The hot spring, which was clearly only waist-deep, suddenly deepened and pulled her underwater.

She opened her mouth in shock, but only suffered as she couldn’t breathe.

The old woman who followed her into the water had her wrinkles melt away like they were dissolving, and her skin gradually became smoother. Even her skeleton changed, and the old woman’s hunched back began to straighten.

She was bewildered amidst the bubbling air.

Ho-horror! It was a horror movie in real life. Diana turned pale with fright.

“Hmm. What does that mean? Well, never mind. Just follow me.”

The old woman, now transformed into a beautiful lady, easily wielded her walking stick underwater.

The walking stick stirred up a splash of water and instantly disappeared with Diana.

“Diana!”

The hot spring water was calm, as if it had never deepened. By the time Rodrick returned, she was already gone.

He was a step too late. An eerie premonition brushed past his five senses.

The cave, with only a blanket and clothes remaining, was empty. No matter how thoroughly he searched the surroundings, he couldn’t find any trace of her.

He frantically slashed through the undergrowth, then blankly stared at the hot spring with steam rising from it.

He stood there frozen, as if he had even forgotten to breathe.

This feeling of powerlessness was a first for him, who had always been strong.

“……”

Was he dreaming? The warmth that was in his hands just a few hours ago had disappeared.

He looked down at his empty hands that couldn’t grasp anything, and his face contorted.

Her warmth, her dazzling smile, he thought they would always be by his side. What he had taken for granted vanished in an instant.

An intense sense of loss violently pounded on his every nerve.

“Uncle, where’s big sis?”

When did he arrive? Noel’s voice came from behind him.

“I said where’s big sis?!”

Felice, who came with Noel, detached the child clinging to and shaking Rodrick’s leg.

“Brother, what’s going on? Where’s sister-in-law?”

Beads of sweat formed under Felice’s light blue hair.

The child had nagged him to hurry so much that he had to run at full speed while carrying Noel.

Noel’s red eyes gleamed as he precisely pointed to where Rodrick was.

But Diana wasn’t there.

Seeing Rodrick standing alone, Felice’s heart turned cold.

Could it be related to them collapsing earlier?

Felice woke up right after the child’s small palm slapped his cheek.

Holding his stinging cheek, Felice looked around at the strange silence.

She’s gone. That devilish old hag is gone. He was certain of it as he looked around. This was all the old woman’s doing.

Felice checked the pulse of Berz, who had collapsed next to him. He seemed to be in a deep sleep, but his life wasn’t in danger.

Fortunately, none of the collapsed people had external injuries. Even the valuable goods loaded in the carriage were untouched.

Then why? For what reason did she put them to sleep? There was no damage, but Felice furrowed his brows at the inexplicable ominousness.

Before he could grasp the situation properly, Noel urged him to hurry. The child, breaking out in a cold sweat, seemed anxious about something.

And so they ran and ran, only to arrive at a place where his brother stood alone, looking precarious.

“Find……”

Rodrick’s mouth opened heavily, as if his soul had left his body.

“Have to find her.”

Felice held his breath in surprise at his brother’s appearance, which he was seeing for the first time.

He had always been a cool and strong man, like an idol. Even when others called him cruel, Rodrick silently achieved victory and relentlessly slaughtered the enemies before him.

To Felice, Rodrick was a reliable brother and a hero who saved his life.

The word ‘despair’ didn’t suit him. Yet he was afraid.

Afraid that something might happen to her. Afraid that he might lose her forever.

He, who never knelt even before the emperor, was down on both knees.

He looked desperate, kneeling before a small child. Rodrick, on both knees, tightly grasped the small child’s shoulders.

Rodrick, who never touched anyone but Diana with his bare hands, found the unpleasantness of skin contact trivial compared to Diana’s absence.

He bowed his head.

“I don’t care what you really are.”

Rodrick had only briefly seen Noel grow into a man when Levant took over his body.

He didn’t know his true identity. But he clearly knew that Noel could use magic.

“Please find her.”

Self-reproach was evident in the man’s appearance as madness writhed above his body. The red eyes looking at Rodrick contorted bitterly.

It was like looking at his past self, so Noel bit the inside of his mouth.

“I can’t right now. My mana needs to recover. But Diana should still be safe for the moment. Probably……”

He had no choice but to say optimistic words like she would probably be fine. Noel was also anxious and going crazy, but he couldn’t surpass this man.

“……”

“I hoped you would quickly save Diana. Being by your side is what’s best for her.”

Keen blue eyes shone beneath disheveled dark blue hair.

Facing Noel, Rodrick was convinced. This person knows.

“Who was it? Whose doing is this?”

“……I don’t know. Only that it’s a witch.”

Noel bit his lips tightly. He had attacked until his mana was exhausted, but it was in vain.

The old woman, no, the woman who transformed into a beautiful face, neutralized all magic as if it didn’t even tickle her.

‘Ahaha. I was in a really foul mood, but this is fun. A dragon that can’t even use its power properly.’

‘……’

‘You must have seen me before. You don’t seem to remember me though. Right? Hmm. Were you sealed? The formula is complicated. Well, it’s fine since I found something even rarer than you.’

‘What are you?’

‘Well, what am I? Just a passing witch. A witch in a foul mood from lack of sleep.’

‘I thought witches had disappeared?’

‘You remember that? Well, whatever. Where’s the woman you’re protecting?’

‘……’

‘Don’t make that face like you don’t know what I’m talking about. The dragon’s blessing isn’t ordinary, you know. There’s no way she wouldn’t smell of reptiles with you clinging to her like that. Well, fine. I’ll find her myself.’

‘What are you trying to do to that child!’

‘You sure talk a lot for someone who doesn’t know their place. What do you care if I do live experiments on her or not?’

Noel had his mouth sealed and his arms and legs tied up and hung from a tree, just like that.

He wasn’t injured. The witch seemed to have quickly drained Noel’s mana, aiming precisely for it.

The witch used Noel’s mana against him, eliminating it without leaving a single drop.

An ordinary person would have died, but he was a dragon, and the witch knew well that a dragon wouldn’t die from that much.

She mentioned experiments. Noel didn’t know what the witch was thinking, but Diana’s life shouldn’t be in immediate danger.

For now. Right. But Noel clenched his small fists, not knowing what danger she might be exposed to.

He had to quickly recover his mana. Otherwise, the man before him might go on a rampage first.

The curse that was filled to the brim, despite Diana constantly absorbing it, was gnawing at Rodrick’s every nerve cell.

“Brother, what in the world are you two talking about?”

To Felice, it was just strange to see Noel speaking informally without hesitation and Rodrick accepting it as if it were natural.

“So where is sister-in-law now? Was she really kidnapped by that old woman? Huh?”

Rodrick, who had stood up, closed his eyes tightly and opened them to maintain his composure.

His blue eyes portrayed a lack of emotion, as if they had returned to how they were before he knew Diana.

However, he was desperately suppressing his raging emotions.

“We’ll form a search party. Felice, you go to the capital and wait there as planned.”

“No, I’ll also……”

Felice, who was about to say he would go together, shut his mouth at Rodrick’s gaze.

“Got it. I’ll do that.”

“Kid, you’re coming with me.”

“Yes.”

Noel nodded. Having returned to being Diana’s younger brother, Noel obediently followed Rodrick.

“Once you arrive at the capital, find Diana’s political marriage partner first.”

As if to say that his role was also important, Rodrick firmly grasped Felice’s shoulder. Felice nodded, his eyes shining.

“Don’t worry, brother. I’ll thoroughly investigate everything related to sister-in-law.”

Finding Diana was the priority, but the ownerless political marriage that would take place in the capital also had to be stopped.

If the day came when the emperor gave his approval and signed the marriage vow, Diana would inevitably become a married woman.

He would never let that happen.

Felice smiled in relief as he looked at Rodrick’s large back. Even if he despaired, he wouldn’t collapse.

If he could lend even a small amount of strength to him, Felice would do anything.

The political marriage partner, and of course that old woman too, had to be caught and crushed.

The smile of relief soon turned chilling.

And so, the procession of a large number of people that departed from the Schwartz Duchy began to travel day and night.

A grueling march, harsh enough to make even the servants curse obscenely, began on the day Diana disappeared.

Splash- Diana fell from a portal that opened in midair, along with water, as if a water bomb had landed on the marble floor.

“Cough-”

Diana collapsed on the floor and vomited water.

“Cough. Cough.”

“Ah, right. I forgot to cast a protection spell on you. My bad. Well, whatever.”

What?!

“Are you okay?”

Do I look okay? Diana raised her slanted eyes and glared at the woman. She really thought she would die from lack of air.

She breathed heavily through her mouth as the water that entered her nose stung.

Thump- The floor vibrated, and a warm breeze began to blow, swaying against her body as she gasped for breath on the floor.

“You’re glaring at me like a weasel.”

The woman waved her cane and instantly restored Diana’s drenched appearance to its original state.

“How cute.”

It was a creepy thing to say. It sounded like she was asking, “Do you want to be my pet?”

Diana naturally backed away as she got up from the spot. But her body couldn’t go back any further. Thud- She bumped into something.

“Ah.”

“Be careful. That thing’s alive.”

What? A bear that looked several times larger than a normal beast stood behind her back, roaring.

The bear’s eyes, which looked stuffed, flashed at the woman’s words.

Diana averted her eyes, frowning as if she had seen something bizarre. Only then could she properly take in her surroundings.

“Welcome. Is this your first time in a witch’s house?”

Diana’s face was filled with absurdity.