Ariel’s eyes snapped open.

She turned her gaze in the direction she sensed the holy power, but saw nothing except demonic beasts.

‘What on earth is this?’

To emit such powerful holy power even from a place that cannot be seen…

It means Liese has come to this vicinity.

How did someone who should be quietly staying at the mansion come all the way here?

But then, amidst the strong holy power, she faintly sensed a malicious energy.

“Could it be… is she following a dark mage?”

The foolish dark mage, unable to sense holy power, was being tailed without realizing it.

Ariel laughed in disbelief.

Boom-!

As the red sword energy struck the ground, the earth shattered.

“El, what did you sense?”

Ariel turned her head toward Leopold behind her and shrugged her shoulders as if she couldn’t believe it, then answered his question.

“I sense Liese Willington’s holy power. No, Liese Clark. It’s very pure and clean. And an enormous amount of holy power.”

“…!”

His red eyes trembled, lost for words.

‘To appear whenever needed. That in itself is quite a talent.’

Perhaps it’s possible because she is blessed by Lumiere.

“And amidst the holy power, I faintly sense the presence of a dark mage. It seems like Evan and Liese are chasing him.”

“Leave this place to me and go check it out. Nothing must happen to them.”

“Understood. Solviche, come with me.”

At that moment, Solviche was drawing her bowstring towards a demonic beast flying in the sky. Thanks to her intense focus, the arrow hit its mark perfectly.

The demonic beast let out a terrible roar and fell to the ground.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Solviche followed behind Ariel who was running ahead. Her hand holding the bow was trembling.

‘I did it, I killed a demonic beast!’

She was filled with exhilaration. Tears welled up. The hardships she had endured came to mind.

After enduring her family’s reproaches for not getting married, she had never given up on archery.

If she hadn’t met Her Majesty at the hunting festival…

By now, she might have succumbed to reality.

Solviche wiped away the tears flowing down her cheeks with her hand.

***

The late afternoon sun cast its light on the western sky, deepening the sunset.

The dark mage had left the city and entered the desolate eastern plains. He was not wearing a black robe, but clothes that made him look like an ordinary person in Macglier.

If Liese hadn’t sensed his malicious energy, she would never have imagined he was a dark mage.

‘But why is he going to a place like that?’

Liese stood behind a large tree at the entrance to the plains. Evan stuck close behind her, watching the dark mage walk away.

“That place seems completely different from here.”

Evan tugged at her sleeve. His words implied that they should go back.

Having narrowly escaped death several times and possessing strong holy power, Liese wasn’t particularly afraid of the situation.

“Right. So, do you want to go back home first?”

Evan seemed worried for a while now.

Looking over the plains, there didn’t seem to be anything to hide behind, so it might be less risky for her to go alone rather than together.

“That’s not an option.”

Evan spoke firmly. He had no intention of leaving Liese alone.

“Then, follow quietly. There doesn’t seem to be anything to hide behind.”

As they entered the plains, every step she took on the unpaved dirt floor made a rustling sound.

Liese quieted her footsteps even more. She also stifled her panting breath as she chased the dark mage.

They kept a considerable distance, just enough to barely see the dark mage.

‘Gasp-!’

Perhaps sensing something strange, the dark mage suddenly turned his body around.

Liese and Evan quickly hid behind a crumbling house. Debris was scattered all over the ground. The roof had collapsed, and the bricks had fallen and were strewn across the floor.

Blackened scorch marks remained on the debris.

‘It’s the work of a demonic beast.’

The sinister energy filling the plains.

It was from a demonic beast created by dark magic.

Liese continued to chase after him. The distance had widened considerably, so she could barely catch a glimpse of the dark mage’s back.

The dark mage was running vigorously through the debris.

‘Damn it-! He must have noticed.’

Liese furrowed her brows and then ran, holding her breath to avoid losing him. Evan also stretched his legs to keep up.

Liese’s blue eyes, chasing the dark mage, shone with strong determination.

If she intended to kill him, she could unleash her holy power at any moment, but doing so would make it impossible to interrogate him, and she couldn’t kill him without the Emperor’s permission.

However, if he threatened them, she was prepared to unleash her holy power.

The hot wind of the desert, carrying the heat of the flames, brushed past Liese’s face as she ran swiftly.

‘Huh, why is the dark mage standing still?’

Liese slowed her pace.

The dark mage was standing with his back to her. His shoulders were trembling.

She approached him cautiously.

But then, over the dark mage’s shoulder, she saw an unexpected face.

Liese Clark’s eyes widened, then curved beautifully like a softly glowing crescent moon.

***

Ariel ran with all her might using mana. Solviche barely managed to follow behind her.

Then he appeared in front of her. A man running while looking back as if he was being chased by someone. He was dressed in ordinary clothes typical in Macglier.

‘Is he a dark mage?’

Those who always wore black robes were now doing everything they could to hide their identities.

Ariel’s lips twisted. She placed her hand on her waist and watched how he behaved with lowered eyes.

“What are you doing here?”

Ariel’s voice pierced his ears.

He was startled and his feet froze.

He instinctively realized that no matter where he ran, he would be caught by her.

The dark mage’s shoulders trembled.

“If you were a citizen of Macglier, you wouldn’t be so startled to see me.”

It meant he was a dark mage living with sinister intentions.

Ariel took a step towards him.

‘Finally caught him.’

Relief spread in her emerald eyes. If she caught him, she could uncover the hidden ones as well.

But then, she heard the sound of someone running from behind.

‘Who is it? Is it Liese?’

Her guess was correct. Liese Clark was chasing the dark mage with Evan.

Liese and Ariel’s eyes met.

When Ariel nodded first to signal, Liese also nodded lightly.

Liese grabbed Evan’s hand and enveloped them both in holy power.

Ariel infused her sword with golden mana. Then, she deliberately swung her sword so that the sword energy didn’t hit the dark mage directly.

Boom-!

The sword energy struck the ground sharply. The dirt floor cracked, and a sandstorm arose. Large grains of sand shot up into the air.

‘My eyes sting too much. I can’t see ahead.’

The dark mage covered his face with his arm and retreated, stepping back from the force of the sword energy.

At that moment, he squinted his eyes slightly to try and escape. However, looking down at the ground, he saw feet encased in golden mana.

“Finally caught you.”

Ariel grabbed his wrist and twisted it behind his back.

“Aaaaargh-!”

“If you want to live, tell me where your comrades are. If not, you can die alone.”

She spoke quietly to the dark mage.

“Ugh-! If, if I tell you! Does that mean you’ll, you’ll let me live?”

Is she really a woman?

Isn’t she a man disguised as a woman? Judging by the strength she used to subdue him, she must be a man. But her delicate frame, shoulders, and beautiful face clearly showed that she was a woman.

“Yes. But don’t bother using that not-so-great brain of yours to concoct any tricks. As you saw earlier, I’m not an opponent to be taken lightly.”

“Argh-!”

She twisted his arm harder, causing him to groan in pain and shut his eyes tightly.

‘That wasn’t ordinary sword energy. It wasn’t a mistake that the sword energy missed me. She purposely didn’t hit me directly. She plans to keep me alive to wipe out the rest.’

He saw through her plan completely.

But currently, he could do nothing.

As a lower-ranking dark mage, to survive…

To save his life…

The dark mage swallowed dryly.

“I… I will guide you.”

Ariel’s lips curled beautifully as she waited for his answer.