Ranian crawled out of the hole only after it had become sufficiently dark. The smell of grass and earth wafted strongly. Emerging from the space filled with mold and rot, breathing in fresh air made his legs weak.

But Ranian remained alert and looked around.

‘This isn’t the palace.’

It was a forest. The Ider Palace could be seen far away.

‘A forest near the palace. It’s still dangerous.’

Lucas didn’t know Ranian had survived, so he wouldn’t suddenly send people to check, but it was better to be cautious. Ranian crouched down and listened to the sounds around him.

The rustling sounds were probably made by wild animals.

The dark forest was filled with an eerie atmosphere, but such things no longer frightened Ranian.

‘I need to eat something.’

Away from the corpses of his family and the unpleasant smell, he could acutely feel how long he had been starving.

‘There are no houses in the palace forest. To steal even animal feed, I need to get out of here first.’

He knew he had to move quickly now, but his body wouldn’t listen. Ranian hit his own thigh with his fist, but there was no strength in his fist either.

For now, he plucked and swallowed grass growing nearby. Even the bitter taste of the grass felt sweet.

“Huh…”

Once again, a sob escaped. Even knowing it wasn’t the time to cry, he couldn’t completely stop the intermittent wails that burst forth.

“Elder sister…”

By the time Ranian started walking and running, his brothers were busy preparing to become adults by attending the academy, so only Roxiana played with Ranian. Though all his brothers were kind and played with Ranian when they had time, no sibling maintained as close a relationship as Roxiana.

Always by his side in place of his busy parents, Roxiana was not only an elder sister to Ranian but also a mother, father, and his best friend.

“You must be alive.”

Ranian hit his thigh with his fist once more before getting up. Though trembling, he managed to stand up and moved into the forest filled with large trees. He planned to hide in the tree shadows and escape the forest.

“Oh my, oh my. I knew this would happen.”

Until he met that man.

“People, you see.”

He was wearing a black coat with the hood pulled down.

“When things become too easy, one lets their guard down. And that carelessness.”

His finger pointed at Ranian.

“Gives birth to seeds of anxiety.”

Ranian realized the man was not friendly towards him. He turned to run away, but there was no way Ranian, deeply wounded and starved for days, could properly escape.

The man leisurely watched Ranian, and calmly approached as Ranian collapsed after just a few steps.

Looking up from the ground, Ranian could see the face hidden under the hood.

He looks like a toad, Ranian thought.

“P-Please… spare me…”

Though he didn’t want to beg this man, likely one of Lucas’s people, Ranian had to live. For Roxiana who might be alive somewhere, he had to survive even if it meant begging his enemy pitifully.

“Please… spare me…”

His hoarse voice was pitiful, but the toad-like man’s eyes didn’t soften at all. He looked down at Ranian coldly, then suddenly widened his eyes as if surprised.

“Oh my. There’s something here.”

He crouched down and grabbed Ranian’s collar, pulling him close. He sniffed Ranian’s nape and said.

“You have mana. Huh huh, huh. It’s been a while since I’ve seen someone with such dense mana. Now that I look closely, you have good qualities too.”

His hand fiddled with Ranian’s body. There was no way to escape the horrible touch.

When he released his grip, Ranian fell backwards.

“I like people with mana. Huh huh huh. There’s no delicacy quite like a heart enveloped in mana.”

The way he looked down sent chills down Ranian’s spine. He didn’t want to think deeply about the meaning of the man’s words, but his expression alone, as if salivating, made it clear what he wanted.

“Please…”

Ranian was about to beg when he saw something like black mist rising around the man and his eyes widened.

“But you’re lucky. Huh huh huh. Huh huh. I’ve found a very useful way to use you.”

Darkness engulfed Ranian.

+++

In that dark underground torture chamber, Ranian learned that his name was Retrochika.

He was an eerie black magician who knew how to handle magical beasts and worked for Lucas. Lucas was able to lead troops into Kanta by using the magical beasts Retrochika brought to make it seem like cracks had formed in Kanta.

Even though he learned that Retrochika played a big role in the death of his family, Ranian could do nothing about it.

With both arms and legs firmly fixed in frames, Ranian was overwhelmed just trying to endure the pain that poured down every moment. He had no energy to think about avenging his family.

Retrochika knew various torture methods and seemed determined to try them all on Ranian. No matter how much Ranian screamed and writhed, no sympathy appeared in Retrochika’s eyes.

From the moment he opened his eyes until he fell asleep as if fainting, Ranian wandered in terrible pain. Even while torturing Ranian all day like this, Retrochika made sure to feed him.

When the torture stopped briefly, though it was cruel enough to make him wish for death, Elise appeared before Ranian.

At first, he thought it was the real Elise. She looked exactly the same and so vivid.

“Elise…”

Ranian opened his mouth that barely moved.

“Elise, save… me… Save me…”

Even knowing Elise bore great responsibility for his family’s death, even knowing she wouldn’t save him, he begged.

“It hurts… so much… Please…”

No matter how much Ranian pleaded, she didn’t respond. She just stared intently with soulless glass-like eyes.

In front of such an Elise, Retrochika fed Ranian porridge or made him drink water. While doing so, he whispered.

“You should be grateful to Lady Elise. Thanks to her, you can catch your breath for a moment. Huh huh. Whoo huh huh.”

It was only after quite some time that Ranian realized the Elise standing before him wasn’t real. Though he knew nothing about black magic, he guessed it was some kind of suspicious magic used by Retrochika.

After what seemed like an eternity, when the torture ended at night, Retrochika placed his hand on Ranian’s chest and chanted a strange spell. An inhuman voice flowed out, and a very cold and creepy force dug into Ranian’s chest.

It seemed to push away the mana gathered near Ranian’s heart and move violently to fill that space instead. Ranian tried to resist, knowing it was ‘magi’ that allowed the use of black magic, but he couldn’t overcome Retrochika’s power.

Retrochika had gagged Ranian to prevent him from killing himself, but one day the gag loosened a bit by luck. Ranian didn’t hesitate to bite his tongue.

There was no hope left. He didn’t even think Roxiana was alive anymore. With no one left, and this body being filled with ‘magi’, there was no reason to live.

He could feel his life draining away with the blood he was swallowing, but he wasn’t afraid.

‘I’ll finally be free.’

He felt indescribably happy at the thought of no longer having to feel pain. But Ranian wasn’t that lucky.

He thought he had died when everything went black, but when he opened his eyes again, an enraged Retrochika was before him. He shouted like a madman.

“You mustn’t die! After all the effort I’ve put in! After working so hard to offer you to him! You can’t ruin my efforts!”

After shouting for a while, he came close to Ranian and muttered as if perplexed.

“Why? Why isn’t it complete yet? Usually it would be complete by now… Has my power weakened this much?”

Only then did Ranian realize what Retrochika wanted.

‘He’s trying to brainwash me. That’s why he tortures me and then shows me Elise in the only moment I can breathe. So that I’ll feel goodwill towards Elise. So that I’ll be grateful to Elise.’

Ranian’s body was filled with magi.

‘He’s trying to turn me into a black magician and offer me to Elise. This man loves Elise.’

Ranian knew Elise well. Probably even better than Roxiana, Elise’s best friend.

Elise always captivated men’s hearts in subtle ways and manipulated them. Men acted as if they would give even their souls to Elise, bewitched by her lovely appearance and sweet voice.

Though he didn’t like that aspect of Elise’s personality, he didn’t hate her. Elise was like family, so he didn’t dislike her just because she had some flaws. Everyone has flaws after all.

‘Elise won Lucas’s heart and even bewitched this man.’

Upon realizing Retrochika’s intentions, he began to think about Elise, a woman he hadn’t considered until now.

‘If she could bewitch Lucas and even a man like this, she could have become the crown princess without killing our entire family. Then why…? Why was she so cruel to our family?’

He couldn’t understand at all.

No one in the Franche family looked down on Elise. Everyone thought of Elise as family.

‘Then why?’