When Ascan embraced Tanashia Brellof, he noticed she was carrying something, but he had no idea it was this many magical engineering weapons.

Ascan’s eyes sparkled as he gazed at her, fully armed with countless weapons.

It was only natural. Anyone who saw her current outfit would be stunned.

“What… is all this?”

“Well, what else? I brought them just in case anything unexpected happened in the Karua Empire.”

Some weapons were instantly recognizable at a glance, but many others were unfamiliar, making their exact purposes unclear.

Before Ascan could even open his mouth to speak, Tanashia glanced around, then pulled out a strangely shaped machine from behind her back.

It was a round device, about the size of a child’s head. It looked like something had been haphazardly added onto the original mechanism, with extra parts stuck on and spinning along with it.

Squeak. Creak.

Tanashia twirled the round machine like a toy, manipulated it briefly, then planted it firmly into the ground.

Soon after, lights flickered on inside the machine, signaling that it had activated.

Ascan asked with a curious expression,

“What is this?”

“Simply put—it’s a bomb.”

“A bomb?”

“I told you, troops are heading toward the mansion. They’re highly likely to pass through this road, so I’m setting it up here. When it explodes, they’ll panic and waste time.”

The Karua Empire’s troops had no idea why the mansion had collapsed. If another explosion suddenly occurred, they’d fall into chaos.

Naturally, they’d start suspecting whether more explosives were hidden nearby. They’d inevitably grow tense and move cautiously.

All of these reactions would definitely buy Ascan and Tanashia time to escape.

Merely hearing Tanashia’s brief explanation, Ascan instantly grasped her full intention.

He frowned as if unable to endure it, then smiled contentedly.

“I can’t handle you. Did you really calculate all this within such a short time?”

“My goal was to rescue you. I was even prepared to blow up the entire Karua Empire if necessary.”

The titles attached to Tanashia—“continent’s greatest arms dealer” and “magical engineering genius”—were not for nothing.

Her influence surpassed imagination. When crisis struck, her abilities shone even brighter.

Above all, Ascan found it immensely pleasing to hear that she was willing to annihilate the Karua Empire just for his sake.

He smiled even more deeply and said,

“Now I understand. If I had to pick the one person I’d least want to face as an enemy, it would be you.”

The world still valued human supernatural abilities higher than magical engineering weapons.

Until recently, Ascan had thought the same. With his inextinguishable flames and steel-hardened body, he feared no weapon.

But seeing Tanashia made him realize—

how immense the power of magical engineering weapons truly was, and how terrifying and extraordinary her talent was for creating such weapons.

Caught off guard by Ascan’s unexpected praise, Tanashia replied with slight embarrassment,

“Same here. You’re the strongest character in the entire world setting.”

“World setting? What’s that?”

Ascan, who had never read the novel , couldn’t possibly understand this phrase.

Seeing Ascan’s puzzled gaze, Tanashia made an “oops” face and hastily changed the subject.

“Ah, let’s go quickly. If we dawdle, we might run into other people.”

Tanashia hurriedly started walking. As she passed by Ascan, she quietly added,

“Anyway, just trust me to get us out of the Karua Empire.”

She grinned as she spoke. Despite her slender appearance, she looked incredibly reliable.

Thus, people followed behind Tanashia and Ascan, quickly moving away from the vicinity of the collapsed mansion.

Left behind in the spot where everyone had passed was a single round bomb, sitting conspicuously alone.

Tick. Tock.

The small time bomb, softly ticking away, contained a hidden function. Its full power would be revealed in due time.

Before meeting Ascan, Bill had not honestly informed Helsion about the secret rendezvous.

He intended to first hear why Ascan had come, then decide what to do.

But if, by any chance, the secret meeting was discovered, Bill’s position could become awkward. Therefore, he needed to prepare an escape route.

[I detected suspicious circumstances and will investigate with the human weapon test subjects.]

Bill, thinking himself clever, sent a brief report to Helsion.

By simultaneously notifying Helsion that he was taking the second-generation children out, he ensured that even if it was revealed he had met Ascan, no problems would arise.

Thus, he showed Helsion only what he wanted him to see, while skillfully concealing the note from Ascan and all details of the secret meeting.

In such a situation, Ascan’s mansion suddenly collapsed.

The sight of the massive mansion collapsing was visible even from afar, so rumors spread instantly, reaching even the Karua Imperial Palace.

It wasn’t just any mansion—it was the one where Ascan had been staying. This carried significant meaning. It raised the possibility that Ascan might have returned to the Karua Empire.

Helsion, already trembling with fear since Ascan had severed his right arm, immediately dispatched a massive military force to confirm whether Ascan had truly appeared.

His single order was:

[If Ascan is within the Karua Empire, capture him. If that proves impossible, kill him in the most horrific way possible.]

The one sent to carry out this order was Carter, commander of the First Knight Order and Helsion’s long-time loyal subordinate.

Carter, his narrow eyes wide open, marched toward the collapsed mansion.

A scout soldier at the front shouted,

“There’s something here…!”

Kwaaaaaang!

Before the scout could finish speaking, a tremendous explosion erupted, accompanied by a surge of firepower.

Heeeeng! The horses ridden by cavalry soldiers reared up in fright.

Fortunately, since the explosion occurred before anyone got too close, there were no fatalities. But even those standing at a considerable distance suffered serious injuries.

Although they had deliberately kept their distance in anticipation of potential danger, the explosion’s sheer power swept through them anyway.

Carter had seen countless explosives, but never one this powerful.

‘Was this made by Lady Brellof?’

Naturally, the face of Tanashia Brellof, the continent’s greatest arms dealer, came to mind.

Since they still hadn’t determined why Ascan’s mansion had collapsed, and now another explosion had occurred, Carter had no choice but to heighten his vigilance around the area.

“There might be more explosives! Search every inch of the surroundings!”

“Yes, Commander!”

In response to Carter’s order, soldiers following behind were deployed in addition to the original scouts.

The soldiers searching the area held devices designed to detect magical engineering weapons.

Thus, Carter advanced slowly and cautiously, determined not to miss even the smallest detail.

Finally, the large military force arrived in front of the collapsed mansion. Thankfully, despite their heightened alertness, no further explosives were found.

If Ascan had truly been here, he had likely already fled. Soldiers spread out in all directions to conduct interrogations and searches.

Since Carter also needed to determine why the mansion had collapsed, he ordered his men to dig through the rubble.

As they cleared away the massive debris, second-generation children were gradually discovered.

Unaware soldiers rescued the underage children, confused by the situation. But Carter, knowing the children’s true identities, immediately sensed something ominous.

Just then, another soldier digging through rubble elsewhere shouted loudly,

“Over here! We’ve found Captain of the Royal Guard!”

“…What?”

Carter immediately sprinted to the location where Bill was being rescued.

Bill was covered in wounds, but fortunately none were life-threatening.

The second-generation children, seemingly under hypnosis, remained unconscious. But Bill was different.

Bill opened his eyes slightly and stared at Carter.

Seeing this, Carter urgently spoke,

“Captain of the Royal Guard, what happened here?”

“Count Atreus… cough… has appeared in the Karua Empire. I tried to capture him… ugh… but he collapsed the mansion and escaped.”

Bill no longer shielded Ascan. Their meeting had made it clear their paths had diverged.

He had no intention of stopping the world’s destruction. To achieve that, he first needed to regain Helsion’s trust.

The best method was to capture Ascan and hand him over.

Carter’s expression changed. He had secretly suspected Bill, but witnessing this situation, he now believed in him.

“Understood. First, get your wounds treated. I’ll report to His Majesty. And don’t worry—I won’t let Count Atreus escape.”

“Yes, I leave it to you, Commander.”

Bill entrusted the rest to Carter and closed his eyes, his expression more relaxed than before.

Having learned the full story, Carter sprang to his feet. He immediately summoned the fastest soldier and sent word to the Imperial Palace.

“Tell His Majesty: Count Atreus has appeared in the Karua Empire. This time, I swear I will capture him and return. Tell him to wait.”

“Understood!”

But Carter didn’t stop there. He immediately called soldiers and issued orders.

“Announce to all ports and borders: Traitor Count Atreus has been confirmed present. From this moment, not even a single rat must be allowed to escape the Karua Empire.”

The sight of countless soldiers bowing simultaneously was spectacular. Just seeing them made it clear they were exceptionally well-trained.

Although emergency orders had already been issued to all ports and borders, now that Ascan’s presence was confirmed, no one could leave the Karua Empire.

Just then, a soldier who had been conducting interrogations and searches nearby rushed in.

“Huff, huff, Commander—I found someone who saw a group escaping this area!”

“Where did they go?”

“I don’t know their destination, but witnesses say they avoided crowded streets and headed into the mountain paths.”

Anyone fleeing would naturally avoid witnesses and head toward secluded areas.

Human eyes were dangerous. If they continued interrogating witnesses like this, they would eventually pinpoint Ascan’s location.

“Move out! Track their escape route and mobilize the troops. This time, we absolutely cannot let them escape!”

The massive military force surrounding the collapsed mansion mobilized once again. The disciplined soldiers’ formation was so impressive it would make anyone tremble with fear.

In fact, the number of troops dispatched was so enormous it was hard to believe they were sent just to capture one man, Ascan.

It clearly showed just how desperately Helsion wanted to capture him.

Clack clack clack—just as countless soldiers moved in perfect unison like a single entity,

Paaaaaang!

Suddenly, an explosion erupted near the mountains.

Faced with this unexpected situation, Carter quickly instructed his soldiers,

“Hurry! There might be combat ahead!”

“Yes, Commander!”

Many witnesses had reported seeing Ascan heading toward the mountain path. Now, with an explosion occurring nearby, it was highly probable that the searching troops had engaged in battle.

Carter immediately headed toward the explosion site. This time, he was determined to capture Ascan and avenge his past humiliation.

But when he finally arrived at the explosion site, Ascan was nowhere to be seen.

Carter questioned the soldier closest to the explosion point,

“What exactly happened here?”

“We also don’t know why the explosion suddenly occurred, Commander.”

“So it’s unrelated to Count Atreus?”

“Yes. We were searching the area when this happened.”

It made no sense.

Normally, bombs were used to destroy enemies.

Yet this felt more like a flare—announcing, “I’m right here!”

‘Oh no!’

At that thought, Carter realized something.

The reason for detonating the bomb here was to lure him.

It was only natural for troops to head toward the explosion site. And suspicion of additional explosives would slow their advance.

‘Could all this have been just to buy time?’

But one thing remained inexplicable.

Even if it was a time bomb, no one could precisely calculate Carter’s movement timing.

Unless someone was watching and manually triggered it, it made no sense for the bomb to explode at such a perfectly timed moment.

But how…?

‘Could Lady Brellof have developed something new? Something that detects human presence, perhaps?’

He had never heard of such a bomb before. But if anyone could make it possible, it would be Tanashia Brellof—the continent’s greatest arms dealer and magical engineering genius.

Carter frowned as he recalled Tanashia’s face, which he had seen only once.

She was no ordinary person.

‘Think. It’s certain they passed through here.’

Many people had witnessed Ascan. It was impossible for so many to conspire and lie in unison.

This was the capital of the Karua Empire. The borders were quite far away, so unless they fled by sea, they couldn’t leave within a short time.

Therefore, the reason for buying time was obvious.

Ascan undoubtedly intended to escape by ship.

“Is there a port nearby?”

At Carter’s question, his deputy beside him bowed his head and answered,

“Yes. There is a port nearby.”

“There! Count Atreus must be there. Cease the search and move at maximum speed.”

“Understood!”

Thus, the troops rapidly headed toward the port.

Normally, Carter’s orders had already been transmitted to all ports and borders, making escape impossible. Yet his uneasy feeling wouldn’t subside.

Just as Carter arrived at the port,

Kuuuuung!

Yet another tremendous explosion erupted, engulfing the large port in flames.

In the distance, Carter spotted a single ship sailing across the sea.

On the deck, a man and a woman were gazing back toward him, just as Carter was.

Though the distance made their faces indistinct, Carter instinctively knew they were Ascan and Tanashia.

Carter quickly shouted to the port’s supervisor,

“Launch a ship immediately! We must catch them!”

“C-Commander, I’m sorry, but all ships have been burned—we can’t pursue them.”

“Damn it! Quickly contact other ports!”

At Carter’s furious command, soldiers scrambled into action.

But deep down, Carter knew it was already too late to chase the ship carrying Tanashia and Ascan, which had already set sail.

As Carter glared at the departing ship with resentful eyes,

The woman standing on the deck waved her hand, bidding farewell.

It was Tanashia.

Overwhelmed by uncontrollable rage, Carter clenched his teeth so hard a faint grinding sound could be heard.