Time passed in the blink of an eye, and Mirabel was already five years old.

Although she remained silent, she had grown into a healthy, beautiful child.

Four years had passed since Sarah arrived in Konstan. During that time, she had risen to the top of her class, achieving the highest scores of all thirteen trainees.

Her abilities were so remarkable that she was chosen for the mission that Konstan had spent the last two years meticulously preparing for—the infiltration of the Imperial Palace.

The Empire of Asperia held a Royal Knight Selection Tournament once every four years. The mission objective was for one of Konstan’s operatives to enter the tournament successfully, be chosen as a royal knight, and infiltrate the heart of the palace.

Once inside, they were to gain the Emperor’s trust, identify the weaknesses of his guards and eliminate him when the time was right.

Until that day arrived, the operative would have to conceal their true abilities and wait patiently for the perfect opportunity.

Sarah had volunteered for the mission herself.

Initially, the vice-chairman suggested sending an operative with more experience and a proven track record in fieldwork.

However, as most of Konstan’s active irregulars were on the hunting hounds’ watchlists, it was too risky to send any of them near the palace.

This left only one viable option: a trainee whose identity had not yet been revealed to the enemy.

After much deliberation, a decision was made: Sarah, the most capable of all the current trainees, was chosen.

Of course, she wouldn’t be sent in alone. To prepare for any unforeseen circumstances, two others would accompany her in supporting roles: her fellow trainees Hans and Edwin.

When the time came to leave, Sarah stood before the carriage, her travel cloak fluttering in the morning breeze.

The people who had come to see her off were standing in front of her: the vice-chairman, Alice, Instructor Caligo and her comrades, with whom she had trained for four long years.

Standing beside Alice was her beloved daughter, Mirabel, holding tightly onto her hand.

Sarah walked up to Mirabel and knelt down so that they were at eye level.

“Mirabel, can you promise Mommy you’ll listen to Miss Alice while I’m gone?”

Mirabel nodded quietly.

She was still silent. The sight of it weighed heavily on Sarah’s mind. Leaving her young daughter behind to embark on a mission that could cost her her life was not easy. However, if she wanted to truly protect her child, she had to destroy the Emperor and his hunting hounds herself.

As if sensing her mother’s turmoil, Mirabel suddenly threw her arms around Sarah’s neck. The silent embrace seemed to whisper, ‘Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.’

That fragile warmth, so small yet so reassuring, made Sarah’s eyes sting. Hiding the redness behind a faint smile, she pressed her lips to her daughter’s soft hair.

Watching the tender farewell between mother and child, Alice sniffed and wiped her nose.

“Don’t worry. We’ll take good care of her while you’re gone.”

Sarah smiled faintly and nodded, trying to ease her own trembling heart.

Then the vice-chairman stepped forward, her voice calm and steady.

“From this moment on, you must forget the name Sarah. During this mission, you will be known as Serena.”

Serena.

It was a name inspired by Selena, the goddess of vengeance.

It suited her perfectly.

Sarah — no, Serena — curved her lips into a faint smile and nodded firmly.

At that moment, Alice seemed to remember something. She reached into her pocket, pulled out a silver ring and held it out to Serena.

Sarah looked at it curiously. It appeared to be nothing more than an ordinary metal band.

“This isn’t just a ring. This is an artifact.”

“An artifact?”

“Yes. I’ve imbued it with my illusion ability. As long as you wear this, no one there will recognize your true appearance.”

An artifact that could alter her looks?

“It only changes your face and voice. Small artifacts like this can’t alter the entire body but that should be enough.”

It was more than enough.

After all, she bore no visible scars, and her body was nothing like the fragile one she’d had four years ago.

Back then, she had been frail and thin; now, she was strong, with lean, hardened muscles from relentless training.

“But there’s one weakness to illusion abilities.”

“Weakness?”

Sarah frowned slightly. She had always admired Alice’s illusions, marvelling at how close they came to real magic.

They could make anything you could imagine appear before your eyes and create worlds that felt as real as anything.

And yet… was there a flaw?

Alice’s face turned serious as she leaned in close.

“No matter how precise the illusion, it’s still fiction. It’s more convincing than a mere mirage, but…” She hesitated, then added quietly, “Once someone perceives your true self, the illusion will no longer hold.”

Sarah’s brows knitted.

“What do you mean, perceives?”

“Try putting the ring on.”

Alice said instead.

Sarah slid the ring onto her finger without protest. Then Alice turned towards a young man approaching from the other side of the yard.

“Hans! Come here for a moment!”

Hans, her fellow trainee approached with a puzzled look. Alice smiled brightly.

“Let me introduce you to Miss Serena. She’ll be accompanying you on the journey.”

Hans blinked, then flushed a deep red.

“Oh—ah—what an honor! To travel with such a beautiful lady… I, uh, I’ll do my best!”

Sarah’s eyes widened in disbelief. After four years of grueling training, mud wrestling and monster-fighting alongside each other, he didn’t even recognize her.

Alice let out a soft laugh at her stunned expression.

“Hans, how does this lovely lady look to you?”

“H-how does she look? Well…” Hans stammered, scratching his cheek. “She’s got hair red as the sunset, eyes the color of blood… and lips like cherries…”

Sarah froze.

There was no sign of her true appearance — reddish-brown hair and green eyes.

It seemed Alice had been right; the illusion was working perfectly.

Then, without warning, she slipped the ring off Sarah’s finger.

The change was instant. Hans, who had been staring dreamily at her moments before, yelped and took a step backwards the moment Sarah’s real face appeared.

“U-ugh!”

“Yelling at a lady’s face, isn’t that a bit rude?”

Hans blinked rapidly and rubbed his eyes in disbelief. Before he could stammer out an apology, Alice slipped the ring back onto Sarah’s finger.

“Now, who do you see?”

She asked with a knowing smile.

Hans frowned, still dazed.

“Eh? Miss Sarah… of course?”

At last, Sarah understood.

Once someone recognized her true self, the illusion would no longer work on them. Illusion, no matter how flawless, is still fiction; she, Sarah, is reality.

But that wasn’t a problem. As long as she never revealed her true face, no one in the Empire would ever know who she really was.

“Oh, and there’s another feature built into the ring.”

Alice added with a hint of pride.

“Another feature?”

“Press the side with your thumb.”

Sarah did as she was told, feeling a faint click under her thumb. A moment later, a slender spike, no larger than an awl, emerged from the ring’s surface. It was sharp enough to pierce the skin.

“The hairpin you used before seemed impractical in an emergency. So I built a trigger directly into the ring. This lets you draw blood and activate your ability instantly.”

“Thank you.”

Sarah said with a soft smile.

Alice scratched the back of her head, feeling flustered by the sincerity of her tone.

Just then, Edwin’s voice came from the carriage.

“Sarah, it’s time to go.”

Sarah turned for one last look. She met the eyes of everyone who had gathered to see her off: the vice-chairman, Alice, Instructor Caligo, and her fellow trainees.

“Come on, this isn’t a funeral!”

Caligo barked, turning away with a gruff laugh.

“Back to training, all of you!”

The trainees groaned but followed him reluctantly.

Sarah’s lips curved faintly as she watched them go. Then her gaze lingered on the last figure standing by the gate: Mirabel.

The child was standing there, holding tightly onto Alice’s hand, waving her small arm back and forth. She wasn’t crying. She was smiling — bravely and quietly, just like her mother.

The sight pierced Sarah’s heart.

She smiled back and made a silent promise.

‘I’ll come back safely.’
‘I’ll finish this vengeance once and for all.’
‘And when I do, I’ll build a life where you’ll never have to fear again, where no Emperor, no hunting hounds, will ever threaten us.’

With that vow burning in her chest, Sarah climbed into the carriage.

** ❋❋❋ ❋❋❋**

Asperia Imperial Palace

A tall man walked through the palace training grounds, the surrounding knights murmuring as he passed.

“Tsk. Hard to believe how far the Third Division has fallen.”

The Third Knight Division used to be responsible for protecting the Empress and her palace. Now, however, they were little more than a band of mercenaries, dispatched to suppress border uprisings and perform the Empire’s most unpleasant duties.

The knights sneered.

“Four years ago, they were the pride of the palace guard. How’d they end up like this?”
“Who knows? Maybe there’s something going on between the higher-ups that we don’t.”

Four years earlier, the Emperor had chosen not to dispose of Kay, despite him having been punished. After all, Kay was the strongest of the hunting hounds that the Emperor had raised himself.

At the Empress’s request, however, the Emperor spared him, instead sending the Third Division, under Kay’s command, to the most brutal frontlines imaginable.

Now, returning from yet another mission to suppress rebels at the borders, Kay walked past the gossiping knights without a word.

His expression was devoid of emotion, and his eyes were colder and more hollow than ever.

After four years of wandering battlefields soaked in ash and blood, Kay no longer lived for anything. He simply existed because death still refused to take him.