Rainfield’s fireworks started.

“… Wow.”

“It’s so cool!”

Boom!

Boom!

People cheered every time the firework exploded.

Riley was also one of these countless people watching the fireworks.

“…”

Every year, Riley came to Rainfield and watched fireworks decorating the sky to find peace in his mind. However…

“It’s so pretty.”

“Wow, it’s shaped like a b.u.t.terfly!”

For some odd reason, this year, he was not feeling great.

“…”

Cutting through the rain, the fireworks rose to the sky and bloomed beautifully. Others were praising the fireworks, saying they are beautiful and magnificent. However, it was not making Riley excited. 

‘What is it? Why? Just why?’

Boom!

Watching bright fireworks exploding in front of him, Riley cringed.

It wasn’t because the fireworks were bright.

It was just that unpleasant feelings were overcoming him.

‘I’m here on a vacation, so why does it feel so awful?’

Riley felt like a mosquito that he didn’t kill out of laziness came back to bite him before he went to sleep.

Boom!

A firework decorated the dark-cloud covered sky once again and brightened the surrounding. Riley cringed even more.

“Ha…”

Figuratively speaking, the part bitten by the mosquito was starting to itch. 

“Nainiae.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

Nainiae, who was standing next to Riley and watching the fireworks, turned her head toward Riley and answered.

“Is it fun?”

Riley, with an uninterested face, asked her if she found the fireworks fun to watch.

“…”

Nainiae felt that she should think carefully before answering. With a blank look on her face, she turned her head toward the sky to look at the fireworks decorating the sky… and then streams of water falling from roofs of buildings in the area like waterfalls.

‘The fireworks in the waterfall pathway is incredible. I can tell you with certainty that it is one of the most beautiful scenery that I have ever seen.’

Nainiae thought about what Sera said about the fireworks before she came to Rainfield.

According to her, the scene before Nainiae was most certainly an incredible sight to behold and a precious memory to keep.

“Can I be honest?”

Nainiae redirected the gaze away from the fireworks and looked at Riley who had a blank look on his face.

“Haven’t you heard from Ian? I can at least tell when someone is lying or not.”

Riley responded with a bit annoyed tone. He was still looking at the sky with an uninterested look.

Boom!

Boom!

Despite the fireworks exploding one after the other, his slightly furrowed eyebrows were not showing any sign of changing their angles.

“Could it be that I had too high of expectations? Honestly… it is no fun.”

As if he knew she was going to say that, Riley peeked a smile.

“I see.”

‘Did I answer it wrong?’

Nainiae shriveled her shoulders and fell to silence after noticing that Riley looked angry somehow.

“Why is it no fun?”

Riley asked again.

“I’m… not sure?”

Riley believed that he should be happy and comfortable since he is on a vacation trip.

However, let alone being comfortable, he couldn’t hide feeling icky. It was extremely unpleasant.

“Is it because I didn’t realize some dumba.s.s was going to do an incredibly dumba.s.s thing to do that was beyond being a dumba.s.s?”

Watching the fireworks, Riley mumbled.

“I can’t be certain little bugs flying in front of my eyes would bite me later or not. I’m not a fortune teller.”

“…”

From his quiet voice, Nainiae felt like she was watching a deadly predator who had his sleep disturbed. Nainiae gulped.

“If I kill the bug, then I have to go wash my dirtied hand, and I didn’t want to go through the icky process. So, I didn’t do anything, but…”

Riley wiggled his eyebrows and continued.

“… if that runt bites me?”

“…”

Riley was explaining why the vacation rapidly became no fun for him. Hearing his explanation, and sensing the chill coming from Riley… Nainiae couldn’t do anything but to hold her breath.

Boom…

Boom…

In middle of the fireworks, there were sounds of a spear cutting or striking corpses mixed in.

“As I thought, you are incredible! Your kind is truly incredible! I can totally sense that you are a human but not a human!”

The man in black cape opened his eyes wide and watched the boy fight the corpses.

“Hm… I think these are not going to be enough. How about I increase the number for you?”

“You b.a.s.t.a.r.d…”

In a single strike, the boy spun the spear and cut-off the arms of three corpses charging toward him. Basilisk counted ever increasing number of corpses and sharpened his eyes.

“My father… My father!!”

Basilisk pierced through the layer of corpses guarding the man in black cape. Basilisk thrusted the spear toward the man with all of his strength.

“Ah… How ungrateful…”

Despite the tip of the spear coming toward him, the man was looking leisurely as ever.

It looked like the man knew the spear was never going to reach him.

“Kuk?!”

“… Guuurrrr.”

It was because there was a tough bodyguard standing right next to him.

A corpse whose skin had turned black.

It was Basilisk’s father.

“No matter how much you want revenge, to think you would raise your spear against your father…”

Basilisk’s father’s spear blocked his spear. Panicking, Basilisk’s lips was shaking. The caped man laughed.

“How ungrateful.”

“Ugh!!”

“Guuuu…”

Basilisk wondered how could a corpse be so strong.

The spear that Basilisk had against his father was shaking. It gradually started to get pushed back. Basilisk’s face crumpled.

“Kuk!”

“You dare!”

Wheec!

Puk…

As if someone realized Basilisk was in danger, an arrow was shot from an angle and pierced the corpse’s arm.

“Gurrr?!”

It was Rorona.

“Rorona!!”

Basilisk was shocked to see an arrow stuck in his father’s arm. He opened his eyes wide and quickly turned toward Rorona to shout her name.

“Commander! Get a grip! Our former commander has already pa.s.sed away!”

Rorona shouted on top of her lung in order to cut through the pouring sound of rain and advise Basilisk.

“Ah ha, so that’s where you were?”

Noticing the voice, the caped man generated several dozen ice arrows above his head and started to shoot them one by one in an interval.

“Tsk!”

Every time she tried to aim an arrow, another ice arrow came at her. Rorona cringed and quickly took cover in a building.

“Archers are scary, especially the skilled ones that could load the arrow with mana.”

Archers were like arch-enemies to mages. Having suppressed the threat to some extent, the caped man shrugged his shoulders.

“As for your other comrade… Um… It seems like they are busy dancing.”

There were three of Lightning Boulder mercenaries currently fighting the dark mage.

“Kuk!”

Basilisk, Rorona and Isen were considered highly skilled warriors no matter where they were or what kind of standards were used to judge their skills. However, the opponent was a dark mage that was raising endless hordes of corpses from the ground.

“Commander! At this rate, we will get surrounded! I think we should fall back!”

Isen, who was fighting the corpses that the dark mage raised, had his face covered in sweats as he shouted.

“… But!”

Basilisk responded in frustrated voice,

“But my father!”

“Commander!!”

Watching the three shouting at each other, the caped man started to twitch his shoulders as if he could not hold it anymore.

“Hu… Huhu… Uh huhuhu!”

The caped man’s belittling laughter set fire on Basilisk. Basilisk, with his snake eyes, glared at the caped man.

“Boy, your comrades are right. It is shameless of you to run when you have your father in front of you, but just you three are not going to be enough to beat me.”

‘Who can’t beat who?’

Basilisk started to grind his teeth.

“You. Can you stab your father?”

“That mouth… If you don’t shut up…”

“How ungrateful?”

The caped man laughed again.

Watching him, Basilisk could not take it anymore. He charged forward.

“That mouth…”

“Commander! No! Stop!”

It seemed the fuse was burned all the way to the end.

Basilisk charged toward the caped man like a firework rocket. He focused all of his senses to the tip of the spear.

The target was the laughing caped man’s neck.

“… Shut up!!”

It seemed Basilisk was not going to be able to resolve his fury unless he pierced through the caped man’s neck right this instant.

“Ahah, how ungrateful.”

Puk…

Basilisk’s spear pierced through a neck.

To be precise, it was a corpse’s neck.

“…”

“Gu… ughuk.”

“Father…?”

Basilisk’s spear only pierced his dead father’s neck, not his intended target.

“…”

Basilisk was shocked. He was petrified there with a vacant look on his face. Noticing this, Rorona and Isen shouted.

“Commander!!”

“Commander! Dodge!!”

It seemed the battle was decided.

The mage laughed as he looked at Basilisk who was standing there with a vacant look. Having completed the spell, the mage raised his right hand.

“Air Hammer.”

Along with a sensation of dense air rus.h.i.+ng toward him… Basilisk was struck by something and was raised up to the air.

“Commander!!”

Piercing through the sound of pouring rain that was filling the ears, there was a clear sound of something being crushed.

It most certainly was the sound of Basilisk’s right arm or shoulder bones being crushed.

“… Ugh.”

Splas.h.!.+

Struck dead on by the magic, Basilisk was up in the air for a moment and then fell to the puddle.

“This… G.o.d d.a.m.n it!”

Isen and Rorona decided to ignore the corpses and ice arrows and just rush toward where Basilisk was.

“Commander!”

“Commander!”

Fortunately, it seemed Basilisk was still conscious.

Basilisk, who fell to the ground on his back, heard his comrades’ voices. He strained himself to barely lift his head.

“Ku, ugh…”

Unfortunately, it seemed the damage from his last duel with the maid from a Count’s house piled up with this one to bite him… His right arm was mostly immobilized.

“Well, this is probably the limit for all of you.”

The caped man made a hand gesture, and the corpses that were charging toward Basilisk’s group stopped. The corpses slowly stepped back.

“This is why it is necessary. For eternity…”

The caped man leisurely turned his head up to look up the sky that was pouring rain. Suddenly, he spread his arms wide toward the sky.

“Didn’t you see that your father was liking it?”

“…”

Due to pain, Basilisk was not able to speak.

It was not certain if it was raindrop or tears that was flowing on his cheek… The boy’s face was a complete mess to the point that he could not cringe any further.

“Timing is just right… The preparation is ready.”

The man under the black cape peeked a smile and said.

“… What?”

Rorona and Isen, who were supporting Basilisk, furrowed their brows in disbelief. They were not expecting the mage to complete the preparation so quickly.

“Now, only the eternity will remain in this city.”

The caped man had his arms wide open toward the sky.

He was the very definition of a madman.

“Also, we will be a step closer to our life long wish.”

Not becoming of a madman, the caped man’s face was full of hope. Looking up at the sky, he started to count.

“Three seconds from now.”

“…”

“…”

“…”

Having heard the term, three seconds, Basilisk’s group’s faces became pale.

They knew that at this hour, especially near the waterfall pathway, there were many people watching the fireworks.

“Stop…”

Basilisk struggled and mumbled.

“2 seconds.”

“Please…”

Basilisk thought about the countless people who would be turned into walking corpses. They would never be able to close their eyes comfortably after death. Basilisk started to shake his head left and right.

“One second.”

“Stop…”

The man shouted in bliss filled voice,

“Now!”

Three seconds had pa.s.sed, and there was silence.

“…?”

“…?”

n.o.body was able to say anything. Not the caped man, not Basilisk and others.

‘Everything seems to be the same?’

Although three seconds pa.s.sed and more time had pa.s.sed since, there was no sign of anything happening.

“…”

Above all, it was quiet.

It was strange to not hear the sound that should be there naturally.

‘Huh?’

Basilisk was vacantly staring at the caped man, but he could see a raindrop.

‘The rain is…’

Slowly…

The raindrops looked almost like standing still instead of falling. There was no longer the sound of rainfall.

“The sound of rainfall…”

In middle of silence that came along when the sound of rainfall stopped… Basilisk vacantly murmured,

“… Ah.”

At the same time, someone shattered that silence.

“You were here?”

The voice was… despite suffocating atmosphere, the voice was overflowing with leisurely confidence.

‘This voice is?’

It sounded like a voice that he had heard before. Basilisk vacantly turned his head and looked at the man.

“… I found you. You insect.”

“…?”

“You… are?”

Along with the stopped rain, a young master from a n.o.bility house made an appearance.

His face was filled with deadly aura