His vision is hazy.
Consciousness flickers in and out like a faulty light bulb. The intense pain makes it hard for his brain to function properly. Just as he’s caught teetering on the edge of death…

“Even after taking that hit, you’re still hanging on for dear life, huh?”

A voice floats into Johann’s ears. Moments later, the familiar face of a white-haired boy appears in front of him.

Siel.
The genius picked up by the saint.
The youngest swordmaster in the Empire.

However, today this boy is dressed oddly in a black hood. And he’s holding… what looks unmistakably like the Holy Sword.

The implications of this are crystal clear.

‘There’s a limit to how abnormal things can get.’

Having the talent to reach swordmaster level at such a young age is already absurd enough. But now this kid’s revealed to also be the leader of the notorious terrorist organization known as the Black Fangs. He’s a chosen hero of the Holy Sword and, on top of all that, the last descendant of the great dragon! What’s next? Is he going to pull a rabbit out of a hat?

– “If that fake Heinrich is still alive in an hour, you all should commit suicide.”

That line points to the fact that this “fake Heinrich” seems to have unraveled the mystery of his identity somehow.

‘I should’ve dealt with this brat first.’

Johann mused. He should have sensed the danger when Renya started doting on this kid. It made perfect sense.

Nobody noticed his true nature. Yet this abnormal monster instantly saw through the ruse. There was no way Johann would just roll over and let himself be captured by someone like that.

Before the Black Fangs gained power, Johann should have nipped this in the bud. But now, with Renya and this brat in cahoots, his plan had already derailed.

Complete defeat.
That’s the only way to describe the current situation.

But… that’s precisely why Johann gritted his teeth tighter.
‘Even if I may have lost this round…’

The overall plan hasn’t crashed and burned yet. This minor slip-up can be salvaged. One defeat is all it takes to learn and grow.

This time, I’ll make sure there are no openings whatsoever.

“What trick are you employing?”

He throws out the question.
Of course, he doesn’t truly care how the boy is pulling this off. It’s just a delaying tactic. In three minutes, he can fully heal his body.

True, with an attack like that, recovering to fight immediately might be asking too much. But even that would be enough.

He hasn’t perfected his preparations for consciousness yet. Though he has some contingency plans, he can’t afford to leave something this crucial to chance.

As long as he escapes carrying out the necessary tasks, what happens afterward won’t matter.

So, all he needs to do is buy a little time…

– WHOOSH.

The blade cuts through the air effortlessly.
And the direction it’s going is all too clear. The metallic clang rings out.

Siel is aiming for his neck!

“Looks like you’re some sort of superhuman. Tougher than you look. But… whatever.”

With a calm expression, the boy begins to slice downward, again and again, like chopping firewood.

With every strike, Johann’s face turns to a portrait of shock.

“What on earth are you thinking? You know killing me won’t get you any information, right?”

If that kid knew the full scope of Johann’s plans, there would be no reason to resort to such tactics. So surely, he would have thought he was being tortured for information, right?

There’s no hesitation in this threat; he genuinely wants Johann dead. What a bizarre situation! But the boy responds without missing a beat.

“Oh, about three minutes to fully recover, right? I’ve already taken over the Holy Church, so the Buster Call is fine, but the two-phase deal with the demons is a bit tricky.”

Full recovery?
Two-phase?
Buster Call?

A string of code-like words that make no sense at all, mixed in with shocking statements along the way.

He’s taken over the Holy Church?
And how did he figure out the healing time? I thought I was being discreet with my strength…

Where on earth did he steal this top-secret info about demons and the research associated with it?

Johann’s face scrunches in confusion. He mutters, “How…?” But then, out of nowhere, the boy drops another shocker.

“You may not know, but we’ve actually fought two or three times already. So, yeah, it’s not like I don’t know.”

Fought?
No way. While it’s true that Johann doesn’t keep track of every name of enemies he’s slain, there can’t be anyone who survived facing him. Yet regardless of whether Johann comprehends his words, the kid just keeps swinging his sword.

He’s already wasted too much divine power earlier. Now drained, especially in this state, healing isn’t an option.

While he could use some backup plans stashed away, the potential risk is too high and the return on investment too low.

His opponent is abnormally strong, far beyond what he expected. Even if he calls on the strength of a friend, victory is still shaky.

If he loses his soul, he would never reunite with his daughter. Betting too much on something uncertain doesn’t seem wise.

In the end, there is only one course of action remaining.
“……..”

Shutting his mouth, he quietly awaits death. His opponent likely hasn’t caught on to the fact that killing him wouldn’t avert their doom.

While it’s regrettable that he hasn’t perfected the groundwork, he can tolerate that much.

He forces a sickening smile and shuts his eyes.

*

His head gets lopped off. Seeing this, an anxious Yulie rushes over, her expression one of pure panic.

“Uhh, is it really okay to kill him? I mean, it’d be great if his death solved everything, but maybe we should gather some intel just in case…”

She brings up a fair point.
It’s sound logic, no holes to poke at.

“What are you talking about? We’ve already gotten plenty of information.”

Of course, he’d thought of that too.
He didn’t want to end up in a panic a few months down the line when a black sun rises and doom is at hand, you know?

“The fact that he so easily gave up on his goal is already excellent intel.”

When doom approaches, it’s natural that he would perish too. Choosing to face death so easily when he’d crafted a plan knowing the risks suggests something is off…

The trigger must have already been set for his plan. But what could that trigger be?

There lies a clue in the bizarre behaviors exhibited by the fake Heinrich.

Thinking back, wasn’t it odd?
The rumors about Yulie suddenly being a witch or a demon goddess… it’s all too neatly orchestrated.

There must have been a reason behind it, so the fake Heinrich must have had some important incentive to turn everyone against Yulie and have her branded as a demon’s apostle.

‘If I pull together the intel from Lady Rubia, the answer might come together more simply than I thought.’

From her last investigation, the black sun and the crimson sky began as mere illusions.

But at some point, they became ‘real’. Everyone panicked, believing the doom was at hand, and so it unfolded as predicted.

Applying that to Yulie’s case, it becomes clear what he’s trying to do: to turn the saint Yulie into a demon goddess.

He aims to warp the god of light into a being that will bring about the world’s ruin.

‘But if Yulie isn’t corrupted, why is doom still unfolding?’

In the end, Yulie hasn’t fallen. Despite her preservation from corruption, the doom continues to progress. So what could be the cause?

‘That’s obvious. Besides Yulie, who else is connected to the gods?’

The previous hero.

Over these past ten years, he has likely taken his sweet time slowly corrupting the hero while also tainting the god he’s entwined with.

So the task at hand is clear.
With the palace now in wreckage and means to track down the corpses nonexistent, we reverse time. We turn back time to find the former hero and prevent the ruin.

Isn’t it simple?
I relay my deductions to Yulie and instruct her to prepare to rewind time.

Yet Yulie’s expression still reflected uncertainty.
After a brief pause, she cautiously shares her completely valid concern.

“Will rewinding time really lead us to a simple discovery?”

It’s a fair observation.
Hunting down the Empire’s most fiercely protected secrets isn’t exactly a walk in the park. It would be a Herculean task, of course… but…

I flash a confident smile.
It’d be a lie to say there weren’t any worries involved. Still, I’ve got at least one decent solution lined up.

*

It’s a peaceful day.
Birds are chirping, flowers are blooming.
A perfect day, just after successfully recruiting a new talent.

With that in mind, I intended to enjoy this tranquility while sipping some tea in my office when…

– Knock, knock.

Someone’s knocking at the door.
Even if I told them to come back later unless it was urgent, the knocking persisted.

I ended up furrowing my brow and standing from my seat.
I grumpily opened the door to find…

“……?”

My reckless little sister, accompanied by the weird brat Siel—what a strange duo indeed!