"Big bro, where did you go? Why didn't you come home?"

Just as Leon was quickly emerging from the dark alley, about to ask passersby about the situation... a sweet, gentle voice called out from beside him.

Leon's mind reacted swiftly.

He had already imagined a cute girl with blonde curls and azure eyes, wearing a frilly lace dress standing nearby... analyzing the speech pattern, this must be Nicolas's sister.

However, when Leon turned his head, the reality was completely different from his imagination.

The girl appeared much healthier than his own weak frame... but like him, her skin had a yellowish tinge from vitamin deficiency.

She seemed about fifteen years old.

There was no wavy blonde hair as he had imagined.

Instead, she had the same brown short hair as Leon and a pair of sea-blue eyes.

The girl wore rather crude copper goggles and denim overalls, with a tool bag strapped to her side - she looked every bit like a young craftswoman.

Moreover, she was clutching a bag of fragrant food tightly to her chest... holding it like a treasure, afraid someone might snatch it away.

"Just getting some fresh air... since time is running short," Leon replied.

As a former associate professor at a local Italian university, fluent English was part of his daily basics.

Additionally, Leon's response was quite clever - he deliberately mentioned the 'time issue' while showing the bracelet to the girl.

To his surprise, this action immediately brought tears to her eyes, and she hugged him from the side.

"You won't die... Nina believes you'll definitely become a 'Returner' and come back home alive."

Nina.

Now he knew his sister's name.

However, more than her name, Leon was more concerned about the countdown issue and the term 'Returner' she mentioned.

The reason this weak young man chose suicide was most likely related to the countdown.

What could drive someone to such despair that they'd give up on life? Leon was curious.

"Yes, I'll come back alive... Though I am a bit nervous, that's why I came out for a walk. Don't worry, Nina, everything will be fine."

Leon tried his best to appear sunny and confident, after all, dealing with a crying girl would be troublesome.

Nina pushed up her goggles to wipe her moist eyes, then took out the food she had prepared.

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"Here! Mom made you fish and chips with cabbage sandwiches. Let's head to the【Ritual Square】while you eat... try to arrive fifteen minutes early."

"Alright..."

Leon mentally noted down the location ' Ritual Square.'

It seemed he had to arrive before the clockwork device's countdown ended, or something terrible would happen.

On the way to the square, Leon was so hungry he didn't mind his manners, taking 'luxurious' bites that included whole pieces of fried fish along with chips.

When the oily taste became too heavy, he'd take a bite of the vegetable sandwich to balance it out.

Due to their country's situation and family circumstances, such food was a rare treat for the Varen family, perhaps available only once a year... which explained why Nina had been holding the food so preciously.

However...

Walking beside him, Nina was almost drooling at Leon's ravenous eating style combined with the tempting aroma of fish and chips.

Leon shook his head with resignation

He hadn't eaten any human food for seven years, and truthfully, he didn't want to share.

Considering that this sibling relationship might prove useful in the future, and also needing to gather information about the Holy City from Nina, Leon reluctantly offered her a smaller piece of fried fish.

"I'm not hungry."

Seeing the piece of fish Leon held out, Nina licked away the saliva at the corner of her mouth while making this completely unconvincing statement.

After all, this could be Leon's last meal... Nina was well aware of the dangerous event her brother was about to face.

"Take it, I'm full."

"...Okay, thank you."

Upon receiving the fish, Nina seemed to want to copy Leon by putting the whole piece in her mouth... but feeling that would be too extravagant, she took small bites instead.

With each bite, she would sheepishly glance at Leon.

...

After nearly half an hour of brisk walking, they finally reached the【Ritual Square】.

Colossal.

Leon had never seen such an enormous square before.

The square was filled with a sea of people - over ten thousand of them.

At a glance, at least half of them wore clockwork bracelets similar to Leon's... and most were teenagers.

This explained why Leon hadn't seen any young people in the civilian buildings.

"Twenty minutes left... why do I have such an ominous feeling? A mass sacrifice ceremony?!"

The first thing that came to Leon's mind was a sacrificial ritual.

However, thinking carefully, it seemed unlikely... No nation would sacrifice thousands of youths who represented their future strength, unless they had given up on their own continuation.

Moreover, according to his sister Nina, death wasn't certain - just highly probable.

"Nina, this is far enough! Don't worry, I'll come back alive."

"Mm, whether you're 'brother' or not, I'll be waiting for you."

This remark gave Leon pause.

Nina, who had already started running away, stuck out her tongue and waved goodbye from outside the square.

At that moment.

Familiar metallic hoofbeats approached.

However, this time, it wasn't carriages but a group of black-clad knights riding mechanical warhorses.

Thirty in total.

Leon sensed that the aura emanating from these thirty individuals could overwhelm the tens of thousands of civilians gathered in the square.

"The Black Rose Knights!!"

The crowd in the square couldn't help but cry out this noble and awe-inspiring name.

They were the nation's backbone, humanity's true hope for survival.

The 'Black Rose Badge' was their symbol of status.

The black iron armor they wore, though appearing heavy, was actually light and form-fitting.

The knights weren't wearing helmets, but instead black steel masks incorporating 'goggle' elements.

This made Leon curious, as the people in the previous carriage had also worn similar goggles.

It seemed that 'goggles' held special significance in this world... not just for industrial use, but also necessary when dealing with 'anomalies.'

As for their mounts, they had chosen the finest purebred black horses.

Unlike the carriage horses Leon had seen earlier, these black horses retained a degree of powerful leg muscles, featuring high-grade embedded modifications to enhance their mobility.

"These knights clearly aren't ordinary people. Better keep a low profile."

Leon tried to blend into the densest part of the crowd, keeping himself inconspicuous.

The thirty black knights positioned themselves at equal intervals around the square's perimeter, completely sealing it off.

The lead knight drew an elegant sword from his waist, the sword's blade was coiled with what appeared to be streams of white, cold air.

A powerful, commanding voice boomed from beneath the mask, echoing across the entire square.

"The ceremony will begin shortly... All non-'selected' personnel must leave immediately!"