Ariel hurriedly tried to draw her sword from her waist, but,

“Where do you think you’re going, brandishing a blade like a rat? It’d be better for you to stay quiet if you want to live.”

Bill used magic to prevent her from moving her arm.

And then he tightened his grip on her hair again.

“Ah-!”

Ariel tightly closed her eyes in pain, as if her scalp were being torn off.

‘Damn it. All my hair will be pulled out. If only I had mana at a time like this, I wouldn’t have been treated like this by such trash… No, I wouldn’t have been kidnapped in the first place.’

Soon after, Ariel bit her lip and glared at Bill as she opened her eyes.

“Let’s go. There’s someone you need to greet.”

He began to move. No matter how much of a mage he was, Ariel couldn’t overcome him with strength because their innate powers were different, so she had no choice but to follow the direction he was going.

Creak-! Thud-!

As Bill extended his hand, a huge iron door that led inside the castle opened.

“Get in!”

Bill pushed Ariel into the castle, throwing her in. Ariel staggered but barely managed to stay upright on her two legs.

She looked around, turning her head. In the dark darkness, faint flickering candles hung along the wall. The blowing darkness and flames covered it.

“How dare you treat me so roughly?”

Ariel turned around and said to Bill. He curled his lips as if her words were laughable.

“You still have hope, I see. That Leopold Diaz will come to save you. Haha-!”

A metallic laughter echoed through the castle.

But soon, Bill wiped the smile off his face and spoke to Ariel with a cold expression.

“That guy won’t be able to find this place even if he comes back from the dead. Hurry up and follow! Someone is waiting. It’d be better not to play any tricks if you don’t want to die.”

A cruel voice steeped with menace sharply pierced Ariel’s ears.

“Yeah, yeah. I don’t want to die either.”

It’s as if I’ve lived all this time just to die at your hands.

Ariel brushed her tangled hair behind her ears and soon began to walk as Bill instructed.

Thud, thud-

The sound of the two climbing the stairs echoed in the empty air.

Ariel silently followed him.

‘Surviving comes first. I need to be careful not to rub him the wrong way as much as possible.’

Her throat moved up and down.

Bill suddenly stopped in front of a wooden door. Ariel stood behind him.

Knock, knock-

“Sir Diaton.”

“Come in.”

Click.

The doorknob turned on its own without Bill touching it, and the door opened.

“Go inside.”

As they entered the room, she could see a bookshelf filling the walls. If she lowered her gaze a little, she could see Diaton sitting in front of the bookshelf.

‘To think I’d see this detestable person again.’

Ariel clenched her fist.

“You’ve succeeded in bringing her, Bill.”

“Thank you for your trust.”

Bill bowed his head towards Diaton and then lifted it again.

He turned his head to look at Ariel, who was standing behind him.

“Look at how stiff-necked you are, acting like an empress. Hurry up and greet!”

Bill frowned deeply and forcefully made Ariel bow by pressing down on the back of her head.

“Stop, stop!”

Ariel stiffened her neck and knocked Bill’s hand away.

“Why did you bring me here?”

Ariel asked Diaton with fearless and upright eyes.

“The reason…”

Diaton rose from his seat and slowly walked towards Ariel with slow steps.

His skin was pale and dry, and his eyes were covered in black darkness, seemingly absorbing even light.

‘Seeing him again, he really looks like the head of the dark mages.’

Chills ran down Ariel’s spine. Her eyes widened for a moment.

“I didn’t want to go this far either. But because of two preys that crossed my temper, I had to make this decision. My very clever plan is to use you as bait to catch both prey at once…”

Diaton said so while extending his hand leisurely towards Ariel and then grabbing her chin.

‘Ugh… It feels disgusting.’

He held her chin and turned it left and right, examining her face. The water in the imperial palace must be good; she looked even more beautiful than when he saw her in Kolnman.

Seeing her glare fearlessly at someone who might kill her…

‘I must see fear dwelling in those eyes.’

Diaton’s pale lips stretched long on one side.

“I’m genuinely curious about that plan. One must be Emperor Leopold Diaz. Who’s the other?”

Ariel did not avoid Diaton’s venomous gaze. She looked straight into his eyes and said what she had to say.

However, since his touch on her skin was cold and rough, Ariel couldn’t help but frown.

“You’ll see if you watch. Bill!”

Diaton threw Ariel’s chin away with a gaze filled with evil energy.

“Yes, Sir Diaton.”

Bill bowed his head.

“Take care of the Empress of Atlan. To the room where she will be staying.”

“Yes, understood. Follow me.”

Bill pushed Ariel’s back.

“I’ll follow quietly, so don’t grab my hair or drag me.”

“Kahaha-! Yes. You’d better quickly adapt to your harsh fate.”

Bill led Ariel out of the room.

Thump-!

Though no one closed it, the door automatically shut.

‘Leopold Diaz, I’ll make you taste hell.’

Diaton’s eyes sparkled intriguingly as he looked at the closed door.

***

“Why don’t you just kill me right away?”

Quietly following behind Bill, Ariel opened her mouth.

“I might be a fool who can’t understand Sir Diaton’s will, but perhaps it’s for the greatest pleasure.”

“The greatest pleasure?”

“Hihihihi—!”

Bill shook his head and laughed eerily.

“Yes. Stimulating as much fear in as many people as possible. Making them lose something they don’t want to lose, taking away the power to live in this world. That’s our pleasure.”

“What do you actually gain by doing that?”

I can’t understand their ideology at all.

What do they get from tormenting others, obsessing over killing and tormenting people like this?

At Ariel’s question, Bill stopped walking and stood tall.

“That’s all there is. The sense of superiority when seeing the face of someone petrified with fear. The pleasure of trampling on the eyes that beg to be spared.”

He turned his head back to look at Ariel’s face.

“It’s truly enjoyable and satisfying to see a face that seemed too proud to ever be scared turning pale with fear.”

Dark mages…… They’re really not sane.

Just to see others’ misfortune, they commit these acts.

Ariel’s emerald eyes trembled as they met the face of the madman.

“Pahahaha-! To think you believed that! You’re incredibly naive.”

Bill held his belly and laughed.

‘Was he mocking me?’

Annoyed, Ariel raised her light brown eyebrows.

The smile disappeared from Bill’s face as he stared at her.

“Evil must spread for His Majesty the Demon King to resurrect, or for a new Demon King to be born, you see?”

“Ah, I see.”

So they’re doing all this for the resurrection of the Demon King.

Ariel’s eyes narrowed.

“Now, go inside. You can’t escape, so abandon all hope and stay quiet.”

Bill pointed to a door.

“Got it. I don’t want to die just yet either.”

Then, with a flick of Bill’s hand, the door opened.

“You’ll provide food, right?”

“I’m not sure if it’ll suit your taste. But a maid will come to take care of your meals every time.”

“Got it. Then, I’ll go in.”

As Ariel squeezed herself into the room shrouded in darkness, soon after, the door closed.

It wasn’t as bad as I thought.

The interior was similar to that of a typical noble mansion.

‘I can’t do anything about the gloomy atmosphere.’

Ariel walked further inside, along the wall.

Delicately carved wooden decorations elegantly sprawled along the wall, and atop a mirrored console table, wilted flowers were placed in a vase.

As Ariel touched the flower, its petals crumbled in her hand.

‘I will survive.’

Definitely, without fail.

Ariel clenched her fist and walked towards the window.

Looking at the barren garden and dark sky void of spring, Ariel fell into thought.

‘Leopold. Why do I keep thinking of you?’

Perhaps because in this world, Leopold is the only one who can defeat Diaton.

Like water flowing downwards, left alone, her heart naturally drifted towards Leopold.

Ariel placed her hand on the sturdy glass window and buried her face in her hands above it.

‘I’m here, Leopold.’

I might really end up dying.

Ariel’s small shoulders intermittently shook.