Ch.75Afterglow

# 1.

With Dallan’s hasty departure, silence fell over the Black Wolf’s hideout.

Peter, who had been teaching Yuria,

Casler, who had been muttering about his cold heart,

The quietly giggling Hanryang and Luna,

Even Yuria, who had maintained her cheerfulness throughout her time with the Black Wolf.

Everyone remained frozen, unable to even swallow their saliva as they maintained their silence.

The reason was simple.

“……”

Their leader, the Black Wolf, was leaning against the darkness in silence.

Dallan’s action was a form of insubordination.

He had rushed out before the Black Wolf could give an order and acted on his own.

How dare he forget the grace of salvation and endanger the captain’s life.

On the day the captain brought Ruby in, hadn’t they all gathered and sworn?

If anyone were to put the captain in danger, they would take that person’s life without hesitation.

So the members thought:

‘We must find Dallan first, destroy the contract, and kill him.’

And if.

If Dallan died while still bound by the contract before they could find him, causing the captain’s demise.

They would destroy this world without a trace, just as they had done before being saved by the captain.

The same applied to the other members.

Dallan who ran off on his own,

Ruby who was captured by Eclipse,

And themselves who were still safe.

They were still maintaining the constraints of the <Black Wolf> because the captain had asked them to, but if a situation arose where death was inevitable.

They would first destroy the contract, and then ensure the captain’s life was protected at all costs.

‘So if Dallan and Ruby are in danger, prioritize rescue, but if that’s not possible, forcibly break the contract and kill them.’

Of course, there were reports that Lactea was also in battle with the entire <Light> group, but,

‘Worry about those who need worrying.’

Rather than worrying about her, it would be more practical to worry about the sky falling.

With renewed determination, the members quietly turned their heads to look at the Black Wolf.

Their gazes revealed a resolve to perfectly execute whatever orders might be given.

Regardless,

Nahan reviewed the situation once more and let out a deep sigh.

‘Ruby is captured by Eclipse, Dallan escaped to save her, and Lactea is in battle with Light.’

If the operation fails, game over.

If Ruby and Dallan die, game over.

If the hero dies, game over.

Even Lactea, who was essentially the penultimate boss, was someone who couldn’t die right now.

‘This is driving me crazy, seriously.’

Nahan’s head throbbed at the sudden and steep increase in difficulty.

‘There are solutions.’

Rescue Ruby.

Stop Light and Lactea.

Kill the last noble who hasn’t been eliminated yet.

Of course, there was still no answer to the question of ‘how to solve it?’

‘…No. Don’t panic, take it one step at a time.’

Nahan mulled over Lactea’s report.

Ruby’s capture,

The battle between Light and Lactea,

Eliminating the last remaining noble.

‘Honestly, if all the Black Wolf members moved out, we could end this easily.’

But the aftermath was the problem.

What would happen if the enhanced power of the <Black Wolf> was revealed now?

First, Light would be demoralized.

The current <Black Wolf> was merely hiding its strength; if he, the Black Wolf, was included, <Light> would crumble before they could even draw their swords.

A protagonist and his party with broken spirits.

For Nahan, who needed to save the hero and the emperor, this was a situation that had to be avoided at all costs.

‘And what about Eclipse?’

They were already hiding and moving in underhanded ways, but what if they realized that the <Black Wolf>’s power far exceeded their expectations?

‘They would hide even more.’

It might take years, even decades, to expose and find them again.

For Nahan, who wanted to resolve everything and return as soon as possible, additional decades of work was not what he desired.

‘I need to face them just enough to make them think they have a chance.’

Unlike his earlier concerns about how to solve the problems, now he had to worry about how to conceal their strength.

‘Both I and the Black Wolf have grown differently from the <original work>.’

Nahan savored the bittersweet emotion as he continued his thoughts.

‘In any case, rescuing Ruby, stopping the battle between Light and Lactea, and eliminating the last remaining noble.’

It was clear that everything needed to be resolved as discreetly as possible, while appearing manageable.

‘I need to borrow the strength of the members.’

Realizing it was impossible to do alone, after a moment’s consideration, he spoke.

First,

For the role of rescuing Ruby,

“Peter. Go rescue Ruby and Dallan.”

To Peter, the first member of the Black Wolf with the ability to break faith.

“If Ruby or Dallan are in danger, you may release your constraints and use all your power, but if not, use only enough strength to match your opponent.”

“Yes, Captain.”

As soon as the order was given, Peter smiled again and disappeared from the hideout.

Next was stopping the battle between Light and Lactea.

‘I’ll take care of this myself.’

Light, the second most dangerous group after Eclipse.

While the entire strength of the Black Wolf overwhelmed Light’s total power, when comparing individual members, they were roughly equal.

Sending members unnecessarily could lead to losses on either side if things went wrong.

‘I’ll intervene as Ian Red and stop them.’

Light would listen to Ian Red’s words, and if necessary, he could reveal to Lactea that Ian Red was actually the Black Wolf.

And finally, the third task.

Assassinating Count Valentine, the last survivor on the Emperor’s purge list.

‘Given that the commotion occurred in Count Valentine’s territory, he’s likely already noticed and fled.’

As a high-ranking noble, he would be skilled at covering his tracks, and both his personal combat ability and that of his knight escorts would not be insignificant.

‘A member skilled in tracking and assassination, and strong enough to return alive even if discovered and forced into open combat.’

Nahan picked up a paper with Duran Valentine’s personal information and handed it to one member.

The Black Wolf’s exceptional assassin.

A skilled operative who had followed the hero’s party <Light> throughout their expedition without being detected.

Though he had not spoken a single word in the <original work>, his name alone evoked a sense of dread.

“Take care of it, Casler.”

The tall, blonde man with shimmering blue eyes accepted the paper.

“Ah… it’s been a while. A bloody night where I can indulge in fresh blood, drifting through the thick scent of blood with a cold heart.”

“Enough. Depart immediately.”

“……Yes, Captain.”

There was a brief commotion, but with this, the three major problems were addressed.

What remained was,

‘Preparing for any contingency to ensure the Emperor doesn’t die.’

Nahan gave orders to the remaining members, Hanryang, Luna, and Yuria.

“Hanryang and Luna, move to Duke Hallorand’s territory immediately and keep watch.”

“Yes, Captain.”

“Yes, Captain! Let’s pack our things and go, Hanryang!”

While Luna was gathering some snacks, Nahan beckoned to Yuria.

Moving to a place where they could be alone, he quietly spoke.

“Yuria. You will take care of the Emperor.”

“I’ll kill him!”

“…No, that’s not it. You will take care of the Emperor.”

“Oh, punishment! Should I punish him and come back!?”

“……”

Is this what Peter would be like if he were a woman?

“I learned well from the Senior Punisher! That bad guys shouldn’t just be hurt! I should punish them at their eye level, in the way that would torment them the most…!!”

“……”

Possession.

I absolutely must not be discovered.

“…That’s not the order.”

“Huh? Then what?”

Nahan looked directly into Yuria’s eyes, which sparkled with holy power, and firmly commanded.

“Protect the Emperor.”

“……Ugh.”

Her expression immediately crumpled.

“It’s more fun to tear apart bad guys… but the captain’s orders… ah, I should have gone with the Senior Punisher… if he says do it, I have to do it……”

Yuria nodded reluctantly, making it very clear she didn’t want to do it.

“…I don’t want to… no, I mean… Yes, Captain. Leave it to me…”

“…Alright.”

Perhaps because she was the newest member, she had a stronger sense of self compared to the other members.

‘Well, her skills are solid, so it’s fine.’

The Saint of Massacre who appeared in the <original work>.

The Bloody Saint who would silently massacre anyone who had committed even the smallest sin, as long as their mercenary group had <Black> in its name.

The <Black> Wolf was also her target, and after joining ‘Light’, she tormented the Black Wolf until they were on the brink of death.

Ironically, most of her powers as a saint were healing, but,

“…If I repeat killing and reviving… as the Senior Punisher said, education at eye level…”

For her targets, it only meant prolonged nightmarish experiences.

‘Anyway, with this, the plan is set.’

Now all that remained was to ensure the success of all three tasks.

‘Let’s go.’

Six remaining bad endings.

Once those were resolved, he could either fulfill his dream here or return to his original world.

【Main Scenario – <Those Who Were Not Saved> in progress… (Black Wolf – 3/10)】

The remaining seven members,

The hero and the emperor,

And all the other characters as well, he would save them all.

‘Let’s succeed cleanly.’

…But.

‘Luna, Hanryang, the Saint… the remaining members…’

Weren’t there only 9 members of the Black Wolf in total, including the Black Wolf himself?

# 2.

Dallan’s memories—appearing and fading as freely as he had lived.

Was it because he focused on momentary happiness?

Dallan tended to quickly forget memories that weren’t important to him.

But that didn’t mean he easily forgot all memories.

The green fields he had walked on,

The fresh, cool air of dawn,

The earthy scent of wet soil, and so on.

Dallan’s happiness was remembered through sensations, and when he encountered them again, they would overlap and resurface, like compound interest on his happiness.

Rose Red was the greatest happiness among Dallan’s joys, but ironically, those memories were colorless and odorless.

They had worn away.

Gradually eroded by the winds that had blown steadily over the long years, Dallan had eventually lost everything about her.

If he tried hard to recall, he could feel echoes of that time, but only for a brief moment.

They would slip away before he could grasp them, escaping through the gaps between his fingers.

So Dallan wished,

And wished again.

It might be impossible to meet you again, but if the chance ever came, he’d like to at least smell your scent.

Just as his memories became vivid when following scents and colors, memories of you would surely become clear again.

But…

But you know, Rose.

“Are you lost?”

“……What have you done to Ruby?”

This wasn’t how I wanted it to happen.

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【Warning.】

【The <Seed of Lingering Attachment> embedded in <Ruby Red(S+)> is blooming, nourished by sorrow.】