NOVPUBInside the Kunst Auction House, Erendir—who hadn’t managed to evacuate—was gritting her teeth as she watched the assailants clearly targeting her.
“I never should’ve come here!”
I should’ve just stayed and rested at Seorn!
“There she is! The princess is over there!”
The moment the Liberation Army heard the commotion, they charged at her with murderous intent.
To them, Erendir—more than a noble, a bearer of imperial blood—was a prime target that absolutely had to be eliminated.
Killing her would send a clear message to those loathsome royals: that the Liberation Army was powerful and dangerous enough to strike at the very heart of the Empire.
Even if it cost them their lives... no, they were ready to die with her if that’s what it took.
The Liberation Army members were strapped with explosive vests.
[Silence of Fire] didn’t matter anymore.
Now that they had bombs packed with that special gunpowder, they didn’t have to be helpless against magic.
“Your voices are too loud.”
Just then, a calm voice intervened—Casey Selmore stepped forward from where she had been hiding.
“What the—?!”
The Liberation Army froze in shock as Casey emerged seemingly from thin air.
She had revealed herself as though parting an invisible curtain in empty space.
Erendir’s eyes widened slightly.
‘So that’s the power of a mage with a Color Title.’
Casey’s unique magic, [Mermaid’s Raincoat], used a thin film of water in the air to bend light and cloak her presence.
Now that she’d deactivated it, Casey aimed her staff directly at the Liberation Army members who were rushing toward Erendir.
“Sit still.”
The moisture in the air rapidly gathered around the attackers, morphing into soap-like bubbles that enclosed each of them.
The Liberation Army, now floating helplessly in midair, tried desperately to detonate the bombs strapped to their bodies.
“Aww, no can do?”
Even though the bombs worked under [Silence of Fire], the moment they were trapped inside the bubbles, they failed to detonate.
Casey smirked at their confused expressions.
“Even special gunpowder’s useless when it gets wet.”
Her method was simple.
She used the moisture in the air to soak the gunpowder and render it inert.
And the Liberation Army’s biggest misfortune?
That Casey Selmore just happened to be at the very location they chose to attack.
Who would’ve thought a water-element mage—their perfect counter—would be stationed here?
“D-Don’t get cocky just because you caught us! There are more of our comrades inside! Any minute now—!”
“Oh, those guys?”
Still wearing a smug expression, Casey casually raised her hand and pointed off to one side.
There, the comrades who’d just arrived on-site were sprawled across the floor, utterly demolished by two women.
“They’ve already been handled.”
“H-How...?!”
The Liberation Army soldier could’ve sworn those two women were complete nobodies. He didn’t even remember their names.
But somehow, the two of them had taken out all of his comrades without a scratch.
In hindsight, that made sense.
One of them was a former Nightcrawler Knight from the Security Bureau.
The other was the assistant of the genius detective Casey Selmore.
“Casey! We’re all done over here!”
Betty waved cheerfully.
Standing beside her, Enya Joinas rushed over to Erendir.
“H-Highness! Are you alright?!”
“Huh? Weren’t you the one who was with Commander Terrina before...?”
“I-It’s an honor to be remembered! I’m Enya of the Nightcrawler Knights!”
She shouted her introduction a little too loudly.
If her senior Lloyd had been there, he would’ve scolded her for announcing her unit in public.
Erendir offered her an awkward smile.
Just moments ago, Enya had been brutally dispatching attackers without so much as a flicker of emotion.
Now, she looked like a bundle of nerves.
But that calm, ruthless demeanor she showed while subduing the Liberation Army—yes, that was exactly what one would expect from a member of the Nightcrawler Knights, the most feared agents among criminals.
‘And that other one too.’
The girl named Betty, who had come with Casey Selmore.
She looked tiny, almost doll-like, with an innocent face—but she wasn’t someone you could underestimate.
Shockingly, she had the strength to grab and throw men three times her size with one hand.
While Enya was the skilled technician who handled enemies with precision honed over years of training, Betty was the brute-force type—clumsy but overwhelmingly powerful.
No one could explain how that frail-looking body could contain such monstrous strength.
‘Still... that’s not the priority right now.’
Erendir turned to Casey.
At that moment, Casey was interrogating one of the captured Liberation Army members.
“Y-You think I’m just gonna talk?!”
“Hmm. If you don’t, you’re going to experience a lot of pain.”
“What?!”
“Did you know? I’m a water mage. I can only use water-based spells, but that also means I can manipulate anything related to water.”
“W-What are you talking about...?”
Clearly, this Liberation Army member had no idea what it meant to face a mage with a Color Title.
So Casey decided to give him a little demonstration.
“See this?”
She pointed to her fingertip.
There, moisture from the air had condensed into a single drop of water.
“I can manipulate water. Sure, ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) there are limitations in range and volume, but water is the most flexible thing in existence.”
The droplet turned into a fish swimming midair, then transformed into a leaping deer.
The deer morphed again—this time into a bird with wings that soared through the air—then fell as raindrops and hit the ground.
The water on the floor evaporated and vanished.
“Just like that. Now here’s the short version.”
Snap.
She flicked her finger, and the bubble trapping the Liberation Army soldier floated a little closer.
“How much of the human body do you think is made of water?”
“W-What?”
“Over 70 percent. All that blood running through you? It’s water. So what do you think would happen if I boiled that water—or froze it solid?”
“AAAAAAGH!”
The soldier screamed in terror as Casey stared at him with an icy, unblinking gaze.
“Um... Shouldn’t someone stop her?”
Watching the scene unfold, Erendir turned nervously to Betty.
But Betty simply shook her head.
“It’s fine! It’s fine! Casey might be a little unhinged, but she’d never actually do something that horrific!”
Then she paused.
And recalled her past experiences—being dragged around and tormented by Casey’s whims.
“...I think.”
“Then we should stop her!”
Just in time, Casey finished her interrogation and returned to the group.
“I’ve figured out their objective. Huh? Why is everyone looking at me like that?”
“N-No reason.”
“Hmph. I believe in Casey!”
“Ahaha. That’s what that was.”
As expected of a genius detective, she caught on immediately.
“Jeez, what do you think I am? That was just a threat. I wasn’t actually going to do it—or even thinking about it.”
“R-Right?”
“Unless they’re truly evil scum, I don’t act on it. You can relax.”
“...So what you’re saying is, if they are evil scum, you would do it?”
“Unfortunately, I’ve never met someone bad enough to meet my standards. Well—except maybe one.”
It was like someone popped into her head.
Casey fell silent, lips pressed together in deep thought.
Just as someone was about to ask, she suddenly snapped back to attention and spoke first.
“Anyway, it looks like the situation’s worse than we thought. While the security was thin, all kinds of people swarmed this place. For now, we need to escape.”
“R-Right. Let’s go.”
“Your Highness, allow me to escort you!”
“Yes, please.”
Casey looked over the group gathered around her and stroked her chin.
“Not a bad lineup. Two in front, two in back.”
Each member was more than capable on their own.
Third Princess Erendir—born with extraordinary mana due to her royal blood.
Enya Joinas—member of the Security Bureau’s elite Nightcrawler Knights.
Betty—her clumsy but ridiculously powerful assistant.
And herself—a water mage with a Color Title.
With this much strength, they should be able to escape the chaos of the Kunst Auction House safely.
OOOOOOOOOOOO───!!!
Just as that thought crossed her mind, a beast’s scream—one filled with ecstasy, despair, and rage—echoed in the distance.
Goosebumps prickled across their skin.
The four of them instinctively knew—whatever made that sound was extremely dangerous.
“What... was that sound?” Erendir asked in a shaky voice.
Casey, uncharacteristically serious, answered plainly.
“I don’t know. But no ordinary beast could’ve made it. We need to get out of here. As fast as possible.”
“I-I agree. Let’s go!”
* * *
THUD.
The Beast of Jévaudan revealed its full form by collapsing part of the Kunst Auction House building. Unable to fully support its own massive frame, the creature lowered its upper body and dropped onto all fours.
For a wild beast, its forelimbs looked far more human than animal.
The three heads of the black beast slowly scanned their surroundings.
Its tail—dense with pitch-black fur—flicked, vanishing in a blur of afterimages.
CRASH!
The outer wall of the Kunst Auction House exploded outward, showering debris in every direction.
“Kyaaaaa!”
“Run!”
People who had been frozen in fear at the sight of this unprecedented monster finally registered the danger and fled, screaming in terror.
The Beast of Jévaudan gazed down at the retreating crowd with eyes full of murderous intent and slowly extended one of its arms.
Grrrrowl! Bark!
The countless beast heads composing the massive hand snarled and howled at the fleeing people, baring their teeth.
Several people turned their heads and saw the enormous hand reaching for them—faces drained of color.
“Everyone, get back!”
Just then, a blinding flash of white light shot in and severed one of the fingers.
Yelp!
The beast head attached to the finger let out a pained howl, then fell limp, tongue lolling out in death.
People's faces brightened as they recognized the sudden arrivals.
“It’s the Clockwork Knights!”
The elite knight order assigned to each major city.
Specifically, these were the Clockwork Knights of Rederbelk, and their appearance drew cheers from the crowd.
Grrrrrr.
The Beast of Jévaudan turned its gaze on the knights.
It had no reason to feel kindly toward humans who had appeared out of nowhere to interfere.
The knights tilted their heads back to look up at the towering creature, throats dry.
“We got a report about the auction house being attacked, but... what the hell is that thing...?”
“Quiet, everyone! Whatever the case, our duty is to protect the civilians and take down that monster!”
The captain’s firm order finally silenced the murmuring.
Each knight activated the magitech horse golems they had arrived on, maximizing their output.
HISSSS!
White steam hissed out as the magitech steeds tensed and snorted.
That’s when the Beast of Jévaudan moved.
RAAAAAGH!
All the beast heads on its body let out a simultaneous, unholy cry as it raised a massive hand and slammed it down toward the knights.
“Evade!”
The magitech steeds scattered in all directions, just barely dodging the attack.
The beast’s arm struck the ground with a tremendous impact, sending shockwaves rippling outward and raising a thick cloud of dust.
The earth cracked under the weight of the palm, the terrain splitting and warping beneath the blow.
A ruptured sewer pipe sent water gushing into the air.
SPLAAAAAASH!
But the beast didn’t stop there.
Its enormous tail whipped around like a massive flail, indiscriminately thrashing the surroundings.
The air itself burst with noise. Glass shattered from nearby buildings, walls crumbled, and the ground exploded as if struck by bombs.
The Clockwork Knights relied on their superhuman reflexes and visual acuity to focus entirely on dodging.
Even a single graze meant instant death.
The captain felt cold sweat trickling down his back.
‘That speed... it's insane for something that big. Where the hell did this thing even come from?!’
* * *
From a shattered section of the Kunst Auction House wall, the night sky over Rederbelk was fully visible.
Exposed steel beams groaned in the wind, some of them barely holding together.
Rudger stood at the edge, gazing down at the scene beneath the raging storm of air.
A giant beast with three heads and twisted horns.
Its entire body bristled with beastly maws.
There was no doubt—it was a cryptid.
But not the same one from his memories. That one, Rudger had personally destroyed.
Hans.
The crude dagger made from a cryptid’s fang—Rudger had given it to Hans just in case.
He was the one who handed it over, but the decision to use it had always been Hans’s to make.
Rudger hadn’t expected him to use it.
Because Hans had every reason not to.
But Hans had used it in the end.
The monster howling before him now was the result.
And there was no need to wonder how much Hans had agonized before plunging that fang into his own body.
“Hans.”
The berserk monster raged below—but it almost looked... tormented.
The Beast of Jévaudan—or rather, Hans—was destroying everything around him, all while taking blades and spells from the knights head-on and writhing in agony.
“I can’t just leave a longtime comrade like this to suffer alone.”
He didn’t like fighting.
But if it had to be done—he wasn’t going to run.
[Āter Nocturnus]
Black shadows engulfed Rudger’s entire form.
A pitch-black cloak unfurled behind him like a raven’s wings, and a crow-beaked mask settled over his face.
