Ceres was attempting to cross the gates of Santamo’s castle.

‘I absolutely cannot fail this time.’

He had failed too many times before. Leon had been lenient so far, but if he failed again, he might not survive. Not that Ceres feared death.

‘I cannot forgive myself for hindering his grand vision, even in the slightest.’

It had been the same in Bahara, in Kaistein, and even in Cantum. Another failure would be a stain on his pride.

He had many responsibilities—overseeing the experiments of the Seven Sins, attending to Leon’s every need, and even acting as a close aide to the First Imperial Princess. And yet, he never once complained.

‘Lord Leon always pursues perfection.’

Soon, Leon would unite the two continents and rule over everything. To such a man, failure was unacceptable. Since the spies he had sent had already lost contact multiple times, he had no choice but to act personally.

“Stay sharp. From this point on, we enter the death zone.”

Ceres whispered to the assassins. They responded with silent nods.

Nod.

They intended to remain completely covert from this point onward. At Ceres’s signal, the assassins moved swiftly.

‘Now!’

Whoosh!

The assassins’ weapons struck the guards with deadly precision.

Kugh!

The guards on the walls died instantly, unable to utter a single cry. Even the sound of their bodies hitting the ground was silenced.

Slide.

As if anticipating this outcome, assassins hidden in the shadows caught the falling bodies and swiftly dragged them out of sight.

‘Move out.’

‘Yes, sir!’

With the guards dealt with, Ceres and his assassins crossed the walls and advanced toward the lord’s castle, their movements eerily silent.

Swoosh!

They were shadows in the night, undetectable even as they leaped from window to window. The villagers—closing their windows against the cold—never noticed a thing. Their infiltration was flawless. And yet, Ceres’s expression remained grim.

‘The defenses are stronger than expected… but not impenetrable.’

The spies he had previously sent were all elite operatives of the First Imperial Princess. There should have been no issue infiltrating Santamo under the guise of merchants. The fact that they had gone missing meant only one thing—they had been caught while working within the lord’s castle.

‘First, the prison. I need to find the spies.’

If captured, that was where they would be. He planned to meet them and assess the situation. Just as he was about to move—

A voice called out from above.

“Nice to see you again, Ceres.”

“Huh? Who just called my name?”

Ceres instinctively responded, but before he could react further—

A massive shadow loomed over him.

‘A shadow… on a moonlit night?’

The realization struck a split second too late.

His assassins shouted in alarm.

“Dodge it!”

BOOM!

A massive hammer came crashing down, obliterating several assassins in an instant.

Ceres barely avoided it—thanks to their sacrifice. Staggering backward, he stared in disbelief.

“You… you can’t be!”

He recognized his attacker.

Ian.

The young man smiled faintly.

“I didn’t think we’d meet again so soon. Nice to see you, Ceres.”

Ian’s expression made it clear—he had anticipated Leon’s subordinate’s arrival. Ceres clenched his teeth in frustration.

“How are you here again?”

“I got here first.”

“You’re always the problem! You never fail to interfere!”

“Maybe if you lived a better life, you wouldn’t have to deal with me so often.”

“What?”

“Isn’t that right? Sneaking around in the middle of the night doesn’t exactly look like you have good intentions, does it?”

“…”

Ceres was momentarily at a loss for words. He had come to rendezvous with his spies and eliminate the Seventh Prince, As. At the same time, he intended to trigger a full-scale conflict between the Second Prince and the First Imperial Princess for control over Santamo—an event that would awaken the Seven Sins.

‘How does he always know? How does he manage to interfere every single time?’

But that wasn’t even the worst of it. The fact that Ian was here, right at this moment, was the real problem. A cold sweat trickled down Ceres’s back.

‘Does this guy… know our plan? Is that why he always gets in the way?’

It was highly likely. Otherwise, how else could he intercept them so precisely every time? Gritting his teeth, Ceres barked out his command.

“Kill him! No matter what it takes—even if you have to use that—just kill him!”

“Yes, sir!”

At his order, the assassins’ aura shifted. Until now, they had blended seamlessly into the shadows, their presence barely perceptible. But now, an overwhelming killing intent radiated from them.

Ian smirked.

“But aren’t you forgetting something?”

“Hah. Don’t tell me you’re about to beg for your life.”

“Of course not. I’m just wondering… You went through all this effort to sneak in unnoticed. Don’t you think you’re being a little too reckless now?”

“What?”

“Did you forget whose land you’re standing on?”

Of course, this wasn’t Ian’s territory. But he was very close to the one who ruled it. And sure enough—

Fwoooosh!

Torches flared to life across the once-darkened castle. Flames from bonfires flared up, revealing soldiers who had been lying in wait.

“Assassins! Take them down!”

“Leave none alive!”

Spearmen closed in, while archers on the walls drew their bows. Ceres felt his vision spin.

“Th-This…!”

They had been caught. But there was no time to be stunned. Ian was already lowering his sword toward him.

The soldiers took that as a signal. Bowstrings drew taut. And with Ian’s next words—

“Fire.”

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

A relentless downpour of arrows filled the sky, blotting out the moonlight. The very fate the assassins had planned for As was now their own.

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

“Aaaargh!”

Ceres and his assassins were struck directly, their bodies riddled with arrows.

***

The barrage continued for some time. Eventually—

“Stop.”

At Ian’s command, the assault came to an end. By now, the Seventh Prince, As, had woken and was watching the scene unfold from a secure location. Ian strode forward nonchalantly, Nathan at his side.

“Stubborn bastard, isn’t he? Still clinging to life,” Nathan muttered.

“Well, he is Duke Garcia’s eldest son. It’d be disappointing if he died too easily,” Ian replied.

“And yet, even Garcia himself ultimately fell by your hand, Prince.”

“He’s not dead yet. It’s not over.”

Ian chuckled at Nathan’s remark. Before him, Ceres lay half-dead, arrows protruding from his body. With a subtle gesture, Ian signaled Nathan.

“Hey. Why don’t you get up already?”

“Ugh… ugh…”

Even when Nathan nudged him with his foot, Ceres couldn’t muster the strength to rise. Clicking his tongue, Nathan grabbed a fistful of Ceres’s hair and hoisted him up.

“Aaaargh!”

Ceres let out a tortured scream, his pain from the arrows intensifying as his hair was yanked. But Nathan’s grip remained rough, devoid of any reverence for the man who once belonged to the noble house he had served. As their eyes met, Ian spoke in a quiet, measured tone.

“Now, Ceres. Don’t you have anything to say to me? Like, perhaps, where Leon is? Give me his location, and I might just spare you.”

“Ugh… You bastard…”

Even as blood dripped from his wounds, Ceres glared at Ian with murderous intent. Then, as if coming to a final decision, he gritted his teeth and rasped—

“How… How did you know?”

“Know what?”

“That I would come here… How did you manage to disrupt our plans?”

Ian smirked. “I didn’t.”

“…What?”

“I was just planning to catch a few assassins. Who would’ve thought I’d end up reeling in a big catch like you?”

“…”

For a moment, Ceres was utterly dumbfounded. He had planned his plan meticulously. And yet, Ian was claiming this was mere coincidence? His face contorted with frustration. But that wasn’t the most pressing issue now.

“As I thought… you’re the one who will stand in the way of our grand plan.”

“Grand plan?” Ian scoffed. “I don’t think someone who abandoned their country and family has any right to speak about such things.”

“What meaning is there in a mere country or family?”

Ian frowned. “What?”

Ceres sneered.

“The continent will soon be united. All nations will fall under Lord Leon’s rule. When that happens, what value will countries or noble bloodlines hold?”

At those words, Ian’s lips curled into a grin.

“Ah, I see now. So your goal is continental unification?”

“What?”

“And the Seven Sins… they’re meant to help you achieve that, aren’t they? Now everything makes sense.”

“W-What are you talking about—”

“Thanks for confirming it for me,” Ian interrupted. “Now I have even more reason to stop you.”

Ian had also predicted it vaguely through a fortune teller—or rather, a mage disguised as one. Now, with certainty in his grasp, he could prepare even better countermeasures.

‘Maybe that mage is involved in all of this too.’

He had finally pieced together the identity of the restless spirits. And now that he knew—

‘All that’s left is to wipe them out.’

Meanwhile, Ceres stared at him in disbelief.

“You didn’t even know…? You were stopping us without knowing anything?”

He looked as though he had just realized he had given away critical information. But then, his gaze hardened.

“Even if I die here, I will make sure you die too.”

Ian smirked. “Oh? And how exactly do you plan on doing that? Do you even have the strength to move?”

Ceres was still dangling in Nathan’s grasp, his body riddled with arrows. His limbs barely twitched, and yet, despite his state, he managed to smile through bloodied lips.

“I don’t need much to kill you.”

At the same time, Ceres whistled sharply, using a small object hidden in his mouth.

Fweet!

A powerful high-frequency sound erupted, so intense that even the surrounding soldiers covered their ears and dropped their weapons. Ian and Nathan winced at the piercing noise.

Ian’s sharp gaze locked onto Ceres. “What did you do?”

Ceres let out a weak, sinister chuckle. “Hehehe… It’s the sound of the Grim Reaper coming for you.”

At that very moment—

Crackle.

The bodies of the fallen assassins began to convulse. Their muscles swelled grotesquely, their flesh stretching in unnatural ways.

Ian narrowed his eyes.

“Jealousy again? Didn’t you learn your lesson in Bahara?”

He recalled the barbarian warriors of Bahara, whose bodies had undergone similar monstrous transformations. But even they had been no match for his Patience. Ian didn’t hesitate.

“Who said I’d give you time to transform?”

Activating Patience, he swung his hammer in a powerful arc.

BOOM!

The earth shattered beneath the sheer force of his strike. Yet, as the dust settled, Ceres—still hanging in Nathan’s grip—let out a low, mocking laugh.

“This time will be different,” he sneered. “These guys are special.”

Ian’s expression darkened. “What?”

“Jealousy and Patience don’t mix well, so I… made some improvements.”

He wasn’t bluffing. The assassins who had taken direct hits from Ian’s devastating attack remained standing, completely unscathed. Worse still, their transformation continued without a single sign of injury.

Growl.

The monstrous figures swelling with rage weren’t ordinary warriors of Jealousy anymore. They had been fused with another of the Seven Sins.

Ceres curled his lips into a smug grin.

“A perfect fusion of Jealousy and Fury.”

Ian’s Patience alone wouldn’t be enough to stop them. And countering them with Faith would be just as tricky.

Ceres coughed up blood but still managed to smirk through the pain.

“I won’t stop—not until I kill you and everyone here… Kugh…”

Even as his life slipped away, his expression remained triumphant. His mission was complete.

“Now, die with me, Seventh Prince. All for Lord Leon.”

But then—

Ian smiled.

“If this is all you’ve got, I’m disappointed.”

Ceres’ grin wavered. “What?”

“Who said Patience is my only power?”

He didn’t need to rely on Faith. Using the power of the Seven Sins wasn’t the only path available to him—he had another power.

Woong!

A shimmering, radiant light enveloped Ian’s body.

Ceres’ eyes widened in shock. “W-What on earth is that?!”

It wasn’t just the white glow of Patience—there was another color, another force at play. Was it another of the Seven Virtues?

Ian didn’t bother answering.

‘This should be enough to deal with them.’

He recalled the power of the other Seven Virtues—the strength he had gained from the ruins of Helgaia, along with the power he received from the fortune teller. Now, he would use one of them.

Woong! Woong! Woong!

The monstrous assassins had completed their transformation, their eyes burning with seething rage. They charged forward, mere steps away from their target.

Ian remained calm. Bringing his hands together in a prayer-like gesture, he whispered to himself.

‘Alright. I choose you.’

A blinding light burst from his clasped hands, expanding in all directions. It washed over the entire Lord’s Castle, swallowing everything in its path—including the rampaging monsters.