A thin light leaks out from the darkness within the cave.

The light, bearing a blue hue, carries no warmth. Underneath this light, several people moved busily.

They were wearing black robes, but unlike other times, their faces were not covered.

There were shadows under their eyes, and their complexions were pale. The slender wrists revealed beneath the robe sleeves hinted at their harsh living conditions.

After creating a hideout in a cave not traversed by people to avoid surveillance by Atlan soldiers, their health was not in good condition.

Sometimes they would faint and collapse. During such times, they would kidnap priests from the Holy See to receive healing through holy power. Since holy power is an absolute ability granted by God, it was possible to restore the physical abilities of the dark mages.

“Is it a failure again?”

“It seems so.”

Diaton, the leader of the dark mages, and his subordinates surrounded a man who was trembling in fear.

“Please, please spare me!”

The man who was tied to a chair pleaded.

But they did not listen.

“Feed him more of the crystal and infuse it with magic power.”

“Yes, Captain!”

Following Diaton’s order, his subordinate Bill took out an object resembling a black stone from a velvet pouch and forced it into the man’s mouth. It was a crystal condensed with dark magic.

“Ugh! I can’t eat anymore… Ugh!”

“Damn it! Do you know how expensive this is! It’s something you couldn’t afford with your life! Chew it thoroughly and swallow!”

Bill forced more of the crystal into the man’s mouth as he tried to spit it out.

“Uuuuuh…”

The man closed his eyes and moaned in pain, but they moved on to the next step without any concern.

Soon, Bill strongly emitted dark magic from his hand.

Flash-!

“Aaaargh-“

Like being electrocuted, the man trembled violently within the dark energy and screamed.

‘Just a little more! Just a bit more and we’ll create a weapon of evil that even Leopold won’t be able to handle!’

Diaton’s eyes sparkled with madness.

That’s when it happened.

Beep- Beep-

A bead on the wall emitted a red light and sounded an alarm.

“At such a critical moment, what is it!”

Diaton turned his head towards the orb irritably.

“Captain, it seems we have an intruder.”

“What?”

Another of Diaton’s subordinates looked into the orb and opened his mouth in surprise.

“Le, Leopold Diaz, the Emperor, and Evan Clark, the Knight Commander!”

“Damn! What are you doing? Hurry up and disappear! I’ll handle the unwelcome guests. Make sure to take the crystal and escape from here!”

“Yes! Captain!”

Diaton’s subordinates grabbed the arms of the man who had fainted and used teleportation magic to leave the space.

Bill put the pouch with the crystal into his pocket and tapped his chest a few times to check again.

“Be careful, Captain!”

“Bill! Initiate that plan! Right now!”

Bill was startled at the mention of ‘that plan,’

“Yes, Captain!”

He nodded quickly and disappeared from sight.

Now, only Diaton and the remnants of their research remained in the cave.

‘To barge in right now of all times. Leopold Diaz, this meddler…!’

He took a defensive stance and fixed his gaze towards the entrance of the cave.

***

Tap, tap-

As they stepped forward, the water that pooled on the cave floor splashed up.

Leopold and Evan moved slowly while on guard, unsure of what was inside the cave.

‘The deeper we go into the cave, the closer we feel to the aura of evil.’

Today was definitely the day they had to exterminate the dark mage.

Leopold, who had been walking with an expressionless face, suddenly gritted his teeth with a fierce look.

“I feel someone’s presence, Your Majesty.”

“Yes. I felt it too. A very unpleasant aura.”

Leopold looked at Evan as he spoke.

“Are you ready?”

“Haha… It’s quite something to live through, Your Majesty.”

Evan found the situation curious.

He had never imagined that His Majesty, who was cool-headed and indifferent to others, would care about his feelings…

After marrying Ariel, his lord was gradually showing his human side.

“Let’s talk about that later. They seem to be trying to escape.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Leopold crouched down and slowly entered deeper into the cave. Evan followed him.

“Look who we have here. Emperor Leopold Diaz himself has come all this way.”

A sinister voice with a mocking tone came from beyond the darkness.

Leopold and Evan drew their swords from their waists.

“Reveal yourself.”

At Leopold’s warning, Diaton screamed out loud.

“Who do you think!”

Due to the risk of collapsing the cave, Diaton couldn’t use magic freely.

‘What should I do now…’

Ah.

I could use this situation to my advantage. And destroy all evidence as well.

Haha-!

Diaton grinned eerily and raised his hand above his head.

***

Ariel began hunting in earnest.

Monsters are smaller in size, but they move faster.

To catch a monster, concentration, and speed were more necessary than great strength.

‘If only I can get close enough for my sword to reach…!’

She swung her sword at the monster in front of her with focus.

“Catching it isn’t that hard.”

The sword precisely passed below its nape, a vital spot. This was possible even without mana, thanks to the ability of Hyle’s sword.

‘Ah, but I’m getting tired.’

All the walking put quite a strain on her toes and calves.

And her arm swinging the heavy sword has become sore.

Ariel became aware of her current state.

‘Without mana, nothing is easy.’

Even though some of her mana had returned, it was an extremely small amount.

Running atop trees was almost impossible.

If only I knew exactly why my mana had started to return, I might be able to fully recover it.

I missed the times when running on tree branches and moving from this tree to that tree without exerting effort was possible.

‘Even flying through the air without a running start didn’t feel hard at all…’

Ariel held a blood-soaked monster in her hands with a bitter face.

Despite the warm and thick blood flowing through her hands, and the strong smell of blood that stung her nose, the unquenched thirst in her heart made her feel more parched.

“Did you see, did you see?”

“Approaching the monster without making a sound!”

“How about the way she was swinging the sword so gracefully…! I might become a fan of Her Majesty the Empress.”

“Why are the blood splatters on her training clothes look so cool?”

However, to the other madams and young ladies, especially in Solviche’s eyes, the blade wielded by Ariel only appeared magnificent.

In her unadorned, straightforward movements, her character seemed to shine through.

‘I’m speechless. To think I loudly declared taking such a skilled person as a rival. Her Majesty must have found it funny.’

It was a great honor that Her Majesty considered me as a competitor.

Solviche glanced at Ariel and quickly shot an arrow.

Whoosh-! Thud-!

The long arrow sliced through the air and penetrated the body of a cat-like monster before sticking into a tree.

The gazes of those watching turned to Solviche.

“Lady Solviche is not ordinary.”

“I had heard she was dedicated to archery despite her father’s opposition, but I didn’t know she was this skilled.”

Whispers reached Solviche’s ears, but she deliberately avoided their gazes and pretended not to hear them.

Then, a calm and beautiful voice caught her ear.

“I also found out this time. That there’s a lady with such skills.”

A voice so compelling, Solviche couldn’t help but turn around.

Behind her were Ariel and a group of noblewomen gathered.

“Oh, my oh my-! Her Majesty thinks so too, right?”

“My eye for talent is not ordinary! Ohohoho-!”

Other sounds merely passed by like noise.

“I want to get along well in the future. If Lady Solviche is okay with it.”

Ariel’s words clearly struck Solviche’s ear.

Ariel approached Solviche with a smile, and before long, she stood firmly in front of her.

Despite looking tired and disheveled compared to the morning, Empress Ariel Diaz’s beauty still shone brightly in Solviche’s eyes.

‘To think I regarded her as an enemy just because she took a place beside His Majesty without knowing what kind of person she is. How foolish of me.’

The gazes of the two standing close met.

“It’s an honor, Your Majesty.”

Solviche bowed her head.

Suddenly, Ariel’s hand appeared in front of her.

Her expectation of a soft and fair hand shattered completely.

It was a rough and rugged hand that looked like it had held a sword for who knows how long.

Unable to lift her head, Solviche took Ariel’s hand. Her eyes, impressed, trembled intensely.

Ah-!

There’s no turning back. I will serve her as my lord.

An indescribable overwhelming emotion surged from within Solviche.