The mutilated corpse of the dragon absorbed the bodies of the witches and was left abandoned in the Black Forest for a long time.

The massive corpse, abandoned by its master and left unattended, soared like a mountain and hardened like a rock.

The shed skin that fell from the corpse hardened like stone and appeared like stone slabs.

The problem was that the contaminated mana from the corpse transformed into characters and fell along with the shed skin.

It continued to accumulate and rot the mana, transforming all plants and animals, adversely affecting the forest and its creatures.

Even the trees in the forest turned black because of it.

The fundamentally evil nature amplifies all curses. It bewitches people into madness and ultimately encourages death.

‘So if you can’t break it, run away.’

Ben’s final warning echoed in her ears.

Diana tried hard to ignore her racing pulse and the sweat gathering in her hands.

As she got closer to the swirling ominous mana, she was convinced.

“Rodrick.”

It was him. He was here.

When was it? Before she died, when she could only live in bed.

The maid who delivered news to her when she could only close and open her eyes due to her body being stiff.

Jamie unfailingly delivered the news that day as well.

‘Miss, today’s news is from the north. You know the Northern Army? The place with military power rivaling the imperial family. They say there’s a big commotion there now. The commander-in-chief, Rodrick Schwartz, went crazy and annihilated not only the enemy but also his own troops before dying.’

‘……’

She cursed harshly with her eyes. How can someone talk so excitedly about others’ deaths?

‘The Northern Army, known for their momentum, has been reduced by half. The emperor will intervene, but isn’t it strange? If they were all annihilated, how did the imperial family find out so quickly?’

It was her maid, Jamie, who intercepted the news flying to the palace, but no one took it seriously.

‘……’

‘Well, the imperial family must have done something befitting of the imperial family.’

Jamie, who threw out her own answer, whispered as if only for her to hear.

‘The Schwartz family is famous for suffering from manic disorder. But they say Rodrick Schwartz’s corpse was grotesquely deformed beyond belief. As if all his blood vessels had ruptured and exploded. It doesn’t seem like he died because he wanted to. But the dead can’t speak, so how would we know if he wanted to die or not? The Northern Army has suffered a great loss of power, so they’re practically finished. It’s unfortunate for the North, but it only benefits the imperial family. Tsk.’

Recalling what she heard in the past, she closed her eyes tightly and opened them. That was clearly an incident caused by Rodrick going on a rampage.

This time, he’s trying to go on a rampage again without fail. No. You’re supposed to live with me.

As she got closer to him, it became harder to breathe due to the dense contaminated mana.

The mana spreading from the center where he was located was so ominous that even monsters didn’t approach.

Thanks to the bear’s fast speed, a precariously standing figure could be seen in the distance.

The surroundings were truly gruesome.

The densely packed trees were uprooted, the ground was split and gouged, creating a flat area.

And blood stained everything. The knights sprawled like corpses couldn’t come to their senses.

Armor was shattered and broken, and his knights were dying, covered in blood, with deep cuts and broken wounds.

Rodrick’s body was also in bad shape.

The elite knights, facing death, had confronted Rodrick with all their might.

The blows were equally dealt to each other, but Rodrick didn’t fall due to his overflowing power from the manic disorder.

“Cough.”

Only Daren alone among the knights stood facing him. Despite his staggering body, he gripped his sword tightly.

‘Your Grace. It seems my abilities end here. I’m sorry.’

Daren tried to hold onto his consciousness that was growing hazy due to massive blood loss.

“Commander.”

Leaving words like his last will, Daren mustered all his strength.

To deal a meaningful blow to him, he had to use all his power.

“Thank you for everything.”

Hoo− As he exhaled his last breath and was about to deliver his final strike, that’s when it happened.

“Stand back, Sir Knight!”

Kwang−! Someone appeared with a roar, clashing swords with Rodrick and blocking Daren’s path.

“What the……”

Missing the timing and exhausted, Daren collapsed as if fainting.

The last thing he saw was the back of a chestnut-haired man.

Drip− Thick blood flowed from the torn forehead, obscuring the vision.

Phew. In the spinning vision, everything was red.

The impulse driving Rodrick was only destructive emotions.

As if the only outcome was to eliminate everything around him and self-destruct.

The manic disorder urged him. Hurry up and kill. Eliminate everything.

Even while facing his subordinates, he couldn’t control the excitement burning through his body.

He couldn’t even recognize who was who in front of his eyes. They were just prey for him to trample and devour.

The huge man in front of his eyes was no exception.

“Ugh.”

Picking up the greatsword that had fallen to the ground, Bern broke out in a cold sweat as he faced Rodrick.

‘I will absorb your curse.’

Diana calmly spoke, suppressing the tension while riding on the bear’s back. She had already looked around and grasped the situation.

‘When you transform back to your original body, simultaneously face that man for me. Until I can confront him.’

Bern faithfully carried out Diana’s words. However, it was too much to face a man stained with madness.

Every time their swords clashed, Bern’s body was covered in wounds.

As Bern was sweating, wondering how long he had to face an opponent who was charging at him to die, he quickly stepped back upon seeing Diana leaping behind the man.

Did he step back too quickly? The moment he parted the clashing swords, Bern’s pupils dilated.

“Miss!”

Rodrick, who sensed her presence like a ghost, swung his sword.

But she was faster. Before the blade that drew a line could reach her,

Bam−! The thick head of the long staff heavily struck Rodrick’s head.

Before he could even counterattack, she swung the staff again.

‘Please.’

The staff became a club, pounding Rodrick’s body.

‘Come to your senses, you man!’

It was Diana using the magical tool in the most primitive way.

Diana, who had absorbed plenty of Bern’s curse, used her monstrous strength to finally knock Rodrick to the ground.

The victor was Diana.

Absorbing the curse surrounding Rodrick, she placed one foot on his body.

Diana firmly stepped on Rodrick’s stomach with one foot and quickly propped the staff on the ground before he could move.

As Ben had done, Thud− The ground trembled and resonated.

The huge magic circle drawn by the staff moving on its own while Bern was confronting him was activated.

Crackle− Blue flames sparked on the magic circle and accurately attacked the stone tablets stuck in various places like lightning.

Before setting off, Diana had asked back to Ben’s warning.

‘What if I can’t run away?’

‘Then you have to break it.’

‘But you said not to use magic?’

‘I am Ben Hestocinia.’

Sighing deeply with a faint smile, remembering Ben’s face as he spoke proudly.

As the stone tablets shattered, the ominous energy surrounding them dispersed. But it was too early to feel relieved.

“Ugh. Rodrick!”

As Rodrick grabbed her ankle and pulled her down, their positions were instantly reversed.

He got on top of her as she lay on the ground. Bern tried to step in as he pressed her down and tried to strangle her neck.

“Miss!”

She grabbed his thick wrist and struggled to stop Bern, opening her mouth.

“Don’t come. Take care of the people.”

They had to get out of here quickly. It was dangerous for everyone if they stayed long. While she dealt with Rodrick, Bern had to take care of his knights.

Fortunately, Bern carried out her order without adding any words.

Only then did she properly look up at Rodrick’s face.

Blood flowed from his forehead, not yet coagulated, dripping down his handsome face.

In his blue eyes, deep as an abyss, there was only murderous madness.

He doesn’t recognize her.

“Phew, Rodrick. You’re a man who requires a lot of effort.”

She grabbed Rodrick’s collar and pulled him down.

Without hesitation or delay, as the heat invaded her mouth, his hand gripping her slender neck gradually enveloped her head.

His hand, supporting her neck and delving into her hair, was a habitual action.

It was an aggressive kiss. In the urgent and relentless intensity, only his instinctive greed surfaced.

His desire, which had been burning with murderous intent, began to run wild like an unbridled beast.

In the thick and intensifying breaths, she quickly absorbed his curse.

The unpleasantly ominous energy surged in his veins and soon flowed in a different direction.

It was the gem on the bracelet she was wearing.

His skin, where every vein was bulging and grotesquely protruding, was gradually returning to its original appearance.

A terrible thirst. As if craving and craving but never being satisfied, he pounced.

Who was absorbing whose? She felt like she was going to suffocate.

There was no fear in his fierce momentum. His sharp energy was subsiding.

“Rodrick?”

Despite his gradually subsiding energy, his kisses continued, and she didn’t stop absorbing his curse either.

But when a cold liquid seeped into her lips, she had no choice but to stop kissing.

His shaking blue eyes, filled with moisture, completely held her.

Plop− Plop− Tears, mixed with blood and turning red, fell absentmindedly.

He still seemed to be out of his mind. His condition was dazed as if dreaming. His languidly loosened eyes were hazy.

With trembling hands, he double-checked if it was really her in front of his eyes. It wasn’t a hallucination created by his subconscious.

“Diana.”

The longing that couldn’t be touched was now in his grasp.

“Diana.”

The sense of loss that couldn’t be filled, as if there was a hole in his heart, began to fill up.

“Diana.”

Finally, he found her.

Calling her name desperately, he couldn’t continue speaking anymore.

At his poignant voice and sorrowful gaze, Diana smiled brightly, putting her surging emotions behind.

Even with the smile he had longed for so much in front of his eyes, he had no time to fully feel the overwhelming joy.

“Rodrick!”

Covered in wounds all over his body and exhausted to the limit, he collapsed on the spot.