"Please enjoy your meal," the maid-clad waitress said, placing the snack platter down. She bowed politely and left. No wonder this noble-district restaurant offered such impeccable service. The fried shrimp and golden fries wafted an irresistible aroma, especially with ketchup—pure temptation. Yet neither Lilia nor I touched the crispy delights. The rich coffee sat untouched, slowly cooling beside us.

"Miss… why are your hands like that…?"

"With all due respect, Milady," I replied, rolling up my sleeve to reveal the spherical joint at my elbow. "Four years ago, I lost all four limbs in an accident. My master granted me new ones. These prosthetics are all I have now."

"Your master?"

"Yes," I placed a hand over my chest, pride warming my voice. "My master is Victoria Flamel von Lud. I am merely the humble servant of an alchemist."

"So you're a servant of House Lude? Then why don't you know Sister Jenny?"

I hadn't expected Lilia to react to the name "Lude." Regret prickled me—I'd just revealed my master's full title. Likely my biggest blunder today.

"Pardon my boldness, Milady," I kept my tone deferential, "but is this Miss Jenny also of House Lude?"

"Maid, *I* ask the questions. Who gave you leave to interrogate *me*? Hmph. I won't tell you (*￣m￣)."

Her tough act was clearly forced. Lilia's attempt at haughtiness was almost endearing—chin high, but eyes darting nervously. She must be naturally kind. Playing the villain didn't suit her.

"My deepest apologies, Milady."

"Hmph. I shall *graciously* forgive you this once."

Her tsundere flair rivaled Chris's.

"Still," she flashed a sly, slightly mischievous grin, "as compensation… could you introduce me to your master?"

What… did she mean by that?

My pulse tightened. Had Lilia uncovered something? If she'd pieced together intel I missed, I needed to prepare for the worst. Self-destruct protocol: armed. I'd abandon this puppet if necessary.

"Captain! Knew I'd find you slacking off!" A knight materialized before us. "Vanished mid-patrol—turns out you were flirting with a pretty maid? Ouch, Captain. That stings."

"My apologies, Kuro. I return at once." Lilia stood hastily, bowing to her subordinate.

"One more thing," she turned to me, expression sharpening. "Miss, Golden Lion City is unstable. The Abyssal Brigade terrorists are plotting something. Stay vigilant. If you spot anything suspicious, report to the nearest knights' outpost. Just say you know me—no one will dismiss you. Rest easy."

She waved and vanished into the café's exit.

Staring at the cold coffee and untouched platter, it hit me: Lilia hadn't paid. She'd made *me* treat her.

Damn it.

Tricked.

"Total: 5 silver coins, 13 copper coins."

The cashier smiled. *Just coffee and snacks?* No wonder this was the affluent district—prices were brutal.

I paid without fuss, opened my umbrella, and stepped out. The coffee was abandoned; the snack platter vanished into my Item Vault. Once my consciousness returned to Ludwig Barony, it'd be perfect midnight fuel. This skill was a lifesaver—activatable near me *or* my puppet, enabling seamless long-distance transfers. Worth every hour of that week-long grind. Two-meter storage sphere. Time nearly frozen inside. A flawless mobile vault.

Dusk deepened. Wind howled, snow lashing Golden Lion City under oppressive black clouds.

I walked the commercial strip, past glittering merchant guilds built for nobles. Signs competed in size and splendor, each blazing under magic-stone lamps. A dazzling, snow-dusted spectacle.

"Embrace the Abyss, brother."

"Get lost, beggar!"

Across the street, a ragged man muttered, staggering through the gilded avenue. A noble struck his head with a cane; the man's female companion shrieked. Blood trickled. Nobles beating commoners? "Normal." No sympathy stirred.

But *I* sensed something… off.

"Embrace… the Abyss…"

He stumbled into the street, nearly crushed by a carriage. I halted. He pulled a strange crystal from his pocket—hesitated—swallowed it whole.

Magic power erupted—*uncontrolled*.

**BOOM—!**

Energy blast overturned carriages. At the epicenter, the man floated, purple lightning coiling around him. Chaotic energy swirled into a vortex.

"THE ABYSS—EMBRACE IT! THIS UNJUST WORLD—MUST BE CORRECTED!"

His final, frenzied cry. Collapsing magic crushed his body—limbs ground, blood and bone devoured. A black sphere bloomed, swelling to five meters. Purple lightning crackled, shredding falling snow.

A… *Demon Realm*?

Impossible. He'd sacrificed flesh and soul to *manifest* one—*here*, in Golden Lion City's heart? Absurd! Lilia's warning echoed: *Abyssal Brigade*. But in my past life… I'd never heard of them. Like phantoms, they'd simply appeared.

Monsters would follow.

Bone-chilling roars tore the air. Shadows pierced the dimensional veil—wolf-like forms wreathed in black flame, three crimson eyes burning. *Fang Wolves*. D-rank pack monsters. *Inside the city?*

Panic erupted. Crowds screamed, scattering. They might not know Demon Realms… but they knew monsters.

"Mommy… I'm scared…"

A child's sobs came from an overturned carriage. Coachman gone. Injured horses thrashed in mud. The Fang Wolves turned. Circling. Hungry.

*Run… but…*

The girl was my age. Trapped. If I left… she'd die.

I'd sworn to discard all kindness.

*I am a villain. Turn away. Let it happen.*

**ROAR!**

Three Fang Wolves cornered me against the wall. Too late to flee.

What was I hesitating *for*?

Was kindness… still here?

**AWOOO—!**

One lunged for my throat. *No time.* I ducked. A glinting wire flashed—*slice*.

*Awo? Gllk—!*

Its head dropped seconds later.

My puppet's wrists split open. Twin Mantis Blades sprang from alloy frames, mono-molecular edges gleaming. Aleister's design: hidden killers for close combat.

…Smart mentor.

The last two wolves froze—then growled. Too late. Combat protocols engaged. Motion modules flowed like instinct. Blades traced luminous arcs through snow. Two dismembered bodies hit the ground. Silent.

But their deaths drew the pack.

Fang Wolves: D-rank solo, C-rank in packs. Fiercely loyal. They'd die avenging kin.

*Foolish.*

Five attacked—three high, two low.

*Too slow.*

The puppet moved with lethal precision. For a heartbeat, it felt like *my* will driving the blades.

Irrelevant. The girl was safe. For now.

Damn it. I still couldn't kill the kindness inside.

I *must* grow colder. Ruthless.

For revenge…