What cannot be confirmed is precisely whose deed among all those enemies. Everyone around him was an enemy. People entangled in rival companies, people involved with the family, and even people with no connection at all harbored one-sided resentment.

There were countless people who hated him for various reasons in their respective positions.

There were so many who, while pretending in front, were only waiting for the chance to stab him in the back.

Such incidents would become more and more frequent in the future. Of course, he expected this much, but honestly, now he realized that protecting a single woman was no easy task. If he momentarily loses focus, he’ll once again face trouble like this.

“Annoying.”
Until now, there had been interest in her existence, curiosity about the secrets hidden by the mentor, and beyond that, the act of looking for descendants from an outstanding bloodline, inheriting the Archmage’s blood. In many ways, it was beneficial to keep her around, but if situations continued to be uncontrollable and unpredictable like this, wouldn’t it be easier to just get rid of her?

Gibben stared intently at the sleeping Riley. Then, with one hand, he gently stroked her neck.

“…Shall I kill her?”

After all, didn’t the mentor say that if he couldn’t handle it, he should strangle her with his own hands? From the beginning, it seemed more like the intention was to kill her rather than keeping her.

If incidents like today continue to happen in the future, and he keeps feeling consumed by these damn emotions… wouldn’t everything be easier if he just killed her? There wouldn’t be annoying things or bothersome matters. He wouldn’t have to feel this parched feeling.

Of course, she was a very valuable woman, but that didn’t mean her value was absolute.

Pressure increased on the hand gripping her neck. However, it was only for a moment. Whether it was a refusal to his will or if the intention to kill was weak, the hand that had attempted to twist her neck lost its strength on its own.

“…Damn it.”

Gibben tightly hugged Riley.

If he could have killed her, he would have done it earlier. It was decided from the moment he chose to keep her by his side instead of getting rid of her right away that he would not be able to kill this woman with his own hands.

No, even if she hadn’t unintentionally shown such kindness throughout her ordeal and just provided unwanted kindness, he might have been able to twist her neck immediately.

The touch of her hand that all day long had been wiping away his body’s heat with a towel soaked in icy water, her diligent care without a hint of annoyance, her happily laughing foolish face as she cheerfully picked up what seemed good without a single complaint…

Although emotions suddenly surged uncontrollably, his forehead became hot.

It’s just a little injury. It’s not like she’s dead. There’s absolutely no reason to react so strongly. He couldn’t control his anger at all.

“What a mess.”

Gibben quietly looked around.

It didn’t seem like the culprit behind all these incidents was still around. It’s a shame. If someone suspicious was lingering around, he could have caught them right away.

There was no reason to linger here any longer, so he hurriedly moved to the hotel.

Not the hotel where Horizon Magic University students were staying, but the top-floor royal suite where Riley and he had stayed alone before.

As soon as he entered the room, he laid Riley, who had become a mess, on the bed and hastily summoned the steward.

“You called, Lord Lianster.”
Gibben commanded the steward, “Prepare warm bathwater, and immediately call for a doctor. Also, prepare warm water to wash the clothes to change into and my wife’s body.”

“Lord Reynald, are you alright?”

Buried under a pile of rubble, Reynald was rescued by subordinates who had been lying in ambush around him.

Having turned into a complete wreck, he staggered to his feet with great effort. Despite continuously casting healing magic to enhance his body’s recovery, his body still creaked, and it didn’t respond as expected.

“What about the others?”

“Almost all of them are dead.”

“Are you sure about that?”

“Yes… we couldn’t possibly pursue them.”

The majority lying in ambush were swept away by the magic, resulting in the loss of their lives.

Well, living in that chaos was quite surprising. The scale of the magic was enormous enough to turn the entire area into a wasteland. It was almost like a natural disaster.

“Anyway, Lord Reynald, it’s fortunate that you’re unharmed.”

Instead of answering, Reynald rubbed his fatigue-laden forehead.

“…If I were a bit later, I would have died.”

Instinctively, he activated a defensive magic. It was a reflexive action that occurred before his mind recognized the danger. In that situation, getting swept away would have meant his body pierced and vanished without a trace.

Fortunately, his body wasn’t penetrated, but that didn’t mean he could avoid fatal injuries.