Chapter 78

The next day, the two set off for Lucilvania at an hour that was too late to be called morning. Neither Theo nor Blaine wanted to arrive before Noquia did.

They got off at the post station, entered the village, and walked along the main street with heavy steps. But as they drew closer to the guild house, the chatter of the passing players started to prick at their curiosity.

“Did you see that?”

“What is that supposed to be?”

“Some kind of public penance?”

“That guild never has a peaceful day, huh?”

Judging by the glances thrown their way, it was obvious which guild they were talking about. And since Noquia or the twins were always at the center of every incident, Theo was sure the rumors must’ve started with her. She was definitely up to something again.

Their sluggish pace quickened. But when they finally reached the guild house, both of them fell silent.

A straw mat was laid out before the front gate—and sitting on it, dressed in a white robe, hair disheveled, and sword at her side, was Noquia. She was kneeling in a self-imposed public repentance ritual. Beside her stood Mastar, dressed in a maid outfit and holding a massive greatsword, pouring liquor all over Noquia’s face with polite composure.

Theo, frozen in disbelief, could only think one thing.

That’s not repentance—that’s execution.

Mastar, who had been dousing Noquia, spotted Theo and Blaine from afar and gave them a small bow. Then, as Noquia turned her head to look, Mastar sprayed her again.

“Ah—? You’re—pfft—ack—stop it!”

Noquia tried to greet Theo, but the liquor hit her square in the mouth. She gagged and spat it out while Theo approached, exasperated.

“What the hell are you doing?”

Noquia tugged off the sword hanging around her neck as if it were choking her and tossed it aside. Then she frantically patted the mat beside her.

“Can’t you tell? Get down here and kneel too.”

“What? You said you’d handle this yourself.”

“Two sheets of paper are easier to carry together than one!”¹

“That’s the dumbest excuse I’ve ever heard. You really can’t carry a piece of paper on your own?”

“I can’t! My muscle stat’s zero—I can’t even lift air! Happy now?!”

“You little—!”

Theo trembled, half from disbelief, half from rage. But Noquia ignored him and forcibly grabbed his wrist, pulling him down beside her. As Theo stumbled into a kneeling position, Blaine panicked, unsure what to do, until Noquia barked,

“What are you waiting for? Kneel!”

Startled, he dropped to his knees beside Theo without thinking.

Blaine’s face was a mess of question marks, but he didn’t seem inclined to get up either.

Theo didn’t stop him. The more comrades, the better. Peeking into the guild hall from where he knelt, Theo whispered to Noquia.

“So what’s this plan of yours? You gonna sit here till they forgive you?”

Noquia smacked Theo’s shoulder hard enough to make a thwack.

“Don’t underestimate me.”

“What?”

“This lady’s got a grand plan.”

“And that is? Why am I dragged into this?”

“I’ve already thrown out the bait, but the big fish’s still deciding whether to bite.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’ve almost got the best ally reeled in. The fish is practically caught—but it still hasn’t bitten down completely.”

“How’s that ‘caught’ if it’s not even in the net yet?”

“Hey, this fish’s a free spirit! It doesn’t go into nets!”

“What the hell are you even talking about? Who’s this ‘big fish’ supposed to be?”

“She exists. Just wait. No matter how great a fish she is, she won’t be able to resist my bait forever.”

As the two whispered back and forth, the sound of heavy boots echoed toward them. Both of them snapped their heads up in unison. Someone was coming down the stairs from the front entrance. Judging by the black boots, it was Father.

Noquia quickly shoved Theo’s head down, forcing him flat on the mat, and Blaine followed suit, bowing his head in a hurry.

Father stopped in front of the three kneeling figures, scanning them one by one before pausing, looking puzzled.

“…?”

Why was Blaine there?

“Blaine, stand up.”

Her voice carried the mercy of a judge sparing an innocent man. Blaine hesitated, then slowly raised his head. Theo and Noquia both turned their heads while still bowing, silently glaring at him as if to say Are you betraying us?

Blaine looked torn, then quietly stood up.

Theo stared in disbelief, as though he’d just witnessed the ultimate betrayal. Blaine avoided his gaze, stepping beside Father. His conscience clearly wasn’t clear.

Theo bowed his head again, a broken man. Blaine’s heart twisted painfully. He wanted to rush back, apologize, and kneel beside Theo again—but he’d already chosen his side. For now, he had to endure the shame and stand firm.

Father, bolstered by Blaine’s allegiance, puffed her chest even higher and loomed over the two remaining kneelers.

“What am I to do with you two filthy traitors?”

At the word traitors, Blaine’s shoulders flinched. The real traitors, of course, were the ones still bowing their heads, utterly unbothered by guilt.

Noquia, face pressed to the mat, muttered under her breath. Thankfully, Father couldn’t see her lips moving. Theo, meanwhile, was perfectly calm. He figured Noquia had promised to handle this mess, so whether it turned to rice or porridge—she’d deal with it. And if it all went south, he’d just dump the blame on her and escape.

But then, Noquia suddenly went quiet. Theo glanced at her, confused. She was staring at something through the crook of her arm—and then, out of nowhere, she started giggling like she’d lost her mind, shoulders shaking.

Curious what she was looking at, Theo mimicked her and peered backward through his own arm.

Someone was approaching in the distance—white ankle boots and tights.

“…Holanghee?”

No way. Was that the “big fish” Noquia had been talking about? But how—?

Theo turned, unable to help himself, and stared at Holanghee. His eyes widened.

Because sprouting from both sides of her head were large, white, curled horns.

“Wait… aren’t those Gaiban’s Horns?”

As if echoing his thoughts, Father spoke up. Theo looked from him to Holanghee again. Father, Theo, Blaine, and even Mastar were all staring now. Only Noquia remained face-down, unmoving.

Holanghee flipped her hair back over her shoulder and strutted forward with a smug air, stopping beside the kneeling Noquia. Looking down at her, she spoke in a teasing tone.

“So you’ve been whining about wanting those for ages… and you finally got them, huh?”

Father’s voice brightened with excitement.

“You did it! I knew you’d pull it off one day!”

She had seen firsthand how hard Holanghee had worked to get Gaiban’s Horns.

The horns were a rare item obtainable from the roulette rewards of the Territorial War. The odds were notoriously cruel—so cruel that only a handful of players across the entire game had ever managed to get them. Holanghee had been fighting in those wars just for that chance, but until now, luck had never been on her side.

Father beamed at Holanghee’s success, then turned back to Theo and Noquia.

“Since you showed up, it’s time to decide what to do with these filthy traitors…”

She was about to speak in a heated voice about their punishment when Holanghee, glaring at Noquia with wide eyes, clapped both hands to her cheeks and cried out in horror.

“My sweeties, why are you kneeling until your legs hurt?!”

Father’s sentence died on her lips—not just because of her shout, but because what she called them was even more shocking. Holanghee used the affectionate term “sweetie”. Theo had heard it before; Father had heard it a few times; but Holanghee had never once called Noquia “sweetie.”

And now she’d lumped Theo and Noquia together as her sweeties. Noquia—face still pressed to the mat—was smiling obscenely to herself while everyone else went speechless.

“Wh-what’s wrong with you? Did you eat something bad?”

Father stammered, barely keeping her composure. Holanghee, eyes wet with tears, flopped to the floor and wrapped both Theo and Noquia in a fierce hug.

“How could you treat them like that? They’re my friends!”

“Did you eat something bad? Or are you just so happy about getting Gaiban’s Horns that you lost your mind? Snap out of it—they’re traitors. They ruined our Territorial War.”

“Well, that’s how the Territorial War works! There are betrayals and alliances; today’s ally can be tomorrow’s enemy, and tomorrow’s enemy can be the day-after-tomorrow’s ally! You can’t always expect everyone around you to be on your side!”

“So do we have to wait until the day after tomorrow to be comrades?”

“That’s not what I meant! The point is people follow profit—these two just followed profit. Could you honestly promise you or I would never betray them for gain? How can we blame them?”

“You’re acting like their spokesperson. Quite a defense you’re putting on.”

“I’m not defending them—I’m just pointing out that under many reasonable assumptions, this could’ve happened to anyone.”

“Who gave Holanghee the Gaiban’s Horns? Theo? Quia?”

“What are you talking about…? Oh, come on, haha…”

Holanghee blushed and tried to laugh it off. Only then did Theo realize the Gaiban’s Horns Holanghee wore had come from Noquia. Noquia kept her head bowed low, but the grin on her face was unmistakable. Holanghee must’ve spent hundreds of roulette attempts in the Territorial War trying to get those horns; Noquia had apparently pulled them with a single spin and quietly bought Holanghee’s loyalty.

“You lucky bastard…”

Theo muttered before he could stop himself. Noquia looked up and winked at him as if to say, I told you to trust me.

Father, rendered speechless and furious, sputtered indignantly. No words could outdo Holanghee’s emotional defense. Muttering in frustration, she finally composed herself enough to issue a warning through clenched teeth.

“Damn traitors… I’m going to defect to YesYesu.”

The entire group stared at her in shock. Even Noquia, who had been face-down the whole time, snapped her head up. They exchanged looks, and Holanghee raised a hand.

“Then give me the guild master spot.”

“…What?”

“Hey, I want to try being guild master too.”

Not to be outdone, Noquia chimed in. The two immediately started bickering over who should be the next guild master. But realizing someone else would be a better fit, they both agreed.

“Isn’t it better if Sweetie does it? For a Union merger, the guild master has to own an Eternal.”

“Oh yeah? Nah—give it to Theo and leave.”

Father—for once at a loss because they were already nominating a second guild master—stared at them dumbfounded. Then, quietly, she drew her sword.

“Before I defect, I’ll replace all my guildmates.”

Her pale eyes flashed as if declaring war. Father lunged without another word, sword raised. The others scrambled to block and respond; their skirmish quickly wrecked nearby furniture and decorations.

In the end, someone flagged down the guards. NPCs arrived and hauled them off in a line like sausages. They were taken straight to the underground jail.