Boom! Boom! Inside the building at 17 Minsk Street, Woodside District, the housewife Stalina Summer and the maids had rushed to the corner of the room, startled by the explosions heard from afar, feeling the very ground beneath their feet tremble gently. Only when the relentless, terrifying sounds gradually faded into the distance did Stalina straighten up, scanning anxiously left and right. "What on earth has happened?" Both maids shook their heads, equally bewildered and afraid. Stalina stepped away from the corner, instinctively wanting to leave the room and speak with her neighbors to learn what had just occurred, yet fearing another unexpected blast might strike, so she remained pacing within the living room. After several minutes, she suddenly heard the sound of the door opening and quickly turned to see her husband, Luke Summer, accompanied by a male servant, returning. "You weren't working?" Stalina asked instinctively. Luke, tall and serious, replied, "I just passed by the area and came straight back. 'Hurry! Put on your coat—we're going to church now!' 'What's happened? What's happened?' Stella asked that question once again. Luke took two steps forward and said, 'Vesak's airships are bombing Beckett!' 'How—how can that be?' Stella stared in disbelief. 'Now isn't the time to discuss this. The event has already occurred—we must go to church immediately!' Luke gave his wife a warm embrace. 'Don't worry too much—I don't think the airships are heading this way.' 'Of course, of course!' Stella responded, still a bit nervous. As she put on the coat brought by the maid, she instinctively worried, 'What about the children?' 'They're at the church school—someone will organize their evacuation. We simply can't catch up with them,' Luke said calmly. "Well," Starlin made a prayer gesture, hoping her deity would offer protection. The two of them, along with the butler and housemaid, quickly stepped out of their front door and headed toward the other end of the street. As they passed the house at number 58, Starlin glanced at it and murmured, "I used to mock Jurgen the lawyer, saying he had moved to the south solely because of Mrs. Doris's illness, abandoning so many opportunities in Beckland. Now, I find myself a little envious of him..." Luke followed her gaze and said, "Don't worry—everything will be fine." Starlin hurried forward, unable to resist asking, "Luke, are we fleeing Beckland?" "No, we're not!" Luke Summer responded firmly. "This is just an accident." "Seeing his wife's clear confusion, he added, 'Bekland is the kingdom's capital and must be the area with the highest defense rating. This situation was simply unforeseen—there was a lapse in attention. That's why it happened. Next time, the Fursac people will never have another chance! The kingdom is the strongest militarily in both the northern and southern continents. The Fursac people will certainly be taught a lesson—they won't be able to invade Bekland again. From now on, Bekland will actually be the safest place!' 'Ah, that makes sense,' Staline agreed, finding her husband's reasoning sound and willing to believe him. After explaining, Luk remained silent for a few seconds before saying, 'Nevertheless, we need to make some preparations. Once the church officially allows us to move freely, we should immediately bring the children back and stock up on food—buy as much as possible, as much as we can afford!' ... In the public school area of the Bekland Bridge region." Due to the great distance, Daisy and her classmates were unaware of the developments in the North and West districts, nor did they feel the growing chaos spreading to the Hillsdon and Joewood districts. However, teachers did come to their classrooms to organize them into lines and guide them to the nearest churches. This reminded Daisy immediately of the previous year’s Becland smog crisis, when they too had been instructed to take shelter in the church adjacent to their school. Was something similar happening again? The shadows of memory began to tremble through Daisy’s body, stirring deep sorrow and anger. As she passed by the door, she turned her head to look at the teacher in charge and asked, “Is this another disaster?” “Perhaps,” the teacher replied, not fully aware of the details, only following the instructions from the telegrams. “Is this a recurring event—does this happen every year, or even more than once?” Daisy asked, her voice slightly wavering, with a touch of naivety. The teacher gazed at her sympathetically and shook her head, saying, "All difficulties will pass, and God will watch over everyone." Daisie didn't waste anyone's time, adhered to the order, and quietly followed the group toward the nearest church. ........ Pasefield Street, No. 22, North District. Audrey, who was at the "Rune Charitable Scholarship Fund," immediately felt her skin ripple with dragon scales upon hearing the explosion and rushed to the window. Watching the fleet of airships bearing the Fyrsak flag rise into the sky, and witnessing bombs being blown off course by the hurricane, scattered to the distance, or exploding upon impact—or simply vanishing as if entering the spiritual realm—Audrey suddenly recalled Mr. Garmen Sparrow's words about the world and the psychological alchemy mission, and had a sudden realization: War had truly begun! She immediately turned to face the golden-haired dog, Suzy, and her personal maid, Anne, and said, "Quick, get to St. Samuel's Church!" Although Audrey didn't know exactly how to handle the air raids, her education had always taught her to head for church when danger arose. In fact, her instinct was to rush back to Queens to protect her mother. But considering that Anne and the other staff members were ordinary people—lacking both experience and the capacity to cope with such a crisis—she decided to prioritize their safety and accompany them to St. Samuel's Church. To address potential dangers along the way, Audrey planned to simultaneously activate both "the Hand of Fear" and "the Power of Lies," bending the trajectory of bullets and manipulating the flames to trigger an early explosion of the bombs. — Indeed, when facing long-range attacks, the extraordinary ability of the "Audience" pathway proved difficult to deploy. Odalie made her way quietly into Saint-Séverin Church, where several bishops and priests welcomed her. "Miss Odalie, don't worry about the Count, the Countess, or Lord Hibbert—they each have dedicated personnel protecting them. This level of air raid won't reach them. And as you know, your basement is vast and exceptionally sturdy." One bishop quickly escorted Odalie aside, offering reassurance. Odalie removed her thin gloves and nodded in agreement with the bishop's words, no longer eager to return home, but instead asked, "What's the current situation?" "The Fossac forces have lost two airships and have relocated to the western district. Rest assured, all defensive forces have been activated, and they won't cause any further damage." The bishop simply mentioned a few points, guiding Audrey and the others toward the underground area of the church for shelter, where, one level below, the "Night Watch" were stationed. At 160 Berkland Street, the butler Walter and the staff had all taken refuge in the underground space, which also served as a wine cellar. This was according to Lord Daun Thantès' instructions, and the gentleman himself had gone with his personal servant to visit Bishop Elektra. After some time passed, Walter and the staff heard knocking at the door, and through the holes in the door, confirmed that their employer had returned. "There's no longer any attack, but we should still head back to Saint Samuel's Church for a while," said Caine, surveying the room. "Yes, sir," Walter replied on behalf of the staff, then asked, "What comes next?" As a competent butler, he often read the newspapers and understood that the situation was already tense; it was only a matter of time before war broke out following the bombings. Klein paused and said, "Once the Church confirms the situation, we'll head to the Moegar manor. You can all bring your families with you. Regardless of what happens, the royal capital will certainly be safe, and the manors on its outskirts won't be targets for air raids—there's simply no value in that. Moreover, Moegar manor has ample food supplies and a large stock of wine. Even if the war lasts for a long time, we won't have to worry about running out of food." Hearing his employer's words, the married servants immediately brightened, their earlier paleness and anxiety lifting. Walter expressed his gratitude directly. Then, after some thought, he added, "We can always purchase more food—under these circumstances, there will never be a shortage anyone will complain about. Also, while attacks near Beckland may cease, the security situation might become unstable. The manors outside the city must therefore remain vigilant." Klein nodded. "I've also given this some thought. I'll reach out to Senator Mahert and the military officials to purchase a batch of surplus weapons and ammunition—please make sure you all practice more diligently. "For now, I and Enyuni will return to Beckland as circumstances warrant. If there's anything we haven't considered, we'll address it then." As for food, Klein didn't prohibit the butler, Walter, from making purchases—this way, should a famine actually occur, he'll be able to provide relief. Once the arrangements for the future were settled, everyone at the D'Ornay-Tonnet estate simply packed their belongings, carrying their valuables, and followed their employer into Saint Samuel's Church, down to the underground. Klein immediately spotted Audrey moving among the crowd, soothing their emotions, and offered her a gentle smile, nodding in recognition. Upon seeing D'Ornay-Tonnet, Audrey returned a warm smile, confirming from his demeanor that no major incident had occurred. ……… The Vols and Thew have moved again, but still on the edge of the eastern district, now closer to the Beckland Bridge area. After waking naturally, Vols ran her fingers through her hair and stepped out of the bedroom to prepare lunch. As she glanced around, she saw Thew already outside, sitting in a chair and quickly flipping through the newspaper. "What's wrong?" Vols asked, puzzled. Thew frowned. "The Foskians have launched air raids on the northern and western districts..." "What?" Vols exclaimed, then remembered the relevant points discussed at the Tarot gathering. At that moment, the sound of the newspaper boy came from outside: "Special edition! Special edition! The Kingdom has declared war on the Foskians!" "Special edition! Special edition! The Kingdom has declared war on the Foskians!"