‘What on earth is happening?’

A person’s eye color couldn’t change by coincidence.

‘Could it be that changes are occurring in her body because of the child in her womb?’

No matter how quietly Rael had lived at the Magic Tower, if she had been someone with this level of magical power, the Tower Master couldn’t have failed to notice. So he speculated that the reason Rael currently had strangely strong magical power might be because she was carrying a demon’s child.

‘Does a human become demonized when they conceive a demon’s seed?’

This was a story that appeared nowhere. Though it was merely a hypothesis for now, if true, it would be shocking.

“We greatly underestimated you.”

The Tower Master strengthened the protective magic deployed around him and pulled out a paralysis potion from his chest.

“That’s…”

The moment Rael saw him pull out the potion bottle, she recognized what it was. That bottle with the green band was something she had made herself.

The Tower Master threw the paralysis potion in an instant. Rael tried to deploy a magic circle, but since it wasn’t magic she used frequently, she couldn’t immediately implement protective magic. She had no choice but to quickly create the fire arrow she had just used to intercept the paralysis potion in midair.

Among the potions she had made, those with green bands showed completion levels that were nothing short of masterpieces. The effect was 100%. Anyone who had the potion touch their body would become paralyzed. At first only where the potion touched, then gradually spreading throughout the body, paralyzing the entire form.

Whoosh—!

The fire arrow grazed the edge of the bottle as it passed, and the potion bottle burst in midair.

“Ugh!”

Bastian instantly grabbed Rael and pulled her toward him, but some of the paralysis potion that broke in the air splashed onto her arm.

“Ha…”

Her head spun from using magic rapidly in succession. No matter how much the magic orb helped, Rael wasn’t accustomed to using magic directly.

“Rael! Are you okay?”

“Ah… I think I’m fine…”

Since she didn’t feel any particular pain, Rael thought her body was fine.

“…or maybe not.”

But that was a mistake. Sensation was gradually disappearing from her arm. A look of dismay crossed Rael’s face. This paralysis symptom would probably travel up her arm and eventually spread throughout her entire body.

How long could she hold out? Rael gripped her stiffening arm and observed the mages.

“Further fighting seems unnecessary, doesn’t it?”

The Tower Master’s protective barrier was also covered with potion. It was natural since it had burst at close range.

“No. I should finish this quickly.”

There was something they didn’t know. Namely, that the potion had an additional option.

The paralysis potion Rael had made was created to counter humans, but actually it affected not only the body but also magical power. In other words, the paralysis potion could paralyze the flow of magical power as well.

Though the Tower Master wasn’t aware of it, his magical power was slowly being paralyzed through the magical power connected to his protective barrier. The efficiency would be lower, but fortunately there was a large amount of potion on the barrier.

This was both a crisis and an opportunity for her.

Another fire arrow flew. To prevent the Tower Master from examining his protective barrier or noticing abnormalities in his magical power operation, Rael drew up her magical power with all her might and attacked continuously.

Whether her body would stiffen first or that protective barrier would break first—the results would tell.

“Rael, stop!”

Bastian tried to stop her as magic exploded endlessly. But Rael concentrated all her attention on operating her magical power.

The continued attacks struck the protective barrier and its surroundings repeatedly. Some bounced off. As a result, the interior of the castle was slowly crumbling.

“Lady Rael!”

Esh also tried to stop her, but it was useless.

“Grr!”

Crack, split.

The Tower Master couldn’t keep his wits about him under the barrage of fire arrows. When the protective barrier began to crack with splitting sounds, he finally noticed something was wrong. He hurriedly tried to deploy protective magic again, but his magical power wouldn’t obey.

“Everyone deploy protective magic in front of me!”

With the Tower Master’s urgent cry, the mages deployed all the protective magic they could. But the Tower Master’s protective magic breaking was faster.

A sharp bursting sound was heard. The protective barrier crumbled with a sound like breaking glass.

Rumble, crash—

Before she could even think that she had succeeded, the castle walls quickly collapsed around them.

“Lady Rael!”

“Rael!”

Rael came to her senses at everyone’s calls, but the building was already tilting, and the second-floor corridor ceiling was collapsing to cover her.

“Rael!”

As building debris blocked her view, Rael saw Sezl running from behind the mages. That was the last scene she witnessed.

Thud—!

* * *

“Gah.”

Rubellan’s body was thrown far by the explosion. One of his spread wings was already torn lengthwise, causing pain.

“Hah… Right. This makes sense.”

Juletan shuddered at his overflowing power. Then he looked down at Rubellan, who was sprawled on the ground, dripping blood.

“What’s this, your regeneration doesn’t seem to be working?”

Like mocking Rubellan’s condition, Juletan approached him with a bloody smile. Each step oozed confidence. His footsteps were so light it seemed like even the air was pushing him forward.

“How does it feel to be a powerless loser?”

As he said, Rubellan was feeling a sense of crisis toward Juletan for the first time in his life. The significantly reduced regeneration of his body was problematic, but Juletan was utilizing the red moon’s effects far too well.

The result of combining the magical power amplification from the Thorn Crown with the red moon’s power created a very disadvantageous situation for Rubellan.

“Well. I’ve never floundered in a sense of defeat like someone else.”

“Hmm.”

At Rubellan’s sarcastic retort, Juletan rubbed his chin with his hand and chose his words.

“True, you might never know something like a sense of defeat.”

Though Juletan, who deserved to be strangled for his insolence, unexpectedly showed a compliant attitude of acknowledgment, it was only momentary.

“Because you’ll die without even having time to feel such things.”

Juletan was enjoying this situation now, seemingly existing solely for this moment. The red moon’s energy drove him to madness.

If only that haughty face would become a little more distorted. If only it would be tinged with a little more despair…! Fire was rising in his cold heart. If he was going to k*ll him anyway, how could he fully express in words his desire for him to die more painfully?

Juletan’s hand grabbed Rubellan’s collar and lifted his body.

“Struggle more. You should crawl and beg to entertain me more.”

Two identical red eyes met.

Juletan’s hand was placed over Rubellan’s heart. And he applied force just like that.

“Ugh…!”

Sharp claws pierced through clothes and dug into Rubellan’s skin. It looked like he would grasp his heart just like that.

Rubellan grabbed Juletan’s wrist. Even with grip strength that would have already broken bones if he were human, he didn’t care.

“Did you want it that badly? Just this little bit of power?”

The corner of Rubellan’s mouth rose bloodily.

“You’re begging like a three-year-old whining for candy, so it’s almost pitiful.”

At Rubellan’s words, Juletan’s face crumpled with anger. His leisurely behavior when his heart might be pierced at any moment seemed detestable. Juletan shook his head in disgust and answered Rubellan with derision.

“After you die, I won’t have to see that annoying arrogance, so do it a lot now. Act obnoxious until the moment you die.”

With a grinding sound of teeth, Juletan’s claws dug deeper into flesh.

Rubellan concentrated magical power in his hand. He intended to blow away the arm he was holding. The distance was too close, so his own body would also suffer shock, but first he needed to get away from him.

Crash!

Just as he was drawing up magical power while blocking Juletan’s force, a loud roar echoed from behind.

Juletan was the first to turn his head. When his hand suddenly lost strength, Rubellan quickly twisted his wrist to create distance from him. Then he looked back following Juletan’s gaze.

“Oh no.”

Part of the castle had collapsed, and dust filled the air. Juletan scratched the back of his neck with an annoyed expression. This was exactly the level of work humans did. He noticed that the mages weren’t properly doing their job.

“…No.”

Rubellan turned his body toward the castle like he was possessed. When he tried to run toward the collapsed castle, Juletan quickly blocked his path.

“You haven’t finished talking with me, have you?”

“Move.”

His heartbeat, which had been calm even when Juletan tried to pierce his heart, was beating irregularly. Rubellan felt dizzy beyond nauseous.

Rael was there, under the collapsed castle.

“I said move!”

Rubellan’s poker face, which hadn’t budged no matter how much he was provoked, crumbled. And that sight brought ecstasy to Juletan.

“Keh… Hahaha! What’s this? Rubellan, look at yourself right now!”

Juletan laughed with choking sounds.

“You look as desperate as a child who had his candy stolen?”

He returned Rubellan’s sarcasm back to him.

“Now I finally like it. It would be a shame to k*ll you easily. I actually wanted to enjoy this moment for a long time.”

Juletan seemed to perceive harming his brother like a festival. He hadn’t hidden that fact since his flashy first appearance.

“Hmm?”

Easily holding back the unresponsive Rubellan, Juletan tilted his head left and right to examine his deathly pale complexion.

But what turned Juletan’s gaze wasn’t Rubellan’s power.

“…What’s that now?”

Light burst from the collapsed castle. It was intense light that made “blinding” an insufficient description. Soon flames arose in the castle. The fire’s momentum was extraordinary. Such strong flames could never have occurred from spontaneous combustion.

“Rael!”

Rubellan pushed Juletan away with grip strength that made him wonder if he had this much power left and ran toward the castle.

Juletan also had a bad feeling. He worried that his incompetent contractor might have died at this point.

Even if he couldn’t help, he didn’t want to be a hindrance.

“D*mn.”

He thought it would have been better not to order anything at all.