A disturbance had spread throughout Ravine City.
The reason? Someone of high standing in the city had been assassinated — a man well-known for his kindness, a person whose reputation had always remained untarnished in the public eye.
What made the incident even more shocking was the bold message the assassin had left behind, written in the victim's blood:
"We work in the darkness to serve the light."
The audacity of it caused a massive public outcry. The man the people admired and respected had been murdered, and yet the killer dared to justify the act as if it were righteous.
How bold. How audacious!
Citizens poured into the streets in protest, demanding justice and insisting that the City Lord capture the assassin immediately.
Even the students of Evigheden Academy almost got implicated, as the assassination occurred shortly after their arrival.
With the riots growing, the City Lord became even busier trying to appease the furious masses.
When Yuna heard about the message left behind by the assassin, her face turned pale—but since her complexion was already ghostly white, no one noticed.
"We work in the darkness to serve the light."
What the fuck does those assasin mean?????
Those were her exact words during her conversation with that assassin back then.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
Yuna fervently prayed she wouldn't get dragged into the incident. Her nights became restless and filled with unease.
One evening, she happened to overhear the City Lord muttering to himself.
He was alone in his office, and Yuna had originally gone to discuss the welfare of the villages under his jurisdiction. If not for her sharp hearing—and her habit of paying attention to what the City Lord was doing—she wouldn't have caught his words.
"Why couldn't the assassin act a little later? Acting now, when I'm already so busy…"
He sighed. "That old bastard's finally been taken care of, but this really isn't the best time. Alive, he was a nuisance; dead, he's still a nuisance."
Borris exhaled heavily, rubbing his face in frustration.
Those nobles were working behind the scenes, fanning the flames — and their motive is clear. They're afraid of the assassin and want to force the Empire to take action. This movement isn't really about seeking justice for that old bastard; it's about protecting themselves and serving their own interests. They're trying to escalate the incident, using the large-scale projection of Evigheden Academy to draw the Emperor's attention. What an annoying mess.
Yuna froze outside the study room.
Alright—so it was confirmed. The man who'd been assassinated must have been rotten on the inside despite his saintly public image.
How did she come to that conclusion? Because the Ravine City Lord, as far as she knew, was a morally sound man. Celeste had told her that—she was well-connected with the nobility and had a good sense of character. Yuna couldn't say for sure that Lord Borris was a good man, but he certainly wasn't a bad one.
So if he badmouthed the deceased, that meant the man had truly been corrupt—someone Borris had long wanted to deal with quietly without provoking public outrage.
In other words, the assassin had done him a favor… just at the wrong time.
What a juicy bit of gossip.
Yuna lingered for a moment before knocking on the door.
Lord Borris looked up as she entered, offering a polite smile. Behind her, a small floating drone followed silently.
"Anything I can help you with, Miss Yuna?" he asked.
"Nothing much," Yuna replied. "I just wanted to ask—how will the villages be handled if the barrier fails?"
"Yes," Borris said, rubbing his temple, "we're currently working on setting up refugee camps to transport villagers into the city if the barrier ever collapses. We're also preparing means of transportation—"
"There are too many people," Yuna interrupted. "I don't think there will be enough transport."
Lord Borris sighed. "That's true."
It was a serious dilemma. But they couldn't stop their work.
The city didn't have enough mana stones or mages to construct and maintain another barrier. Even the city's remaining mana stones could only last for three to four months at most.
Yuna left the study room with a worried expression.
Even in a fantasy world, things weren't so easily solved. And although she was a transmigrator, she didn't have any genius-level management skills or some convenient system to guide her.
She wondered how Austin, her fellow transmigrator, was doing. Opening the projection, she expected to see him—but instead, only Enyo's image appeared.
Shaking her head, Yuna decided to head toward her classmates, who were assisting the knights. But as luck would have it, she ran into the one person she least wanted to see right now.
Aria.
Goddamn it!
"Ah… Yuna!"
Yuna pretended not to hear, continuing to walk as if Aria didn't exist. Unfortunately, Aria called out again, and Yuna had no choice but to turn around and reluctantly acknowledge her.
"I was taking on an adventurer job—escorting goods to the City Lord's mansion," Aria said brightly.
"I see." Yuna blinked. 'Well, I really didn't need to know that'.
"I don't want to hold you up, so I'll take my leave," Yuna said quickly.
"No, no—it's fine! I was just heading back anyway, since I finished my delivery." Aria waved her hand cheerfully.
"I see."
And just like that, Aria fell into step beside her.
Yuna wanted nothing more than to bolt out of the situation, but she forced herself to walk calmly. Aria did most of the talking, and Yuna only responded perfunctorily whenever silence stretched too long.
Just when Yuna was starting to relax, Aria suddenly brought up the one topic she least wanted to hear about.
"What do you think about the assassin's actions?"
Yuna blinked, pretending confusion. "Pardon?"
Unfazed, Aria repeated her question.
Girl, do you really have to do this? What have I ever done to you?
Why ask something so sensitive in public? Are you trying to get me impaled?!
Yuna internally cried out in despair, feeling her soul leave her body.
"I think…" she began weakly, her lips trembling under Aria's intense stare. "…the light will be revealed."
Whatever that meant.
Even Yuna didn't know what nonsense she had just said. But to her horror, Aria's eyes lit up with conviction.
"Yes, the light will be revealed!" Aria repeated firmly, nodding as if her faith had been renewed.
Yuna silently escorted her to the gate not daring to add any more word. The angry crowd's chants echoed through the air as they neared the gate.
"Out with the assassin!"
"The rat should be hunted!"
"Disgusting assassin!"
All sorts of insults were hurled at the unknown killer.
What an unpleasant chorus.
Aria, however, smiled blissfully, seemingly deaf to the uproar, before waving goodbye and leaving through the gate.
Yuna watched her retreating figure, then turned away, walking back to the apothecary quarters in silence. Her mood—completely incomprehensible.
....
Meanwhile, on the other side of the city, Austin watched Yuna's back as she disappeared into the distance.
A low, incomprehensible laugh slipped from his lips, soft and mirthless.
He still remembered how she had once accepted the messenger's role for those assassins.
Greedy girl.
She already had him—his attention, his devotion, his world—and yet she still couldn't stay still. Always walking around, always drawing eyes, attracting all sorts of wild things as if it were her nature.
Back in the village, it had been tolerable. There weren't many people there worth coveting her. But outside… she drew attention like a flame in the dark, and every moth that approached made something deep within him twist tighter.
What could he do about the girl who he cares deeply?
He could only indulge her. Watch her, protect her, control what he could. Control those things that she attracted.
Of course, not without ensuring that he was the most special one.
He could overlook her small kindnesses toward others, so long as they meant nothing—so long as every glance, every thought, eventually came back to him. He seemed to be very special toward her. Whatever the reason might be, he didn't care.
And if someone ever took more than what he allowed—if anyone dared to occupy even a fraction of the place she gave him—
His fingers brushed the hilt of his sword.
A soft, tranquil smile curved his lips, cold and tender all at once.
Then he would simply take back what was his.
Even if it meant tearing the whole world apart to do it.