of the Alliance emerged from beyond it.

Belle and Clark.

Trisha and Justin were absent, but the mere fact that the two of them were present only meant one thing for Felicia and her group.

'We have backup!' Her eyes widened with glee.

She was previously worried about how many of her allies she would have to sacrifice to escape the clutches of Lucielle and Brutus, but with two more Otherworlders entering the scene, she was certain they could all make it out alive.

In fact… it was even possible that they could complete the mission.

"You three, come over here and atta—!"

"Silence! On your knees and let go of those heads!" Clark yelled, his face expression nothing but utter disgust and righteous indignation.

That response was not at all what Felicia was expecting.

'E-eh…?