Altair was jolted awake by the loud shout of a soldier and the clamor of people stirring. For a moment, he was disoriented.
His neck ached—he had fallen asleep sitting upright. Groaning softly, he massaged the sore muscles at his nape and rolled his head from side to side. Around him, people were already rising from the floor.
"Brother, what happened? Why is everyone getting up?" he asked the man beside him.
The man was a fellow prisoner, but he appeared far more refined than the others. His neat clothes and composed demeanor made Altair think he might have once been an official who committed some crime.
"We've been ordered to get out. The attack's over. The town won," the man replied simply, turning his head away.
Altair paused. It's done? That's great. Relief bloomed in his chest. He had believed the government could withstand the assault—and they had. With the danger passed, he could finally leave this town. He just hoped nothing else went wrong.
They were led in an orderly line to another building, since the prison had been destroyed in the chaos.
Altair rubbed his nose, a flicker of guilt crossing his face when their escort mentioned the prison had burned down.
His mind drifted to the events of the previous night. Fortunately, the incident hadn't affected the outcome of the battle. He had feared his actions might have thrown everything into disarray.
He was also relieved that the incident hadn't led back to him. I killed an Awakened... and destroyed the prison. Surely the town would investigate, but for now, it seemed he had escaped suspicion.
Despite the regrets, he couldn't deny what he had gained.
He had managed to kill an Awakened—and earned 500 kill points in an instant. Combined with the few he'd collected before, he now had 520 points. Only 480 more and he could purchase an ability. The unexpected conflict had turned into an opportunity.
Killing small animals had netted him a mere five points. When he took down the bandits, he got twenty. But an Awakened? Five hundred. The leap in value was staggering.
His losses—his tools and supplies—were worth it for this reward.
As their group emerged into the open, the town square came into view. It was buzzing with activity. Injured people were kneeling on the cobbled ground, bound and surrounded by soldiers. Judging by their torn clothes and battered expressions, Altair immediately recognized them as captured bandits.
So they caught them. That was good.
Citizens crowded around the square, pointing and murmuring. Some hurled curses. Others watched in grim satisfaction. These bandits had long been enemies of the people—raiding villages, hurting innocents. For many, this was justice.
Soldiers stood with weary postures, their faces shadowed by exhaustion, but there was unmistakable relief in their eyes. The air still smelled of smoke and sweat, but the battle was done.
Altair finally let himself breathe. The building they were taken to was one of the soldiers' training halls. There were guards stationed at the doors, but they were provided food and shelter inside.
As he ate, Altair thought of the children. I never got to tell them I wouldn't return. He hoped they weren't too worried.
—
Inside the town hall, a meeting was underway.
The mayor, key officials, warriors, and even the stunned Austin and Gracey were present. They sat around a long wooden table, the atmosphere heavy despite the victory.
Discussions were already underway regarding the aftermath of the attack.
Surprisingly, everything ended smoothly. All the Rust had been killed. The bandits, though fierce, had been defeated and captured.
"…After we subjected Hando to interrogation, he finally spoke," Captain Yumir reported, standing straight with a paper in hand. "He confessed that there was an Awakened among them named Carson, who was supposedly their leader. Elric had secretly brought him into the town to facilitate their plans. According to Hando, Carson was powerful enough to take down five Awakened warriors on his own."
Gasps and murmurs rippled through the room.
"One person can take down five?" someone muttered.
"That's not unheard of," another said. "Reports from Lantia Town in the South spoke of two individuals who managed to kill twelve Awakened warriors by themselves."
"But Captain Yumir," an official interjected, brows furrowed, "Where is this person? Why didn't he appear during the battle?"
The mayor raised his hand, silencing the room. "Let Captain Yumir finish his report."
The captain nodded in thanks and continued.
"Hando said the plan was to attack from the outside using the Rust. Meanwhile, Carson was to eliminate or at least stall our Awakened warriors inside the town. That would've allowed the Rust to breach the gates unhindered. But Carson never appeared. Based on what we know, I suspect this man is the unidentified corpse found in the burned prison."
"That would make sense," the mayor said thoughtfully. "If he was indeed Carson, and he was killed early, then their entire plan collapsed before it began."
Hanti nodded. "That would explain how things ended so quickly. They must have placed their hopes on him. Without him, their strategy was flawed from the start."
"If that's truly what happened, then… that's hilarious," Grayson chuckled, earning a sharp glare from Thilde beside him.
"What? Don't you think so? It also explains why everything went so smoothly for us. We should be thanking whoever killed him."
Thilde's glare intensified, and Grayson raised both hands in surrender.
"Okay, okay, I'll shut up now."
Austin, who had been quietly listening, suddenly spoke. "Carson… that name is associated with the Dawn Order. I've gathered information on their members—they're indeed extremely dangerous. And now you're telling me someone managed to kill him? Although what they did saved us lives, we still didn't know their motives for doing this."
Thilde nodded. "Yes. We were near the prison when it happened. The person who killed him seemed to be a fire-user. They blew up the entire building."
Austin turned to the mayor. "Do you have any leads?"
The mayor hesitated, then looked to the official beside him. The man nodded at him and answered.
"Before the attack, we had already determined that Vice Mayor Elric was leaking information to the Dawn Order," the official explained. "The mayor placed him under house arrest. After the prison incident, we kept him under close surveillance. When the battle broke out, he attempted to flee, but we managed to apprehend him. We tried to interrogate him, but he remained silent. Just before we could resort to force, he suffered a heart attack and died."
Captain Rither crossed his arms, frowning. "He died? Are you sure he wasn't silenced? Any signs that someone got to him?"
The official shook his head and smiled bitterly. "Unlikely. When we first questioned him, he remained silent—almost as if he still believed there was a chance he could be saved. But when he heard that the town had survived and the bandits had failed, something in him snapped. He started muttering, 'It's all because of him,' over and over. He was furious, full of hostility. It seemed he knew that person. When we pressed him on who he meant, he suddenly suffered a stroke—likely from the sheer rage."
Silence.
The mayor sighed. "So we have no definitive leads. But from Elric's words, we can at least confirm the killer was a man."
Tanti frowned. "That makes it difficult. While this person may have killed a dangerous member of the Dawn Order, we don't know if he belongs to another organization—or if he's even on our side. Until we confirm his motives, we must consider him a potential threat."
"Agreed," Thilde said.
Gracey turned to her. "You didn't see anything?"
Thilde shook her head. "No. There were no signs of a struggle. It was as if the man was killed in a single instant. Swift and clean. All we know is that the attacker used fire."
"Then why the prison?" someone asked. "Of all places, why meet there?"
Thilde frowned. "That's still unclear. The prison was empty at the time. There's nothing to suggest why they were there. We're guessing that Carson may have known the attacker and arranged a meeting… but didn't expect to be killed."
Tanti interjected. "That's just speculation for now. We need to keep investigating. More importantly, we should prepare for the Dawn Order's response. They won't take this defeat lightly."
Everyone nodded grimly. The battle was over—but the war might just be beginning.