CHAPTER 108

The Blue Lion, Herman, gazed awkwardly at his daughter, who was anxiously pacing in front of him with a face full of worry.

"My daughter, no matter what you do, nothing will change drastically. So why not calm down a bit?"

"…."

However, Isabelle, lost in her own world, was too busy pondering something to respond.

In the end, Herman could only let out yet another sigh, one of many he had already heaved.

"Our dear niece, it's been a while since I've seen her this restless, hasn't it?"

"She was the kind of kid who stayed calm even when her father fell into reflux disease, but look at her now. I guess when a person gets deeply involved in something, this is how they become?"

"That's why they say no matter how much you raise a child, you shouldn't give too much of your heart."

The other five sworn brothers, the Blue Hawks, shook their heads in disbelief.

"But really, how many days has it been now?"

"Hasn't it been about four days?"

"He's really been holed up in there for quite a while. If it were me, I'd be going crazy by now. What in the world could this 'arrangement' be that's kept him locked in for so long?"

The Blue Hawks all turned to gaze thoughtfully at the central temple visible through the window.

It had been four days since Elric had silently entered the central temple and hadn't come out.

Whenever they asked what was going on, the only response they received was the vague and mysterious, "He is undergoing an arrangement."

They hadn't raised any objections so far, since one of the conditions of their journey was to respect Elric's personal business related to the Temple of Flowers.

But as the time dragged on longer than expected, the Blue Hawks were starting to wonder if they should force open the temple doors, even if it meant breaking their promise.

After all, they hadn't seen any food or water being brought in for him.

Since it was a place said to be inhabited by the gods of flowers, it was unlikely that provisions for a human were stored inside. Clearly, Elric had been fasting this entire time.

Obviously, even a superhuman capable of controlling their body freely would struggle to survive without water for more than a week.

Especially for Elric, who was judged to be at the level of a magus, or perhaps even below that. It was impossible for him to endure more than four days.

Isabelle was nervously biting her nails, unable to stay calm, precisely because of this reason.

Herman and the Blue Hawks were ready to act immediately if Isabelle so desired, but...

"Still, since there's no reaction from that side, it would look strange for us to make the first move."

"Ugh! That's exactly the problem," said the second brother, Lasalle, and the other sworn brothers nodded in agreement, their gazes shifting toward the room where Augustine and the others were likely staying.

Even if they were outsiders, the people directly involved had been unusually quiet so far.

Especially Heize Melvinger, who had outright dismissed the Blue Hawks' concerns.

-We are handling a matter related to our family. While I appreciate your words, I've already asked Lord Augustine not to get involved in this issue, so I'd ask you to refrain as well.

Heize, despite her graceful and pure appearance, was someone who knew how to draw a clear line between personal and official matters.

In fact, she had made it clear that further interference in the family's business would not be welcome.

Thus, both Isabelle and the Blue Hawks had resolved to stand by and watch the situation unfold for exactly this reason.

"If anything serious had happened to our nephew-in-law, White Night and the Beast King... those two crazy old men would've already turned the place upside down several times over, so let's just keep observing."

In the end, the group could only nod in agreement.

Still, just in case something did go wrong, each of them held their weapons tightly, prepared for anything.

***

City-state, "Fury."

2nd Army Military Camp.

The beastmen, once hailed as the great fighters of Fury but burdened with the disgrace of not being able to conquer Anthromorph, swallowed dryly.

"The temple... are you really saying that?"

Their eyes widened at what their commander had just said.

It was understandable. For the beastmen, who believed in "the heaven," the commander's declaration to burn down the temple sounded utterly horrifying.

Some were so shocked that they started hiccuping, having choked on their drinks.

But the eyes of Barasen, who had spoken the words, were deeply sunken.

"Yes. If anyone doesn't want to do this, you can step back now. Of course, there will be no repercussions for that decision. I promise."

"...."

"...."

The fighters exchanged uneasy glances.

They, too, harbored no small amount of dissatisfaction over their retreat without conquering Anthromorph and had, in fact, been waiting impatiently for orders to re-launch an attack.

But even if they had slaughtered the humans that had stood in their way, the idea of destroying the temple itself was a heavy burden for them.

The worship of heaven, or the "heavenly god," was deeply embedded in every aspect of beastmen culture. More than any other intelligent race, they placed immense faith in superstition and divination, so the very thought of harming a god was inconceivable to them.

Especially the Temple of Flowers, which had maintained good relations with all the beastmen tribes for generations.

It was true that the temple was closely connected with Anthromorph, but the same could be said for Fury.

And now they were being told to destroy such a place.

Even though the gates had been firmly shut due to General Winter, they secretly wanted to pretend they hadn't heard the proposal just moments ago.

But...

'If I take him at his word, believing there will be no repercussions…'

'I'll probably be eliminated quietly later.'

'I'll become a snack for the great Blood Wolf King.'

They knew very well what kind of being their commander was, and they understood perfectly what would happen if they tried to refuse when Barasen made such a proposal.

Running away was simply not an option.

"...I'll do it," one of the fighters finally said with a heavy sigh.

"I will follow your command."

A smile appeared on Barasen's lips.

"Good. I knew you all would understand."

"However, the political responsibility we'll bear after completing this task is immense. Please, help us ensure that this remains a secret until the end."

"Of course. I have no intention of dragging you all into the mire."

Only then did the fighters let out a sigh of relief.

Their commander might have been ruthless, but he had never once broken a promise he had made.

"So... when do we depart?"

One of his subordinates gathered his courage and asked the question.

Barasen, with a cold smile that seemed to say, "Isn't it obvious?" answered.

"Tonight."

***

Following Barasen's orders, the special forces unit of the 2nd Army moved swiftly.

The increasingly fierce winter winds sent by General Winter continued to obscure their vision, but fortunately, with the protection granted by the "Blessings of the Tail," they were able to reach the Temple of Flowers without difficulty.

[Once you're in position, start the fire as soon as the signal is given.]

Barasen issued his covert orders, and the special forces members all nodded heavily in unison.

[And as previously instructed, even if you sneak in to create chaos or attempt assassination, do not engage with any other humans.]

Some of the soldiers wore expressions of confusion, wondering why they were forbidden from committing slaughter if they were already setting the temple ablaze, though a few nodded in understanding.

Among the humans who had played a role in the siege of Anthromorph were some whom even Barasen found difficult to challenge in battle, including magicians whose depths were impossible to gauge.

Fortunately, the soldiers were confident they could identify the two targets they absolutely had to eliminate.

One was King Velence.

And the other was the magician with blonde hair and green eyes.

They remembered his face clearly, as he had caused them no end of trouble during the siege.

[Move out!]

Flash!

Pop!

As the soldiers moved briskly to their assigned positions...

Boom!

A "door" began to forcefully open at the site of a broken marble pillar.

This was a forced opening using the "authority" possessed by the Blood Wolf King of Fury!

Fwoosh!

At that moment, the "breath" granted by the Blood Wolf King ignited into flames and surged through the door in an instant.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The fire, driven by the bone-dry conditions, spread uncontrollably in an instant, devouring everything in its path.

***

Ding, ding, ding, ding-!

"What is that sound?"

"A fire? It looks like there's a fire!"

The Blue Hawks' expressions hardened at the sound of the alarm ringing through the temple. A few of them glanced out the window, their faces growing stern as they saw flames rising.

A fire in a place with no visitors?

Something serious was definitely happening.

Herman and Isabelle exchanged looks, hastily discussing what they should do.

Suddenly, the door to their room swung open, and the landscaper rushed inside in a panic.

"It seems there have been intruders."

"Intruders? Are you saying there's a group attacking the temple?" Isabelle asked, her voice tense.

The landscaper nodded gravely. Isabelle, too, bit her lower lip, clearly unsettled by the unexpected news.

But the shock wasn't only felt by Isabelle and her group.

Attacking a temple within the Empire was considered an act of blasphemy, one that would certainly bring divine punishment.

Not because some god would personally send down lightning, but because every religion in the Holy Alliance, including the one associated with the attacked temple, would launch an aggressive campaign against the perpetrator and their organization.

Such actions revived the authority of the faith, or so the belief went.

Under the banner of the "Crusade," any acts of aggression were given a blanket pardon, and the results were notoriously brutal.

This was why both the Lion Duchy and the Magic Tower resented the Holy Alliance but were reluctant to provoke them.

Even leaving politics aside, the influence that religion held over the common people made it something that couldn't easily be challenged.

And surely, the beastmen wouldn't be an exception to this.

In fact, Isabelle suspected it might be even more serious for them.

The beastmen were known for their practice of using astrology to predict the outcome of battles before engaging in war.

'For them to attack, they must believe that the Temple of Flowers has declined to the point of insignificance, enough to disregard any consequences...!'

Otherwise, they must believe that this mission was so important that it was worth enduring the immense political pressure it would bring.

'Then the attackers are likely from Fury… and who would they be targeting? King Velence?'

No sooner had Isabelle finished her thought than—

Boom!

A massive explosion echoed, shaking the entire building.

Through the falling debris from the shattered ceiling, they could see the Beast King, Gility, bursting forward in frustration.

"Those damned bastards, who do they think they're messing with?!"

Boom! Boom! Boom!

At the same time, Heize, Sean, and Karl could be seen moving swiftly into action. The number of attackers from Fury appeared to be much larger than anticipated.

Their ferocity was evident, as if they intended to destroy not only the Temple of Flowers but the entire group.

"Did they come here on a suicide mission because they're tired of living?"

But despite being exposed to the danger, the Blue Hawks remained remarkably calm.

They knew all too well that no matter how hard Fury tried, without their leader, the Blood Wolf King, showing up in person, it wouldn't make much difference.

Not to mention Gility was there, and on their side was the one who was far beyond human—White Night!

If he, who is said to be able to perform miracles so great that he can defeat the pitch-black night simply by having the will, steps forward, then actually defeating them won't be that difficult.

Although White Night preferred to observe the world's events as a third party, not intervening unless absolutely necessary.

"Still, that doesn't mean we can just stand by and do nothing, right?"

"It's best to end this quickly before the damage escalates, don't you think?"

With that, the Blue Hawks began to rise one by one, preparing to confront the intruders.

"There is a danger!"

Isabelle shouted urgently, her tone filled with alarm.

Haman, the third brother, chuckled lightly.

"Hm? Ah, niece, I see we didn't explain it properly to you. No matter how hard these attackers try—!"

"That's not it, Elric is in danger!"

"…!"

"…!"

"…!"

Only then did the Blue Hawks catch on to what Isabelle was saying.

"They're just a distraction to scatter our attention! Given the situation, what they're really after is…!"

Flash!

At that moment, Herman, who had been still until now, urgently dashed toward the central temple.

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