Hearing his father's words, Mardy looked stunned.
"Father, what do you mean he's here? Do you know him?"
Manice's hands tightened on the edge of the wall. His voice came out low and sharp with restrained anger.
"You wouldn't know about him. The undead standing down there is the wanted pirate… Devious Hellzard. And we cannot defeat him."
The name made Voldis go pale. His voice dropped to a near whisper.
"My Lord… are you certain? Is it really Devious? I only ever heard about him from my father."
Manice gave a single nod. Mardy still looked completely lost. Noticing that, Manice turned to him and explained.
"You wouldn't know the story, so listen carefully. Twenty years ago, when war was still going on between the Verland Kingdom and the Polard Kingdom, Devious and his crew attacked our ships and Verland's ships without mercy. Even the government tried to interfere, but they couldn't stop him either.
At that time, Princess Shakky's mother — the Queen — was still a Saint. She was the one who finally killed him in front of us. She cut off his arms, his legs, even his head, and threw the pieces into the sea. But today… somehow he is standing here in front of us in one piece."
Mardy's eyes widened.
"The Queen defeated him…?"
"Yes," Manice said. "That was twenty years ago. His appearance here now is a serious threat to the entire Polard Kingdom."
Mardy's hand moved to his sword, voice unsteady.
"If he's that dangerous, then we have to do something. We can't just let him stand there."
Manice raised a hand and stopped him.
"No. Fighting him head-on would be suicide. From the power he showed earlier, I can tell you this much — the only thing that can kill him is my sword."
He was quiet for a moment, thinking.
"For now, we wait. One wrong move and our next action could turn against us. And the Princess is still in the city. Protecting her is more important than anything else right now."
Voldis looked around at the tense knights.
"Then what do we do?"
Manice took a deep breath and forced himself to stay calm.
"We wait. If he attacks, we have to be ready."
Everyone on the wall went on full alert. Below them, the undead remained completely still, staring up at the walls as if waiting for a signal. Manice's eyes never left Devious.
Ten minutes passed. Nothing happened. Only the cold wind moved through the strange silence.
Then a knight suddenly shouted.
"The undead in the back — they're gone!"
Everyone's heads snapped toward the rear of the undead group. Black circles had formed under their feet, and one by one the undead sank into them and vanished. Manice's expression changed instantly. He turned and started heading down from the wall. Voldis and Mardy followed at once.
"Father, where are you going so suddenly?" Mardy asked.
Manice didn't stop.
"I'm going to meet him."
Voldis looked shocked.
"That's madness, My Lord! You can't go down there while we're still here!"
Manice ignored the protest and continued downward. His heartbeat was fast — even he could feel the fear — but he forced himself forward. At the bottom he looked back at Mardy and Voldis.
"I know standing in front of him is dangerous. But there are things I need to ask him… answers I believe only he will give me. Stay here. I'm going alone."
Mardy's eyes went wide with panic.
"No, Father!"
Voldis also stepped forward.
"If you're really going, then I'm coming with you."
Manice tried to refuse, but the look in both their eyes made him give in. The heavy gate opened. Manice, Mardy, and Voldis walked out across the snow toward Devious. As they moved, Voldis raised two fingers toward the knights on the wall — a signal to stay alert.
By the time they reached him, most of the undead had already disappeared. Only a few remained. Manice stopped a short distance away and looked at the figure properly.
A pale face covered in thick stitches that ran up both cheeks and into the hairline. Long hair tied back. Heavy axes in both hands.
Voldis's hand drifted toward his sword. Manice raised a hand slightly, telling him to stay calm. Mardy was clearly afraid, but he still stood his ground.
Manice swallowed once, then spoke in a heavier voice.
"Seeing you standing here brings back old memories. But look at you. Even after dying, this is the state you're in. I thought the fish would have finished even your bones by now… yet here you are."
Devious only smiled and kept watching him.
Manice's frustration rose, but he kept his tone controlled.
"From the look of it, you're just another undead now — one that moves on someone else's strings."
Still Devious said nothing. He simply listened. The silence made Voldis and Mardy begin to relax slightly. For a moment they almost believed the figure in front of them was nothing more than an ordinary undead.
Then the smile disappeared from Devious's face. His voice came out deep and rough.
"You have any idea what you're saying? Have you already forgotten what I did to all of you back then?"
The weight in his voice and the sudden pressure of his presence made all three of them break into cold sweat. Even though they had expected danger, the real thing still hit hard.
Manice's temper finally snapped.
"Devious! Why did you come here? Who brought you back? Who is behind you? Answer me!"
Devious gave a faint smile.
"What do you think I am? Your slave, here to answer every question? I am Devious, the predator of the sea. And I've returned to put the people of the Polard Kingdom to sleep in their own land."
Manice's eyes burned with anger.
"Don't get cocky, Devious. You won't win this time either."
Devious laughed.
"Who's going to stop me? Is the Queen still alive? Is there anyone left who can stand in my way?"
For a brief second, fear flickered in Manice's eyes.
Then a black magic circle formed under Devious's feet. Everyone stared at it. Devious looked down as well, but his reaction made it clear he had expected this.
"Looks like time's up."
Manice didn't understand.
"What do you mean? Why did you come here in the first place?"
A powerful roar suddenly tore through the air. It was not the roar of any normal beast. All three of them turned toward the walls. The knights up there had also spun around, faces pale, staring in the direction the sound had come from.
One knight shouted in panic.
"Th-that's… that's a dragon!"
Chaos broke out along the wall. Behind them, Devious spoke calmly.
"Looks like the job is done."
Manice spun around, drawing his sword in the same motion, and swung at Devious. Devious casually blocked with one axe. The impact knocked Manice's sword clean out of his hand and into the snow. Voldis and Mardy immediately stepped in front of Manice, blades pointed at Devious, but the magic circle under the pirate's feet was already pulling him down like thick mud.
As he sank, Devious looked at them one last time.
"We'll meet again soon."
Then he was gone.
Manice ground his teeth and turned back toward the city. A panicked knight came running toward them.
"My Lord! My Lord!"
With the immediate threat gone, Mardy and Voldis sheathed their swords and followed. The knight stopped in front of Manice, breathing hard.
"What happened?" Manice asked. "What was that roar?"
"My Lord… the roar you just heard belonged to a dragon. It was seen standing on the western walls."
"A dragon?!"
All three of them froze.
Manice's voice turned sharp.
"Hurry! One unit with me — we're going west. The rest of you, guard the Princess at the palace!"
---
Ten minutes earlier.
While the situation at the gate was still unfolding, Shakky was already moving west, following the strange red energy. The streets were quiet. People stayed locked inside their houses, waiting for the danger to pass. As she walked, Shakky noticed something odd.
*(Strange… the farther I follow this red energy, the darker it gets.)*
Behind her walked Derland, Ameria, and the knight whose sword she had borrowed. Eventually they reached the far western edge of the city, where a large graveyard stretched out in front of them. Everyone stopped.
Shakky could still clearly sense the red energy. It was growing stronger the closer they got to the center of the graveyard.
The knight finally spoke, his voice nervous.
"Princess, you really shouldn't be here. Lord Manice will be furious. Please come back with me. If anything happens to you, I'm finished."
Shakky didn't even look at him. Her eyes stayed fixed on the darkness ahead. The knight turned to Derland for help.
"Ser Derland, please talk some sense into the Princess."
Derland gave him a tired look.
"The Princess doesn't listen to anyone."
The knight's face fell.
"Then my job is gone…"
Shakky started walking again. The other three followed. After a short distance inside the graveyard, they saw a figure sitting on top of a tomb, completely covered by a black cloth. It wasn't moving at all.
Everyone's eyes locked onto it.
Shakky stopped a few steps away and spoke quietly.
"So… this is where the energy is coming from."