"Caramel Blade? I'm actually quite curious about that name."
Suddenly, inside the sealed room, a voice that did not belong to any of the three Caramel family members sounded out.
"Who's there?"
The Caramel Duke raised his hand, and a luxurious magic staff appeared in his grip. His two sons likewise drew their weapons, tense and alert.
Just as all three stared warily toward the direction of the voice, the room's window was gently pushed open.
A gust of icy wind swept in from outside, blowing the curtains wildly.
And then—
Behind the window, a plump, chubby pigeon hopped inside, one tiny step at a time.
"...A p-pigeon?"
Fifth Brother exclaimed. But the Caramel Duke, far more experienced, wore a grave expression.
"A familiar… Nature element, a druid, or perhaps a summoner. Using a familiar to eavesdrop on our conversation is rather improper, wouldn't you say, honored guest?"
He spoke politely, but his hands didn't slow.
He knew the real caster might still be hiding. Without hesitation, he pulled a magic scroll from his space equipment.
[Advanced Divine Magic: Hostility Perception]
In an instant, a ripple of invisible energy expanded outward, covering the entire Caramel Castle and the surrounding buildings.
Yet—The only hostile entity detected was the pigeon before them.
He couldn't even sense the pigeon's exact strength.
"Something's wrong. Very wrong…"
To communicate through a familiar, the caster couldn't be far—unless they were at a level beyond comprehension.
But was that even possible?
He was already Fifth-Rank Peak. Even a Sixth Rank wouldn't be that unfathomable.
Could it be… a Saint Rank?
A bead of cold sweat slid down his forehead. He didn't know why such a being would appear here—but an uninvited visit from a Saint Rank was never good news.
"May I ask, honored one, what business you have with the Caramel family?"
"Nothing major."
The pigeon hopped onto the Duke's desk, plopped down on the edge, and looked at the three men with amusement.
"I just want to know how many strong fighters your Caramel family has."
"Strong fighters… We have some, of course. But what does Your Excellency require of us?"
"The exact number."
The pigeon raised an eyebrow—far too humanlike for comfort.
The Duke's face darkened. This was a family secret. One that should never be casually spoken.
"We are related by marriage to Prince Glann of the Ymir Empire. If you intend to make things difficult for us, please consider whether you can withstand Prince Glann's wrath."
"Glann? Is he famous?"
The moment the pigeon said this, the Duke instantly pulled out another scroll and activated it without hesitation:
[Advanced Wind Magic: Storm Chain Blades]
Dozens of invisible wind blades fired like a Gatling gun toward the pigeon, covering every possible escape route.
He attacked so decisively for one reason:
Prince Glann of Ymir—younger brother of a former emperor, and one of the empire's Saint Rank powerhouses.
If this intruder were really Saint Rank, they would definitely know Glann's name. And if they did, that meant the Duke's bluff might actually work.
Even if his daughter was merely the mistress of Glann's youngest son, it was enough to lend him legitimacy.
This was the only reason the Caramel family, despite lacking a Sixth Rank powerhouse, could still act with such arrogance without being crushed by the Desert Kingdom's royal family.
But—
The Storm Chain Blades stopped in midair.
Frozen.
Then instantly dissolved back into raw wind mana.
Stopped by nothing but—
a flash of spiritual force.
It was so fast the Duke thought he imagined it.But seeing his spell unravel, he knew it had been real.
Only someone with vastly superior spiritual power, and deep knowledge of wind magic, could instantly dismantle an advanced spell like that.
He had once heard legends of such techniques…
He dismissed them as fairy tales.
But today, he saw it with his own eyes.
"Saint Rank. The opponent is definitely Saint Rank. Only a Saint Rank with immense spell knowledge could do this…"
The Duke howled internally.
He dropped his staff and immediately knelt.
"M-Milord, if I say I slipped just now, would you believe me…?"
"What do you think?"
The pigeon made an incredibly human expression.
Then—
Its body twisted violently, something beneath its skin pushing outward. In moments, the small pigeon expanded, morphing—
Until in its place sat a girl in a white gothic dress, a white cloak draped over her shoulders.
She sat cross-legged on the edge of the desk, looking at the three men with cold amusement.
"Allow me to introduce myself," she said.
"I am the Saint Judgement Knight—Lyco."