We took our seats across from Chief Anton's desk. In the past, his workspace was practically buried under mountains of precarious ledgers and endless stacks of military paperwork. Now, following the post-explosion renovation, the office was significantly wider, bathed in warm natural light, and meticulously organized.
Chief Anton dipped his quill into a dark glass inkwell, setting it aside as he leaned forward, resting his hands over a neat folder.
"Greetings, Eirene. Welcome back," Anton said, gesturing toward the plush wooden chairs. "All four of you, sit, sit, sit. I assume you're here regarding your assignment. Seeing as Grand Mage Catherine is right there beside you, I take it you completed the extraction? Tell me... did you hunt down the demon responsible for the mage assassinations?"
We settled into the chairs, Chris keeping his crystallized daughter rested gently against his knee while Patricia stood poised beside Catherine. I leaned back, my expression flat as I tucked my hands under my canvas cloak.
"The demon got away," I replied, my voice steady. "We had a fierce battle in the ruins of Lulu City, and then... the city itself..."
I trailed off deliberately.
"Ah... Lulu City," Anton cut in with a heavy, troubled sigh, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Yes. That city has completely fallen to the plague, hasn't it? We first caught wind of the situation when nearly half of Caria's coastal seafood supplies vanished overnight. Lulu City being our primary maritime trade hub, the total silence was alarming. Then the refugee rumors started...horrific stories about locals tearing each other apart. We sent scouts to investigate the perimeter and confirmed the containment breach immediately."
Anton flipped open a classified document on his desk, his eyes scanning the freshly inked reports.
"As of this morning, we've established a strict military quarantine across a hundred-mile radius surrounding Lulu City," Anton continued, tapping his quill against the parchment. "Several heavy checkpoints have been set up along the main roads, fully garrisoned and led by the newly recruited Branch 2 affiliation."
He turned the page, his expression darkening as he looked between me, Patricia, and Chris.
"Joint intelligence from both the Luminous Knights and the Capital Knights confirms that this virus originated directly from the Demon Continent. The reports classify these calcified abominations as Nightwalkers...an unnatural, corrupted mirror version of standard magic beasts found in Andromeda, but far more cruel, mindless, and contagious."
Anton closed the folder with a firm thud, his sharp gaze locking onto mine.
"So, Eirene... are you saying that the very same demon assassin targeting our high-ranking mages to break the Savior's summoning circle was the one who unleashed this Nightwalker outbreak on Lulu City?"
"Certainly," I replied, my voice dropping into an icy deadpan. "He laced the virus directly into the city's grain supply, letting it spread like wildfire before anyone even realized what was happening."
Patricia stepped forward, her iron gauntlet slamming against her chestplate as her voice filled the office with righteous outrage. "Yes! That demon is utterly despicable! He didn't just kidnap Grand Mage Catherine...he ambushed Eirene and bit her right arm and we cut it off! He boasted openly about ascending to become the next Archdemon of Pride. He is pure, unadulterated evil!"
I pulled back my canvas cloak slightly, revealing the bandages wrapping the stump of my right arm.
"It's true," I said, my single eye narrowing. "I lost my arm to him, and I know his face all too well. His name is Edrie Collon...my former rival back during my days in Town Allure. He was human once, but when I left him at the brink of death, he transformed into one of those 'Nightwalkers' and embraced the demon path. He sought forbidden power specifically to claim my head. He holds a massive personal vendetta against me, and he's using this continental crisis to settle it."
Chief Anton leaned back in his leather chair, his face turning pale as he absorbed the name. "An Archdemon... I see."
The Archdemons were the absolute supreme rulers of the Demon Continent. Throughout history, there were strictly eight Archdemons at any given time, each embodying one of the eight deadly sins: Pride, Greed, Lust, Sloth, Gluttony, Sadness, Wrath, and Envy. A single Archdemon possessed enough raw, apocalyptic power to rewrite the borders of an entire realm.
Anton tapped his desk with a heavy, trembling finger, looking down at the classified map of Andromeda. "If this Edrie is genuinely ascending to the seat of Pride, he is a catastrophic threat to our lands. To infect an entire city just to test his power and draw you out..." He shook his head grimly. "We aren't just dealing with a rogue assassin anymore. We're facing the rise of a demon lord."
"Not just behind all of it," I replied to Anton's assessment, my voice flat and sharp. "Edrie is actively feeding the fire to draw me out."
Before Anton could answer, the crystallized shell covering Lukreia suddenly groaned.
CRACK!
A web of deep fractures snapped across the blue crystal structure resting in Chris's arms. The outer casing around her chest shattered into dust, though the thick crystal bindings around her jaw, arms, and lower body remained tightly locked in place. Lukreia let out a muffled, thrashing gasp, her milky, infected eyes rolling in her socket.
Chris instinctively tightened his heavy grip around his daughter, holding her close to his chest to keep her still. "I've got you, Lukreia... easy, quiet down..."
Anton didn't even flinch. He sat calmly at his desk, casually adjusting his spectacles as he watched the blue crystal pieces hit the floor.
"Well," Anton said softly, his voice completely devoid of panic. "It seems you've brought a live specimen straight into my office. Should we execute it? The research department has been asking for a fresh test subject..."
"She is my daughter!" Chris barked back, his rough voice echoing off the wide office walls as he glared at the Chief. "She was infected by the virus! The entire reason we fought our way to Caria City was to find a cure for her!"
Anton looked at Chris for a long moment, scanning the jagged scars across his face and his single blind eye.
"Ah... so you're the newly elected governor," Anton mused, tapping his desk. "Chris Ratt. It's quite the irony seeing you here. I heard reports of a former inmate and dynamite vendor rising to become a great political leader in Lulu City. You've certainly made quite a name for yourself."
Watching Chris hold his daughter, a heavy thought settled into my mind.
A butterfly flapping its wings in one place can cause a massive storm across an ocean thousands of miles away. A single, tiny shift in the original conditions can completely rewrite the future.
Ever since I chose the path of a ruthless bounty hunter and survived trauma after trauma, the world around me had drifted into a completely different trajectory. Back when I was just a powerless, quiet appraiser in Town Allure, I was constantly left behind by my siblings and everyone else. Back then, I was nobody.
If I had never become a bounty hunter, I would have never met Chris in that dark shop, bought his blue mana dynamite, or used his intel to break out of the Citadel. Without my intervention, he would have never risen to become the ruler of Lulu City. We wouldn't even be standing in this office together. But because I changed his fate, he became a governor...and my old rival Edrie unleashed a horrific outbreak across his entire city just to settle a personal vendetta with me.
Every choice I made was like a butterfly's wings, indirectly shattering and reshaping everything around me. Chris becoming governor was just the very first symptom.
"Is there any way to save my daughter?" Chris pleaded, bringing my focus back to the room. "You have the highest authority in this region. You must have advanced healers who can clear this!"
Anton sighed, shaking his head gently. "Standard holy healing magic won't work on a corrupted, calcifying strain like this. However... there is one specific tier of healing magic capable of cleansing any disease or virus instantly. Though whether you can call it a simple cure is another story."
Divine Regeneration, I thought immediately. It was an impossibly rare human skill...census records estimated only one person in a billion was ever born with it. Anyone who possessed it held absolute authority and power in the religious and medical world.
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!
A sharp knock echoed at the heavy oak doors before Chief Anton could explain further.
Sydney pushed the door open, stepping aside with a nervous bow. "Excuse me, Chief Anton... she's here."
A tall, striking woman stepped past the threshold into the wide office. She had long, shimmering silver hair, brilliant crimson eyes, and wore layered, pure white robes that looked like a blend between a high priestess and a master healer. Clutched in her right hand was a massive, ornate staff.
My heart skipped a beat.
It was Big Sister Elicia!