Diblin was also class valedictorian. Her position was solid throughout her enrollment. It was the result of combining talent without hesitation in wielding swords, the family that protected her, and cruelty that crushed those who threatened her from the root.

〈I heard a first-year named Spica broke the record in the anti-monster test?〉

〈That’s the first-year record. But the teaching assistant said she’ll probably aim for the overall record soon.〉

〈Ah, then Senior Sobek’s record will end now?〉

That was when Diblin first recognized Spica. But she thought it was ridiculous at first.

‘Girls always get compared to me when they do well. How dare they compare, those trash……’

She had reason to think that. Diblin was on the verge of becoming an aura user.

But Spica’s sword that she witnessed by chance…..

That…… could only be called real.

‘I can’t leave her alive.’

It was a shock similar to when she first saw Alkaid. Though Spica was younger than her now, would she still be able to win leisurely when they faced each other as official knights after completing all processes?

In the new school year she welcomed with impatience, when she saw Spica assigned to her group in the first field practice, Diblin cheered.

“The world really is on my side!”

Coincidentally, a collateral member of her family was also in the same group—a foolish child born as an ordinary human in the Sobek family of crocodile beast-humans, lacking even a bit of venom. 

Using him to destabilize her position and bring down both Spica and the collateral member went according to plan. 

The problem began when Spica caught him and hung him from tree roots. 

The foolish collateral member screamed loudly, attracting other groups. She rescued them because of the onlookers… but she shouldn’t have. 

“What’s the point of dropping her to a level of having one arm? She’s alive, so we’re getting entangled again like this.”

Diblin looked at Lepus while grumbling.

“Did Atrain mention what happened then?”

“……She probably didn’t. Spica cherishes her younger sibling terribly.”

“Ah. I heard that woman’s sibling also attends the Knight Department.”

Diblin giggled and laughed. Right, that’s right. Though the viscount died, one more blood relative remains.

The most useful thing for threatening people is life. First is their own life, next is their family’s life.

Then what did Alkaid use to warn her?

Lepus, who had been gauging Diblin’s mood while she pondered, carefully asked.

“I have a child waiting in the next room. Should I tell them to come in?”

Diblin looked him over anew.

‘He does match my tastes well. That’s why I still keep him alive.’

She met Lepus at a promiscuous party. He  was quite good in bed, and she thought his doll-like appearance was nice to take around.

She neither asked him anything nor investigated his background. If what he wanted was money, she could give it and send him away, and if he tried to harm the family, she could dispose of him like she always had.

That indifference had now returned in this state.

‘You should have told me beforehand that you had a fiancée, you bastard……’

It was even more annoying that his partner happened to be Spica Atrain.

That damn Atrain. Diblin gritted her teeth and asked.

“What do you think of me?”

“What do you mean.”

“Do I seem like a monster? Or a demon?”

Was that what this was about. Lepus replied strangely.

“That kind of talk is meaningless.”

“……It is meaningless. I’m going to devour you anyway.”

Diblin smiled coldly and gestured.

Soon a child pushed by Lepus’s back hesitantly entered. The room that Lepus had decorated lavishly to match Diblin’s taste was like paradise to the child. But the terrified child had no leisure to look around inside.

“Stay still like that.”

The hand with glowing green patterns that approached with the warning…..

That was the last thing the child saw in this world.

‘I probably can’t do this much longer either.’

When the long scream stopped, Diblin thought while brushing off her hands. The dried-up corpse would be handled by Lepus, so it wasn’t her concern.

The green tattoo on her palm. This magic circle that absorbed life force was inscribed by her mother from a dark mage family.

To advance from an ordinary swordsman to a sword master who controls aura, one must accumulate sufficient mana. And the most concentrated mana was human life force.

Currently, the Royal Guard Commander and Lepus were handling the supply, but the situation became difficult when articles about disappearing children appeared and Alkaid began moving in earnest. Even the Crown Prince gave him support, so they were practically finished in the capital.

‘I don’t even know how long I have to keep doing this……’

Even though Diblin had disposed of all those among her peers who showed potential to surpass her, she couldn’t touch the Winterhold ducal family in such a way.

Alkaid was a mountain that Diblin had to purely defeat and overcome.

For that purpose she trained without missing a single day, never touched alcohol or drugs. She was even doing the disgusting act of bringing dirty lower-class people to absorb mana, not clergy or nobles.

Yet when Diblin went up one step, Alkaid seemed to move three, no, ten steps away.

And that this wasn’t delusion, Diblin keenly felt through today’s events.

‘Imprinting aside…… there’s something else too.’

Diblin narrowed her eyes and replayed Alkaid’s movements that had been difficult to catch with her eyes.

‘No matter how I think about it, it’s strange. I definitely avoided the tip of his sword.’

She avoided it narrowly. Both her experience and instincts as a swordsman definitely judged so.

Yet her flesh was cut and blood splattered.

Wind pressure from swinging a sword? If such a thing could cause wounds, blacksmiths wouldn’t make efforts to create blades that remain intact after thousands of strikes.

“……”

Her mind had already provided the answer. But Diblin denied it. If Alkaid had already awakened as a sword master, there would be no reason for him to remain in something like the Second Knight Order.

Yes, that must be it.

‘First priority is resolving my weakness.’

Since Alkaid had spoken his resolve aloud, he would stab Diblin someday.

Fortunately, Diblin had thought of a secret plan to solve two problems simultaneously. She raised the corners of her mouth and called Lepus.

“Honey. I have a favor to ask. You’ll do it, right?”

“Anything I can do.”

Lepus answered without hesitation. However, that was brief — the more he heard Diblin’s following words, the more subtle his expression became.

“……Bring Spica? Why specifically ask me to do that……”

“Why is a smart person acting like this? Don’t pretend you don’t understand, honey. I mean bring her quietly while erasing traces.”

What would she do after bringing her like that.

The image of the child dried like a dead tree after having their life force drained overlapped with Spica’s image, but Lepus immediately looked away.

‘She said turbid mana from finished growth is useless even when absorbed.’

So Diblin wouldn’t necessarily kill Spica either.

Because Lepus loved Diblin, he turned away from Spica. Though Spica’s emotions were sometimes bothersome, he knew better than anyone that she liked him very much. Having a place to return to while enjoying with others was quite pleasant too.

Even now, didn’t Spica have lingering feelings for him.

“……You’re planning to use her as bait to lure Commander Winterhold?”

“Think whatever you want.”

“Diblin.”

Watching Lepus’s expression, Diblin languidly propped her chin.

“Why. You can kidnap defenseless children but not your ex-fiancée? You must have some remaining feelings.”

“……”

“You told me you love me.”

“I, I love you.”

Diblin who rose from her seat circled around Lepus like a crocodile cutting through water.

“Why are you trembling so much. It was a joke.”

“Then……”

“You’re right. Winterhold is more important to me than someone like Atrain.”

Was she sincere. Lepus knew that crocodiles’ expressions don’t change even when hunting.

But the swamp he had stepped into was too deep to see inside.

“If you succeed, I’ll give you this house too.”

“……You knew?”

“Of course. You’re someone I absolutely need now.”

All suspicion disappeared with those words. Lepus immediately nodded.

“I’ll do it. Spica is weak when it comes to her sibling. I can pick a child who looks similar and use them.”

“Good.”

Diblin smiled enchantingly and snapped her fingers.

“Bring one more mana container. Tonight will be a long night.”

* * *

“Aaaaaaahhhhh……”

In the maid’s room under the roof, everyone was covering themselves with blankets up to their heads.

No matter how thorough the soundproofing was, they couldn’t completely block the screams of someone losing their life. It was a faint but terrible sound, like rising from that underground hell. The maids trembled with fear.

Among them, one maid who had introduced the house to Spica bit her lips.

“This can’t continue.”

Whether ghosts were wandering around wailing or the new master had become a murderer, they couldn’t live like this. Pony thought of one person.

〈If you notice anything suspicious about Arneb, contact this side.〉

Spica’s superior who had asked her to introduce a house instead.

He was so frightening she couldn’t even look at his face, but meeting that person once more was far better than continuing to live hearing these sounds.