Rosalith’s POV:

It was past ten at night when Ace Rosalith Celeste Runerth arrived with the remaining four Calamities, her younger brother Leomaris Runerth, and the Jester of the End’s own right-hand man, Herald of the End — the lot of them piling into a hotel room on Fati Street, Chatenham.

They sat around a circular table, its surface brimming with sheets and ink, the whole room covered wall to wall in nothing but strategic thinking.

"The academy had already obtained permission from the Chatenham Police Department to investigate the bombing incident... however, this does not include the Secret Detectives or the self-righteous sheriffs also after the Black Arms. We shouldn’t rule out the trouble instructor, Moon, either."

Rosay said and gestured toward an alley on the map of Chatenham City, her eyes sliding over to Arthur, who, for once, looked attentive.

"You said their headquarters is here... is it not? The third alley from Zoom Street to Eden Mechanics?"

Arthur ruffled his white hair, murmuring his agreement in the same motion.

"Right... we are permitted to kill anyone except the leader."

Celestial brushed her brown hair aside and leaned in slightly.

"They are said to be organised by numerical ranks. Aside from the Sovereign, the rest are categorised from ten to one, with one containing the fewest but strongest members. There are over two hundred of them. You want us to eliminate them?"

Rosay’s crimson eyes drifted to Herald of the End, resting on their blue eyes for just a moment. She had her concerns, but everything, she decided, would be left in the Laughing End’s hands.

"Are you telling me third-year cadets can’t take on people who chose nothing but terrorism?"

The sharp glare from Rosay as she spoke made Celestial panic for a second. However, Will, brown hair and that proud look of his, who’d clearly had it out for Leomaris from the wicked stares he’d been sending his way, spoke.

"They are terrorists, Ace. They don’t care about their own lives. They would kill us without a second thought."

Cassius stroked his chin for a moment.

"What are you afraid of? It is not as though we are facing them head-on. We are attacking from the shadows, are we not? My faction is already in position; I require only the order."

Rosay’s eyes swept across their faces for a moment. She understood their concerns. Up until now they’d only ever raided citadels and chased down weaker criminals. Not once had they squared up against humans as unpredictable as terrorists.

Before a word could leave her mouth, Leomaris jumped in ahead of her.

"Why are you panicking? They do not care for their own lives... but they will still fear death when it stands before them. That is the thrill. No one fears death until it becomes something they can fear."

He shrugged his shoulders.

"Give them exactly that. They are not afraid because they believe they control when and how they die. What removes fear is certainty, remove that, and only the unknown remains. Nothing is more fearsome than the unknown. Let them wonder how they will die, and in that moment, they will begin to value their lives."

Herald of the End cleared his throat.

"I believe he is correct. Each of you lead your own factions, do you not? The Laughing End is here to end their terrorism and corruption in the most unpredictable way. Do the same. Do not kill them in patterns. Find what they fear, and use it against them in death. Leave their corpses where others can see. That will be enough to spread fear."

Rosay’s eyes narrowed slightly at the mask the gentleman wore. It didn’t look real, and the question mark symbol drifting inside it made it nearly impossible to hold his gaze.

She didn’t oppose their words. But she wanted to see what the Laughing End was made of, and more importantly, what her brother was getting up to. For that reason alone, she’d turned a blind eye to a good many things, she wanted to live this mission herself.

"I suppose you are correct, Herald of the End..." Her attention shifted toward the other Calamities.

"Just as my brother suggested. We will adhere to the plan and attack through factions. The other factions, unwilling to take action, will instead take the safest path and serve as a distraction at the town square."

Her fingers picked out five alleys, all of them leading straight to Zoom Street and Black Arms headquarters.

"My faction, Circle of Chains, will take the alleys of Omen Street and use their elusiveness to our advantage. Arthur, take the church street. It would be wise to at least seek the Goddess for favour and protection."

Her attention shifted toward Will and Celestial.

"Celestial, I want you to take the route from the town square, where at each street you will encounter the remaining factions. Do with them as you see fit; however, those who are afraid should create a commotion to draw attention using the Goddess’s name."

She gave her words a beat.

"If my calculations are correct, Arthur’s faction will arrive from the chapel soon and escalate the commotion with their holy presence. The last thing we want is attention on the headquarters."

Finally, with a heavy breath, her eyes found Will and Cassius.

"The two of you will take your already selected route, Beckham Street and the Oil Factory. With the noise at those locations, you will have enough freedom to be chaotic."

With that, she rose to her feet. Her legs gave out before she could stand clearly, but a little maneuver from Leomaris made it hard for anyone to notice.

"In the end, we will all meet at the Black Arms headquarters. We are done here."

One by one, the others got to their feet and left, save for Leomaris and Herald of the End. The moment Rosay was certain they were all out, she let herself drop lazily back into her seat.

Leomaris let out a sigh. "Is your stamina that low? I expected more from you, considering you have three days left before your hibernation."

Rosay frowned. She couldn’t work out why Leomaris would say something so vulnerable about her in front of Herald of the End, but she thought better of it. She didn’t want to learn anything about the Laughing End.

She just wanted to crack the mystery and find out who the traitor was, who wanted her dead. But more than anything, she had a feeling that knowing anything about the Laughing End might come between her and her brother’s alliance when she needed it most.

"That’s the whole point of my ability. The final activation is supposed to lead me into my hibernation, so I get weaker as the days grow older. This would have happened if I were in my notorious phase, but I wouldn’t have felt it since it gave me nearly endless stamina."

Leomaris let out an annoyed sound. His mouth opened, wanting to speak, but Herald of the End beat him to it.

He rose to his feet and adjusted his clothes.

"I will be reporting everything to the sovereign."

Something within her presence shifted.

"But there is something else. My lord requested Leomaris’s assistance for this mission, but he insisted he was meant to protect you in your weakened state. As a result, we will send a capable member to protect you in exchange for Leomaris."

Rosay frowned. Leomaris, for his part, just scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

"I tried, Rosay. They didn’t listen."

Leomaris’s words were gibberish to Rosay, but she kept her eyes on the prize. She knew Leomaris was a good ally to have, and the Jester of the End probably wanted his advice, but more than anything, she wanted to know what the Sovereign was made of.

Rosay got to her feet with a smile.

"I have my doubts... but for the sake of this alliance, I will trust you."

Herald of the End nodded in agreement.

"We will show ourselves at the assigned time. Make sure everything is ready by then."

She watched Herald of the End walk away with quiet curiosity. More than anything, she wanted answers. What exactly was the Jester of the End, and what was their connection to her younger brother?