"Mission failed, but not entirely failedâis that what you mean?" Catherine frowned and looked at Aldric as she asked.
Aldric nodded and said, "Yes, Your Majesty. In truth, I never expected to return without completing the mission, but the situation at the time was too chaotic, so..."
"No, you did very well." Catherine shook her head. "You are a valuable asset to the Empire. Losing you would be a great loss."
"Besides, the seal of the Insect Queen remains intact. As for... the Insect King disappearing, that is not too concerning either."
"Insect King?" Aldric was startled upon hearing that.
"Thatâs right." Catherine nodded. "The Insect King is far weaker than the Insect Queen. Moreover, in that battle, he was gravely woundedâhe doesnât have much longer to live."
"Now, he can only use his shadow to launch minor attacks on the borders of the safe zones."
Hearing that, Aldric let out a sigh of relief.
"Do you have anything else to report?"
Upon hearing Catherineâs question, he clenched his teeth and made a decision. "Your Majesty, during the mission, I discovered a geniusâsomeone who could contribute his strength to the Empire."
"Ah!" Catherine was slightly surprised, a hint of interest appearing in her eyes. "It seems this person must be quite powerful or unique for you to risk recommending him, correct?"
Aldric nodded slightly, his expression showing some concern. "Your Majesty, he truly is special. Itâs just that... he was the one responsible for the escort convoy attack."
Catherine suddenly frowned, her gaze turning cold.
Seeing her expression, Aldric quickly explained, "That... it was because his woman was taken by us. Besides, Your Majesty, I have a question I hope you can answer."
"Are those girls going to become test subjects?"
"So, youâve figured it out?" Catherine wasnât surprised. She simply asked calmly, as if she had already anticipated it.
Aldric shook his head and said, "I... Iâm not certain. I only know that he said he wanted to save his woman, and for that, he had no choice but to go against both the Government and the Empire."
Hearing that, Catherine sighed softly before saying, "Aldric, is that person truly so special that he made you dig deep into the secrets of the Empire?"
Aldric gritted his teeth, thought for a moment, then looked at Catherine and said, "Your Majesty, I have always been loyal to the Empireâand to you."
"But at the very least, I ask you to help reinforce that belief, to let me know that Iâm fighting for the Empire, for justiceânot for the dark things hiding behind it."
Catherine sighed, looked at Aldric, and said, "In truth, humanity is searching for a way to create a god."
"A god?" Aldric was shocked upon hearing that, his face full of confusion and disbelief.
"Thatâs right. You didnât mishear." Catherine nodded. "We need a god, Aldric."
"You already know that we have many heroes, many kings who possess terrifying power."
"However, no matter how powerful someone may be, they cannot defy time. And no matter how strong you are, there will always be someone stronger."
"What happens when the one everyone admires, the one they place their hopes and trust in, fails or dies? Humanity will lose hope, lose faith in themselves."
"Thatâs why we need someone who cannot die, someone invincibleâa being that transcends time and human understanding."
"That is why we need a god, so that humanity can place their faith in that god, so that humanity can unite."
"Aldric, do you know how many Lords leave the Safe Zone every year?"
"Heh?!" Aldric looked confused and shook his head.
"More than 3,000 Lords leave the Safe Zone each year, and nearly 99% of them never return. They go missing, with no communication whatsoever."
"Wait!" Aldric quickly interjected. "Your Majesty, I... I truly donât understand. Why would they leave the Safe Zone? Are they carrying out a mission that requires them to leave? Or is there another reason?"
"They lost faith." Catherine looked at Aldric and said solemnly. "They believe that here, they are being limited, unable to level up, so they choose to leave the Safe Zone."
"But their reasoning isnât wrong either. The Safe Zone is indeed restricting their power."
"But... why?" Aldric asked, still confused.
Catherine shook her head and said, "Because... the Government and the previous Emperors feared that if any Lords became too powerful, they might betray them."
"Ah!" Aldric suddenly realized that the Empire might not be as righteous as he had believed. "But... how?"
Indeed, they were all Lordsâhow could someone restrict anotherâs level?
Catherine glanced at Aldric, sighed softly, her red lips moving a few times before she finally decided to speak:
"Because the Safe Zone... is actually a massive Territory."
"What?!"
...
"Finally back here again." Noan looked around and, realizing he was in Khorvathâs research room, let out a sigh of relief.
He laid her gently on the bed, then reached out his hand, intending to remove the mask she was wearing.
But the moment his fingers touched the mask, he paused, then withdrew his hand, allowing the NPCs to come in and tend to her.
He stepped out of the room and looked at the scenery inside his Territory, letting out another soft sigh.
"Looks like... this place really is the best." He glanced around, feeling a faint emptiness in his heart.
If it had been under normal circumstances, Vylyss would have probably shown up to welcome him back, or rushed to drag him into the bedroom to make up for all the days she missed him.
But now... it felt like no one was by his side. Noâthere were still many people around him. Itâs just that... no one could replace Vylyss.
At that moment, Noan furrowed his brows, his gaze gradually sharpening with unwavering resolve.
âLooks like I canât afford to develop slowly anymore. I... need to grow stronger.â
Suddenly, Noan remembered the words of Elvaria and Carlottaâthat if he killed too many people, he would bear the burden of many fates upon himself.
From there, his growth would become increasingly difficult, and terrifying entities would begin to take notice of him.
Noan frowned, deep in thought, then came to a decision he believed was right.
"Zhisse, Malrik, Drakhan, everyone gather immediately. Prepare for battle."
...
"Heh?!" Caleb was using Skeletons to construct a defensive wall around the "resource production center" when he heard Noanâs voice echo in his mind.
He looked toward Austin, frowning. "Did you just hear the Masterâs voice?"
"Of course!" Austin scratched his head. "But... why would Master want us to gather? Is he abandoning the mission here?"
Caleb frowned, scanning the area before saying, "Didnât you hear what Master said? He told us... to wait for him here."
"Ah! Hahaha... Sorry, I only heard the first part. Didnât catch the rest." Austin scratched his head with an embarrassed grin.
Caleb pressed a hand to his forehead, feeling like the Masterâs power had been wasted on someone like him. If he had Austinâs power, he wouldâve easily annihilated those rank D Lords.
But Austin?
All Caleb could do was sigh at his foolishness.
"Ever since you lost to Garek, youâve been wandering around in a daze like youâre sleepwalking." Caleb frowned.
Austin shook his head, letting out a deep sigh. "I donât know either. My mindâs been a mess latelyâI canât focus. And the energy inside me feels like itâs in chaos, like there are two forces fighting each other."
Caleb tilted his head, not understanding a word he saidâafter all, Caleb was just a regular person. Austin, on the other hand, had already acquired power and become a new type of existence.
In fact, Caleb didnât even fully understand what "energy" was, so he was completely lost on what Austin was talking about.
Austin paid no mind to Calebâs confused expression and lowered his gaze to his arm, which had morphed into a new form, radiating a strange purple glow.
Suddenly... the light grew more intense, releasing an aura full of destruction.
"What the hell?!" Caleb jumped back in shock. Even though he didnât understand what "energy" was, he could clearly tell that standing next to Austin right now was incredibly dangerous.
He hurriedly ran a safe distance away, watching Austin with anxious, confused eyes. "Oy! What... what the hell are you doing?!"
Austin shook his head, his voice filled with worry and fear. "I... I donât know, this thing..."
He looked at his arm, which was glowing with an eerie purple light as if it was about to explode, completely bewildered.
"Donât move." Suddenly, a voice rang out, followed by a familiar figure appearing before them.
"Master?!"