Disaster

Much of the time, this world did not unfold according to one's plans. Gawain had once believed that the standoff between the royal family and the eastern territory would at least last until construction of the Great Wall was complete, and that Ansu would have at least a year of peace before war flared up again. Yet only a little over half a year had passed when another fire began burning from an unexpected direction—honestly, the actions of The End of All Things had caught Gawain off guard.

He did know that dark cult was a hidden danger, and that those cultists had nothing but madness and destruction in their heads. But until he discovered the "vines" within the Shadow Realm, he had never imagined that the infiltration of The End of All Things had become so severe. And until last month, he had not expected them to directly strike at the royal family and the noble armies of the eastern territory—at this point, their actions had completely exceeded the concept of a "dark cult."

On the 5th day of the Month of Revival, Year 738 of Ansu, Gawain returned to Cecil City with Amber and the others, immediately summoning those responsible for military and intelligence matters.

In a high-level conference room within the Administrative Hall, Amber reported the intelligence that had just been delivered by her subordinates:

"...Around two-thirds of the Intelligence Bureau agents have received their orders and are returning to the southern territory. The remaining third have lost contact. Their last report came on the final day of last month. An agent in White Pine Town, within the royal-controlled area, reported that the local residents were holding secret and suspicious gatherings, while the local lord had not appeared for three weeks."

Gawain looked at Amber. "Which areas