At the same time, within one of the royal palace halls, in a lavish chamber, the same thing that had happened to Hendrick was now happening to the master here.
At this moment, the splendid chamber lay in complete disarray.
Furniture of all kinds had been overturned and smashed, while vases, ornaments, and pieces of equipment lay scattered across the ground, making the once-luxurious room now look as though it had gone through a brutal battle, with broken fragments and debris strewn everywhere.
At the farthest corner of the chamber stood a bed, and the area around it had been stained red with blood.
On the ground lay several corpses of servants, their deaths clearly the result of cruel torture, filling the air with a suffocating stench of blood.
And this scene seemed to have been witnessed by someone with ill intent.
[What a pitiful, wretched sight...]
When this seductive voice reached the ears of the man lying on the bed, his blood-soaked body stirred, and he slowly opened his eyes that were glowing a deep, violent red.
"...Who?"
He showed no surprise at the sudden voice, nor even a trace of fear—what filled his gaze was only madness and savagery.
[Just as the rumors said… nothing more than a mad dog.]
In response to the man's question, the seductive voice continued, but the tone sounded disinterested, as though the man before her could not pique her curiosity in the slightest.
[You don't need to know who I am.]
[I'll just ask you one question.]
[Do you want revenge?]
At these words, the man with blood-red eyes grinned hideously.
"You can make me take revenge?"
It was clear he didn't care who the sudden voice belonged to—all he cared about was whether it could help him achieve his goal.
[I can give you what you need to take revenge, but whether you succeed or not… depends on you.]
As these words faded, a shadow emerged in the chamber, immediately drawing the red-eyed man's attention.
"Who are you?"
When the man asked, the manic edge in his tone made it clear he could erupt into violence at any moment, slaughtering the intruder without hesitation.
Yet the shadow acted as though it felt no danger, drifting like a ghost until it reached the bed, where it silently set down two items—a short sword and a vial of potion.
Immediately after leaving the two items, the shadow vanished.
As the man on the bed fixed his gaze on them, the seductive voice echoed once more.
[What you see now are our prized works—one a special holy relic, the other a modified potion.]
[Drink the potion, and you'll gain power that no one else possesses, along with the right to wield that holy relic.]
[From that moment, you'll be one of us.]
[We will also give you men stronger than the private soldiers you once trained.]
[All you need to do is one thing—seek him out... and take your revenge.]
Before the voice had finished, the man had already grabbed the potion.
"He's your enemy too?"
It was the man's only question.
[Fufu, not yet... but he will be.]
At his question, the seductive voice chuckled softly.
[Now that you know the answer, what will you do?]
At this, the man only grinned, wild madness twisting his smile.
"Nothing else matters. As long as he's your enemy, that's enough."
In the next moment, the man downed the potion in one go, without a hint of hesitation.
"Ergh... AAAAAAAAHHHHH—!!!"
A scream of agony tore from his throat—his entire body convulsed as he clutched his head and slammed it again and again against the bed.
*BANG!*
In the end, the massive bed shattered into fragments, scattering across the floor.
Still howling, the man gripped the short sword, stabbing the ground, the walls, even the corpses strewn about the floor.
Before long, a chilling energy erupted from his body, corroding everything it touched.
Watching this, the seductive voice returned.
[Congratulations. From this moment, you are a magic-augmented human.]
[Use that power well.]
[It is derived from the very power that once destroyed an ancient magical civilization.]
As these words faded, ghostly figures began to materialize one by one in the room.
"Hehehe... Hahahaha... HAHAHAHAHA!"
Clenching both fists, the man laughed—his crazed laughter growing louder and louder, his voice swallowed by madness.
===
"Now, that should be enough."
In a hidden place, a voluptuous woman wreathed in a seductive aura set down the item in her hand and smiled faintly.
"With these two moves, even if the princess and her master remain untouched, the leader's objective will still be fulfilled."
"Once the people of Hidden Land realize the true identity of their princess has been exposed, they won't be able to sit still."
"As soon as they emerge... these two moves will have paid off."
Stretching lazily, her curvaceous figure arched enticingly, radiating allure.
Just then, a frivolous voice rang out at her side.
"Hey, Sister Fire Princess, how about letting me go to Yeluvia to watch the show?"
Hearing the flattery in the voice, Fire Princess paused mid-stretch, then cast a sidelong glance at Giga, who was smiling obsequiously.
"You sure you're going to watch, and not just to pick a fight you can't win?" Fire Princess said coldly.
"You saw through me, huh..." Giga's expression turned awkward.
"Not just me—even the leader and the old man can see through you." Fire Princess said calmly, then sneered. "Best not to. Rivalry may be common among men, but you've only just taken your first step. You couldn't even beat Ice Maiden when she wielded that national artifact. If you go, what do you think you'll accomplish? Even if you fully mastered that mystical artifact, you'd only be her equal at best—maybe even less, so just stay here with me and wait for news. Don't throw your life away."
Fire Princess's words wiped the smile from Giga's face.
"...I just wanna see with my own eyes what kind of man could make Sister Ice Maiden act so out of character."
"You already know well enough." Fire Princess's tone was merciless. "Don't forget, you've already lost to him once."
Giga said nothing.
Fire Princess sighed softly.
"Isn't it time you faced reality?" Fire Princess's tone carried a touch of pity. "Ice Maiden really doesn't like you. No matter how much effort you waste, she'll never look your way."
"You'll never know unless you try..." Giga clenched his fists, then scoffed. "No matter how she sees me, it won't change how I feel."
"Why put yourself through this, anyway?"
Fire Princess shook her head, exasperated by Giga's stubbornness.
"I know that girl better than anyone. Her heart froze long ago, which is also why that national artifact acknowledged her—she's the only one in a thousand years who can wield it freely."
"If not for me, even the leader and the old man couldn't have recruited her, y'know."
"I know you only joined us because of her, but I'll still tell you this: no matter what you do, you won't move her heart. Ice Maiden was born too perceptive, sees too much, knows too much. No one can melt the ice in her heart."
At this, Giga only smiled faintly.
"Maybe so..."
He had long accepted that truth, and yet—
"The day she descended before me like a goddess from the heavens, when she split my damned father in half and froze him in ice—that was the moment nothing else in my eyes mattered but her."
"From that moment, I swore I would follow her, stand behind her, and never leave."
"Even if she walks into hell, I'll crawl through the flames to be by her side."
Giga's tone carried no frivolity now—only sincerity, almost reverence.
"My only wish is to be with her."
"No one can stop me."
"Not the leader... Not the old man... Not even you..."
Giga's words cast a heavy silence between the two.
"...You'll only shatter yourself against a wall." Fire Princess said softly, almost pitying.
"Doesn't matter." Giga smiled carelessly.
"Is that so?" Fire Princess did not press further. "Still, I'd rather you not go to Yeluvia."
"Why not?" Giga frowned. "You really think so little of me?"
"Because I've never before seen anyone injure Ice Maiden when she drew that national artifact." Fire Princess's voice was quiet but firm. "I don't want our revolution to suffer losses before it even begins."
"Fine..." Giga finally gave in. "In that case, I'll just send a puppet."
"Well, that works." Fire Princess nodded. "Just be careful not to disrupt the leader's plan."
"Got it, got it~" Giga grinned cheerfully. "I'll be careful~"
With that, he skipped away and vanished from sight.
"Seriously..." Fire Princess smiled wryly, then grew pensive. "I didn't expect the princess's master to have such deep ties with the Frenzel family... Could this drag the Frenzel family into the mess, too?"
Her eyes flickered with a rare hint of worry.
"...Hopefully that child won't be caught up in this mess."
Fire Princess could only whisper such a prayer as she gazed toward the dark sky.
On this night, while all kinds of sinister shadows stirred restlessly, the moonlight above the royal capital, Yeluvia, was shrouded in a haze, as though foreshadowing something yet to come.
===
Kingdom of Jinas, Yeluvia, Frenzel Residence.
As morning came, warm sunlight spread from the east, chasing away the emptiness of the night and filling the earth with vigor.
In the courtyard of the Frenzel residence, Riezel and Lizbeth stood facing one another.
"Here I come, Master."
Lizbeth raised Moslow, still sheathed, holding it up in a stance of attack.
"Come."
Riezel stood opposite her, one hand resting on the hilt at his waist, ready to draw at any instant.
At this moment, the pair of master and attendant stood face to face, poised for battle.
Indeed, they intended to fight.
"Let me see, Lizbeth." Riezel's expression carried rare anticipation. "Now that your bloodline has awakened, how much have you changed?"
"Yes!" Lizbeth answered obediently, then inhaled deeply, steadying her breath. "Huuu... Haaa..."
Her breathing fell into a peculiar rhythm, and her expression transformed—becoming calm, sharp.
A magical energy, whether drawn forth or born within, rose from her like a slow-burning flame, altering her entirely.
Riezel immediately sensed the change.
If before Lizbeth had been like a lioness—gentle at first glance, yet capable of unleashing fearsome strength in battle—now she seemed more like a spirit, a being that, though outwardly human, had transcended human limits.
Not only did the magical energy flowing over her body carry a strange power, but the rhythm of her breathing also infused her with vitality.
Facing Lizbeth now, Riezel felt as though he stood before Morgan herself—not because Lizbeth had become a witch, but because she had turned into something beyond the mundane, freed from former restraints.
"Here I go!"
Lizbeth gave her declaration.
*BANG!*
Stomping hard against the ground, Lizbeth blasted up dust and shockwaves like an explosion, shooting toward Riezel like a launched rocket.
*Schwing—*
Riezel reflexively drew Hermit, ready to strike, but in the next instant, something happened that left him stunned.
===
[A bonus chapter for every 500 Power Stones.]
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