"How did this happen…? How did this happen?! Damn it, what did that person do?!"
The Grand Sage fell into complete panic.
Feeling the magical power that had completely vanished from his body, he experienced an unprecedented sense of emptiness and unease—something so strange and terrifying that it made his entire body tremble instinctively.
Cold sweat ran down his forehead as he rushed to the window.
His eyes widened as he looked outside.
The civilians… those who, in his eyes, had always been nothing more than insignificant ants and mere experimental materials, were now completely overwhelming the mercenaries and the Disciplinary Officers.
And more than that—they were shouting slogans of rebellion.
And the target of those cries… was him.
They wanted to tear him apart.
"Damn you… DAMN YOU FILTHY WORMS!! You all deserve to die!!"
Breathing unevenly, the Grand Sage quickly turned and ran toward a specific artifact.
That object, shaped like a chess piece, contained immense magical power. It was, in itself, an extraordinary source of energy.
The moment he grabbed it—
Magic returned to his body.
A wave of relief instantly flooded his mind.
"As I thought… the [Eye of Desire] has its limits…" Leon murmured, watching his actions from afar.
That weakness had already been observed before, when the artifact was used by the Cult of Diablos.
It could absorb magical power within a certain range—
But there was a limit. If the amount of energy exceeded that threshold, it could not be absorbed instantly.
And the power contained within the Heart of God was more than enough to sustain a Grand Sage even within a field where magic was suppressed.
"They… can't catch me!"
Even as he trembled, the Grand Sage began to regain his confidence.
"Even if I can't connect to the World Tree as planned… as long as I have the Heart of God… I still have a chance!"
His expression twisted into a mixture of desperation and madness.
"When I manage to connect… I'll erase all your memories—"
—shk!
A wet, slicing sound echoed.
The blade pierced his flesh.
"Finally… the moment I've been waiting for has arrived."
"Y-You…?!"
The Grand Sage slowly turned his head, disbelief filling his eyes.
Behind him stood his own guard.
His confidant.
The person he trusted the most had just stabbed him in the back.
Before the other guards could react, the man moved.
The blade in his hands—a liquid sword formed from a black, slime-like substance—moved as if alive, cutting through everything in its path.
In a matter of seconds, everyone was dead.
Then the assassin's body began to change.
His appearance, his clothes, his posture… even his gender.
The man disappeared, and in his place appeared a slender, beautiful girl wearing black tights.
"Y-You… who… who are you?!"
"Member of Night Raid. Nyu."
Her voice was calm.
But her eyes shone with intense emotion.
She was a master of disguise and an elite assassin.
Even though she was not one of the Seven Shadows, her strength still placed her among the top members of Night Raid.
In simple terms, even without magical suppression, she would be capable of eliminating the entire Akademiya alone.
"Night Raid…?! How… when did you infiltrate?!"
Nyu tilted her head slightly.
"This country is full of holes. Infiltrating it was… far too easy."
A chill ran down the Grand Sage's spine.
"Damn it… so you were involved as well… wait… could it be that Leon…?!"
"You know too much."
Nyu's expression did not change.
But her eyes turned dangerous.
She kicked the Grand Sage to the ground effortlessly.
Her high heel pressed down hard on his forehead, crushing his dignity along with his body.
The black blade pointed directly at him.
"Anyone who knows my master's true identity… cannot be allowed to live."
The Grand Sage trembled uncontrollably.
"That's truly unfortunate. I don't have permission to kill you."
Nyu tilted her head slightly, as if genuinely disappointed.
"But I can have a little fun. It doesn't matter if you end up half-dead. Our medical capabilities are excellent."
Terror once again consumed the Grand Sage.
His eyes reflected pure despair.
Then the blade came down.
"Aaaaaaahhhhhhh—!!!"
An agonized scream echoed as his eye was pierced.
"I've disliked you for a long time," Nyu said coldly. "How dare you call my master by name? And you even conspired with a cult… you deserve to die a thousand times."
"AAAAAAHHHHHH—!!!"
"But don't worry."
She continued, completely indifferent.
"You're not alone."
"All the sages of the Akademiya are already under control."
"No one will escape."
Suddenly, as if remembering something—
"Ah… I almost forgot."
She crouched down and picked up the Heart of God.
The Grand Sage's eyes widened.
Even in that state—
He reached out, trying to grab the artifact.
But—
shk!
His hand was cut off midair.
Nyu pulled out an elegant handkerchief from her clothes and carefully wiped the artifact clean, removing any trace of blood or touch.
After that, she even sprayed perfume on it.
Only then did she nod, satisfied.
"A gift must always be impeccable."
That was the trophy meant for her master.
There could be no "impurities."
At the same time—
Throughout the Akademiya, other sages who attempted to flee were quickly captured.
Only now did they realize that their most trusted allies had long since been replaced.
The terror they felt was indescribable.
Then the doors of the Akademiya opened, and Leon walked in calmly.
As if he were merely paying a casual visit.
All targets had already been captured.
And now, including the Grand Sage himself, all of them were forced to kneel before him.
"My lord, everyone is present."
"Good."
Leon looked around, assessing the situation.
"And the items?"
"All recovered."
"Excellent."
He nodded, satisfied.
"The battle outside is nearly over."
"These sages are no longer of any use."
His voice was calm.
As if he were discussing something trivial.
"Drag them all outside… and execute them publicly."
A deadly silence fell.
"As for this Grand Sage…"
Everyone held their breath.
The Grand Sage trembled like never before.
Leon paused briefly.
"…he is mine."
Those words, spoken so casually, made everyone turn pale.
That "gentle and elegant prince"—
Was, in truth, a demon.
The Grand Sage, trembling, was the only one who truly understood the truth.
Leon… was the leader of Night Raid.
And he himself was nothing more than a disposable pawn.
Even so, he refused to accept that reality.
"Why…? Why me…? How did you discover my connection to the cult?!"
Leon raised an eyebrow slightly.
"You still care about that… even on the brink of death?"
He looked at Azar with complete indifference.
"But fine."
"I can tell you."
His lips curved slightly.
"The reason is simple."
"I did all of this… because of a girl."
"How dare you treat Nahida that way?"
The Grand Sage was completely stunned.
"Nahida…?"
He had never imagined it.
Never imagined that this would be the reason.
Leon crossed his arms.
"Nahida is my friend."
Everything he had built… had been destroyed by something so simple.
"Don't worry."
Leon continued.
"I'm not going to kill you."
The Grand Sage's eyes lit up with hope.
"Really…?!"
Leon smiled.
"Of course."
Then he turned to one of the girls.
"Take him to Esdeath. Tell her to give him the best treatment possible."
The girl's expression changed instantly.
"Yes… my lord."
"And tell her that under no circumstances… is he to die."
Leon paused slightly.
"Even if he begs for it."
A heavy silence fell over the room.
Even the members of Night Raid felt a chill run down their spines.
Because everyone knew—
There was no punishment worse than longing for death… and never being able to reach it.
---
(End of Chapter)