"Sir... You don't need to look after Corin. She can manage just fine on her own!"
At the back of the group, Corin glanced at Zane with a hint of embarrassment, speaking softly as they hurried along.
She wasn't exactly sure what he'd done, but ever since he'd gotten closer, her pace had noticeably picked up, and she wasn't getting nearly as tired...
It felt like something was quietly pushing her forward.
"No need to worry. Moving faster is always a good thing."
Zane shook his head slightly and answered calmly.
"Sir... are you with us to help rescue people? I mean, just now you—
Ah! If that was out of line, you don't have to answer!"
Corin asked out of curiosity but immediately felt she'd overstepped and rushed to take it back.
Still, her thoughts were racing. Right now, in her eyes, Zane was mysterious, kind, and gentle.
When he sent that robot off to rescue someone earlier, she could tell Ellen's attitude toward him had softened.
"It's nothing. Just something I need to settle."
Zane's tone was light but carried an unmistakable chill, enough to make Corin hesitate to keep pressing—but curiosity gnawed at her.
In the end, she couldn't resist.
"Sir, what sort of score do you need to settle?"
Zane didn't ignore her. He answered quietly.
"I once told a little girl... she was a child of the stars, and that the stars would protect her..."
Corin blinked. She could hear something heavy—sadness, maybe even guilt—in his voice.
"But the Hollows hold only darkness. No stars. She was never protected.
Maybe... I can be a star now. Be her star."
"And now... sure, I'm a little late. But I'm not too late to settle the score."
Zane's eyes narrowed, and the glint in them—sharp and cold—hadn't faded since the moment he saw that report.
The sadness in his voice vanished, replaced by calm, almost detached words. Yet somehow, it sent a chill down Corin's spine.
She suddenly felt cold—all over.
Her grip tightened on her weapon. She was nervous. Uncertain. Her mind went blank.
She was scared.
Why did Mr. Zane suddenly remind her of that terrifying villain from the horror movie she'd watched with Ellen?
The kind of beauty that looked like it wanted to wipe out everything...
She remembered Ellen saying that line.
This was kind of scary...
"Huh? What's wrong?"
A voice suddenly echoed beside her, and Corin nearly tripped. She steadied herself just in time and quickly shook her head.
"Corin's fine!"
Zane raised an eyebrow, a little puzzled, but didn't press. He assumed she was just nervous about what lay ahead.
"It's alright. Don't worry. As long as I'm here, nothing unexpected will happen."
He said it softly, trying to reassure her. Based on what the survivors said earlier, the captives hadn't been gone long. They should still be safe.
Hearing those gentle words, Corin turned slightly to glance at him. Strands of black-and-gold hair shifted with her movement. His eyes were clear, and his expression gentle.
She let out a breath.
See? Mr. Zane had always been understanding and polite. How could he be like someone from a horror movie?
But right then—a flash of red darted across her peripheral vision, followed by a loud bang.
All four members of Victoria Housekeeping turned their attention toward the noise. A burning Ether spear had pierced a combat mech and pinned it to the nearby wall.
Zane moved in quickly, leapt onto the mech, crouched down, and pressed his hands to the surface. Ether energy began to gather at his fingertips, spreading into jagged black crystals.
With a groan of twisted metal, he tore open the armor plating—meant to withstand cannon fire—revealing the terrified pilot inside.
Zane placed a hand on either side, gazed down at him coldly, and spoke.
"You're here, so they can't be far. Point me in the right direction."
"You—"
The pilot tried to speak, but in the next second, flames surged around him. The rising heat deepened his agony.
"Point me in the right direction."
Zane repeated calmly.
"Unless you want to regret still being alive."
Soon, he got the exact location of the group that had been moved.
With a light hop, he jumped off the mech and returned to the others, face unchanged.
"The location's confirmed. Same as what the others said. Let's go—no time to waste."
Ellen nodded, her expression unreadable, clearly caught up in her thoughts. Lycaon gave Zane a long look, quietly impressed by how swift and efficient he was.
He even briefly thought—maybe they were more alike than he expected.
Rina kept up her usual kind smile.
She needed to keep showing goodwill and friendliness toward Zane.
But in the head maid's heart, her assessment of Zane's threat level—and importance—was skyrocketing.
If her thoughts could be visualized, it would be a giant red bar rapidly filling a blank column.
As for little Corin...
Well...
She was weak, helpless, and adorably pitiful.
...
A moment later, their group reached the newly landed experimental base. There were still a lot of personnel moving around inside.
The number of rebels here far exceeded the ones they'd encountered before.
"There! That's Ruby!"
Ellen instantly spotted the blonde girl crouched in a distant corner, trying her best to stay unnoticed.
Her first instinct was to charge forward—but she forced herself to hold back, knowing it wasn't the right time for a head-on assault.
She turned to Lycaon.
"Should we just go tear them apart!?"
The once-cheerful high school girl had become a predator radiating killing intent—because someone she cared about was in danger.
Tear the enemies apart!
Like a shark!
"Calm down, Ellen. We—"
Lycaon began, ready to assess the situation, but Zane raised a hand and strode forward, openly revealing himself.
"No need to hide. They already know we're here."
Zane looked into the distance.
A man was watching them from afar—well-dressed, wearing a fancy monocle. But to Zane, there was something gloomy about his face.
They didn't know each other.
But they'd crossed paths many times before.
"Welcome, friends from afar!"
A voice echoed out as the scholar began walking toward them. At the same time, rebel forces started closing in on all sides.