Under the pitch-black sky without any stars, pale moonlight from a full moon fell through the tree branches upon the dark city.

The desolate streets in the middle of the night were deathly still, except for the incessant chirping of insects.

Tak.

A window of a room on top of a building suddenly closed shut, and a black curtain was pulled closed behind it.

As even the moonlight was shut off, darkness swamped the room.

“Forgive me. The insects were annoying.”

“…”

“Don’t they sound just like crickets? They sound like something boiling—”

An elderly voice was heard from the direction of the window…

“How long do I have to wait?”

…While a different voice was heard from the center of the room.

It was a low voice that was neither aged nor young.

“That same question again. Why are you in such a hurry?”

The voice accompanied by low laughter moved from the window towards the center of the room.

“There’s no helping it. At this rate, the Parasites will treat humanity as its main enemy. No, they might already think so.”

“I suppose. The outcome of the battle at Tigol Fortress was surprising, both for us and for the Parasites… But isn’t it fine? Since they’ve won the war—”

“Fine? Enough with the jokes.”

The dignified voice sharpened.

“Do you think that the Parasites will perish just because of one or two defeats? No, absolutely not. The Parasites' forces are immortal. All they have to do is remake however much they lost each time.”

The slightly angry voice continued.

“That’s not all. The revival of the World Tree? An alliance with the Federation? All is vain in the face of absolute power. Half...