"I can't promise you that, Professor."

It was a clear rejection.

This shocking declaration indicated that in the future, she would continue to kill others for me. However, upon hearing her response, my heart turned colder.

"I will never say Im doing it for you again, Professor."

I could feel Arias conviction in her tightly clenched fists and each word of her statements. Yet, it seemed she needed to contemplate further whether it was right.

However, one thing was certainwhether she thought it was right or wrongit was still twisted.

"I will do it for myself. I can only live if you're alive, Professor."

"...."

"It would become truly painful and challenging if you were to dislike me, Professor. Nevertheless, I want you to become stronger than anyone else so you won't have to experience death anymore."

Since Aria had witnessed my death once, every word she spoke was filled with sincerity.

"I'm sorry for being like this. I apologize if I look filthy to you."

Aria opened the door and went out without sparing me another look. In the brief silence, I looked at Duathane, which was lying on the floor.

[Is she okay?]

The Dark Spiritualist asked me cautiously.

"She will be fine."

I called a maid to store Duathane in the warehouse, and then sat on a chair.

Aria's scent lingered faintly, probably because she had been on this seat before I arrived.

And so, as this event unfolded, my concern for her deepened.

* * *

"Ugh."

Three days ago, Findenai crossed the Norseweden mountain range and entered the Clark Republic. After returning to this place after a long time, she felt discomfort rather than nostalgia.

Was it because she had been staying in Griffin Kingdom?

Overall, along with the dull air, the buildings' colors were all gray and gloomy, reminiscent of a blurry cityscape on a rainy day, even though it wasn't raining.

Moreover, just like in Norseweden, being in the north, Clark Republic had a slight chill in the air even though it was summer.

However, it felt different from the cold temperature back in Norseweden.

It was inevitable for Norseweden to have that sort of climate since that place was originally a cold region.

The Clark Republic, on the other hand, simply had no warmth at all. It felt more like the cold air replaced it.

"Sigh, what a shitty place."

Findenai shook her head while adjusting the collar of her brown coat to hide her face.

Perhaps because she had become accustomed to her maid uniform, the clothes she used to wear in the past felt strangely awkward; this had inexplicably brought a faint smile to her lips.

Fortunately, the meeting place agreed upon with the leaders of each resistance group wasnt far away, so she was able to arrive within three days.

She might have been tight on schedule if there had been checkpoints along the way. However, luckily, she didnt encounter any, allowing her to arrive on time and be able to return if needed.

I wonder what's going on.

The leader of the Dog Trader, Doberman.

Many resistance groups had worked with him before, and there were also many revolutionary armies that managed to branch out from Dog Trader.

He had exceptional power, the ability to judge things objectively, and even dazzling leadership.

Some believed that if the flames of revolution were to blaze fiercely and eventually engulf the entire Clark Republic, Doberman would be the catalyst.

Passing through the same old, lifeless, skinny people, Findenai entered the city's alleyways.

At the end of the alley, a man stood in front of a door, glancing at Findenai before reaching deep into his coat pocket and pulling out something.

"Veri"

"Shut it. If you're calling someone to come here, just serve the guest instead of asking for a password."

Findenai strode forward, cursing at the member who was about to ask for a password. Despite looking dumbfounded, he recognized Findenai, a quite famous woman even among the revolutionary army, so he simply shrugged and cleared the way for her.

"Actually, there's no password."

So, they were just poking around to start something. Thinking it was just like Dobermans way of handling things, Findenai entered the door.

Inside, the room was filled with the pungent scent of thick smoke. While someone from Griffin might frown and feel disgusted, this was a very common sight in Clark Republic.

At least it seemed like the heater was on; her freezing body warmed up as she caught the smell of oil mixed in the air .

Amidst the smoke, she noticed that the interior looked like a typical bar.

Revolutionary armies who had come from various places were sitting at different tables, drinking alcohol or smoking cigarettes.

It seemed like they were escorts for the leaders of each resistance group.

As Findenai looked around, thoughts of her crew, the Scrapyard Nomads, crossed her mind. Had she been worried for nothing? After all, she had purposely left them behind. However, now that she couldn't see them, she suddenly missed them.

Gazes were fixed on Findenai. Those who knew her were cautious, while those who didn't gaped in admiration at her beauty.

As she ignored the fools and moved forward, a burly bartender raised his hand and pointed at a direction.

It was a room with a sign that said Private Room.

Clang.

Findenai turned the doorknob and entered without hesitation. The smoke inside was stronger than outside, and perhaps because it had been a while since she last encountered such a strong smell, her nose stung.

Amidst the smoke, she could see round tables and several resistance group chiefs sitting closely together. There were familiar faces, as well as unfamiliar ones.

Findenai spotted an empty seat and sat down.

"Hey, Findenai, long time no see."

Smiling broadly, the short-haired woman, Lexi, greeted Findenai as if they were close.

Even if it was a greeting from the only woman in the room besides her, Findenai immediately cut her short.

"Don't act like we're close."

"So rude."

The woman grumbled with her arms crossed, feeling offended, but she couldn't retort or curse back.

After all, their methods and reasons were different despite having the same goal of fighting for freedom.

Each resistance group didnt have good relationships with each other; they couldn't understand each other due to their differing convictions, reasons, and methods of operation.

Even though everyone was fighting for the same freedom, why were there so many different ideas for it? Findenai always had a skeptical view about it.

The only one who could somewhat gather these resistance groups was Doberman, the leader of Dog Trader.

He had a somewhat longish head, hair cut short, and long scars on his face. In some aspects, he looked like a soldier.

Doberman opened his mouth upon seeing Findenai, who had arrived last.

"Thank you for coming to the gathering."

A solemn baritone voice echoed as if emanating from a cave.

"There's nothing good about gathering us here. Just get straight to the point."

"Y-Yes, that's right. We don't know when the extermination units will arrive."

In response to the immediate remarks of the other chiefs, Doberman momentarily closed his mouth as if restraining something, and then opened it again.

"Ill keep that in mind."

Although it seemed like he accepted their opinions, the two who had just spoken immediately fell silent and tugged their tails in, likely deterred by the subtle threat that they shouldnt interfere with him anymore.

These idiots.

If one lacked the confidence to fight, shouldn't they refrain from barking in the first place? Every minute and second they were here, being gathered together, was a dangerous situation. Why were they wasting time like this?

"You should know that the pressure from the extermination units has been decreasing recently."

At these words, everyone lightly nodded. Only Findenai, who had crossed the border and stayed in Griffin Kingdom, didnt know about this.

Those lunatics?

Those lunatics who called the resistance vermins and bugs, and claimed they would eliminate them, stopped their movements?

This wasn't a matter of safety being assured, but rather concern about the impending danger.

And Doberman seemed to think the same way Findenai did.

"This is no ordinary situation. It probably means that those bastards are preparing something so big that they wont be able to pay attention to us, even if its only for a short time.

The expressions of some fools who had been relieved by the decreased activity of the extermination units suddenly darkened.

They wouldnt last long because fighting for freedom in the Clark Republic was not a matter of enthusiasm alone.

"Be careful. Don't move rashly. And if possible, it would be good to share information with each other for a while."

Some frowned at these words but generally agreed to the proposition, indicating they would wait.

Whatever happened, to endure the harsh trials ahead, cooperation was necessary, even if only for a short time.

"What if one of us betrays us in the end?"

Here, Findenai casually propped her legs up on the table. Some didn't like her attitude and were about to react aggressively, and someone even snapped.

"Get your legs down!"

"What are you doing?"

"Findenai, don't go overboard."

Hearing their blabbering, Findenai scratched her ear and took a deep breath. Her blood-red eyes which glared sharply was filled with great hostility.

"If you're going to chirp like that, at least draw your sword, you motherfuckers."

A man who had told her not to unnecessarily annoy them finally reacted to Findenais words.

Sitting right next to her, the man with a large and chubby rounded physique pulled out the sword at his waist and swung it towards the bottom of Findenai's chair.

However, before that happened, a white hand had already grabbed the man's collar.

It was Findenai. She pulled him towards her, driving her fist into his face.

Crack!

Following the satisfying sound of something breaking, the mans nose burst and his teeth were knocked out.

He collapsed, foaming at the mouth, and Findenai, who caused the damage, brushed her hand off and crossed her arms again.

"So, is that why you called us here today? To prepare ourselves for the impending cold wave and huddle up together?"

"Findenai."

"Really, you must have gone nuts. There are some people here I've never seen before. How can I trust them? In my opinion, even if we're here just for five minutes, the extermination units would sniff us out and come crawling out of nowhere."

"I only called people I can trust."

Bang!

Findenai's heel smashed the table, breaking it into pieces. After standing up straight, she glared at Doberman with her ominous, blood-red eyes.

"But I also can't trust you. So you, Doberman, want to handle things carelessly like this?"

"Findenai, you've been in Griffin Kingdom, so you might not know, but..."

"Bullshit, has the Republic changed so dramatically in just a few months? I've been rolling around this place since I was three years old. It's so obvious."

Findenai took out a baton from her pocket, and it transformed into the shape of an axe with a clink.

As she wielded her weapon, the other chiefs also tensed up, instantly placing their hands on their own weapons.

Watching their reaction, Findenai sneered.

"That's right, be scared like that. If you want to survive, always grab a weapon and get ready, you spineless fools."

Findenai was someone who had always had a keen sense of smell, almost like a beast.

"The pest control team's here."

Baaaaang!

She immediately responded to sudden explosions from outside.

The fact that the extermination units found this place caused everyone to glare at Doberman, who had crouched down in response to the explosion.

He shook his head with an expression that said there was no way he would do something like that.

"Get ready for battle, everyone."

Even in the midst of swirling dust, Doberman calmly responded instead of blaming someone.

Nonetheless, a pair of wolf-like blood-red eyes pierced through the smoke, shining brightly.

"Ah."

An eerie voice echoed amidst the chaotic situation.

Her words softly rolled into their ears as if casting a spell on it.

"So, it was you who betrayed us?"

Findenai immediately turned and lunged towards the only other female chief in the room, Lexi.

Kwaaaang!

Lexi hurriedly raised her wrist to block, and steel protective gear came into view as her sleeve tore.

It was equipment to block bullets and blades, an item used by the extermination units.

"You even got protection under your clothes?"

Findenai kicked Lexi's chest in disbelief. Despite being pushed back, Lexi smirked provocatively.

"How did you know? I thought I was someone who could be trusted among us."

"I saw you snickering when the explosion happened."

Growling in annoyance, Findenai grabbed a cigarette which was rolling on the floor due to the explosion and put it in her mouth.

Watching this, Lexi shrugged and pulled out a dagger and a pistol.

"I'll at least give you time to light it. To be honest, I do like you."

"Ah?"

Findenai threw a middle finger in response to her nonsense.

"Damn it, I'm trying to quit smoking, you know?

"Huh?"

"Someone hates the smell of Republic cigarettes."

With that said, Findenai immediately brandished her axe and rushed towards Lexi.