“Damn it. Are you leaving your last words now? Don’t do that. What if I commit treason? If I become emperor, isn’t it obvious the country will be ruined?”

Skyra retorted irritably.

“I think you’d do quite well as emperor.”

“Someone like me who’s only obsessed with magic? Yeah, right.”

“Skyra. I’m at ease because I have you, Leopold, Gregory, and Franz. I’ve always… been grateful.”

“Damn it… Cursed. Cursed curse.”

Skyra understood Carlos’s feelings a hundred, a thousand times over. Somehow, he hated and pitied his lord who spoke as if he was going to his death.

Examining his body today, he had no choice but to realize that breaking through the curse with magic had now reached its limit.

He had only one option. To kill Mercedes.

Skyra was silent for a moment, then covered his eyes.

Carlos smiled bitterly.

He was always a friend with a loose way of speaking and excessive jokes, but in fact had a tender heart. They also had the closest and most solid trust.

“Still, come back. I’ll find a way, even if I have to return to the magic tower.”

“You know well, having grown up there, that there’s no solution there. Don’t go back to the magic tower you hated so much.”

Skyra didn’t answer.

“I must go now. Time is of the essence.”

Carlos approached his horse. But instead of mounting, he silently took out blankets, food, water, and daggers from his luggage and handed them to Skyra.

“Take these. You’ll need to rest here to recover even a little mana.”

“It’s fine. I can quickly cast enough minor spells to spend a night here. In case you forgot, I’m a genius magician. Take everything with you. Don’t die of dehydration after I just broke through the curse.”

“Skyra.”

“Go quickly. If you don’t come back, I’ll chase you to hell and won’t let you off, so make sure to return.”

“…Alright.”

Even if he returns, only death might await. Nevertheless, they made a promise.

Despite Skyra’s protests, Carlos eventually handed over the blankets, food, and dagger, and mounted his horse with only a water bottle.

Skyra muttered without removing his hand from his eyes.

“…Damn bastard. Arrogant royal brat.”

“It’s nice to hear you call me that after so long.”

Carlos smiled bitterly as he turned his horse around.

“Make sure to come back, Carlos.”

“Stupid little magician. See you again.”

“…See you again.”

They exchanged greetings like when they were young.

That was the end. Carlos rode away again at a mad pace.

Skyra quietly gazed at the darkened surroundings before closing his eyes. Since the forest was nearby, he cast a spell to conceal his presence in case wild animals appeared. Then he immediately fell into a deep sleep.

With a premonition of having a very bad dream.

* * *

“Huff, huff…!”

Mercedes felt more fulfilled than ever before, and at the same time…..

“You, you wench!”

She was in a predicament.

There was no mercy in the hands of those rushing at her, and although she could use magic, she wasn’t immediately accustomed to it. After all, she had never used it in her life.

But while pushing back and defending, she had to look for opportunities to grab the masked men and block the door at the same time.

Though her body didn’t tire as her vitality increased, she felt considerable mental fatigue.

In any case, she lacked the qualities of a warrior.

But she couldn’t let these men go.

Her senses sharpened as she had already absorbed two more lives. She could roughly tell how many people were outside and how deep underground this place was.

So, in order to find room to consider her next move, she had to finish off these men here without letting them out.

No matter how extraordinary her abilities were, there was no way to escape from a mass assault.

‘…No. Carlos would have been able to.’

With skills to cut down thousands, he said.

She bit her lip as she looked at her slender arms. If only she had known a little more.

Instead of leaving this power idle, she should have at least tried to figure out how to use it. Besides taking lives, she could have experimented with the remaining power.

There was still so much she didn’t know and had to learn. Suddenly, she remembered when Carlos had urged her to learn.

‘When I get out… I’ll do it all, this power, even physical training. I’ll definitely learn, asking Carlos.’

As she made this resolution, daggers rushed towards her neck. Indeed, she was a bit slow to react as she had no experience in this area.

She barely deflected it with the magic she had, but her neck was scratched. Her clothes and body were already a mess.

“That… that monster. She won’t even fall!”

“She’s a witch if I’ve ever seen one.”

“How dare you, you wench, how dare!”

The men seemed almost insane at the fact that they had lost four comrades to a frail woman.

Mercedes was on high alert. The remaining people were about… six.

Could she really keep them from going out the door? Her power wasn’t infinite. If she couldn’t grab someone to absorb their life force, magic would leave her side.

That’s why she couldn’t easily make a big attack.

It was frustratingly maddening not being able to gauge how much to use appropriately.

“You bitch, know that you won’t get out of here alive today!”

They all rushed at her, filled with anger.

She prepared once again to shoot a shockwave at everyone. This time, trying to minimize power loss… Just as white light flowed from her hands.

A knife sprang out from an unexpected place.

Right behind her.

The door… was open somehow. She had surely locked it, but when did it open? The inside was such a mess that she hadn’t noticed.

“What are you doing now?”

“Captain!”

“Take your hands off that woman! She uses strange magic!”

“I’m not touching her.”

The low voice speaking calmly from behind was too chilling. Cold sweat ran down Mercedes’ back.

It was true. If she reached back, it seemed she could touch him, but their bodies were apart.

The man called captain was holding a dagger precisely to her neck. Blood flowed as it pressed slightly. If she struggled just a little in this state, it would probably cut her.

‘Protection magic… protection magic.’

Of all times, she was in the middle of rotating the power inside her body to use a shockwave against the group rushing at her.

Though she hadn’t used the power, fatigue rushed in from the process of maneuvering it, and her head wasn’t working well.

Should she protect her neck while immediately embracing the man? What should she do?

“Hmm.”

But the man didn’t give Mercedes time to respond. He quickly struck the back of her neck, knocking her unconscious.

“Did I teach you all to be this stupid?”

He looked around and clicked his tongue.

“Tie her up again.”

The men moved quickly at the captain’s words.

Defeated soldiers were not an easy group to control. Even if their goals were the same, the rebelliousness each held was extraordinary.

That’s why naturally, the one to rise to the position of captain became the most excellent person with both skill and intellect… And when such a person launched a surprise attack on Mercedes, the situation could only end.

Thus, the unconscious Mercedes was tightly tied to the chair again.

After checking that she was properly tied, they even added iron shackles and handcuffs this time, and wiping their sweat, asked the captain:

“Ca-Captain. Weren’t you going to the imperial palace?”

There was a hint of fear that they might be rebuked for not being able to handle one woman.

“I was going to make a final check before leaving… Are you struggling with just one woman?”

“We-We’re sorry. But she’s a magician with unheard-of power…”

“A magician, you say.”

The captain’s face full of irritation soon changed to an interested expression as he approached Mercedes.

“You say she took out four men… Her mana must be depleted, right?”

“We thought so, but she kept using her power. Could she have a huge amount of mana?”

“I think she might be a different species.”

“Just touching her makes people instantly age and die like that!”

The captain looked at Mercedes for a long time, then rubbed his face for no reason.

“That must have been troublesome… With that pretty face, you took out my vice-captain and three subordinates, you say. Ha.”

Letting out an incredulous laugh, he stood up.

“Don’t leave anyone here and lock the door. Chain her up so she can’t move as much as possible. Even if she uses magic or something to get out, there are too many people for her to win anyway.”

And he turned his back, accurately pointing out the part Mercedes was worried about.

“I’m going to the imperial palace where ‘that person’ is now. Soon, we will be victorious.”

The captain gave a short greeting and moved his steps back to the upper outpost.

The soldiers of each unit he had sent ahead of his departure would have begun to take control of the imperial palace where security had become lax.

The true identity of the person referred to as ‘that person’, known only to the captain, namely the map given by the empress dowager, was used very usefully.

It even had the secret passages of the imperial palace detailed on it.

It took a full day from here to the imperial palace.

He could go faster if he rode his horse quickly, but he had people to take care of.

“We’re departing. My, no, the new Emperor of Lum, Your Majesty.”

A tall man walked out of the deepest outpost.

With auburn hair and brown eyes, though he didn’t have many characteristics of royalty, the man who exuded a strangely arrogant atmosphere was the empress dowager’s first son.

“Alright, are we finally going? It took long enough.”

“I apologize. Isn’t timing also important in a plan?”

“Well… That’s true. Let’s go.”

Somehow, the period he spent with him was a bit long.

During that time, the captain quickly realized that the empress dowager’s first son was terribly incompetent. He quite liked that. There would be nothing more joyful than if Lum fell into chaos because the new emperor was incompetent.

When would the emperor hear news of the empress?

Would he be busy tracing the woman’s trail from the imperial palace first, or settle the rebellion first?

Either was fine.

Chasing the woman would be enjoyable to watch as a stupid choice in its own right.

In the latter case, there were the impenetrable walls of the capital, and inside were the walls and gates of the imperial palace.

Moreover, were the rebel forces somewhat numerous? With this number, if they locked the gates and went on the defensive, it would be difficult for even the emperor to break through.

Of course, it would be a problem if the gates opened, but…

‘There are four gates in the capital. We’re monitoring the people inside, so no one will be able to open them.’

The emperor might be a monster, but he couldn’t become a catapult.

Moreover, the captain’s intuition was strangely good. Somehow, this affair seemed like it would really go well.

Love tends to blind people.

The captain strongly believed. The emperor is coming this way. Prioritizing mobility and needing to settle the rebellion, he will come with a small number, if lucky, alone.

And in that time, the captain and empress dowager would easily take control of the imperial palace.

‘And I can make him suffer that much more.’

Falling in love, what a fool. Stupid Carlos Rivera. You shouldn’t have done that.

The captain was very satisfied.

The captain, too, was a defeated soldier who had only wished for the suffering of that damned monster.