Etheropolis Administration Bureau.
Porcan Veldo stopped moving his fork.
He raised his head and stared at the trembling soldier.
"What? Say that again."
It wasn't that he hadn't heard properly.
Even so, he had no choice but to ask again.
That was how unreal the report was.
"M-Modoro General's Vayla arm has disappeared."
*CRASH!!*
The table split apart as the plates and food on top of it spilled everywhere.
"What kind of bullshit is that? While the arm was being taken, where was General Modoro and what was he doing? And why isn't he here right now? Does he think losing an arm is nothing?"
"N-No, sir. General Modoro is currently in the regeneration room. It seems he was injured in the process of having the arm taken."
Porcan's eyebrow twitched.
The title of general wasn't just some neighborhood dog's name.
It was a position earned through recognized military power — and he got *injured*?
"Drag him out and bring him here immediately. I need to ask how this happened."
"W-Well... that's impossible. The regeneration room says his face is completely destroyed. All his teeth are shattered, his nose, cheekbones — there's not a single intact spot. They say it's unclear whether he'll even recover..."
"Lord Porcan!"
Before the report could even finish, several soldiers burst in.
A cold sensation crept up Porcan's neck.
Why?
He hadn't even heard the report yet.
But looking at those pale, terrified faces, he already knew what they were going to say.
Porcan steadied his breath and opened his mouth.
"I pray this isn't news that Vayla's parts have disappeared."
"!!!"
The soldiers who had been rushing to report all fell silent at once.
*GRRRRIND!*
The chair he was sitting on shattered.
"We lost *everything*?! Not a single one left?! What about the generals?"
"Re..."
"They're in the regeneration room too?"
"G-General Lebria... her neck was severed. She's dead."
"HA!!!"
He pressed his hand to his forehead.
He had no idea what he was even hearing right now.
These were the cream of the crop in Etheropolis — and they were all either in the regeneration room or the morgue?
Had there ever been a joke this absurd?
Faces flashed through his mind as he rose to his feet.
"The Outsider?"
"The-the plaza."
"I'm going to the plaza. I'll go ahead — follow me."
*BOOOOM!!!*
There was no time to prepare a mount.
He kicked off the window and leaped straight down.
Crushing the city's buildings haphazardly underfoot, Porcan advanced toward the plaza.
As he cleared the last wall, he saw the Outsider down below.
"Hah."
A hollow laugh escaped him.
Did he think this was his own living room?
The Outsider was sprawled out carelessly.
On top of the pedestal that had held Vayla's upper body, no less.
*THUD!!*
Porcan landed and steadied his breath.
Then he asked the troops guarding the area.
"How long has he been here?"
"He returned about ten minutes after you left, Lord Porcan. Since then, he's just been taking food out of his bag, drinking something, and sleeping like this the whole time."
A large envelope sat at the base of the pedestal.
Inside it were numerous wrappers.
The more he looked, the more his disbelief grew.
This was practically enemy territory — and he was sitting here stuffing his face?
"Search your memories. There must have been a moment when he disappeared."
"T-The Outsider from outside was in that spot the entire time."
Porcan's eyes flew open.
"That's impossible. Did someone leave their post during watch?"
"N-Never, sir! Everyone held their positions!"
He scanned the troops.
Nearly thirty personnel.
It was impossible for all of them to have left their posts at once.
Furthermore, the plaza was equipped with magical engineering detection devices.
Even a single ant entering would alert the Administration Bureau — there was no way to fool the soldiers' eyes and slip away.
His mind burning, Porcan walked toward the pedestal.
The Outsider was snoring, indifferent to whether anyone came or went.
"Get up."
No response.
"I *ordered* you to get up."
Still no response.
A vein bulged on his forehead.
He could swear — this was the first time.
The first time he'd ever wanted to beat someone to death this badly.
Just as he couldn't hold back anymore and reached out his hand, the Outsider finally lifted his head.
"You're back."
"What did you do?"
Jinhyuk stretched lazily and tilted his head.
"What? I couldn't hear you well because I was yawning."
*DRDRDRDR!*
Was it because his patience had reached its limit?
A fine tremor ran through Porcan's fingertips.
But he had to endure for now.
The most important thing in battle was eliminating variables.
Once Candina awakened them, all variables would disappear.
He just needed to wait a little longer.
"Where did you take them? Vayla's parts."
"Me? I was just sleeping here peacefully."
Porcan glared at Jinhyuk, who remained utterly unruffled.
But he couldn't find anything.
The Outsider was still relaxed, and there wasn't a single tremor in his eyes.
"If you don't believe me, ask them. Whether I ever left this spot."
Porcan was silent for a long moment, and Jinhyuk smiled.
He had heard through Rosanna.
The walls and gates surrounding the city of Etheropolis were installed with all kinds of detection-type magical engineering devices.
Because of that, it was absolutely impossible for anyone to enter without the city's approval.
This airtight security was probably tearing Porcan's mind apart.
*'You're wondering how this is possible, aren't you?'*
No matter how hard he racked his brain or researched with magical engineering, he would never figure it out in his lifetime.
To be more precise — there was nothing *to* figure out.
Because I really didn't do anything here.
The ten-plus minutes given after Porcan left.
That was more than enough.
-*Yodel Ranger Vice-Captain Kancho! I have received the Grand Captain's orders!*
Giving Kancho the Yodel Compass and distributing tasks to his friends — that was all it took.
"No, it's you."
A cold light seeped from Porcan's magic circuits.
His emotions were in turmoil.
"You're the only one. You're the only variable in this city."
"Search me. See if even one of Vayla's parts comes out."
Porcan steadied his breath and sneered.
"What changes, exactly? Even if, by some one-in-a-million chance, you complete Vayla — what changes? Nothing. This place, Etheropolis, is not somewhere a mere doll can change."
"Is that so? I don't think so."
He slowly looked around.
Porcan's eyes followed Jinhyuk's gaze.
"I think it's already changed."
Just as he had initially expected.
Though they were crushed by overwhelming force they couldn't resist, the embers of Etheropolis hadn't gone out.
The proof was those people who had come outside to watch the plaza — unlike before.
Porcan bit his lip.
The Outsider was right.
The citizens were stirring.
No — the *city* was stirring.
At the appearance of a hope that had seemed impossible.
"Lord Porcan! Lubolff's house is empty! No one's there! General Rosanna is also missing!"
"Where did you hide them?"
"Who knows. Maybe they went for a walk."
Lubolff had moved to a location Rosanna had prepared.
Because reviving Vayla required magical engineering equipment.
-*There are those who have been quietly biding their time.*
Was it only after all of Vayla's parts had been gathered that she gained their trust?
Rosanna had finally spoken.
She said that once Vayla was revived, they would move too.
Jinhyuk stared quietly at Porcan before opening his mouth.
"You must have been really scared. Of Vayla."
"What?"
"Getting scared preemptively, scrapping all the dolls, and even persecuting and oppressing the doll-making magical engineers."
This time, the reaction was different.
Instead of shouting, Porcan took a step closer and parted his lips.
"That damned thing is not a mere doll. A killing machine that should only move on command made its own judgment. It decided for itself who to kill and who not to kill."
"I heard. That it saved the children in an enemy nation's shelter."
"If it weren't for me, that doll would have swallowed this city before long. Etheropolis should be thanking me."
"Is that pathetic excuse the justification for everything you've done? Since you say you did it for Etheropolis, let me ask you one thing."
He leaned forward and continued.
"Did the combat doll Vayla ever harm a single person in Etheropolis?"
Porcan didn't answer.
A natural reaction.
Because the answer was zero.
This time, he changed the question slightly.
"What about you? How many people in Etheropolis have *you* harmed, claiming it was for the city?"
Naturally, Porcan couldn't answer.
Because even if the comparison wasn't zero, the number was far too large.
Porcan's face went cold as he barely managed to speak.
"History will judge who was right."
"Really? It seems like everyone except you already knows who was right."
Jinhyuk looked around at the people outside.
"What do you see in their eyes? You wouldn't say respect, would you."
Anyone who wasn't a fool could see it.
What was carved there was fear, terror, and suppressed anger.
"They..."
"Don't know anything? That's strange. It looks different to me."
Porcan, who had been about to say something, closed his mouth.
"A waste of time."
Ending the conversation, Porcan turned around.
And ordered the soldiers.
"Surround the plaza densely. Not even a single ant gets through."
"Yes, sir!"
The plaza was a symbolic location.
No matter what happened, the completed Vayla must not return.
"Mobilize all forces to find Lubolff and Rosanna. Vayla doesn't have a heart. To make something even close, they'll need the latest magical engineering equipment. There won't be many places."
"Yes, sir!"
Porcan steadied his breath.
He had let the Outsider's pace throw him off and lost his composure for a moment.
But that was it.
Nothing changed.
No matter how skilled a doll artisan Lubolff was, he couldn't completely replace the original heart.
Even to make something similar would take at least a month.
There was still plenty of time.
There was nothing urgent on this si—
*BEEEEEEEEP—!!!*
An alarm signaling an intrusion blared out.
Porcan turned his head toward it.
His eyes widened.
A black-armored knight descended from the sky and landed on the pedestal like a feather.
In the knight's arms lay Vayla, all parts connected.
"Lord Porcan!!"
"Don't get excited. It's pointless."
Porcan's pupils dilated as he steadied his breath.
It didn't matter anyway — there was no heart.
For that Vayla to move again... huh?
A familiar sphere appeared in the Outsider's hand.
There was no mistaking it.
It was Vayla's heart — the one Porcan himself had sent to another dimension.
*SHWOOOOO...!*
A sharp light burst from Porcan's entire body.
That couldn't happen.
Absolutely not.
"STOP HIM!!!"
Veins bulged across his face.
"KILL HIM NOW!!!"
At his command, all of Etheropolis's forces.
*BOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOM!!!*
Began converging on the center of the plaza.
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T/N:
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