It was just as Eugene had suspected. Tourists who had willingly visited Giabella City over the past year were beginning to return. Unlike before, they were not deranged, lost in dreams and memories. More accurately, they could not fully remember their time spent in Giabella City. Despite having harmed themselves previously, like banging their heads against bars to escape to Giabella City, they now could not understand why they had gone there in the first place. "The memories of the city have been completely erased, but there are no aftereffects," Anise said.

Eugene stood on the rooftop of a building, gazing down at the wide plaza below, where many people were gathered. The crowd in the square consisted entirely of citizens from the Kiehl Empire, quarantined in this camp, and each one was a returned tourist from Giabella City. They murmured among themselves as they awaited their turn for examination. "I don’t think quarantine is necessary," Eugene stated. "I agree, but such a significant measure must be justified," Anise replied.

The Kiehl Empire had a large population, and naturally, most of the tourists returning from Giabella City were its citizens. Eugene was skeptical about the need for quarantine, but the emperor and the imperial bureaucrats could not ignore the possibility of brainwashing. "There's precedent, after all," Anise noted. These individuals had once left Giabella City, driven mad by dreams of the place, insisting on returning. "Can you really call that brainwashing?" Eugene asked. "It did mess with their minds," Anise argued. "But you said there are no aftereffects this time?" Eugene pressed. "Last time, they initially showed no signs of disturbance. They could suddenly change this time too. If that many people went berserk, it would be problematic," Anise explained.

Years ago, while crossing the snowy fields to attend the Knight March, Eugene had encountered Princess Knight Scalia and her lieutenant Dior. Although Scalia was now a devoted follower of Eugene, committed to spreading his teachings in Shimuin, the Scalia he had met in the snowfields had been mentally unstable due to insomnia and nightmares caused by Noir. She had massacred a mercenary band they encountered in the snow and later suffered hallucinations that led her to attack Eugene and his group. "Well, I don’t think they’ll do that," Eugene said, recalling the Knight March. "Hamel, sometimes I think you trust Noir Giabella too much," Anise retorted, rolling her eyes.

She didn’t want to dwell on it, but Noir’s blasphemous words from her nightmare kept replaying in her mind, irritating her whenever Eugene defended Noir. "Unleashing these tourists in a frenzy before she dies as a last act of defiance isn’t Noir’s style. I just don’t think she will do that," Eugene insisted. "And what about the opposite?" Anise asked after a pause. "The opposite?" Eugene echoed. "If you were to lose to Noir Giabella and die. If that happened, that witch might... perhaps... lose interest in the world. In any case, I would also consider this world a failure if you were to die," Anise speculated, revealing her deep concerns about the potential outcomes of Eugene's conflict with Noir.

Eugene's expression remained unchanged, reflecting his emotions. Preparing for the worst-case scenario, he had already written a will in case of defeat. The will was now with Laman, who was currently serving as Gerhard’s bodyguard. Laman was utterly loyal to Eugene, and should Eugene fall to Noir Giabella, Laman would act according to his instructions. The five copies of his will would be sent to Molon, Gilead, Gerhard, Sienna, and Anise. Anise continued with her musings, "The witch loses interest in the world and causes those she has touched to go into a frenzy. This scenario could indeed happen. Hamel, unlike you, I cannot place my trust in Noir Giabella. That witch is the most... eccentric demon I've ever encountered, capable of the most nonsensical actions."

"I don't particularly trust her either," Eugene replied. Lies. Anise swallowed the word that rose to her throat. She looked at Eugene for a moment before letting out a soft sigh and turning away. "Sienna should have arrived by now. Let's go." As Anise had predicted, they found Sienna at the warp-gate, holding Mary in one hand. Her eyes were closed, and she was surrounded by a swirling dark aura. "It seems to have worked well," Eugene commented, approaching Sienna with a smirk. She paused her manipulation of mana and opened one eye to glance at him. "Of course, it worked. What do you take this Goddess of Magic for?" she asked.

"Even the great Goddess of Magic can't create dark power, can she?" Eugene countered. "Of course not. How could I, a human who is neither a demon nor a black wizard, create dark power?" she replied. However, dark power was necessary to amplify soul power. Sienna's chosen method was to use Amelia as a battery for dark power. Initially, during their time in the great forest, they had to physically carry Amelia, who was nothing more than a doll. But now, that was no longer necessary. "Amelia Merwin is locked up in the Black Tower of Magic. It's not in use anymore, and she's well-sealed there. Melkith will feed her daily," Sienna explained.

Preserving her in Akron as a specimen in a dark magic textbook had been an option too, but Amelia's dark power was still needed elsewhere. She was sealed in the Black Tower of Magic, and Sienna would tap into her dark power whenever she wished. The dark power would then be transferred to Mary. "Was there no sign of Balzac Ludbeth?" Eugene asked. "Not a trace," Sienna muttered with a shrug. Since the liberation of Hauria, Balzac had vanished once more. Previously, his disappearance had been to evade Amelia's tracking, but now there seemed to be no reason for him to hide. Even during the year Eugene and Sienna had been in seclusion, Balzac had also disappeared from the world. "Perhaps he's preparing to welcome us at Babel," Anise suggested.

"Do you really think Balzac would stand in our way with the Demon King of Incarceration?" Sienna asked, sounding unconvinced. "Sienna, don’t tell me you’ve grown fond of that black wizard? I know Balzac Ludbeth holds you in high regard, but in the end, he is a black wizard, one who has directly contracted with the Demon King of Incarceration. As long as we aim to ascend Babel, Balzac Ludbeth will inevitably block our path," Anise stated matter-of-factly. "Balzac's aspiration is to leave a mark on history as a wizard and become a legend. If he kills you, Sienna, well, that would certainly make him legendary," Eugene suggested mockingly.

"Wouldn't killing a Demon King as a black wizard be a much more legendary feat than killing me?" Sienna grumbled, her lips pouting in displeasure. At her words, both Eugene and Anise let out a hollow laugh. "Please stick to stories within the realm of possibility. Balzac Ludbeth has contracted not just with any Demon King but with the Demon King of Incarceration. How could he possibly betray his master?" Anise questioned. "Without the Demon King of Incarceration lifting a finger, just the thought alone would have Balzac coughing blood and dying. And the Demon King of Incarceration can read all of Balzac’s thoughts. How could he betray him?" Eugene chimed in. "I was just saying," Sienna replied. "Anyway, it’s not really possible."

Sienna, who had entertained a slight possibility of Balzac not betraying them, cleared her throat and turned away. "Anyway, I'm ready," she said. "Kristina and I are ready as well," Anise added. Their gazes naturally shifted toward Eugene. "Then we should head out," Eugene said, nodding in agreement. They were going to face the only living Duke of Helmuth, the master of Dreamea and Giabella City, the most notorious demon on the continent, the Queen of the Night Demons — Noir Giabella. Although she was a demon that not even the Demon King of Incarceration could dismiss, only three individuals would confront her. No large armies, no orders of paladins, and no Archwizards accompanied them. Only Eugene, Sienna, Kristina, and Anise would participate in the campaign against Noir Giabella. And among them, only Eugene would face Noir directly. 'That's enough,' Eugene thought reassuringly.

He looked ahead. He saw the large city surrounded by towering walls. The city gates were firmly closed. The first time Eugene had come to Giabella City, a long line had stretched from the warp-gate to the city gates. Tourists from across the continent had queued up to enter the fantastic city of entertainment. Now, the road to the city gates was deserted. However, a few people were inevitably inside the warp-gate facility — guild-affiliated gate wizards. "If you don’t want to get involved, run—" Before Sienna could finish, the wizards abruptly stood up. Blinking their dim eyes, they silently lined up and passed through the warp-gate. The wizards here had long been captivated by Noir’s dreams.

Eugene watched as the warp-gate's light faded, finally going out, and murmured, "We're the last ones." "No need to worry about anyone else coming through," Sienna assured. "Just in case, this facility shouldn’t be destroyed. I don’t want to walk back," Anise joked. They exchanged light banter, but no one laughed. Eugene stepped out of the building first. He gazed intensely at the closed city gates and slipped his hands into his cloak. He held Mer and Raimira’s hands. They were obviously tense. In any other battle, the damage from the fight wouldn't reach inside his cloak, but this time was different. Mer and Raimira had been informed beforehand and understood the situation, so they quietly held Eugene’s hand and stepped out of the cloak.

As they stepped out, their eyes filled with tears. They were worried for Eugene, and the fear of the unknown was visibly overwhelming them. Seeing their faces, so ready to burst into tears, Eugene couldn’t help but let out a soft chuckle. "Am I going there to die?" Eugene quipped lightly, a smirk forming on his lips. "Don't, please don't talk about such ominous things," Mer pleaded, clearly shaken. "Even as a joke, such words shouldn't be spoken...!" Raimira exclaimed, her voice trembling with fear. Eugene roughly ruffled their heads as he turned to look at Sienna and the Saints, who also wore uneasy expressions. Sienna, in particular, was nervously biting her nails as she alternated her gaze between Eugene and the city gates of Giabella City.

"It's been a long time since I've felt this way," Eugene mused aloud, his head throbbing and stomach churning just from looking at the solid gates. Neither Raizakia, Iris, the specter, nor Gavid Lindman had ever induced such a sensation in Eugene. To Sienna, the city beyond those gates felt like a completely different realm, a hellish mire. "If it gets too overwhelming, just run away," Anise advised while clutching her rosary. "If it comes to that, don't hesitate to ask us for help," Kristina added, her hands pressed together in prayer. Eugene didn’t respond. Instead, he flashed a wry smile, fully aware of what sort of help Kristina meant.

"What kind of god would tell his Saint to die in his place?" Eugene retorted as he turned away. "I'll be back." He decided no more words were necessary. Adjusting his breathing and expression, Eugene approached the gates of Giabella City. He did not look back. There was no sign of Noir Giabella as he neared the gates. There was no sound. Giabella-Face did not manifest in the sky either. Eugene stopped in front of the gates, half-expecting them to open on their own, but they remained firmly shut. 'Maybe I should just smash the gates with the Levantein.' The thought crossed his mind just as he felt a vibrating envelope in his pocket. Pulling it out, he discovered it was the invitation he had received a few days earlier. Curious, he opened the envelope, expecting to find a letter with a kiss mark, but instead, there was something entirely different inside.

It was a key. "Insane," Eugene muttered. Though it was absurd, he took out the key. Lifting his head, he couldn't help but let out a bemused chuckle. The massive city gate had somehow turned into a normal door. Have I already been dragged into a dream? For a moment, Eugene entertained the thought but quickly dismissed it. This was not a dream but reality, albeit a reality twisted by Noir like a dream. "I don't know what she's playing at," Eugene said, shaking his head. The door had changed, but it was still closed. Eugene eyed the doorknob, which naturally had a keyhole. He tried turning the handle, pushing, and pulling.

The door didn’t budge — an overt and blatant indication that he was meant to use the key. However, Eugene was not in the mood to play along with Noir's tricks. Flames enveloped Eugene as he lifted his foot without hesitation. With a resounding crash, his kick shattered the door in a straight line. The shattered door did not fly backward but instead burned away, turning to ash instantly. "...Really?" Eugene's eyebrows twitched. Despite his forceful entry, the cityscape did not reveal itself. Annoyingly and frustratingly, another door stood behind the one he had just demolished. "This makes my resolve and determination look foolish." He contemplated whether to kick it again or simply slice through it with the Levantein but judged that neither would be useful. It appeared that any effort to open this door without using the key would lead to a futile and pointless struggle.

Eugene clicked his tongue and moved the key toward the doorknob. Click. Turning the handle met no further resistance. Eugene pushed the door open and stepped inside. One step further. Then another. Silence. A fireplace. Firewood. Warm, orange flames. A spacious dining table. On one wall hung a large portrait — or was it a photograph? The sound of a knife chopping on a cutting board. The bubbling of something boiling. "You're early, aren't you?" Noir’s back was visible in the kitchen. She paused her cooking and turned to look at Eugene. "I’ve already drawn a bath. Do you want to wash first? Or shall we dine first? Or perhaps..." Noir tilted her head with a bright smile. She was clad in an apron.