Bonus chapter thanks to @ConspiracyPizza and @HotJava from Ko-fi!
Something flew towards the cottage of the Kraken.
The members inside knew its identity and waited without much emotion. Cain even furrowed her brow slightly.
A light impact sound and vibration were felt at the mansion's door. Soon, someone opened the door and entered.
"...I'm a bit late, it seems."
It was Zodiac Heldre.
He had bandages wrapped around both arms, and they were quite thick.
Upon entering, Heldre narrowed his eyes when he spotted Renzo.
"Ah, old man. It's been a while. What happened to your arms?"
"...It was Frondier's doing."
Renzo's eyes sparkled at Heldre's response.
When Renzo had met Frondier, he was still an underdeveloped kid.
It's ironic for him, having lost an arm, to say this, but Renzo initially had no intention of killing Frondier. After all, the former princess Elysia had ordered so.
However, Heldre had no reason to spare Frondier. And yet, he was bested.
Frondier must have lured Heldre into letting his guard down, probably attaching several unfavorable conditions for Heldre as well.
Even so, to inflict such injuries on Zodiac.
Renzo licked his lips slightly.
'As expected, he's someone worth killing.'
Meanwhile, Heldre cautiously approached Cain.
"Cain. My granddaughter. About last time..."
Heldre had run away, leaving Cain behind last time. He felt guilty about it.
But Cain had no intention of being hostile towards Heldre over it. Nor did she intend to act friendly. There was something more important at the moment.
"All that's left for us now is the revolution."
At Cain's words, everyone except Renzo nodded.
The plan had failed, their leader Heldre was nearly incapacitated from his injuries, and their trust in each other was shattered.
Yet, they could not stop here. Especially because they had been wounded this much, they had to somehow make the revolution succeed.
They had invested too much time and effort, and above all, 'sins' had accumulated. It was too late to turn back.
"Even in this situation, we still have to do what we must."
"What about Frondier, then?"
At that, everyone fell into thought for a moment.
Frondier had originally been the target for abduction. However, the plan at that time had underestimated Frondier too much. If they were to attempt to abduct Frondier again, the plan would need significant revisions.
"A revolution can be sparked without a 'sacrifice'."
"Right. Frondier was added to the plan midway, wasn't he? Let's stick to the original plan."
Skyler and Thompson said.
Their words carried a certain persuasiveness. Cain seemed to ponder, bowing her head.
That's when Renzo raised his hand.
As all eyes turned to him, Renzo spoke.
"Whatever your plan is, it doesn't matter to me. As I said earlier, I'm in a situation where my life is in Kraken's hands. I have to follow whatever orders I'm given."
Despite having just extracted Thompson's prosthetic, Renzo spoke shamelessly.
Naturally, Cain's brows furrowed.
"There's only one thing I want. I'm going to kill Frondier. Don't interfere."
At those words, Thompson's veins bulged again.
"You bastard, that's not up to you."
It was Cain who stopped Thompson.
The thought that flashed through her mind. She saw Kraken. To others, it might have seemed like she was trying to persuade Kraken with her gaze, but the reality was different.
Cain now cast a meaningful look at Kraken. Probably, Kraken was the only one who could read Cain's thoughts at that moment.
Kraken read Cain's thoughts and harbored a faint smile.
"Yeah, that seems like a good idea."
"We have to admit it. Frondier is our biggest threat. It's not just a matter of being strong or weak. We don't know how much he knows about us, and we've all been outmaneuvered by his tactics."
"If we hadn't been so careless, that son of a—"
"Because of our carelessness, we were almost restrained and captured. Just listen to me this time."
After Frondier fired the 'fireworks,' Cain was the one who freed Skyler and Thompson. She was the only one capable of using portals at that time.
Moreover, although she hadn't told them, Cain was able to rescue the two because of Frondier. Frondier had saved her life.
If Frondier hadn't saved her then, Cain would have been dead or captured. And that would have been the end of Indus.
Frondier's intentions for saving her were still unknown, but what if Frondier planned for her to save the two of them as well?
Frondier's dangerousness was at its peak. He was someones he couldn't just ignore and move on.
However, Thompson, who was unaware of the situation, was still unconvinced.
"That's only because the octopus bastard blew everything up!"
Thompson shouted, pointing at the Kraken. He still suspected the Kraken. No, not only him, but most of the people there considered the Kraken to have a high probability of being a traitor.
Nevertheless, Cain shook her head.
"Stop it. Such talk is meaningless now. There's no time either. The revolution must go on."
"If we leave Frondier to Renzo, what will our role be?"
Skyler trailed off. Everyone knew what he meant.
To confirm it, Ian said,
"There's only one thing left to do now. Take the Emperor's head."
Only his death would save Indus.