《Failed To Abandon the Villain》 Chapter 1 *** Open page: Present. *** ¡°Oh, my God!¡± ¡°Please help me. Please¡­ please¡­!¡± ¡°Young Master ¡­¡­!¡± People were dying in front of her eyes. The legs of people who had walked normally yesterday rolled on the floor, and people who crawled away on all four were also seen. Her father was already sitting at the table, dead with a sword stuck in his heart. Of course, there was no normal picture. One of his eyes was just an empty socket and blood was dripping down like tears. Valletta once again tried to move her immobile legs. She wanted to run away from here for now, but she couldn¡¯t move. There were ck shadows in front of her, but she couldn¡¯t tell what they were. It wasn¡¯t fear that made her stiffen. She had no regrets about any of the people in this family. She knew they would be punished for what they had done. It¡¯s just that if there¡¯s a problem here, there¡¯s no escape. No matter how much she struggled, she could not turn her head or move her body off the floor as if she were a statue. She couldn¡¯t move a finger, and the only thing that moved ording to her will were her eyes. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of you in my life.¡± A light voice with a hint ofughter tapped her ears. His long, silvery-white hair, a rarity, covered his shoulders and swayed slightly just above his waist. The eyes she had thought were ¡°ruby¡± actually seemed to be blood. Emotions seeped into them, and now they glowed with madness. The solid door of the dining room, which was tightly closed, opened. A scream came from the doorway. ¡°Argh!¡± Two beautiful women and a servant were thrown through a half-open crack in the door with screams. The two men in ck robes pushed them in with their feet like dogs. ¡°Please save me!¡± ¡°Monster! Monster! I hate you!¡± ¡°Shut up.¡± The scream died in an instant. Along with his voice, the crazy gaze reached the three people who had just entered. The mouths of those who were screaming under the pressure closed tightly. Finally, Valletta¡¯s vision caught sight of them. The shivering figures were sympathetic. But she couldn¡¯t pity them. She wasn¡¯t in a position to pity anyone. ¡°These are thest people alive in this mansion,¡± said one of the men in ck robe. It was an indifferent voice with no regret in it. ¡°It¡¯s a mansion, there are many vermin to deal with.¡± Walking lightly towards Valletta, the silver-white man smiled refreshingly at her as she stiffened. Then he tapped her cheek with bloody fingers and headed straight for the maidservant who had fled into the corner. As Valletta nced sideways at him as he passed, she saw his shoes with blood on it. She had goosebumps and wanted to wipe her cheek. ¡°I¡¯m getting tired of this. There¡¯s still a delicious main dish left¡­.,¡± said the man, ncing at Valletta behind him. She could only see the front anyway, so no matter how much she moved her eyes, she wouldn¡¯t be able to see what was happening in the back corner. Still, it was not hard to tell who he implied as the main dish was. ¡°Young Master, please help me¡­ ¡­ I¡¯ll do anything¡­¡± ¡°Hahaha! It seems like I¡¯ll get to hear ¡®Young Master¡¯ a lot more today.¡± His red eyes folded like a crescent moon, and his bloody hand slowly reached the maid¡¯s cheek. He rubbed the blood from his hand back and forth across the maid¡¯s cheek. ¡°I¡¯ll kill you all in one go,¡± he said, his voice mercilessly gentle. As soon as the man flicked his fingers, an icy spear formed in the air. To be precise, it was more like a giant icicle than a spear. Except the tip was sharp enough to kill a person. Swoosh. There was a series of sounds of something being shot along with the sound of the wind. The three maidservants who had gathered there died without a sound. The man eventually quieted down, smiling and twirling around like a dancer. Valletta could hear him approaching behind her. She inhaled deeply. ¡®Oh, I should have gotten rid of him back then. If my father listened to me, this tragedy wouldn¡¯t have happened. I should have run away when he didn¡¯t listen to me.I shouldn¡¯t have stayed here!¡¯ Valletta struggled to move her limbs in her mind, but the reality was beyond measure. And at that moment, the intangible power that was binding her body like a statue disappeared. As a result, her body lost its bnce and tilted forward. ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Surprised, Valletta hurriedly stretched her legs and tried to regain her bnce, but she was a step toote. As she closed her eyes thinking the pain woulde, someone grabbed her shoulder and held her waist tightly. Then her head seemed to touch someone¡¯s chest. Yes, it was as if she was being held by someone. Valletta sighed inwardly. Somehow, she felt as if she knew who it was. But she was afraid to open her eyes. ¡°My heartless master begged her foolish father every day to abandon me, but now she¡¯s in my arms.¡± With the breath that touched her ears, Valletta hurriedly pushed him away and stood on his own feet. Up close, his appearance was even more beautiful. It made her wonder if he was really from this world. His cold voice echoed in her ears was mesmerizing. He sounded as gentle as if he were a fairy in a fairy tale. However, Valletta knew very well that it was just an illusion. He was a man who could smile and talk to people and kill them without blinking. He was the dark Lord, and now the King of the magic tower. And he was Valletta¡¯s ve until just now. It could be described as a master-servant rtionship. ¡°Now, I¡¯m the only one left. Master,¡± he said sweetly. I wanted to run away from him, but the only exit was blocked by the two wizards. ¡°Do you want to live?¡± Valletta took a step back as she heard what sounded like a demon offering her a helping hand. Then he took a step closer as she stepped back. Their distance became closer due to his long stride. The eyes that were folded into a half-moon gradually widened. There was noughter in the eyes that appeared under his eyelids. ¡°Sit down,¡± his eerie red eyes turned to her. He flicked his fingers and told her to sit down. It was exactly what Valletta had said to him when they first met. She took another step back, firming her feet. She had to get away. She held my breath and took more steps back, but something caught her foot. ¡°Ugh!¡± Valletta looked down and saw what caught her feet was one of the corpses thaty everywhere. The man smiled and leaned closer. When his eyes at Valletta¡¯s level, his long hair came down in a flurry. It seemed long enough to reach the bloody floor. ¡°Very well. Very well, Master.¡± The man reached out and stroked Valletta¡¯s auburn hair as if topliment her hair with his bloodied hand. ¡®I knew he was crazy, but I didn¡¯t expect him to be this crazy¡­¡¯ She didn¡¯t want to sit down but ended up falling down on the floor. Valletta knew the man was a lunatic, and she begged her father to get rid of him countless times. However, her father insisted that the man would have something useful when he grew up. Her father believed that and kept the man. No one knew that he was plotting a revenge. This was the result. In the novel, the whole family died. She knew she was going to die. Valletta was the only one who foresaw the tragic situation. In an attempt to avoid this situation, she tried to be nice to the man in front of her, but that didn¡¯t change the way that crazy person looked at her. So she gave up, changed her mind, and begged him to keep away. And what did the others do? All the people in the house, unaware of the horror of this madness, reacted recklessly. Of course they did! His beautiful appearance and low status as a ve would have made anyone feel superior to him. Not only that, he had a sweet tongue. He was a man who could keep his anger hidden and put a smile on his face. ¡®I should have done it if I was going to die anyway. Now that everyone is dead. I should at least survive.¡¯ What was with this guilt? Valletta swallowed her breath, screaming inwardly. He stared at the frozen Valletta, then reached out and took the ne from her neck. The lightly broken string of the ne looked like her future. It was a red, transparent, coin-sized ss bead. It was a seal carved into the heart of the madman, and when the bead was squeezed hard, he could not disobey his opponent¡¯s orders because of the seal. That was what ¡®humanity magic¡¯ was like. If you hold your opponent¡¯s heart as a lifeline to subjugate him and he does not listen to you, you can squeeze the bead. Then the opponent would feel the intense heart pain. If he didn¡¯t want to feel the pain, he had to obey themand. It was an inhumane spell, Valletta never wanted that. Now that it was like this, there was only one way to get out of here safely. She didn¡¯t want to use her power in front of this madman. But it¡¯s much better to have her power discovered than to be caught and die. Valletta made it a priority to escape. ¡°Jin!¡± At the sound of Valletta¡¯s shout, a strong whirlwind blew through the empty space around her. The man in front of her seemed quite startled, and his eyes widened, as if he didn¡¯t see iting. ¡°Supreme Spirit of the Wind?¡± ¡°Is she a Spirit¡­?¡± The two wizards who were silently guarding the door murmured. The Wind Spirit said. ¡°Please help me. Take me far away from here. Anywhere but here.¡± The Wind Spirit asked. ¡°I¡¯ll give you my blood.¡± The hawk, vaguely transparent, spread its huge wings. It was an agreement. The wind enveloped Valletta¡¯s body and floated her. The moment she stretched out her arms and tried to hold on to the hawk¡¯s wings, an intense pain shot through her heart. ¡°Aaaaaaah!¡± Her mind was distracted by the unexpected and terrible pain. At the same time, the transparent hawk she summoned disappeared. Valletta rolled on the floor, moaning in pain. ¡°Oh, my God. I¡¯m sorry, Master. I was so surprised that I¡­.¡± ¡°What is this¡­¡± As the pain slowly subsided, her body contracted by the remnants of pain and remained on the floor in cold sweat. ¡°My master is impressive.¡± The man who squatted in front of Valletta, who was on the floor with her hands in his chest, said, patting her head affectionately. ¡°Sorry, this is a little too much.¡± Valletta barely raised her head at the man¡¯s pretentious voice. ¡°What the hell¡­¡± ¡°Oh¡­ I removed the seal in my heart and ced it on yours. I¡¯m afraid that you will abandon me and leave.¡± When the man finished speaking, he reached out and grabbed a strand of Valletta¡¯s hair and kissed it. ¡°Master, please call my name. Then you can go to sleep.¡± He whispered to Valletta with the same gentle look in his eyes that he had when he was a ve. The red bead was rolling in his hand. ¡°Ah, d*mn it.¡± Why didn¡¯t she run away back then? Valletta sighed deeply, feeling regretted. ¡°Come on,¡± his friendly voice rang in her ears. Her eyelids were heavy. She slowly opened her lips as opposed to her closing eyelids. ¡°Rein¡­hardt¡­¡± ¡°Good girl. You may sleep now, Master.¡± He said, stroking her head. ¡®Where should I begin to exin what¡¯s wrong with this lunatic?¡¯ While thinking, Valletta eventually lost consciousness, unable to forget the pain. *** Chapter 2 The Past *** It was about ten years ago that Valletta Delight met Reinhardt. The nine-year-old was the only daughter of Count Delight, and she was most treasured. At least that¡¯s how the world knew it. One day, after participating in a conflict with the barbarians, her father threw a dirty, scrawny boy in front of Valletta. ¡°Father?¡± ¡°I picked him up lying around the battlefield. He has a pretty face, and I thought it would be perfect for him to be a ve.¡± Count Delight said, carelessly taking off his armor. Listening to the dry voice of her gray-haired, purple-eyed father, Valletta bowed her head with a troubled look on her face. The boy¡¯s shoulder was very distorted as if he was stabbed by a sword. His condition was not good to look at. He was a mess, bleeding profusely and running a high fever. ¡°I don¡¯t have a need for a ve¡­ ¡° ¡°No, it¡¯s necessary for the future empress to have one. Think of him as a shield that will protect your life with his own life in times of need.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± It was not a suggestion, but more like an order. Valletta¡¯s lips quivered as she frowned. She didn¡¯t like the idea of having a ve. She was born and raised in this world, but she was bound by the memories of her previous life. Because of this, her moral values were very different from those of the people here. More than anything, Valletta felt uneasy about the beautiful boy with silver hair who was moaning in pain. She even felt a sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu, as if she had seen him often somewhere. ¡°Valletta Delight, are you talking back to me now?¡± Count Delight¡¯s gaze frightened her. Valletta kept silent. He was cruel in his obsession with his daughter. The reason was simple. It was because she possessed the qualities of an alchemist. Alchemists were rare in the empire, and very few were born with those qualities. Alchemists were essential in order to make potions. Even if the alchemist was born amoner, they would be promised a position at once. Valletta was born with the qualities of an alchemist and an aristocrat. And not just any alchemist either, she had the ability to be a high-ranking alchemist. It was a very lucrative business, one that might give her family an opportunity to make a connection with the royal family. In fact, her father had been talking with the imperial family about Valletta¡¯s talent. Count Delight was a true merchant, and once he saw how valuable Valletta was, he spared no effort to make her talent known. ¡°In a week, you need to make friends with the Crown Prince at the banquet. It¡¯s better than being a stranger.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°And make sure to be friends with the other nobles. Since we don¡¯t know what will happen and who¡¯s going to be emperor.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Valletta, why don¡¯t you answer your father?¡± ¡°Yes, father.¡± Valletta nodded while speaking those now ustomed words. From the beginning, Count Delight had the idea of having Valletta marry into the Imperial family. Of course, he tried to make it subtle but his intention was much too obvious. Naturally, her thoughts werepletely different from her response. For her part, she honestly did not appreciate being used in this way. However, she was only a little girl with no power, no money, and no authority. A nine-year-old little girl. No matter where she goes or where she is, she will never be able to leave his grasp. At least not under the current circumstances. ¡°I¡¯ve put a proper leash on him, so he won¡¯t be able to disobey.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Valletta replied weakly. The boy, who was struggling with death on the floor, finally opened his eyes. His beautiful ruby eyes looked around nkly before eventually reaching her. Despite the boy¡¯s heavy breathing, Count Delight nced at him and continued his monotonous voice as if he were exining to Valletta how to use a toy. ¡°If he doesn¡¯t listen, you squeeze this.¡± He ced a ne with a red bead around Valletta¡¯s neck. Valletta looked down at the bead, which was horribly red as if it was made from hardened blood. ¡°He has the seal engraved on his heart, so he dare not disobey a single word. You can order him to do anything you want.¡± ¡°What? No, perhapster¡­¡± Count Delight coldly gazed at Valletta as she shook her head, feeling stunned by the sudden order. ¡®What on earth does he want me to order such a sick child to do?¡¯ It was obvious that no matter what she ordered, the boy was simply too weak to even get up properly. ¡°You¡¯ve been talking a lottely, haven¡¯t you?¡± Count Delight gave Valletta a sharp look. She didn¡¯t want to offend him. He rarely inflicted physical violence on her, but he did punish her with things she couldn¡¯t bear mentally. Things like killing her pets, locking her in a dark room without a sip of water for several days, and even hanging her upside down once. He didn¡¯t want to leave marks by hitting her because it would lower her value, but he did everything else until Valletta surrendered and obeyed him unconditionally. Count Delight was a madman. He met a crazy woman, had a child with her, and that child was Valletta. And Valletta knew Count Delight well. He would do the dirty work of buying and selling ves secretly, while outwardly providing relief supplies and food tomoners and refugee viges, winning the hearts of the people. On the outside, people thought he treated Valletta as his cherished daughter, but in the mansion, she was anything but. ¡®That¡¯s why he* died.¡¯ (*her father-Count Delight) In the novel, she once saw a sentence that said, ¡°The future master of the magic tower was brought in and used as a ve by the Count but the Count failed to control him.¡± Also, it seemed to say something about a very beautiful boy, but she couldn¡¯t remember. ¡°Hurry up!¡± ¡°Ah¡­sit down!¡± At Count Delight¡¯s urging, Valletta hurriedly said the words that randomly came to her mind. After spitting out the words, Valletta stiffened. ¡®Sit down¡¯ was the only thing that came to mind when she suddenly tried to give amand. The silver hair boy looked at Valletta disgustedly. ¡®Did I order him as if I ordered a dog?¡¯ Just as Valletta was wondering if she should change her order, Count Delight reached for the bead she was holding. As soon as hisrge, calloused hand touched the bead, the boy groaned as if he realized something and knelt at her feet. ¡°Master.¡± The boy smiled brightly while he was breathing hard and blood trickled down his shoulder. The boy¡¯s red eyes shed gruesomely, smiling as if he were a good listener. His mouth was smiling, but his eyes clearly were not. [The boy was very handsome. Valletta instantly fell in love with his bright red eyes, white skin, and gorgeous silver hair that seemed to sparkle under the sun.] Just as Valletta was about to answer with a forcedugh, a passage from the novel suddenly popped into her head, and her body froze. ¡®Is he a dog?¡¯ Even the main character of this world chews with one hand. ¡°Oh, Uh um, yes. Hmm, hello¡­.¡± Valletta finally answered, stuttering. ¡°Well, what¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Reinhardt, Master.¡± He was the future great wizard and master of the magic tower¡­The viin in the novel that gave the protagonist a meaningless ordeal, then killed them after he lost his interest. ¡°¡­.¡± It was obvious that his name was Reinhardt. ¡°It¡¯s your birthday present. Use it well.¡± Count Delight said. ¡°Yes, father.¡± ¡®What should I do when my father gives me a ticking time bomb for my birthday?¡¯ Valletta really wanted to ask the intellectuals, even though she knew that there was no advanced technology called the Inte here. Chapter 3 ¡®Let¡¯s move him for now, but¡­¡¯ Valletta was troubled by his restless expression. Of course she didn¡¯t move him herself, but the boy was moved by the chambein. Reinhardt was given the room next to Valletta, despite being a ve. It was Count Delight¡¯s order. He ordered that if anything happened to Valletta, anywhere, anytime, Reinhadrt had to give his life to protect her. ¡®I feel like he¡¯s going to die before I do, instead of protecting me.¡¯ A servant wrapped Reinhadt¡¯s wounds up, but it was poorly done. Even though Valletta didn¡¯t know anything about medicine, she could tell that this girl had no medical knowledge at all. Knock. Knock. She turned away at the sound of a knock on the wooden door. Entering was a half-heartedly bandaged servant. She brought cold water and towels, probably because Reinhardt was suffering from a high fever. ¡°Don¡¯t do it. Call the doctor. He¡¯s going to die if you don¡¯t.¡± ¡°Miss, I don¡¯t think you know anything about this¡­ For a ve, a doctor is a luxury. This one has a uselessly long life, even if left alone, he¡¯ll live.¡± Even though they¡¯re all humans, how can they have a narrow viewpoint just because of their different status? Valletta frowned at the sophistry that the servant hadid out. She meant that his condition could not be cured and just let him be. ¡°You think I¡¯ve asked for your opinion?¡± ¡°Yes¡­?¡± ¡°If I leave him like this, he¡¯ll die. So call the doctor.¡± Valletta raised her voice, and the servant¡¯s eyes opened wide. ¡°I gave you an order. Shall I tell my father that you disobeyed me?¡± ¡°¡­¡­ No, I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ll call the doctor right away.¡± ¡°Tell him toe as soon as possible. I¡¯ll pay whatever the cost is.¡± ¡°Yes, Miss.¡± The servant bowed and hurried out of the room, leaving a towel and a basin of water on the small table beside the bed. Seeing her nk expression, Valletta scratched her head and sighed. She wasn¡¯t used to this kind of hierarchy, and she couldn¡¯t help it. Count Delight was very strict, and because the Count himself treated Valletta as something ¡°useless¡±, some of his servants sometimes ignored her altogether. The servant would never be able to act this way in front of the Count. In such cases, when the Count¡¯s name was mentioned, the servants generally kept their mouths shut and obeyed. Valletta was usually the one who kept her mouth shut, even when the servants treated her unreasonably. The reason was simple. Even if she tried to say something, the Count¡¯s fire would fly at her as well. So most of the servants ignored Valletta only behind the Count¡¯s back, but sometimes there were servants who couldn¡¯t read the air. Especially the neers. It hadn¡¯t been more than a day or two that they tried to teach her, as if she was still naive because she was young, but she was offended by the fact that the servantpared Reinhardt to a ve as if he was nothing. ¡®And if I leave this child to suffer like this¡­¡¯ Valletta was afraid of the consequences. Reinhardt was not easily angered. He was always portrayed as having a smile on his face. Quite often, she was surprised by the heart wrenching feeling she would feel about his description, even though he only existed as a character in the novel. Reinhardt was someone who would pile up all the things that people were doing to him, one by one, in his mind, andter explode all at once, in the worst possible way. ¡®¡­Did they say that a wizard who never awakens is weak?¡¯ It was said that the stronger the talent, theter the time of awakening. Usually, wizards were awakened in their mid-teens. However, Reinhardt¡¯s awakening was on his twentieth birthday, when Valletta came of age. And on that day, he would be the master of the magic tower, killing all living things, including the servants of the Delight family. ¡®Including me.¡¯ Valletta sighed. Reinhardt¡¯s breathing was ragged and dangerous, like he was about to expire. She was surprised how he could get up and kneel down earlier. Of course, he wouldn¡¯t die if she left him like this as the servant said¡­ ¡®Let¡¯s heal him and then get rid of him.¡¯ She had to give him freedom and avoid death. Valletta squeezed the towel in cold water, and ced it on Reinhardt¡¯s forehead. He shivered as the cold towel touched him. ¡°Why¡­?¡± Reinhardt¡¯s silver-white eyelids trembled in the cold air and slowly opened. His eyelids opened and his red ruby eyes also appeared. His eyes were clouded. ¡°I¡¯ve called the doctor, so rest. And when you get better, I¡¯ll let you go, so get out of this house, okay?¡± ¡°Why?¡± Staring at his lips, Valletta¡¯s brows wrinkled. ¡®Because you¡¯re going to kill me and I¡¯m trying to get rid of you before that happens.¡¯ At the very least, she would ask for another ve, not Reinhardt. This future madman is still a madman. He seemed to be rxed at the moment, but everyone who saw himughing and giving creepy nces earlier knows that. There was an old saying, ¡°Don¡¯t raise a ck-headed beast.¡± That¡¯s exactly what Reinhardt was. He was the one who would bring disaster if he was raised. He would even bring her death. ¡®I don¡¯t need you.¡¯ If Reinhardt were to escape with the bead, Count Delight was bound to be very angry with Valletta herself. However, she¡¯d rather choose to take the punishment he would inflict. She would rather starve herself for a week or hang upside down on the ceiling than be killed by this madman in the future. ¡°¡­¡­unusual, I¡¯m human¡­¡± Muttering, Reinhardt closed his eyes again. ¡®I don¡¯t think I have anything in particr to do as you do.¡¯ As she was thinking, Valletta dipped the towel back into the water and ced it on Reinhardt¡¯s forehead. It was an hourter when the doctor arrived. ¡°It seems he was injured by a sword, but fortunately the wound is cleaner than I expected. Thecerations may be severe, but the situation is not bad.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes, you can give him this medicine three times a day after meals and sprinkle this powder on the wounds. The bandage should be changed every day and you should make sure that no water reaches the wound until it is healed.¡± ¡°Thank you very much. I will call you again next time, so pleasee. You can charge as much as you need to, and the chambein will pay out of my personal allowance.¡± ¡°Yes, you may call me any time.¡± The doctor bowed and left the room. He gave Reinhardt some antipyretics and painkillers, and hisplexion was certainly better than before. ¡®When you¡¯re better, I¡¯ll give you some money and get you out of here.¡¯ Valletta said the same thing dozens of times today to herself. Reinhardt was not a being that often appeared in the novel she read, but he had a tremendous presence. Once he appeared, he would make an entire vige disappeared, or he would fight with a single finger against the male lead who reached the status of a swordmaster. It was always described in these kinds of ways . He was such a bad character that when someone tried to be kind to him, by giving him kindness with a smile, he would instead cut off their head without a care in the world. ¡®He looks different like this.¡¯ If Valletta didn¡¯t know all those facts, she would have made an effort to like him. In fact, the ¡°real Valletta¡± liked him. [¡°Do you love me, Valletta?¡± ¡°Yes, I love you. Rein, I can go anywhere with you. So¡­ when you¡¯ve finished your revenge on this house, let¡¯s leave together. I¡¯ll help you.¡± ¡°Is that right? What should I do though, I don¡¯t love you.¡± The man whispered in a sweet voice, stroking her cheek¡­] Reinhardt in the novel used Valletta¡¯s love to eventually kill her family, and killed Valletta with a smile. Of course, there was a reason, but¡­ But what was the reason why he killed Valletta too? She couldn¡¯t remember. Valletta shuddered as she thought about it again. She shook her head vigorously from side to side. ¡®Let¡¯s get rid of him.¡¯ She nodded with determination. ncing at Reinhardt, who had fallen into a deep sleep, Valletta slipped out of the room. Chapter 4 The original Valletta in the novel was kind to Reinhardt. She didn¡¯t treat him as a ve, but like an armour. Reinhardt alsoughed and pretended to be as sweet as his nifty tongue. And then he killed her. ¡®Woah, I got goosebumps.¡¯ Valletta held her arms, shaking her head. She didn¡¯t know how something that only came to mind could give her such a chilling sensation. She quickly went to her room and buried herself under the covers. Her shut eyes rested against the soft cloth. When she woke up, darkness was slowly descending. ¡®Come to think of it, I should have just made him a potion¡­¡¯ There was no need to call the doctor. In fact, it was a good opportunity to experiment, as this ability was not something she was familiar with, even after being reborn. ¡®I don¡¯t think the Count will sit still.¡¯ After a moment¡¯s pondering, she yawned and left her bed. She approached the desk. One side was filled with various herbs in transparent ss bottles instead of books. The ss jars hadplicated forms written on them. They were one of the preserved items, a type of form that alchemists made use of. She took the herbs out of some of the jars and filled them in another empty jar. Then, she took out the paper and began to write the form. ¡®Why do I have to do all this¡­,¡¯ she thought, but her hand continued to write theplicated form without hesitation. Valletta let out a short sigh as she gazed at the alchemical form written like a magic circle without any breaks on the paper. ¡°Extraction.¡± Violet¡¯s eyes began to glow, her lips quivering as if giving amand. A pure white magic circle appeared above her violet eyes. It was as if it was carved directly into her eyes. Soon, the intangible energy that escaped her fingers began to seep into the alchemical form written on the paper. The form glowed a deep purple as it absorbed her power. Alchemy was a talent given at birth. Those people were born with the ability to listen to nts and use that ability to gather herbs in their best condition, to create the best potion. Each alchemist¡¯s talent was a little different, but the potion of a master alchemist was said to even be capable of regenerating a severed arm or saving a person on the verge of death. Of course, this was a rarity among alchemists. But most alchemists could heal a wound in one day, that would normally take months. What made them unique was that they held an ancient magic circle in their eyes. No one knew who created the form or how, but there was an extremely low number of people with magic circles in their eyes in the whole world. The potion they created would be better than any other potion in the world. Some of the wizards imitated it and created something called ¡°potion¡± which began to spread throughout the world. However, in the end, it was just another imitation and could notpare to the real alchemist¡¯s potion. As the years passed, the number of alchemists decreased significantly. Now, there were less than twenty officially registered alchemists in the entire empire. The potions made by those alchemists were rare and valuable, and the majority of them belonged to the imperial family. Therefore, naturally, all potions were owned by them. However, Valletta was born into the family of Count Delight. A new alchemist who had the qualities to be a master. Although this setting wasn¡¯t in the novel. In fact, she was having doubts about whether she was really in a novel. The original Valletta was a lonely girl, treated coldly by Count Delight. So she turned to Reinhardt to work with him and help him get his revenge. However, now that she was Valletta, she was different. Not only was she born with the power of alchemy, but she also had another ability that she couldn¡¯t tell people about. In the past, Valletta was overprotected by Count Delight, to the point that she couldn¡¯t take a single step outside her home without his permission. However, she knew very well that his overprotection didn¡¯te from love. To Count Delight, Valletta was a very valuable trade item. So much so that he would use her alchemist¡¯s blood as an excuse to make connections with the royal family. In fact, Count Delight became quite close to the emperor after he was assured of Valletta¡¯s value by the imperial alchemist. Valletta thought that the power she was born with had changed things considerably. However, the core remained the same. And that was Reinhardt¡¯s arrival. Count Delight brought Reinhardt as a ve even then. He thought that his beautiful face could be used one day. That was how beautiful Reinhardt was in appearance. In the novel, Count Delight did not give Reinhardt to Valletta, but the fact that he was a ¡°ve¡± remained unchanged. The purple light filling the room slowly faded. The bottle that was filled with herbs had somehow turned to a light pink liquid. The alchemy form that she had written on a piece of paper was nowhere to be found. It disappeared. All that remained was a single empty piece of paper without the form. She crumpled the paper and threw it into the wastebasket, leaving the room with a bottle of pink liquid. Before she knew it, the sky was dark and the mansion was as quiet as death. ¡®I don¡¯t want to run into him¡­¡¯ She hoped that the boy would be still sleeping. She turned the doorknob, which required her to reach upward with all her strength, and the door opened. Valletta carefully pushed her head through the door¡¯s gap. All was quiet. Valletta sighed and went inside. She didn¡¯t see his red eyes, so she didn¡¯t feel as scared as she thought she would. ¡®He¡¯s still a child.¡¯ He was sleeping deeply, and so when Valletta untied the bandage, Reinhardt didn¡¯t open his eyes. She quickly removed it and carefully sprayed the pink liquid she had made on it. Then, in a sh, his wound began to heal. It would be much more effective to heal the internal wound if he drank the liquid, but she couldn¡¯t just open his mouth here and pour it in. ¡®This is good enough.¡¯ Finished with the proper treatment, Valletta quietly left the room, and Reinhardt¡¯s eyelids slowly opened. When those murky red eyes glowed in the darkness, they shifted slowly. ¡°¡­I can¡¯t believe she¡¯s an alchemist. The rumors were true, weren¡¯t they?¡± Reinhardt murmured with a cold gaze, unlike his daytime appearance. Before the awakening, wizards had to yield to humans until they were awakened. The wizard¡¯s unique magical eyes seemed to bring abhorrence to the average human. Perhaps that was why wizards had a more than normal sense of hostility towards ordinary humans. Every so often, there were people who were born into good families or met good parents and had the qualities of wizards, but Reinhardt was different. He was born into the worst family and sold for a low price for being strange. As a war ve, he had to wield an unfamiliar sword on the battlefield. He knew that he would be a wizard. The one who became the Lord of the Magic Tower was born with all the knowledge of magic. And as proof of this, Reinhardt was able to use magic if it was not high level magic, unlike the wizards before awakening, who could not use magic at all. Reinhardt guessed that it was because he couldn¡¯t suppress all of his magic power. In the midst of all this, he was stabbed with a sword and brought here by a foolish human. And that was after he had undergone a horrible spell with a seal carved onto his heart. ¡°This would be useful¡­¡± Reinhardt muttered in a low voice. He knew he could take advantage of the appearance he was born with. He knew how to be kind by epting the kindness of others. It was a method he came up with as he rolled through the dirty world. A survival technique. A smile appeared on his lips. The smile was so pretty that anyone would be mesmerized by it. He had decided to paste in on his face until he came of age. At the very least, it would be much better to kneel here and call a naive girl ¡®master¡¯, than to roam around outside, lost. Reinhardt nced at his shoulder, where the scar hadpletely disappeared, and slowly closed his eyes. He knew the alchemist¡¯s potion was wonderful. He did not refuse the surging sleepiness, knowing that sleep was the best way to heal a wounded body and mind. Late at night, the boy and the girl slept soundly in their rooms. *** ¡°Valletta Delight!¡± Valletta shivered at the scream that sounded like thunder. She thought her heart would plummet to the ground. Recognising the owner of the voice, she slowly opened her eyes. She blinked at the dark figure. She looked up at Count Delight, who had invaded her room without permission and was looking down at her with a stern gaze. It doesn¡¯t matter if he was her father, it was inappropriate toe into someone¡¯s room without permission. Valletta sat up in bed, rubbing her sleepy eyes. Count Delight didn¡¯t hide his frustrated gaze as he watched the inconspicuous Valletta. ¡°Yes, father.¡± ¡°Did you use alchemy on that ve?¡± ¡°Yes, because he was going to die if I left him be.¡± Count Delight approached in a sh and grabbed Valletta by the cor with one hand, roughly lifting her up. The thin nine-year-old¡¯s body shook in the air like a straw doll. Chapter 5 ¡°I told you never to use alchemy without my permission! How dare you ignore my order? Your ability, the clothes you wear, the food you eat, even your body, all belong to me.¡± ¡®If they¡¯re all yours, then does your body belong to the previous Count?¡¯ Valletta gazed up at Count Delight, trying to swallow the words that were stuck in her throat. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I had a feeling that the ve was going to die yesterday, so I used alchemy on him. It was a birthday present my father brought me, and I couldn¡¯t leave him to die.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Valletta deliberately chose words that would make Count Delight happy. He frowned, his eyes narrowing, but for a moment he was silent as if he were satisfied with Valletta¡¯s false answer. ¡°Even so, it¡¯s a sin to use your ability without permission.¡± ¡®Then everything in the world will be sinful.¡¯ While grunting inside, Valletta bowed her head pretending to feel sorry. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± Valletta thought that the idea that a child was a parent¡¯s property because they had given birth to them was abhorrent. ¡°You¡¯re forbidden to leave the room today. There will be no meals, so reflect on yourself.¡± ¡°Yes, father.¡± Valletta nodded obediently, and Count Delight turned away, appearing more rxed than when he first came in. The curtains were drawn and the door closed. The room was dark in the blink of an eye, with only the sound of the door being locked. ¡°I wish I had a day.¡± She couldn¡¯t even use the ability she was born with. Valletta swallowed a sigh.The boy must be feeling better today. He had to take the potion tomorrow, then she would tell him to run away the next day. If she returned the bead and made an escape route, he would be able to run away. While thinking of the n, shey back on the bed again. There was nothing she could do today anyway. Even in the room where darkness fell, she couldn¡¯t open the curtains without permission. Valletta curled up like a shrimp and hugged the pillow quietly. *** ¡°Master, it¡¯s morning.¡± ¡°Yes¡­ 5 more minutes¡­¡± ¡°The master¡¯s five minutes seem tost an hour. Let¡¯s not forget how the poor ve feels when he has to listen to another ¡®five minutes¡¯ twenty times.¡± Valletta¡¯s face puckered up at the sound of a petnt voice ringing in her ears. ¡°Ugh.¡± Slowly, Valletta woke up to find Reinhardt was very close to her face. ¡°You¡¯re here again today¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m hurt when you say it so bluntly, Master.¡± Valletta pushed Reinhardt out of the way, his face up to her nose. He didn¡¯t seem to know that his eyes weren¡¯t smiling at all, even though he sounded so gentle and kind. Besides, every time he tried to seduce her, he would often sneak up on her. Even when he dared to wake her up, he would put his face close to hers like this. ¡®I think he¡¯s trying to seduce me because I¡¯m going to get rid of him. If you like him, you¡¯ll die, Valletta.¡¯ She swore out of habit before turning to face him firmly. It had already been five years since Reinhardt started living here as a ve, and Valletta was already fourteen. Despite the many times she had told him to live free, returning the bead ne, he had not left. ¡®He must have made this ce his nest.¡¯ Valletta thought, burying her face in her pillow. He seemed to have decided to stay here until he grew up. He must have thought it was better to stay here than wandering the outside world. ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t you leave when I said I¡¯d give you everything?¡± ¡°Where would a ve go, Master?¡± Reinhardt replied in an associative voice as light as a song. Then what was she to do about those cold, unsmiling eyes! Apparently he thought that as long as his voice was kind, he was convincing. ¡®Wherever you go, I¡¯m sure you will be able to make a living with that face¡­¡¯ The day when Valletta healed Reinhardt with the potion, Count Delight was angry and took his room away. After that, he had to shuffle from one stable to another, or to the basement, and sometimes slept soundly in the kitchen. Valletta requested that he be allowed to sleep in her room, but Count Delight roughly scolded her. In the end, he seemed to be taking on all sorts of tasks, being patronized by the servants. Valletta told them not to do it, but the harassment seemed to continue unseen. ¡®If this was a game, the hate index would certainly overflow.¡¯ There was no hope in this family. Valletta sighed deeply. It would be nice if she could talk to Count Delight about it. ¡®Why doesn¡¯t he know I¡¯m trying to save his life?¡¯ Reinhardt was a dangerous child, who was probably meeting secretly with the minions of the Demon Tower somewhere, and would scorch their house on the day he came of age! Valletta rolled on the bed, scratching her head. Reinhardt, who was still staring at her, tilted his head slightly. ¡°¡­ I don¡¯t know why Master keeps trying to send me away.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need a ve.¡± ¡°Do I bother you?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like ves.¡± She couldn¡¯t bear to say that he was going to kill everyone in her familyter. Valletta wobbled out of her bed. That beautiful face she saw every morning was deadly. Her head hurts. She was having a hard time getting up this morning. Valletta suddenly stumbled, and Reinhardt grabbed her waist, supporting her. His hand wrapped tightly around her waist, making Valletta¡¯s brows narrow. Then Reinhardt raised his other hand and ced it on Valletta¡¯s forehead. ¡°Are you alright?¡± ¡°I just got a little dizzy. I¡¯m fine now.¡± Valletta understood why the original Valletta in the novel was so obsessed with this child that she acted as if she could sacrifice her life for him at any moment. Moreover, if he tempted the original Valletta like this, she would have felt like the most loved person in the world. ¡°Whenever you feel like leaving, tell me.¡± ¡°I like Master, so I¡¯ll stay by your side.¡± As he knelt down and looked up from the floor, he was as obsequious as the tongue in his mouth, raising his opponent¡¯s authority indefinitely. As far as Valletta could tell, Reinhardt was being bullied by the servants, but somehow they were discreet about it. Still, there were many servants who didn¡¯t like him. ¡°I won¡¯t be deceived by your lies. I¡¯m going to wash up, so please go outside and finish your business, and get me a maid.¡± ¡°Yes, Master¡­¡± Reinhardt nced at Valletta, who already turned away. Then he bowed and left the room. After Reinhardt left the room, Valletta slumped on the bed. ¡®Oh, there¡¯s not much time left,¡± she groaned, clutching her head. ¡®I¡¯m fourteen now and five years have passed¡­ I have six years left. I never thought I would endure until now.¡¯ Despite her pleas for him to go away, Reinhardt wouldn¡¯t give in and woke Valletta up every morning. He knelt down and looked up at her with a pitying look in his eyes, keeping them gently folded as if he were trying to seduce her. ¡®Why on earth would he not leave?¡¯ Of course, in the novel, Rainhardt never left because Valletta in the novel was obsessed with him, even though the rtionship was one sided. Perhaps because the bead ne was in Count Delight¡¯s hands. But now, she was not attached to him. She also intended to return the bead ne. In fact, Reinhardt held it several times. But each time he just smiled and put it back on her neck. ¡°Don¡¯t let go of your lifeline, Master.¡± That was what he whispered. However, when she thought about it calmly, Reinhardt¡¯s choice was right. It would be safer for him to live as a ve doing the nobleman¡¯s chores until he grew up than to roam around outside in a child¡¯s body. Above all, with his looks, the chances of being sold into very were also high. In fact, Count Delight seemed to be thinking of using him for such a purpose. Once he became an adult, he wouldn¡¯t die easily and have many uses. ¡®But isn¡¯t it okay for him to leave now? He¡¯s already 16 years old. At that age he could go and live alone. What on earth is he doing here?¡¯ In addition, Reinhardt knew some practical magic. Valletta didn¡¯t actually know that until she happened to see it. He used it for someplicated cleaning. ¡®I don¡¯t know¡­¡¯ Valletta sounded like she was dying. She had six years left. It was six more years until Reinhardt would be an adult. His awakening time would be when Valletta came of age. Once his magic power awakened, there would be no more options. Valletta plunged her face into the pillow, feeling frustrated. *** Chapter 6 ¡®Should I run away alone?¡¯ She squinted her eyes and contemted. In fact, it was also difficult for Valletta to get out of the house. She lowered her hands and looked at the bracelet on her wrist. The bracelet was given to her by Count Delight as a gift for her birthday when she was 10 years old, and it made tracking her location possible. At the same time, it¡¯s a device that can force Valletta to be repatriated wherever she may be. ¡°There¡¯s no difference between him and me.¡± In a sense that they were both locked up. Shey down on her bed with her arms outstretched and swallowed her sigh. It seemed like adapting to this world¡¯s way of thinking, which she hardly understood, was still too far. Knock knock. Hearing the knocking sound, her waist reacted and her body immediately went upright. ¡°Come in.¡± ¡°I heard you called for me, mydy.¡± ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m going to wash up.¡± ¡°Yes, I will prepare it.¡± She nodded her head slowly. She was now used to being served and giving orders. So will I get used to this shackled life, unable to go against Count Delight¡¯s orders? ¡°I never thought I woulde here to try and understand political marriages among chaebols.¡± (T/N: Chaebols: Rich people in Korea are called chaebols. Usually means arge industrial conglomerate in South Korea, usually run by an owner or its family.) Valletta sighed deeply. She will soon be engaged to the Crown Prince. Count Delight informed her yesterday. We¡¯ve seen each other several times, but to get engaged¡­ She then swallowed a forcedugh. ¡°Ah, I don¡¯t want to wash up.¡± Today is the day to talk to the Crown Prince before the engagement. That¡¯s why she didn¡¯t want to get up, but the pace continues to keep her awake. ¡®D*mn Reinhardt.¡¯ If she refused 25 times, he should¡¯ve understood and gave up. She never thought that every time she said 5 minutes, he would really wait for 5 minutes and wake her up again. She lowered her head as she sighed. After putting on the dress without washing up and eating, she was freed from the hands of her maids. When sheined that she was hungry, they said it would be difficult to eat as the dress may look bad, so the maids gave her an apple, a sd and three pieces of grass. Then they tightened the corset. ¡®D*mn¡­I really hate this.¡¯ But all of this was an order from the Count. If a story that she came to the Imperial pce in a mess reached the Count¡¯s ears, he might hang her upside down again even at this age. When she was young, her ankle didn¡¯t hurt at all, but these days, she felt like she would lose her mind if she got hung up again. ¡°All done.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± As she slowly went down the red carpeted stairs with a scowl on her face, there was Reinhardt in a better tunic than his usual one. Valletta turned her head toward his dazzling beautiful appearance, even though he was just draped with a piece of straw mat. ¡°Hey, get out of here. What are you doing blocking the road? You lowly ve.¡± ¡°Tsk, you¡¯ve gotten arrogant just because thedy values you¡­¡± ¡°¡­ Your seat is over there!¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Despite the maids and servants¡¯ abuse, Reinhardt only smiled lightly and silently answered. But to Valletta, it seemed like dark rage was piling up behind his smiling face. ¡®Ah, fine. Take care of your own lives.¡¯ At this point, she didn¡¯t even know herself. Even if she tells them not to bother him, they still do it behind her back. ¡®Why doesn¡¯t anyone notice that I¡¯m not taking his side because I like him, but because I want to live. I¡¯m this desperate, shouldn¡¯t someone notice that something is strange about him?¡¯ Valletta had given up. How can she save those that go into the gutter by themselves even when she tells them the way to survive. Despite their scolding, Reinhardt bowed his head and gently went aside. For Valletta, knowing that Reinhardt would write down all his suffering, andter break each one of their fingers as he recited them, she thought it would be best to keep her mouth shut. ¡®Even if we die, let¡¯s die beautifully.¡¯ Her goal had slightly changed. While not dying was the top priority, she hoped that when she die, she would be killed in one shot and die without torture. ¡°This ve will sit on the floor.¡± Valletta lost her words for a while. She felt like she was going to faint. She urgently shook her hands a little. ¡°Ah, no. Don¡¯t do that. It¡¯s a big carriage so listen to me and wait there.¡± ¡°However¡­¡­. That¡¯s a ve. No matter how¡­¡± ¡°Is no one gonna listen to my order at once? I mean, it¡¯s an order. I am your master, and this is what I ordered.¡± The attendant¡¯s face was distorted, but he couldn¡¯t talk back to Valletta openly. He just barely opened his mouth. ¡°¡­¡­ I understand, mydy.¡± Dissatisfied with Valletta¡¯s words, the attendant roughly grabbed Reinhardt¡¯s shoulder. He whispered something into Reinhardt¡¯s ears and pushed him hard against the carriage. But on the contrary, it was Valletta who flinched. ¡®¡­ This crazy b*st*rd¡¯ Valletta witnessed Reinhardt¡¯s eyes shine eerily as she got into the carriage. She exhaled a long sigh. Is it an illusion that everything feels hopeless? As if he knew the disturbance in her heart, Reinhardt followed after her and went in. Once the attendance closed the door, the carriage departed for the Imperial Pce. ¡°¡­¡­ What are you doing?¡± Valletta let out an absurd voice as she watched Reinhardt sit on the carriage¡¯s floor, leaving the chair opposite to her unupied. Reinhardt, who was sitting on the floor, briefly sighed. Leaning his head sideways, he smiled broadly. ¡°The outstanding and great servant told me to know my ce.¡± ¡®Ah, he¡¯s offended.¡¯ When Reinhardt spoke informally, showed off his face or leaned on her, he usually felt ufortable. Perhaps it was not just because of those words, but something else offended him even more. ¡°Sit down, nobody will see it, and you just have to go back down before we get there.¡± ¡°¡­¡­ If the master would let me sit beside you.¡± ¡°What are you going to do?¡± ¡°Please lend me your shoulders.¡± ¡®Now I¡¯m sure he¡¯s offended.¡¯ Maybe it¡¯s because ofck of affection, but whenever he was offended he seemed to look for warmth. Valletta pondered for a moment. Soon, she nodded her head. Reinhardt smiled and sat down next to her. He lowered his head and leaned his forehead against Valletta¡¯s shoulder. As if he was tired, he closed his eyes and said nothing. There was only silence after that. As always, Reinhardt borrowed warmth from her, and by the time they arrived there, he gently sat back on the floor, feeling better than before. Upon arriving at the Imperial Pce, Reinhard first opened the door and stepped down, then naturally knelt on his knees. It was obviously meant for her to step on, but Valletta didn¡¯t really want to. However, Reinhardt noticed it¡­ ¡°Feel free to step your foot on this back.¡± It felt like he would break her ankle if she did so. She shook her head, as she trembled with goose bumps because of her imagination. ¡°Coachman.¡± ¡°Yes, mydy.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a log underneath the coach seat. Bring it. I don¡¯t like stepping on people.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± The coachman hurriedly ran back to the coach seat. Reinhardt, who was prostrated like a dog, looked up at Valletta with a strange expression. Valletta waved her hands to avoid his gaze. ¡°You too, quickly get away from there.¡± ¡°Master seems to hate me very much.¡± This time again, a menacing voice, as if he was offended. His voice was so menacing, that his soft hair stood up and his eyes were narrowed. As she turned her head a little, there was Reinhardt standing neatly, smiling like usual. ¡®Perhaps he¡¯s not offended?¡¯ In fact, when Reinhardt was alone with Valletta, there was a time when he wouldn¡¯t speak.Since she didn¡¯t me him that much, the frequency seemed to have increased recently. ¡®This is easy. This is it.¡¯ Who would stop him while knowing everything. Sadly Valletta was a person who knew everything, so even if Reinhardt pped her on the face, she wouldn¡¯t say much. His contempt and acting ability are both at the top level. ¡®It¡¯s a sad life¡­..¡¯ Valletta sighed while thinking so. ¡°But what made youe to the Imperial pce today?¡± he asked. ¡°Because His Highness, the Crown Prince would like to have a meal together before the official announcement of our engagement.¡± Reinhardt¡¯s face stiffened when he heard Valletta¡¯s apathetic words. ¡°What do you mean by engagement?¡± *** Chapter 7 *** ¡°Mydy, I have brought it!¡± Then the coachman, who came in the middle of the silence,id down the log that was used as a stepping stone. Valletta stepped on it and got off the carriage. ¡®If it wasn¡¯t for this dress, I would¡¯ve jumped down.¡¯ Valletta grabbed the hem of her ufortable dress. ¡°You go and stand by.¡± As she waved her hand to send the coachman away, the coachman bowed. She sighed again as she watched the coachman drive away with the carriage. As she looked behind her, Reinhardt was still there. ¡°What about you¡­?¡± ¡°I will be with my master.¡± ¡°Is that so.¡± She nodded and waited for a while, and soon the door opened and the attendant came out. ¡°Wee, Lady Delight.¡± ¡°Yes, long time no see.¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s been a long time. You¡¯ve be even more beautiful.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Valletta, who exchanged greetings with the attendant for formality¡¯s sake, followed him to the drawing room. As the center of the empire, the Imperial pce was filled with gold wherever you look. The attendant opened the door to the drawing room. Valletta lowered her eyes, went in slowly, and carefully bowed her head. ¡°It is an honor to meet the empire¡¯s sun. I¡¯m Valletta Delight.¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯re here, Lady Delight. You can raise your head. You don¡¯t have to be so stiff, as we will soon be married anyway.¡± ¡°That will be after ouring of age ceremony.¡± Valletta raised her head, answering calmly. Golden hair, deep blue eyes, clear features, a friendly smile, and naturally curved eyes that seemed to have no wrinkles. He was very beautiful, but at the same time, Valletta was not impressed. When ites to beauty, a person who has gone far beyond humanity wakes her up every morning. Not only that, she didn¡¯t like the situation very much. ¡®A marriage without love.¡¯ In her previous life, she never thought of getting married like this. Of course, it still didn¡¯t feel real. The only relief was that theing of age ceremony would be held at the same age as her previous world. ¡®There¡¯s still 6 years left.¡¯ She had to use her brain somehow and escape this engagement, as she didn¡¯t want to marry the Crown Prince and be the Crown Princess. All the more because she knew that the Imperial Family¡¯s target was her alchemy. ¡°Haha, Lady Delight is cold today as well. Still, thank you foring and not refusing.¡± ¡°It¡¯s because if I don¡¯te, my father will nag me about it.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Count Delight surprisingly seems to have a scary side.¡± The Crown Prince sat on the sofa and beckoned Valletta to sit down as well. She sat down without refusing, and Reinhardt proceeded to kneel down next to Valletta. It was the basic protocol among very. Valletta tried her best to avoid looking at him. The problem was his presence was unusual. At least for her. And because of that, she felt like she was sitting on a thorny cushion. ¡°I left everyone because I like you, My Lady. So when we get married, I hope that we get along like friends.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Of course¡­ I have a good feeling for the opposite gender as well.¡± ¡°¡­¡­ Thank you.¡± Valletta softly replied to the Crown Prince¡¯s honest words. In fact, it wasn¡¯t the Crown Prince¡¯s fault that they¡¯re in an arranged marriage. The problem was, it¡¯s the people above that made the decision. ¡®In a sense, the Crown Prince is also a victim.¡¯ To be honest, it¡¯s fortunate that she kept it a secret from Count Delight that she could see, talk and borrow the power of the spirits. If she had revealed this much, he might have made a cage in his room and locked her up. ¡°So, My Lady, you can speakfortably with me. You can also call me Milrode.¡± ¡°Can I slowly get used to it?¡± ¡°Huh? Ah, well, yes of course. Was I too hasty? Haha.¡± While the Crown Prince Milrodeughed, Valletta looked away with a bored smile. ¡®Of all ces, I have to be born here¡­¡¯ She drank her tea with a meaningless resentment. The bitter tea seems to represent her bitter thoughts. ¡°Ah, for your information, it¡¯s been decided that the engagement ceremony will be held on thest day of the year.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°If there is anything you want, tell me. Anything, like an engagement gift you want to receive.¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Milrode nodded as Valletta opened her mouth. He bent down and looked at her eyes with anticipation and Valletta swallowed a sigh. ¡°I don¡¯t know much about that. I trust that Your Highness will take care of it well.¡± ¡°¡­.. Oh, really? Then there¡¯s nothing we can do. Don¡¯t you have anything you want to receive as a gift?¡± ¡°Well, if it¡¯s an engagement ceremony, I think an engagement ring would be appropriate.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ That¡¯s true, but that¡¯s only natural. Is there anything else?¡± Valletta rolled her eyes as she faced Milrode¡¯s face, which was gentle but helpless. He¡¯s a very innocent and cheerful man. His smile was as bright as the sun in the sky. She was told that he was full of justice, and that he had a lot ofpassion and mercy. He was the crown prince who everyone loved. However, she didn¡¯t really want or need anything as a gift. In the first ce, this political marriage itself wasn¡¯t very pleasant. She could feel Reinhardt looking her way without having the need to look. She swallowed a sigh. ¡®That is certainly his real smile.¡¯ If Reinhardt was the Grim Reaper, he would¡¯ve totally written her name. It was a smile that¡¯s about to take her away. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I don¡¯t really want anything right now.¡± ¡°¡­¡­..I see. Well, everyone knows that Count Delight values ??you, so he must have already brought you everything you want.¡± Valletta silently smiled as she heard Milrodeugh. Count Delight looked at her like a precious jewel. Although she never got what she wanted. Above all, she didn¡¯t really want anything. ¡®My wish is to remove this bracelet on my wrist. That is my greatest wish.¡¯ She lowered her head, nced at the bracelet with the light green jewel on her wrist, and turned her head. Milrode stopped breathing as he watched her unstable look, as if she was about to fly somewhere far away. ¡°Lady Delight?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± Milrode reached out his hand and took her hand in haste. She shuddered with surprise and hurriedly pulled her hand away. Valletta frowned due to her temperature suddenly dropping. ¡°Ah, I-I¡¯m sorry. I thought you were going to disappear¡­¡­¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°¡­ Nothing, it¡¯s nothing. I was saying sorry for suddenly grabbing you.¡± ¡°Ah, It¡¯s okay.¡± Valletta shook her head, rubbing the wrist that Milrode grabbed a couple of times. She then suddenly sat up. Reinhardt¡¯s red eyes, as he was kneeling on the floor, touched upon the Crown Prince then dropped down. As if he was nervous, the Crown Prince took out a handkerchief from behind and rubbed his hands two or three times, then held out his smooth hands towards Valletta. ¡°Suffocating isn¡¯t it? How about a walk? Alchemists are said to listen to the sounds of nts, and they¡¯re very well-groomed, so you¡¯ll love them.¡± ¡°¡­¡­ yes.¡± Valletta took the prince¡¯s hand and rose from her seat. Reinhardt, bowing his head, followed them, chasing after Valletta and Milrode. She couldn¡¯t feel anything from his expressionless face. *** Chapter 8 ¡°Master, what are you looking for?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ I wanted to get into my workroom. I don¡¯t know where my father put the key.¡± ¡°Workroom?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± As Valletta continued to use alchemy for useless things, Count Delightpletely moved her workroom to the basement and locked it with a key. Without his order or permission, she could never use it.She had to stay locked up inside the workroom to hone her skills, but she is not allowed to bring anything out. Even her underwear is checked by the maids. ¡°For whom are you doing it this time? For a bird that fell while flying in the sky? If not¡­ Did you find an ant with a broken leg this time?¡± Valletta shut her mouth at Reinhardt¡¯s sarcastic voice. She couldn¡¯t give affection to people, so she decided to give her affection to animals. Those who can leave her arms at any time ande back anytime. She couldn¡¯t call people¡¯s names, but she doesn¡¯t have to give animals names. She couldn¡¯t rely on anyone and she felt lonely living alone, she needed a little bit of warmth. Even if it is the warmth of a furry beast. ¡°¡­¡± Rather than answering Reinhardt¡¯s questions, Valletta silently turned away. Since it wasn¡¯t anywhere else, the only ce left is probably her father¡¯s office. She needed the key to her workroom. Reinhardt strode after her as she tried to move toward the office. Stretching his arms outward, he lightly wrapped his arms around her waist. ¡°¡­ I don¡¯t know why your affection is always directed towards them. I can¡¯t understand it.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to understand.¡± Reinhardt¡¯s eyebrows raised at Valletta¡¯s affirmation. He firmly shut his mouth. ¡°¡­¡­There must be a person over there.¡± Valletta stopped walking at Reinhardt¡¯s words. Reinhardt slowly released the hand that was wrapped around her waist. As she turned around, he looked at her with a gaze that seemed to be looking at something strange. Reinhardt turned lightly. He headed straight to her workroom. ¡®What is he doing when he doesn¡¯t even have the key?¡¯ But then she realized that he didn¡¯t need a key. With a single flick of his finger, he opened the lock. Valletta quickly entered her workroom. She pressed the herbs into the vial and wrote the form on paper, without paying any attention to Reinhardt closing the door and leaning against it. ¡°Extraction.¡± He didn¡¯t take his eyes off Valletta for even a moment. An ancient magic circle floated in front of his eyes, and the room was filled with the color purple. The moment when a simple herb became a potion was always amazing. A strange light fluttered in Reinhard¡¯s red eyes. He rubbed his neck with an unexined hunger and stared at her. Valletta, who packed the potion inside her arms, locked the workroom again and headed to the backyard. ¡°So you refuse my help, and a cat is the only one that makes you let me help.¡± Reinhard said with dissatisfaction. She was detached, as if she expected someone to be injured and killed. But, oddly enough, she couldn¡¯t see the injured animal. As if humans are livestock and livestock are viewed as humans. ¡°Valletta, what are you doing there?¡± Her shoulders trembled with fear. Count Delight made a grim expression while looking at the back of Valletta, who was crouching down and frozen, in case the Count would see the cat. ¡°Valletta Delight!¡± ¡°¡­ Yes, father.¡± She sighed and eventually stood up. The healed cat was rolling around the grass, crying at her feet as if to recognize its benefactor. ¡°You used your ability again!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± She raised her head and indifferently spat out the words that had be a habit. Behind Count Delight stood a servant and a maid. Valletta¡¯s cold eyes turned on them, and the maid looked away. ¡®¡­ That¡¯s understandable.¡¯ Someone must have identally seen it, but didn¡¯t stop her on purpose and instead snitched on her. She nced to her side and found that Reinhardt was smiling, but his eyes were not. ¡®This is how you take a step towards death today.¡¯ She envied ignorance. What you don¡¯t know is medicine. ¡°Sorry? You¡¯re sorry again!¡± p! Her head twisted to the side. Valletta¡¯s eyes slightly widened, but it was no surprise to her. He was a man with rough hands from the start, so she knew this would happen at least once. ¡°Take her to the punishment room and lock her up! Don¡¯t give her anything but water for a week!¡± She had been expecting it, so she wasn¡¯t surprised. As if the attendant and maid had been waiting, they grabbed her arms and pulled them. She then saw Reinhardt¡¯s astonished eyes. ¡®Why is he eyeing me like that?¡¯ He looked like he saw something he had never seen. It wasn¡¯t until she was in the punishment room that she realized. In fact, it was the first time she showed her true emotion on her face ever since she first met him. The week that she was locked up was boring. Maybe because she had been suffering since her childhood, she wasn¡¯t impressed by the fact that she couldn¡¯t see anything in the room, and that she had to grope around the room for water to quench her thirst. She had gotten used to starving for a few days. She at least no longer felt the need to scratch the floor for her life because she felt like dying, like when she was young. ¡®But a week is a little too much.¡¯ No matter how much she consoled herself that it¡¯s a new diet, she was notforted at all. Closing her eyes and meditating, or sleeping without moving as much as possible, was the best thing she could do. After a week, the door opened. Count Delight came in and stood in front of her. ¡°This is thest time. If you don¡¯t behave yourself one more time¡­ You will no longer be treated like a child, my dear.¡± Count Delight fondly rubbed her cheeks, whispered and turned away. ¡®What happened to Reinhardt?¡¯ Normally, he would at least visit her once, but during the whole week that she was locked up, he didn¡¯t show his face, not even once. ¡°It will be nice if I can go out.¡± Before that, she needed to eat first. She asked for a soup-type meal and headed straight to her room. Her room had not changed. She tried to sit on her bed, feeling exhausted, and suddenly, she looked at her body reflected in the mirror on her side. ¡°I can see some of my bones.¡± She indifferently nced at her body at once and the mirror fell over. Reinhardt never appeared even after she had eaten her meal, had dessert, had dinner, and went to bed. His absence meant that he¡¯s either dead or has left the mansion. Either way is fine, but she just wants him to live well in his own way. ¡°Hello, master.¡± ¡­.. Thatsted only for a short while. She was about to fall asleep when she heard a soft voice from outside of her door. It was the usual voice. ¡®The person who would¡¯ve usually juste in¡­¡¯ ¡°What? There are no eyes to see at night, so juste in.¡± ¡°How is your body?¡± he asked. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°Is that so. That¡¯s good. Master, did you know?¡± ¡°¡­..¡± If she said she doesn¡¯t want to know, will he cut off her head? Valletta didn¡¯t answer, but Reinhardt opened his mouth again as if he wasn¡¯t expecting an answer. ¡°Two people who made fun of you lightly that day died.¡± ¡°¡­.. What?¡± ¡°It was an unfortunate ident. They fell from the window.¡± Whether it really was an ident or not, he¡¯s the only one who knows. Valletta struggled to suppress the words that swelled to her throat. Is he saying that killing one or two people is enough for now? Well, he doesn¡¯t need advanced magic. When they¡¯re in a high ce, he can just push them using the wind. She once again realized that he¡¯s dangerous. ¡®¡­.. If asked not to touch him, then they shouldn¡¯t touch.¡¯ Even with warnings, it was the servants who consistently harassed Reinhardt. Valletta touched her forehead as if she had a headache, then slowly wiped down her face. ¡°Master, can Ie in?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Something is weird about him. He doesn¡¯t usually ask her for permission at night. Valletta frowned. ¡°When did you ever ask for permission?¡± ¡°Serving the master, I want to hold you¡± Something must have happened. Those words were Reinhardt¡¯s signal. Valletta shook her bangs twice and lightly said, ¡°Okay.¡± Only then did the doorknob turn. Perhaps because he was not wearing shoes, she didn¡¯t hear his footsteps. When Reinhard, who came in, closed the door, Valletta raised her head. ¡°¡­¡­Why is your body¡­¡­¡± At the same time, she opened her mouth and said in a startled voice. Reinhardt¡¯s whole body was full of bruises and scratches. It was obviously a sign of terrible violence. His red eyes were much murkier than usual, and whoever sees them will think that he¡¯s dead. ¡°Master¡­¡­.¡± Reinhardt copsed in Valletta¡¯s arms. He buried himself in Valletta¡¯s arm as he sat down, and hugged her tightly. He held onto her like a child, desperately holding back his emotions. Valletta didn¡¯t embrace him orfort him, but she didn¡¯t push Reinhardt away. ¡°¡­.. That is not my knee.¡± He embraced Valletta and slid down, and knelt down once his head was on her thighs. And then he closed his eyes and stayed like that for a long time. ¡®What are you doing?¡¯ Even though she thought it was stupid, Valletta did not restrain Reinhardt¡¯s actions. She didn¡¯t ask why it happened. The reason why ves are punished would be simple. After all, she is in the same pitiful situation. Even now. Tomorrow morning, Valletta will begin the day by kneeling down and apologizing to the Count, and Reinhardt will start the day with a bruised body. No one in the room opened their mouths as the moonlight fell. Reinhardt did notin to Valletta, and Valletta did not console him. There was nothing but silence in the room. Chapter 9 ¡°Your clothes are crooked, Master.¡± Reinhardt, who was looking at her dress, approached her and lightly grabbed the hem of the dress. He loosened the bow and neatly tightened it again. ¡°No matter how many times I teach you, you can¡¯t memorize it.¡± ¡°¡­¡­isn¡¯t it time to go out?¡± Reinhardt, with a bright smile on his face, put a red ne on her neck. He even put a thick shawl over it. ¡°Another disappointing sound.¡± Valletta let out a sigh. Two years had passed since Reinhardt desperately clung to her with a bruised body. Time had quickly flown by. After that day, Valletta stopped uselessly trying to resist the Count¡¯s orders. She adjusted and obeyed. Her faults were then poured onto Reinhardt through violence. It was, of course, due to thest warning given by Count Delight. The remaining time left is 4 years, but that person still hasn¡¯t thought of leaving. ¡°I¡¯ll arrange your hair again.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°If you are fine with your hair being blown into a mess by the wind, you can go out.¡± Whether it¡¯s an excuse or a threat, Valletta shut her mouth, now ustomed to his serving. The rtionship between the two is still master and servant on the surface. As she sat down, Reinhardt skilfully touched her hair with his long fingers. He was wearing an earring on his ears, a simrly designed but less morous bracelet on the other arm that is not upied by a bracelet that was attached like a locator, and a ne that has a magic on his neck. They were a simple design made solely ording to Valletta¡¯s taste. He has never talked about his tastes, so how would Valletta know? ¡°But why are you going to the market?¡± ¡°To look for medicinal herbs.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡­¡± Reinhardt even put a robe on her shoulder. ¡°Can I go too?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°¡­.. oh.¡± Reinhardt quietly shut his mouth at the blunt refusal. He knew that she¡¯d recently been trying to leave him behind or send him away somewhere. To say that it did not put him in a foul mood would be a lie. ¡°What is it that you dislike so much, Master.¡± Valletta¡¯s mouth closed at his whispering voice, as if they were glued together. Without ncing at him, she flinched at Reinhardt as he raised one of his eyebrows. ¡®If I twist her neck, she will die.¡¯ He slowly reached out his hands and ced his fingertips at Valletta¡¯s neck. Valletta raised her head and looked at Reinhardt with a slightly stiff frown. ¡°There is dust on it.¡± Reinhardt rubbed her neck slightly with his thumb and then stepped back. If she dies, he won¡¯t be able to see and hear her expression and voice ever again. The thought was not very pleasant. She rubbed her neck that had goosebumps because of Reinhardt¡¯s touch. ¡°I can¡¯t do anything if my master says no. Then, be careful on your way.¡± Reinhardt lightly stepped back. Valletta nced at him silently and nodded. He didn¡¯t really follow her after he finished seeing her off. She¡¯s free after a long time. *** ¡°I¡¯m really sorry to havee sote. I should havee sooner.¡± ¡°Forget it. You can¡¯t send a signal to here anyway, and you won¡¯t find it by simply looking for it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the magic of an individual that is binding you. It¡¯s not hard to break. We will release it, so pleasee to the tower with us. You can stay there until you are an adult.¡± Valletta, who had deeply fallen asleep, woke up slowly to a small voice that prated her hazy mind. ¡®Where is that voiceing from?¡¯ At least it¡¯s noting from her own room. As Valletta turned her head, she saw the curtain in the window in her room flutter. ¡®The next room?¡¯ Whoever hears it will know that it was Reinhardt¡¯s voice. Nobody uses the room next door, but it isn¡¯t locked so people can go in anytime, but she never thought he would be there. Valletta brooded over the conversation from earlier, covering her mouth with her hands and swallowing her breath. ¡®¡­¡­ Did they meet so soon? A year ahead?¡¯ Now Reinhardt is 21, and Valletta is 19. She got engaged to the Crown Prince 5 years ago, and on the day she bes 20, she promised to get married and be a couple with the Crown Prince. It was an arrangement between the Imperial family and Count Delight, which was against her will. ¡°Henchman¡­¡± Valletta muttered. In the novel, Reinhardt has two henchmen. The henchmen who were loyal to him and were ready to die at hismand. ¡®Valletta¡¯s story wasn¡¯t given in much detail¡­¡­.¡¯ He might¡¯ve already had a contact over there as the timing was right. She could not rule out the possibility that Reinhardt had already contacted the tower and informed them of his location. ¡®¡­.. Let¡¯s try to ask again tomorrow.¡¯ Since the day Reinhardt rubbed her neck with mad eyes, she couldn¡¯t stand the passing of time each day. So almost once a week, she would beg Count Delight to abandon Reinhardt. Count Delight was unable to stand Valletta, and eventually, one and a half years ago, he gave her another ve to rece Reinhardt. That wasn¡¯t what she wanted. Valletta sneaked up in tip toe to silence the sound, carefully closed the window, drew the curtain, and sat at the edge of the bed. She was upset. ¡®When is he going to take off this bracelet?¡¯ She thought as she lifted her hands in the air. She thought Count Delight would remove it once she¡¯s old enough, but he still put the bracelet on Valletta. Will it be removed once she gets married? Her frown deepened. Valletta eventually stayed up all night. Reinhardt was no longer able to serve Valletta for about a year and a half. Because Count Delight ordered and she refused. He had a pretty hurt face, but Valletta knew that even that was a lie. Most of all, it was hard for her to see that face every morning. As soon as dawn came, she headed straight to Count Delight¡¯s office. Reinhardt was now serving as the Count¡¯s ve. Fortunately, there was only Count Delight in the office. She looked left and right once more then opened her mouth. ¡°Father.¡± ¡°¡­ Valletta? What is going on so early in the morning?¡± ¡°Nothing different¡­..¡± ¡°What¡¯s with you clothes? Even if it¡¯s in the house, did I not tell you to still dress modestly? You are about to be Crown Princess and soon to be Empress.¡± Valletta¡¯s face distorted at the Count¡¯s words. She has been listening to those words for almost 20 years now. Just hearing it gives her goosebumps. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s about the ve that serves father.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s about that ve, don¡¯t open your mouth anymore.¡± He said as if fed up. ¡°How many times are you going to make me say it! If you don¡¯t want to be scolded again, go back and practice embroidery by yourself.¡± ¡°But father¡­..¡± ¡°Did I not say I¡¯ll send that ve away once you¡¯re an adult?¡± And how many times does she have to say it for him to understand that it¡¯ll be toote by that time. ¡®Send him away before I turn into an adult!¡¯ Why does he not realize that adulting is the problem! She shouted in her heart, and wanted to pound at her chest that was about to burst. ¡°I know that you¡¯re trying to annoy that ve. But you¡¯re also neen now. There is only one year left, so be more patient.¡± ¡°¡­.. Ah.¡± That one year is the problem. That one year. Valletta lowered her head, clenching her trembling fist. Since talking doesn¡¯t work, there is little room to express her opinion. ¡®I don¡¯t know.¡¯ It¡¯s done now. Valletta dropped her head. Her eyes fell on the bracelet with emerald jewels. She raised her arm and waved it in front of the count. ¡°And when can I take this bracelet off? If I enter the Imperial Pce with something like this, I will definitely be ridiculed.¡± ¡°It¡¯s for your own safety. I¡¯ll take it off once the wedding is safely finished.¡± It sounds like he would still make her wear it for another year. What safety¡­ It was clear that they were afraid of something happening, kidnapping, or her even running away. Despair oveid with despair. It¡¯s hard to run away, and when she tells them to throw him away, they¡¯re blinded by how to sell that dark thing at a high price, and refuse to listen to her. ¡®Can a plier or something break this?¡¯ As she opened the door to leave the office, she met Rainhardt, who was standing at the door. ¡®¡­¡­ Did he hear it?¡¯ Her waist stiffened as soon as her eyes met the frosty eyes in front of her. *** Chapter 10 *** Reinhardt, who had a cold face without an expression, raised his mouth and smiled, like he was about to say something. ¡°Master, it¡¯s been a long time.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡­ yeah.¡± She answered crudely while avoiding his gaze. Exiting after closing the door, Reinhardt followed Valletta, seemingly unwilling to enter the office. ¡°Isn¡¯t there something that you need to do at the office?¡± ¡°Maybe there is.¡± ¡°Ah¡­.. I see.¡± Is there something, or is there nothing, which is it. Valletta nced bitterly at him then went upstairs. ¡°Master.¡± ¡°¡­ I¡¯m not your master anymore.¡± So please forget about me, Valletta thought. Of course, everyone in the mansion had treated him poorly and with disdain, so no one would survive. She knows that. But Valletta felt that it was a little unfair. No, not a little, she felt like it¡¯s unfair. She tried to give him freedom in her own way, and she deliberately gave him the bead and gave him directions to run away. She even gave him a map, because she thought that the road would be difficult. It was Reinhardt who refused it all. She wanted to buy his favor, so she did her best for about a year and treated him kindly. However, his cold gaze and false smile didn¡¯t change at all and it seemed hopeless, so she gave up neatly. Instead, she eventually ended up begging Count Delight if he could throw him away. Of course, all of those ns are now shattered, turned into trash, and scattered on the floor. ¡°I think the master hates me very much.¡± ¡°¡­Exactly.¡± To be honest, if she hadn¡¯t known he was like that, she would have acted as if she had provided him with both a liver and a galldder. That does not mean that Valletta hates pretty people, but she likes people who have gentle smiles. ¡°Why?¡± He stuck closely behind her and whispered in a faint voice. The owner of the voice bent his waist and terrifyingly whispered in her ears. Valletta rolled her eyes and swallowed her breath. ¡®When did he grow this big¡­?¡¯ She felt embarrassed as if she had never seen him that close before and decided to keep her distance. ¡°I never did anything to you, Master.¡± Although he calls her Master, his voice is not much different to how he would treat dust on his shoulders. Reinhardt touched Valletta¡¯s neck with his thumb. Valletta stiffened and goosebumps appeared. ¡°No matter how much I try to be loved, my master finds me repulsive.¡± The voice that she heard close to her ears suddenly moved away. As she slowly turned her head, Reinhardt had the same smile again. ¡°There was dust stuck on it so I removed it. I apologize if it was presumptuous. Then this ve will now go to its master.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡­ yeah.¡± She replied, covering the goosebumps on her nape with her palms. Reinhardt politely bent his back and descended the stairs again. She leaned against the wall and bowed her head. ¡®¡­ I think I¡¯m going crazy.¡¯ *** ¡°One, two, three. One, two, three. Good. Good job.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± When Mrs. Joshua¡¯s guidance was over, she bowed in greeting. It was a boring dance lesson. As the wedding approached, liberal arts sses became increasingly difficult. Three months after Valletta¡¯s birthday, she will get married to the Crown Prince. Thanks to that, does it make sense that she has a ss all day and has no time to rest? She would rather go back to her senior year and prepare for the CSAT, Valletta recited like a habit. There are many gifts and tea party invitations for her, since she will be the Crown Princess next year, and she frequently met the prince. She was reluctant to do so at first, but when she faced the Crown Prince, she found that he wasn¡¯t arrogant nor harsh. But that did not mean that she¡¯s romantically interested, rather she just found out that he was not a bad person. She was still rather skeptical about political marriage. ¡°Mrs. Joshua.¡± ¡°Yes, Lady Valletta.¡± ¡°What month and date is it today?¡± ¡°It was your birthday a week ago, so today is December 22nd.¡± Valletta nodded nervously at Mrs. Joshua¡¯s words. Her birthday had passed. Originally, the extermination of Count Delight by Reinhardt, which was supposed to take ce on her birthday, did not ur. She couldn¡¯t believe it, so Valletta has been asking everyone she sees for a week what the date is, like a mad person. And the answer that she receives is always the same. Since the Lady¡¯s birthday has passed, since the Lady¡¯s birthday has passed¡­ Her birthday was so grand that she threw a party in the Pce. It was natural as she is about to be the Crown Princess and the first noble alchemist. Like a dolphin show, she, of course, had to show where she used alchemy to turn herbs into potions to light up the party. She honestly couldn¡¯t figure out who¡¯s birthday pary it was. She was miserable, but it was ordered by Count¡¯s Delight. It was beneficial for her to follow his words for now until she¡¯s out of his hands. She does not want to starve, be hung upside down or be locked up at this age. ¡°Then see you again next week, youngdy.¡± ¡°Ah yes. Thank you for teaching me again today.¡± ¡°No, you¡¯re born with great qualities, and I, as a teacher, always think that I should devote myself. As expected, the Crown Princess is different.¡± All the teachers in charge of Valletta¡¯s education were first-rate. At the same time, they were also nobles who lived to socialize. Naturally, they were anxious to make friends with Valletta. Some people have already be the center of high society just because they have been in charge of Valletta¡¯s education. They didn¡¯t intend to disclose that in front of Valletta, but it was clear that they wanted to hear some news about the Crown Prince from her. ¡°Thank you for thepliment. Today, Mrs. Joshua is thest teacher, so I have to go in and rest.¡± ¡°Oh my God. Of course you have been busy. Then please take a rest.¡± ¡°Yes, please get home safely.¡± After finishing the greeting for formality¡¯s sake, Valletta slowly sighed once she was left alone. She slowly moved to the second floor under the guidance of a maid who wondered why she was noting out. She went into her room, took off her dress, washed, and changed into a much morefortable outfit. After changing clothes, Valletta was unable to leave the room. It is because Count Delight would get very angry if he caught her. Thus, she always has her dinner in her room. ¡°My Lady, are you going to have dinner in your room again?¡± ¡°Yeah, get it ready in the room.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Seeing the maid bow her head to leave, she spoke in a hurry. ¡°There.¡± ¡°Yes, mydy.¡± ¡°What is that ve doing these days?¡± ¡°ve¡­?¡± The maid blinked her eyes, and soon let out ¡°Ah.¡± in a low voice and nodded. ¡°Yes, you are talking about Reinhardt¡­?¡± ¡°Yes, you know his name?¡± ¡°Yeah, at first it was a little like that but¡­¡­ He has a good personality for a ve, and now most of the maids are fond of him. Of course, some of the servants still hate him.¡± Valletta nodded slowly at the words of the maid. It¡¯s good that he¡¯s adjusting well, but his awakening day should¡¯ve already passed. Why is he still here? And not leaving for the tower¡­¡­ ¡°He¡¯s now serving His Lordship, doing some chores and cleaning the horse section.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ but, uhm. Recently, His Lordship seems to be treating him a little harshly.¡± While Valletta was nodding her head in relief, she stiffened when she heard the maid¡¯s words. She forcefully turned her stiff neck. Who¡¯s treating him harshly? Are they crazy? ¡°Ah¡­.. uhm, it¡¯s a little¡­.. He was trying to get him to do something sexual, but Reinhardt seemed to have rebelled¡­¡­¡± The maid whispered in a very small voice. Something sexual. Is the Count crazy? To whom? To that madman? No, but why doesn¡¯t he run away? ¡°I saw his cheeks were swollen the other day, he must¡¯ve been hit.¡± ¡°When was that?¡± ¡°It must have been a day before your birthday.¡± ¡°¡­¡­ ¡± This house. She needs to run away from it. But really, how could that happen? No¡­.. he put up with that and still continued to work? Her head is spinning, but either way she can¡¯t get an answer for sure. ¡°Then, I will bring in your meal.¡± ¡°Ah, yeah.¡± She insincerely waved her hands. Valletta, who sent out the maid, sat on the bed and muttered quietly. *** Chapter 11 *** It has been a week since she has kept her eyes open. She remembered that in the novel, on the morning of Valletta¡¯s 20th birthday. Count Delight was killed. But now, it has been a week since her birthday. Valletta squinted her eyes, and looked down. [ After receiving the report, the guard came. Count Delight was covered with blood right from the doorway. The more he went inside, the more he stepped into a pool of blood, and then he arrived at the dining room. The guard was frightened, and had no choice but to escape. There were corpses whose limbs were oddly broken. And on top of it, papers were scattered all over, detailing the illegal affairs of Count Delight. As if it was natural retribution. And in the middle of the table, Valletta Delight was disyed. Her neck was strangely bent and her lips were disgustingly torn, as if she was forced tough. In front of her were corpses piled up like a mountain and candles burning on top of the candlesticks. It looked no different from Valletta¡¯s birthday cake. There were twenty candles that were all lit up. And that day was Valletta Delight¡¯s 20th birthday. ] In the novel, everyone¡¯s end was written as if they were trying to use it for dramatic effect, so she remembered it. So there¡¯s no reason not to be afraid of that lunatic. Valletta thought Reinhardt was her favorite character, but it was only in the novel. She never wanted to meet a character like that in real life. However, there have been some subtle differences from the novel. If this part changed, will it end quietly? Valletta agonized. If that¡¯s the case, she felt apologetic for what she had done to Reinhardt. ¡®¡­ But that look in his eyes was real.¡¯ They really weren¡¯t smiling. Or did he not have the need to kill Count Delight? Due to her protection, he did not suffer as much damage, thus he might be less hostile. She took a deep breath. ¡°A week¡­ has passed.¡± This amount of time may be enough to start reassuring her. Reinhardt might be the master of the tower, but he might not be as crazy as he was in the novel. Is there any other reason? Did he have a change of heart? Valletta sighed, grabbing her hair. In fact, there was nothing she could hope for if things were to end quietly. As she has been nervous all the time. ¡®¡­¡­ Then, all he needs to do is run away from here.¡¯ Valletta sighed briefly. He, too, is now an adult, so it¡¯s time for him to leave. Then the two will no longer be involved with each other. ¡°What a relief¡­.¡± She exhaled a sigh andid back on her bed. Her mind rxed and became clear. She feelsfortable now as her agony has been resolved. ¡°But did she take the ingredients first?¡± Valletta could not pay attention to the maid since she was thinking, but she said that she would return with her meal in an hour, yet two hours had passed. ¡®Did she forget?¡¯ It was already dark outside and the moon had arisen. She was so hungry as she used her energy for useless things. ¡°I should go and see.¡± Valletta got up, wore her fluffy fur slippers, and carefully poked her head through the door crack. The mansion was quieter than usual. ¡®Is she still at the dining hall because my father did not allow it?¡¯ She thought that maybe he doesn¡¯t want Valletta eating alone in her room. ¡°¡­ Where did everyone go?¡± It was so quiet that she thought it was strange. Valletta slowly walked through the forlorn, gloomy corridor. ¡°¡­ It¡¯s time to organize things though.¡± Is the mansion usually this quiet? Since Valletta eats her dinner in her room, she has never been around the mansion during the early evening. However, the gloominess was sending chills down her spine. She looked alternately at the stairs and the corridor where the candle lights were flickering. ¡®Should I just go back?¡¯ She paused and turned around. She looked at the way she came from and felt even more reluctant to go through the long corridor and turn back. ¡°She said she would bring my meal. She doesn¡¯t even need to go hunting with a bow.¡± Vallettained. If Count Delight would not allow her to eat in her room, she would have to eat in the dining room. ¡®But Count Delight would usually inform me of his decision.¡¯ Frankly, she was annoyed by his authoritative behavior. Had it not been for the bracelet, she would have already run away from the mansion a long time ago. ¡®Is everyone really having a group dinner?¡¯ At this point, anxiety started to crawl to her back. It was strange after all, there should be no less than a dozen maids working in this mansion. ¡®¡­¡­ There¡¯s no way.¡¯ Valletta shook her head to dispel the worst assumption that came to her mind. Isn¡¯t it horrible? The worst case scenario. Valletta¡¯s worst imagination was no different from what she had been madly worried about for a week. ¡®It¡¯s been a week¡¯, she thought again. Unlike in the novel, a week has already passed. Looking at the details, the world she lives in is already a lot more different from the novel. Unlike the Valletta in the novel, she was not obsessed with Reinhardt and she didn¡¯t love him maniacally. Valletta in the novel also does not have special abilities nor is she engaged to the Crown Prince. Therefore, there is no guarantee that this world would flow simrly to the novel. If it hasn¡¯t happened even after a week has passed, isn¡¯t it a confirmation that it won¡¯t flow like the novel? Valletta thought so and nodded her head. Her steps toward the dining hall slowed. ¡®¡­¡­ On the contrary, does it matter if things were to happen after a week unlike the novel?¡¯ Another anxiety piled on top of anxiety. And eventually she remembered her worst assumption. Valletta¡¯s slow stepspletely stopped. ¡°Please.¡± Valletta resumed her stalled step. Please, I hope nothing happened. She eagerly hoped that her worst assumption would just be her imagination. Before long, she stopped in front of the dining room. She perked up her ears, but she could not hear any screamsing from the inside. Valletta grabbed the door of the dining room with some relief. Valletta took a deep breath, looked around her once, and pulled the dining room door open. Through the slightly open gap, the chandelier was brightly lit and there was a bloody scent. She reflexively let go of the dining room door that she was holding. The dining room door closed. ¡°D*mn, it¡¯s not true, right?¡± Valletta mumbled in a low voice and turned around. She must be dreaming. It was clear that she must be having a terrible dream because she was living with this kind of worry. ¡®I should sleep.¡¯ Right from the beginning, it didn¡¯t make sense that the mansion was so quiet. As she desperately shook her head and turned back to return to the way she hade from, a light leaked into the dim corridor. To be exact, the light wasing from behind her. Valletta¡¯s steps stopped. Behind her was the door to the dining room, and Valletta did not open it. She could not open it because she was on her way back in the first ce. Like a human who saw Medusa¡¯s eyes, she felt her legs gradually stiffening. She couldn¡¯t run away nor turn around to face the other person, even though there was a horrifying sensationing from behind her. ¡°Oh no. You¡¯re here, but you didn¡¯te in.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s my mistake.¡± ¡°If I knew you were awake, I would¡¯ve invited you.¡± ¡°¡­ I¡¯d like to decline.¡± ¡°What brings you to the dining room?¡± ¡°¡­ I was hungry. But it¡¯s alright, I¡¯ll just go back and sleep.¡± She replied without looking behind her as her body hardened. The stiffness of her voice could not be hidden. She could not bury her head in the sand, and they were having a meaningless conversation. The difference from what she saw inside the dining room and what she was saying was ridiculous. However, she could not just go in there and calmly take out some food. Valletta¡¯s desperate answer made her hear a lowugh from behind her. ¡°Ah¡­¡­ so that maid was Master¡¯s maid.If I knew that, I would¡¯ve kept it alive. It wouldn¡¯t stop screaming and screeching, so I could not hear it clearly so I didn¡¯t know¡­¡­¡± His words took her breath away. That is because the omitted words could be easily guessed. Valletta raised her arms with difficulty and patted her face with her palm. She could hear the sound of footsteps approaching but she continued to stay still. She knew that she had to run away, but her feet would not follow. Then she felt breathing from behind. ¡°My admirable Master. It¡¯smendable how you¡¯re desperately looking away, but if you don¡¯t properly look at me, I¡¯ll be very sad.¡± Reinhardt¡¯s fingers that are long and slender like a pianist, gently rubbed her nape, then stretched out his palm and gripped it. ¡°I want Master to look at me, so it¡¯ll be sad if I identally break Master¡¯s neck while gripping it.¡± ¡°You can continue what you were doing. But leave me out of it.¡± Reinhardt, with his eyes wide open at Valletta¡¯s cold words, burst intoughter. ¡°As always, Master is not only cold towards me but to others as well.¡± She has already imagined the worst a dozen times in her head. Even if it happened right in front of her eyes in a simr fashion, it was not enough for her to make a fuss. Valletta gulped at Reinhardt¡¯s exasperated voice. She doesn¡¯t know why he still has a nice voice. Reinhardt tapped Valletta¡¯s shoulder as she silently stared ahead with her back facing the dining room. ¡°Look at me, Master.¡± Her nape that he was gripping was cold, as if all it¡¯s blood was drained. She slowly raised her head and turned around steadily. Before she knew it, all she could see was his eerie red eyes under the swaying candlelight. ¡°That¡¯s good, good girl.¡± Reinhardt gently patted her hair. How can she make this madman understand that it¡¯s not good and it can¡¯t be helped? ¡°I thought you were sleeping, I even covered it in a curtain and silently did it. I guess it was an unnecessary consideration.¡± He tapped his finger in the direction of the dining room and a clear, transparent wave was spread over the dining room. It was hazy, but she could see that there was something there for sure. There was a reason why there was no noise. Valletta¡¯s face distorted. ¡°Yeah. I made the wrong choice of not going to bed. I¡¯ll pretend I didn¡¯t see it.¡± So please let me go back. With that in mind, she looked Reinhardt in his eyes. Reinhardt giggled at Valletta¡¯s words. That skinny boy had be a man who is now a head taller than Valletta. The shabby tunic disappeared, and he¡¯s now wearing a robe made with high-quality silk that is waterproof, dust proof and meproof made by a magician. ¡°You already had a peek, now you have to see it all the way.¡± Valletta¡¯s smooth hair stood up at the whisper in her ears. It is said that a person¡¯s chest smells sweet, but this person¡¯s chest only smells bloody. ¡°It smells like blood.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Reinhardt eximed at Valletta¡¯s words. Then he took off his robe, and the lower part of that dark robe was wet and damp. Pretending not to know what it was, Valletta tried hard not to look down. Reinhardt flung his robe aside and wrapped it around Valletta¡¯s shoulder. When his warm robe touched her cold body, funnily enough, her body quickly warmed up. ¡®What is he doing now?¡¯ Valletta nkly tilted her head and looked up at Reinhardt. *** Chapter 12 *** He still smiled gently and nced at the robe. If it wasn¡¯t for the blood stain on his cheek along with his bright smile, many women would get excited. ¡°I can¡¯t let any dirt get on you on my watch¡­¡± His thumb swept slowly across Valletta¡¯s cheekbones. ¡°I have paralyzed your sense of smell, so you won¡¯t smell the blood.¡± Reinhard said, smiling kindly. His affectionate voice was his habit, but the fact that his eyes were still not smiling made her even more anxious. ¡®Instead of doing useless considerations, why don¡¯t you let me go back to my room!¡¯ Valletta shouted in her head. Why the hell would he give his robe to me in the first ce? Is he trying to keep my body warm before he kills me? Valletta tried to shake off the description from the novel that came into her mind. The image of Valletta smiling with a torn smile in front of her birthday cake made of human beings. ¡°Come on in, Master.¡± He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and gave her a gentle tug. But Valletta never wanted to go in. She strengthened her legs and held on. At the same time, she heard a lowugh. Reinhardt snapped his fingers together. Valletta¡¯s feet then began to move on its own. ¡°Wait, no¡­!¡± ¡°Master tried to get rid of me.¡± Reinhardt whisphered, clutching Valletta¡¯s shoulders as she tried to struggle. Her legs started to move toward the dining room, her back stayed stiff. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°My tender heart was hurt a lot.¡± ¡®Like hell!¡¯ She reflexively cried out in her mind. Her mouth was so tightly shut that no voice came out. Valletta bit her lips down, looked down at her feet, moving ording to Reinhardt¡¯s will. ¡°You used to say that the reason was because I was useless.¡± His voice became even colder. ¡°¡­¡± She just said that she doesn¡¯t need a ve. In the midst of begging for him to be expelled, however, there were times where words would juste out. She never knew he was listening. Valletta¡¯s face turned pale. ¡°So I thought I would prove my usefulness like my master wanted.¡± Reinhardt whispered low. He then bent down meeting her gaze, as he tugged Valletta¡¯s hair behind her ears. ¡°So take a good look.¡± Reinhardt¡¯s eyes folded into a half moon. A gleaming gaze of madness reached her left wrist. It was the forced repatriation bracelet with a green jewel from Count Delight. ¡°I cleaned up the trash so I¡¯ll be useful.¡± The bracelet that was made of gold, became ruptured, cracked and soon crumbled into a powder and fell on the floor. She looked up at Reinhardt with amazed eyes, but his gaze had already left Valletta. He opened the dining room door while holding Valletta¡¯s shoulder. What unfolded was a feast of red. Although there were living people, all of them had no intact limbs. Only groans rang out. Valletta¡¯s frowning gaze stopped at a person sitting at the top of the table decorated with knives. ¡­ Is he dead? The moment she thought that, the remaining eye of the man sitting on top of the long table rolled and turned towards Valletta. It was Count Delight. His arms and legs were pinned by the knives used to cut steak, and one of his eye sockets was empty. She first saw his severed fingers and trembling eye. It was a horrible sight that no words could describe. ¡°Ugh¡­! Ugh¡­¡­!¡± Count Delight¡¯s eyes sparkled at the sight of Valletta. Valletta looked at Count Delight with an indifferent gaze. ¡®What is he trying to say?¡¯ An alchemy potion would heal him right away like nothing happened, but she¡¯s in a situation where she could not move on her own. Of course, she felt sorry for his situation. However, it was Count Delight who over and over again ignored her words to abandon the madman because of his greed. ¡®You deserve it.¡¯ The scene in front of her is still frightening, but perhaps because her sense of smell is paralyzed, there was a sense of distance, as if she was watching a movie. There were many movies and dramas worse than this in her original world, so when she recalls that, she doesn¡¯t think that the situation is that serious. It was her foresight that she did not show anyone in the mansion her affection, because she thought that this would happen. In fact, even though it¡¯s been such a long time, she never remembered the names of any of the maids or attendants. ¡°The ughter is not over yet, so the pigs are still squealing.¡± Reinhardt said, squinting at Count Delight. Count Delight, who received his attention, trembled greatly. It was very unfamiliar for Valletta to see the man, who was usually arrogant and proud, to be terrified like that. Reinhardt, reaching out his hand, rubbed her earlobe with his thumb. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for dirtying your ears.¡± Valletta¡¯s body stiffened at Reinhardt¡¯s smile that didn¡¯t match the horror around them. ¡®He must have really gone mad.¡¯ Reinhardt gently rubbed her back, as if trying to appease her. She wanted to ask what kind of medicine he gave him, but Valletta¡¯s lips did not open. ¡°I was actually nning to wrap it up properly tomorrow morning¡­¡± Reinhardt said, leading Valletta to the side where there were no bodies. Valletta tried really hard to move her body, but the spell that she was under, did not allow her to move even a single finger. ¡°Master came first.¡± It¡¯s her fault for being awake. What Reinhardt was trying to say was clear. But Valletta knew that it was a useless excuse. Reinhardt, who had served Valletta for more than a decade, couldn¡¯t possibly have not known what time she sleeps or when she eats her meal. It would have been more believable if he had said that he adjusted the time zone purposely. ¡°Did you know that he dared to try to teach me about sex, master.¡± Reinhardt¡¯s question raised goosebumps on her back. She knew about it as she only heard about it by today. ¡°¡­¡± If you¡¯re gonna ask a question any way, can you make it so that I can answer. As Valletta looked at him with an annoyed gaze, Reinhardt beautifully bent his eyes into a half moon. But that did not mean that Valletta could speak again. ¡°If my master had not abandoned me, it may not have happened.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Valletta felt that was unfair. The reason why Count Delight had picked him up in the first ce was to use him for that purpose. He was also quite a famous ve trader behind the scene, and for him, Reinhardt would have been a jewel that would be more and more valuable as he grew up. ¡°So I first sliced up half of his tongue into pieces for hitting me in the face with his hand, and for his useless stick getting excited while looking at me¡­¡­¡± Reinhardt said, touching Valletta¡¯s hair with his fingers. Whether the robe also had a thermal function, it continued to warmly wrap around Valletta¡¯s body, whose body temperature dropped due to the tension. ¡°Is there anything else you want to see?¡± If you are going to ask me, let me speak. Valletta silently looked at Reinhardt¡¯s mad eyes. Reinhardt let out a lowugh and rubbed her lower lip sideways with his thumb. Her lips which were tightly closed, as if they were glued together, loosened. She slightly moved her lips several times, then sighed and opened her mouth. ¡°My father brought you for that purpose.¡± Valletta said the words she was suppressing. It was unfair of him to me her for it. Perhaps because it was beyond Reinhardt¡¯s expectation, his shoulders shook and heughed loudly. He looked like a madmanughing in the midst of corpses. ¡°If it was under master¡¯s tutge, it would have been weed.¡± Reinhardt said with an ironicughter. As Valletta shrugged, she looked at him with extreme disgust. Reinhardt slowly stroked Valletta¡¯s shoulder. ¡°And no matter how vengeful you are or whatever you do in this house, it has nothing to do with me,¡± she said. At that, Reinhardt looked down at Valletta with his arms folded diagonally. Valletta¡¯s body stiffened. His gaze was watching her. He looked at her as if contemting whether to kill her or not. ¡°If only I wasn¡¯t harmed.¡± No matter what, Valletta¡¯s life is a lot more important. Honestly, it didn¡¯t matter to her whatever happened to this family. Right from the start, she tried everything that she could. In her own way, she tried her best to tell them many times not to harm Reinhardt for thest 10 years. After seeing that they never changed, Valletta had already prepared her mind a dozen or a hundred times. She would¡¯ve honestly run away a long time ago if it wasn¡¯t because of the repatriation bracelet. ¡°My heartless master.¡± Reinhardt shrugged andmented. Of course, it¡¯s obviously an exaggeration. His real feelings were still unknown. He was always like that. That is why Valletta was always on guard. ¡°I always tried to be your loyal dog¡­¡± Reinhardt¡¯s cold hand wrapped one of Valletta¡¯s cheeks. ¡°My master always tried to push me away.¡± She narrowed her eyes, feeling an unknown emotion that was closer to contempt. Valletta then opened and closed her mouth. ¡®It¡¯s because you were bound to kill me.¡¯ She can¡¯t say it. She can¡¯t say that she has seen the future. Reinhardt stood there motionless, waiting for Valletta¡¯s reply for a while. He then soon exhaled a sigh and reached for her lips with a sigh. ¡°Because everything about you¡­¡± Reinhardt¡¯s approaching hand stopped under Valletta¡¯s nose. He then stayed still and looked up into her eyes. His eyes were emotionless, they weren¡¯t smiling or contained any feelings. ¡°Is a lie.¡± But Valletta thought that it was closer to the real him. *** Chapter 13 After Valletta spoke, Reinhardt with an expression that masked what he was thinking, then slowly reached out again and rubbed Valletta¡¯s lower lip. ¡°My kind master doesn¡¯t seem to enjoy this kind of fun, so I¡¯ll take care of it.¡± He softly smiled once again. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s going to be easy to tear the guts out of that thing that made you a spectacle like a clown in a circus show.¡± It was a bloody remark. It was even more horrendous as he said it with a perfect smile. Valletta wanted to ask if she could return first, but her lips were once again stuck together and couldn¡¯t move. Valletta had now given up on speaking, and just looked at him. ¡°My master isst, so stay here and wait.¡± He stroked her messy hair as if he was the sweetest person in the world, and then turned around. ¡®Thest¡­¡¯ Valletta¡¯s face hardened. ¡®D*m it, so in the end I¡¯m still going to die.¡¯ He nced at Valletta, who was thinking, and smiled reassuringly. He then walked straight towards Count Delight, while casually stepping on the dead bodies. He didn¡¯t need to exin any more. What unfolded before Valletta¡¯s eyes was just a massacre. Two men in robes and hoods grabbed every single living person in the mansion and shoved them into the dining room, and Reinhardt threw weapons at them, as they trembled at the horror thaty before them. They had tried to do everything they could to escape, but the difference in basic ability between them and Reinhardt was like the difference between heaven and earth. Reinhardt, with a mischievous smile on his face, only lifted one of his fingers to subdue them. ¡°I¡¯ll give you a chance.¡± As if it wasn¡¯t enough, he seduced them sweetly with his words. ¡°Run away. If you can leave this dining room safely, I promise I won¡¯t touch you anymore.¡± And put them in despair. Was that the voice of the person who cut the rotten rope in the fairytale book, [The Sun and The Moon] in my original world. It was a sweet voice as if tempting, and a generous voice as if giving an opportunity. But the circumstances were gruesome. Their legs are either broken or severed, and no one had a functioning leg to run away. So, who the hell is he asking to run away? Reinhardt smiled softly as he watched a person, desperate to live, crawl. ¡°Ah,e to think of it, didn¡¯t you kick me with this foot, saying that I¡¯m bad luck?¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡­ Ack¡­¡­ I, I didn¡¯t¡­¡­ do that¡­¡­¡± One of the maids, who seemed to be holding back the pain, rolled on the floor and shook her head desperately. Reinhardt chuckled in a low tone, as if he had heard a funny story. However his eyes and, this time, the corners of his mouth were also straight. ¡°I hate lies.¡± When Reinhardt lifted his finger, the maid¡¯s other foot lifted into the air, and then strangely bent. ¡°Aaaaaaah!¡± Valletta¡¯s face contorted at the same time as the terrible scream was heard. Even if she can¡¯t smell the blood, that doesn¡¯t mean that the sound of bones breaking was bearable. Reinhardt snapped his fingers again, as if noticing her distorted face. Then the maid¡¯s lips clung to each other, and soon, she couldn¡¯t even groan. ¡°Shh, my master got startled.¡± I¡¯d say your blood-stained face is more eerie. Valletta thought. Reinhardt smiled sweetly at her and soon began to move quickly. The same thing happened over and over again. Reinhardt really recited their charges in detail, as if he had piled up what had happened over the past decade. And there were quite a few things that Valletta found shocking. ¡°What made you think that I¡¯ll turn the other cheek when you made a mess out of me?¡± ¡°You used me as a chair.¡± Reinhardt said, stepping on the servant¡¯s and maid¡¯s back. He licked his lips as if telling Valletta to listen. There was no such thing in the novel. If he had changed, Reinhardt would have changed because of Valletta herself. ¡®Why?¡¯ Does he want her to feel guilty? Hearing Reinhardt¡¯s words, Valletta couldn¡¯t shake off her dumbfounded mood. She wryly smiled with a feeling of nkness. She felt no guilt at all. She did her best, yet no one really listened to her. She then snorted. They mocked and tormented him as she expected. She tried to stop them, but they unexpectedly harassed him behind her back. ¡°Uh¡­¡­ Ugh¡­¡± ¡°Ah, I almost forgot.¡± Reinhardt lifted his hand as he heard a groan from behind. The sword that had been lying on the floor floated into the air and flew straight toward Count Delight. Count Delight, who had been holding his breath and asionally trembled, let out an eerie sound as his head fell. Reinhardt¡¯s inconsiderate consideration of preventing her from smelling the blood, made everything right in front of her look like a movie. In fact, she felt far from reality. How long has it been? Boom! The door opened again and the two people wearing robes came in. They threw three maids into the dining room. ¡°These are thest survivors in this mansion.¡± ¡°Because it¡¯s a mansion, there were a lot of insects to deal with.¡± Those were very cold words to say. The three people, who had been dragged in there, were stabbed by ice spears, without having a chance to scream, and scrawl out. It¡¯s unbelievable that Valletta¡¯s still alive after all this time. ¡®¡­¡­ Wow.¡¯ But Valletta envied them. They were at least able to go to the other world in one shot. He looked down at the three people who had stopped breathing, let out a long sigh, and turned around. ¡°Now, you¡¯re the only one left, Master.¡± Reinhardt slowly approached her with a sweet voice like a siren seducing the seaman. *** (Back to the Present.) Reinhardt looked down at Valletta, who had lost consciousness at the end, unable to withstand the shock of the rushing fatigue and pain in her heart. Perhaps because she eventually slumped down, the robes were bloody and messed up. She was frowning and groaning as if she was ufortable. ¡°You¡¯re not going to kill her, My Lord?¡± One of the two men in robes removed his hood and asked. The man standing next to him also took off the hood he was wearing. The first was a beautiful man with jet-ck hair and bright yellow eyes, and the other was a man with light blue hair that covered his neck and dark blue eyes. ¡°I¡¯m thinking about it.¡± ¡°Is it because of her alchemy abilities? Or her spirit arts? Neither is amon ability. I think they will be useful.¡± The ck-haired man said calmly. ¡°If that¡¯s all we need, we can just forcefully subjugate her.¡± That was possible for Reinhardt. At his blunt remarks, the two men¡¯s faces became puzzled. Reinhardt, who had been squatting in front of her, ran his fingers through Valletta¡¯s bloodstained hair. Instead of a red blush on her snowy white, slim cheeks, the blood had hardened, making them into a dark red color. Her voluminous hair was messed up and scattered on the floor. She groaned and then breathed out lightly and fell into a deep sleep, with deep wrinkles still forming between her forehead. Reinhardt¡¯s bloody hands gripped her neck gently. ¡°If you are not going to bepletely mine, I¡¯d rather¡­¡­¡± It wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea to just kill her and keep the body. Reinhardt¡¯s red eyes shed, then slowly blinked. But if he does, he won¡¯t be able to feel her warmth and she won¡¯t smile at him anymore. He threw that thought out at once. His index finger ran down her nape then poked her in the cheek. ¡°It¡¯s a shame though.¡± If asked if he wants to kill her again, he would say no. Instead, it was the explosion of his dissatisfaction with her for not calling him by his name even once during their ten years of being together. ¡°Ceylon.¡± ¡°Yes, My Lord.¡± The light blue haired man immediately answered. It was a soft voice, as if the spring breeze was tickling the ears. ¡°Do you think it¡¯s possible to live together for ten years and never call each other by their name?¡± ¡°¡­ It¡¯s not impossible, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s the usual.¡± ¡°Right.¡± But Valletta Delight did. Not only Reinhardt¡¯s, but she did not remember or call the names of anyone she met or those who worked on the mansion. Whenever she calls for someone, it¡¯s ¡®Hey¡¯, ¡® You there¡¯, ¡®You¡¯. ¡®If you remember, you should say it,¡¯ But she remembered Reinhardt¡¯s name. It was even more disturbing that she hadn¡¯t ever said it. ¡°Father! Please, get rid of that ve. I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be a problemter.¡± Reinhardt blinked slowly as searched around his memories. She always asked her father to kick him out or sell him to someone else as soon as possible. From a year ago, she had been begging Count Delight almost every week. He sincerely wanted to ask the reason why. ¡®I can just ask her slowly.¡¯ He doesn¡¯t need to be in a hurry. She is now his and he no longer has to bow his head to anyone. After thinking, Reinhardt rose from the ground, putting his arms under her back and firmly supporting her under her knees. ¡°By the way, didn¡¯t you originally n to do it a week ago? Was there any particr reason for the dy?¡± ¡°There was a birthday.¡± Reinhardt bent slowly and kissed her forehead. What he could only look at from afar finally fell into his arms. A deep smile was drawn around Reinhardt¡¯s mouth as he thought so. *** Chapter 14 *** ¡°Yes?¡± Reinhardt shrugged at Ceylon¡¯s response. He nced around the dining room, holding her in his arms. There is nothing alive here anymore. There wasn¡¯t even a single rat that survived in this mansion. ¡°Quilt, what about the things I told you to find out?¡± ¡°Yes, I havepiled all of Count Delight¡¯s crimes and illegalities.¡± The one who answered this time was the man with ck hair. His hair was cut short in a sports style, and he had replied silently with a blunt expression on his face. Reinhardt scanned the thick stack of papers that he was being handed with his eyes, without thinking of epting it. He opened his mouth with an indifferent look. ¡°Scatter it. They will pick it up and interpret it.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± After responding to Reinhardt¡¯s order, the robed man threw the bundle of paper. Dozens of papers were spread out in the air in an instant and scattered like snow. The descending papers fell on the bodies, on the table, and on the floor. Some of them had already started staining with the blood from the floor. ¡°Now, let¡¯s go back to the Magic Tower.¡± ¡°¡­ Are you taking that woman with you?¡± ¡°Yeah. Any problem?¡± Reinhardt narrowed his brow and looked at Ceylon who questioned him. His umonly beautiful light blue hair swayed, and there were light wrinkles on his forehead. ¡°I do not rmend it unless it¡¯s for her alchemy and spirit abilities. The Magic Tower is a ce where one could not enter if they do not have mana. Without mana, a person would not be able to get out of the tower.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a relief. I really hope so.¡± Reinhardt¡¯s red lips drew an arc. Otherwise, she¡¯s the type of person who would do anything to escape. Reinhardt stood up on his toes and tapped the floor twice. A huge magic circle appeared on the floor, and then light spewed out and swallowed up Reinhardt and Valletta, as well as Ceylon and Quilt who were standing by them, as the scattered paper that proved the horrendous night had taken ce, covered them. It was only natural that the empire and the Imperial Pce were overturned in horror at the annihtion of an aristocrat, as that had never happened in history. Numerous rumors circted about the disappearance of Valletta Delight, and Crown Prince Milrode himself took charge of the investigation to uncover the truth. Thus, the curtain fell on the long night. The view has changed. Reinhardt raised his head while standing in the middle of the forest. The deep blue sky is covered with white clouds. The floor was full of all kinds of weeds and unknown flowers. And on the grass-covered floor, an invisible magic circle was drawn. One can only enter the Magic Tower through this ce. ¡°The Magic Tower is right above.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Reinhardt tilted his head slowly. It was obscured by clouds, but the Magic Tower was in the sky. In fact, it was safe to say that it was a small town for magicians rather than a tower. The magicians had considerable distrust of humans and decided that it was impossible to live along with them. As a result, they built the Magic Tower. At first, there was only one tower floating in the sky. However, the magicians soon decided that it would be difficult to amodate all of them only with the Magic Tower. As the years passed, thend gradually increased, and a small ind and city without an owner appeared in the sky. So the Magic Tower was often called the Magician¡¯s City. Only those with mana could reach it by knowing the entrance, and because of this, magicians who had not awakened could not even ask for help from the tower. In other words, entering the Magic Tower without mana was like saying that a person would not be able toe out of the city without the help of a magician. ¡°Is it really okay to take that person with you?¡± Ceylon asked again. Although taking her against her will is alright, there was a strong tendency to exclude humans without mana, the so-called ¡®Sokor¡¯ in the Magic Tower. ¡°Since she was my master for ten years, wouldn¡¯t it be fair if I¡¯m her master this time?¡± Reinhardt, who giggled andughed, hugged her. Embracing her even tighter, he slowly let mana flow to the ground. As the unupiednd absorbed the mana, the huge, hidden magic circle was revealed. A pir of light erupted from the magic circle and swallowed up the four of them in an instant. ¡°Wee, My Lord.¡± Reinhardt, who had closed his eyes for a moment as the light pierced his eyes, slowly raised his eyelids at the polite yet scratching-an-iron-like voice. They were transported in front of a veryrge tower with a high spire. The round cylindrical, gray tower that rose through the clouds was quite long. Strangely, however, no windows or entrances could be seen on the tower. At first nce, it looked as if arge, long cylinder had been erected on the ground. ¡°Who is it?¡± Reinhardt narrowed his brow. Appearing before his eyes was a man wearing a dark green robe and had his face covered. However, he was too translucent to even be human. The tower behind it could be seen through him. ¡°He¡¯s the caretaker and the watchdog of the tower. He is loyal only to you, My Lord.¡± Ceylon silently exined. Reinhardt briefly nced at the translucent existence that was covered with a robe, and looked away as if he¡¯s not interested. The thing he was concerned about right now was not the watchdog of the Magic Tower. ¡°Guide me to a spacious room with the best sunlight. If possible, it would be better to go to a ce where you can¡¯t easily escape from.¡± The watchdog deeply bowed at Reinhardt¡¯s formal order. The translucent existence did not open its mouth after the initial greeting. He snapped his finger, then a ck entrance appeared. ¡°Only the watchdog and the Lord can open the way to the Magic Tower. Anyone who wants to visit the tower, needs to go through the watchdog.¡± ¡°Is it the same with going out?¡± ¡°No, anyone can leave with a transport spell as long as they have mana.¡± ¡°What if they have no mana?¡± At Reinhardt¡¯s question, Ceylon¡¯s eyes fell on Valletta, who was still asleep without knowing the world around her while being held in Reinhardt¡¯s arms. In the case of the spirits, the story was a little different. ¡°If you¡¯re talking about that person in your arms, she won¡¯t be able to go out without the Lord¡¯s permission.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± His lips drew into a smile with great satisfaction. Reinhardt was very happy that he finally had what he so desperately wanted. ¡°Magicians and spirit users are fundamentally different in how they use mana. The magician¡¯s mana is forcibly taken from nature and absorbed, whereas in the case of spirit users, they ask for the spirit¡¯s permission and pay the price to borrow their power.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Reinhardt nodded his head. It was something he knew as that was basic knowledge. ¡°The Magic Tower is a space created with the mana of a magician, and the spirits will not appear. So, a person will not be able to borrow their power.¡± Reinhardt nodded his head. When they came out of the passage, it was a room as wide as the Imperial pce¡¯s theater hall. Following the guidance of the watchdog, they arrived at the top floor of the tower. All sides were made of ss, so sunlight poured in and clouds could be seen in the scenery outside the window. There was arge bed in the middle of the room, but no matter where Reinhardt looked, there was no door. ¡°This is the top floor of the tower. Only the Lord and I, and those who the Lord allows, can enter. It is also impossible to leave unless the Lord permits it.¡± With a voice like scratching an iron, the watchdog exined. Reinhardt walked straight to the bed andid Valletta down on it. Valletta tossed and turned a few times as the sudden change in her posture was ufortable, then soon exhaled again. ¡°Really, I¡¯m looking forward to you waking up.¡± Reinhardt giggled and rubbed her white neck with his thumb. He often has the urge to break it. Even though he knows that once he bends it, she will never shine again. ¡°Isn¡¯t that right, Master?¡± He kissed her on the top of her head then covered her with the nket. Ceylon and Quilt looked silently at the intruder on the bed, their brows narrowed. The top floor was usually used as the room of the Magic Tower¡¯s Master. It wasn¡¯t a pleasant feeling to see a Sokor upying the ce. Reinhardt smiled as if he had noticed their gaze. He¡¯s smiling but his eyes aren¡¯t. ¡°It¡¯s a pointless concern, but if you touch what is mine and get caught¡­¡± As Reinhardt¡¯s beautiful smile dropped, the two stopped breathing as well. However, it was not possible to guess what kind of expression Reindhardt had as his face was covered just like the watchdog. ¡°I¡¯m going to tell you to take out your guts while alive, put them in your mouth, and chew them. I want you to be careful.¡± It was said in a refreshing voice, but the words were terrifying. Reinhardt¡¯s eyes glistened with madness. ¡°Of course, that sounds like fun too.¡± His deep possessive gaze reached Valletta for a moment, then he stopped and looked towards Ceylon and Quilt. At the cold gaze, the two hurriedly knelt down on one knee and prostrated themselves. It was a warm morning with the sun shining from all directions. *** Chapter 15 *** It was a merchant, who came to deliver ingredients, that ended up reporting the massacre of Count Delight¡¯s residence to the Imperial pce. The merchant, as usual, came to the Count¡¯s residence to deliver the ingredients, but had doubts about the residence, which used to be always closed. There were no guards at the gate this time, and no matter how much he called, there was no answer. So the merchant walked through the open gate, and strangely enough, same as before, there were no people at the front door as well. In any case, he still needed to deliver the ingredients even if he died that day, so he carefully entered the front door. And not far from the front door, the merchant found the body of a decapitated guard who had fallen to the floor. ¡°Waaah!¡± The merchant screamed and ran out, and called the guards. The guards sent one guard to find out the exact incident, but the guard had no choice but to run out as soon as he looked inside. It was not possible for the guard to figure out the incident alone, as he became nauseous at the scene, and could not properly see the tragedy. The guards realized the seriousness of the situation only after hearing the story properly from the returning guard and informed the Imperial family of the incident, and the massacre of the Count Delight came to the surface. A well-trained Imperial Knight had to be dispatched to find out the truth behind the horrific incident that had no survivors. Most guards could not stand the bloody smell of the mansion, and had a difficult time looking at the horrific corpses that had been mutted. All the corpses were bent out of shape, but the most terrifying one was by far Count Delight¡¯s. However, the only daughter, Valletta Delight, who is known to be a beauty, could not be found even after searching around the corpses and the mansion. ¡°¡­ So you still haven¡¯t found her?¡± Milrode¡¯s dark blue eyes looked very cloudy, unlike usual. The knight who was standing in front of him stiffened at his deep, subdued voice. He straightened and maintained his posture. There was a dark shadow underneath Milrode¡¯s empty eyes. He could not sleep properly and had stayed up all night after hearing about the incident. It¡¯s been three days since the incident happened. He spent most of the night staying up in his office, wondering if a report woulde. However, there was no mention of Valletta Delight in the reports that dide. Total number of victims and the deciphering of papers that were scattered. Only information about Count Delight¡¯s corruption was reported intermittently, yet nothing was said about Valletta. ¡°Yes, I apologize, Your Highness the Crown Prince.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s fine.¡± Milrode said, pressing his forehead with his thumb and index finger. He reached out his hand and slowly scanned the report, which was well over a hundred pages, and againd, there was still no mention of Valletta Delight anywhere. ¡°Did you say that there were traces of magic being used?¡± ¡°Yes, that is right.¡± ¡°Did you submit a request for cooperation to the Tower?¡± ¡°Yes, but the answer has still note back.¡± Milrode sighed. They couldn¡¯t even find a trace of anyone escaping, whether they flew to the sky or disappeared underground. Furthermore, since the corruption of Count Delight came to the surface, he wanted to tear himself apart for always saying good things about the Count in front of Valletta. The report revealed the bad tastes of Count Delight, who bought and sold ves, as well as his sadistic tendencies. The report proved why Valletta would grimace every time the Count praised her for her valuableness. ¡°Lady Valletta is a wise woman. If there was a ce to run to, she would have taken advantage of that opportunity and escaped. Anywhere is possible, even the basement, so search the mansion thoroughly to see if she had the time to escape.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± ¡°Okay, if there¡¯s more to report , let me know right away.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°You can withdraw.¡± At the shortmand, the knight bowed and turned around and left the office. ¡°Haa.¡± Milrode sighed with a dark expression on his face. Valletta may seem indifferent, but she puts her safety above everything else. She has a cautious personality that doesn¡¯t venture into things that will be dangerous. Although she still hasn¡¯t called him by name yet, Milrode still liked Valletta. However, as the news circted that the body of Lady Delight was still not found, a strange rumor began to spread around high society. It was a story about how Valletta Delight was the mastermind behind the Count¡¯s tragedy.The story gained more credibility when the allegations of her abuse by Count Delight surfaced. ¡°There¡¯s no way.¡± Millord said in a tone close to certainty. Although he rarely met Valletta, they have been together for a long time. It never urred to him that she could be the mastermind. In the first ce, the killing method was very cruel. Milrode has witnessed the tragedy with his own eyes. The people who inspected the bodies said most of them had been amputated while alive. It was impossible to do without great resentment and boldness. ¡®She couldn¡¯t even lift a sword in the first ce.¡¯ With her physical strength, it was impossible for her to lift a sword and cut so neatly. ¡°They said that the ve also disappeared.¡± Did they run away together? Millrode was troubled. His brow narrowed. And so another rumor popped up. Shortly after the rumors of Valletta Delight being the mastermind came out, another low-profile but credible rumor circted in high society. The master of the Magic Tower had awakened, and the strange rumor was that the master of the Magic Tower was that ve. ¡®The source of the rumor could not be confirmed¡­¡¯ However, it was not a story that could bepletely ruled out. In fact, after the former master of the Magic Tower retired, the new master did not appear, and the Magic Tower disappeared altogether. In the first ce, magicians basically hate humans who can¡¯t use magic. And what if he was abused? After awakening, there would be nothing strange about running away. The chances are very low, but he¡¯s not sure if it¡¯s strange either. On the contrary, he felt uneasy. Milrode patted his throbbing head. They have asked the Magic tower for cooperation as soon as they found a trace of mana to confirm their anxiety, but they have remained silent for thest three day. Even if the Magic Tower locked their door and stoppedmunicating, there was never a time where they did not give a response to a formal request. ¡°I am anxious.¡± Millord murmured as he put his hand on the window. ¡°Please be safe, Lady Valletta.¡± When they were young, he met her as his political marriage partner, but he didn¡¯t hate it. She was calm and dry, but a girl with a kind enough heart to reach out to an injured animal. ¡°As long as you are alive, I will surely save you.¡± Darkness descended outside the window. Milrode¡¯s eyes that were reflected in the window were firm and unshakable. He sat back at his desk and began to scan the report from the beginning. *** [ Reinhardt was kneeling in front of Valletta, sweating profusely. Valletta looked down at him with cold eyes as he grabbed his heart and breathed hard. Valletta, whose face was twisted in anger, couldn¡¯t be seen as normal. ¡°I heard you were with a maid today. What did you do? Did you cheat on me? Do you like someone other than me?¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Reinhardt rolled on the floor. Valletta was sping in her hand, a small, transparent and red marble. A sharpe and murderous gaze shed in the boy¡¯s eyes as he rolled on the floor and swallowed the pain. Pushing through the pain, Reinhardt knelt down on his knees. He forced a smile on his lips. Even if he was soaked in cold sweat, it was still a beautiful smile that anyone would fall in love with. He held Valletta¡¯s hand a little servilely. ¡°My master is the only one for me.¡± ¡°¡­ Really?¡± ¡°Yes, of course.¡± As Valletta¡¯s clenched fists slowly loosened, Reinhardt smiled softly. ¡°Really? You didn¡¯t abandon and betray me, right?¡± ¡°Yes, really.¡± Reinhardt answered without hesitation. Then Valletta fell on her knees and hugged Reinhardt. His eyes were cold as he looked down at Valletta, who rubbed her face on his shoulder like he¡¯s a child. ¡°Yeah, I love you. Reinhardt, you¡¯re the only one I have, so don¡¯t betray me, understand?¡± Reinhardt didn¡¯t answer. But Valletta patted his hair as if she had heard the answer. Treating him like he was a dog. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for hurting you, Rein.¡± Reinhardt smiled, closing his eyes to cover the hatred in them. The night deepened. ] Valletta, who was sleeping soundly on the top floor of the tower, suddenly opened her eyes. This was because the scene of the novel suddenly came to her mind vividly. She knew Valletta was obsessed with Reinhardt, but she didn¡¯t know the details. Come to think of it, there were details like this in the story . Now she understands it a little more clearly. Like why Reinhardt killed Valletta so cruelly and disyed her like that¡­ ¡®So there was a reason, huh¡¯ Most of the people in the novel, except for the female and male leads, were crazy. Reinhardt was crazy, and Valletta, who loved him, was also crazy. ¡°But still, I didn¡¯t do anything.¡± In the end, it seemed like she hadn¡¯t died. Why the hell is Reinhardt doing this to me? She knew that the real Valletta was obsessed with Reinhardt, but she could not recall any details of her as she only skimmed through the side stories of the book. Valletta didn¡¯t even know why she suddenly thought of that. ¡°My head hurts.¡± Her eyes were dazzled by the sunlight from all around her. She lifted her head and looked around her slowly. The floor was covered with a soft carpet to keep her feet from getting cold, and she was sitting on the bed at the center. ¡®Where is this?¡¯ Valletta slowly lowered her feet. She slowly approached the window and looked out. ¡°¡­ Clouds?¡± Why is the scenery outside the window not another building, not a mountain, not a person, not a naturalndscape, but a cloud? [ It was a huge tower with a gloomy, gray color. At the top was a room that only the Magic Tower¡¯s master could enter, and it was beautiful at night. It was as if stars were falling, and in the morning, it was warm with sunlight pouring in from all directions. The scenery outside the window was not the boring human world, but the clouds and the blue sky that were floating around leisurely. A magician would steal mana from nature. For them, a room where they could always be in contact with nature was a very good space.] Valletta¡¯s face contorted when one description came to her mind. ¡®Please let this be a dream.¡¯ She begged inside her head. *** Chapter 16 When Valletta looked around the room and realized that there was no entrance at all, Valletta had to ept the reality. ¡®The Magic Tower, the top floor¡­¡¯ It was clear that it was Reinhardt¡¯s room. It has also been mentioned several times in the book. He used to sit there with a chair in front of that window, looking down at the human world, enjoying their ordeal and solving it. Although he now has the position of the Magic Tower¡¯s Master, he will soon awaken as a Transcendent. Those who have reached a level far beyond human abilities are called Transcendents. ¡°Are you awake?¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Her body jumped. Valletta forced her stiff body to turn towards the voice that was like scratching an iron. She saw a translucent man who was covered in a dark green robe and wore a hood that concealed his face. He opened his mouth as Valletta took a step back with a suspicious look, narrowing her eyes. ¡°The Lord ordered me to prepare a meal for you if you¡¯re hungry.¡± ¡°I want to get out of here.¡± ¡°It¡¯s impossible.¡± ¡°Since you came in, there must be a way out.¡± ¡°It¡¯s impossible.¡± Valletta touched her forehead as she looked at the man, who wasn¡¯t even a machine, repeating the same words over and over again. She knew who the person in front of her was. The Magic Tower¡¯s Ghost, Magic Tower¡¯s Genie, Magic Tower¡¯s caretaker, Magic Tower¡¯sponent, a worthless existence of the tower. There were quite a few words to describe him. And the way he was treated was also not good. But the reality is a little different. He was one of the twelve magicians who built this Magic Tower. It is said that he loved the Magic Tower so much that he poured half of his mana into it, making him neither dead nor alive. Caspelius. It was revealed by Reinhardt near the end of the novel that a person with that name in the history books was still alive. It was him who recognized his true face. ¡®But that doesn¡¯t change the fact that he¡¯s treated like a dog.¡¯ Valletta let out her sigh. If she was captured in this way, she would be able to somehow escape, but she¡¯s honestly sick of wondering if she¡¯s going to be fine. ¡°Are you going to lock me up like this?¡± ¡°It is for the Lord to decide.¡± ¡°Even if this was against my own will?¡± Valletta said as she folded her arms, and Caspelius closed his mouth. He didn¡¯t say anything more. Instead, he just stood there like a built-in and stared at Valletta. It was Valletta who could not stand the frustration and opened her mouth again. ¡°Let me go.¡± ¡°It¡¯s impossible.¡± ¡°Then call Reinhardt.¡± As soon as Valletta¡¯s words were finished, the floor shone, and Reinhardt appeared in a ghastly outfit. The bloodstains on his cheek and on his hands had long since disappeared. Reinhardt smiled broadly as soon as he saw Valletta. ¡°You woke up earlier than I thought, Master.¡± Reinhardt¡¯s eyes were beautifully curved. Reinhardt didn¡¯t look that different from when he was a ve. He walked towards Valletta. Valletta looked up at him silently. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be here, so let me go.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you straightforward, my master.¡± ¡°I have told you so many times that I¡¯m not your master.¡± Reinhardt giggled at Valletta¡¯s cold voice. He already knew that . However, whenever he called her master, she seemed to have no idea what kind of expression she made. Reinhardt honestly has always been curious about the meaning of her gaze that seemed to be terrified and loathe him at the same time. ¡°Get out.¡± Reinhardt looked at Valletta as he spoke. Of course, he wasn¡¯t talking to her. They were words for Caspelius, who was still standing behind him. Valletta noticed that fact without difficulty. ¡°Yes.¡± And it seems that was the case. Caspelius, who loves the tower, obeys Reinhardt¡¯s orders for one particr reason. Not because he is Reinhardt, but because he is the master of the Magic Tower. Valletta¡¯s gaze watched the disappearing Caspelius for a moment, then moved to Reinhardt again. ¡°Are you hungry?¡± ¡°¡­¡­ Very.¡± ¡°Then, shall we have a cup of tea?¡± Reinhardt swung his hand from left to right, and a round table and chair made of pure white marble appeared in the empty room that has nothing but a bed. He naturally picked up the steaming teapot and tilted it to the teacup. After pouring tea into two teacups, he looked at Valletta, who was standing idly, and pulled out a chair. ¡°Please sit down.¡± Valletta, who stared nkly at his easy-going smile, eventually sat down on the chair with a sigh. In spite of Valletta¡¯s trembling gaze, Reinhardt has a sweet smile on his face. ¡°Let me go.¡± ¡°You have nowhere to go.¡± Reinhardt shrugged his shoulders. He hit the nail on the head. Valletta kept her mouth shut. There was no ce for her to go since the Count was already like that. Reinhardt slowly took the teacup into his hand. The scars from his very still remained on his fingers. Valletta nced at it indifferently and turned her head, pretending not to know. ¡°Anywhere would be better than here.¡± ¡°You must speak correctly, master. No matter where you go, it won¡¯t be better than here.¡± Valletta was speechless at Reinhardt¡¯s words as he spoke with a smile. Of course, she won¡¯t need to worry about food, clothes and shelter if she stays here, but her worry that her neck may fall down at any time would haunt her every day. ¡°Master, did you know?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°I was supposed to kill you. The Master of the Tower must do that, and I wanted to kill you the first time we met.¡± At his words, Valletta raised her head. While talking about her potential death, he smiled with his eyes closed, as if to prove his innocence, at Valletta who had a tired expression. However, his words were significant. ¡°Then, why didn¡¯t you kill me?¡± ¡°Because Master is the only one who deviated from the established path.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°The reason why I had to kill you¡­ Is because Master has avoided everything.¡± This significant answer was only vaguely understood. Valletta¡¯s hand, which was about to grab the teacup, stopped as she felt a burning sensation in her throat. She slowly touched the teacup and slowly lifted it up. What is he talking about right now? A question popped up in her dazed mind. ¡°Hm? Master, why did you do that?¡± Reinhardt smiled. ¡°Why did you distance yourself from me and push me away?¡± His hands slowly reached out and tugged her flowing hair behind her ears. His touch was careful, but Valletta cared much more about what he had asked. It was because she knew the original story. However, Reinhardt is not aware of that fact. But now after hearing him ask, it sounded as if he knew everything. ¡°I have always been kind to master.¡± ¡°¡­¡­ You must have been kind to everyone. Since you needed to survive.¡± ¡°I was sincere towards my master,¡± he said. Looking at his innocent gaze, Valletta swallowed a smirk. That¡¯s unbelievable. He was kind to Valletta, but she is sure that kindness was for his own survival. ¡°Unfortunately, my master, who sprinkled a precious potion on a mere ve using alchemy, was locked up for a whole day and starved.¡± No. ¡°Youmanded those ignorant people not to torment me, but they took your words too lightly.¡± ¡°You¡­¡± ¡°You refused to do what you didn¡¯t want to do, even if you got unfairly hung upside down. Even if you were starved for a few nights for leaving me behind and sneaking out, and was caught secretly taking care of an animal. Even when you were ordered to kill it, you refused and let it go.¡± Valletta clenched her fist at what he had slowly recited. She had a very bewildered look in her eyes. She couldn¡¯t help but panic. She never thought that the man in front of her would remember everything. The shameful things that were close to being her dark history. Valletta struggled to put strength into her trembling body. ¡°The kind master kept her mouth shut no matter how unfair she was being treated. Even though she was being treated almost like a ve.¡± Valletta¡¯s pupils shook at Reinhardt¡¯s words. ¡°Indifferent, as if it¡¯s someone else¡¯s business and not yours.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡­¡± What kind master. She has no idea if he¡¯s praising her or being sarcastic. She rubbed her face several times due to frustration. ¡°I wanted to cut off their limbs while they were still alive. I wanted to watch their limbs be eaten by beasts without dying, leaving only their body and their head.¡± She was speechless at his cruelty. ¡°And all of this was not nned.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°From the fact that I was able to feel these emotions, to the way the master behaved¡­ everything, everything, was out of the ordinary and unexpected.¡± ¡°¡­ What are you talking about?¡± Despite Valletta¡¯s question, Reinhardt just smiled. ¡°So I tried to win your favor, but my heartless master didn¡¯t even take care of me.¡± ¡°¡­ Hey.¡± ¡°Reinhardt.¡± Reinhardt spoke firmly at her vague call. ¡°Whatever the reason was why you didn¡¯t call me by my name, I think it¡¯s over now, don¡¯t you think so?¡± ¡°¡­..¡± ¡°It¡¯s time for you to call me, Master.¡± *** Chapter 17 Reinhardt. She knows that¡¯s his name. However, Valletta did not call him by his name just in case. She was worried that calling him by his name may create an unknown rtionship. She fears that an emotion like a feathering down would sprout and take root without her knowing. Like Valletta in the novel, she was afraid that she would fall in love with him and act as if she had given him a liver and a galldder, then be decorated like Valletta had in the end. ¡°You don¡¯t know how miserable it was for you to not be able to endure hunger and the pain, so you¡¯d eventually get down on your knees and bow your head to your stupid father.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Valletta bowed her head. Seriously, she did not expect him to remember all those embarrassing and shameful things. I want to erase his memories by hitting him in the back of his head. Valletta thought sincerely. To be honest, those were behaviours that she did not think too much of. Count Delight liked it whenever she would get down on her knees. He wanted herplete submission. She didn¡¯t have to keep her pride as she thought she would either die early or escape by marryingter on. If she kneeled down and apologized, then things would quietly end, so she chose the easiest way. ¡°Master.¡± Reinhardt rose from his seat, circled the table and approached Valletta. ¡°I will allow you to be my one and only master from now on, so stay by my side.¡± He carefully wrapped her cheek with his hand, came up to her and whispered. ¡°Huh?¡± Valletta¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°You refused everytime I asked you to run away.¡± At Valletta¡¯s words, Reinhardt¡¯s eyes slightly widened. He put on a slightly bitter smile on his lips. ¡°If I had run away from there, I would have suffered even worse.¡± ¡°¡­ What?¡± Reinhardt smirked at Valletta¡¯s question. He slowly opened his mouth again. ¡°Magicians are born with an energy that is fundamentally different from that of ordinary humans. That heterogeneous energy makes ordinary humans feel disgusted and ufortable. That is why newly born magicians are hated for no reason. Human beings find it inherently difficult to ept something that is different from themselves, and newborn magicians are vulnerable.¡± Reinhardt said, stroking Valletta¡¯s cheek gently with his thumb. Valletta could not say anything. She never thought that there would be something like that. Reinhardt spoke again. ¡°However, you weren¡¯t like that.¡± ¡°¡­ I!¡± ¡®I was afraid of you too!¡¯ Valletta tried to shout. If only Reinhardt¡¯s thumb had not suddenlye down and pressed down on her lips. ¡°My master always made eye contact with me, talked to me, listened to me and never avoided my touch.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°My master didn¡¯t call, not only mine, but everyone else¡¯s name. You didn¡¯t give room to anyone. Did I look the same as everyone else in your eyes?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°A human being just like them.¡± The voice whispered in her ear. Valletta did not say anything. No one was able to properly meet Reinhardt¡¯s gaze and have a conversation with him. Everyone wanted Reinhardt¡¯s looks, his sweet voice, or the feeling of the tongue inside his mouth. She was the only one who wanted nothing and solely looked out for herself. Even though she had a cold and almost disgusted look on her face, she never pushed him away whenever he clinged to her. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you run away from there? The best option for me is to obediently kneel down and¡­¡± Reinhardt pressed his face close up to her nose. As she narrowed her brow, she gently pushed his shoulder away. Reinhardt obediently backed away at Valletta¡¯s weak gesture and opened his mouth. ¡°I won¡¯t be able to get my hands on you if I left there.¡± As he answered, she could see him licking his lower lip. ¡®For a moment, I thought we were going to kiss.¡¯ The most horrifying thing was that she tried to ept it without realizing. She didn¡¯t know if it was because of his angel-like and innocent face, or if the instinct of Valletta from the novel was still here. ¡°It¡¯s obvious, but¡­¡± He blurted out. ¡°I wanted to have you, Master.¡± It was a gentle smile. Valletta nkly stared at his pretty yet crazy smile. Does this madman know what he¡¯s talking about? She sighed deeply. ¡°Master doesn¡¯t want to be a spectacle as well, right?¡± ¡°What spectacle?¡± ¡°Even though spirit art is unknown, how many people does Master think would want to covet your alchemy even if you try to hide it?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°My naive Master, you have no idea what your stupid father was trying to do to you.¡± Reinhardt¡¯s hand stretched out and gripped the back of Valletta¡¯s wrist. His slightly nted finger moved slowly along her blue veins over her transparent skin. ¡°They tried to sell your blood and¡­¡± Valletta¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Soon, in the name of recuperation, you will be locked up in a vi in a distant country and will give birth to an unknown child¡­¡± The sensation of his fingertip tracing her vein gave her goosebumps. However, she was unsure if it was because of his finger or because of the other unexpected truth about Count Delight. ¡°For that reason, I put a name for the auction that the master knew well behind your back.¡± His finger that was tracing her veins, reached the back of her neck. Reinhardt¡¯s thumb gently rubbed her neck. ¡°Once you marry the Crown Prince, they will have you constantly produce potions, and the Emperor and that greedy pig will share them half and half¡­¡± Then Reinhardt¡¯s thumb pressed against her neck. It did not hurt much, but it felt terrifying. Valletta stared nkly at his lips. ¡°You didn¡¯t know anything.¡± ¡°¡­ Crazy.¡± A sharp word escaped from Valletta¡¯s lips. She thought the Count was crazy for money, but it was horrifying that he would even think of doing that to his own flesh and blood. ¡°How much I wanted to break their necks whenever I saw them.¡± His indifferent expression receded, and his face waspletely distorted. His red eyes, that were usually full of lies and emotionless, were burning with anger like mes. Valletta looked surprised at his explicit murderous aura. It was an emotion that she had never seen in Reinhardt before. He always had a fake smile on his lips and he was always smiling with a kind expression. Of course, his eyes were usually not smiling. ¡°No, I¡¯m engaged to the Crown Prince, what child?¡± ¡°The amount of money he received was apparently significant, so he was nning to dy the wedding for a year or so and send you elsewhere in the name of medical treatment.¡± ¡°¡­ Was father really nning that?¡± ¡°Yeah. Master is an aristocrat and had the qualities of an advanced alchemist, so you must have looked like a gooseying golden eggs¡± ¡°That¡¯s terrifying.¡± Valletta narrowed her brows and said indifferently. He¡¯s already dead and there¡¯s nothing else that he could do. She did not regret at all that he died like that. Valletta let out a sigh. ¡°It¡¯s dangerous outside, so I should just stay here?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the way it¡¯s going to be.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to,¡± Valletta said to the smiling Reinhardt. ¡°Who knows what you¡¯re going to do to me.¡± For her, the man in front of her was equally dangerous. Reinhardt shrugged his shoulders at Valletta¡¯s harsh words. He sighed and sat back down on the chair opposite to her. He propped up his chin and looked at Valletta. ¡°I won¡¯t harm my master. If I wanted to, then I would¡¯ve already killed you.¡± ¡°¡­¡± He casually said something so brutal. Valletta knitted her brow. ¡°If you promise not to run away, then I¡¯ll let you out of this room.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± ¡°¡­ You won¡¯t run away?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°That¡¯s obviously a lie.¡± Reinhardt snickered and said. Anyone else could see that it was a ¡®I have to get out of here first¡¯ lie. Her intention of getting out of the tower once she had the opportunity was obvious. She didn¡¯t even show any signs of trying to hide that thought. Reinhardt smiled bitterly when he saw her confident expression. Even from before, she was never the type of person who would act the way he thought she would, and she still hadn¡¯t changed. Reinhardt spread out his palm, and a thin ring-shaped bracelet formed on top of his palm. It was a ring-shaped, rough silver bracelet that was as thin as a ring and had no jewels in it. ¡°Please wear this. If you wear it, you will be able to leave this room whenever you want.¡± ¡°Is this also going to forcefully repatriate me?¡± Valletta looked at Reinhardt with her eyes full of disgust. Reinhardt shrugged his shoulders and shook his head. ¡°No way, I¡¯m not as ipetent as that b*st*rd pig.¡± ¡°Ah, sure.¡± Valletta bitterly replied. She was speechless by his confidence. Besides, Reinhardt must have a really bad mouth. She can only wonder how the hell he acted the role of a kind and innocent ve. ¡°Anyone can get out whenever they want, but only me and that watchdog from before can enter.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± He said that if she uses that, she can also enter. Valletta took the bracelet from Reinhardt¡¯s hand and put it on her wrist. ¡°If you wear this and call my name, I will go to meet you wherever you are.¡± ¡°What? If I wear this, won¡¯t I be able to go back and forth in this room?¡± In response to Valletta¡¯s absurd expression and question, Reinhardt bent his eyes into a half moon. He opened his mouth as he watched Valletta staring at the corners of his eyes that were folded. ¡°What a stupid thing to say, my foolish master.¡± Ah, I really want to hit him at least once. Valletta thought with a frown on her face. *** Chapter 18 After a moment, Reinhardt shoved an unsophisticated dagger covered in runes towards Valletta. ¡°Ah, this is my gift. Don¡¯t let go of it for a second and carry it with you.¡± Valletta looked at the dagger with suspicious eyes and looked at Reinhardt hesitantly. ¡°¡­ What is with this dagger?¡± ¡°If someone bothers you, don¡¯t put up with it. Just stab them in the eye with this.¡± He spoke in a calm voice, as if he was giving his regards. What a cruel thing to say with smiling eyes. ¡°Then you will die.¡± ¡°Master, there¡¯s no need to be worried. I will bear all responsibilities.¡± Watching Reinhardt leisurely tilting his teacup after he finished speaking, Valletta picked up the cooled teacup without answering. The corner of Reinhardt¡¯s lips, who had pushed the dagger inside of Valletta¡¯s sleeve, rose in satisfaction. Valletta¡¯s sigh deepened. ¡°¡­ Okay.¡± Valletta bitterly replied. Her odds of winning against him, if shepared their strength, was very low. Reinhardt raised his chin and looked at Valletta as she drank her cold tea. She put down the teacup at the end, with a gaze so persistent that she didn¡¯t know if her tea was going into her nose or her mouth. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you curious about the writing on that dagger, Master?¡± ¡°Are they not runes?¡± ¡°Yeah. You didn¡¯t ask what the letters are.¡± Seeing his smiling face made her afraid to ask. Is it some kind of weird magic? With an anxious gaze, she nced at the dagger in her sleeve. ¡°It isn¡¯t an explosion or something, right?¡± Valletta asked anxiously. Reinhardt would do something like that. The reason is simple. It¡¯s because he¡¯s Reinhardt. Reinhardt burst outughing at Valletta¡¯s words. Valletta turned her head because his pretty face and refreshing voice seemed to reflect a halo above him. ¡®That face is dangerous.¡¯ Over the past 10 years, how much has she trained herself not to be deceived by that smile? Valletta still hasn¡¯t forgotten the words she whispered to herself every time she woke up in the morning for over 10 years. ¡°No way,¡± he said. Valletta vacantly stared at Reinhardt¡¯s gentle and sweet round eyes folded. Reinhardt was the only one she knew who had such a terrifying smile. ¡°It¡¯s simply a permanent spell that would break a magician¡¯s shield.¡± ¡°Shield?¡± ¡°Magicians reflexively create a shield when their life is threatened, and the dagger that I gave you could break it.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, if you pierced their eyes, their mana would also dissipate.¡± Reinhardt supported his chin and listlessly muttered. So, if their eyes are pierced then they would already be on the verge of death, will they be able to endure it without dispersing their mana? Valletta struggled to get rid of the doubts in her mind. In any case, it would be better to have something than nothing for self-defense. ¡°Okay.¡± She got up. She felt suffocated, so she thought of looking for an exit to go out. She could at least be able to summon the spirits to protect herself. As Valletta got up from her seat, Reinhardt got up too. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I want to go somewhere else.¡± ¡°Aha. Call me anytime, Master.¡± Valletta nced at Reinhardt and turned her head. ¡°I will wait.¡± And she closed her eyes, ignoring his words. *** As she thought of wanting to leave, her body shook for a moment and her view was reversed. Valletta was no longer in Reinhardt¡¯s room on the top floor. It wasn¡¯t the hallway that she set her feet on, it was an arched staircase. The stairway surrounded by gloomy gray bricks was suffocating. ¡°Jin.¡± She called for the spirit that she had summoned before, but there was no reply. When summoning a wind spirit, of course the wind will blow even if it is indoors. Seeing that the wind did not even blow, it seemed like it was impossible to summon a spirit inside the Magic Tower. She wasn¡¯t actually expecting much. She vaguely saw something simr in the book. ¡®It said that there¡¯s a power inside the tower that was opposite to the spirits.¡¯ Valletta slowly stepped onto the endless round arched staircase. There are no windows, let alone doors. When she looked back, there were only rough, gray brick walls around. ¡°The 86th floor?¡± After going down the stairs for a while, she arrived at a space with a stairway on one side and a doorway engraved with antique patterns on the other. Above the semicircle-shaped door is a stone b that says 86th floor. As she moved a little closer to the door, it opened wide. Light shone through the dimly lit stairs. She pushed her head in first, and then slowly put her foot inside. The smell of books wafted over ¨C it seemed to be a library. There were several people wearing robes inside, and the others were standing and reading books as if looking for materials. The door closed on its own as she set her feetpletely inside. She stopped in front of the entrance and slowly looked around. ¡®¡­ It¡¯s quiet.¡¯ Valletta¡¯s eyes narrowed. Then she quietly hid between the bookshelves. She didn¡¯t need to hide, but since everyone was wearing a robe to say that ¡®I¡¯m a magician¡¯ in this situation, whereas she¡¯s wearing a one-piece dress and fur slippers, it would be embarrassing. ¡°The Tower Master this time is a ghastly pale child, did you see?¡± As she walked slowly through the bookshelf, Valletta¡¯s steps stopped at the sound of the voices. She held her breath as she stood there and opened her ears. ¡°Is that so? Come to think of it, it must have been hard for Bartio-nim to manage this ce. Then that person came and suddenly he¡¯s the Magic Tower¡¯s Master¡­¡± ¡°Is he really the Magic Tower¡¯s Master? He looked foolish enough tough at. Besides, I heard that he brought something like a Sokor into the Sky room. Is he crazy?¡¯ Valletta the Sokor narrowed her brows at those words. It was an ancient word for ordinary people who could not use magic, and it meant ¡®stupid¡¯. She remembered reading in the novel that the magicians were using the word to prove their superiority. ¡°In the Sky Room? Crazy.¡± The Sky Room was a room with transparent ss on all sides that existed at the top of the tower. It was the room that Valletta was just in. It was the closest to nature, and it was a room only given to the master, so only the manager Caspelius and the Magic Tower¡¯s Master were allowed to enter. ¡°I don¡¯t like it, a kid who is still wet behind the ears¡­¡± ¡°I heard that he was wandering around as a ve for a Sokor noble. Even if he hadn¡¯t awakened yet, how could he be a ve when he was born with the ability to be the Magic Tower¡¯s Master?¡± It¡¯s not that he couldn¡¯t run away, he didn¡¯t run away, Valletta thought. Even when she told him to go, he still refused to run away, and above all, he is the Magic Tower¡¯s Master. That is why Caspelius bowed down to him. ¡®He¡¯s going to die.¡¯ She just hopes that Reinhardt did not hear them. ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t matter even if he does hear them.¡± She murmured in a very low voice and then turned away. Whether somebody dies or not does not matter to Valletta. Besides, as far as she can remember, there was once an incident where the Magic Tower was turned inside out. A magician had pretended not to know that he was foolishly and proudly ignoring Reinhardt, causing him to purge the entire magic tower. At that time, she thought that he was dealing with the people who badmouthed him or talked behind his back¡­ ¡®I don¡¯t know the details since it was only one line.¡¯ At least it wasn¡¯t her concern. ¡®After that, the tower will copse once.¡¯ The reason was¡­ She can¡¯t remember this as well. It was a time when Reinhardt didn¡¯t appear for a while. She went out the door while thinking and went down the stairs again. As she descended for a while, she became slowly exhausted. ¡°¡­ We¡¯re not supposed to go down like this, are we?¡± As she saw no one walking around the stairs, it was clear that there was a transportation magic circle inside the tower. However, whatever it is, she needed mana to activate the magic circle, and Valletta had no mana at all. Valletta, annoyed at the stone steps, lifted her head. ¡°Jin! Nereid!¡± She looked around her and called out the spirit¡¯s name again. They were Jin, a higher wind spirit and Nereid, a higher water spirit. But it was still silent. There was no wind sound nor drop of water, let alone full wind and pools of water. Valletta sighed and resumed her steps that had stopped. ¡°Come to think of it¡­¡± Now that Count Delight has been destroyed, what will happen to the ves that he had left behind? The children or the people who were illegally captured to be kept as someone¡¯s ve. Count Delight also owned a cage where the ves were kept. ¡®I have to release them as well.¡¯ It was clear that if they wouldn¡¯t pay the caretaker, they wouldn¡¯t even take care of their meals. Then all the ves imprisoned there would almost certainly die of starvation. After realizing it, she started to get worried. Valletta touched her forehead. After a while, she found the next door. ¡°82nd floor¡­¡± Do I have to walk down all the way to the first floor like this? Valletta let out a sigh. The appearance of the door on the 82nd floor was no different from that on the 86th floor. As she got closer, the door opened automatically. Valletta¡¯s eyes widened at the smell of grass wafting into the tip of her nose. ¡°Oh my gosh.¡± Valletta¡¯s mouth fell open. The room on the 82nd floor was like a vast field. The ground was all grass, and it was divided into sections and filled with green things, with many herbs, and grasses. When she tilted her head, the sky was blue and the clouds were floating. The light from the rising sun was intense, but not too hot. ¡®Is it magic?¡¯ It looks real. ¡®Can I summon them here?¡¯ ¡°Did you not know that you shouldn¡¯t open the door here carelessly?¡± As she was mesmerized by the scenery before her, Valletta turned her head when she heard a voice. *** Chapter 19 *** The owner of the voice was a small boy who was as tall as her waist. His light green hair fluttered. The boy in a robe narrowed his eyes. ¡°Are you a neer? No, you don¡¯t have enough mana. Don¡¯t tell me, a Sokor? Crazy, how did a Sokor get in here?¡± ¡°Kid, is this real?¡± At Valletta¡¯s question, the boy¡¯s dark green eyes frowned. He looks cute, but his personality is rough. The boy crossed his arms and snorted at her. ¡°You stupid Sokor, this is the tower, how could that be real?¡± ¡°Ah, is that so?¡± Then there¡¯s no use for calling a spirit. The eyes of the magicians who were looking their way were bothering her so she got up and turned away. If she can¡¯t summon a spirit, then there was no use being there. ¡°Good work then.¡± As she approached the door again, it opened. ¡°Ha!¡± Leaving the boy who let out a mocking smirk, Valletta left the room on the 82nd floor without any regret. Magic is great. Being able to imitate nature to that extent¡­ The 81st floor was a strangeboratory, the 80th floor seemed to be privately owned since the door did not open, the floor beneath was a cafeteria, and below that was another library. Valletta, who had been going down for a while, was exhausted and copsed on the stairs. ¡°Call me anytime, Master.¡± Valletta nced down at the bracelet that Reinhardt gave her, then turned her head away. ¡®I don¡¯t want to do what he told me to do.¡¯ Her legs slowly got tired and since there was no window, she had no idea how much time had passed. ¡­ I don¡¯t want to call Reinhardt. There was only one person left, and she wasn¡¯t too happy with it, but she still called for the caretaker. ¡°Caspelius.¡± The moment that name left Valletta¡¯s mouth, a magic circle appeared in front of her. Then a translucent body hidden in a dark green robe appeared from the magic circle. That man, Caspelius, appeared. She could not see his face, but a look of surprise was radiating from all over his body. ¡°How did you know that name¡­¡± ¡°I just suddenly thought of it and called it, but I didn¡¯t know it was your name.¡± ¡°¡­ That is a lie.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not asking for much. Take me back to the Sky Room.¡± Valletta requested with a tired look. Caspelius was wary of her, but he still obeyed themand and reached out his hand. A wounded, translucent hand caught Valletta¡¯s eyes. On the palm and the back of his hands were bruises and had marks that seemed to be made from the sole of a shoe. It was clear how he was being treated. Valletta ced her palm on the hand that had reached out. ¡°It¡¯s funny how they let one of the twelve wizards, who built the Magic tower and was praised and admired, suffer like this.¡± He flinched, his body trembling. Caspelius slowly raised his head. His crimson eyes that were usually hidden under the robe, shone in the darkened ce. His eyes were wide open and were filled with surprise. I wonder how ridiculous the present magicians are in his eyes? On one hand, he was being hailed as a great magician, and on the other, he was simply regarded as a caretaker. ¡°¡­ Just who on Earth¡­¡± ¡°So, how long will a dog be holding my master¡¯s hand? (T/N: I used dog but it can also be tled as son of a b*tch. I went for a dog cause that is probably what he meant.) As Reinhardt¡¯s cold fingers touched his nape, Caspelius hurriedly lowered his outstretched arms in surprise. Valletta¡¯s hand that was on his, also fell. ¡°I don¡¯t remember calling you.¡± ¡°Did you not know that I was with that dog, Master?¡± She never thought of that. Valletta clicked her tongue. Reinhardt slowly wrapped his arms around Valletta. His breath touched the back of her neck. ¡°I told you to call me, why did you call that instead? You won¡¯t even call my name. My cold-hearted Master.¡± Reinhardt waved one of his hands, while his other arm remained around her. Then a magic circle was drawn on the floor. Perhaps because of the sudden movement in space, her vision was slightly distorted. Valletta frowned, feeling dizzy. Reinhardt hugged Valletta and put her on the bed. He slowly knelt down and looked up at her, who was sitting up on the bed. ¡°So, did you call your contracted spirit?¡± ¡°Contracted?¡± ¡°I¡¯m talking about Jin or something.¡± Valletta closed her mouth at his smile and beautifully nted eyes. She then shook her head. ¡°I didn¡¯t sign a contract with Jin.¡± ¡°¡­ Didn¡¯t you summon it?¡± Reinhardt asked with a rare, slightly startled look. It wasn¡¯t a contract. In the first ce, she had no intention of entering a contract, just requesting help for a price. ¡°There¡¯s no contract, I just summoned him. To ask for help.¡± ¡°¡­ A higher spirit?¡± Valletta nodded her head impatiently. Looking outside that had darkened without her noticing, Valletta swallowed a smirk. She thought it had been a long time, but she didn¡¯t know it was already evening. It somehow took her a long time to go down. ¡®If it¡¯s difficult to summon them in the tower, can I summon them from outside?¡¯ She got up from the bed and slowly walked towards the nearby ss wall. In this all-ss room, the outside could be seen very clearly. She put her palm against the ss wall. ¡°Jin.¡± She muttered in a low voice. As she thought about summoning Jin from the outside, a tornado suddenly materialized outside the ss wall, and before long, a colorless and transparent hawk appeared. -What is this? This unpleasant ce. ¡°Oh, I can summon him from the outside.¡± ¡°¡­ You normally can¡¯t, Master.¡± Reinhardt approached her and said. Rarely did he seem a little taken aback. It wasn¡¯t long before Reinhardt grinned and ran his fingers around the back of her neck. ¡°How much do you n to increase your value, Master.¡± Valletta narrowed her brow as the warmth that touched the back of her neck. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°It is basically impossible for a normal spirit user to summon an uncontracted spirit, and it is even more impossible to summon a spirit in a separate space.¡± Impossible means it can¡¯t be done, but Valletta obviously just did it. Her gaze met with Reinhardt¡¯s that was reflected in the window as she narrowed her brow. ¡°Did you know that the Imperial Pce is making a noise, Master.¡± Reinhardt hugged Valletta again and returned her to the bed and said. He sat under Valletta¡¯s feet and looked up to her. Reinhardt always liked this posture. A posture that looks up to her from below. ¡°Imperial Pce?¡± ¡°Yeah, they have been asking for cooperation for the traces of magic that were found in the Count¡¯s mansion. If they find out that Master is here, the prince will ask you to return right?¡± ¡°Of course, since I was going to be the Crown Princess.¡± Even so, it is now just nominal. Since Count Delight is already dead. Reinhardt smiled at her as if he had noticed Valletta¡¯s thoughts. He stretched out his arms and ced his hands on Valletta¡¯s cheeks. ¡°Nevertheless, Master is valuable. The Imperial Family will not let you go easily.¡± His hand rubbed Valletta¡¯s cheekbone with his thumb. Reinhardt¡¯s lips parted with a smile that seemed to melt beautifully. ¡°Shall we kill them all?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Even if they are from the Imperial Family, if I break their neck they will still die. Since they will try to take you away from me, wouldn¡¯t it be better if I kill them before that ever happens?¡± ¡°Are you going to start a war?¡± Crazy b*st*rd, Valletta thought to herself. No matter how crazy he was, she never expected that he would be crazy enough to have the intention of wiping out the Imperial Family. ¡°War?¡± Reinhardt tilted his head. His long hair trickled to the side. Confusion was reflected in his red eyes. ¡°It even has such a grand name.¡± He shrugged. In other words, even if they go to war with the other side, even if they attack him in a swarm, they wouldn¡¯t even get close to him. She had been familiar with his formidable abilities in the novel, but she did not expect him to underestimate a war. ¡°Ah, but there are also quite a few bugs in the tower.¡± ¡°You mean that Bartio or whatever his name is?¡± ¡°Did Master also learn mind-reading? How admirable.¡± His eyes opened wide and there was a hint of yfulness in his questioning expression. It was strange that Reinhardt, who was always wearing a mask made of lies, would make such an expression again. He certainly has a brighter expression than when he was in the mansion. ¡°I heard about it in the library.¡± ¡°Ah. Should I pull out all of his teeth? Or should I rip his mouth open? Which one do you think is better, Master?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t ask me.¡± ¡°Well, pulling out his teeth is just ying around, so I think it will be quicker if I just pull out his tongue.¡± At Reinhardt¡¯s cruel words, Valletta bit her lips. ¡°Are you afraid of me, Master?¡± ¡°¡­¡± She turned her head away at Reinhardt¡¯s outrageous question and slowly returned her to her original position. He had a serious look on his face, without the smile he always had on his lips. ¡°When I treat you with kindness, even now, the master alway avoids me.¡± ¡°I¡­¡± ¡°Why?¡± She shut her mouth at his question. ¡°My master has avoided me right from the beginning. Just why?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°You tried to kick me out right from the beginning. You showed sympathy and kindness to mere beasts, but not for me.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m not the only one.¡± Valletta pondered for a moment at Reinhardt¡¯s words, and then opened her mouth. ¡°I¡¯m afraid of you,¡± she said frankly. Valletta was afraid of him. She was terrified of the Reinhardt portrayed in the novel, and was terrified of him who never truly smiled. She was afraid that her neck would break at once by being grabbed by his hand. ¡°You think I¡¯m going to kill you?¡± Reinhardt asked, getting up from his seat. His cold gaze reached Valletta. It wasn¡¯tmon to see Reinhardt not smiling, but he would often do so in front of her. As Valletta thought, this expression¡­ was the closest to the real Reinhardt. ¡°¡­ That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°How can I understand you?¡± Reinhardt¡¯s arm reached out slowly and gently grabbed Valletta¡¯s neck. He then gently squeezed the neck wrapped in hisrge hands and pushed her back. He pushed Valletta onto the bed and tucked his knees between her legs. Reinhardt moved closer to Valletta¡¯s face, still holding Valletta¡¯s neck. Their noses touched and their breath mixed. ¡°Even if I¡¯m like this, I can¡¯t kill you.¡± Valletta narrowed her brow. Am I mistaken that he looks a little nervous? She opened her mouth as she held her breath, but didn¡¯t say a word. ¡°How can I make you look at me, Master?¡± *** Chapter 20 *** ¡°If you have no n of killing me, then stop threatening me.¡± (T/N: I¡¯m sorry about this but, YAS girl tell him! XD) (P/N: All them years of training finally paying off) Reinhardt¡¯s eyes widened at the words that he heard instead of an answer to his question. His shoulders soon shook and he let out a sound, then he put his head on her shoulder and burst intoughter. Valletta sighed at the sound of his giggles. ¡°You¡¯re heavy.¡± ¡°Master.¡± At Reinhardt¡¯s call, Valletta rolled her eyes and looked at him. Because he was still leaning on her body, she was not able to move freely. Reinhardt¡¯s lips came close to her nose. His eyes were bent into a half-moon, as if trying to seduce her. Valletta grabbed Reinhardt¡¯s shoulder and pushed him away. It wasn¡¯t that hard of a push, but Reinhardt backed away. ¡°Are you not hungry?¡± ¡°How long are you going to be here?¡± ¡°This is my room, Master.¡± Reinhardt shrugged his shoulders. As he waved his hands, a table emerged. He snapped his fingers once more and this time the table was filled with food. The savory and sweet smell as if freshly made stimted one¡¯s nostrils. ¡°¡­ What do you mean your room?¡± ¡°Ah. To be exact, it¡¯s Master and my room.¡± He twirled around Valletta and said brightly. ¡°Are you crazy?¡± ¡°Master knows how to praise me all too well.¡± Seeing Reinhardt smiling kindly, Valletta crumpled her face. What can you say to someone that takes being called crazy apliment? Looking at Valletta¡¯s seriously distorted face, Reinhardt smiled. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell youst time, Master?¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°Master was the only one who made eye contact with my eyes directly.¡± Unlike other humans, who would first smile then their expressions would stiffen and for some reason they would tremble, Valletta was the only one who did not avoid looking at Reinhardt with such eyes. She frowned with an expression that hid what she¡¯s thinking. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s eat, Master.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not your master.¡± ¡°¡­ Valletta.¡± Valletta¡¯s body stiffened at her name that rolled off the tip of Reinhardt¡¯s tongue. Was the pronunciation so strange that it made the hair all over my body stand up? Valletta rxed her stiff body and sat in the seat he gave as if nothing had happened. ¡°If I call you like this, will Master also call me by my name?¡± ¡°¡­ Give me a new room.¡± ¡°There are no vacancies.¡± Reinhardt grinned and shrugged. Does this mean that there is no space for her toy her body down in this tall and wide tower that seems to be 100 stories tall? As Valletta narrowed her eyebrows, Reinhardt shrugged his shoulders and sat across from her. ¡°The storage room?¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s full.¡± ¡°You¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t kill you.¡± ¡°¡­ That¡¯s not it.¡± No, it sounds like you will do anything other than killing me. At that moment her brows narrowed, a bright light appeared behind them and Reinhardt¡¯s face distorted at the same time. ¡°What? I told you not to disturb me.¡± It was Ceylon and Quilt, who were his closest henchmens. They also seemed to have heard stories from others. ¡®Those two must have been allowed to enter the Sky Room.¡¯ The two of them looked at Valletta for a moment before bowing their heads. ¡°Lord, excuse me. I think you shoulde down and take a look.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you see that we¡¯re eating?¡± ¡°The magician we sent to the Imperial Family has returned with a message. Lord, this matter needs to be checked.¡± Reinhardt, who¡¯s face contorted, eventually stood up. Then he reached out and ruffled Valletta¡¯s hair. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Master. You¡¯ll have to eat alone. You don¡¯t even bother a dog when they¡¯re eating. F*ck, I guess they think I¡¯m lower than a dog. I¡¯ll go educate them.¡± (T/N: You don¡¯t even bother a dog when they¡¯re eating ¨C This means you don¡¯t scold or bother someone who is eating.) Reinhardt said with a smile and disappeared along with Ceylon and Quilt. ¡°¡­ He¡¯s not joking. He¡¯s really mad.¡± If he swore, that means his mood was considerably foul. During the 10 years that they¡¯ve been together, the number of times he swore can be counted on five fingers. ¡®¡­ Whatever.¡¯ Valletta thought that the Magic Tower would turn into a pool of blood, but she did not care. In the first ce, it wasn¡¯t something that could be prevented even if she tried to stop it. She casually started her meal before the food in front of her turned cold. It was a quiet meal. *** In front of a reverse view, there was a swarm of magicians. Reinhardt scanned the crowd slowly. He does not know what it is for, but he arrived in arge hall. A magician wearing a white robe ornate with golden embroidery was standing at the center. He was obviously the magician sent to the Imperial Pce. ¡°Nice to meet you, Lo-¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you know that you don¡¯t even touch dogs when they¡¯re eating?¡± ¡°Yes¡­?¡± Melial, the magician dispatched to the Imperial Family, who was saying his greetings, asked nkly at the piercing voice he heard out of the blue. It was because he wasn¡¯t sure what he just heard. ¡°But, am I a dog? No, am I lower than a dog?¡± Reinhardt asked while smiling with a very pretty face. Melial turned his head from one side to another in search of the source of the voice, despite the obvious movement of the lips of the man in front of him. However, it was clear the source of the voice was in front of him. Everyone stared at Reinhardt with dumb expressions. If a person came down from heaven, would they look like this? Melial had an impudent thought in front of the Magic Tower¡¯s Master. ¡°Did your tongue get pulled out? You¡¯re not answering. As far as I remember, a magician sent to the Imperial Family is still a member of the Magic Tower, or did I make a mistake?¡± Reinhardt, who suddenly approached him, smiled broadly in front of Melial¡¯s nose and said. Melial¡¯s face turned bright red at the sweet voice and beautiful face. ¡°Ah, no. I apologize.¡± Melial hastily bowed and answered. He really did make a mistake by himself, he didn¡¯t lower his head because he thought so, it was because he could not make eye contact with Reinhardt¡¯s eyes. Count Delight had a backward personality and was a very greedy person, but at the same time, he was a person with a great sense of aesthetics. He was even more discerning as he had dealt with a lot of beautiful ves. Even though Reinhardt, who was then a young boy, had rolled on the battlefield and was in a poor condition, his beauty caught Count Delight¡¯s picky eyes even in his messy state. It was already like that back then, then what about now? His silver hair glistened while neatly dressed. Umon red eyes and half-moon folded eyes as if tempting. And the softly rising corners of his lips were enough to make even a man like Melial lose his mind for a moment. However, he could not believe that he was being cursed fouly by that mouth. Because of that, Melial didn¡¯t want to believe that the beautiful man in front of him had uttered vulgar words. ¡°Then¡­¡± Reinhardt, who was sick of Melial¡¯s apology, looked around the hall. There were a lot of people there who came to confirm that a messenger hade from the Imperial Pce. It was clear they were all magicians as they were all wearing their robes. Reinhardt grinned as he could clearly see what they were thinking. ¡°Am I amusing?¡± Reinhardt asked with a smile. If Valletta saw it, she would have thought that it was dangerous and would escape the hall as quickly as she could, like a leader of a group of monkeys. Unfortunately, none of the people in the Magic Tower knew about it. *** Chapter 21 ¡°¡­ Ah, no.¡± After a long silence, someone spoke disapproving words in a trembling voice. ¡°It¡¯s just not something that everyone can ept!¡± Just as Reinhardt¡¯s eyebrows were about to go up, he heard an exasperated voice from the crowd. A magician in a gray robe broke through the crowd in the hall where the magicians were gathered. ¡°The Lord is not amusing, however, we have aint.¡± The man in the gray robe, who showed up, added. Reinhardt did not know, but the man who spoke was one of those who wereining about Reihardt in the library where Valletta was in. ¡°Comint?¡± ¡°Honestly, a lot of people questioned whether the Lord has the qualification to be the Magic Tower¡¯s Master. We heard a rumor that you have sold your body as a ve to a Sokor.¡± Caspelius just stood still, despite his master being humiliated. He was just a bystander and a manager. He served only the Tower Master, but that did not mean he was loyal enough to move his body without the Tower Master¡¯smand. That was because what he loved was the Magic Tower that he and his elevenpanions had built together, not the Magic Tower¡¯s Master. ¡°My body? To whom?¡± Reinhardt smirked and said. ¡°Who cares. Is it important that there¡¯s a story like that? If you want to be our King, we want you to properly prove your abilities.¡± Reinhardt burst outughing at the tant, insincere reply. The sound ofughter was so refreshing that everyone in the room had a nk expression on their faces for a moment. ¡°Your king? I have no intention of bing the king of insects.¡± ¡°What insects¡­¡± ¡°I just don¡¯t want to look weak next to her so I need a moderate amount of power. There is nothing great about being the king of a ce filled with insects?¡± ¡°You dare disregard magicians¡­¡± The moment the gray robed man fiercely red towards Reinhardt, he had no choice but to stiffen. It was because he felt a huge amount of energy from somewhere pressing down on him. Reinhardt grinned. At the same time, the man in a gray robe, who had stopped breathing, exhaled. ¡®Is it an¡­ illusion?¡¯ He nkly raised his head. ¡°What a shame, it was your chance to get an answer right.¡± Reinhardt spoke very clearly. Even though the corners of his mouth were curled up, his eyes were cold. No one really noticed the strange sight that his eyes were not actually smiling. Everyone was just blinded by Reinhardt¡¯s smile. ¡°Ah, I will correct you.¡± Reinhardt¡¯s words reminded them of their surroundings. ¡°¡®It was yourst chance to survive.¡¯ That would be more urate.¡± They did not even know what his moving red lips were saying. Reinhardt snapped his fingers. The robed man hadn¡¯t evenprehended the conversation yet, but he lost the chance to think anymore. He soon grabbed his neck and started to make choking noises. ¡°Keuk. Kuk~! Saa¡­¡± The magician in the gray robe, who stepped forward gaudily, rolled over on the floor while holding his neck as he was suffocating. His face, which had been dyed red, soon turned blue and began to turn white. He must have been in pain as he held out his fingernails and scratched his neck. At the sound ofughter that was heard in the midst of everyone¡¯s astonishment, the eyes of the magicians turned towards the source. Other magicians flocked to the magician in gray robe and casted Dispel (* Nullification Magic) to dispel the magic, but it was impossible for them to disperse Reinhardt¡¯s magic in the first ce. ¡°W-what are you doing right now! Lord!¡± Another young magician stood in front of Reinhardt. ¡°Hmm.¡± Reinhardt smiled softly with a refreshing expression on his face and flicked his fingers in the air. At the same time, the gray robe magician began to breathe heavily again. Reinhardt, who saw him gasping for oxygen, snapped his fingers again. ¡°Gaaah!¡± This time, a huge ice spear pierced through the magician¡¯s shoulder, who questioned Reinhardt, and pierced the wall as well. The magician, who collided with the wall in the hall, was hanging on the wall with both his shoulders pierced. ¡°Aah! Heuk! It hurts!¡± He screamed while being hanged by ice spears. Reinhardt burst intoughter when blood dripped onto the floor, creating a puddle in an instant. He walked slowly and stood before the wizard in his gray robes. ¡°Get up.¡± Reinhardt had always lowered himself in front of Valletta, but right now, his back was straight, proving that his consideration was only limited to her. The gray robed wizard trembled. It was because he recognized Reinhardt¡¯s magic a little toote. ¡°You¡¯re not getting up?¡± ¡°Ha, ugh, I¡¯m getting up¡­¡± His throat was in pain because he was choking and scratched by his own nails, but the man in a gray robe got up hurriedly and stood in front of Reinhardt. Reinhardt¡¯s face was tinged with tenderness when he saw the man breathed heavily. ¡°As expected, just giving one chance is too severe.¡± The corner of Reinhardt¡¯s lips rose as he approached the man till he was close to his nose. But this time, the man was not deceived. Reinhardt was not truly smiling. His mouth was smiling, but his eyes were not. It was then when the man realized this fact. ¡°So, to whom did you say I sold my body to?¡± ¡°Heuk, I-I made a mistake¡­ I made a mistake.¡± Reinhardt¡¯s eyes narrowed. The corners of his raised lips came down slowly, and eventually became straight. As he waved his hand, a spear of ice appeared in the air and pierced the man¡¯s limbs at the same time. ¡°Wrong.¡± The man in the gray robe was thrown against the wall without even having the chance to scream. Seeing their limbs spread out and hanging by ice spears, the magicians who gathered were trembling in fear. Reinhardt smiled. ¡°N-no matter how much they said, Lord, this is too¡­! Keuk!¡± After that, a couple more magicians came out andined to Reinhardt, but every one of them was struck by an ice spear and hung on the wall. After that, everyone shut their mouth and stepped back. As the people gathered in the hall became quiet, Reinhardt slowly turned his eyes and looked around again. Blood dripped from Reinhardt¡¯s cheek and fell to the floor. ¡°You¡¯re not going to block me anymore?¡± As Reinhardt asked, tilting his head, the magicians swallowed their breath. So, did he do all of these things just because they were blocking him? As many as five wizards were stuck to the wall and bleeding. They seemed to still be breathing, but the pool of blood they had made was significant. ¡°Hand.¡± Reinhardt spread his palms out and said. The eyes of the magicians were filled with wonder. The answer was heard from behind. ¡°¡­ Yes, Lord.¡± A secondter, Caspelius answered and ced a hand on Reinhardt¡¯s palm. The magicians¡¯ mouths opened wide. No matter how much they call him a watchdog, this was the first time they saw the caretaker act this way. ¡°That¡¯s right, good boy. Do you know the answer to my question?¡± ¡°¡­ Are you talking about the person in the Sky Room?¡± As soon as Caspelius finished answering, Reinhardt reached out and stroked Caspelius¡¯ hooded head. His hand, which was gently stroking the dog as if praising it, retreated. Caspelius¡¯ eyes widened. ¡°As expected, dogs that listen well are better than insects. I thought it was pretty easy, but they missed the chance to live.¡± The magicians, who listened to Reinhardt¡¯s words, could tear their hearts out from injustice. What easy. They know that there is someone in the Sky Room, but they did not know whether the Tower¡¯s Master had sold his body to that person! ¡°The day we first met, what did you introduce yourself as?¡± Reinhardt asked Caspelius. ¡°I exined I was the Tower¡¯s caretaker and the watchdog that guards this ce.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Aren¡¯t you a house dog? You have to manage it properly so that the insects you keep at home don¡¯t go wild.¡± It was a metaphoric exnation, but Reinhardt fully recognized Caspellius as a dog. ¡°I apologize.¡± Caspellius apologized in an emotionless voice. ¡°I made a mistake¡­¡± Reinhardt clenched his fist slightly. His gaze slowly scanned the magicians. ¡°Tsk, if they exploded¡­¡± Reinhardt¡¯s hand spread wide. Goosebumps swelled up all over the magicians¡¯ bodies at those actions and tone. ¡°It¡¯s going to be troublesome. Don¡¯t you think so?¡± Reinhardt seemed to be talking to Caspelius, but his gaze was directed at the magicians gathered there. No one was relieved by Reinhardt¡¯s grinning face. Everyone shivered nervously. They could not feel Reinhardt¡¯s mana. If he was the Master of the Tower, of course he should have a feeling of strong mana, and yet he didn¡¯t have one. There was a reason why the magicians ignored him. However, it wasn¡¯t something that he didn¡¯t have, it was something that he was hiding. Just as a giant beast hides its ws and fangs, and holds its breath, so did he. The magicians realized this btedly and they sighed inwardly. *** Chapter 22 Reinhardt was capable enough to cast a powerful magic that could not even be dispelled by three magicians casting Dispel, only by flicking his finger and without even reciting the spell. It was only then did they realize that they picked a fight against someone they shouldn¡¯t have. Reinhardt nced at them. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to answer me? If you¡¯re not going to use your tongues, can I pull them out one by one?¡± ¡°Ah, no!¡± The magicians answered hastily. The age and awakening period of the Magic Tower¡¯s Master was no longer relevant. All the magicians who stood there could see the short-temperedness and madness that he gave off. They no longer had the confidence to stand up against him. Unless they wanted to be pierced by an ice spear and be a decoration on the wall. ¡°Good. What do you do when someone is eating?¡± ¡°Dogs, you don¡¯t even bother the dogs?¡± The young magician answered hastily with the desire to live. ¡°Am I a dog?¡± ¡°We will not disturb the Lord!¡± As Reinhardt smiled and was about to lift his finger, the young magician hurried to his knees and screamed. In an instant, Reinhardt grinned and burst into lowughter at the quick response of the young magician who had glimpsed his madness. ¡°You understand it very well.You can bother a dog, but don¡¯t bother me.¡± ¡°Yes, I understand.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Reinhardt nodded his head in satisfaction, then he clenched his fist and unfolded it. There was a dull sound of cracking in the air, and soon, fragments as if a sculpture broke began to fall from above like rain thudding to the ground. ¡°¡­ Is that flesh?¡± Among the wizards who tilted their heads, the youngest magician spoke the question. The magicians stared nkly at what started pouring down in pieces. Their heads turned. The figure of the magician, who was wearing a gray robe, was gone and nothing remained except for his limbs that were stuck by the ice spear. His head and body were lost. ¡°Because a promise is a promise.¡± Reinhardt, facing the astounded wizards, smiled softly and said. However, he was covered in blood, thus he did not look like he was smiling. He then waved his hand again to clear the blood from his body. ¡°I can take a look at it first, eat, ande back after, right?¡± ¡°Yes? Yes, yes¡­ Yes¡­¡± The Imperial Magician, Melial, sat down and nodded desperately in response. Reinhardt smiled softly. ¡°Ah.¡± Reinhardt let out a sigh and flicked his finger three times in the air. The flesh, which had exploded like a bomb, floated in the air and began to gather again where the limbs were. After a while, a man in a gray robe appeared again in the form of a human being. The wizards stared nkly at it. ¡°Time Reversal Magic?¡± ¡°Oh my gosh¡­¡­¡± When they saw a magic that only existed in legends unfold in front of their eyes, awe spread across the eyes of the magicians who were still filled with fear. This time, the Magic Tower¡¯s Master was different. Everyone in the room realized this. ¡°There¡¯s no second time, so behave well, understand?¡± Reinhardt, and Caspelius who followed him, disappeared at the same time, leaving them with those words alone. ¡°¡­ What kind of b*st*rd said that the Tower¡¯s Master this time was a low-level child who doesn¡¯t know a single thing about the world?¡± Some time after Reinhardt disappeared, the young wizard, who had his forehead on the floor, raised his head and shook it at the question a middle-aged sorcerer threw out. ¡°He, this person¡­¡± The young wizard said and stretched out a piece of flesh he was holding in the palm of his hand. Brutal b*st*rd, the young wizard shrugged his body at the sound of a voice he heard from somewhere. In any case, albeit horrible and gruesome, no one died. Although one did die, they came back to life. The wizards who had struggled to bring down thepanions adorned on the wall began to clean the hall using healing magic. They all had dazed eyes, as if they had lost their mind. The gray robed man didn¡¯t even scream as he recalled the terrible pain imprinted on his body. ¡°I¡¯m alive¡­¡± The gray robed man still hadn¡¯te back to his senses. It was a terrible memory that he will never forget for the rest of his life. *** When Reinhardt disappeared, Valletta ate with a rxed expression. Then she narrowed her brows as she heard a thumping of strong wind at the ss wall. ¡®No matter how high this tower is, it¡¯s still sloppy construction.¡¯ Thump thump, this time again, there was a loud sound due to the strong wind. Valletta, who had reached out her hand to the leg of a roasted goat coated in buttery savoriness that stimted her sense of smell, turned her head. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Valletta eximed. It was because she had forgotten about the spirit¡¯s existence. She hurriedly got up from her seat. She had summoned Jin when she was having a war of nerves with Reinhadrt, and hadpletely forgotten about him. ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry.¡± Valletta walked up to the ss wall again with a bewildered expression. The wind seemed to have been created by Jin. She pursed her lips in regret. She was about to say sorry again, but the angry hawk pped its wings and generated a whirlwind again. In the empty air, three tornadoes that were almost twice Valletta¡¯s height appeared and hit the ss wall of the Sky Room. Even with a strong wind that was sure to blow away an ordinary house, the ss walls of the Sky Room only shook slightly. ¡®¡­ The Magic Tower is sturdy.¡¯ She had changed her mind after thinking that it was sloppy. She summoned Jin andpletely forgot about him then she started her meal, no wonder he is angry. ¡°Sorry.¡± -Are you kidding me?! Last time you summoned me and just released it! Then, this time you ignore me! I was answering your summon even when you¡¯re not a contractor, how can you be heartless and ungrateful! Jin¡¯s anger was not easily resolved. Valletta smiled awkwardly at the thunderous roar in her head. ¡®It seems to be true that you can¡¯t usually summon them unless you¡¯re a contractor.¡¯ She honestly didn¡¯t think much of it. When she called his name, he was summoned, and since he was summoned, she just had to pay the price and make a request. Valletta smiled as she tried to appease Jin, who now even looked sad. ¡°I¡¯ll be more careful next time, Jin.¡± Jin¡¯s anger subsided when Valletta did not raise her head and stiffly apologized honestly. Humans like to put strength in their shoulders and straighten their chins, so he thought it would be the case again, but this woman did not. The hawk¡¯s eyes were torn as he stared intently at Valletta, then snorted. -Fine, why did you summon me to this eerie ce this time? ¡°I want to get out of here. Can youe in?¡± -Isn¡¯t this the Tower where a flock of magicians live? A magic is applied to prevent spirits from entering. The Magic Tower is a collection of wicked things that forcibly took away the power of nature and sucked it up. Hmpf, it¡¯s obviously impossible. She didn¡¯t know it since they¡¯re rtionship is only her getting help by paying with a bit of blood, but Jin was rougher than she thought. His roughness isparable to sandpaper. Valletta nodded her head. She actually didn¡¯t think he¡¯d be able toe in. -And you as well, how did you think of summoning me from a separate space? Well, it was already abnormal that you could summon me normally. ¡°Is itplicated to summon a spirit?¡± ¨C Of course. The only way to summon a spirit by its original name is when the contractor calls the contracted spirit. By the way, when they sign their first contract, they have to hold the summoning ceremony while drawing the summoning circle while feeling the nature. ¡°To summon a water spirit, do I have to go into the water to summon it?¡± When Valletta spoke bluntly about the fact that often happened in this and that novel setting, he looked at Valletta with a questioning eye, as if Jin discovered a new side of her. ¨C Yes, that¡¯s right! In order to summon a spirit like me, there are many people who go up to the top of a mountain or area where typhoons blow and draw a summoning circle! Jin exined his own greatness. Valletta had thought as much. To be honest, Valletta thought that everything that she was doing didn¡¯t seem like reality. It was still like scenes from the novel. Perhaps that is why. For 10 years, she didn¡¯t memorize anyone¡¯s name, and was able to watch people die in front of her without any hesitation. ¡®That doesn¡¯t mean I didn¡¯t want to go back to my original world, but¡­¡¯ Now that her memories have faded, she has no desire to go back. ¡°Is there any other way to summon you from here?¡± ¨C If you have the ability to do so, it will be possible if you make a contract with the spirit. ¡°What if I don¡¯t sign a contract?¡± -Well, in your case, the affinity is so good that you can summon a spirit by name alone, so maybe you can draw a summoning circle and formally summon it from within. Jin, who spoke, tilted his head back and forth. Then he burst outughing and shook his head again. ¨C No, but it¡¯s almost impossible. Since there has never been a case where a spirit has been summoned from inside the Magic Tower. ¡°If you¡¯re a summoner¡­¡± She remembered seeing it in a book before. She was actually toozy to draw, thus only called his name once, but she still remembers being surprised when she was able to summon him. ¡®Let¡¯s try it.¡¯ Valletta looked around lightly, looking for a pen and paper. ¡°There¡¯s nothing.¡± The only thing in the room was the bed and the food Reinhardt had left on the table. She narrowed her brow. It was a good opportunity to try summoning before Reinhardt came back. As she stood still, Valletta suddenly nced at the table. Then she strode towards it. She took the knife in her hand and wiped it with a napkin. Then she grabbed the edge of her dress with her hand and thrust the knife vertically into it. Rip! The dress made of precious fabric got torn apart. Valletta put the ripped hem of the fabric down on the floor, and this time she slightly cut her index finger with the knife. -What are you doing now! She didn¡¯t even care about the voice she heard. Valletta slumped to the floor and began to draw circles on the white fabric of her dress with her blood to draw a summoning circle. ¡°I will summon you again as you said.¡± -You ignorant one. The colorless and transparent hawk outside the ss shook its head with a fed up expression. *** Chapter 23 Summoning spirits wasn¡¯t too difficult, since it came up everytime Valletta read a book about spirits, so she remembered. A summoning circle was drawn on the torn fabric with her white, bleeding finger. At first nce, it looked like it would summon a demon. Jin trembled all over. His colorless hair trembled along with him. -I don¡¯t want to be summoned by such a terrible summoning circle! Valletta chuckled at Jin¡¯s cry. She looked like she didn¡¯t care at all. ¡°What should I do to summon you?¡± ¨C To summon a spirit, you must memorize the summoning spell. All you have to do is memorize a summoning spell that summons the spirit of the wind. Jin replied with a bitter expression. Valletta searched her memory. She had a pretty good memory, but it wasn¡¯t enough to memorize a summoning spell. In the end, Valletta asked Jin for help and nagged him to give her the summoning spell. -You are the only one who has asked a spirit for the spell to summon that spirit. Valletta looked at Jin and opened her mouth. ¡°Riding the wind blowing in the sky, I want to summon you to this ce right now. Greater spirit of the wind, Jin.¡± -¡­ No way. The summoning circle drawn in red blood lit up, and the hawk outside the ss wall disappeared in a whirlwind. Soon, a small wind began to blow over the summoning circle, then transformed into a whirlwind. From within the wind, a gigantic hawk, twice the size of her, appeared, trampling her summoning circle with its feet. -¡­ What is all this¡­ ¡°So summoning is possible.¡± Valletta looked at the dazed Jin and muttered. It won¡¯t be difficult to summon Jin in a hurry if she draws the summoning circle on a piece of paper and carries it in her pocket. She would at least be able to protect her body against the magicians. At that moment, a light shed behind the colorless and transparent Jin. Before Valletta could even turn her gaze towards it, Jin was mmed into the wall. Bang, Jin collided into the wall with a loud noise. -Ugh¡­ ¡°Master, are you okay?¡± Reinhardt walked straight towards Valletta with a bloody expression. No, it wasn¡¯t even a walk. Valletta blinked once and Reinhardt was already in front of her. She lifted her head and looked at Jin who was hanging on the wall. ¡°¡­ What is wrong with your hand, Master?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s your concern.¡± Reinhardt slowly reached out and grabbed Valletta¡¯s wrist at her cold words. As he lifted her hand, a stream of blood dripped down fromher index finger. ¡°You did it yourself, Master.¡± Reinhardt said without a smile. His eyes fell on the piece of torn cloth with a summoning circle on the floor. As he moved his eyes to find the source of the torn fabric, it was not difficult to see that one of her legs was exposed up to her thigh. ¡°If you needed pen and paper, I could¡¯ve provided you with as much as you want.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Hm, Master?¡± Reinhardt licked Valletta¡¯s finger up slowly. His red tongue came out of his lips, stealing a drop of blood. The hairs on Valletta¡¯s body stood up. Reinhardt approached right in front of her nose with eyes that shined dangerously. ¡°It hurts my heart.¡± Reinhardt, whose eyes lit up delicately, pressed his thumb against Valletta¡¯s wounds. Her face contorted sharply. ¡°Ugh¡­!¡± She groaned in pain. As he slowly wiped away the wound, the dripping blood disappeared in an instant and the wound healed. Valletta¡¯s eyes darkened as the short pain that suddenly hit her disappeared in an instant. This is an ability that transcends the human realm. Reinhardt was such an existence. A being who was born with power far beyond the realm of humans, living in solitude, and was always alone. She slowly turned her head away from his gaze. ¡°Master.¡± ¡°¡­¡± When Valletta did not answer, Reinhardt pushed her towards the bed. He then knelt before her as always. He looked up at Valletta, with eyes not much different from ten years ago. ¡°Valletta.¡± It was a sweet, seductive voice. Reinhardt, who smiled with the corner of his eyes bent as if he was trying to prove that she was not in danger, called out to her. It¡¯s an unfamiliar calling. But Valletta couldn¡¯t ignore it. She slowly turned her head to meet Reinhardt and his gaze. ¡°Just call me and give your order if you want anything, whatever it is.¡± ¡°It was just a test. Do not exaggerate.¡± Valletta said with a sigh. She doesn¡¯t know what kind of emotion it is, but his eyes that were burning hot was burdensome. ¡°What if I go crazy if Master gets hurt like this?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Valletta narrowed her eyes. She wanted to ask why he¡¯s going crazy, but since conversing with him doesn¡¯t seem to work, she just shut her mouth. ¡°I can kill all of those knives-maker, right?¡± Crazy people are different from ordinary people from the very beginning, and Reinhardt was just like that. Valletta pondered over what to say and swallowed a smile. ¡°Then let go of Jin.¡± ¡°Jin?¡± ¡°The wind spirit that you mmed against the wall.¡± ¡°Ah, I understand.¡± At Valletta¡¯s words, Reinhardt nodded his head meekly. As he snapped his finger, Jin, who was fixed on the wall, fell to the floor. -He¡¯s like those annoying magicians..! Jin¡¯s anger filled voice echoed in her head. However, Jin did not attack Reinhardt carelessly. It must be because he instinctively realized that the level of power is different. ¡®Is it too much for the spirits?¡¯ She had some hopes that Jin would be able to face Reinhardt, but it seems it was overkill. Valletta looked into Reinhardt¡¯s eyes. However, Reinhardt did not respond as if he did not hear Jin¡¯s words. ¡°But, Master.¡± ¡°This guy, calling me master is a little¡­¡± ¡°Why? Do you want me to call you by your first name?¡± His madness-like obsession can be felt from his glistening eyes like a bright red iron heated on a furnace. Valletta swallowed her breath. ¡°How can I have you, Master?¡± Reinhardt said, kissing Valletta¡¯s finger. ¡°I want to have youpletely. How can I do it?¡± His lips eventually touched Valletta¡¯s palm and pressed against it. It was an earnest kiss. Valletta¡¯s body trembled. The deep red eyes stayed on Valletta¡¯s face, showing no sign of falling off. She could feel the madness in his eyes that was being barely suppressed. Valletta simply looked at Reinhardt without a word. ¡°Get me out of here.¡± ¡°It¡¯s dangerous. Or is there somewhere you want to go, Master?¡± ¡°There is.¡± At Reinhardt¡¯s words, Valletta nodded her head. He looked up at her softly as he gently touched Valletta¡¯s fingers. His neck was strangely tilted to the side for a moment as if he was worried about something. ¡°You¡¯re not going to the Crown Prince, are you?¡± ¡°Wherever I go, it doesn¡¯t matter to you.¡± ¡°If I don¡¯t, then who will care for you, Master?¡± Reinhardt said in a sweet whispering voice. Valletta¡¯s eyebrows narrowed even more, unsure whether he was sincere or not. ¡°I am so curious about what Master is doing or thinking to the point where I want to cut your head open and take a look inside.¡± Reinhardt smiled beautifully, wrapping her cheek with his other hand that was not touching Valletta¡¯s fingers. It was a smile directed only at Valletta. Her lips hardened as she looked down at his smile. Reinhardt sat on the floor and rested his head on her thigh. He tilted his head to the side and touched her hand without saying a word. Valletta looked down at Reinhardt quietly. Reinhardt would sometimes sit her down and theny on her knees like this. Not only now, but even when they were in Count Delights mansion. Rarely at night, he woulde to her room to serve her and would make Valletta sit on the bed. He would then kneel down on the floor and would alway rest his head on her knee or thighs. ¡®It wasn¡¯t serving in the first ce.¡¯ In fact, she originally should have said no and sent him away. However, she couldn¡¯t, as there were times when Reinhardt¡¯s actions felt desperate, as if he was clinging to thest remaining thin rope. If she pushed Reinhardt out of there, she felt like he would fall off a cliff and would do something. Reinhardt didn¡¯t do this often, but he used to lean on Valletta only when he reached his limit. So she would turn her head without saying a word to him, leaving Reinhardt to do his thing. ¡°Master.¡± ¡°¡­ What?¡± ¡°Please stroke my head.¡± His eyes which slowly moved, touched Valletta and bent as if melting. *** Chapter 24 Valletta who was about to say no, let out a small sigh and reached out her hand. His long hair was like high quality silk. ¡®It¡¯s soft.¡¯ His hair is softer than my hair so it hurts my pride a little. ¡°Sometimes, it feels like Master is a god watching a story.¡± He closed his eyes and opened his mouth. ¡°¡­ What are you talking about?¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Valletta¡¯s hand gently brushed Reinhardt¡¯s hair. Reinhardt, who let out a low groan with his eyes closed, smiled. ¡°Master¡­ even If someone dies in front of your eyes, or when you get hung upside down, you wear an expression like there¡¯s nothing you can do about it.¡± Reinhardt¡¯s lips moved slightly. ¡°As if everything was fixed and it was inevitable.¡± Valletta¡¯s hand came to a halt. Feeling like he had hit the nail in the head, Valletta looked down at Reinhardt with a slightly stiff expression. Before she knew it, he looked at her with a shine in his eyes. ¡°I also thought like that. However, despite knowing that it was fated, I still often get angry. But my patient Master didn¡¯t.¡± ¡°¡­ You knew that it was fated?¡± ¡°Master wouldn¡¯t know what kind of path I would¡¯ve taken if I had left your arms.¡± After cleverly dodging Valletta¡¯s reply, Reinhardt got up slowly with a smile. Then he pushed Valletta on the shoulder and gentlyid her on the bed. His cold fingertips ran up her neck and touched her forehead. Valletta sat up, and looked at Reinhardt who was facing her. ¡°Everytime I see Master, I want to nibble on you starting from your fingers and swallow you¡­¡± The corner of his lips lifted up. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be angry, so I¡¯ll be patient until you allow me.¡± ¡°¡­ What the hell are you talking about?¡± ¡°Ah, since this is also my room, can I sleep next to you?¡± ¡°If I tell you no, you won¡¯t do it?¡± At Valletta¡¯s question, Reinhardt¡¯s eyes opened wide and gave her a look of hateful surprise. Even so, it was soon swept away with a smile that could seduce even men. ¡°It looks like I won¡¯t be able to sleep here until Master gives me permission.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°As expected of my sensible Master.¡± Valletta didn¡¯t say anything, but Reinhardt immediately praised her as he felt that she had given up from her expression. Valletta sighed and turned her gaze away. ¡°And go to bed early today. Since you¡¯re tired.¡± Reinhardt¡¯s palm ran through her hair. With each swipe, she began to lose her consciousness. Then, as if someone had turned the power off, she fell asleep. Before shepletely lost consciousness¡­ ¡®This crazy bxstxrd¡­¡¯ Valletta¡¯s eyes finally closed, unable to finish the thought that had crept into her head. At the same time as her breathing became shallower, Jin, who was summoned, was released as the summoner lost consciousness. Reinhardtid her down in the middle of her bed and covered her with a nket. With one snap of his finger, a ck curtain appeared on the ss wall in all directions, preventing a single light from entering. Reinhardt¡¯s hand ran slowly through Valletta¡¯s dark brown hair. His red eyes sparkling in the darkness looked straight at Valletta. ¡°It would be better if you couldn¡¯t do anything.¡± So that you would rely on me for everything. And you won¡¯t be able to do anything without my help. The desires that seeped within him often overflowed, and it seemed that he would do something irreversible. ¡°If I wasn¡¯t the Magic Tower¡¯s Master, it would have been impossible for me to even be by your side.¡± He was thrown into muddy waters that had an existence like a star in the sky, noble, beautiful, and strong with an ability that everyone wanted. There¡¯s no way a pebble could stand on the same level. If he didn¡¯t have the strength, he wouldn¡¯t have an excuse to force her to stay, nor have the power or ability to do so. There was no need to just be beautiful. That beauty will someday be trampled on by someone and wither. ¡°But if it¡¯s you, I don¡¯t mind, Master.¡± If she wanted him to wither, she could personally thrust a sword into him. If she wants anything, she just needs to give themand. Whatever themand is, he will faithfully obey it like a well-trained dog. Reinhardt kissed the back of Valletta¡¯s sleeping hand. Then heid down next to her, holding her hand. ¡°Sleep well, Master.¡± Reinhardt, whoy on his side as if waiting for an unanswered answer, looked down at her for a moment, then slowly closed his eyes. It was a night with warmth for the first time in their lives. *** ¡°¡­¡± Valletta sighed inwardly. For the whole week, Reinhardt would put Valletta to sleep first, then he would rest while holding her hand. He held onto it so tightly that whenever Valletta woke up in the morning, her hands would be sweaty and ufortable. Reinhardt, who slept like a child, exhaled light breaths, and seemed veryfortable. He was quite different from when he was sleeping crouched in the corner of a hallway or shivering in a warehouse or stable, where there was no ce to sleep like when they were still in Count Delight¡¯s residence. ¡®Do we have to sleep while holding hands?¡¯ She once happened to see Reinhardt sleeping in a corner of the hallway, but she pretended not to know, thinking that it was something inevitable. However, it wasn¡¯t easy to pretend that she didn¡¯t know about it. She showed a little sympathy, but desperately avoided any ties in any way. She quietly sat up on the bed. It was impossible for her to get out of bed as he was still holding her hand. There were quite a few new things present in the room where previously there was only a bed. A bookshelf with various books enough to cover one wall, a desk, papers, pens, and a spacious bathroom. Fresh fruit was ced on the table every day, every meal including breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as snack and tea time. The temperature wasfortable in the room, neither hot nor cold, was always constant, and the air was not dry. The nkets were always soft and smelled of sunlight. Everything was provided by Reinhardt for Valletta. He did whatever Valletta wanted. Even if she wanted to eat fruits that weren¡¯t produced in the current season or tropical fruits from a distant continent across the sea, it took less than an hour to bring them all. He would ask for apliment as he knelt down below the bed and smiled everytime Valletta would stroke his head. Valletta gave up being grumpy, thinking that there was nothing that Reinhardt couldn¡¯t do. ¡®¡­ I¡¯m running out of time.¡¯ Count Delight kept the ves that he nurtured in a ce that he dreadfully named as the ¡®Nurturing Room.¡¯ She needs to go where that ce is. It was clear that the mercenaries who looked after them would throw them out as soon as they lost support. It was more likely that they would sell them to a terrible ce, or worse, leave them to starve. In fact, if she wanted to try and pretend that she didn¡¯t know, she could do it. However, it would surely bother her. She remembered that the remaining contract time was about a week or so. ¡®Besides¡­.¡¯ As far as she remembers, the male protagonist in the Nurturing Room would take care of the troublesome things that would happen in this worldter. Originally, the main protagonist should have been released when the Nurturing Room got destroyed after Reinhardt¡¯s massacre, but instead of destroying it, Reinhardt was busy lying next to her all day. Moreover, as far as she knew, there were no documents left about the existence of the Nurturing Room. He was, after all, Count Delight who was thorough in his own way. If it weren¡¯t for Reinhardt, he wouldn¡¯t havee to such a miserable end. ¡®More than anything else, I have to release them, so Reinhardt gets interested in him.¡¯ She couldn¡¯t understand why he was being obsessed with her for no reason. He looks like a really innocent young man when he sleeps quietly, but when he opens his eyes, he¡¯s like a sweet devil who came down looking like an angel. As soon as she finished thinking, Reinhardt opened his eyes. The hazy, unfocused eyes rolled over as if grasping the situation, and eventually turned to Valletta. The boy closed his half-opened eyes and smiled. ¡°Master, did you sleep well?¡± Valletta turned her head away in response to the gentle greeting. Thanks to Reinhardt¡¯s magic, it was clear that she had a deep sleep without dreaming or tossing and turning. She didn¡¯t want Reinhardt to misunderstand by admitting it though. ¡°Good Morning, Master.¡± Reinhardt sat up, took her hand, and put his face in front of her nose. If she won¡¯t ept his greeting with a smile, it seems like he won¡¯t back down. Valletta showed a shaky expression. ¡°¡­ Good Morning.¡± As she greeted him with a reluctant expression, he grinned and slowly lifted her sped hand, kissed the back of Valletta¡¯s hand, and climbed out of the bed. When Reinhardt snapped his finger, the ck curtains all around them disappeared. ¡°I need to go to the Nurturing Room.¡± Valletta, whose gaze followed Reinhardt¡¯s movements, said. His expression contorted. ¡°Why are you going there?¡± ¡°To set the ves free. They will either die or be sold anyway, so I want to let them go while they are still in my possession.¡± She didn¡¯t want to live with any guilt. Reinhardt crossed his arms and looked at Valletta. His mouth twisted. ¡°Is Master saying that you know what kind of ce that is and that you want to go there recklessly?¡± ¡°Whatever it is, it was my father¡¯s business. I have to solve it. We can¡¯t just let them die, can we?¡± Reinhardt¡¯s face, who always has a smile on, was distorted. ¡°Do you still consider that dog pig b*st*rd your father?¡± ¡°I have nothing else to say.¡± He strode up and wrapped his big hand around Valletta¡¯s cheek. Reinhardt, who came close to her nose, opened his mouth. ¡°The Master, who is kind to everything but me, must have felt sympathy for things she had never seen before.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not sympathy. Just¡­¡± She just doesn¡¯t want to feel any guilt. Valletta, who was about to utter the words, bit her mouth. It was her useless pride. It was also because she didn¡¯t feel the need to convince him. ¡°That ce¡­¡± Reinhardt opened his mouth, not showing what he was thinking. He shrugged his shoulders and flicked his fingers. A table appeared and hot food was already ced on it. ¡°Let¡¯s eat first, Master.¡± Reinhardt, who smiled sweetly and tenderly, pulled out a chair and nced at her. Although Valletta felt ufortable, she sat quietly in the chair he had pulled out. It was a much quieter meal than usual. *** Chapter 25 *** ¡°Hehe¡­ Me, please buy me, Master!¡± ¡°A-ah, no! Please buy me. I can do it! I will do better! ¡°I¡¯m better than them, I will¡­¡± ¡°P-please save me! Ugh¡­¡± After an ufortable meal, they arrived at the Nurturing Room with Reinhardt¡¯s magic. As soon as she stepped into the room, Valletta¡¯s body stiffened at the sounding from all directions. She roughly expected it, but this ce was worse than she expected. As soon as the light seeped into the dark space, she heard wailing and begging here and there. Valletta¡¯s face contorted at the terrible cries and the terrible smell of medicine that seemed to make her mind fuzzy. The smells seemed to be the sweet smell of a flower, then it was the awful smell of garbage, and sometimes it split in two. As Valletta staggered as she stood dazed, Reinhardt sped her back tightly with his arms and made her stand upright. ¡°Master, open your eyes properly and look ahead. Master wanted to see this, right?¡± At the whispering voice in her ear, Valletta nkly blinked her eyes. She should raise her head, but she can¡¯t. A buzzing voice echoed in her mind. Reinhardt stood in front of Valletta, bent down, and nced at her. ¡®A bad quality hallucinogen.¡¯ It was amon drug used to destroy the minds and enve ordinary thinking humans. Reinhardt was ustomed to this kind of drug, having often been attacked by Count Delight without Valletta¡¯s knowledge. But she wasn¡¯t. Honestly, he didn¡¯t want to bring her to this ce. But at the same time, he wanted to show her this reality. This is the result of his lowly desires. Reinhardtughed at himself. He hated that she showed sympathy to something other than himself. He had never enjoyed sympathy in his life, but he wanted her sympathy badly. He wanted Valletta, who was desperately trying to throw him away, to look after him. Reinhardt stroked Valletta¡¯s forehead with his thumb as she gasped and gasped. Valletta, who seemed to be having difficulty breathing, changed in an instant. It was easy for her to knock out the guards outside. Even if she didn¡¯t have Reinhardt, Valletta could sufficiently summon spirits to have the upper hand. Since it was not the Magic Tower, Valletta can summon higher spirits without cumbersome summoning circles. ¡°I really wish you were¡­ a person who couldn¡¯t do anything.¡± Reinhardt whispered, just like that night. If only Valletta was powerless, dumb and a pretentious person with a sense of justice, she would have been much more easier to handle. If she would ask him to save someone, he would have listened no matter what. ¡°You¡¯re the only one who can use me¡­¡± Reinhardt¡¯s words became unclear. His hand sped Valletta¡¯s nape and quickly fell off. He can¡¯t kill her. ¡®If I were going to kill you, I would¡¯ve killed you back then.¡¯ The day he killed Count Delight, Reinhardt refrained from killing Valletta. Now he can¡¯t kill her no matter what. Thus, he wanted to be her dog. A being who is forgiven by its Master for the rest of its life because of its loyalty. However, Valletta nevermanded Reinhardt. She didn¡¯t want anything from him. She didn¡¯t call his name, except when he stumbled. But she was still the only one who didn¡¯t avoid his gaze. Reinhardt kissed her forehead, which he rubbed once with his thumb. A light shed, and it seeped into Valletta¡¯s forehead. Valletta¡¯s hazy pupils began to re-focus. She nkly blinked her eyes. Her long eyshes blinked two or three times, then slowly regained their focus. ¡°I¡¯ve blocked the poisoning in from the outside. You won¡¯t feel dizzy anymore, Master.¡± Reinhardt smiled beautifully with a face that seemed to melt away. Valletta, whose mind was still dazed, touched her forehead and nodded her head absent-mindedly. ¡®¡­ Crazy. What the hell is this?¡¯ Her head was spinning and it felt like she was about to go insane. Other than that, Reinhardt looked pretty good. She nced back at him and opened her closed mouth. ¡°Are you okay?¡± She had only thrown out those words, but Reinhardt¡¯s eyes lit up with excitement. ¡°¡­ Are you worried about me, Master?¡± Valletta kept her mouth shut when she saw Reinhardt smiling brightly without hiding his joy. Why is he smiling so prettily? Valletta tly shut her mouth and turned her head. She wants to p her hands for her past self who didn¡¯t get fooled even though she was being openly seduced with his face. ¡°First, we have to do something about this air.¡± Valletta turned her head and scanned the smoke-filled interior. It had iron bars like a prison and several people were locked in it. There were more than one or two of such prisons. ¡®Shall I call Jin?¡¯ His wind seemed like it would be enough to make the air inside dissipate. But at the same time, she was reluctant, as she had never properly called, cared and had given order. ¡°Just give me your order, Master.¡± Reinhardt said, making a flicking gesture with his finger. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Reinhardt¡¯s face hardened when Valletta rejected his offer. He slowly lowered his hand. ¡°Then there is nothing I can do.¡± While he was still smiling brightly, he showed a look of disappointment. Valletta nced at Reinhardt and shook her head. She doesn¡¯t have a lot of power, so she can¡¯t think of anything in particr. She can¡¯t help it even if she gets cursed at one more time. Valletta sighed and opened her mouth. ¡®¡­ No, there is no need to summon a higher spirit, right?¡¯ Valletta¡¯s pouty lips clung to each other again. Think about it. She was only going to ask it to let the wind blow inside to clean the air, but calling the higher spirit was a waste of energy. It¡¯s not because she absolutely didn¡¯t want to hear Jin¡¯s nagging. ¡°Sylph.¡± As she called the name, a whirlwind appeared in front of her eyes. It was a very small whirlwindpared to when Jin appeared. Judging from the glow, she thought Sylph would soone out, but the whirlwind suddenly went out. ¡°¡­ What?¡± Valletta¡¯s gaze turned to Reinhardt. Reinhardt shook his head. Seeing her narrowed gaze, he shook his head again, feeling like it was unfair. ¡°It¡¯s not you?¡± ¡°¡­ Dim-witted Master, I¡¯m upset. Anyone can see that the connection was cut off from the other side, how can you doubt me?¡± Valletta shut her mouth at Reinhardt¡¯s words. He had said that he didn¡¯t kill the summoning, so she couldn¡¯t add anything more. She rolled her eyes and opened her mouth again. ¡°Sylph.¡± This time again, there was a whirlpool but it went out. It didn¡¯t even shine this time. Valletta crossed her arms as if it were absurd. ¡°Sylph!¡± This time the vortex did not even appear. Valletta felt a little miserable now. She looked back at Reinhardt, but his arms were crossed and he had already turned away. It seemed like he was upset for being doubted. ¡°¡­ Jin.¡± She put his name on her lips as she recalled the sharp eyes of the hawk. A whirlwind appeared and glowed, and then a huge, colorless and transparent hawk was summoned. As soon as he was summoned, his beak widened and his eyes shed, full of things he wanted to say. ¡®¡­ Uhm. I shouldn¡¯t have done this.¡¯ Valletta regretted it for a moment. She just didn¡¯t know if it would have been better if she had asked Reinhardt. When she thought about what she was about to go through, she felt a little sad. -You cold-hearted thing! You ungrateful thing! You unkind thing! As soon as he was summoned, Valletta frowned at the incessant voice. *** Chapter 26 *** What kind of bird is that talkative? ¡®Reinhardt doesn¡¯t seem to hear the spirit¡¯s voice.¡¯ Last time and this time as well, there was no response. It might be better this way. She doesn¡¯t know if spirits can die, but it is better this way as the hawk might get destroyed for being so noisy. -I¡¯ve been summoned and sent back dozens of times even though you¡¯re not a contractor, and this time you¡¯re summoning a different spirit! You have no conscience! This is the first time in my life that I¡¯ve seen someone treat a spirit like this! How dare you summon me like this and turn your eyes away from me! ¡®Dozen times¡­¡¯ There was no exageration. In other words, Jin must have caught her trying to summon a different spirit. Valletta understood what he wanted without any difficulty. ¡°¡­ Uhm, sorry.¡± She apologized politely. She honestly felt that she was losing her soul as she heard all this nagging that was bombarding her dazed mind. -Hmph, you probably called me this time to properly fulfill the contract. Jin nced at Reinhardt and moved away from him. Reinhardt smiled as he looked at Jin stepped back. ¡°Clean the air here. I want you to get all the impure things out,¡± Vallettamanded. -Good. The payment? ¡°I¡¯ll give you my blood¡­¡± ¡°You can¡¯t. Master.¡± Reinhardt stopped Valletta¡¯s mouth with his words and a smile. ¡°If you¡¯re going to give blood to that little chick, give it to me instead. I will lick and eat it without leaving anything behind.¡± ¡°¡­ What are you going to do with my blood?¡± ¡°I thought it would be delicious.¡± Valletta¡¯s face turned ugly. Reinhardt smiled softly. She looked at Jin with troubled eyes. At some point, Jin had already moved far away. ¡®¡­ The spirit is afraid of Reinhardt.¡¯ It is actually understandable that he was terrified. Since he was treated like that the first time they met. Reinhardt still looked at Jin with a smile. Of course, only the corner of his mouth was drawing an arc, his gaze was cold. The colorless and transparent hawk¡¯s neck shook once. -¡­ Then, I¡¯ll do it as a service. Jin, who nced at Reinhardt, hesitated and said to Valletta. ¡°Is there something like that?¡± -¡­ Jin didn¡¯t answer. He nced at Reinhardt, then spread his wings and pped them as hard as he could. A gust of wind appeared from a deep part of the aisle, brushing against Valletta and Reinhardt, and exited through the door behind them. Reinhardt tightly held Valletta who staggered against the wind. Covering her tightly closed eyes with his hand, Reinhardt raised his head and looked at Jin. Jin trembled at that cold, emotionless gaze, and abruptly backed away. At that moment, the sound of a sword being drawn was heard outside. ¡°Looks like there is someone inside!¡± ¡°Catch them immediately! We need to find clues about Lady Delight.¡± At the sound of a familiar voice, Valletta¡¯s expression was filled with dismay. At the same time, the smile on Reinhardt¡¯s face disappeared. ¡°Those intruders inside, I will let you surrender! I¡¯m Milrode ines, the officer inmand for the investigation into Count Delight¡¯s annihtion incident!¡± Valletta touched her forehead at the stern voice. It was the Crown Prince who was still engaged to Valletta. ¡®How did he know about this ce?¡¯ Are there any documents left? Of course, Valletta didn¡¯t see Count Delight¡¯s work, and she couldn¡¯t guarantee that he didn¡¯t have any papers. However, she did not know that they would meet again like this here. ¡®¡­ This one is annoying, but that one is annoying too.¡¯ In regard to her engagement, she was definitely resolving it. But the situation is a little vague. ¡°Can I kill them, Master?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t make thingsplicated for nothing.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I can kill them withoutplicating anything.¡± Reinhardt said while smiling. She was well aware that he has such an ability. However, they have yet to release the prisoners. After thinking for a while, Valletta decided to ignore the people outside. She determined that it would be faster if the ves were to be released first, and the situation outside could be monitored. It became even more noisy outside. Valletta took the key from the guard outside. Reinhardt nced at her hand and smiled bitterly. If she would just give him amand, with a single snap of his finger, he could turn the building, as well as the prisons, into dust. However, she refuses to use him. He could feel his stomach start to twist inside. Reinhardt reached out and grabbed Valletta¡¯s wrist. ¡°Master,mand me.¡± ¡°I am not your master.¡± ¡°Then, are you going to open all these prisons one by one? Or are you going to use that stupid bird to blow up the whole building?¡± Contrary to his gentle smile and his eye smile, he hit the nail on the head. Valletta shut her mouth. He was right. The people from outside were about to rush in, and she was running out of time. Reinhardt kissed the back of her hand. Valletta took a step back, narrowing her brow. It was hard to get used to his ethereal appearance, smiling brightly right in front of her. ¡®¡­ Is there no other way?¡¯ She gently swept her face with her palm. Soon, after a deep breath, she slowly opened her mouth. ¡°Open the prison door.¡± ¡°Who are you asking?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You have to say my name properly, Master. If you don¡¯t tell me for sure, I won¡¯t know if Master is giving orders or not.¡± The wind thickened due to his whispering voice. She nced at Reinhardt once and then clicked her tongue. Just why the hell is he so obsessed with names? ¡°¡­ Reinhardt.¡± A deep smile appeared on his lips as he clearly heard Valletta¡¯s low voice. Soon, his eyes glowed even redder. He didn¡¯t even need to snap a finger. As his eyes were dyed red, a reaction appeared immediately. Tang! Tang! Tang! The locks exploded in session with the sound of iron twisting. The iron that hit everywhere was threatening. One of the iron locks bounced off the wall and bounced right in front of Valletta¡¯s nose. Reinhardt lightly stood in front of Valletta. When he snapped his finger, the flying iron turned to powder and burnedpletely away, disappearing without leaving a trace. He turned around and smiled sweetly. ¡°You didn¡¯t get hurt, right?¡± Reinhardt carefully stroked Valletta¡¯s hair. She nodded her head. There were ves who hesitated to leave the prison, while there were ves who hesitated toe out even though the door was opened. ¡°The Master who caught you is dead. You¡¯re free, go out through the backdoor and live as you please.¡± At Valletta¡¯s words, the ves continued to hesitate. The newly captured ves soon realized the truth of her words and hurriedly ran away. Those who did not move were only children or those who were too enved to live alone. ¡®I¡¯ve done enough.¡¯ She couldn¡¯t afford to take responsibility for these people. She quickly turned her head away indifferently. The entrance was very noisy. ¡°We are going in!¡± In the end, themotion inside seemed to have forced the guards outside to forcefully break through. Reinhardt smiled leisurely and looked at Valletta¡¯s expression. ¡°What should I do, Master? Kill them all? Or¡­ should I let them live?¡± Reinhardt, who asked her in a low voice, was watching her with his eyes. Valletta didn¡¯t want to get involved in their fight. Nor does she want to follow him back to the tower. ¡°I¡¯m not going back to the tower with you.¡± ¡°That is not for Master to decide.¡± Reinhardt smiled kindly and said. Valletta clenched her fists at his soothing voice. She really wanted to punch him in the face. ¡°I am your master, and you are my master as well. It was like that from the beginning. Because in that mansion the only person who understood you was me, and the only person who understood me was you.¡± At Reinhardt¡¯s words, Valletta lost her words for a moment. ¡°You may give me any orders, but don¡¯t try to get away from me. You make me want to chain you up and lock you away in a cage so you can¡¯t go anywhere.¡± Reinhardt gently swept her wrist with his thumb. As Valletta flinched and tried to take a step back, he smiled, pressing painlessly against the center of her wrist. She was so lovely that he wanted to swallow her up. Reinhardt looked at her and thought. Bang! At that moment, the tightly closed door opened. To be exact, Reinhardt used magic to block it tightly. Light leaked into the dark basement. It wouldn¡¯t open if he didn¡¯t allow it, yet it did. ¡®They must have a priest.¡¯ Reinhardt¡¯s eyes narrowed. Chapter 27 *** He smiled and hugged Valletta gently, then let go. He then strode inside, grabbed one of the children by his nape, and carried him out. ¡°¡­ What are you doing?¡± ¡°Ah, this?¡± The child wearing shabby clothes, who was stiff and was unable to do anything, was put down by Reinhardt on the floor. Valletta was a little surprised. He didn¡¯t kill anyone, nor did he treat anyone badly, and he even put the child down nicely. ¡°The Magic Tower¡¯s Master could not directly kill an unawakened magician, and if one was discovered, one must not pretend not to know. Although it¡¯s troublesome and annoying.¡± ¡°Magician¡­?¡± The child, who saw Reinhardt¡¯s red eyes, shuddered and clung to Valletta¡¯s legs. Reinhardt nced at the child who was desperately clinging to her legs. As Valletta sighed and hid the boy behind her back, Reinhardt looked away and smiled. ¡°I seem to be the only exception to Master¡¯s kindness.¡± She lifted her head at Reinhardt¡¯s loose words. It had been a long time since he turned toward the doorway where the light was leaking in. Valletta nervously looked down at the trembling child. ¡®¡­ I can¡¯t handle children very well.¡¯ However, it was difficult to ignore the child who was trembling and clinging desperately to her. He was about seven or eight years old. She fumbled around and grabbed the child by his forearm. As she dropped a little lower, she grabbed his hand. When she took his hand, the child¡¯s eyes opened wide and his trembling slowly stopped. Reinhardt nced behind him and strode forward. Valletta also took the child¡¯s hand and followed after him. It was true that she wanted to run away from there, however, she didn¡¯t know how to get out of that ce at the moment. ¡®If I go to the Imperial Pce, I won¡¯t be treated well just like he said.¡¯ She pondered for a moment. She wants to inform the people in the Imperial Pce. Even if she was all alone, they couldn¡¯t easily put their hands on her. The pondering was short and the conclusion was simple. ¡°Jin, Nereid.¡± At her call, a vortex of wind and water appeared before her eyes. A colorless and transparent bird from afar was summoned, and a mermaid with a human torso and lower body fish scales was summoned next to it. It was only the size of Jin¡¯s wing. ¨C Whoa, what? What is this unique creature? How did you summon me without even a summoning circle? ¨C This human can summon a spirit by calling its name anywhere without a summoning circle. ¨C Eh? Jin? Why are you here again? Could it be that she summoned both of us at the same time? Us, higher spirits? The flying mermaid circled around Valletta. Every time the mermaid turned around, the water sshed. Jin stepped back behind Valletta with a troubled expression on his face. ¨C So what do you want, summoner? ¡°I want you to protect me.¡± At Valletta¡¯s words, the mermaid¡¯s finger pointed towards Reinhardt, who was walking in front of them. Valletta shook her head. Of course, it was her greatest wish to be able to protect herself from Reinhardt, however, she remembered reading that even the Spirit King had to fold its hand in front of Reinhardt. ¡°Master, who are you talking to?¡± Reinhardt suddenly approached and asked her. Valletta shook her head. His cold eyes swept over Nereid and Jin. ¡°If we don¡¯t get out of here soon, those annoying things will break through my shield again.¡± ¡®What shield¡­¡¯ There must have been a reason why no one came in even though the door had been open for a long time. She left the basement with a curious expression. As she went outside, she was dazzled by the sudden light. Valletta frowned. ¡°Valletta!¡± She slowly opened her eyes at the familiar voice. Fortunately, her eyes quickly adapted to the bright light. ¡°¡­ His Highness the Crown Prince.¡± ¡°You¡¯re unharmed! You, do you know just¡­ how worried I was? You should have contacted me if you were alive. No. You must have a reason. It¡¯s enough that we met like this.¡± Milrode¡¯s expression showed a sense of relief. Valletta felt a little guilty at his innocent expression. Because she honestly hadn¡¯t thought of contacting him until now. Valletta didn¡¯t speak, as his dark blue eyes passed Valletta and reached Reinhardt, who was standing next to her. ¡°You¡­ aren¡¯t you a ve of Count Delight?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m not.¡± Milrode¡¯s heavy voice was cut off by Reinhardt¡¯s light tone in a single breath. It was very rude and disrespectful treatment of a Crown Prince of a country. ¡°¡­ What did you say?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a ve of my Master.¡± Reinhardt looked at Valletta and smiled. Valletta was a little stunned. What the hell is he thinking admitting he¡¯s a ve of someone so happily? ¡°What I¡¯m saying is, I¡¯m not a ve of that stupid Count Delight.¡± ¡°As expected, the rumors¡­¡± ¡°Your Highness the Crown Prince, I think it will be better to take Lady Delight in custody as a new suspect.¡± Valletta¡¯s expression darkened. She nced hopelessly at Reinhardt. He looked at the soldiers in front of him with an expression that hid what he was thinking. His red eyes sunken heavily. ¡®What to do? I think he¡¯s going to kill them.¡¯ Valletta understood Reinhardt¡¯s thoughts easily. The problem was the soldiers, but especially the Crown Prince, must not be killed. She never wanted to be involved in it. ¡®Looking at the atmosphere right now, perhaps I shouldmand Reinhardt to let them go¡­¡¯ She does not know if she would call it naive or pathetic. ¡°Are you the one who killed Count Delight?¡± ¡°And if I did?¡± ¡°Is the rumor that you have awakened as the Magic Tower¡¯s Master true?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Reinhardt responded with a smirk in response to Milrode¡¯s questions. She doesn¡¯t know why they reced an obvious thing with a boring question and answer. ¡°Even if you are the Magic Tower¡¯s Master, what is this attitude you are showing to His Highness the Crown Prince!¡± ¡°That is right! You¡¯ve even done such a heinous thing like annihting a family!¡± The soldiers around Milrode were filled with outrage because of Reinhardt¡¯s sneering attitude. Reinhardt¡¯s eyebrows twitched slightly. It was clear that his heart was feeling ufortable. Unsurprisingly, he raised his hand to snap a finger, but then turned his head to look at Valletta. Reinhardt looked at Valletta, who was thinking with a nk expression, and put down the finger he had raised. ¡°Master, I don¡¯t want your eyes to be corrupted, so go back to the Tower first.¡± With a friendly voice, he slowly closed Valletta¡¯s eyelids and snapped his fingers. A magic circle appeared on the ground. ¡°Valletta!¡± Milrode ran towards Valletta, who was standing on top of the glowing magic circle with a puzzled expression, as the magic circle activated. *** Chapter 28 *** Valletta and the child clinging to her legs, including Jin and Nereid, disappeared all together. Reinhardt blocked Milrode who was rushing to her. Reinhardt giggled in a low tone as Vallettapletely disappeared. Once he lifted his finger, Milrode¡¯s body floated into the air. ¡°What the hell is thi¡­ Ack!¡± ¡°Your Highness the Crown Prince!¡± Milrode, who was floating in the air, drifted away. Milrode¡¯s body moved frantically in all directions as Reinhardt flicked his fingers with a smile. Milrode¡¯s face, which had been screaming ¡®What is happening?!¡¯, grew increasingly blue. ¡°Well, I can¡¯t kill you, but if I let you live you will wag your tail towards my Master. What should I do? Hm?¡± Reinhardt tilted his face at an angle and asked the knights who were stamping their feet helplessly. Of course, there were also spirit summoners and priests among the knights. Spirit users and Priests were the opposite of Magicians. They had the ability to destroy magic. However, they were only effective if the Magician and the Priest¡¯s level were simr to an extent, or the level of the party trying to destroy was stronger. ¡°How dare you do this while knowing who he is! Even if you have awakened as the Magic Tower¡¯s master, you are still under thew!¡± ¡°Who is he? It¡¯s only the Crown Prince.¡± Reinhardt tilted his head and answered in an innocent sounding voice, as if he knew nothing. He stopped moving his hand and clenched his fist. Then Milrode, who had been flying in all directions in the air, stopped. They were worried that he may have fainted due to his paleplexion and droopiness. He had stopped making weak noises anymore. When the movement stopped, the spirit users and the priests urgently poured their powers to destroy Reinhardt¡¯s levitation magic and summoned spirits. Five priests, two low-level spirit users, and one intermediate spirit user. The precious manpower gathered and poured all their strength on Reinhardt, but, ironically, Milrode didn¡¯t evene down a millimeter. ¡°How can you be stupid and pathetic? Isn¡¯t there any limit to your ignorance of your own ce?¡± Reinhardt asked as if genuinely curious. Then he grinned. As he flicked his fingers to release the magic, Milrode, who was floating in the air, began to plunge down. Perhaps there was a wind spirit mixed in, as a gust of wind received Milrode and carefully set him down on the floor just before he fell down. Surprisingly, he hadn¡¯t fainted yet. However, he seemed to be unable to move easily. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°Y-yeah.¡± Milrode could barely stand, while his hand holding the sword trembled. ¡°One, two, three, four and five. A few.¡± Reinhardt muttered as he pointed his fingers at the five people who had moved to save Milrode. There seemed to be about fifty or so people who came there. ¡°Who loosened the shield I made for my Master with all my heart?¡± His red, curved eyes glistened with madness. His mouth, gently drawn into an arc, was natural and very beautiful. Even those who were hostile trembled and pped their cheeks once. ¡°What if the person who destroyed it came in first?¡± Reinhardt shrugged his shoulders with a very exaggerated look, and slowly scanned Milrode¡¯s party. Reinhardt, who had suddenly rxed his body, bent his waist forward, giggled, and slowly raised his head. Hisughter suddenly stopped, his cold gaze subdued. He scanned the spirit users and the priest with a gaze that would make one¡¯s hairs stand up. ¡°Is the question difficult? Then, tell me who touched the shield first.¡± ¡°What are you going to do once you know who that is?¡± Milrode, who btedly came to his senses, stood in front of Reinhardt and stared at him. Reinhardt¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°If you have awakened as the Magic Tower¡¯s Master, then I shall respect you as well.¡± Reinhardt snickered. The little ants chattering in front of his eyes annoyed him. Do they now know who they are talking with? Milrode¡¯s expression hardened upon hearing Reinhardt¡¯sughter. Milrode, who struggled to keep a straight face, took a deep breath and opened his mouth again. ¡°I am aware that Magicians do not like ordinary people. However, when dealing with people, we should respect each other first.¡± ¡°When did you talk like I wasn¡¯t human?¡± Reinhardt, shrugging his shoulders, grinned. ¡°Ah, ves aren¡¯t people, but they are livestock right?¡± (T/N: ??/Saram can be tranted as either people or human, it will depended on the context.) Reinhardt opened his eyes and said with a very pretentious expression. Milrode¡¯s eyebrows twitched. Milrode was aware of the mysterious nature of Magicians. Magicians were strangely hated by ordinary people. Whether it was because of their innate mana or their ability that appeared once awoken, ordinary people felt an instinctive rejection of magicians. The problem was that the repulsion was also applicable to magicians who had not awakened.A magician who has not awakened is weak. As a result, it provoked human rejection, and their appearance was often a mess. Reinhardt took advantage of his appearance, however, the other Magicians who couldn¡¯t even do that would be trampled on over and over again. ¡°If you¡¯re talking about the time when you were a ve¡­¡± ¡°You dim-witted, foolish Goldy. You should realize that the sturdy Crown Prince armor you¡¯re wearing is not something that everyone has.¡± (T/N: I have no idea why he started calling the Crown Prince Gold. I changed it to goldy as it seems to be a nickname given by Reinhardt for some reason¡­) Reinhardt stretched out his hand, grabbed the neck of one of the priests that was present and pulled him out. Reinhardt pulled him by his cor till he was right in front of him, and forced the priest¡¯s eyes to look at him then smiled softly. ¡°If you foolishly touch my magic again, this is what will happen, understand?¡± Reinhardt¡¯s pure white fingers gently stroked the back of the man¡¯s neck. Every part Reinhardt touched was riddled with life, thus it sent goosebumps all over the man¡¯s body. The priest, who had been muttering for help, trembled and nodded mercilessly. The other priests and spirit users, who were standing behind, were relieved for a moment as Reinhardt¡¯s hand, which was about to grab the neck of the priest who had been dragged out and break it, suddenly stopped. ¡°Can I kill them, Master?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t make thingsplicated for nothing.¡± As that brief conversation came to mind, Reinhardt held onto the priest¡¯s neck and hesitated to break it. After pondering over it, Pfft, he let out a detedugh and then suddenly flicked his finger. ¡°Ahhhhh!¡± At the same time, the other priests and spirit users who were not caught by Reinhardt screamed. All eyes turned to the five priests and the two spirit users. The first thing they saw when they turned their heads was the appearance of the summoned spirits disappearing into powder. The spirit users whose contracts were forcibly terminated due to the death of the spirits, who would not die, were rolling on the floor. The priests were holding their chests and exhaling creaking breaths. Reinhardt threw the priest that he was holding by the cor. The priest fell to the ground, trembling as he looked up to Reinhardt. Their lives were spared, but they will never be able to use their divine powers ever again for the rest of their lives. ¡°This is a warning.¡± He nced at the people lying on the floor with a gaze that was glistening with coldness, then turned to Milrode. ¡°What you guys are thinking of doing to her because of her abilities¡­ It¡¯s very obvious. I¡¯m sickly aware of how she looks like a sweet fruit to you now that she has no backer.¡± Milrode clenched his fists. The priest, who was on the floor, trembled. There were also types of potions that an alchemist could craft to replenish mana or divine power. It was an alchemist who was sometimes able to turn pebbles into gold. However, there were significantly fewer producerspared to the demand. Even if there were alchemists who didn¡¯t belong to an organization, they usually lead a hermit life. There were situations where their potions were traded at the ck market. The reason was simple. This was because alchemists were intended to be owned by the Imperial Family or by the association. There were some who went to the Imperial Pce and made a certain potion every day and lived a life of regret. The veterans live in seclusion, earning only enough to make a living. Because if you belong somewhere, you will be monitored and imprisoned, and you will always have to make a given amount. ¡°I have no intention of doing that! She¡¯s my fianc¨¦e and I¡¯m just worried about her missing, so I¡¯m here to rescue Valletta.¡± ¡°Is it because Goldy is also a pebble that he¡¯s so stupid? It¡¯s ridiculous. Even if you don¡¯t think so, if your boss does, that¡¯s how it will be.¡± ¡°Watch yournguage.¡± Milrode said with a fierce voice. His eyes opened sharply and were riddled with a sense of justice. Reinhardt¡¯s eyes lost interest and cooled down. ¡°It¡¯s because you¡¯re this foolish that you didn¡¯t catch my Master¡¯s eyes even though you had a thousand chances.¡± Reinhardt¡¯s lips gently drew an arc. It was almost like a habitual smile. ¡°Stop talking nonsense and let me meet Valletta!¡± ¡°Master is mine.¡± ¡°She is not a thing!¡± ¡°I discovered her first, and I saw her first, so of course she is mine. Look at the reality, you can¡¯t even defeat a single finger of mine.¡± ¡°She¡¯s too good for you,¡± Reinhardt added, whispering. His face glowed beautifully as he looked at Milrode¡¯s distorted expression. Reinhardt slowly turned his head to look at the people lying on the floor. ¡°If you dare look at my Master and inflict harm to her, I swear on my name, I would give you a life worse than death.¡± After he finished speaking, a white magic circle suddenly appeared at Reinhardt¡¯s feet. ¡°Next time, I will cut off your limbs and only your body will remain to breathe for the rest of your lives. Think carefully.¡± Reinhardt¡¯s appearance along with the words he added, disappeared in the white light emanating from the magic circle. However, from where Reinhardt vanished, his red eyes remained like an after image. *** Chapter 29 *** ¡°Master.¡± Reinhardt called out, as he arrived at the Sky Room with a smile, but froze where he was. There was a chilling sensation with no warmth at all. A cold wind was blowing in the space that was always kept warm. Reinhardt¡¯s gaze slowly scanned the room. There was no one in the Sky Room. It was really empty. To be precise, there was only Caspelius, the caretaker, who was standing still and staring at the hole in the window of the Sky Room. Reinhardt¡¯s eyes sank coldly. ¡°To think that you liked hide-and-seek. Your taste is also unique, Master.¡± His cold voice echoed low in the heavenly room. ¡°What were you doing?¡± Reinhardt sighed and asked Caspelius, who was standing still, as he sat on the bed where Valletta used toy down. The face of the Magic Tower¡¯s Master, who Caspelius had thought would be enraged right away, was unexpectedly fine. Caspelius, who had been watching the curled up corners of Reinhardt¡¯s lips quietly under his robe, bowed his head. ¡°I apologize. I have decided it was better to let her go than to force her.¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s good. I¡¯m d you¡¯re not stupid. You have to know how to set priorities.¡± Gently bending down, Reinhardt sat across the bed and slowly crossed his legs. Wherever she might have gone, he can only guess. It has been 10 years. Reinhardt had been watching her for 10 years. ¡°Will it be okay not to follow her?¡± ¡°I¡¯d be in trouble. I¡¯ll have to be a little patient. Master has always hated feeling stuffy.¡± Even when she was locked up in a dark room and hung upside down. She always had a casual expression on her face, but she would touch her neck several times as if she was suffocating in her clothes, and untie her cor. She felt ufortable wearing tight clothes and hated covering herself with a nket. ¡°There are many ways to find¡­¡± Reinhardt¡¯s eyes caught sight of a bracelet broken in two, covered in blood and rolling on the ground. Reinhardt slowly lifted his hand. A floating bracelet came to Reinhardt¡¯s palm. The bracelet, which had been hovering in the palm of his hand, eventually merged slowly and returned to its clean look as if it had never been broken. There was still blood on the bracelet. ¡°She¡¯s a smart person, so she looked for another way.¡± Reinhardt said, slowly licking the bloodstain on his finger. Seeing that a spirit¡¯s energy remained, it was clear that she had borrowed the power of that stupid bird to cut off the bracelet. Reinhardt¡¯s red eyes shed. ¡°Watchdog.¡± ¡°Yes, Lord.¡± ¡°Would you be angry if I chained your ankles?¡± Who he was truly talking about, or the name of the subject was not mentioned. However, Caspelius easily noticed that he was talking about Valletta, who had fled from there. The unknown being who casually called him by his long-forgotten name. ¡°¡­ Yes.¡± Caspelius answered after thinking. In fact, it was an answer for Valletta as well. Reinhardt sighed disappointedly at his firm reply. ¡°There is no official Alchemist Association in the Empire, but an Alchemy Association created by rats, right?¡¯ It was not a difficult question to ask Caspelius. He was the watchdog of the Magic Tower, but at the same time, he needed to provide any knowledge that the Magic Tower¡¯s Master wanted. Caspelius immediately found the answer from his old memories. ¡°Yes, since the Empire¡¯s alchemists are being hunted, they gathered underworld to protect themselves.¡± ¡°To think she¡¯ll have to struggle to live, I want to see it.¡± Reinhardt lowered his head and grinned. Reinhardt, who grew up seeing the suffering of others for a long time and enduring the same suffering himself, was somewhat twisted. Whoever was born as the Magic Tower¡¯s Master, must always be rational. Perhaps that¡¯s why they were naturally slow when ites to emotion aspared to ordinary people. They were not interested even if they saw others happy or scared. That was why they needed stimtion.They can only feel emotions when they experience a veryrge stimulus or excitement. Therefore, former Magic Tower¡¯s Masters searched for a faint thread of emotion by killing, torturing and trampling on people. They wanted to feel alive in a time when everything stopped and seemed boring, thus, they let themselves enjoy the pain they gave to themselves and surrendered to the pleasure of trampling on others. However, Reinhardt only had one gasping emotion that resonated throughout his body. He remembered a time when a buzzing sound tickled his ears as time seemed to stop for a moment. ¡°Watchdog, have you ever eaten candy?¡± ¡°¡­ Yes.¡± It was an odd question. However, Caspelius answered meekly and obediently. He hasn¡¯t eaten it since his body became like this, but when he was a human he often ate it whenever he was stressed. Who hasn¡¯t tried candy? As Caspelius thought about that, the corners of Reinhardt¡¯s lips, as he was looking at the hole in the window, rose softly. ¡°The first time I tried it, it was very sweet.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°After that, I tried a few more times, but it was disgustingly sweet and ufortably stuck in my mouth, so I felt very dirty.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°But I have no intention of giving it back. I was waiting to see if I could taste that sweet thing once more. I thought she would give it to me again if I listen to her well¡­¡± She never gave it to him until the very end, for the whole 10 years. ¡°I don¡¯t really like this, you eat it.¡± Even if you gave me something you didn¡¯t like. Or even if it was because you pitied me for not being able to eat. He still remembered the exhrating electric current that touched his skin and the orange candy she had ced in his palm. Caspelius didn¡¯t want to make a voice scratching iron, so he didn¡¯t answer or respond to his words, and he kept his mouth shut. No one liked his voice. All of the past Magic Tower¡¯s Master hated hearing his voice and looked at him with disgust every time he spoke. ¡°Watchdog.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°You have to answer me when I¡¯m speaking. I hate being ignored. I need to know if my dog ??is listening.¡± At his cold gaze, Caspelius felt a strange emotion. Until now, all the Masters did not even want an answer from him, and told him to keep his mouth shut. Over time, it became natural. He slowly turned his eyes and then nodded his head. ¡°I understand.¡± ¡°Good.¡± His white fingers, which seemed like they were going to strangle someone right away, stretched out with no strength. Reinhardt kissed Valletta¡¯s bracelet once and slowly put it on his wrist. ¡°My lovely Master who ran away even though she knew she couldn¡¯t.¡± He waved his hand The window that Valletta had broken through returned to its original state in an instant. The cluttered room was cleaned in an instant. Reinhardtughed as he touched the window with his fingertips. *** Chapter 30 ¡°Ack¡­¡± ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°Yes, yes. I¡¯m okay¡­¡± The child, who grabbed Jin¡¯s feathers tightly with his trembling hands, answered. After confirming that the child was unharmed, she turned her head away with indifferent eyes. Valletta, who was riding on Jin¡¯s back, bent her head. With Jin and Nereid working together, it wasn¡¯t difficult to break the ss that surrounded them. ording to the two spirits, Valletta seems to have yed a role in easing the rtionship between the Magicians power and the spirits, which were usually opposed. That was why she was able to summon spirits even from within the Magic Tower. ¡®Is it because I¡¯m an alchemist?¡¯ Either way, it¡¯s fortunate that she could at leastpare with one of Reinhardt¡¯s fingers. If he really wanted to catch her, she wouldn¡¯t be able to escape. ¡°That, i-is your wrist okay, Master?¡± Valletta¡¯s expression became strange at the unexpected title. ¡°I am not your master. Call me Valletta.¡± Valletta answered to the child what she had told Reinhardt dozens of times, and looked down at her wrist. The bracelet he gave her was cut with a wind knife made by Jin. The wind had pierced her a little deep, and blood was still gushing out. It was roughly tied with a cloth, but the blood didn¡¯t stop easily. ¡°Where are we going?¡± ¡°Not sure.¡± Valletta answered with a in expression. She brought some of the mostmon ornaments in the room. It wasn¡¯t difficult to pack a few spoons that were made of gold, and some jewelry and gold that was easily disposable. ¡®But as long as I have the ability to do alchemy, I will always be pursued.¡¯ It probably won¡¯t befortable anywhere. Jin dropped Valletta and the boy down at a sparsely popted area near the vige. Valletta silently looked at the child who was grabbing the leg of her trouser, and sighed. ¡®I did something unnecessary.¡¯ Valletta intended to leave the child in the Sky Room. However, it urred to her that Reinhardt might pointlessly me the child. She wasn¡¯t sure if the shifting of me would put the child¡¯s life in danger. Besides, the child cleverly grabbed her leg and begged mournfully to take him as well. She eventually put him on Jin¡¯s back and ran away together, but she had no ns at all. In other words, there were no ns nor capital. At least the jewels and gold she had brought from the Sky Room were all there. She scanned the jewels and gold she had put in her cloth pocket and held it out to Jin. ¡°Are there any gems with magical powers or unusual gems here?¡± This was to ensure there were no magical tracking devices. Valletta was cautious. Jin silently looked at her cloth pocket and shook his neck from side to side. She nodded her head, while staring at his protruding beak. ¡°I¡¯ll go to the jeweler first.¡± It was something she had heard before, however, if there was an alchemist organization that the Empire recognizes, it would be the unofficial Alchemist Association in the underworld. When one was officially recognized as an alchemist, most of them were taken to the Imperial Pce. To prevent that, the alchemists formed an association in the underworld, and although they couldn¡¯t obtain an official alchemist license recognized by the Empire, she heard they would be given something like a token that they could use for their ownmunicationwork. It was an association that shared information like exchanging new recipes, purchasing or selling materials, and distributing potionspleted with alchemy to other countries. ¡®And is it true that there are still quite a few alchemists who are still in hiding?¡¯ She was told that one would need to be introduced through an existing member and take an exam before entering. However, Valletta¡¯s world was only as wide as what Count Delight allowed. Most of them were mansions, often social circles, and she would be asked to perform like a monkey in a circus. It was difficult to even meet other alchemists like herself. She was able to at least meet the Head of the Imperial¡¯s Official Alchemists Association once. However, she didn¡¯t have a proper conversation with him. ¡°Jin, it¡¯s okay, you can go back. Thanks for your help.¡± -Next time, I will ask for a payment properly. Keep it in mind. Valletta nodded her head with a grim expression at Jin¡¯s blunt tone. Distributing a few drops of blood is not difficult. She looked at the disappearing Jin as he became increasingly transparent, and turned towards the vige. ¡°Are you going to a ce where that person can¡¯t find you?¡± ¡°There¡¯s none.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°It is impossible to run away from Reinhardt. He¡¯ll find us soon anyway.¡± Valletta knows his strength. The moment he awakens as a Transcendent, there will be no one in the Empire that he cannot find if he puts his mind to it. He has yet to awaken, so it might give him a bit of a headache right now if he tried. However, there must be a lot of ways. Since he¡¯s smart. Valletta had once read in the novel where Reinhardt casually used a few teleportations to detect and locate someone who had escaped by using his mana. ¡°If you can¡¯t run away, then why¡­¡± The boy asked with his eyes wide open. Valletta¡¯s pace wasn¡¯t that fast, so it didn¡¯t look like it was too difficult for a child to follow. ¡°Because If he and I are together, I feel like I¡¯m going crazy as well.¡± ¡°Yes? But if you ran away from such a scary person, if he caught you, he would kill you.¡± ¡°He won¡¯t kill me, probably.¡± ¡°¡­ Why?¡± ¡°Because I will truly despise him. And I¡¯m sure he¡¯s well aware of that.¡± Valletta left it at those mysterious words and entered the vige. The problem was the vige wasn¡¯t really a vige. ¡®This is the capital.¡¯ She asked Jin to drop them off in a vige where there were enough people, and he brought them to the capital. The Underworld Alchemist Association must be somewhere in the capital, so the result may not be a bad thing¡­ ¡®It means this is Milrode¡¯s territory.¡¯ The capital of the Empire, of course, held the Imperial Pce and the security was good. In terms of safety, she couldn¡¯t ask for more, but there were people who knew Valletta. This was especially the case for young girls and nobles who entered the social circle. She would often disy her alchemy, so many people would recognize Valletta without her knowing. As she walked into a nearby store, she put on a loose robe and held out a few of her coins to pay for it. In cash, this was all her fortune. She wore her robe to cover her face. She then entered a jeweler store not far away. She then pulled out a normal-looking jewel she had taken from the Sky Room and put it on the counter. ¡°I¡¯d like to dispose of this.¡± ¡°Dispose?¡± She was a shabby jeweler, but had enough money to live a modest life. The olddy, who nced at her, squinted and shook her head at the jewels. ¡°I don¡¯t have the money to handle this top-grade jewel. If you go to the center of the capital, there is a ce where the entire two-story building is a jewelry store, so go there.¡± ¡°You can just pay as much as you can pay here.¡± The olddy stroked her chin with her wrinkled hand and shook her head again. This jewel was too pure for her to handle, and the craftsmanship was first-ss, and it was somewhat burdensome to pocket. ¡°I¡¯m sorry but it will be difficult. If it¡¯s stolen, go under.¡± ¡°Sto¡­¡± After all, as the olddy said, a stolen good is a stolen good. Even if she wanted to sell it, she didn¡¯t know anyone from the underworld. Since the Sky Room was used by the Magic Tower¡¯s Master, she had expected that there would be no cheap or low-quality jewelry, but she did not expect that even the disposable items would be rejected. ¡°Is there perhaps an alchemist under?¡± ¡°¡­ Why are you asking that?¡± Her voice was still the same, but the olddy¡¯s eyes became sharp. Valletta closed her mouth and turned her eyes. She had nowhere to go for information, but seeing that she rmended the underworld, it was clear that the olddy knew the route. ¡°I¡¯m looking for an alchemist I know.¡± The olddy¡¯s lips curled up, and then a bloody smirk came out. The olddy walked away from the jewel. ¡°If you want information, you have to show sincerity. Tell that alchemist toe in person.¡± ¡°Are they someone you know?¡± ¡°Look here, youngdy. I don¡¯t know where you came from, but if you don¡¯t want to disappear without a word, you better watch your mouth. Don¡¯t y around with your curiosity.¡± A little while ago, there was only mild hostility, but now she was clearly hostile. *** Chapter 31 *** Valletta kept her mouth shut. ¡®It¡¯s no wonder they¡¯re not speaking about the under route so recklessly.¡¯ It must be a route that they are holding onto at all cost. In particr, alchemists who were not affiliated with the Imperial Pce were very hostile to the Imperial pce. When the Imperial Pce finds out where an alchemist was, they threaten them by taking their family and friends as hostages, then convince them toe out and force them to register as an alchemist. To be registered to the Official Alchemist Association, meant you will now belong to the Empire. And it also meant that they could not refuse their order. Their sensitivity was understandable. After briefly thinking, she nodded her head. She didn¡¯t like arguing, and she really did run away, making her feel weird. ¡°It was our first meeting and I was rude. Excuse me.¡± The olddy¡¯s eyes narrowed at Valletta¡¯s words, who gently retreated. ¡°But I don¡¯t have money to spend right now. You can give me as much as you can and then dispose of it under.¡± Valletta pushed the jewel a little further in. The olddy sighed and took a heavy wooden box from her cupboard, and handed it to Valletta. ¡°This is all I can give you now. If you sell it properly, you can get four times more for this jewel. Are you really going to dispose of it?¡± ¡®¡­ If I sell all of these, then I can y and eat for the rest of my life.¡¯ Valletta thought after hearing the olddy¡¯s exnation. The box the olddy held out was full of gold coins. She was not sure about the value of the money, but seeing it full of sparkling gold coins, it didn¡¯t seem like it was just a penny or two. She wasn¡¯t expecting too much anyway, so it was enough for Valletta. Besides, she knows that Reinhardt, as the Master of the Tower, will not be in need immediately even if he lost this many gems. ¡°Yes.¡± Valletta answered briefly. She then reached out and put a coin in a cloth pocket and a bill in a paper bag, giving the shopkeeper a light nce. ¡°Why are you looking for the Alchemist Association?¡± ¡°I need a token and some information. I want to open a store.¡± ¡°¡­ A store?¡± ¡°Yes. The reason why people are hung up on alchemists is probably because of the Imperial Pce¡¯s oligopoly of the potions, so I¡¯m going to set up a store and sell them there.¡± It was easy for Valletta to make a potion that would cure bruises and minor injuries, although it wasn¡¯t the best potion for severe injuries like growing a new leg that was cut off. She thought of making a advance-grade potion and diluting it. The number of advance-grade potions that Valletta can make in a day without overdoing it is about ten. Of course, most alchemists struggled to even make a single bottle of a advance-grade potion, so her value was much higher than she had been expecting. As a result of her testing, if advance-grade potion was diluted to one fiftieth, minor injuries such as a broken leg or a stab wound that was not life threatening could be cured. If the injury is more serious than that, the recovery rate will be faster. If one diluted a advance-grade potion by one twenty fifth, you can cure any serious injury. Advance-grade potions were able to heal most wounds as long as they hadn¡¯t already died. ¡®I¡¯ve never tried diluting it down to one hundredth.¡¯ Once diluted up to that point, it would likely be a quick-acting drug for very mild ailments and bruises. If potions are notmon, you should make itmon. If she bes a public figure and infiltrates the daily life of themon people, she will not be able to be taken easily in the Capital. If the Imperial Pce takes away an alchemist who sells potions that themon people can easily use, they won¡¯t stand still. Valletta was well aware of the power of the people. One or two people are not scary, but when tens, hundreds, and thousands of people gather, it bes a strength. A power that even the Emperor can¡¯t take care of. That was why the Emperor cared about the people¡¯s sentiment. Even aristocrats cannot turn their backs on all themon people who curse at them. For they know that their poweres only when they unite. Most of the people who died without treatment due to germs infiltrating their wounds aremoners. They would be happy to be the shield for her, who provides them with potions that are directly rted to her safety and well-being. ¡®¡­It¡¯s a bit cowardly, though.¡¯ No one would help face the Imperial Pce arrogantly if all you have is this kind of body. ¡°Well, that guy won¡¯t care but¡­¡± Valletta murmured. Reinhardt. Even if everyone in the world ims to be a shield for her, he is a man who will walk leisurely through it. His face, smiling brightly as he trampled on the bodies of those who imed to be her shield, was so well imagined that Vallettaughed bitterly. Valletta still didn¡¯t know if his blind love was serious or not. As she was thinking of him, Valletta opened the door with the brass bell and was about to leave when the olddy who had been silent for a while opened her mouth. ¡°¡­ Are you going to sell a potion made by an alchemist in the market?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°How would you do that?¡± ¡°Well, I would like to discuss that¡­¡± She bit her lips and narrowed her brow. The oldydy didn¡¯t ask, but she has publicized that ¡®I¡¯m an alchemist¡¯. Valletta grabbed the hem of the hood on her robe and pulled it down with a little more force. ¡°Well then, thank you. Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± As she wriggled her finger, the child ran and followed Valletta to her side. When the child came out, she realized that he had a bigger physique than she had expected. She thought he was seven or eight years old, but looking at him now, he looked around nine or ten years old. Of course, he wasn¡¯t fat enough as his bones stood out and he was not in a good condition as he grew up in that ce. ¡°Go to the secondrgest inn restaurant in the capital and show the bartender the potion you made yourself.¡± Valletta nced at the olddy and nodded her head. ¡°Thank you for your kindness.¡± She went straight out of her jeweler¡¯s shop, without looking back this time. *** As soon as she came out, she went around eagerly to find the inn that the jewelry store owner mentioned. ¡°Where the hell is the secondrgest inn in the capital?¡± Valletta, who covered her face with her robe, muttered like a sigh. As she properly looked around the Capital, it was wider than she had expected. She now realized that she had never paid attention to those things around her. To Valletta, no matter how much she looked, all the size of the inns was the same. Her indifferent gaze nced around her once more, and she let out a low sigh again. As she felt the hem of her robe being pulled, she slowly lowered her gaze. The child, who met her eyes, shook his shoulder slightly and then stretched out his finger and pointed to one side. Valletta followed his finger with her head. ¡°Valletta-nim, the inn you see when you turn left at that intersection, is the secondrgest inn in the capital. I went and asked.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Valletta replied calmly. Dealing with people was difficult. Since she fell into this world, she has been building walls over and over again, and her emotions have be dull. She felt like an old cuss rusted by the sea breeze. She was neither happy nor sad. There is simply a sense of duty to do. Is feeling dull a good thing or a bad thing in this world? ¡°I¡¯d be d if I was helpful¡­!¡± The child answered with a bright expression on his face. Instead of answering him, Valletta nodded her head slightly, pressed down her robe a little more, and walked in the direction the child pointed at. As she turned left after passing the spacious central intersection, she could see a fairlyrge building. She still didn¡¯t understand why it¡¯s the secondrgest inn. ¡®I have to hide for a while.¡¯ If her memories were still valid, Reinhardt was still unstable. He has not awakened as a Transcendent, so he will not be able to spot her position immediately. It was not impossible if he put his mind to it, however, he doesn¡¯t need to move now. ¡®If he touches the Crown Prince, the Imperial Family would earnestly protest against the Magic Tower.¡¯ He¡¯ll be busy dealing with it for a while. No matter how self-conceited and audacious Reinhardt was, he will not be able to respond to the Imperial Family¡¯s protest with annihtion. [Where Lamb¡¯s Honey Comes] sign was swaying from a long chain. She pushed the wooden door of an old but well-maintained inn. *** Chapter 32 Novels Library A A Support us on Ko ¨C fi & Pateron Table of Contents 1. Chapter 1 2. Chapter 2 3. Chapter 3 4. Chapter 4 5. Chapter 5 6. Chapter 6 7. Chapter 7 8. Chapter 8 9. Chapter 9 10. Chapter 10 11. Chapter 11 12. Chapter 12 13. Chapter 13 14. Chapter 14 15. Chapter 15 16. Chapter 16 17. Chapter 17 18. Chapter 18 19. Chapter 19 20. Chapter 20 21. Chapter 21 22. Chapter 22 23. Chapter 23 24. Chapter 24 25. Chapter 25 26. Chapter 26 27. Chapter 27 28. Chapter 28 29. Chapter 29 30. Chapter 30 31. Chapter 31 32. Chapter 32 33. Chapter 33 34. Chapter 34 35. Chapter 35 36. Chapter 36 37. Chapter 37 Chapter 32 Thank you Crissymac for the kofi~! *** Tinkle. The brass bell made a refreshing sound. Inside the open door was much cleaner and spacious than it looked from the outside. There were quite a few people too. As soon as she entered, there were people on the counter and it was noisy on one side as it was a restaurant. On the opposite side of the restaurant¡¯s entrance, stairs can be seen, so it¡¯s probably an amodation for travelers. ¡°Wee to [Where theLambs¡¯s Honey Comes]. This is the counter for overnight guests. If you want a meal, you can go to the waiter over there.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to stay. Just for one day.¡± ¡°What is the number of people?¡± ¡°One adult¡­ one child.¡± Valletta nced down at the child whose head barely touched her waist. The woman sitting at the counter lifted her body slightly and looked under the counter, and she held out a piece of paper with a business-like smile. ¡°This is the consent form for the use of the inn. Please read carefully and sign below. What about your meal?¡± ¡°I will eat. Please bring it to the room when the time is right. And they said there is a bar here.¡± Valletta asked while looking at the consent form. ¡°The bar is in the restaurant.¡± The well-trained staff answered Valletta¡¯s sudden questions without hesitation with a smile on her face. After hearing the answer that she wanted, Valletta roughly signed and nodded dryly. ¡°Please use room 314 on the 3rd floor.¡± Valletta nodded and turned to the stairs. The child who was watching her quickly followed suit. Only when Valletta felt that the child was following her did she step on the stairs. The hallways of the inn, although quite old still had a subtle scent of wood hovering at the tip of her nose, were enough to bring out the fatigue she had been pressing down. Her eyes were heavy and the tension that had been held tightly in her body all day was released in an instant as she stepped her foot into her hallway. The way to the third floor was quite long. ¡®If I had known this would happen, I would have asked for a room on the second floor.¡¯ Regretting, she put her hand on her forehead and let out a low sigh. She forced her legs that were like a rusty machine broken due to it not being oiled properly, to move. The creaking sound seemed to hover around her like an afterimage. ¡°Valletta-nim, are you okay?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Valletta answered quietly and entered room 314. The piece of cloth that was loosely tied on her wrist felt as if it had been soaked in blood and almost dyed with red. She knew it¡¯s good to untie the tied cloth and wash it with clean water, but she didn¡¯t want to. There were two beds in the room, and shey her body on one of them. ¡®I ran away.¡¯ She ran away from Reinhardt. She knew it was just a brief reprieve until Reinhardt¡¯s patience ran out, but it meant a lot to Valletta. It was because she had run away from the person that she thought would kill her by choking her for the rest of her life. *** Reinhardt and Valletta had a strange rtionship. Reinhardt had an unusual obsession with Valletta, whopletely ignored him. From day one, Valletta never talked to him first. The more Valletta disregards him, the more Reinhardt bes obsessed with her. Even if the number of times she spoke to him decreased, the madness in his eyes proved it. It urred to her that perhaps what instigated his madness was a self-inflicted disaster. ¡°Even so, do you really need to do such crazy things?¡± She had only closed her tired eyes for a while that night, and it was already morning. In one bed, a child was sleeping, and in the room, a dinner that seemed to have been brought by that child was on the desk, all cold. Valletta washed her body, put on her robe, and headed down to the restaurant, leaving the sleeping child alone. There was something called a bulletin board in the inn¡¯s restaurant, where Valletta found two sheets of paper with her face on it. ¡®¡­ Is he crazy?¡¯ She thought Reinhardt was crazy, but she didn¡¯t know he was this crazy. Of course, the Imperial Family was also not sane. [Wanted] [Missing] Two sheets of paper hung side by side on the bulletin board. She didn¡¯t know when the portrait was painted, but neither pleased her. What¡¯s more, she was not expecting to be wanted. Valletta reflexively pressed down on her robe a little more. She instinctively realized that she should hide her face. She just hoped that the clerk she met yesterday didn¡¯t remember her face properly. A wanted poster from the Magic Tower and a missing poster from the Imperial Family. Two different names, but what was certain was that both of them were desperate to catch her. ¡®I can avoid the eyes of the Imperial Family.¡¯ She was confident that she could quietly hide away from them. She was confident in avoiding them, unless they charged a person named ¡®Valletta Delight¡¯ with annihting a n thereby releasing arge-scale military and cing a high bounty on her. Even if she couldn¡¯t live in the vige, she had her spirits, and if she could enter the underworld, she could sell her potions as an alchemist and earn money. Or, she could get the crowd on her side and oppose the Imperial Family. There are many ways to fight against the Imperial family. You just have to use your brain a little when you deal with people. The problem was Reinhardt. Reinhardt, who became the Magic Tower¡¯s master, was troublesome in many ways. Now Reinhardt seems to be unwilling to find her with all his might, so she can hide. Perhaps he knows where she is. And Valletta could guess what he was thinking. Valletta knows Reinhardt well. And Reinhardt knew Valletta better than anyone. Maybe, if they were asked to pick a person in this world who knows each other best, they themselves would pick each other without hesitation. Ironically, they came to understand each other more than anyone else, even though he was the person she tried her hardest to get away from. ¡®Is the bar over there?¡¯ Valletta walked heavily from the bulletin board and entered the restaurant. It was okay to leave the wanted bounty aside for now. Once she enters the underworld, there would be no one who doesn¡¯t have one or two pieces of that kind of paper anyway. ¡®There is not much information about the Alchemist Association¡­¡¯ It was not mentioned in detail in the novel that she had read, and neither did she have the freedom to look for information while under her father¡¯s supervision. At the bar, a bartender wearing a ck vest over a pure white shirt was wiping the sses one by one with a handkerchief. Valletta sat down on the bar seat, staring at the ss that sparkled with each wipe. ¡°Good morning.¡± ¡°Yes, good morning. It seems to be too early for thedy to start drinking in the morning¡­¡± ¡°I have something to show you.¡± Valletta looked around slowly. The restaurant in the morning was quite busy, so no one paid attention to the bar. She took the potion she had brought in advance from the depths of her robe and slipped it towards the bartender. The bartender¡¯s eyes widened slightly, then narrowed quickly. He took it naturally and set it down on a table inside the bar. With his head bowed, slowly examining the bottle of red potion, he suddenly opened the lid of the potion bottle and poured it into a wine ss. Like a well-trained sommelier, Valletta had a look of surprise at his unnatural behavior, as any alchemist could tell the purity of the potion by illuminating it with light. However, he was checking it naturally, as if examining wine in such a crowded ce. It wasn¡¯t something he had done only once or twice. *** Chapter 33 *** As if examining a well-aged wine, he looked at the potion in the wine ss and looked at it in the light. He then put it back into the potion bottle and closed the lid. It surprised Valletta a little that not a single drop was spilled despite being poured in a narrow-mouth bottle. ¡°It¡¯s a high-quality potion. It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve seen a potion of this high purity.¡± ¡°Thank you for your kind evaluation. Would that be enough to introduce me to another alchemist in the underworld?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t heard of a neering¡­ How are you going to prove that the Lady made this?¡± The bartender asked in a polite and gentle voice. There was no hostility at all in his bright smile, but his eyes were sharper than a well-forged sword. The middle-aged bartender, whose gray strands began to gleam through the dark hair, had no unnecessary movements as his every action was as sharp as a well-trained butler. ¡°It will be difficult to do that here, but if you¡¯ll provide a simple area, I can show you. However, I¡¯m not in a good state right now. I¡¯d like to hear a definite answer that an area would be provided.¡± ¡°Everyone who tries to hide themselves in the shadows has their own story. What kind of story do you have?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think there is any reason to answer a gentleman who even wears a mask in the shadows.¡± Valletta answered calmly with an expressionless face. The bartender¡¯s eyes narrowed even more as if he had noticed the thorn in her words. Valletta turned her head away, pretending not to notice. It was not pleasing to be forced by the other side to release information without releasing any information first. Above all else, Valletta couldn¡¯t trust anyone now. She thought that the underworld was a little better than the Imperial Family who were sure to be hostile, but either way, both were a jungle for her. In this invisible jungle, she had to distinguish the swamps from the non-swampy areas, so it was wise to keep as little information as possible. Especially if there was a bounty and both a wanted and missing poster at the same time. Her neck was money. Those who will aim for it will surely be everywhere. The only thing that could protect her was herself. No one should be trusted. Even her family was not on her side. What she had in her hands was both a weapon and tasty prey. ¡°The bar shift is at midnight. Would you minding down for a midnight drink tonight if that¡¯s okay with you?¡± ¡°I understand.¡± Valletta nodded her head calmly. She stretched out her hand to the bartender who was about to return the potion and turned around. She then told the restaurant waiter her room number, ordered food, and went to the counter to extend her stay by one more day. Having finished all the work that could be done in the inn, she went back to her room. When she opened her door, she couldn¡¯t help but panic a little. It was because her eyes met the child who was packing his luggage with tearful eyes. As their eyes met, the child¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Valletta¡­ nim¡­¡± ¡°What are you doing?¡± Valletta asked, frowning. She doesn¡¯t have much interest in the child¡¯s behavior, however, in various ways, the time she spent with the child was puzzling. Neither Reinhardt nor Valletta herself was an ordinary child, so it was even more so puzzling. ¡°Ah¡­ I thought you left me behind.¡± As if embarrassed, the child lowered his head, cing the luggage in his hand back on the round table. She looked at the child with his head bowed, now clutching the hem of his own clothes with both hands, looking at Valletta. ¡°If I need to leave you, then I will. I¡¯m going to tell you. Appropriate action would be taken, and I didn¡¯t do that. I went out for a while.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± The child was startled by her cold words that reminded him of reality and he nodded his head. He burst into a bashfulughter, as if he was relieved. Valletta, whose heart was somehow heavy at theughter of the innocent child, turned her head. ¡°I ordered a meal, so let¡¯s eat it when ites up.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± A brief sigh escaped between Valletta¡¯s lips. She took a seat in a chair near the window. ¡®After eating¡­¡¯ She had to obtain alchemy ingredients. They also needed emergency medicine that could be used in a pinch. The herb garden and books that Count Delight made avable for Valletta were no longer essible. ¡°It looks like it will be difficult to go out.¡± Propping her chin on her hand, she looked through the window, ncing at the silver armor-d soldiers and knights. The reason they don¡¯t seem to be looking for her is probably because they think Reinhardt was with her. ¡®The Crown Prince is too upright.¡¯ It was beyond his abilities to face Reinhardt in various ways. However, the opposite was possible. Reinhardt was a man who could do anything he wanted, and the Crown Prince was a man who only followed the rules as he did what he wanted. However, a momentary shield is too fragile to be used as a shield. ¡°¡­ By the way, did the male lead that was released run away?¡± Since then, things have happened so rapidly that she has never thought of it. In fact, originally, Reinhardt should have met the male lead when he destroyed the nurturing room and got interested in him. At his own expense, the male lead should have been the only one who survived from there. ¡®I changed it a little bit.¡¯ Thanks to that, she couldn¡¯t even see the male lead¡¯s face and things turned out this way. Wouldn¡¯t he be a little less interested in her if she found the male lead and showed him to Reinhardt? However, she doesn¡¯t know his name, she doesn¡¯t know his age, nor his appearance¡­ The exnation was just ¡®A bright young boy with repulsive eyes.¡¯ All it said was ¡®He was young.¡¯ ¡®It didn¡¯t say anything specific.¡¯ Or she just didn¡¯t remember it. In order to somehow distract Reinhardt¡¯s attention, it seemed the best way was to find the male lead. The problem was that the original story doesn¡¯te to her mind at all, thanks to the fact that she was trying so hard to remember only the scenes in which Reinhardt appeared for thest decade. Knock knock. Her head lifted at the sound of a knock while she was clutching her hair. The child was already cleverly opening the door and receiving food. Valletta, who was staring at something that could be risky, pressed her robe a little more and took the food from the child. ¡°Ah¡­ Thank you!¡± The child bowed his head, and went to get the other meal. Valletta, who followed, grabbed the rest of the meal instead and closed the door with her foot. She put the food on the table herself, watching the child sit down, and Valletta sat opposite to him. ¡°Thank you for the meal.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Valletta did not answer and knit her brows. She knew herself that she was bad at dealing with other people, but she never thought that she would be nervous to react to such a greeting. Despite Valletta¡¯s silence, the child smiled steadfastly and bravely grabbed a fork and shoved the food into his mouth. The eyes of the child with light gray hair scattered here and there were very deep blue. His features were clear and his nose was tall, it was notparable to Reinhardt, but she thought that he would be a handsome fellow. When she thought of children of simr age, the child was not too skinny, and his skin was white after washing up yesterday. His cheeks became slightly reddened. It allowed Valletta to know that the child was now feeling satisfied. Gulp. Perhaps he felt Valletta¡¯s gaze on him, the child swallowed his food, twisted his body and lifted his head. ¡°By the way, do you have a name?¡± ¡°Ah, yes! It¡¯s Therion.¡± ¡°Therion¡­ Yeah, that¡¯s a good name.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The child answered with a bright expression. It was oddly familiar, however, it was amon name. Valletta, who looked into the child¡¯s twinkling gaze, then shrugged her shoulders. She lowered her eyes and started eating. ¡°But¡­ is that person Valletta-nim¡¯s friend?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Then enemy?¡± Valletta paused for a moment at the child¡¯s question. How nice would that have been. If she could truly hate or resent him, she wouldn¡¯t have much to worry about. ¡°No.¡± ¡°¡­ Then?¡± Valletta shrugged her shoulders. Their rtionship has no definition. Reinhardt would probably say the same as well. However, what was certain was that he cannot harm her. Even if he broke her limbs or cut them off, leaving only her body, Reinhardt could not see Valletta¡¯s heart stop. He could not stand her gaze not being directed at him. ¡°It¡¯s just a rtionship where we both can see through what the other person is doing and what they¡¯re thinking.¡± At Valletta¡¯s words, the child tilted his head as if he did not understand. ¡°Is that different from a friend?¡± ¡°He and I will never be friends for the rest of our lives,¡± Valletta shook her head and replied calmly. Friendship was only possible if one side were to be stained by the other. Valletta could not set foot in Reinhardt¡¯s cruelty, and Reinhardt would not be able to set foot in Valletta¡¯s sense of justice. In the first ce, they were both standing in an area that neither could understand. It was in terms of their abilities. Alchemy that saves people, and magic that repeats creation and destruction have different trajectories. Just like that, Valletta and Reinhardt had aplicated and strange rtionship that could not be described with words. Thus, Valletta had given up on giving any definition to their rtionship. And Reinhardt decided to keep Valletta by his side rather than defining it. ¡°If you¡¯re done with your questions, finish your meal.¡± ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry.¡± The child, Therion, concentrated on eating again. Valletta slowly lowered her eyes. After she picked up her food a few more times, she quickly put down her tableware. ¡°I¡¯ll sleep a little more. If someonees, never open the door and wake me up, okay?¡± ¡°Yes! Good night.¡± ¡°If you are bored, there are a few books on the bookshelf over there that you can read.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± She took off her robe and went back to her bed and closed her eyes. Fortunately, she fell asleep quickly despite the ring sunlight. *** Chapter 34 *** It waste in the evening when Valletta woke up again. It was then that her injured hand caught her eye. She slowly rose from her seat and took a step forward. Fortunately for her, the wound was not big and it did not get infected. She was cut quite deep, but the moderate pain kept her on her toes so it wasn¡¯t too bad. ¡®It¡¯s still quite a while until midnight.¡¯ Valletta sighed. To be confined in this room would be a shame. The child got tired of ying, and fell asleep along with a book that wasying face down on his bed. As she got closer and looked at him, the title of the book caught her eye. Valletta held back a smirk as she read the book¡¯s crude title, [The Doctrine and the Origin of God]. If one would look closely, the bookshelf is full of books rted to theology. Valletta scratched the back of her head, embarrassed. Although she doesn¡¯t have much knowledge about a child¡¯s learning, this book seemed too difficult for a child to read. Seeing that a few pages of the books were turned, it appeared that the child made quite an effort to read. She ced the book on the table, propped up her chin and slowly read it. For a child, she was not sure, however, it seemed to be a good way to spend her time. She curiously opened the book. ¡®¡­It¡¯s not fun.¡¯ And in less than ten minutes she closed the book with a disappointed expression on her face. She read the words that caught her eyes over and over again, but that was it. The doctrine and origin of God¡­ She does not believe in God, so it was a very bad choice for her to pick. ¡®What should I do until midnight?¡¯ There was nothing to do. It¡¯s already evening and she doesn¡¯t feel like going to the market. As she pondered over her thoughts, she sighed deeply and opened the book again. Twenty minutes before midnight, Therion woke up. As if he felt Valletta¡¯s gaze on him, Therion raised his head to meet her eyes, then bowed his head again in surprise. ¡°Why are you avoiding my eyes?¡± ¡°¡­ Doesn¡¯t it feel bad? My eyes are disgusting.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Valletta propped up her chin and looked back at the child. The child was said to contain qualities of a magician, but no matter how much she looks at him, she doesn¡¯t know what or how she was supposed to feel ufortable. ¡®Do I have immunity because of him?¡¯ Ordinary humans feel reluctant when they look at a magician¡­ No matter how much she looked at him, there was no such feeling. ¡®Am I the weird one?¡¯ Come to think of it, Reinhardt himself was reluctant to do what he was going to do in the future, but she never really felt bad or hated looking at his eyes. However, if other people felt that way, it would be unavoidable but to live with your head down until you have the strength to protect yourself. ¡°Then there is nothing you can do.¡± She didn¡¯t bother tofort the child or say something else. Knowing reality is important. That was the child¡¯s self-protective behavior. To remember to bow one¡¯s head down will be a necessity to live in this world, a wisdom to bing an adult and a guide to moving forward on the right path. Reinhardt was like that, and so was Valletta. Both of them knelt and bowed their heads in front of an irresistible force and power. That¡¯s how they were able to survive and stand in their respective positions. So she doesn¡¯t think it¡¯s a bad thing to take a few steps back. Just because he needed to be servile right now, did not mean that the future would be dark and gloomy as well. ¡°Ah, the time hase. I have an appointment at midnight. Would you like to stay here? I think I cane back in the morning.¡± At Valletta¡¯s words, Therion widened his eyes, and he shook his head in dismay. His blue eyes instantly became wet with moisture, but he didn¡¯t cry. Valletta nodded and looked at him as he desperately shook his head. ¡°Then get ready. Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Therion got up from his seat and slipped into the bathroom. Valletta rested her chin in her hand as she watched the child walk around the narrow room. ¡®I hope Reinhardt will meet the male lead soon.¡¯ Perhaps Reinhardt got interested in her because he found her unique. They¡¯ve been together for a long time so he might have felt bad for her, but the male lead was also a character that Reinhardt would be interested in. As far as she remembered, there was a scene in the story where he made eye contact with Reinhardt as he voiced his anger towards him. At least it will divert his interest towards him to some extent. A scene shed in her mind as she blinked her eyes slowly and tapped her chin. [ Reinhardt¡¯s eyes were full of boredom, killing the prisoners in the ¡®Nurturing Room¡¯ by hand one by one. His sharp spears made of ice ughtered the imprisoned ¡®dolls¡¯. They didn¡¯t even run away, as they had already lost their senses and egos due to the terrible drug. It was true that they did not even react to death. Sometimes, those who seemed to have just entered the nurturing room screamed. However, even if they go out, it would be difficult for them to live like normal people. Because the drug that spread throughout like a thick fog was meant to ruin people. Therefore, this ughter could be said as the beautiful man¡¯s mercy. ¡°Stop!¡± Reinhardt¡¯s eyes widened at the youthful voiceing through the Nurturing Room. After ughtering about half of the people in the room, he stopped what he was doing and went to the ce where the voice was heard. His red eyes gleamed dangerously in the dark with an interested look. ¡°This¡­¡± Reinhardt saw the child and sighed. ¡°This cannot be killed.¡± He muttered, as he ignored the child as if he had never heard him. The man who did not lose his beauty even in the dreadful darkness filled with drugs, snapped his finger once. At the same time, the smell of blood began toe from all directions. He had killed all the people left in the nurturing room. Except for the child in front of him. The blood of countless people pooled together, creating a huge puddle. Looking down at the child covered in blood from the people in the same prison, Reinhardt smiled, like a beautiful angel who descended from heaven. ¡°This would be fun.¡± ¡°¡­ You.¡± ¡°If you want revenge, you have to be strong. Because you have the qualities.¡± Reinhardt poked the child on his cheek and turned around. He disappeared along with the glowing magic circle. Among the bright red blood stained everywhere, only the blue eyes of the child were trembling with unbearable anger and burning like blue mes.] Valletta knitted her eyebrows as she recalled the first meeting of Reinhardt and the male lead. Scenes from the novel would just sometimese to her mind. Yet, whenever she tries hard to remember it, it won¡¯te up. ¡®¡­ But why did Reinhardt say that he can¡¯t kill him?¡¯ Once the content came to mind, she understood it clearly. The Reinhardt in her hazy memories was not interested in saving them.The expression ¡®Cannot be killed¡¯ was what it literally means.He doesn¡¯t lie. If he said that he cannot kill, it means he really can¡¯t kill them. ¡®Why?¡¯ She narrowed her eyes. ¡°Valletta-nim, I¡¯m ready.¡± ¡°Ah, right.¡± As she was trying to think more deeply, Therion came up to her and said. The bright smile on his face made it hard to believe that it was the same child in the nurturing room. He surprisingly has a strong mentality, Valletta thought. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Valletta put on her robe and went downstairs. Near midnight, the inn¡¯s restaurant was full of drunk people. As if frightened by the smell of the alcohol, the child grabbed Valletta¡¯s hem and squeezed his body tighter. ¡°What, where did this kide from? Hehe¡­¡± ¡°Our baby, did you and your mome here to eat food?¡± A drunken man staggered towards Valletta. Therion¡¯s pupils trembled as he was not sure of what to do. Then he clenched his fist and looked at Valletta¡¯s eyes. ¡°Did you know that mom¡¯s should note here at night?¡± The man who had be incapable of greeting, stumbled on his words with alcohol on his breath. Valletta¡¯s forehead frowned reflexively. It was more of a physiological reaction rather than because the man in front of her was unpleasant. Naturally, Valletta¡¯s gaze, who had no interest in him, was not on the man in front of her, but on the bar. ¡®What, that person is not here?¡¯ The bar was empty. If you say toe at 12 o¡¯clock and you¡¯re not there, who should I talk to? She nced to her left and right as if she couldn¡¯t see the man in front of her. Fortunately, there was a familiar bartender to one side. Valletta rxed her knitted eyebrows, feeling relieved. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s that way.¡± ¡°Yes? Yes!¡± Valletta passed the man with the child as if she had never seen him. As the man who had not received a single nce stiffened, the other guests who were watching the situation burst intoughter. ¡°Puhahahaha! What the hell was that?¡± ¡°That b*st*rd is pathetic.¡± ¡°Shut up! Hey you!¡± Valletta, who didn¡¯t pay attention to the noise behind her or even look at them, strode towards the bartender. The bartender approached her as if he had already been looking at her, as there was no sign of surprise. Although he did look behind her with disapproval. ¡°F*ck. Hey¡­ you b*tch. Are you ignoring me right now?¡± The man grabbed Valletta¡¯s shoulder roughly and turned her around. It was not until the man¡¯s thick hands touched Valletta¡¯s shoulder did she lift her head. She looked around and nced at the drunk boorish man, and bowed her head to look at Therion. ¡°Me?¡± As she asked, pointing at herself with her finger, Therion nodded his head immediately. *** Chapter 35 *** ¡°Ah¡­¡± Valletta touched her nape and rolled her eyes. She opened her mouth with a slightly tired look. ¡°Do you have something to say to me?¡± ¡°What? If you disrespect people, then you should apologize!¡± ¡°Ah¡­ yes, I¡¯m sorry.¡± Valletta answered meekly without hesitation. Then she pushed the man¡¯s arm off her shoulder and turned around again. The bartender somehow kept his mouth shut and lowered his head. Seeing his trembling shoulders, it seems like he¡¯s not feeling well. ¡®We¡¯re still going to go, right?¡¯ She had no desire to make time for this again. ¡°You¡­ you, damn b*tch!¡± At that moment, the man lifted his hand. Valletta nced at the man¡¯s hand that was rapidly descending, and slid her body back. The man¡¯s hand cut through the air. ¡°What¡­¡± ¡°Drink properly.¡± Tsk, Valletta clicked her tongue, as if the man was pathetic. The man opened his mouth at the sound of Valletta¡¯s words, who was now treating him like a drunkard. Her voice made it seem like he was pathetic that even those who were watching shut their mouth. ¡®Why are there so many people who raise their hand when they can¡¯t control their anger?¡¯ It was not just once or twice that Valletta had seen a handing down like that. Thanks to Count Delight, her dodging skill has improved quite a bit. Of course, she had never properly avoided him like that. ¡°Come here.¡± ¡°Y-yes!¡± Valletta took Therion and went to the bartender. The bartender was looking at them with slightly startled eyes. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t the matter of drunkenness be dealt with by the store?¡± ¡°¡­ Excuse us. We will take care of it.¡± When the bartender winked to one side, two staff members approached and quickly subdued the arms of the rampaging, rugged man. She watched the man as he was dragged away and lightly brushed her shoulder that was grabbed. ¡°Well then, this way please.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Valletta, who was guided by the bartender, went out through the back door. The inn got very quiet right after Valletta and the bartender left through the back. It was partly because of Valletta, who didn¡¯t look at the drunken man until the very end, but it was also because everyone understood what it meant to be dragged out of this ce. ¡®¡­ It¡¯s not good.¡¯ Everyone in the inn had the same idea. Various information and various personal connectionse and go at the inn. Not being able toe there literally meant being pushed out of the mercenary job, where information is life. Everyone who knew it drank without a word. *** ¡°It¡¯s this way.¡± The bartender suddenly put on his robes and started walking into the alleyways of the busy market. In the alleys there were few people, and many looked shabby. As they passed that area, the number of people gradually decreased. Valletta nced at the boy who was following resolutely, and then continued following the bartender. In time, the bartender opened the door of a pub at the end of aplicated road that was hard to find even if one would know where it was. ¡°Come in.¡± Valletta paused for a moment and looked at the bartender. He told her to follow him, so she did, however, she was honestly not sure if this was a good idea. Her violet eyes moved slowly and nced over the exterior of the pub. On one side was a hanging sign that was wobbly and was about to fall. The writing, which was once clearly engraved, was so blurry that even the shapes were hard to recognize. She could even see rats running around in the corroded parts of the pub. ¡®I probably didn¡¯t get tricked.¡¯ Still, since she has Jin and Nereid, she wasn¡¯t that worried. ¡°Come to think of it, I haven¡¯t been able to say my name. Excuse me, I¡¯m Roman, what about you, miss?¡± When Valletta did note in easily, the bartender opened his mouth first. She only nced at the man who introduced himself and did not answer, then she went into the pub with an expressionless face. Therion, who had been turning his eyes here and there, clutched the hem of Valletta¡¯s robe tightly, as if it was hisst life line. He followed her immediately, moving his short legs. When Valletta and Therion entered, Roman closed the door. Creak. The pub¡¯s door made a creepy sound as if it had not been oiled properly. The old wooden floors creaked with every step, and the smell of oil burning from themps struggling to illuminate the tavern gave her a headache. Like Reinhardt, Valletta, who did not like noise and strong smells, let out a low sigh. She looked around the pub slowly. They weren¡¯t the only ones in the pub. A few people were sipping alcohol, ncing over at them. Lanterns scattered in various ces swayed lightly in the change of air. ¡°Hey, why won¡¯t you give me amon name?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Valletta.¡± ¡°Miss Valletta seems very familiar with this kind of thing. It was the same at the inn earlier.¡± If I said this was the first time in my life, would I look shallow? She has never been very good at this in the past. Valletta looked at Roman without saying a word as she slowly shrugged her shoulders. ¡°I don¡¯t think this is what we came to do.¡± ¡°Of course, you can just show it here.¡± ¡°¡­ Here?¡± Valletta¡¯s eyes narrowed. She nced at the people in the pub at once. In the darkness, her purple eyes reflected the dim mes and slowly grasped the situation. There were two possible situations that could be considered. Either this ce was for for human trafficking, or all the people in there were alchemists. ¡°Valletta-nim¡­¡± Therion called out to Valletta in a shaky voice, holding onto the hem of her robe. The child¡¯s trembling stopped in an instant as she silently lowered her hand and stroked Therion¡¯s head. Valletta let out her sigh. ¡°What kind of potion should I make?¡± ¡°Anything is fine. Please make the one you are most confident in.¡± ¡°Then, I¡¯ll go with the most basic one.¡± There was nothing that could hurt her self-esteem now. She had endured gazes as if she was a monkey in a zoo, how can she not endure this much. Roman pulled out a pen, paper and an empty vial from one side and handed it to her. Then he pointed at one of the chairs. ¡°Sit down at this table and drawfortably.¡± Valletta stayed standing and flipped through a notebook. As she stood in her ce, she used the pen to write the form that she remembered, and drew her sigil with the alchemy form written on it. Despite drawing while standing, her sigil lines were very straight. And with no hesitation. The eyes of those who watched were filled with surprise. After she had finished drawing her forms, she pulled out a vial containing herbs from the bag she was carrying by her side. She was making the potion she had shown Roman and collected the remaining herbs in one ce. ¡®I didn¡¯t know how to write it like this.¡¯ All of a sudden, everyone was watching Valletta. She could feel their gazes on her in the dimly lit pub. She put the vial on the sigil that she had drawn in the notebook. ¡°Extraction.¡± With hermand, an ancient symbol rose above her violet eyes. Contrary to the brightly shining medicine potion, the sigil that was clear in her eyes slowly disappeared. ¡°¡­!¡± When the lightpletely disappeared, Valletta held out her vial to Roman. Inside the vial that used to be filled with her herbs, a blue liquid was glistening. ¡°This is the only herb I have. Will that be enough?¡± ¡°Yes, of course.¡± Roman said as he carefully took the vial of pure potion with both hands. ¡°If the proof isplete, I would like to receive a proper introduction, Roman.¡± ¡°Excuse me.¡± Roman took a step back and took off the robe he was wearing over his head. He ced his hand carefully on his chest and then politely bent his back. ¡°I am the Unofficial Alchemist Association, Distinguisher of the Alchemists, Royceman.¡± Valletta responded with a nod to his introduction. ¡®The distinguisher¡­¡¯ Distinguisher was the right word for him as he was the one who was distinguishing the authenticity of the countless alchemists who came to the Unofficial Alchemist Association. ¡°Valletta, I¡¯m Valletta Delight.¡± She also said, taking off the robe she was wearing, to show her respect. ¡°If it¡¯s Delight that¡­ Isn¡¯t that a Count? The annihtion of the whole residence case?¡± ¡°What? Isn¡¯t this dangerous?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard that the Count¡¯s daughter is a pretty good alchemist.¡± Voices of agitation and bewilderment were heard from the onlookers sitting in the pub. She thought that if she revealed her identity, she would get this kind of attention. Valletta¡¯s gaze was focused solely on Roman. He didn¡¯t seem to be surprised as much as the people around them. ¡°¡­ Is that the reason why the President of the Association came in person? A very precious person has stepped in.¡± Roman muttered a little as if he had realized something about her and then gave her a formal greeting. She was not interested in thetter words, but she was a little interested in the first ones. ¡°President of the Association?¡± ¡°Yes, I told him your story and he sent me a message that he woulde himself.¡± ¡°My story?¡± ¡°I told him about your appearance, age, and gender. And now that I have judged you as an alchemist, I will guide you to the President of the Association.¡± Roman opened the door behind the old counter and entered. ¡®I thought it was just the kitchen.¡¯ When she opened the door, she saw a warehouse full of clutter. On one side of the warehouse, there was arge old wooden wall clock, which seemed to be broken, as the second hand was not moving. Roman opened the clock and moved the hour and minute hands. ¡®4 o¡¯clock, 27 minutes, 42 seconds?¡¯ It¡¯s a very detailed time. What does it mean? With that thought, Valletta tilted her head. At that moment, there was a sound of something interlocking in the clock. At the same time, the clock on the wall, which she thought was attached, shook like a hinged door. *** Chapter 36 As Roman familiarly opened therge clock, a long aisle could be seen. ¡®This must¡¯ve cost a lot of money,¡¯ To create such a mechanism, they probably needed a lot of skilled technicians. Skilled technicians with a heavy mouth. (T/N: Heavy mouth: Those who can keep a secret.) ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°V-Valleta-nim¡­¡± ¡°Why? Are you tired?¡± Valletta, who was about to enter the aisle, looked down and asked. It was not a friendly tone. She was willing to leave the child here for a while if necessary. ¡°If you¡¯re tired, stay here for a bit¡­¡± ¡°N-no! I¡¯m okay! Don¡¯t, don¡¯t leave me behind¡­¡± At the desperate words of the child, Valletta knotted her brows. ¡®Does he have separation anxiety?¡¯ She couldn¡¯t help it, but she was not in a good mood. She was not amiable enough to leisurely go along with the child¡¯s whining. Valletta looked at Therion¡¯s tense expression and nodded her head. Once Valletta gave her permission, Therion ran and clung to her legs. Roman, who was watching the situation, leaned his body a little in front of the child. ¡°If your feet hurt, I can carry you.¡± ¡°¡­ Ah.¡± Valletta, who eximed a little when she realized why the child stopped, showed a dismayed expression. With her eyes on him, Therion blushed in embarrassment, grabbed the hem of her robe and looked down. ¡°This way.¡± The aisle that they entered as they followed Roman, was very long and dark. Rarely, there weremps in the middle of the aisle illuminating the darkness, and at the end of the aisle was arge door. As if the shabby pub was just for show, the ce that they were guided to was antique, neat and well maintained. At the moment the door opened and they stepped inside, Valletta had to throw away her previous thoughts. It was not a ¡®room¡¯. Rather than a room, it was more of a new space or an underground mansion that was as big as an aristocrat¡¯s mansion. ¡°Where is this ce?¡± ¡°You can call it the alchemist¡¯s hideout.¡± ¡°You seem to have a lot of rich supporters.¡± Valletta looked around the mansion and said lightly. Roman, who was holding Therion in one arm, could no longer hide his surprise. ¡°You¡¯re very observant.¡± ¡®Is this a matter of observation?¡¯ Valletta tilted her head. It was a well-known fact that a considerable amount of money is needed to maintain such a spacious mansion. What¡¯s surprising was that they were able to build it under a shabby pub. ¡®The person looking after them¡­ is at least an aristocrat.¡¯ She doesn¡¯t know how the Alchemist were making potions and making money behind the scene, but if they were making just enough to be able to hide their tail in the Imperial Capital, it was impossible to maintain such a mansion. ¡°I would like to thank you foring this far, Lady Delight.¡± Valletta¡¯s gaze moved upward at the voice, like a calmke, that tickled her ears from above the stairs. Valletta¡¯s eyes slightly widened as she looked up and met the other¡¯s ice blue eyes. ¡°You¡­¡± ¡°You know who I am, right?¡± ¡°¡­ No matter how ignorant I am of the world, it would be absurd if I don¡¯t know who the only two Dukes in the Empire are.¡± Valletta¡¯s indifferent voice reached the man as he descended the stairs. Light blue hair, as if dyed by dissolving the sky in water, swayed around the man¡¯s waist. He had almost translucent white skin, and a calm and soft voice that was pleasant to listen to. The man with the beautiful appearance has always been the talk of the town. Who would think that he would be in his early 40s. ¡®At best, he looks to be around histe 20s or early 30s.¡¯ Valletta did not take her eyes off the man, even as he came down the stairs and stood in front of her. The man¡¯s expression did not change mliket like Valletta. He was in fact wn to have exceptional self-restraint. ¡°I never expected to see Count Delight¡¯s precious jewel here.¡± ¡°It¡¯s because the jewelry box has shattered¡± ¡°Words filled with hidden meaning. Nevertheless, I¡¯m d you¡¯re safe.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it better to say goodbye to words filled with hidden meaning, Your Grace, Duke Carlon Delphine?¡± Valletta said as she used his own words against him. The man, Carlon Delphine, stood still and just stared at Valletta without a word. Of the two, who were standing still and having a confrontation without a word, Valletta was the first to back down. ¡®I don¡¯t like fighting.¡¯ She let out a faint sigh and avoided his gaze. Her head hurt and she was tired. Valletta dislikes being bothered and to bump against emotions. ¡°If it¡¯s okay, how about having a cup of tea with me?¡± The Duke asked. ¡°Do whatever you feelfortable with.¡± ¡°Roman, the drawing room please.¡± ¡°Yes, I understand.¡± Roman turned around with Therion still in his arms. She saw the child trying to escape, but Valletta did not say anything. ¡°Lady Delight, this way.¡± ¡°Valletta is enough.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Carlon Delphine answered. As she was about to follow him to the stairs, an urgent voice was heard from behind. ¡°Valletta-nim, me too¡­!¡± ¡°Ah, you want to go with them?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Roman asked the child¡¯s intention and brought him down from his arms. When Roman dropped him down, he rushed to Valletta¡¯s feet at the same time. ¡®He¡¯s like a puppy.¡¯ The puppy that Valletta had once picked up and cherished, had to die because she refused Count Delight¡¯s order. As her punishment, Valletta was ordered to kill the puppy with her own hands, but she refused to do so. She could not kill the being she had cherished with her own hands. Because of that, the puppy was killed in an even more painful way by Count Delight. After that, she had never thought of raising another one ever again. ¡®Ah, bad memories areing back.¡¯ Valletta messed up her hair. She turned her head away as she saw the child cling to her legs desperately. With a weird expression on his face, Carlon Delphine looked at Valletta. ¡°What is with the child?¡¯ ¡°A magician¡¯s egg.¡± As a child who would be a magician, ¡®egg¡¯ would be the correct expression. Even with Valletta¡¯s roundabout words, Carlon Delphine quickly understood the meaning of her words. ¡°Did you bring him from the Magic Tower?¡± ¡°Yes, is that a problem?¡± Valletta meekly nodded her head. To be precise, he was brought away from the Magic Tower¡¯s Master room, but saying that would surely lead to useless usations, thus, she kept silent. ¡°I thought magicians value child magicians, but I guess it¡¯s not true.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t know them very well.¡± ¡°If you took a child magician from the Magic Tower for your own protection, they wouldn¡¯t stay still.¡± Having said that, it wasn¡¯t a worried voice at all. Carlon Delphine opened the door to his drawing room. After entering, Valletta closed the door and followed him. He offered her a seat, with a modest gesture like flowing water, but in a supremely graceful manner. Valletta took a seat across from him, and the child carefully took a seat next to her. It was after the child had sat down that Carlon Delphine took a seat as he lifted his robe. ¡°As long as that man is ruling over the magicians, the Magic Tower would noty their hands on me.¡± ¡°Is he the one who has be the new Magic Tower¡¯s Master?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. However,I did note here to chat.¡± Vallettt expressed her difort to the man who refused to get to the point. Carlon Delphine nodded his head as he smiled faintly like a fog. ¡°But as someone who knows your situation well, I trust you will understand that I¡¯m in a situation where I can¡¯t help but to ask.¡± As if she had already guessed it, Valletta nodded her head withoutint. ¡°What are you curious about?¡± ¡°I¡¯m curious about the annihtion of Count Delight.¡± As the head of an organization, it must be an unavoidable choice, as she was carrying some risks. Valletta bit her lip for a moment. ¡°It¡¯s mostly the truth. He just annihted Count Delight. There¡¯s no other exnation.¡± ¡°Are you involved in it?¡± ¡°¡­ It¡¯s not a question whether I was involved in the massacre of my father and the servants. It was his own volition.¡± Valletta slightly shrugged her shoulders. ¡°Then, why did he not kill you?¡± Carlon Delphine asked sharply. Valletta paused for a moment. This was probably the question that he wanted to ask the most. The real purpose of the interview had arrived. *** Chapter 37 ¡°Excuse me.¡± Just at the right time, Roman came in, put down the tea and juice then left. Instead of answering, Valletta raised her head and looked into Carlon Delphine¡¯s eyes. ¡°Will something change depending on my answer?¡± ¡°Perhaps.¡± ¡°That hateful guy thinks that I¡¯m the only one who can understand him.¡± Valletta bowed down her head, looked at the smoking tea and opened her mouth again. ¡°And he¡¯s waiting for me to call his name.¡± ¡°¡­ Yes?¡± There was a small ripple on the barely changing expression of Carlon Delphine. Iprehension could be seen in his raised eyebrow. Valletta shrugged. ¡°He should at least know that I nned toe here. He¡¯s probably thinking of how to dramatically appear in front of me.¡± ¡°¡­ You talk as if you know that you will be dragged back by him.¡± Valletta did not immediately say anything to Carlon Delphine¡¯s sharpment. The reason why Reinhardt had allowed her to be free was because he had decided that he wouldn¡¯t catch her for a while. Of course, she would¡¯ve hit Reinhardt on the back of his head this time, but her struggle ended there. The moment he discovered that she had run away, if he wanted to, he could have just followed her right away. But he didn¡¯t. And so far, he hasn¡¯t been looking for her, which meant he had decided to watch for a while. ¡®Is it out of pity?¡¯ Or is it for his own amusement again? ¡°Or maybe I¡¯ll go back to him with my own feet,¡± Valletta finally responded. ¡°Howe?¡± ¡°That man is thest shield that I have. And he probably knows it too.¡± ¡°If he¡¯s yourst shield, then who is he shielding you from?¡± Valletta just quietly raised her head. Carlon Delphine stared intently into her dead eyes. He was often told that he was not very emotional, yet the girl in front of him was like a desert that was devastated by a drought. ¡°The Imperial Pce. Or maybe a new cage.¡± Just like the non-existent emotion that could be felt from her eyes, an indifferent voice came out. Carlon Delphine realized that the child in front of him was just as twisted as the Magic Tower¡¯s Master that he had never met. ¡°Count Delight was a wicked man.¡± He must have looked like a good parent in front of others. However to Carlon Delphine, Delight was nothing but a lowly human who treated his child like a golden goose thatid golden eggs. That was why he had tried to make contact with her, but the Count¡¯s security was surprising. Count Delight was greedy and wicked, but he was not stupid. He would not lose his opportunities to momentary greed. ¡°I have seen Lady Valletta¡¯s abilities many times.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because I have acted like a circus clown in the Imperial Pce several times.¡± Valletta lightly replied, as if it was nothing special. ¡°If the concern about the danger that I carry has been resolved, let¡¯s stop talking about it. I don¡¯t want to speak about it that much.¡± Carlon Delphine was silent for a moment. He looked at her while thinking, then he nodded his head. This gesture prompted her to say what she wanted, Valletta opened her mouth without any hesitation. ¡°I want two things from the unofficial association.¡± She opened her mouth, recalling the conditions that she had already thought about. ¡°First, I don¡¯t have a ce to live right now. I need a safe space that the Imperial Family can¡¯t touch for a while.¡± She nced at Carlon Delphine¡¯s expression and opened her mouth again. The prudent man didn¡¯t seem to have any intention to say anything until he heard everything. ¡°Second¡­¡± She sighed heavily and pressed the bridge of her nose as if tired. ¡°I would like to open a pharmacy or something simr to sell potions. The problem is, as you know, I was constantly locked up so I honestly don¡¯t know much about the world.¡± The information that she heard, and when she went out were all handled by Count Delight. Frankly, she had no idea how much jewelry she would need to buy an apple, the price of a potion, or how much the people needed medicine. At the time, it was also difficult to determine the exact value of the jewels that she was carrying since they were cashed at a low price. All she knew for certain was that she was close to a very useful joker. She doesn¡¯t have anything, so she would at least use her body. ¡°That¡¯s why, if you don¡¯t mind, I would like you to introduce me to someone who can advise me on this.¡± ¡°Hm¡­¡± ¡°Of course, I won¡¯t ask you to just do both for free. I will alsopensate the person who would advise me. This is all I have right now.¡± Valletta said as she poured out a number or ornaments she took from the Sky Room that looked quite expensive. She shook off everything she had taken from Reinhardt¡¯s room. She had already converted one of the ornaments into gold coins, and thought that the money would be enough for a while. Carlon Delphine looked at the ornaments for a long time, then he raised his head to look at Valletta. Valletta took it as a sign that she could continue and went on. ¡°Of course, I know that these ornaments and money are not worth that much to you, Duke.¡± ¡°If you knew, then why give me these things?¡± ¡°Another suggestion. I don¡¯t really know the value of potions, but I do know that high-grade potions are worth a lot.¡± Carlon Delphine listened to Valletta with his arms crossed, and with an expression that hid his thoughts. ¡°If there¡¯s a quantity requested, I can make the ones you need in an agreeable amount on a weekly or monthly basis.¡± ¡°¡­ A high-grade potion¡¯s value is certainly high. Most alchemists don¡¯t even dare to make one, since even if they wring out a magic circle to make it, they would often fall ill.¡± Valletta nodded at Carlon Delphine¡¯s words. She knew about that. For what he¡¯s worth, Count Delight was enthusiastic about learning about alchemy to make Valletta study ¡®Alchemy¡¯. ¡°You don¡¯t think I would lock up Lady Valletta and force you to do it?¡± ¡°Your Grace?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m also human. I can be greedy, don¡¯t you think so?¡± ¡°Would you? I don¡¯t really think so.¡± Even if that was the case, calling Jin to run away would be enough. Carlon Delphine¡¯s pupil dted at Valletta¡¯s dry voice and slowly returned to normal. ¡°Since when have we built trust like this? Then, shall we talk about the conditions? How about 100 high-grade potions in a month? Of course, we would provide the materials.¡± Valletta frowned. Valletta said nothing and pondered. Carlon Delphine did not say anything either. In fact, if she just asked for help, he would have been willing to provide it. Valletta Delight was well aware of her situation, and Carlon Delphine felt pity for her. He also wanted to take this opportunity to recruit an outstanding alchemist to the Alchemist Association. However, he was dissatisfied with the way she was pricing and selling herself like amodity. So he was grumpy, unlike the usual Carlon Delphine. ¡®The stake is 100 potions.¡¯ If you think about it, that¡¯s three potions a day. In fact, it was not impossible or unreasonable for her to be able to make 10 advance-grade potions a day. She didn¡¯t know the value of 100 high-grade potions, but making it, although tiring, wasn¡¯t too difficult for Valletta. However, even Valletta, who was not very knowledgeable about it, thought that 100 was a little too much. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, 100 is too much.¡± It was a condition that he knew was impossible in the first ce, so Carlon Delphine crossed his arms and nodded. ¡®The first time I saw this child was when she was seven years old.¡¯ The child came out with an expressionless face and showed off her abilities at Count Delight¡¯s word like a circus monkey. Maybe that¡¯s why she still looked like a child to him. But this child doesn¡¯t know how to lean on someone. The form that she needed to pay to get something in return was deeply rooted in her head. The moment that Carlon Delphine was about to say ¡®I understand¡¯, Valletta opened her mouth instead. ¡°However, I can make two per day, and up to 60 a month. If that¡¯s okay, then we can do it this way.¡± ¡°¡­ 60?¡± ¡°Yes, if it¡¯s that much, I think aspensation for the kindness that you would provide, it¡¯s enough.¡± 60 high-grade potions a month? It wasn¡¯t just enough, it was too much. The child in front of him seemed to have no idea how astronomical it was. ¡®She really doesn¡¯t know anything.¡¯ Carlon Delphine, who realized this while on his seat, was not in a good mood. He didn¡¯t like anything that was unjust, especially inhumane ones that were directed to the weak. However, the more they talked, the more Count Delight¡¯s inhumane actions were being drawn in front of his eyes. Count Delight covered her eyes and ears so she wouldn¡¯t know her worth. She was ignorant of her own value. *** Chapter 38 *** ¡°Excuse me, but may I know how old Lady Valletta is?¡± ¡°It was my 20th birthday when my father died. What about it?¡± Carlon Delphine was silent for a moment. Then after a while, he opened his mouth again. ¡°¡­ I think there¡¯s a good ce for you to stay.¡± There was a lot of problem sending out a person who hasn¡¯t adapted to social life. She seems to be knowledgeable about etiquette, but that was all. She had no knowledge needed in life. ¡°Lady Valletta, you just need to go to the address that I gave you. We will prepare it for you to live in. There will also be someone there to advise you.¡± ¡°I understand. What will be the delivery schedule for the potions?¡± ¡°¡­ You¡¯ll find out once you get there.¡± Valletta immediately nodded her head. After the talk, she got up from her seat without any regret. Since the deal had been sealed, there was nothing to regret. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to inform you about the details and how Alchemists work once you arrive at the mansion.¡± ¡°Yes. Well then, please excuse me, Your Grace.¡± ¡°I heard you have no ce to stay indefinitely right now. There¡¯s a lot of room avable, you can go to one and take a rest for the day.¡± Valletta¡¯s sharp gazended on Carlon Delphine after she heard his invitation. Valletta, who looked at him with emotionless eyes, had a smile that seemed to have been drawn literally on her lips for a moment before opening her mouth. It was as if she was drawing a line. It was cold, yet polite. ¡°No, it¡¯s okay.¡± With those words, Valletta left the room without any hesitation. Carlon Delphine sat on the sofa, as he stared at the expensive looking ornaments that Valletta had left on the table. Just selling these would be enough to buy a suitable house and to be able to livefortably for the rest of her life. ¡®Now that I think about it, I wasn¡¯t able to ask.¡¯ Why she wanted to sell potions and what her intentions were. The Duke Carlon Delphine sighed. The child who grew up without knowing anything, seemed to have taken a light invitation as a sign of hostility. ¡°Just what did Count Delight make her do.¡± He must have been blinded by money and fame, and had no awareness of what he had done. He got up and tied the thing Valletta had left behind in a cloth. Valletta did not show any pity or kindness to the child that she had brought along. There was only duty. He eventually admitted that he felt like he was talking to a doll, she has no emotions at all. And Carlon Delphine who realized that fact, was not pleased in various ways. *** ¡°I¡¯ll go back to the inn.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re having a hard time, you don¡¯t have to chase me around.¡± ¡°I¡¯m okay!¡± Therion¡¯s body trembled and he clenched his fist. And he shook his head from side to side desperately. She wasn¡¯t nning on throwing him away, but the child¡¯s face was full of worries. Valletta, who was about to exin that she was simply leaving and was going to return, bit her lips. She was not confident with her persuasion skills, but she had absolutely no idea how to get rid of the child with puppy-like eyes. ¡®It¡¯s like he¡¯s going to be killed.¡¯ Just like how Count Delight has destroyed every single thing that I got attached to. She was sure that she knew how to speak without hurting other people, but now she couldn¡¯t even remember. Reinhardt was indifferent to that, and Valletta also did not care much. ¡®My father is already dead¡­¡¯ He would no longer be able to take away what she has. Valletta, who thought so, saw the child struggling to hold the hem of her robe and stretched out her hand. ¡°Do you want me to hold your hand?¡± At Valletta¡¯s offer, the child¡¯s face instantly brightened, like a light was radiating from it. Therion blinked his blue eyes and nodded his head hastily as he grabbed Valletta¡¯s hand. Pop! It was the shoulder of Valletta who was watching the child as he roaringly responded. (T/N: I¡¯m guessing Valletta¡¯s shoulder popped but not the painful one? If it¡¯s the Korean word its ?! Which is Be!¡­) The child grabbed Valletta¡¯s hand, that was loosely grabbing his, tightly. It was to the point where she felt a bit of pain. ¡°Let¡¯s go in.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± As soon as Valletta opened the door and entered the inn, she stopped breathing for a moment. A familiar presence and a familiar scent stimted her sense of smell. I¡¯m sure it was alreadyte in the evening¡­ ¡°Hello, Master. Have you been doing well?¡± She doesn¡¯t know what that hateful guy was sitting by the window and enjoying the pouring moonlight. It wasn¡¯t even daytime, but it was dazzling. Therion, who was holding her hands, clung behind Valletta¡¯s leg due to his startling voice. ¡°Why did Master run away like that? My tender heart was hurt.¡± ¡°Crazy¡­¡± Valletta did not even bother to hide the swear words that flowed out into the scene. ¡°Did your patience run out prematurely?¡± Reinhardt¡¯s eyes widened at her words, and burst outughing. Valletta frowned as she watched his shaking shoulder like it was something funny. ¡°Master¡¯s words have be harsh while I haven¡¯t seen you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think this is the time to be saying that you haven¡¯t seen me in a while.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t intentional. I also wanted to give Master a little more time¡­¡± Reinhardt raised his head with an exaggerated look and let out a low sigh. He took one step closer to her as he jumped off the window. When Valletta beckoned the child to go to bed, the child nodded his head and walked away. Reinhardt didn¡¯t even look at the child. ¡°This pitiful ve needs it¡¯s Master.¡± He came so close that it took her breath away, he spread his arms and hugged Valletta. He took a deep breath while his head was buried into her nape, something else must be bothering him. Valletta, who has wrapped in his arms, knitted her brows. She hardened her body like a wood and did not react. ¡°I¡¯ve made it clear several times that you are not my ve.¡± ¡°¡­ Then, how about a pet?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never raised anything big and creepy like you.¡± ¡°How cold-hearted.¡± ¡°Get off.¡± Reinhardt let out a sigh, but he backed away quietly. No matter how impatient he was, Valletta never thought that he woulde so early. He didn¡¯te right away, so she thought she could rx for a while. ¡°Master, did you see the Imperial Family issuing a poster for ¡®Valletta Delight.¡¯?¡± ¡°I saw a missing person poster. Even your wanted poster.¡± When Valletta pointed that out, Reinhardt¡¯s eyebrows went up. Even with his sweet smile that can even melt ice, Valletta only frowned in displeasure. ¡°A decrepit Goldy put a bounty on my innocent Master¡¯s neck.¡± He pretended not to hear what she had said and naturally talked again. Wait. The fact that the Emperor couldn¡¯t stay still¡­ ¡°¡­ What did you do to the Crown Prince?¡± ¡°Oh my, you really don¡¯t have any trust in me.¡± Even with his sly remark, Valletta did not masked her suspicions. Then Reinhardt¡¯s cheek slightly puffed up. ¡°I¡¯m only guilty of returning their limbs to how they were. I didn¡¯t kill nor hurt anyone, they were all intact.¡± In fact, it was a very rare action from Reinhardt. Surely, no one would understand why not killing anyone who bothered him required a lot of patience. However¡­ ¡°Master should know. How much I tried.¡± The lovely Master in front of him would understand. ¡°So please praise me, Master.¡± ¡°I still ended up with a bounty on my neck, so what was the point of all your effort?¡± Right now, she has a poster for a missing person, but no one knows when the bounty will multiply. ¡°Uhm¡­¡± After Valletta pointed that out, Reinhardt eventually lost his words. He looked down at her hands regretfully, but he didn¡¯t ask for more. Valletta¡¯s gaze met Reinhardt¡¯s in the air. When their eyes met, Reinhardt¡¯s eyes reflexively melted and curved into a half moon. ¡°If that¡¯s all you have to say, then go back.¡± ¡°Master, aren¡¯t you curious how I found you here?¡± ¡°If you put your mind to it, there¡¯s nothing you can¡¯t do.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± Reinhardt¡¯s eyes widened slightly and slowly fell down. Seeing his bright smile, Valletta¡¯s expression turned bitter. She didn¡¯t know what on earth made him that happy. ¡®We¡¯ve been together for a time, but I still don¡¯t understand his mood.¡¯ Reinhardt¡¯s lips drew a soft arc with a sense of satisfaction. ¡°It would be nice if the master was a doll or precious jewel.¡± ¡°¡­What are you talking about?¡± In response to Valletta¡¯s question, he raised his hand and carefully ced it on her cheek. Reinhardt¡¯s warm hand was scalded by Valletta¡¯s rtively cold skin. ¡°Then I can own youpletely.¡± A jewel would not wander around nor would it move, it would be entirely his. Reinhardt smacked his lips and carefully took off his hand. He wouldn¡¯t need to be worried that it would be ruined or destroyed, or that her gaze would disappear. ¡°¡­ I¡¯ve said it before, if you¡¯re going to kill me, do it all at once so it wouldn¡¯t hurt. Give me that much mercy.¡± Reinhardt¡¯s head tilted. ¡°I told you, Master. If I was going to kill you, I would¡¯ve killed you that day.¡± ¡°Good, if you¡¯re not going to kill me, then leave. My head hurts because I haven¡¯t slept properly for the past few days.¡± He looked still at her and lightly sped his hand. Valletta¡¯s body floated andnded into Reinhardt¡¯s arms. She didn¡¯t know where the strength in his body came from, but without any change in his expression, heid Valletta down on the bed while supporting her hips and back. Valletta¡¯s eyebrows narrowed as she felt the soft bed on her back. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°It¡¯s magic that I often casted on Master.¡± He gently rubbed her forehead with his thumb. ¡°You¡­¡± ¡°Sleep well, Master.¡± At the end of that greeting, her mind drifted further and further away. *** Chapter 39 *** After that greeting, Vallett¡¯s mind gradually drifted away. She justid down helplessly. The sound of her breathing immediately changed. Therion, who was watching from the side, widened his eyes. ¡°Stop!¡± Reinhardt¡¯s eyebrows knitted at the loud voice that he had heard. Fortunately, Valletta had fallen deeply asleep and did not react at all. He caressed her earlobe with his fingers once more, then slowly moved his gaze towards the child. The tenderly curved eyes disappeared, and coldness was the only one that remained in his red eyes. Reinhardt¡¯s fingers slowly touched the child¡¯s neck. He gripped the child¡¯s neck in a way that it wouldn¡¯t hurt, and slowly opened his mouth. ¡°When Master is sleeping, you should be quiet.¡± A cold voice was heard by the child. In that darkness, only his red eyes were visible. Therion was terrified for a moment, he swallowed his breath and barely nodded his head. Reinhardt then let go of his neck, and straightened up his slightly bending body. ¡°You will be quite useful.¡± ¡°¡­ Yes?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a very unusual situation. I think it¡¯ll be better if you learn the sword rather than magic.¡± Therion tilted his head at Reinhardt¡¯s words. Even with his eyes trembling in bewilderment, Reinhardt did not bother to add any kind words. His purpose foring there has been achieved. He just needed to organize something and look at her face for a while. ¡°Did your patience run out prematurely?¡± Reinhardt¡¯s shoulder trembled at the reassurance her reckless remark gave him. At least those words won¡¯t make him feel bad for a while. She made him realize a feeling he didn¡¯t know before. She would need to take responsibility for the things she had done up to that point. Getting out of the board and running away was unforgivable. ¡°In the morning, even if it¡¯s a little noisy, she won¡¯t hear a thing, so don¡¯t wake her up and wait for her to get up.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Therion looked at the sleeping Valletta and Reinhardt in turn. Reinhardt, who was half-heartedly watching the child who could not make head or tails of thing, lightly tapped his foot on the floor. In an instant, a magic circle spreaded out on the floor. As his figure was about, Therion, who was tightly grabbing the hem of his clothes, rushed in. ¡°I, Am¡­ Am I not a magician?¡± The child raised his gaze and looked directly at Reinhardt¡¯s. His eyebrows narrowed slightly as he asked the question while looking straight to his eyes. He could turn him down if he wanted to but¡­ ¡°You could be one or not be one.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°It¡¯s your choice, whether you¡¯re satisfied being a chrysalis or to bloom and be a butterfly.¡± Reinhardt disappeared from his sight after that. Therion¡¯s blue eyes zed like blue mes full of determination underneath the gloomy dawn. *** Before I could lose my mind, I woke up feeling refreshed. The sun was already halfway through, as if trying to make up for the times that she couldn¡¯t get a good night¡¯s sleep. Therion was already awake and sat cross-legged on the chair. ¡°I didn¡¯t wake you up.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°That hateful guy must¡¯ve told you not to wake me up.¡± Valletta said as she ruffled her hair. Instead of answering, Therion just smiled awkwardly. It annoyed her even more that she discovered this fact immediately. ¡®More than anything¡­¡¯ Her pride was slightly hurt as she unexpectedly realized something yesterday. She had insomnia for quite some time now. The circumstances that she had to be born there and the oppression of Count Delight was stressful. The useless thoughts that came to her mind at night couldn¡¯t be ruled out as well. There were a lot of days where she couldn¡¯t sleep, and because of this, she umted useless thoughts into her head. And on those days, Reinhardt would oftene. There were times when he would silently approach her,y her down, kneel next to her, and stroke her forehead. And she thought she slept well on those days. ¡°That must¡¯ve been magic.¡± Valletta muttered in despair, and bowed down her head. She got goosebumps when the fact that his hands had reached a ce she didn¡¯t notice entered her mind. It was a good thing that she didn¡¯t notice, if she had noticed it, then on the days that she felt unbelievably tired, she might have waited for him toe. ¡°Did that hateful guy say anything?¡± ¡°Yes, he said it will be good if I learn the sword.¡± Sword? Wasn¡¯t he a child magician? Valletta¡¯s eyes narrowed. Reinhardt must have saved him because he¡¯s a magician, so why is he telling him to learn the sword instead of magic. ¡®Still, he didn¡¯t kill him.¡¯ The fact that all his limbs were intact and he didn¡¯t kill him, means that the child did not go against Reinhardt¡¯s intention. The child must be smart or that he likes him. ¡°Today, I will go to the address that I received yesterday. And frown now on, I will stay there.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Whatever house it is, it¡¯s still safer to stay there than in the inn.¡± She would be a little more free. And she also needed to prepare. Whether it was making the store, making money or looking for something to fight against the Imperial Family, it was only possible if there was a ce to return to. Because a wandering life could not build a foundation. ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°If you have nothing else to prepare, then we can go right away.¡± ¡°Yes, Valletta-nim.¡± Valletta nodded immediately, nced at the child, and went to the bathroom. After she washed herself lightly in the bathroom and put on the robe, the child hurriedly approached her. When they went downstairs and returned the key to check out, the staff returned a portion of their amodation fee. ¡®Is there a system simr to deposit here?¡¯ Even though she had lived there for 20 years, she could not help but know nothing. Understandably, in a ce where most of their guests are wandering around or with vague identity, how can they trust them, and give them the key? She pulled out the writing on the torn notebook from the inside of her robe and looked at it. The neat and impable writing was beautiful, and the fact that there was not a single ink drop, it was so perfect that it could be something that could be literally seen in a book. ¡®¡­This is a problem.¡¯ The truth was she didn¡¯t know how to read addresses due to the fact that she never visited someone else¡¯s house, and there was no teacher that taught her how to read one as well. ¡°Hey kid, can you read addresses?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± Valletta asked as she held out a piece of paper. She thought it would be better to ask the child first before asking a stranger. Therion, who opened his eyes roundly and was puzzled by Valletta¡¯s question, immediately nodded with a bright expression. ¡°Yes, I can!¡± ¡°That¡¯s a relief. Teach me how to read one.¡± Therion nodded and peeked at the paper where the address was written in. ¡°The first one is the name of the city or the town, and this is the name of the street in that city or town.¡± Valletta nodded. ¡°And this would tell you what the street number is. Then this is the number of the house in that street.¡± ¡°Is that so? It was an easier structure than I thought.¡± Intuitive and easy to understand. It seemed possible since there were no densely packed buildings in the cities or towns. The roads were usually straight. The street names were written at the beginning of the road or in the middle, and there were quite a few shops with their addresses hanging outside so it wouldn¡¯t be difficult to find them. However, as they continued to follow the address, the atmosphere in the street hadpletely changed. ¡°No way, is this it?¡± Valletta murmured as she looked at the mansion in front of her, and frowned. It seemed like all the people in the world had a talent for catching people off guard. ¡®¡­ Although I was a bit hesitant to call it a mansion from the very beginning.¡¯ For the Duke to strike with such a prank, Valletta let out a long sigh. The ce they arrived at was an aristocrat¡¯s mansion. Even the Duke¡¯s crest was engraved right from the entrance Was it her naive self that just inly believed him, or her heart that subtly covered her eyes and turned her back like there was nothing wrong, she was not sure. ¡°I mean, I forget about it all the time.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°To not trust people.¡± Therion tilted his head at what Valletta had murmured. No matter what, it seemed like she was a little impatient. Normally, she would think about it one or two more times. ¡®How stupid.¡¯ As she med her own stupidity, Valletta pressed down her robe tightly. With the robe pressed down, a shadow covered her face. ¡°It¡¯s great. You can go into this mansion.¡± ¡°Va¡­ valletta-nim..?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I need to move busily from now on.¡± ¡°I-I don¡¯t want to. I¡­! I will also go. I can walk well. I won¡¯t say it¡¯s hard.¡± Therion grabbed the hem of Valletta¡¯s robe and shouted. Surprisingly, his blue eyes that opened wide were full of tears. Valletta¡¯s eyebrows narrowed on their own, since the trembling child looked like an abandoned puppy. Then the child was surprised and took his hands off. Valletta sighed and continued. ¡°I can¡¯t afford to take care of you. I¡¯m not in a good situation where I can bring you along. The Imperial Family is chasing me, and that hateful guy too, and the Alchemists won¡¯t stand still as well.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°As far as I know, the Duke is a righteous man. He won¡¯t do anything unnecessary, and he seems to feel sorry for you so he will protect you.¡± Therion cowered down and shook his head. ¡°Thank you very much for your kind evaluation.¡± ¡°¡­¡± At the moment, Valletta stiffened at the voice she heard from behind. *** Chapter 40 ¡°But I don¡¯t n to protect just the child, but you as well, youngdy.¡± ¡°I assure you that it¡¯s useless meddling.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think you have a ce to go to.¡± The cold voice touched a sore spot. The reason why she could not reply to this was because it was true. ¡°If I¡¯m alone, then there¡¯s no problem. I just need you to take care of the child.¡± ¡°Oh my, that¡¯s a reckless and pointless action.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not pointless¡­¡± Valletta, who was trying to open her mouth with a frown, could not find the right words to say and bit her lip. The man¡¯s eyes curved while looking at her, as if he was trying to appease a child. ¡°Think about it once again.¡± As if trying to pacify a child, he opened his mouth with a voice that was a bit more softer. He absolutely can not ignore their age difference, he led the conversation treating her like a child. Even though he appeared to be expressionless, he was excellent at convincing his opponents and stirring the talk in his favor. ¡°If youe under my protection, I will give you various benefits.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Valletta couldn¡¯t speak, and took a deep breath. The advantages of being under his protection shed through her clever mind. As well as the worst that he could demand. ¡®My father looked at me like a product that he could sell.¡¯ How did the owner of the golden goose thatid golden eggs, treated the goose? The answer was obvious. He would not treat it badly. Just like how Count Delight gave Valletta honor and wealth. However, it was under the condition that she would not reject or rebel against him. ¡®If it¡¯s the Duke, he will not raise his hand and use violence, nor will he order me to kill animals.¡¯ At best, he could use the child¡¯s well-being to threaten her. Or something else to use as a shackle. When Valletta did not answer for a long time, Carlon Dephine, who seemed worried, opened his mouth slightly again. ¡°If I be your guardian under the premise of protection, the Emperor would not be able to hastily put his hand on you. There will be no problem with activities outside the country if you¡¯re under the protection of the Duke¡¯s residence.¡± Valletta looked at Carlon Delphine with a nk look. It was a truth that she was well aware of. He was the only one who was able to poke at the Imperial Family¡¯s weak point. ¡®It surely is not bad.¡¯ In return, she will give the promised potions, and he will be able to lock up the golden goose thatys golden eggs in the house. Safety in exchange for relinquishing some freedom wasn¡¯t too bad. ¡°Of course, the story would have been a little different if it was a ¡®Wanted poster¡¯ and not a ¡®Missing poster¡¯ that the Imperial Family issued.¡± Valletta nodded at Carlon Delphine¡¯s words. ¡°The store that I want to open to sell potions¡­¡± ¡°No worries, I will keep my promise. It will be impossible for the Imperial Family to touch someone who is being backed by the Duke, so you, Young Lady, should be able to do what you want.¡± ¡®How clever.¡¯ He didn¡¯t talk about the cost. The price for this is probably the profit that wille from the potion store. Or perhaps monopoly. Thinking about the sharing, it was not bad. A contract should be written detailing that part. Valletta narrowed her eyes, and licked her lip as if hesitating. ¡°I¡¯m nervous about the oral contract, so if you promise to write one, I will ept it.¡± ¡°This really¡­ I¡¯m in a favorable position, so why does it feel like I¡¯m the viin, it¡¯s a strange feeling.¡± This was not a contract that could be seen by anyone. When Valletta did not answer the question that was upying his mind, Carlon Delphine nodded his head. Valletta then let out a low sigh. *** That day, the contract written by Carlon Delphine was not tooplicated. To be precise, he wanted Valletta to write most of the conditions. Guaranteed to provide 60 potions a month, and for him to provide shelter, food and clothing. Mutual respect. The contract also included the protection that the Duke himself proposed. Carlon Delphine looked at the well-organized contract and made a strange expression, but still signed it without saying anything. He also did not ask for anything else. Valletta thought that it was a little odd. If he wanted to get something more, he should be saying it by this point. However, she didn¡¯t want to say anything that could backfire, so she just kept her mouth shut. And since that day they signed the contract, it has been almost two weeks since she started living at Carlon Delphine¡¯s mansion. ¡°I¡¯m bored¡­¡± Just like what the rumors said about the man¡¯s righteousness, she treated her better than expected. No part of the three meals a day was skipped, and so far, there were no forcing and coercions. He even created an environment forplete rxation by telling her to focus only on getting a good rest for a while. Perhaps it was because of it that Therion, who used to look unstable, now gained a lot of weight and hisplexion has be brighter. However, they couldn¡¯t leave the house. Valletta obeyed withoutining or asking Carlon Delphine who exined that it was still impossible to get out because everything was not yet ready. Whether it was a lie to keep her inside the house or not, it didn¡¯t really matter that much to her. What was important right now¡­ ¡®The time is being wasted.¡¯ They had to move slowly to do something. She felt like her body was rotting like this. She doesn¡¯t know about anyone else, but she couldn¡¯t stand feeling like trash. Carlon Delphine did not even allow Valletta to make potions for the past two weeks. She was forbidden from doing any alchemy itself, and if she did try to do one, a maid or a servant woulde to take away what she had made. She waspletely forced to take a rest. Although it was only for some days, for Valletta, who lived in tension almost everyday, this was even more thorny. ¡®I have to at least do something¡­¡¯ Afterying nkly on the bed, she finally got up. ¡®¡­ I would usually ask when I should give him the goods.¡¯ But he also did not say anything about that. When Valletta ran out of patience and asked, he only said to give it to him when it was convenient. As she slowly went down halfway down the stairs, she met a servant who wasing up from below. The servant smiled and bowed their head. Valletta received the greeting with slightly trembling eyes. ¡°Do you know where the Duke is?¡± ¡°I think he is in his office.¡± ¡°He¡¯s not dealing with an emergency situation or meeting with a guest, right?¡± ¡°Yes, I did not hear anything about a distinguished guesting.¡± The atmosphere around the servant was simr to that of Carlon Delphine. His presence and voice were both calming. She was assuming that it was not a house that was easy to crumble with servants that was simr to their Master. ¡°Won¡¯t I get in his way if I visit him?¡± ¡°Of course not, I think you will be more than wee.¡± The servant smiled softly and said. And above all else, that person, Carlon Delphine, treats her like a child. She could not shake off the feeling of being treated like a cute child. Even now, it was a strange feeling. ¡°And since we are an employee of this mansion, you can speak informally to us.¡± ¡°Okay. You can just call me Valletta as well.¡± ¡°Yes, Valletta-nim.¡± ¡°You can continue your job then.¡± Valletta said and went down the stairs. Finally, she stood in front of his office, and let out a sigh as she ruffled the bangs that were flowing down with her fingertips. She then lightly knocked on the door. ¡°It¡¯s Valletta Delight.¡± The inside was quiet for a while. And a little silence continued. It was ufortable, so she was about to say ¡®It¡¯s okay¡¯ and turn her body around when she heard a voice from inside. ¡°You cane in.¡± A typical calm voice was heard. *** Chapter 41 As soon as Valletta entered the room, the smell of freshly brewed ck tea stimted her sense of smell. She looked at the man sitting in a dark mahogany colored desk while holding a pen. ¡®No one¡¯s here.¡¯ She smelled the scent of ck tea, so she assumed the Head of the servants or a servant would be there. There was no one else besides Carlon Delphine was inside the dreary office filled with documents and books. Valletta took a step inward. ¡°The sun seemed to have risen from the west today, since you looked for me first. Looks like you have something to say, how about a cup of tea?¡± ¡°I¡¯d like that.¡± Carlon Delphine suggested for them to sit at the tea table near the office¡¯s window. He went into the tea making room and brought out a tea, teacups, and light refreshments, then sat across from her. After seeing the man wearing a tidy outfit, carefully pouring the tea with his hand, Valletta turned her head towards the window. It was extremely peaceful. ¡®Now that I think about it, that hateful guy didn¡¯te again.¡¯ He would be busy with things here and there, so he can¡¯t just focus on her. It was a fortunate event. But at the same time, it was a little awkward. How long has it been since they¡¯ve been apart like this? ¡°It¡¯s a long overdue tea time.¡± ¡°You can speakfortably.¡± Carlon Delphine raised his eyebrow in doubt. ¡°When the Delight family disappeared, my title of being the Count Young Lady was now just nominal. You can just call me Valletta.¡± ¡°Then I shall do that.¡± Carlon Delphine nodded. ¡°Does it not suit your taste?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s delicious.¡± Valletta raised the teacup and took a sip. A warm sensation ran down through her throat and warmed her body for a while. She frowned slightly at the unfamiliar sensation and lifted her head. ¡°Your Grace, Duke.¡± ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°I had a good rest in thefortable environment that you have provided. Thank you for taking care of me. But given my situation, it¡¯s not convenient for me to take a rest.¡± Carlon Delphine took a sip of the tea and looked at Valletta. He crossed his leg over the other, then nodded to signal her to continue. ¡°So I want us to fulfill each other¡¯s contract.¡± ¡°¡­ Valletta, you¡¯re like a rabbit being chased without any rest. A rabbit who had no idea how to take a rest even though it¡¯s hunter was already, so it just continued to run away.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t deny it. I couldn¡¯t rx.¡± Valletta answered firmly. She honestly could not rx. It was a life that was overwhelming and beyond her control. Reinhardt, the Imperial Family, and the Crown Prince were all bothering her. It was impossible to distinguish the enemy from the non-enemy. She could not trust any other person since the only ally she had was herself. She had to grab hold of her bnce and keep herself in top shape without any rest. ¡°There will be a banquet at the Imperial Pce in a week. If you¡¯re okay with it, how about attending it?¡± ¡°¡­ I¡¯m sure I asked you to hide me from the Imperial Family.¡± ¡°Sometimes it¡¯s better to show yourself than to hide.¡± Valletta¡¯s forehead narrowed. She looked at Carlon Delphine, trying to understand what his real intention was. Her head was spinning hard. Naturally she also thought of the profit that he would get if he sold her. ¡°Everytime you look at me with that expression, it hurts my feelings. Baby¡­ no, child. I will not harm you. Didn¡¯t I promise that I would protect you?¡± ¡°Who¡¯s a baby¡­¡± (T/N: Now, the ¡®baby¡¯ here is not being used to flirt with her, but just a literal baby.) ¡°Y-yep. That was my mistake.¡± He stuttered, appearing to be a little perplexed. ¡°Anyway, don¡¯t you want to see the expression of those greedy b*st*rds once they know who is behind you?¡± Valletta¡¯s face contorted at Carlon Delphine¡¯s words. She slowly rubbed her face. It was because she understood the situation without any difficulty. Other than the Imperial Family, the other aristocrats were also targeting her. There were many people who wanted to covet the golden goose thatys golden eggs that has escaped its cage. ¡°¡­ What are the odds that the Imperial family would not take me away once I step foot right in front of them?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a certainty but¡­¡± With such an anxious expression, he had no choice but to try and reassure her. Even if she pretended to be an adult, she was still a child who had never grown up. At least that was what Carlon Delphine felt. ¡°Let¡¯s just say it¡¯s a 100% certainty.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t believe that.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the first time in my life that I¡¯ve uttered that number, but one of my principles is to keep my word once spoken.¡± Despite the still soft voice, Valletta sighed as if frustrated. After all, there was only one conclusion to this conversation. She doesn¡¯t have that many options to choose from. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then okay.¡± ¡°And Valletta, how much do you know about alchemy?¡± ¡°I think I have read all the alchemy books in the market. Recently it has decreased though.¡± ¡°How much do you know about the recoil of failure in alchemy? What are the maximum abilities you can use? How many forms do you know? Your specialty? The taboos?¡± Valletta¡¯s pupils trembled at the question that came out like a rapid-fire cannon in a calm and rxed voice. She thought about the answer slowly. However, no matter how much she searched her memories, no answer came to mind. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Did you ever have another teacher?¡± ¡°There was a time when I was taught by an Alchemist that belonged to the Imperial Pce.¡± This was a question that can be answered. When she answered directly without any hesitation, Carlon Delphin, who seemed to be thinking of something, spoke again. ¡°What was the first thing that person taught you?¡± ¡°How to use a form.¡± Again, this was not a difficult question, and the answer came quickly. At Valletta¡¯s answer, carlon Delphine¡¯s eyes narrowed in displeasure. ¡°¡­ I may not know who that person is, but he¡¯s an ignorant one.¡± A sigh escaped from Carlon Delphine¡¯s lips. ¡°I¡¯m telling you, that person has been teaching you how to run without learning about the basics of the basics first.¡± ¡°¡­ So far, there has been no problem.¡± ¡°It has been fine because you were making a limited amount in a limited environment, but that will not be the case in the future.¡± ¡°What I wanted was the other way around. I did not ask you to teach me alchemy from the very basics.¡± Carlon Delphine looked at Valletta who set a boundary. Her body seemed to be wrapped around in sharp thorns all the time. But it was the greedy human who made the child in front of him like that. The child would just adjust to the situation. Count Delight must¡¯ve tamed her so that she would neither have emotion nor morality. Carlon Delphine racked her brain to find the right word to say to Valletta. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t just give a knife to a child who knows how to run but not walk.¡± What was he saying? She felt like she was stabbed by a sharp needle on one side of her heart. Enraged, Valletta clenched her fists and opened them. What¡¯s wrong with it? For her, she doesn¡¯t have much time. Even now, a lot of people were looking for her. In this situation, at least from her point of view, it was absurd to learn the basics again. ¡°Duke, I am sensible enough. I can tell who needs to be killed and who doesn¡¯t have to.¡± Carlon Delphine¡¯s eyes widened at her calm words. ¡°How?¡± Valletta swallowed her breath at his question. He was still using honorifics, but he must be that kind of person who would have a different atmosphere depending on his mood. Of course, he still had the same calm and rxed voice, but there was a slight change in his expression. However, it now felt like he stopped hesitating on his choice of words. ¡°I can distinguish enemies from allies. I will hold onto as many knives as necessary, and I can kill people with that knife, so please stop treating me like a child.¡± ¡°But you don¡¯t know how to wield it properly and how to use it effectively. If you only knew how to hold a knife and stab someone¡­¡± Carlon Delphine¡¯s cloudy eyes turned to Valletta. The pupil that was riddled with good intention, showed no sign of displeasure. But it was adamant. ¡°It is true that it was something that even a child could do cold-heartedly.¡± She was speechless with his assertion that was full of hidden meaning. ¡°So you¡¯re telling me to study it again? Aren¡¯t we in an equal business rtionship with a written contract?¡± ¡°Valletta, if you feelfortable thinking that way, you can.¡± She heard a soft voice that was like trying to soothe a child. She does not feelfortable when she feels an itch from the inside. She narrowed brows in displeasure for an unknown reason, but in the end, she still did not say anything. *** Chapter 42 ¡°Besides, it will take quite some time to get a business permit or open a store and establish a certain position. You¡¯re smart, so you will catch up immediately.¡± ¡°Okay. I understand.¡± At the adult¡¯s whispering voice, Valletta eventually gave up. She let out a heavy sigh. The only thing that she regretted was that she had to follow something she didn¡¯t want to. ¡°If you need something or have any concerns, you can look for me any time.¡± ¡°When will the ss start?¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be good to start after 3 days. Since there are alot of things to prepare.¡± Does she need to continue living meaninglessly for the next 3 days? Still, 3 three days with a promised n was better than 2 weeks with nothing. Valletta finally nodded. ¡°Do you have any alchemy tools?¡± ¡°We have the simple tools, but the rest¡­¡± Alchemy tools were essential to alchemists. In an alchemist¡¯s workshop, there would be a pen and paper for drawing sigils, an empty vial for the potions made, and usually a container of herbs with preservation form on it. Whether it was for the alchemy circle or for the magic circle, the basics of the basics was the circle. If the circle was distorted or if the symmetry of either side was not correct, it could not exert its power. A magic circle could be drawn by magicians using magic, but an alchemy circle had to be drawn by hand. So in an alchemist¡¯s workshop, apass and a drafting tool should be provided. Of course, there was Valletta who could do with or without it, but it was not usually done like that. Most of the items had disappeared along with the Count¡¯s residence. ¡°Don¡¯t you have the ones from the Count¡¯s residence? As an alchemist, a tool should be something that you get attached to¡­¡± At Carlon Delphine¡¯s questioning words, Valletta¡¯s forehead became deeply wrinkled. She tilted her head with a puzzled expression and slowly opened her mouth. ¡°What kind of attachment would you have to tools?¡± ¡°¡­ Doesn¡¯t it usually happen to tools that have been used for a long time? Since you do it by hand.¡± Valletta frowned on the contrary, showing that she could not understand it. ¡°I don¡¯t know, since I¡¯ve never given tools another meaning.¡± If it changes, then it changes. If taken away, then it¡¯s taken away. Count Delight would always change the furniture in her workshop whenever he was bored, so there was no time for obsession. ¡°¡­ I see, I see.¡± Carlon Delphine nodded. ¡°Then let¡¯s go buy some materials and tools. It¡¯s better to choose tools that you want after touching them.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you tell me not to go out?¡± ¡°It won¡¯t matter if you go out with me. Of course, you would be wearing a robe.¡± With a smile as he said that, Valletta drank the cold tea and replied that she understood. ¡°And we also have to go to a dressmaker¡¯s shop for measurements. For banquet clothes and casual clothes.¡± ¡°¡­ Don¡¯t you usually call a tailor to your mansion?¡± ¡°We can do it like that, if that¡¯s what you prefer, but I don¡¯t want anyone who is not my person stepping into my mansion.¡± Valletta silently nodded her head. But the inside of her head gotplicated. After all, money is needed for dress fitting. And for it to look like it was sponsored by the Duke, the dress needs to be a formal kind. ¡®I¡¯m d I have a way to earn money.¡¯ ¡°Can I ask you one thing?¡± ¡°Anything.¡± ¡°How are potions usually priced? I know that they are ranked ording to their purity ¨C low, intermediate, high and advance grade. I¡¯m curious about their value outside.¡± After hearing Valletta¡¯s question, Carlon Delphine put down his tea cup, and leaned against the chair. This kind of knowledge should also be something that ismonly known. However, it seemed like Valletta had no one to give her advice. ¡°As the number of alchemists decreased and with the Imperial pce monopolization of alchemists, potions became difficult for themon people to obtain.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°In fact, even aristocrats can only obtain low to intermediate potions if they have a certain amount of money. Because the Imperial Family sells them to aristocrats as well.¡± Valletta¡¯s eyes widened at Carlon Delphine¡¯s words. The Imperial Family monopolizes potions and sells them as well. This was the first time she heard about this. The life she would have if she had married the Crown Prince, were drawn over her eyelid. ¡°The price set by the Imperial Family for a low-grade potion is 5 millon bel. That¡¯s 5 gold coins. The medium-grade points are 10 million bel and that¡¯s 10 gold coins.¡± After hearing his exnation, Valletta bit her lips and grimaced. It was because she did not get the hang of it all at once. ¡®What would be the worth of a 5 million bel?¡¯ Since they¡¯re going out, she decided she will ask for it¡¯s value or ask the servant for a hint. Once she knows the value of potions, she will now be able to pay him a reasonable amount as payment for living expenses. ¡®If she needs help, then she can just ask for it though.¡¯ That just means that there were a lot of times when she stretched out her hand asking for help but was trampled on. It was something that she never expected. If you don¡¯t know how to do it, that must mean you have gotten used to worrying, enduring and keeping your mouth shut. ¡°One million bel is the average cost of living for amon family of four per month. A low-grade potion is worth 5 months of living expenses and an intermediate-grade potion is worth 10 months formoners.¡± Valletta¡¯s eyes widened at the unexpected exnation. ¡°Then what about the high and the advanced grade?¡± ¡°For those, the seller would usually set the price. Especially the advanced-grade potion, not even the Imperial Family owns a few since the people who can make it are very limited.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Valletta gulped and sighed. She was d she did not say that she could make advanced-grade potions. It would have been a big problem if she had said that she can make 60 advanced-grade potions. ¡°The Imperial Family doesn¡¯t even want to sell the high-grade potions. Like advance-potions, only 1 or 2 woulde out a year, though they are notcking potions since a serious injury could be easily healed by an intermediate-grade.¡± Valletta listened well to Carlon Delphine. Obviously, the quality of information of what she heard from rumors and hearing the exnation by herself was different. ¡°They are often put on auction and sold by bidding.¡± ¡°¡­ An auction?¡± ¡°Yes, you are doing business with a person¡¯s life.¡± ¡°It¡¯s certainly not a bad idea to set up apetition like that to sell a very limited product at a high price.¡± Valletta muttered as she thought of something. At those words, Carlon Delphine¡¯s eyes widened. It was an expression that heard something unexpected. Valletta was slightly startled after seeing such an expression on Carlon Delphine. ¡®Ah¡­¡¯ She slowly pondered about what she had just said, and then she blinked. Then as if sighing, she rubbed her forehead. At Valletta¡¯s action, Carlon Delphine¡¯s mouth formed a wry smile and then concealed it. This was an idea from a child who has yet to master various emotions at the right time. It was as if her world was divided into things that were beneficial to her and to those that were not. The more they talked, the more he looked at her, and the more he could see the rotten and decaying inside of this seemingly normal child on the outside. Although she doesn¡¯t seem to realize it herself. ¡°So, how much is it usually?¡± ¡°The minimum price is 20 millon bel, and the average price is 35 million bel. In some cases, it would reach up to 50 million bel depending on the demand.¡± ¡°How about an advance-grade potion?¡± ¡°It has nevere out, but if it goes up to auction, the estimated minimum price would be 100 million bel. I honestly don¡¯t know how high it could get.¡± So an advance-grade¡¯s worth is 100 gold coins. Then it¡¯s roughly the living expenses of amoner family for 90 months. This means that the minimum price would be umted if they do not spend and save their living expenses for 8 years. It was an amount that feels too expensive to pay for a bottle of potion. Obviously, the price was too high for themoners to touch. However, there was nothing that an aristocrat could not buy if they had a certain amount of money and if they put their mind to it. An advance-grade potion was dangerous. It has enough power to return a limb that was severed. Being able to make 10 of them per day was a little out of bnce. ¡®Am I apensation to this world?¡¯ Valletta slowly wiped her face, feeling frustrated. ¡®Still, this person does not know that I can make an advance-grade potion.¡¯ Count Delight had known. She was told to do a public demonstration of alchemy in front of their eyes, so there was no way they wouldn¡¯t know. She could never keep it as aplete secret. Someone would certainly know her value. ¡°Is the price of potions sold in the underworld the same?¡± ¡°There isn¡¯t that much of a difference. It¡¯s just a bit more premium.¡± She nodded at Carlon Delphine¡¯s answer. She doesn¡¯t know how much the dresses and casual clothes will cost, but two or three high-grade potions seemed to be enough for the child¡¯s clothes. ¡°Thank you for telling me. I¡¯ll be sure to remember. Well then, I¡¯ll take my leave.¡± ¡°By the way, Therion said he wanted to learn the sword, so I thought of giving him a teacher. That child¡­ will it be okay to teach him?¡± Valletta, who was about to get up turned around, tilted her head with a puzzled expression. Carlon Delphine, who had a serious frown on his forehead, looked at her with a nk expression. ¡°You should ask the child if he wants to do it. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any need to ask me.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you his guardian?¡± Guardian? It was a little different from that. Valletta didn¡¯t think much of protecting the child. It was because she was willing to leave the child and move alone if her safety was in danger. ¡°No, he said he wanted to follow me out of the Magic Tower, that¡¯s all.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Yes, and also, I heard that hateful guy rmended that he learn the sword¡­¡± He must have seen that much potential. ¡°I guess he has a lot of talent for it.¡± Since Renhardt hated someone who was full of nonsense. Valletta blinked her eyes after she answered. Carlon Delphine gave a heavy nod. Valletta¡¯s indifferent pair of eyes eventually dropped down. ¡®¡­ It¡¯s really twisted.¡¯ She had no affection, and there was a line between her and other people. She never crossed the line, so she cut them out neatly like scissors. It was the gaze of someone who was ustomed to killing rtionships. Carlon Delphine continued to look at her teacup that she had emptied out of courtesy. He did not get up from the tea table for a long time. *** Chapter 43 ¡°Royal Father! What do you mean by that poster?! Valletta is¡­ Lady Delight is innocent!¡± Milrode raised his voice. The Emperor sighed as he looked at his son, who came into his office arguing that such treatment was absurd. Since early times, he always did his best and worked hard in whatever he did to be a son thatcked nothing. He was able to immediately push out the other princes to be the Crown Prince with his abilities. The problem was that he was too stiff and had a ridiculously upright mind set. He was a child who only walked forward with justice and righteousness with no flexibility or whatsoever. ¡°You can¡¯t just ignore the event that urred with the Magic Tower¡¯s Master. Above all else, do you have any idea how many high-ranked priests have suffered?¡± ¡°However, what does that have to do with Valletta?! She was just with that ruthless man¡­!¡± Thud! The Emperor roughly put down the pen he was holding. Milrode flinched and shut his mouth. ¡°Milrode, sometimes when you want something, you have to know how to use your power. If you think you can beat the Magic Tower¡¯s Master by abiding by thew and with your sense of justice, you¡¯re gravely mistaken.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°I know that you sincerely liked Lady Delight. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s great if the person who will stay by your side for the rest of your life, and the woman whom you love will be your Empress.¡± Milrode took a deep breath at the Emperor¡¯s cating words. He used to imagine that. However, the Valletta Delight that he reunited with was colder than what he expected and showed not even a little sign of weing him. It caused bigger damage than expected to Milrode. He thought he was taking good care of her. She has never called him by his name, but there were times when he felt he got a little bit closer to her. Yet when they met again, she just had a troubled expression on her face. It was an expression that was at a loss and not knowing what to do. ¡°You¡¯re someone who will be an Emperor and there is nothing you can¡¯t have. Fortunately, even after Count Delight¡¯s death, your engagement is still valid. There is nothing that we cannot force on.¡± ¡°I¡­ I want to make Valletta happy, I don¡¯t want to make her mine forcibly.¡± The Emperor sighed at his frustrating words. How can there be something this frustrating? He was fit to be Emperor, but it was clear that it would be better if he would take after his younger siblings about his hardheadedness. ¡°That child was tamed by Count Delight by his own hands since she was young. No matter how much you approach her with all your heart, you will never be able to truly see who she is.¡± ¡°What does¡­ that mean?¡± ¡°No matter how much you give your heart to her, she would cut it off, and was taught not to refuse any order at any time.¡± The eyes of the wrinkled Emperor bent. He smiled tenderly and held Milrode¡¯s hand, then let out a short sigh as if he was looking at a pitiful child. ¡°The Magic Tower¡¯s Master, for generations, is always born without feeling any emotions. In exchange for being emotionless, they will remain level-headed in any kind of situation. That is innate to a Magic Tower¡¯s Master.¡± ¡°¡­ Yes, he surely did not have any sense of guilt for doing something coldblooded.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, he has no morality. And that child was made from scratch.¡± Milrode¡¯s face contorted. No matter what he did or how friendly he was, Valletta¡¯s expression never changed. To the point where her expressionless face and monotonous voice has be her trademark. ¡°Why would someone do something so cruel¡­¡± ¡°Because that child has too much power. Gillian, the best alchemist in the Imperial pce, can produce a maximum of three advance-grade potions in a course of one year. But that child can make two advance-grade potions a day.¡± ¡°Advance-grade potion¡­?¡± Milrode¡¯s dark blue eyes trembled slightly. The Emperor did not miss his hesitation. A child with an overflowing sense of justice only needs to dip it¡¯s feet in muddy water once to realise that it wasn¡¯t as dirty and unpleasant as they thought. ¡°Yes, who would leave alone a being whoys gold. The Magic Tower¡¯s Master must also be aiming for it. To hold that child in your hand, will give you riches instantly.¡± The Emperor smiled kindly, masking his greed. ¡°The moment others realize that child¡¯s value, you will not be the only one who will reach out a hand. Only the Imperial Pce can protect her from those greedy people.¡± Milrode clenched his fists. She was clearly powerless. Even when theyst met, it seemed like she was just being swayed by the Magic Tower¡¯s Master. Even from before, she always had a thin body and tired-looking expression. ¡°If we leave her alone like that, a stranger would get their hands on her and exploit her for the rest of her life. That¡¯s why, don¡¯t you think it¡¯ll be better to protect her as the Empress?¡± ¡°¡­ Still, a poster is too much.¡± ¡°It was just a missing person poster. The Magic Tower issued a wanted poster. It¡¯s obvious that she ran away from there.¡± Milrode raised his hand and rubbed his face roughly. It would be nice if she only stayed in one ce. Even from before, she had never depended on someone else. She did all the hard work alone. It was upsetting and unfortunate, yet she never bothered to show it. Then once in a while, that ve, who became the Magic Tower¡¯s Master, would help her without asking for her opinion. ¡®¡­ He has always been overbearing.¡¯ Even when he was a ve, he was a strange being. Even though he would constantly lower himself to her, it felt like their rtionship was a horizontal one and not vertical. And Valletta epted that strangeness naturally. (T/N: Horizontal rtionships are rtionships where members have equal standing whereas vertical rtionships are those where one member has greater power, authority over the other.) ¡°Don¡¯t forget that you should always protect the Imperial Family first. It will be difficult to find her if she is determined to hide, but the search will continue.¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll trust you.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Milrode nodded and turned around. The Emperor let out a long sigh when he saw the Crown Prince leave after causing amotion. He was the perfect Crown Prince, it¡¯s a pity that hecks 5%. ¡°Are you there, Gillian?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± A man in ck robe came out from somewhere and bent down. The Emperor looked straight at him with a satisfied expression. Gillian was the President of the Imperial Family owned Alchemist Association. ¡°Let¡¯s find someone who can be your junior. You¡¯ll have to retire soon, so we need someone to fill in your vacancy.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a huge chance that she is being protected in the underworld.¡± ¡°Tsk, those rats¡­ Or maybe she found a different way since she is smart.¡± The Emperor gently stroked his chin. It might not be bad to find it first, because his son would surely be soft on that thing. Before long, the Emperor¡¯s muddy blue eyes shed greedily. ¡°We will find it.¡± ¡°Sure, this time as well, I look forward to it.¡± ¡°Yes, My Great Majesty.¡± He then slowly disappeared in the darkness. *** [ Blue eyes sparkled in the darkness. After that day, that boy who only wished for one thing as he practiced his sword, was close to being an adult. The sharp tip of the sword pulled out from the scabbard and pointed at the opponent reflected by the moonlight. The sword shined with blue light, surging with a raging murderous intent. An uninvited visitor came to the ce where he was meditating. He slowly turned his body. Reinhardt blinked his eyes with his back facing the moonlight. A smile spread on his face when he realized the situation. His excitement could be felt from his eyes. ¡°You¡­has it been 7 years? I stepped into this world for the first time in a while after my awakening, and you¡¯re still alive?¡± Reinhardtughed in a low voice. ¡°How fun, I honestly didn¡¯t expect you to grow this big. I actuallypletely forgot about you. There¡¯s a lot of people that need to be reced. Anyway, it¡¯s a little bit worthwhile now. What¡®s your name?¡± ¡°What are you going to do once you know my name?¡± ¡°Everyone who has value should have a name. I can¡¯t just call you b*st*rd number 2, right?¡± Reinhardt, who was standing in the air, came down and lightly stepped in front of the boy. The boy swallowed his breath as he looked at the man with a beautifully fluttering robe, but with a menacing appearance. ¡°That day, I vowed that I would kill you.¡± Reinhardt¡¯s expression immediately cooled down at the boy¡¯s words and shrugged his shoulders. There was an elegance in his every action. Like he grew up inherently having everything. ¡°Why are you mad at me for mercifully killing those people who wouldn¡¯t have been able to live outside normally even if they leave that ce?¡± ¡°A person like you who was born with everything won¡¯t understand. That there are people like that who still want to live!¡± ¡°Aha¡­¡± ¡°Strength, power and authority. Despite being someone who has been confirmed since birth to be the Magic Tower¡¯s Master, have you ever bowed your head under other people?¡± Reinhard sarcastically smirked, giggled at his words full of bravado, and let out a breathyugh. Without a word, he lifted his head up and looked at the full moon in the sky, then lightly turned his body. ¡°So, your name?¡± ¡°Therion. It¡¯s Therion Leon!¡± ¡°Hmm, there¡¯s a new pce that I haven¡¯t seen. All right, I¡¯ve decided.¡± Reinhardt smiled as he said that and snapped his fingers. The sword in Therion¡¯s hand corroded in an instant as if it had rusted, and permeated into the boy¡¯s arms. ¡°Huaack!!¡± The disintegrating iron powder seeped into the boy¡¯s arm like it was engraving a tattoo. The boy screamed at the sharp iron powder that prated his body. The iron powder stamped a stigma into Therion¡¯s arm. A gray-colored snake coiling around Therion¡¯s arm was formed. Reinhardt smiled brightly as he looked at the man groaning in pain, covered in dirt on the floor. ¡°I need you to entertain me for a while, Therion.¡± ¡°You b*st*rd¡­!¡± ¡°There are things that I wanted to do, but my hands are full. Thanks to you, I wanted to raise one, and it worked out well.¡± Reinhardt said ambiguously and backed away lightly. ¡°From now on, you¡¯re my sword. Let¡¯s torture all those insects together.¡± An unfriendly voice whispered softly. Thest thing Therion saw was the afterimage of the beautiful man with a happy expression on his face. ] *** ¡°Heuk!¡± Valletta suddenly woke up from the soft bed and took a death breath. The bed was damp with cold sweat. She stiffened and looked right and left. ¡°¡­ Ah.¡± The world was not dark. Outside the window was a dim daybreak and she could see the sun rising from the distance. Valletta¡¯s fingertips trembled. She lowered her head slowly while holding her breath. ¡°A dream¡­ no, it¡¯s not.¡± It was obviously the story from the novel. ¡°Therion¡­ Leon.¡± She now remembered. The name of the male protagonist in the novel was Therion. One day, he recognized his talent and entered the Leon Family to receive support, and she also remembered that he was given thest name as well. ¡®¡­ That child?¡¯ He has blue eyes, and Reinhardt also said that he has a talent for the sword. And that event that happened when he was locked up in the nurturing room. All the conditions matched up perfectly. ¡°Haha¡­¡± She thought that it would at least disperse Reinhardt¡¯s interest in her, but she never thought that she had something he could be interested in on her side. *** Chapter 44 ¡®¡­ So there¡¯s a situation like that.¡¯ Back then, Reinhardt made the male protagonist¡­ that child go through ordeals, one after another. In the early part of the ending of the novel, Reinhardt concealed his whereabouts after the Magic Tower copsed once. After not showing up for a while, he reunited with the male protagonist in that scene. Then Reinhardt started to make that child a hero like he was ying a fostering game. Reflecting on the ending, he finally got what he wanted. Reinhardt pushed the child into the crossroads of life and death without rest, yet the child would relentlesslye back alive, and would point the sword at Reinhardt over and over again. In doing so, the child grew up, made some friends, and got along with other people. He lost interest when everything was aplished and the child settled in a normal life and was about to get married. He once again lived a boring life. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have brought him along.¡± Valletta murmured in a voice filled with regret. She raised her body damp in sweat, and drank water. ¡®It¡¯s tomorrow, the banquet.¡¯ Valletta, who was sitting at the bed, looked at the three high-grade potions that she made, and then stood up. It was made to give as a payment for the dresses and clothes that Duke Carlon had bought. ¡°My head hurts¡­¡± It had been a long time since she hadn¡¯t woken up in the middle of her sleep, but she didn¡¯t know she would suffer in her dreams. She didn¡¯t look like she had slept. She slowly got up from her bed and walked to the desk. ¡®Let¡¯s make some more since we have the time.¡¯ When she arrived there and wasn¡¯t doing any alchemy, she felt like her body was rotting. She refuses to feel like a useless human being. She put her hand on the desk and pulled out a chair. At that moment, a faint smell of blood could be smelled through the damp air of the dim daybreak. A gust of wind blew through the open window. Valletta let out a low sigh. ¡°¡­ Do you not sleep?¡± ¡°¡­¡± If it had been an ordinary day, a sly voice would be heard in response, but there was no answer. Valletta narrowed her brow and turned around. There was no hand that stopped her. She looked at the man standing opposite to her. Seeing the beautiful man covered in blood at daybreak, Valletta was just speechless. It surely was a scam. Drops of blood dripped and pooled from the hem of Reinhardt¡¯s robe. Reinhardt, who met her eyes, smiled with a lightly tired expression. ¡°Good morning, Master.¡± ¡°It¡¯s daybreak.¡± ¡°Then good daybreak, Master.¡± His change of words was faster than flipping one¡¯s hand over. Valletta did not answer and just looked at Reinhardt with a nk expression. Reinhardt¡¯s red eyes wrapped roundly. ¡°Can Ie and hug you?¡± Reinhardt said with a smile. Even with a smile like that, she could tell that he was tired and was worn out all over his body. What the heck is up with this hateful guy that was alwaysposed? ¡°You can¡¯t.¡± Reinhardt, who was about to approach, suddenly stopped. A bitter smile formed on Reinhrdt¡¯s lips and disappeared. ¡°You¡¯re so mean, Master. Cold-hearted.¡± Valletta, who was staying while grumbling, took a deep breath. ¡°If you¡¯reing, clean off the blood. These are the clothes that I just recently bought.¡± Reinhardt¡¯s eyes widened slightly, and then curved in satisfaction. He flicked his fingers lightly, and the blood that had filled the room disappearedpletely. ¡®Is he an air purifier that functions well?¡¯ He came up to Valletta after two steps and hugged her. He then suddenly buried her head on his chest, and Valletta¡¯s brows narrowed. He carefully kissed her hair. ¡°So you couldn¡¯t sleep again, Master.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± ¡°Even after the death of that greedy pig, there¡¯s still a shadow that needs to be caught. Would it have been better if I killed him properly in front of your eyes?¡± It¡¯s a shame that he can¡¯t resurrect the dead and kill them again. If he knew that shadow would bind her up like this, he would have made her kill him herself. ¡°I also couldn¡¯t sleep. Should we sleep together, Master?¡± ¡°Are you crazy? This is someone else¡¯s mansion.¡± ¡°Is that a problem?¡± Reinhardt tilted his head, then quickly hugged her in his arms andid her on the bed. The bed that was wet a moment ago, was now well-dried as if it was dried by the sun. ¡®What on earth is he using his magic on?¡¯ Valletta sighed. Reinhardt hugged her and covered her with a nket. The moment Valletta, who was buried in Reinhardt¡¯s chest moved, Reinhardt gently rubbed her forehead with his thumb. Valletta frowned, knowing that it was the same magic. ¡°You, did something happen?¡± ¡°¡­No, nothing. Sleep well, Master.¡± ¡°Hey, wai-!¡± The moment she yelled, her mind started to drift away. Valletta¡¯s expression waspletely distorted. Reinhardt watched her sleep vacantly. He let out a low sigh and closed his eyes with her. As if his terrible insomnia was a lie, he fell asleep in an instant. *** ¡°Miss Valletta¡­ Aaaah!¡± A loud scream echoed throughout the mansion. Even Valletta, who had fallen into a deep sleep, had to perk up her ears and open her eyes slowly at the voice. In that short time, a low sigh could be heard above her head along with the crowds murmuring. ¡°¡­ Lady Valletta?¡± ¡°Yeees¡­¡± Valletta answered in a muffled voice and opened her eyes. At the sight of his chest in front of her and the surprised voice, she slowly raised her body up from the bed. Valletta straightened her frizzed hair with her fingers, while the servant¡¯s shocked faces, Carlon Delphine¡¯s awkward expression, and Reinhardt holding her hand watched her. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Valletta groaned lowly. ¡°It¡¯s not like that.¡± With a subdued heavy voice, she answered with a sigh. In fact, Reinhardt had a smile on his face as if he was having fun as he wrapped his arms around her waist and hugged her. ¡°Master, you¡¯re awake?¡± ¡°¡­ Heuk.¡± Murmuring was heard. It seemed like even the calm servants of Duke Delphine were certainly perplexed with a scene like that. She looked down at her body, which was fortunately properly clothed, and nced at Reinhardt once. Thanks to the timing and because of Reinhardt¡¯s easily misunderstood words, even Carlon Delphine, who always had a calm expression, could not hide his agitation. ¡°¡­ Whatever you¡¯re thinking, it isn¡¯t like that.¡± She spoke firmly this time. She didn¡¯t know that this hateful guy would still be there in the morning. Valletta put down Reinhardt¡¯s arms as if throwing them, and got out of the bed. Reinhardt frowned slightly. He clicked his tongue and quickly got up from the bed, immediately grasping the situation. ¡°Ha.. it¡¯s my first time hearing that ant b*st*rds can bark¡­ Do you not know the basic rule that you should not wake up your master?¡± ¡°The me who¡¯s sitting here is not their master.¡± ¡°Ah, if that¡¯s the case, I¡¯ll make you their master. Can I just kill this one?¡± Reinhardt¡¯s hands slowly reached for Carlon Delphine¡¯s neck. Carlon Delphine narrowed his eyes. He reached out and grabbed Reinhardt¡¯s wrist. Swoosh. A deep, blue light spread out throughout the room. Valletta closed her eyes tightly at the bright light. A strange sensation that was neither cold nor hot, permeated the room. The moment the light disappeared and she opened her eyes again, Valletta could not say anything at the sight in front of her. ¡°If you have the strength, you should also be able to control yourself.¡± ¡°¡­ There¡¯s another interesting person.¡± Reinhardt, who seemed to be having fun, said in a soft voice and the corner of his eyes smiled. Reinhardt¡¯s wrist was frozen with ice. *** Chapter 45 Reinhardt, who narrowed his eyes, nced down at his hand that had be a lump of ice, and soon snapped his other finger. Crack. The ice broke and soon turned into a powder that scattered on the floor. Carlon Delphine¡¯s eyes widened. Reinhardt¡¯s eyes sparkled and smiled soon after. ¡°So you¡¯re an alchemist. A fairly high level one too. Of course, still not as good as Master.¡± ¡°You¡¯re also an alchemist, your grace?¡± ¡°Yes, as you can see.¡± ¡°I thought you¡¯re just a supporter¡­¡± Carlon Delphine¡¯s fairly cold eyes stayed on Reinhardt. He then opened his mouth while in that state. ¡°It¡¯s impossible for a non-alchemist to be the head of an Alchemist Association. Of course, it¡¯s a secret that is not known outside, so can I ask for your cooperation?¡± Valletta nodded at Carlon Delphine¡¯s soft voice. ¡°I see. I was wondering where my Master was hiding, but to think that she was hiding beneath a giant rat¡¯s feet.¡± ¡°Your choice of words are too vulgar.¡± Looking at Carlon Delphine who opened his mouth in displeasure, Reinhardt lightly got off the bed. He nced at Valletta and saw her let out a sigh. ¡°Where did Master get the ability to collect interesting things like this?¡± ¡°I want to wash up, can you go out?¡± Valletta lightly pointed at the window. He goes in and out of the window every time, so she doesn¡¯t even ask him to get out through the door. When Reinhardt burst intoughter, the faces of the servants nearly turned red. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, so I wanted to have a meal with Master.¡± ¡°Get permission from the house owner.¡± ¡°¡­ How cold-hearted, Master.¡± Still, he obediently nodded his head. Reinhardt smiled and looked at Carlon Delphine. ¡°You can wash up slowly. I will be waiting for you.¡± ¡°Yes¡±, she replied. Carlon Delphine¡¯s words directed to Valletta were certainly gentler. Reinhardt¡¯s eyes narrowed. The two people and the servants eventually closed the door and left the room. Reinhardt, who had stepped away from Valletta¡¯s room, stopped. ¡°Is there any reason why I can¡¯t join the meal?¡± ¡°No rude person can sit at my table.¡± Reinhardt frowned at Carlon Delphine¡¯s decisive rejection. Reinhardt shrugged, let out a low sigh and grabbed Carlon Delphine¡¯s neck. ¡°How can you say something that hurtful, I don¡¯t remember doing anything rude. On the contrary, I¡¯m treating you quite humanely.¡± ¡°If you call this treatment humane, I rmend you re-learnmon sense.¡± ¡°It¡¯s easy for me to manipte your mind and make you obey me.¡± ¡°Then do it.¡± Reinhardt¡¯s expression became strange at Carlon Delphine¡¯s words. He didn¡¯t seem to be afraid. Reinhardt wondered if he was hiding a trump card, but he couldn¡¯t feel any special energy. ¡°I mean, only unusual people simr to my Master gather around her all the time.¡± They were not as much as her, but they would be peculiar and unique. Reinhardt was very displeased with these tiny insects gathering around Valletta, but he did not dare touch them. Perhaps Valletta did not open her heart to other people, so even if they die in front of her eyes she won¡¯t even blink. It was also true that it was not easy to take care of her since he has personally seen her kill her own heart. ¡®I hate being treated the same level as that pig.¡¯ Reinhardt lowered his hand after contemting. ¡°Okay, what should I do to be able to sit at that honorable table? Would kneeling down while bowing my head be enough?¡± Carlon Delphine¡¯s brows furrowed at Reinhardt¡¯s words. If he said yes, he would likely get down on his knees as soon as possible. The man in front of him was like that, and so was Valletta. They have be ustomed to this. They don¡¯t know the other way. That they don¡¯t need to lower their head, they just need to ask. ¡°You can just ask, ¡®Can we have a meal together?¡¯¡± ¡°¡­ While on my knees?¡± Reinhardt pointed at the floor with his long finger, showing that he didn¡¯t understand. ¡°Just ask while you¡¯re standing like that.¡± ¡°¡­¡± His expression eventually turned strange. He couldn¡¯t seem to understand. Reinhardt, who had been silent for a while with a look of bewilderment, drew a huge circle in the air and pulled something out. ¡°Let me have a meal with Master.¡± ¡°¡­ What is this?¡± ¡°Meal payment? It¡¯s a high quality alchemy stone. If you¡¯re also an alchemist, don¡¯t you need something like this?¡± Reinhardt¡¯s mana stone wasrger than his fist. At that quality, it was clear that magicians as well as alchemists would want to covet it. It¡¯s price would be decided by the seller. ¡°You can join us, but I don¡¯t need something like that, so put it back.¡± ¡°¡­ Why? Isn¡¯t this expensive by your standard?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because putting another cutlery on the table is not worth that much.¡± Carlon Delphine sighed. Reinhardt watched him vacantly as he turned his body around. A deep frown formed at Reinhardt¡¯s forehead. ¡°What an iprehensible human.¡± ¡°Also, don¡¯te into Valletta¡¯s room arbitrarily.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°If a grown man and woman sleep and wake up on the same bed, no one would think of it as a good thing. There would be some nasty news about her.¡± Reinardt just shrugged at Carlon Delphine¡¯s nagging remarks. He didn¡¯t want to listen but he had to. They were pointless words. Reinhardt walked slowly towards the dining room. Then he crossed his arms and leaned back into his chair as he watched the meal being prepared. He didn¡¯t dare open his mouth or argue with the other people. It was because he felt strangely cozy seeing the sunlight seeping through the wide window ss. ¡°What kind of rtionship do you and that child have?¡± ¡°Child? That¡¯s a fun nickname. What kind of rtionship¡­ I don¡¯t know how to define it, and I¡¯ve given up a long time ago so I don¡¯t know.¡± Reinhardt sluggishly shrugged his shoulders. Instead of defining their rtionship, he decided to keep the only person who gave him emotions and color besides ughter. ¡°You gave up?¡± ¡°Yes, if I had to define it¡­ she is someone you certainly could not handle. Master is just as broken and estranged as me.¡± Reinhardt serenely smiled. It was a smile that did not show any hint of darkness, but it wasn¡¯t difficult for Carlon Delphine to see that he was deep-ck inside. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m the only one who can fully ept and handle Valletta. So whether it¡¯s foolish pity, or petty sympathy¡­ If you¡¯re going to give up, I want you to give up immediately.¡± Carlon Delphine swallowed his breath at the hostility and deep possessiveness that he felt from the sweetly smiling Reinhardt. His hostility was beyond his imagination. The confrontation did notst long and ended when the dining room¡¯s door opened. Reinhardt¡¯s ears perked up and he naturally turned his head. A smile crept into his expressionless face in an instant. Carlon Delphine nced at it vacantly. ¡°Master, should I dry you?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Valletta, who lightly refused his offer, sat down at the empty table. Although Reinhardt shook his head with an exaggerated expression of regret, he did not dare to add another word. ¡°How did you know that this child is in my mansion?¡± At Carlon Delphine¡¯s question, Reinhardt slowly turned his gaze towards him. Then feeling Valletta¡¯s gaze at him, he cut off what he was wearing around his neck, grabbed it and shook it. A terrifyingly bright red ne soaked in blood, dangled on the string in his hand. Flinch, Valletta¡¯s shoulder¡¯s trembled slightly. The pain she felt at that time seemed toe back again. The vivid pain was so terrible that she didn¡¯t even want to think about it again. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, Master. It¡¯s obviously a tool to bind you but¡­ at the same it¡¯s a tool used to protect you.¡± Reinhardt said, putting the ne back onto his neck again. Valletta¡¯s trembling gaze turned to him. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°It literally means what it means. Wherever Master is, or when you get kidnapped, I will know your location and whether you¡¯re still alive or not.¡± Valletta looked at him with disbelief, but Reinhardt just shrugged his shoulders and didn¡¯t exin in detail. Carlon Delphine had a peculiar expression as he noticed the strange atmosphere between the two. ¡°Of course, forced summoning is possible.¡± ¡°¡­¡± It sounded like he was keeping it as insurance. If he had that in his hand, she wouldn¡¯t bepletely free, but at the same time, she wouldn¡¯t be in danger. That was how Reinhardt exined it ¡°I¡¯m really grateful.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Valletta, who was lost for words at the delighted Reinhardt, shut her mouth. Okay, she doesn¡¯t have anything to say. Rather, it was Valletta who had a headache dealing with this hateful man. Valletta neatly abandoned the conversation. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Master, isn¡¯t this the first we¡¯re eating together like this?¡± ¡°¡­ Yes, not long ago you would eat in your room.¡± ¡°To be exact, I¡¯m trying to eat like that but a dim-witted person said something.¡± Valletta raised her head, propped up her chin and nkly looked at Reinhardt. She looked at him without saying a word and turned her head. To be honest, she had never had a proper meal like this. ¡°Master, why do you think I didn¡¯t catch you immediately when you ran away?¡± ¡°Are you going to keep talking?¡± Valletta said as she put down the dishes. ¡°If you answer me, I will eat quietly.¡± Reinhardt, who was sitting across from her, smiled. His tender smile seemed very sweet. Carlon Delphine watched this bizarre confrontation. Seeing the two twisted children who failed to grow up in time, as an adult, he felt the obligation to guide them onto the right path. One side tried to bind the other with unhindered cruelty and obsession, while the other side would cut ties without any hesitation if given a chance without giving her heart. ¡°You must¡¯ve thought that you should give me an illusionary freedom.¡± ¡°¡­ Howe?¡± Reinhardt¡¯s smile disappeared. Only after the fake expression on his face disappeared did Valletta feel at ease. It was ironic that a person who would be ufortable whenever she saw him smiling, would rx the moment his smile disappears. ¡°You took pity on me, who was still caught in the shadows even though I¡¯ve escaped the cage.¡± ¡°It was the first freedom given to us.¡± The more Carlon Delphine listened to their conversation, the more it seems like they were both twisted and broken inside for a long time. A soft smile she had never seen before appeared on Reinhardt¡¯s lips. Valletta, who was holding her breath, absent-mindedly watched him and slowly fixed her expression. ¡°Could you stop treating it like we were on the same boat? You didn¡¯t leave even though I told you to go.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve said it earlier. I would be forcibly summoned anyway. The binding magic had that power, Master.¡± Valletta did not respond to Reinhardt¡¯s words. She just mechanically shoved the food in front of her into her mouth. As promised, Reinhardt did not bother her anymore, and Carlon Delphine started to move his tableware again. It was quiet meal time after amotion. *** Chapter 46 ¡°Are you ready?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve worn something like this, so it¡¯s a little ufortable.¡± Valletta stood in front of the mirror and looked at herself. The dress did not have manyces so it wasn¡¯t cumbersome. Still, she felt ufortable moving in the dress as if it was a psychological rejection. ¡°Ah, I forgot to give you this.¡± Valletta took the three high-grade potions on the desk and handed them to Carlon Delphine. A look of wonder appeared on Carlon Delphine¡¯s face. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the payment for buying me this dress, and for buying me and the child clothes and other necessities. And for the cost of living here. I wanted to give it to you earlier, but that hateful guy appeared so I was absent-minded and couldn¡¯t give it to you.¡± That day, Reinhardt finished eating with a smile while sitting next to me, and disappeared like the wind again. He appeared on a whim and she had no idea if he would take her away. ¡®It seems like he had no ns of taking me to the Magic Tower right now.¡¯ In the end, he just disappeared without telling her if something had happened. Valletta shook her head to remove the thoughts about Reinhardt, brushed her hair, and looked back at Carlon Delphine. ¡°I don¡¯t have any cash so I¡¯ll give this instead. Would that be okay?¡± ¡°¡­ The payment?¡± Carlon Delphine¡¯s expression darkened as he whispered. ¡°Yes, please tell me if it isn¡¯t enough. Since I don¡¯t know the exact value.¡± After seeing Valletta speak calmly, Carlon Delphine burst intoughter. He thought he was treating her considerably kindly, but he didn¡¯t expect her to put a price on everything. He felt like someone hit his head with a hammer. ¡°And today is thest day of the month to fulfill what was mentioned in the contract, so I want to give you the 60 bottles starting from the end of the next month, would that be okay?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°If that¡¯s okay, how about making thest day of the month the delivery date?¡± The child still had dead eyes. The Magic Tower¡¯s Master had eyes like a dead fish, a gaze that had nothing left in life, and so was Valletta¡¯s. ¡°Also, I can¡¯t be indebted to you forever for staying here, so after this banquet I would like to open the store¡­¡± Listening to her voice reciting her n showing how much she had been thinking while alone, Carlon Delphine was speechless and had to stop breathing for a while. ¡°Valletta.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± This time, Carlon Delphine did not hide his expression. With an expression that showed his reluctance and helplessness, he stroked his forehead. He let out a low sigh and slowly opened his mouth. ¡°I didn¡¯t ask for something like that.¡± ¡°¡­ As I have said, I can¡¯t provide a 100¡­¡± ¡°No, I think my approach was a bit wrong. I thought you would understand it sooner orter, but I made the wrong choice.¡± Carlon Delphine said while touching his lips with his palms. Seeing him sweep his lips with his palm as if trying to hide his lips, Valletta watched him with a questioning look. ¡°A little¡­ how about we make a little correction to our rtionship?¡± ¡°¡­ A correction? But the contract has already been written down¡­¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m not talking about that. First, let me apologize. The talk about the 100 high-grade potion was just a very child-like hissy fit.¡± ¡°Hissy fit?¡± Soon after Carlon Delphine spoke, Valletta had an explicit doubtful expression. What did he even say to a child who has a deep-rooted distrust? Carlon Delphine rarely regretted the decisions he had made. ¡°That¡¯s right. I just wanted to help, I didn¡¯t want to get paid for it.¡± He replied with loose honorifics, feeling slightly frustrated. ¡°Aha¡­¡± Valletta nodded her head with an ¡®understanding it a little¡¯ expression. Carlon Delphine smiled with slight relief at the understanding look on her face. But he could not help but be surprised at her next words. ¡°So this is sympathy.¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± ¡°Ah, I apologize if I offended you. Other people dislike this kind of word. It doesn¡¯t mean anything bad. Anyway, I understand what the Duke is trying to say.¡± Valletta¡¯s lips wore a faint refreshed smile. Carlon Delphine rarely felt speechless. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. As you may have noticed, I don¡¯t like unpaid favors. But my heart knew enough. That¡¯s why¡­¡± Valletta seemed to have more things to say as she opened her mouth again. ¡°If it¡¯s okay with you, please ept these as a token of my gratitude.¡± Suddenly, Carlon Delphine covered his eyes with his own hands. His misery could not be put into words. He was speechless as she tried to persuade him that she had understood. She was trying to act like an adult, but to his eyes, she was still a child. Like a monkey in a circus in front of others, making potions with dead eyes. Perhaps nothing would reach the heart of this child. Such thoughts suddenly crossed his mind. He never thought that his kindness would be turned down this way. In the first ce, Carlon Delphine never thought that his kindness would be rejected. It doesn¡¯t seem to be something to worry about much though. ¡°It¡¯s not sympathy¡­¡± Carlon Delphine opened his mouth again, and with a dispirited expression, closed it. If he said no, she would then pretend to be convinced and would fake a smile. She would pretend that she understood. Is there another way that would not burden the child again? Carlon Delphine slowly blinked his eyes. Beneath his eyelids, the appearance of the child he had met in the past was still vivid. *** It was about thirteen years ago when Carlon Delphine first saw Valletta. She was seven years old, and he had just inherited the title of Duke at the age of twenty six. Carlon Delphine saw the child¡¯s alchemy for the first time in the Imperial Castle. In front of the big, ckened adults, the child wrote down an alchemy form with her dead eyes and small hands, and activated the alchemy. ¡°Valletta, next is a healing potion.¡± ¡°Yes, father.¡± The voice that answered Count Delight¡¯s friendly voice, was colder and drier than a parched desert. There was no life left in her eyes. ¡°Well then, Your Majesty. Is there any potion you would like to see more of?¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then yes. I heard there are some potions that could make the body not feel tired.¡± The Emperor and the aristocrats alike saw the child as a circus animal. And everyone¡¯s gaze shined with greed as they looked at the child. She herself was money. She will continue to generate money, she may have one¡¯s life in her hands, and could maybe even postpone death. The moment Count Delight lowers his guard, there would be more than one hand that would reach for the child. The potions made by the child were amazing. Even from a distance, he could see that the purity was high. She was able to make potions that would be impossible to do even with hard work, and at that age. The alchemy form had to be written without shaking, and to make a sigil, a circle had to be drawn without a crook. Even though a lot of people were watching her, the child did not make a single mistake. Everytime she would take more time, Count Delight would tap with his heels a couple of times, and the child would shudder and tremble, speeding up her drawing phase. ¡­ He thought it was pitiful. ¡°You couldn¡¯t draw a circle properly earlier and you were one beat slower.¡± ¡°I apologize, Father.¡± It was an impulse of Duke Delphine¡¯s to chase after Valletta and Count Delight, who said they would take a break after the performance, somewhere not in the banquet hall. He wondered if he could give strength to the pitiful child, and it was a coincidence that he heard their conversation. ¡°How pathetic.¡± ¡°¡­I apologize, Father.¡± In front of Count Delight clicking his tongue in disapproval, the child simply answered in an emotionless voice and bent down. It was not clear whether she was really apologizing or not. ¡°You didn¡¯t mean to embarrass me in front of His Majesty, right? If you make the same mistake again¡­¡± ¡°I will do my best.¡± Like a machine, the child just apologized and obeyed. In a way, it seemed like she didn¡¯t want to make things bigger, and wanted to get off her knees from the ground and get out of the situation quickly. And Count Delight seemed to be displeased by it ¡°From today, you¡¯ll starve for two days and copy a hundred of the alchemy forms that you couldn¡¯t draw properly earlier.¡± ¡°¡­Yes.¡± ¡°Go to your room, kneel in your room and think about your mistakes. I¡¯m going to meet His Majesty for a while.¡± ¡°Yes, Father.¡± The child answered meekly and bowed her head. The child sighed when Count Delight returned to the banquet hall. ¡°That roon-like person.¡± As soon as that grunting voice hit his ears, Carlon Delphine, who had been hiding, was forced toe out of the corner in amazement. ¡°¡­ Baby, hello.¡± Carlon Delphine greeted her awkwardly. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, did I scare you?¡± ¡°A little. Did you hear us?¡± The little child was startled and asked in a whisper. As Carlon Delphine squatted in front of the child to meet her at eye-level, the child lowered her head slightly. ¡°I heard the baby calling a roon. Unfortunately, there¡¯s no roon nearby.¡± ¡°That¡­ You can¡¯t tell my Father.¡± The child hesitated for a moment, and cautiously spoke out. ¡°I promise.¡± Carlon Delphine reassured the child by exaggeratedly nodding. The little child had dead eyes, but when he looked at her, her gaze seemed to have a little bit of life. *** Chapter 47 The smiling little child was truly lovely. It was heartbreaking to know that a child with a face like this was being used like a circus monkey that has dead eyes. ¡°I want to be an adult soon.¡± ¡°Howe?¡± Carlon Delphine asked in a low voice at the child¡¯s words. At his question, the child shed a bitter smile that was not like a child at all. ¡°Then I would be set free.¡± ¡°¡­ You want to be free?¡± ¡°Yes, I want to live and return to a house that has a warm family. I feel like I¡¯m in prison right now.¡± Carlon Delphine stared nkly at the child. It was too bleak of a wish for a child to have. Carlon Delphine took out what he had in his pocket and ced it on the child¡¯s palm. It was a chocte he urgently brought from the banquet hall earlier. ¡°Baby, this is all I have right now but¡­ hide it and eat it when you¡¯re hungry. I need a little more¡­ Once I have established myself, I will definitely help you.¡± ¡°¡­ Haha, you¡¯re weird, Uncle. I¡¯ll enjoy eating it.¡± The eyes of the child who burst intoughter were now filled with vitality. He couldn¡¯t forget the moment when her dead eyes gleamed with life. Seeing her childish side, Carlon Delphine¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. ¡°Go then, baby.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The child sped the chocte in the palm of her hand and waved her small hand. Then, as if afraid that Count Delight woulde back, she quickly walked farther away. Carlon Delphine followed her traces for a long time, even after the child disappeared. After that, once in a while, the child would appear in the Imperial Pce. As time went on, the child¡¯s body grew, she became more proficient in alchemy, and she seemed to be more and more devoid of emotions. The child was asked to do things that the adults should be doing, just because she was a little more amazing and special. She didn¡¯t attend the banquet, she was just there to lighten up the mood. Everytime she appeared as an alchemist at the center of the banquet hall, he would look at her dark, dying eyes and would try to think of some way to help her. But since then, having contact with her has been impossible. If possible, he would like to get her out of Count Delight¡¯s arms, and take care of her under his family. As he watched the skinny child be mechanical as she drew alchemy forms, Carlon Delphine¡¯s mouth became bitter slowly. After that day, Carlon Delphine had decided. If one day that child needs help, he would do anything to help regardless of the reason. *** ¡°Duke?¡± At the voice of the child, Carlon Delphine slowly escaped his thoughts. Anyway, unlike before, he can now help her by being on her side. ¡°No, let¡¯s talk about this step by step. And I don¡¯t need high-grade potions. It¡¯s just a simple favor, I hope you don¡¯t get burdened.¡± Valletta¡¯s eyes slightly narrowed. ¡°Anyway, let me know if you need anything. You just need to ask for help. There¡¯s no need for payment. If you ever need help, I will help you with anything.¡± He wasn¡¯t able to help her for thirteen years. He promised that he would help her someday. Every year, he had to see the child wither and kill herself. ¡°¡­ Yes.¡± Valletta made a strange expression, but nodded as if she had understood his intention. He awkwardly patted Valletta¡¯s shoulder a couple of times. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about the Imperial Family. I keep my words once spoken.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Was it just an illusion that her calmness seemed to be unreliable? Carlon Delphine just smiled and nodded rather than poking at it. ¡°Get ready to leave. Don¡¯t worry, you don¡¯t need to stay too long at the banquet.¡± ¡°Hm, yes.¡± ¡°And remember what I used on that magician yesterday?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°What do you think about it?¡± It was a short question with no unnecessary words added in. With a puzzled expression, Valletta blinked once and shrugged her shoulders. ¡°I thought it was a unique alchemy. I was a little surprised that the light after the casting was different from mine, and that ice came out in the first ce¡­¡± She thought that alchemy could only be used to make potions, or turn stone to gold, or gold into stone so it was a little surprising. She thought one couldn¡¯t attack with alchemy. ¡°As expected. It seemed that what the Count taught you was too narrow.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Alchemy has many wonderful and amazing powers like magic. Although it¡¯s obvious, sometimes it can be a threat.¡± Valletta nodded her head. ¡®Well, most of my alchemy was just forms for transmutation alchemy.¡¯ An alchemy form that only changes material, and the mixture was generally limited. They were the only books that she could usually read, so she thought that the whole world were only filled with those kind of books.. ¡®¡­ I waspletely hit on the head. ¡¯ Valletta held back a smirk at the unexpected situation. She wasn¡¯t expecting much, but realising that he had hit her in the head even after he died, didn¡¯t feel good. (PR/N: he meaning Count Delight) ¡°I will study other types as well.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I said you need to learn the basics again. Valletta, you¡¯ve literally learned how to hold and wield the knife since you were born, that¡¯s why you don¡¯t know the other uses of knives.¡± Carlon Delphine calmly continued to exin. Valletta nodded her head once with a strange expression, showing that she agreed with him that she needed to learn. ¡°Knives are simply used to refine things, sometimes it can take a person¡¯s life, but at the same time, it can be used to protect yourself.¡± Carlon Delphine lightly stroked Valletta¡¯s head, and then took it back. ¡°Get ready ande down, Let¡¯s go together.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Valletta nodded her head. ¡®It¡¯s like dealing with a doll.¡¯ He now understands a little why the Magic Tower¡¯s Master said that. He knew that they were both broken, but Valletta herself doesn¡¯t seem to realize it. He couldn¡¯t answer which one is better. In the end, it didn¡¯t change the fact that both of them are broken, which one is better or which one is worse, the answer could not be determined. Carlon Delphine¡¯s sigh deepened. He thought he had finally made progress after a long time, but now there¡¯s a bigger wall in front of him. All he could do for now was to make sure that the Imperial Family would not be able to touch her. *** ¡°His Grace, Duke Delphine and his¡­ cpanion has arrived!¡± Everyone¡¯s eyes turned to the entrance as the loud voice resounded in the banquet hall. A look of wonder appeared on the faces of the people who were chatting and drinking their sses. The expression ¡®Companion¡¯ meant that it was at least not an aristocrat or that he does not know the identity of the individual, since Duke Carlon Delphine has never brought apanion. Duke Leon, the man sitting in the corner drinking strong alcohol, naturally turned his head towards the entrance. The murmuring of the aristocats who saw Carlon Delphine and the young girl, who appeared through the wide-open entrance, increased. ¡°¡­ Delight?¡± ¡°Oh my god, was there not a wanted poster?¡± ¡°What is her rtionship with Duke Delphine..?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t the Imperial Family issue a poster as well?¡± ¡°How can a person who could be a possible murderer¡­¡± After thebination of the murmuring around him and the situation in front of him, deep wrinkles appeared on Duke Leon¡¯s face. ¡°Crazy.¡± He didn¡¯t say much. He expressed himself with a short, bold word. A heavy aura slowly crept up, and the other aristocrats around him sneaked out of their seats. Carlon Delphine nced around the hall, and began to stride towards Duke Leon. Duke Leon finished pouring the alcohol into a crystal ss and frowned. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, Duke Leon.¡± ¡°¡­ Go away.¡± ¡°There are many eyes on me and I feel like I would be baptized wherever I go, so it¡¯s not easy to leave.¡± ¡°B*llsh*t.¡± Carlon Delphine did not back down easily even with the short response filled with displeasure. Fortunately, there were only a few people who kept the bnce there. Among them, there were people who were well-positioned to stand on the side of justice. ¡°Look. I¡¯ll be okay, but I¡¯m worried about the baby.¡± ¡°Baby..?¡± At the nickname said by Carlon Delphine, Duke Leon gaze went to Valletta, who stood beside him. He met her indifferent eyes in the air. ¡°¡­ This child.¡± Duke Leon¡¯s brows narrowed as he mumbled something. Carlon Delphine had been calling someone ¡®Baby¡¯ that he wanted to help for thest ten years, but Duke Leon never thought it would be the daughter of Count Delight. He could still remember that Delight was someone that Carlon Delphine could not touch. ¡®It¡¯s certainly a big shot.¡¯ A sigh escaped Duke Leon¡¯s lips. There was a faint smell of alcohol. *** Chapter 48 ¡°I¡¯m fine. If it¡¯s because of me, you can go somewhere else, or if I bother you, I will go somewhere else. I¡¯ll let the two of you talk.¡± At Valletta¡¯s blunt words, Carlon Dephine¡¯s gaze full of me fell on Duke Leon. ¡°¡­¡± Why was he feeling a strange sense of guilt even though he had notmitted any sins? ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Valletta tilted her head at the brief and very short answer. Carlon Delphine patted her on the shoulder and pulled the chair out. ¡°He¡¯s saying that we can take a seat.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Thank you.¡± She didn¡¯t know where in his short answer was that nuance, if it¡¯s on his personality, the person who has known him for a long time would know. ¡®By the way, if it¡¯s Duke Leon¡­¡¯ It was the first time she was seeing his face, but she had heard his name before. The other Duke and the Empire¡¯s sword. In all the battles and wars that he went to, it was said that he had a hundred wins and zero losses. At the same time, she was told that he was chivalrous, faithful and had a good reputation since he did not oppress others and did not wield his power recklessly. Not only that, it was said that he, who was from a humble fallen aristocrat yet was able to obtain the title of the Duke with his own hands, was a literal inspiration for countless people. He was an idol for many swordsmen as it was said that no one dared topare to him in terms of swordsmanship or power either from within the Empire or from many other existing countries. That was all the information she had heard while she was locked up, so she doesn¡¯t know how many of those words embody him. `There should be at least a ten year gap between him and Carlon Delphine, right?¡¯ They seemed to get along pretty well. Of course, Carlon Delphine was older than him. ¡®And he is also the person who recognized Therion¡¯s talent.¡¯ It seemed like he was the one who passed on the name Leon to Therion. Valletta, who was silently rubbing her chin, nced at Duke Leon. ¡®It was also said that he¡¯s a man of few words and quite a drinker.¡¯ He was very picky when ites to alcohol, so when it was discovered which drink he favored, she would hear the servants in the Delight mansion whispering that they should buy one before it bes expensive. ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± ¡°I was thinking about the stories about Duke Leon.¡± ¡°Honorifics.¡± Displeasure was well expressed in one word. Carlon Delphine just shrugged. ¡°First of all, it¡¯s a banquet, not a public ce.¡± ¡°No one¡¯s here.¡± ¡°I think you drove them all away, Duke.¡± It was a more rxed tone, but it didn¡¯t mean that the issue with honorifics had beenpletely solved. Duke Leon let out a low sigh, but he no longer berated him nor forced him to do anything. ¡°Baby¡­ No, I will protect Valletta.¡± ¡°¡­¡± He looked at Carlon Delphine without saying anything. His expression may look blunt to others, but Carlon Delphine could feel the me in his gaze. ¡°It¡¯s already beyond control. It¡¯s not easy to back out of something I have already decided a long time ago.¡± At Carlon Delphine¡¯s added excuse, Duke Leon didn¡¯t say anything and just poured another ss of strong whiskey. The whiskey pouring into the well-crafted ss had a pungent smell of alcohol. Valletta looked curiously at the half-emptied bottle of whiskey. It wasn¡¯t because she didn¡¯t know what it was, but because it was something she had never tasted, even in her previous life. As if Duke Leon discovered Valletta¡¯s thoughts, he moved the bottle to the other side. ¡°You can¡¯t.¡± ¡°¡­¡± At his stern words, as if talking to a child, Valletta blinked and took her eyes away from the bottle. Feeling embarrassed, she rolled her eyes once and gently nodded. ¡®Do I look that young?¡¯ Carlon Delphine was also like that when they first met, but Duke Leon was not that much different. Strangely, both of them treated her too much like a child. ¡°But Your Grace, I¡¯m also an adult¡­¡± ¡°You can¡¯t.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± In the end, Valletta lightly gave up and shrugged her shoulders. In fact, she could not understand why she couldn¡¯t. It was, after all, her body and she¡¯s an adult, so do they have the right to restrain her? She wanted to argue with him, but she didn¡¯t want to color their kindness with hostility. ¡°His Majesty, Emperor Cainus ines is now entering! Crown Prince, Mlrode ines and the president of the Alchemist Association, Gillian is now entering!¡± Carlon Delphine and Duke Leon stood up at the sound of the voice heard from outside. Valletta too, rose from her seat with a nonchnt expression, trying to turn a blind eye to her beating heart. All the aristocrats and servants in the banquet hall stopped what they were doing and bowed. Valletta followed and moderately bowed her head. The door opened and the sound of footsteps was heard. ¡°¡­ Valletta?¡± Flinching, her shoulder trembled slightly. ¡°You¡¯re Valletta, right? If I¡¯m right, raise your head for a moment.¡± ¡°Haa.¡± She let out a low sigh and shook her head. The Crown Prince suddenly approached her. Reinhardt was like that, and so was he. Everyone was bowing their heads in the same way, so how on earth did he find her in such a huge crowd? ¡°Valletta!¡± Milrode¡¯s eyes widened. ¡®He doesn¡¯t look hurt anywhere.¡¯ It seemed like there was no mistake that Reinhard returned him with limbs intact. He hadn¡¯t lied about anything like this even in the past. ¡°You¡¯re safe, no¡­ so you¡¯re back. I missed you.¡± Milrode did not hide his delight and embraced Valletta. Valletta¡¯s eyes slightly widened at the sudden embrace. The strong arms that hugged her were soon startled and quickly moved away. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry. I was so d, so¡­ my mistake.¡± Milrode rubbed his flushed face with no mercy. She wondered if his skin was peeling off. Feeling a little sorry, Valletta lightly shrugged. ¡°No, It¡¯s okay.¡± ¡°I heard you ran away from the Magic Tower. You¡¯re not hurt anywhere?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± As Valletta raised her head and looked over Milrode¡¯s shoulder, she saw the Emperor with a strange expression, and a one-eyed man in a splendid cloak. There were three people that came in, one of them was the Emperor, and the one in front of her was the Crown Prince, then perhaps the one-eyed man was the President of the Alchemist Association. ¡®His name was Gillian, right?¡¯ He was wearing an eye patch on his other eye. Seeing that he was wearing luxurious clothes, he was definitely different from the other alchemists who hide and wear robes. ¡°But how did you get here¡­¡± Only after his excitement had subsided and the situation had cleared, did Milrode ask btedly. Valletta nced at Carlon Delphine standing beside her. Before she knew it, Carlon Delphine held up his head and had an appropriate answer prepared. ¡°I was protecting Valletta, no, Lady Delight who ran away from the Magic Tower.¡± ¡°Ah! Thank you. Thanks to Duke Delphine, I was able to reunite with her again.¡± Milrode epted Carlon Delphine¡¯s nonchnt words with no hint of doubt. That kindness of Milrode¡¯s was probably his advantage, but that same kindness was of no help to Valletta at all. ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. I was surprised to see her in the missing poster and found her after personally searching, so I took a few days off.¡± ¡°I see. You¡¯ve worked hard.¡± After speaking enough, Carlon Delphine backed away lightly. He didn¡¯t add more words than expected. Milrode looked at Valletta with a happy expression. Valletta simply lowered her head with indifferent eyes and bowed again. Milrode¡¯s expression slightly darkened. ¡°Let¡¯s go to our seat, Milrode. It¡¯s nice that you get to talk to your fiance for the first time in a while, but you can¡¯t let the others continue bowing their heads the whole time.¡± ¡°Ah, yes, Your Majesty. I¡®ll see you a littleter, Valletta.¡± Milrode clenched his fists, looking at Valletta who just continued bowing her head and didn¡¯t say anything. He doesn¡¯t know why she isn¡¯t looking at his face properly. Even the cruel fellow who rose to the seat of Magic Tower¡¯s Master met his eyes properly. ¡®¡­ Come to think of it, she still didn¡¯t call my name in the end.¡¯ Each time she would avoid it by saying ¡®When the time is right¡¯, but she hadn¡¯t called his name even once. And it was the same today. He seemed to be the only one happy about their reunion. A bitter taste filled his mouth. ¡°Come on, we should show a happy expression on this pleasant day. Let¡¯s all raise our heads and enjoy the banquet.¡± As soon as the Emperor granted permission, all the aristocrats, who were bowing, straightened up at the same time. The moment they all raised their heads, all the eyes on the people gathered in one ce. ¡°And if you don¡¯t mind, Lady Delight and Duke Delphine, how about having a chat with me?¡± Instead of answering, Valletta turned her head to look at Carlon Delphine. Carlon Delphine smiled and bowed. ¡°It will be our honor, Your Majesty. However, I would be more than happy if you would let my friend, Duke Leon, join our seat.¡± The Emperor nced at Duke Leon standing next to him, and dly nodded. ¡°If that is what the Duke prefers, then so be it. Do what you like.¡± Duke Leon let out a low sigh once the permission was given. He gently rose from his seat and headed to the table prepared in the upper area. *** Chapter 49 At where the Emperor sat, The Crown Prince was on his right, and Gillian was on the left. Valletta sat across from the Emperor, with Carlon Delphine and Duke Leon surrounding her. ¡°First of all, I am very happy to see that you¡¯re safe, Lady Delight.¡± ¡°Thank you for your kind words.¡± ¡°I¡¯m very sorry for what Count Delight had done.¡± The Emperor sighed and shook his head as if he was really sorry. ¡®Is he sincere, this person?¡¯ Valletta raised her head curiously and looked at the Emperor. Seeing him look at her with a matchless benevolent expression, Valletta smiled. Come to think of it, the Emperor was certainly one of the people who regretted the loss of their ally, Count Delight. He was probably not very pleased that the existence that would have rolled over on it¡¯s own if he only waited for a while, left. ¡°It was inevitable that the angry jewel that was abandoned without its preciousness being recognized would destroy the jewelry box.¡± ¡°Yes, there was Count Delight and the Magic Tower¡¯s Master.¡± The Emperor¡¯s eyes narrowed at Valletta¡¯s words, but soon heughed a little and lightly nodded. Clearly, she could notpare to his experience and conversation skills. ¡°Yes, although nobody knew.¡± ¡°However, the Magic Tower¡¯s Master has gone too far this time. Even if a war broke out, it wouldn¡¯t be surprising. No Magic Tower¡¯s Master has ever massacred an aristocrat¡¯s family.¡± That was too much. It was that hateful guy who asked if it was okay to overthrow the Imperial Family. For Valletta, it wasn¡¯t worth it to bet all her fortune on a war that the hateful guy would love the most. ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Ah, this is Gillian. He¡¯s the president of the Alchemist Association that you would join.¡± ¡°You can call me Gillian.¡± A fairly coarse voice was heard. Valletta stared nkly at the hand extended in front of her, then reached out and lightly grabbed it. ¡°I¡¯m Valletta.¡± ¡°Good.¡± ¡°If you develop safe and sound, Gillian was thinking of making you the President of the Alchemist Association.¡± At the Emperor¡¯s words, Valletta turned her head with a tired look and leaned back into her chair. ¡­ Seriously, everyone in this world was only thinking of cutting off her limbs. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I have no intention of belonging anywhere, or stepping over someone else¡¯s head anymore, Your Majesty.¡± Carlon Delphine¡¯s expression stiffened at the sudden fastball. ¡°Oh my, of course you¡¯re still immature and young right now so you might think so¡­¡± ¡°There¡¯s one more thing I need to clear up. I¡¯m sorry to the Crown Prince, but I don¡¯t intend to keep our engagement now that the Delight Family has copsed.¡± Carlon Delphine grabbed Valletta¡¯s hand under the table. Valletta flinched and looked at him. Both the expressions of Carlon Delphine and Duke Leon were not very good. She rxed her body a little more, and slowly closed and opened her eyes. ¡®¡­ I got a little agitated. I made a mistake.¡¯ Milrode¡¯s expression was already distorted in despair. Looking at him with a shaky gaze, she felt an unnamed sense of guilt. Not only that, but the Emperor¡¯s expression was also not good. The only one she didn¡¯t know what they¡¯re thinking of, was the man named Gillian. ¡°Perhaps because Lady Delight¡¯s experience so far has been ruthless for her age, but it seems like her distrust of other people has deepened.¡± ¡°¡­ That¡¯s possible. It¡¯s understandable, considering the horrible report and the personality of the Magic Tower¡¯s Master.¡± The Emperor simply nodded and smiled benevolent, deciding to just move on with Carlon Delphine¡¯s defense. Everyone could tell that it waspletely fake. The Emperor¡¯s gaze returned to Valletta. ¡°However, Lady Delight, you might not realize it because you¡¯re still young, but words can not be taken back once they¡¯re spoken. So, you should always be careful.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t forget that a single word could change your situation 180 degrees. Authority, power and money could, in fact, make it possible.¡± Valletta took a breath. Not because she was afraid, but because she was annoyed. It was just for a short time, but she seemed to have understood Reinhardt¡¯s ¡®Should I wipe them all?¡¯. For a moment, Valletta struggled to suppress the urge to call Jin and Nereid. She just wanted to live a normal life like everyone else. As if trying to calm herself, Valletta slowly opened her mouth, concentrating on the warmth that was holding her back. ¡°¡­ I guess I got too nervous since I¡¯m in a ce with too many people. I will deeply remember the advice you have given me, Your Majesty.¡± After Valletta answered, the Emperor¡¯s mood brightened. He smiled and nodded his head. ¡°You may think it was just an old man¡¯s nagging, but it¡¯s the wisdom of life. I¡¯m sure it will be useful someday.¡± ¡°Yes. Thank you, Your Majesty.¡± Valletta recalled Count Delight. Considering those times she had to kneel down and bow her head in front of him, this was nothing. ¡°Sure. It has been postponed, but we still need to hold the wedding, so how about staying in the Imperial Pce?¡± ¡°¡­ I¡¯m still not sure yet.¡± Recalling what Carlon Delphine had said beforeing here, Valletta lowered her eyelids and shook her head. ¡°There¡¯s only one thing you need to do. You can make various excuses and say that you want to stay in the Duke¡¯s residence.¡± ¡°¡­ Then, would it be solved?¡± ¡°Since they have no excuse to force you right now, they have no choice but to let you. At least for a while.¡± At Valletta¡¯s answer, the Emperor¡¯s face hardened once again. Milrode already clenched his fists and did not say anything. Deep despair was buried in his blue eyes that trembled in shock. ¡°¡­ Your Majesty, she had suffered so much that she couldn¡¯t sleep at night. She¡¯s adjusting to some extent in my mansion, so could you please give her some time?¡¯ ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be okay to do it gradually in the Imperial Pce?¡± ¡°This is also what the child wanted, I found her first and protected her, so I want to be her guardian for a while.¡± Carlon Delphine politely bowed his head. The Emperor looked displeased. Seeing that there was nothing out of ce with Carlon Delphine¡¯s words, there seemed to be no way to force the issue. ¡°Even if you enter the Imperial Pce, you don¡¯t need to get married right away. Does Lady Delight also agree with Duke Delphine?¡± ¡°¡­ Yes, I asked the Duke. I can¡¯t sleep at night and have nightmares. I don¡¯t want to bring such a state to the Imperial pce.¡± Valletta turned her head and lowered her eyes. How did Reinhardt put on a sad expression? When she thought about it, the only thing that came to mind was his expression, not the person. A look that would be forgiven no matter what. To be honest, she doesn¡¯t know the appearance of saying sad words with an expressionless face. ¡°¡­ Milrode, what do you think?¡± The Emperor handed over the choice to the Crown Prince. Milrode opened his mouth with heavy eyes. ¡°You can ask me for help, Valletta.¡± ¡°¡­¡± At Milrode¡¯s words, Valletta looked at him silently. He was too soft and weak to be used as a shield. He will never be able to protect her in front of thew, and she could never hope for him to protect her from the Emperor¡¯s hands. She repeatedly opened and closed her mouth. She doesn¡¯t know if she could say it there or not. Perhaps, if one day she was threatened by someone and her only choice was the Crown Prince and the hateful guy, she would choose Reinhardt. ¡°Your Highness the Crown Prince, I wonder how much you, who always walks on the right path, could ept me.¡± He wanted to walk in that way. It would be better if he meets someone who would suit him, than trying to get along with someone who doesn¡¯t suit him. ¡°¡­¡± Milrode could not say anything anymore. He just nkly stared at her, then slowly lowered his head with a disappointed smile. ¡°If Lady Valletta sincerely wishes to, then you can seek protection under Duke Delphine for a while.¡± ¡°¡­ Thank you for your consideration.¡± She could feel his always bright voice, lower further. She was not used to the sudden honorifics, but it was better to feel a moderate distance. ¡°But the Lady should not forget. You¡¯re the Crown Princess and will be the one who bes the Empress. Wherever you are, whatever you do, never forget that you are my person.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Valletta did not answer. She turned her head and looked at his blue eyes that seemed to have gotten a little murky. The Emperor watched the situation as he rubbed his chin, then stood up with a smile on his face. ¡°I¡¯ve held onto you for such a long time that you couldn¡¯t even enjoy the banquet. Everyone has agreed, including the Crown Prince, so I will count on you, Duke Delphine.¡± ¡°Yes, thank you.¡± ¡°Well then, let us all enjoy the rest of the time.¡± The Emperor rose from his seat, the Crown Prince said his goodbye lightly, leaving her as he followed the Emperor. However, Gillian stayed there for a while and looked at Valletta with a strange expression before standing up. ¡°I¡¯ve been keeping an eye on your skills. I heard you can make 2 advance-grade potions a day, correct?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Valletta raised her head to meet Gillian¡¯s one remaining eye. His eyes seemed to be trying to measure her, but he did not seem to have properly grasped it. ¡®Two advance-grade potions.¡¯ It seemed that the amount Count Delight had figured out was about that much. Or hid the fact from the Emperor while knowing that she could do more. She was not sure if she should be d that they didn¡¯t find out as much as she thought, or click her tongue at being caught being able to produce advance-grade potion. *** Chapter 50 *** ¡°It¡¯s my first time meeting you, but you sure speak rudely.¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t feel the need for honorifics since you¡¯ll work under me anyway.¡± ¡°I have no intention of entering the Association, and I will not enter.¡± At Valletta¡¯s firm words, Gillian¡¯s smile widened. He might have felt displeased, but he covered it with a smile. Gillian nodded slowly. ¡°That was definitely discourteous. I apologize.¡± ¡°By the way, is there a problem with the fact that I can make two advance-grade potions?¡± ¡°No, I just wanted to tell you that it¡¯smendable. I¡¯m looking forward to you entering as a junior.¡± ¡°Thank you for yourpliment.¡± ¡°Well then, I look forward to seeing you again next time.¡± Valletta responded by bowling her head. Gillian backed down without speaking more than she thought. It was only after there were the three of them remaining at the table, did Valletta rx her body. Still, seeing the child not letting out a single sigh, Carlon Delphine smiled wryly. Valletta, who had yet to realize that she was still clenching their hands together, leaned on the backrest, looking tired. ¡®I don¡¯t think they will give up as easily as I thought.¡¯ Even if things were still not ready, it would be better if they got a permit and proceeded with the nned business. Since potions were not ssified as drugs, it was not that hard to get a permit for it. As she was about to get up from her seat, she sighed in a low tone when she realized there was still a hand that was holding hers. Looking at the hastily released hand, Carlon Delphine simply shrugged. ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± As Carlon Delphine got up from his seat, Duke Leon, who was watching Valletta, opened his mouth. ¡°You should not provoke the Emperor.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Be careful.¡± ¡°¡­ Yes.¡± Upon hearing her answer, Duke Leon patted Valletta¡¯s head once then removed his hand. The man, who seemed to be contemting something, simply waved at Carlon Delphine and left the banquet hallpletely. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for not warning you about the Emperor. Even though he seemed infinitely kind, he was someone who ughtered his parents and all his siblings to get the throne.¡± ¡°¡­ Is that so?¡± ¡°How much have you learned about history?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t learn that deeply. I only learned about the origin of the empires and world history, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve learned a lot about it.¡± Carlon Delphine nodded at Valletta¡¯s answer. He could guess how they were grooming Valletta. They pretended to teach her a lot, while excluding everything that was important to prevent her from being vignt. ¡°Now that they have seen your face, I¡¯m thinking of heading back, what do you think?¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll exin things on the way.¡± Carlon Delphine escorted Valletta out of the banquet hall. The other aristocrats must have been regretting that they could not talk to the newly emerged hot potato. Valletta, who was riding in Duke Delphine¡¯s carriage, looked at Carlon Delphine who was sitting across her. ¡°The current Emperor was originally born as the youngest with no rights to session.¡± Carlon Delpine spoke in a low tone. When the Emperor ascended to the throne, both Carlon Delphine and Duke Leon witnessed the bloodbath. And up until the moment he didn¡¯t give up and was praised as a hero. ¡°He may have looked like a good person on the outside, but he was quite greedy and smart. He knew how to use people, he was not blinded by the small things, and could see the treasure farther from that.¡± ¡°Are you talking about the Emperor?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. The Crown Prince at that time was not evencking that much. He had a good reputation, was resourceful, and a rare pacifist.¡± Valletta nodded at Carlon Delphine¡¯s exnation. Surely, the Emperor was someone who could hide his hostility with kindness. If he doesn¡¯t show his displeasure, the other person won¡¯t even know that they had offended him. ¡°The current Emperor was the first to frame the Crown Prince in order to dismiss him. After that, with a few more words, it caused internal discord that resulted in a riot. Siblings that got along now pointed their swords at each other.¡± He shook his head, thinking about that time as if it was something tragic. Carlon Delphine was just ten years old, but even then, the current Emperor¡¯s actions were disparate. The mother of Carlon Delphine, who was the Duchess of their house at that time, agreed with the youngest prince. Nevertheless, after sending the prince back, she would click her tongue, sit Carlon Delphine down and warn him. ¡°A giant Imoogi* was born in the Imperial Family.¡± ¡°¡­ What Imoogi, Mother?¡± ¡°He will be a dragon, and will do anything to ascend to heaven. He had such eyes. Since the next Emperor has been decided, your generation may go through a lot. If possible, stay out of his sight.¡± (T/N: Imoogi seemed to be a legendary animal in Korea. Korean folk mythology states that most dragons were originally Imoogi, or lesser dragons, which were said to resemble gigantic serpents. Image at the end.) Carlon Delphine sighed as he recalled his memories. He leaned back and exhaled slowly, then opened his mouth. ¡°There were mountains beyond mountains, people from all over the ce died without knowing the reason why. Andints spread even to the former Emperor who could not handle it properly.¡± (PR/N: Apparently ¡°Beyond mountains, there are mountains¡± is a Haitain phrase that means as you solve one problem, another will present itself. Or surmount one obstacle, and the nextes into view. ) ¡°That¡¯s clever.¡± ¡°Yes, it was clever. I wouldn¡¯t even know about it if my mother, the former Duchess Delphine, hadn¡¯t told me.¡± Carlon Delphine nodded in agreement at Valletta¡¯s words. ¡°And the people, who were trembling in fear seeing their family and friends dry up or suddenly die, were furious.¡± Valletta¡¯s eyes widened. He seemed to know how to incite the people. Not in the same way, but Valletta was also thinking of using themon people. Valletta leaned against the carriage with her arms crossed. If she would use the people to attack, she was sure that her thought of using them as a shield would be discovered. ¡°The inside of the Imperial Pce was so messed up that the administration could not even restore it due to cracks, and because the discipline of the Imperial Family was not straightened, the aristocrats were corrupted and ran about disorderly.¡± ¡°It must have been aplete mess.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. There was an urgent need for a leader that could lead everyone.¡± Valletta¡¯s answer was acknowledged with a nod of praise from Carlon Delphine. ¡°But in that messed up state, the youngest prince was strangely calm.¡± ¡°He seemed to be smart even as a child.¡± ¡°Yes. The boy, who was only twelve years old, reigned over the aristocrats and persuaded them. Of course, Duchess Delphine also came.¡± ¡°Uhm¡­¡± ¡°In the meantime, she took care of the Imperial Capital¡¯s employees¡¯ necessities and shared food with the people using her own money. She dispatched soldiers and provided clean water.¡± A rxed and gentle expression shed in front of his eyes. In fact, the reason why she spoke a little carelessly was due to her strange kindness. She readily admitted her mistake. Looking back, the Emperor¡¯s expression was not that much different from Reinhardt¡¯s. It was the expression of someone who could take advantage of other people. It was an eye that only those who could see through a person¡¯s essence would have. ¡°The Emperor dispatched the alchemist, Gillian, to check the situation and ultimately, things calmed down. Everyone shouted that the curse was over. People eximed that it was thanks to the kindness of the youngest prince.¡± ¡°That slyness was not as much as that hateful guy. Rather, this was more¡­ full-scale.¡± Valletta patted her chin and murmured in a low voice. Reinhardt lived however he wanted. He would bow his head for his goal, but there was no way he would do something like that behind the scenes. Reinhardt would rather destroy everything. ¡°If that¡¯s true, I won¡¯t have time to prepare. I should have been a little more careful with my words and actions. I didn¡¯t think he was that kind of person¡±, she said. He would not think that she would just roll into his hands with this incident. There was only one way he could take her. He would probably just make her enter the Imperial Pce. ¡®I don¡¯t know what method he would use though.¡¯ It was clear that he would not stay still. Reinhardt seemed to be doing something these days as well, but there was no news. ¡°Come to think of it, you haven¡¯t talked about the advance-grade potion.¡± ¡°Yes, did that offend you, Your Grace?¡± ¡°It was bitter that you didn¡¯t trust me, but I wasn¡¯t offended. It would be funny if I asked you to trust me when we haven¡¯t known each other for a long time.¡± Carlon Delphine answered honestly at Valletta¡¯s sudden fastball. He had no choice but to answer honestly. Dangling it in front of the little child was the only way to make her understand. If not, no matter how much he says it, waiting for her to understand, the child would never understand. If he doesn¡¯t give her some guidance, she would not understand. ¡°I have been watching you for a long time.¡± ¡°Yes, I found out after hearing the two of you talk.¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s why I wanted to tell you that there¡¯s no need to doubt me.¡± Valletta stiffened and quietly looked at Carlon Delphine. Then she lowered her head, seemingly pondered for a moment, then lifted her head and let out a faint sigh. ¡°I don¡¯t believe in unpaid favors. If you don¡¯t want me to doubt you, expect a payment from me.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°However¡­ I understand your words. Whatever your intention is, I know in my head that you mean well.¡± Carlon Delphine just silently listened to Valletta. ¡°It may look frustrating and that I¡¯m suffocating. You might be thinking why I¡¯m this stiff but¡­¡± Valletta sluggishly lowered her eyelids. She chose her words over and over again, hoping that she would not hurt the other with this rarely spoken sincerity. Carlon Delphine stared at the long eyshes that hung down worriedly. Like a prisoner trapped in a dark, deep sea, the child was filled with nothing but hopelessness and frustration. ¡°Me and that hateful guy have been living like this. It was not difficult for us to get down on our knees and bow down. I don¡¯t have the confidence to stand up now.¡± In fact, she would not hesitate to kneel down, put her forehead on the floor and bow down over and over again in front of the Count every time she destroyed something. It was not a matter of pride in apologizing whenever someone would provoke her. Valletta leaned her head against the carriage¡¯s window as if she was slipping down with a nk expression. ¡°Thank you, Your Grace.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°Me and that hateful guy might have been a little better if we had met an adult like you ten years earlier.¡± *** Imoogi: And we all miss Reinhardt, he¡¯ll appear on next chapter, ya¡¯ll have to wait though though fufu~ Chapter 51 Carlon Delphine¡¯s face eventually contorted with a copsed expression. Count Delight was under the protection of the Imperial Family. He couldn¡¯t be touched recklessly since there were private soldiers of the Imperial Family attached to him in ces where they could not be seen. Even he could not detect their location. Therefore, it was almost impossible to see the child go out alone. Valletta just shrugged her shoulders with a grin on her face. ¡°I don¡¯t really like Reinhardt that much. However, I never pushed him away. Of course, I never have hugged him either. That¡¯s probably how things would be even now.¡± Carlon Delphine stopped breathing as he watched Valletta speak in a low voice. ¡°Even if we know that we¡¯re both rotten ropes, there are things that we just can¡¯t help but do. Talking about it, it seems to be a lot more twisted than I thought. Can this be solved before I die?¡± She doesn¡¯t know if he will hunt her for the rest of her life. Her goal was to live a normal life, but for some reason, the more she tries to have that kind of life, the farther she gets from it. Valletta¡¯s eyes watched a torch ceaselessly flicker through the window. ¡°I¡¯m sure I had a normal way of thinking back then. Now everything seems to be just tools. Abilities, people, and even you¡­¡± Valletta, who was muttering something, let out a breathyugh. ¡°This is certainly a little dreary.¡± She knows that things are now different from before. Her feelings are different from when she was living in her previous life or when she was just a child and her memories were still clear. ¡®If I want to change at this point, will I be able to change?¡¯ It seemed like she was a little tired since she had suddenly mixed around with arge crowd. The Emperor and Gillian who spoke some meaningful words, and the Crown Prince who forced them into a strange atmosphere. ¡®I want to sleep soundly tonight.¡¯ Valletta frowned when Reinhardt¡¯s magic suddenly came to her mind. She must have changed her mind. She thought about him during this time. Although, it was because his magic¡¯s effect was great. Valletta let out a low sigh. Carlon Delphine leaned back against the carriage and was silent for a while, and the well-maintained carriage rushed forward quietly. *** ¡°I¡¯m sure I told you that you could summon me if you call my name.¡± Reinhardt, who had suddenly appeared on the roof of the carriage, crossed his arms with a troubled expression. The moonlight poured down on his silver hair. His red eyes blinked slowly. Reinhardt let out a low sigh, unintentionally overhearing their conversation. It was not hard to grasp the situation and understand what happened. ¡®Looks like something happened in the Imperial Pce.¡¯ The Emperor was a lot more troublesome than expected. The same thing goes for the alchemist next to him. There were even a lot more enemies in the Magic Tower than he originally thought. Reinhardt also realized that his power was more unstable than expected. It was a good thing that he didn¡¯t try to catch her when she ran away. If he had caught her, he might have missed everything. Reinhardt let out a brief sigh. ¡°If he won¡¯t apologize properly, I will dere war.¡± It seemed like the Emperor had some trump card. The carriage had arrived at Duke Delphine¡¯s mansion. Reinhardt approached the exhausted, staggering Valletta and lightly poked her neck with his index finger. A tiny magic circle emerged and seeped into her body. ¡°¡­ Hey you!¡± Reinhardt held her in his arms to firmly support her, as she copsed from loss of consciousness, and smiled at Carlon Delphine. ¡°It must have been an unfamiliar day, so she¡¯s tired. She might be a master that can¡¯t be honest, but I still need to give her a good sleep. Because ves always exist for thefort of their master.¡± Reinhardt, who answered that way, disappeared then reappeared in front of Carlon Delphine. Standing next to Carlon Delphine, the knight¡¯s face hardened and he drew his sword. Carlon Delphine lightly reached out to stop the knight. Reinhardt grabbed Carlon Delphine¡¯s neck. ¡°So¡­ What did you say that made my Master copse with a tired expression on her face?¡± ¡°Nothing. I was just telling her that there was no need to doubt what I¡¯m offering.¡± ¡°¡­ What¡¯s that?¡± Reinhardt removed his hand and asked with a strange expression. Carlon Delphine¡¯s breath caught at his obvious bewildered expression. The sharp atmosphere disappeared instantly. ¡°Is it the duty or something of a famous, sophisticated aristocrat? I don¡¯t know what kind of foolish emotion it is, but don¡¯t regret it and just ept what you can receive.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°Literally what it is, I¡¯m saying stop pretending to be nice and just be honest. Be honest, that you want them. Master¡¯s abilities that you don¡¯t have.¡± Carlon Delphine faced Reinhardt and rubbed his face with his palm. He felt like he kept on encountering parallel situations with this child and that child. ¡°Just like the alchemy stone I offered youst time, there are alot of things you can get from Master. Whether it¡¯s an advance-grade potion or a high-grade potion, aren¡¯t they worth a lot?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s stop talking about this. I just stated my opinion, that¡¯s all.¡± Reinhardt shrugged his shoulders. Well, that was not what he was concerned about. The reason for his appearance was simple. Because he had something to warn him about. ¡°The Emperor is aiming for Master, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t think he will give up.¡± ¡°He won¡¯t give up. And for that greedy man in gold, the Magic Tower seems to be getting in his way.¡± Reinhardt raised his head and looked up at the sky filled with a full moon. The full moon made him feel really good. A small smile appeared on his mouth as he let out a low sigh. ¡°Hey, where did you go to get the smell of blood like this?¡± Reinhardt smiled widely at Carlon Delphine¡¯s words. ¡°¡­ A war zone?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no war going on in the Empire right now.¡± Reinhardt shrugged. Upon closer inspection, there were dark stains all over his robe. Smelling the strong scent of blood, they were probably bloodstains. ¡°The world will know tomorrow morning. Protect Master properly. And it would be better to proceed with that n or something simr.¡± ¡°We¡¯re not quite ready for that yet.¡± Reinhardt¡¯s brows narrowed as he looked at Carlon Delphine. He seemed to understand a little now why this man, who had such deep conviction and held tightly to things, kept on running in a circle around her. ¡®He doesn¡¯t really understand.¡¯ He doesn¡¯t understand the character of Valletta Delight properly. Reinhardt¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°Master needs someone who would throw their body to shield her.¡± ¡°¡­ What?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t Master say she would open a store to sell potions? She doesn¡¯t even have the patience of a saint, so why do you think she wanted to do something like that? She wanted to use themon people as a shield.¡± Carlon Delphine¡¯s eyes widened at Reinhardt¡¯s words. Reinhardt lightly tapped Carlon Delphine¡¯s shoulder a couple of times then held it tightly. ¡°What on earth does that mean?¡± ¡°Who would not protect Master, as she would sell the thing that could save their lives at a low price that has been monopolized by the Imperial Family and the aristocrats?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t mean¡­¡± ¡°You Grace, Duke.¡± Reinhardt reached out his hand and touched Carlon Delphine¡¯s cheeks. The coldest fingers brushed his cheeks with no sincerity. ¡°If you try to force us into the perfectly square box that you have been living in, you will only ruin both sides. You also don¡¯t have to ruin your own sanity.¡± Reinhardt turned his back on the moonlight and his eyes curved affectionately. As his red eyes folded into a half circle, Carlon Delphine did not feel any hostility. He bent over and put his lips close to Carlon Delphine¡¯s ear. ¡°If you can¡¯t handle it, throw it away. Feel free to do so.¡± An angel¡¯s sweet voice whispered seductively. Carlon Delphine bit his lip and his brows narrowed. For a moment, he felt like he was being subjected to some kind of mind control magic. ¡°Abandoned and forsaken by everyone¡­ and in the end, I¡¯m the only one she can lean on. This is the scenario that I¡¯m hoping for.¡± Reinhardt moved his body away a little and smiled brightly. The voice that tickled Carlon Delphine¡¯s ears faded away, but he somehow felt a little dizzy. ¡°Just imagining Valletta trembling with nowhere to go, and eventually falling into my arms is enough to excite a person.¡± ¡°¡­ Why are you that twisted? How can that be good for a child that is already hurt and broken?!¡± Reinhardt took two or three steps back and tapped his chin twice with his index finger. He then burst intoughter. ¡°So what if she breaks down? I like a broken Master.¡± ¡°¡­ What?¡± ¡°It¡¯s also nice if she can¡¯t do anything and relies only on me. As I painstakingly tame her to react to every touch of mine¡­ and only eat what I give her without a doubt.¡± Carlon Delphine sincerely wanted to pass out. Isn¡¯t this much more twisted than what he originally thought? It was not just twisted to a point where it can be resolved, it was beyond warped. Reinhardt shrugged his shoulders, turned around and sighed. ¡°Really, I was the one who pushed her off the cliff and saved her from that despair, so it would be nice if her head was filled only with me.¡± ¡°Do you really want that child to be like that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not bad. There are people looking for her outside, and wherever she goes, she would be treated like livestock after all. If that¡¯s how it is, will it be bad if I just lock her up and take care of her?¡± ¡°You¡­ Did you ever want to see that child smile sincerely?¡± Reinhardt¡¯s eyes widened slightly at Carlon Delphine¡¯s words. He tilted his head and crossed his arms. He had never really thought of that. Has she ever smiled sincerely? ¡®Did she ever do it?¡¯ There seemed to be once in the past when they were young, but he could not remember it anymore. What color it was or why it happened, he could not remember it. ¡°Anyway, use Master as much as you want and throw her away if you don¡¯t need her anymore.¡± ¡°You cruel man.¡± ¡°You won¡¯t get anything if you¡¯re not cruel.¡± In response to Reinhardt¡¯s answer with his eyes wide opened, Carlon Delphine rubbed his forehead. Instead of answering, he turned around. It was an exhausting day for various reasons. ¡®I never thought I would find the reason like this¡¯ He was skeptical from the moment she said she wanted to sell potions, but he didn¡¯t know that there was such a thing. He doesn¡¯t know if he shouldugh or cry. A magic circle appeared and disappeared under Reinhardt, who was watching Count Delphine move away. Soon, hepletely vanished into thin air. *** Chapter 52 [ The new Master of the Magic Tower has be a foreign existence to it. In the Magic Tower, the position of the Magic Tower¡¯s Master was usually not vacant for long periods of time. The longest time in history where the position was vacant was ten years. The Magic Tower¡¯s Master must find the next Master then die, and if they couldn¡¯t find them, the other magicians would find them. However, Reinhardt was a very unusual existence. He was not born right after the death of the former Magic Tower¡¯s Master. It was a strange situation, considering that the session of the Magic Tower¡¯s Master takes ce when both the predecessor and sessor are alive. Reinhardt was born ten years after the death of the former Magic Tower¡¯s Master. Not only that, he dyed his return to the Magic Tower on his own, so the position remained vacant for thirty years. Small cracks of anxiety formed, and that anxiety caused them to promote a new leader. ¡®Bartio Balloxis¡¯ In the absence of Reinhardt, it was said that Bartio Balloxis was the most outstanding magician in the Magic Tower, and said to be the wisest man. He was a gray-haired, old man whose age you wouldn¡¯t even dare to guess. Yet most of the time, he would appear to be middle-aged. Bartio Balloxis was not covetous, but had his own convictions. He recognized that the Master that was with Caspelius, the Magic Tower¡¯s watchog, in a different standard. Reinhardt ughtered the magicians in the Magic Tower the same time that he became the Tower¡¯s Master. Those who rebelled against him were rewarded only by death. ¡°How long do you think this childish behavior will work?¡± ¡°A powerful force could even defeat a god.¡± Reinhardt replied with a snort at Bartio Balloxis¡¯ words. He was arrogant, powerful, and unfortunately, intelligent as well. He just prefers taking action rather than thinking. ¡°How long will this kind of act continue? Unless someone stronger than me is born¡­¡± Reinhardt¡¯s red eyes gleamed with madness. His appearance, where his teeth could be seen, was no different from that of an unbridled beast. ¡°I will continue to do so.¡± ¡°Aah¡­¡± Bartio Balloxis weeped sadly in front of him. The moonlight¡¯s reflection fell on his tears that ran down his cheeks. Although he was born with dazzling beauty, and abilities that surpassed all other former Magic Tower Masters and was closer to a god, he showed no faith in himself. There was only cruelty. ¡°If you promise to act like a proper Magic Tower Master, I, Bartio Balloxis, will move as your hands and feet.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯m not merciful enough to listen to a dog¡¯s barking.¡± Reinhardt brightly smiled as he lightly flicked his finger. At the same time, Bartion Balloxis swung the staff that he was holding. A dark mana and a dark auburn mana collided and created a violent ripple. ¡°¡­ How sad. You¡¯re the Magic Tower¡¯s Master that we¡¯ve been waiting for.¡± ¡°What is this funny thing?¡± ¡°You need to know despair. The fact that power is not everything.¡± At the end of that remark, Bartio Balloxis disappeared. The new Magic Tower¡¯s Master, who was once a count¡¯s ve, awakened, covered by the blood of many, stood at the center of the small ind floating in the sky, the Magic Tower, Tartarus. Reinhardt became the leader of the magicians, and ruled them only by fear. The magicians, who were in a ce full of blood and fear, just wished for the era of his reign to end quickly. Shortly after Reinhardt was established as the Magic Tower¡¯s Master, strange deaths of unknown causes began to ur in various parts of the Empire. It was a disease that was almost like a curse. A person would suddenly lose sanity, their body dried up like a mummy, and would lose parts of their body. So instead of calling it a disease, the people called it the ¡®curse of God.¡¯ As time went by, rumors spread that the corpses moved, and strange stories of decaying dead animal bodies were roaming around. The living corpses called ¡®Lesir¡¯, gave off a rotten smell, spreading all kinds of disease, and the Empire was left in chaos. At the same time, murders began to take ce in various ces in the Empire in the same way that Reinhardt exterminated Count Delight. The perpetrator for everything was pointed at one person. Soon people began to draw their sword at that one individual. ] *** Her mind felt refreshed. Valletta slowly opened her eyes without groaning. Her memories of getting off the carriage yesterday were a blur. She could still feel the warmth that touched her neck. Maybe because his body temperature was always higher than hers, her body shivered in response. Valletta lifted herself up, leaned against the bed¡¯s headboard, and hugged her knees. ¡°¡­ This b*st*rd, really.¡± It was probably thanks to him that she slept and woke up refreshed. He came here, yet for some reason, he did not show his face, nor acted childishly? If he came all the way there, then something must have happened. ¡®On the other hand, did something like that happen?¡¯ The story had reached a point where she could not remember it properly. More than anything else, it was news to her that something like that happened to Reinhardt. ¡®¡­ I see.¡¯ So that¡¯s why Reinhardt said that when he first saw the male protagonist. There was a reason why Reinhardt wanted to make Therion a hero. She thought it was just for his own interest, but it wasn¡¯t. It was for revenge. Reinhardt did not show up in the novel for a while because of that incident. He reappeared immediately after Therion had learned swordsmanship and had grown to be an adult. ¡°Corpses¡­¡± Carlon Delphine spoke like the former youngest prince caused that incident. Also, Carlon did not say that they were living corpses. In other words, there were differences between what happened during Reinhardt¡¯s time in the novel and when the current Emperor was still a prince. ¡®Were those mysterious deaths a sign of the ¡®Lesir¡¯ phenomenon?¡¯ At least she knows that there was a difference between when the Emperor was prince and what Reinhardt will face in the future. It was also the same in the past. If you think about it a little more, how could a 12 year old prince turn people into strange corpses and kill them? What if there was another person behind the youngest prince in the past? The most suspicious person that came to her mind at the moment was Bartio Balloxis. The other was the alchemist Gillian, whom the prince shared a close rtionship with. ¡®Either way, it was not impossible to cause such a situation.¡¯ If it was an alchemist, alchemy would be involved, and if it¡¯s magic, Reinhardt would know. Valletta reached out and took a pen and notebook from the nearby desk. She put the notebook on her huddled knees and slowly started writing. As she wrote down everything that came to her mind one by one, a picture was drawn. In fact, the flow of the novel hasn¡¯t changed that much. Even if there was a slight alteration, it was only because of herself, and the oue did not change that much. Although a weekte, Reinhardt still killed Count Delight. Also, although he saved all the people in the nurturing room without killing them, he still saved Therion and made him learn swordsmanship. She doesn¡¯t know the details, but he probably went into a rampage inside the Magic Tower. Caspelius didn¡¯t go into detail but Reinhardt looked happy when he returned. The purging may not have begun at that time, but it may currently be on-going. Everything was still going ording to the storyline. It was just because of her that the timing was slightly changed or the method was slightly different, but the results were still the same. ¡®Reinhardt¡¯s disappearance won¡¯t be part of the natural sequence, right?¡¯ That one was unexpected. The reason why she can run wild like this was because she had the higher spirits, Jin and Nereid, and she was sure that Reinhardt would not cause her death. The disappearance of Reinhardt would be unexpected. ¡°¡­ I hope that¡¯s the worst case scenario.¡± What if the event that came to her mind today was led by the Emperor or the people around him? And what if he wanted to do it again? What if the irregr ¡®Valletta Delight¡¯ gets caught in between? Assuming that someone was hiding behind the Emperor, they could get rid of Reinhardt and capture Valletta. At the same time, the Magic Tower should also be under this individual¡¯s control to some extent. ¡®Everything ends neatly as Reinhardtter awakens as a Transcendent.¡¯ She remembered the Magic Tower¡­ Tartarus, the prison underworld, was once destroyed by someone¡¯s hand. ¡®¡­ There was a time when Reinhardt was unstable.¡¯ The Magic Tower wasn¡¯t always absolutely perfect. There was a time when there was clearly a problem within the Magic Tower. The watchdog, Caspelius, barely maintained his shape by using his power, but most of the magicians disappeared. The ce where Reinhardt returned to after seeing only the ruins left behind was the ce where he reunited with Therion. ¡°That¡¯s what happened.¡± The peculiar puzzles wereing together. Valletta shivered at that pleasant feeling. But in the end, she clearly remembered that both Caspelius and the Tower returned to their original state. Didn¡¯t the novel end with Reinhardt looking at something from the Sky Room? ¡°¡­ An alchemy form that will remove a body part in order to kill.¡± It seemed like she should find out more about the bizarre deaths. In alchemy, equivalent exchange was the basicw. You will receive the equivalent value of what you have given in return. Instead of receiving a human body, what are they obtaining? What is the equivalent of a human body? Just gradually giving a part of the body means that they have created something. You don¡¯t give something for nothing in alchemy. You have to get something in return. You don¡¯t have to receive a person¡¯s death, so there is no need to give up something of the same worth. ¡°Ha¡­ it¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve been annoyed.¡± The thought that she might get used to these games made her even more annoyed. She yed along with Reinhardt until he got tired of it, and now, does she need to y along with the Emperor? ¡°¡­ Also, how did things end again?¡± She could not remember Therion¡¯s ending. After their story, when everything that has been described ended, Reinhardt set foot into solitude by himself. That was the end of the story about him. Reinhardt went to a high ce and looked down at things quietly, as if he had be a god that oversaw everything. That scene alone was still stuck into Valletta¡¯s mind even after a long time. ¡®Why on earth do I only remember things about that supporting actor?¡¯ Of course, it might be because of the past when she desperately turned over her mind, trying to recall information about him alone. Valletta lightly ruffled her hair. She hated herself for thinking about him, but she hated herself more for not being able to stop doing so. They were so tangled that it became impossible to not to think about him at all. Valletta got up from her seat. *** Chapter 53 *** After taking a light shower, pouring water over her body, Valletta changed her clothes and left the room. As she was going down the stairs, she saw Carlon Delphine going up on the other side. Instead of continuing, Carlon Delphine stopped and raised his head. ¡°You¡¯re up, Valletta.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± That reminded her, the shameful things she had said yesterday also came back to her. What on earth was she thinking saying that? Valletta sighed deeply at the memory that came to mind. She was a little tired of herself. ¡®Maybe it¡¯s because I had a good night¡¯s sleep, but my brain is working properly.¡¯ Carlon Delphine¡¯splexion was not very good ¡°Did you not sleep well?¡± ¡°¡­ A little, since a guest visitedtest night and we talked for a bit.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Yes. And Valletta, there¡¯s something I couldn¡¯t ask you.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Valletta nodded at Carlon Delphine¡¯s notion. ¡°First, let¡¯s have a talk while we eat. Duke Leon would also be there, would that be alright?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± At Valletta¡¯s answer, he smiled faintly and turned his body. The atmosphere was somehow strange. The assumption she may have met Reinhardt yesterday could not be eliminated, so there¡¯s a high chance that he heard something from him. Valletta followed after Carlon Delphine. His gait was not disturbed in the slightest. To be honest, it was quite surprising. How can a movement be as perfect as flowing water? Valletta also learned the basics, but she was still stiff. She could barely follow such movements. As she followed him to the dining room, Duke Leon was already there sitting at the table. He leaned back against the chair and closed his eyes for a moment, then threw a slightly unfocused gaze on her. His jet-ck pupils slowly moved. His dark, gray hair and ck eyes drew attention in many ways. ¡°Hello.¡± ¡°Hello.¡± After responding to his light greeting in a subdued voice, Valletta took a seat. Carlon Delphine, who followed after her and took a seat, let out a low sigh. There was no food on the table yet. ¡°That guy came yesterday and talked to me.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Valletta nodded her head. ¡°And I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve heard the reason why you wanted to open a store. Can I get an exnation?¡± ¡°Ah, did I not tell you?¡± ¡°Yes, I haven¡¯t heard it yet.¡± Valletta let out a low sigh and nodded. They couldn¡¯t have a proper conversationst time since her mind was not focused. Carlon Delphine smiled faintly and looked at Valletta. Duke Leon¡¯s indifferent gaze was already somewhere else. ¡°I need something that can block the Imperial Family.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Hearing what she had to say in front of his eyes made him feel even more worse. Carlon Delphine pondered how on earth he could convey that such a notion was wrong. ¡°I¡¯m sure I had a normal way of thinking back then. Now everything seems to be just tools. Abilities, people, and even you¡­¡± It¡¯s probably not with ill-intention. As the child had said, she just sees everything as a tool. She doesn¡¯t know how to use people otherwise. How to ask for a favor, how to ask for help. Because there was no adult on her side to help her until now. She had to do everything on her own and survive. ¡°Alchemy is a pretty good tool. It would also provoke the Imperial Family and aristocrats who are monopolizing it.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°People are selfish, so they would certainly jump on this with their eyes wide open. I will give them what they need, and they will throw themselves in front for me.¡± Even after thinking about it again, Valletta nodded proudly. She thought it was groundbreaking. She would use them, simr to what the Emperor did. ¡°Of course, if you get hurt or encounter a problem, we¡¯ll use a high-grade potion to heal you. Since I don¡¯t want you to die.¡± ¡°Valletta, what if¡­ What if one of the people who was helping you dies?¡± At Carlon Delphine¡¯s question, Valletta blinked once. What if someone dies? She hasn¡¯t really thought about it¡­ ¡®Isn¡¯t that inevitable if I want to survive?¡¯ Isn¡¯t this world like that? In order to live, she has to step on others. You have to be stronger than others. That¡¯s why Valletta had been stepped on all this time. If interests aligned, it was natural to use each other. Just like all business rtionships. ¡°I haven¡¯t thought that far yet, so I don¡¯t know. Of course, I don¡¯t want people to die. There¡¯s potions as well, wouldn¡¯t that somehow help?¡± ¡°Then think about it.¡± Duke Leon, who had been silently listening, spoke up. Carlon Delphine, who was contemting, blinked at the simple answer. Valletta¡¯s head slowly turned to Duke Leon. ¡°¡­ But isn¡¯t that inevitable? We use each other for each other¡¯s greed.¡± ¡°What if you¡¯re a rtive of the person who died?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Valletta was speechless at Duke Leon¡¯s words. What if she¡¯s a rtive of the person who died? He wants her to look at it from the perspective of a dead person¡¯s family member? She would like to do that, but she had no one to use as a substitute. Her only family member was Count Delight, and to be honest, she was d that he died. ¡®How was it in the past again?¡¯ She can¡¯t seem to remember her family from her previous life. What she remembered was also vague. It¡¯s been twenty years, so it was reasonable. ¡°¡­ If I still say that it¡¯s inevitable, it¡¯s still far off from the right answer, right?¡± ¡°¡­¡± When Valletta asked the difficult question, Duke Leon was speechless. He seemed to understand Carlon Delphine¡¯s frustration, who had beenining about itst night. She¡¯s a smart and intelligent child, there was no way she couldn¡¯t understand what he was trying to say. Duke Leon who had been leaning sideways, as if he was tired, frowned and straightened his back. He turned and looked at Valletta, who was seated next to him at the round table. ¡°You don¡¯t have anything you treasure?¡± ¡°There was, but they¡¯re all dead. To be precise, I had to kill them. If I didn¡¯t kill them, my father would have killed them more painfully.¡± He could tell how many things she had to kill through her calm words. ¡°Valletta-nim is¡­ kind, but cold. She won¡¯t look after me. I¡¯m sure that if I died, she would just think that it was inevitable. I¡¯m right beside her, but she seems too far away.¡± Duke Leon blinked and pushed back the afterimage of his memories. It was a conversation he had with Therion recently. ¡°When they died, what did you think about it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, so I can¡¯t remember. But the things that I treasure wouldn¡¯t die anymore, since I don¡¯t n to have one again.¡± She had decided to not raise any animals, beasts, or insects. She stopped giving her heart. Because of that, the world has be a little more bleak, but with less hard work. She would help them if necessary, but she had no intention of stroking their hair affectionately. One must always be on the lookout for affection because it was something you get pulled into without realizing it. ¡°How was it in the past?¡± ¡°I thought I shouldn¡¯t have given them my heart.¡± After their conversation, Duke Leon raised his head and looked at Carlon Delphine. Carlon Delphine was frozen and had his face buried in his palms. Anything that was rotten on the inside needed to be scraped out and filled with something new, but the rottenness was so persistent that even removing it was impossible to do. ¡°¡­ What on earth did Count Delight make you do?¡± Valletta shrugged at Carlon Delphine¡¯s hesitant question. ¡°It wasn¡¯t a big deal. He liked it when I submitted to him and when I obeyed his orders, but I would often save animals out of a little sympathy.¡± ¡°¡­ No way.¡± ¡°Alchemy should only be used when my father wants it. But I would often break the rule and the price was¡­¡± Valletta¡¯s words were vague, but Carlon Delphine could guess what she had been through. Carlon Delphine slowly turned his head. His clenched fist had turned white. ¡°But I think I understand what the two of you were trying to say.¡± Valletta nodded. She seemed to understand what they¡¯re saying. In short, they don¡¯t want people to die. Basically, people feel repulsed when people die. Of course, Valletta also does not enjoy it. She remembered that feeling to some extent. However, it was forcefully made dull, making it difficult for her to imagine how other people feel. ¡°So, you¡¯re saying¡­ If someone dies, their family will feel bad, so try to avoid death as much as possible, right?¡± ¡°¡­ Simr.¡± After a long silence, Duke Leon epted it. He folded his arms and closed his eyes again. She turned her gaze to Carlon Delphine. ¡°If I do something first, the Emperor won¡¯t be able toe out strongly. There is no king who can still rule even after turning his citizens into his enemies.¡± ¡°I see. You¡¯re not going to change your n, are you?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s all I can safely do for now, as someone who has no influence.¡± Valletta meekly agreed. If she had intended to change her mind due to a sense of guilt or petty morality, she wouldn¡¯t have made that n in the first ce. There were still things needed to be done before that. ¡°Also, I¡¯m curious-¡± At that moment, Duke Leon stood up without a word. Carlon Delphine and Valletta raised their heads in surprise. ¡°Where are you going?¡± ¡°Out. Eat first, talkter.¡± ¡°¡­ Ah, go ande back¡­¡± Duke Leon jumped out of the dining room¡¯s balcony. Even the first floor was built in a ce with slightly higher ground, so the second floor where the dining room was even higher¡­ it¡¯s amazing that he jumped out from there casually. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, my friend is unsophisticated.¡± ¡°No, he probably did it because he¡¯s strong.¡± And Duke Leon, who disappeared in a sh, reappeared in less than an hour. While holding something in his arms. It looked like a fluffy ball of pure white cotton that was rolled up. He strode over and ced the ball of cotton in Valletta¡¯s arms. Valletta¡¯s face revealed a rare surprised expression. Valletta tilted her head nkly, and fiddled with the thing that was wriggling in her arms. Gwang. At the small sound from the cotton ball, she hurriedly loosened the strength in her arms and lowered her gaze. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Duke, this¡­¡± ¡°A gift.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Valletta pursed her lips. No, no matter how you think about it, isn¡¯t this a bit too much? What is this white thing? A puppy? However, it seemed to have some stripes. From its face, down its whole body, and up to its tail, ck stripes were drawn throughout. ¡°¡­ I, this kind of thing¡­¡± ¡°Raise it.¡± *** Chapter 54 *** ¡°No¡­ I said I¡¯ve decided not to raise such things.¡± Duke Leon looked down at Valletta. The girl with a smaller head furrowed her forehead and shook her head resolutely. Duke Leon moved the child¡¯s hand gently and held the cub in his arms. ¡°No, like I said¡­¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to kill it anymore. Count Delight is dead.¡± Duke Leon rarely spoke that long. Carlon Delphine¡¯s eyes slightly widened. ¡°¡­ I know that¡­¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know.¡± Duke Leon reached out and stroked Valletta¡¯s head a couple of times. It was a very soft movement, in contrast to his big and callused hand. ¡°You don¡¯t want it because you think it will die soon.¡± ¡°It will grow as big as you want it to grow.¡± ¡°Duke, don¡¯t tell me¡­ that¡¯s a snow tiger?¡± Duke Leon responded with anod instead of a word. Carlon Delphine, who was watching from the side, held back a smirk. ¡°Where on earth did you find a snow tiger¡­¡± ¡°It came from a cargo ship.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it endangered?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Duke Leon replied. Valletta looked tired. She couldn¡¯t quite understand why they left endangered species by themselves. She quickly handed it back to Duke Leon. ¡°If it¡¯s an endangered species, there¡¯s a ce that could manage it¡­¡± ¡°You.¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t mean me¡­¡± ¡°You can do it.¡± Duke Leon sat down on a chair, folded his arms and closed his eyes, as if he had no desire to talk anymore. Not just that, the fact that he had also crossed his legs meant that he had no intention to have a conversation in the slightest. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°For reference, Duke Leon¡¯s stubbornness is tougher than steel, Valletta.¡± ¡°You¡¯re lying, right?¡± ¡°It¡¯s true.¡± Duke Leon dealt the final blow to Valletta, who was muttering with a dispirited expression. She showed a rare emotion as she blinked her eyes with a nk face, then she lowered her head. ¡°¡­ It will die.¡± ¡°It won¡¯t¡± ¡°¡­¡± Isn¡¯t it a creature that looks like it will die if she drops it right now? Where is the guarantee that she won¡¯t lose it? She refuses to see something she gave her affection to die in front of her. ¡°Come to think of it, didn¡¯t you say you had something you wanted to ask me earlier, Valletta?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ I want to know more about the people that lost their bodies that you had mentioned before.¡± Valletta managed to barely answer, gently holding the wriggling snow tiger sitting in her arms. Carlon Delphine tilted his head, trying to swallow hisughter. ¡°¡­ Ah, are you talking about Lost?¡± ¡°Lost?¡± ¡°Yeah, that disease is called ¡®Lost¡¯ behind the scenes.¡± Valletta, with her eyes wide open, nodded her head. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m curious about what kind of disease Lost is. The symptoms, the form and method of its spread, and whether it was an infectious disease.¡± ¡°There were no symptoms. It wasn¡¯t an epidemic, it just suddenly appeared one day. It was more of a curse than a disease.¡± Valletta nodded her head. There was alchemy that could turn a human body part into ice, but there was no alchemy that could steal body parts. If it¡¯s impossible with alchemy, the only thing left is magic. ¡®Then, just tell it to Reinhardt and he¡¯ll figure it out.¡¯ In that case, the most suspicious one would be Bartio Balloxis. Based on the descriptions of him, such as having good skills and years of experience, it seemed that he was also a fairly seasoned magician. Perhaps Reinhardt would certainly be pushed into that section. ¡°But why suddenly ask about that disease?¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Valletta shut her mouth. She doesn¡¯t know how to exin it. I had a dream about the novel that I read a long time ago, and the curse seemed to be rted not only to the Emperor, but also to alchemists and magicians. Will they believe her if she exined it like that? Even if they did believe her, what was the probability that they would keep it a secret? What is the probability that the secret would not be leaked? ¡°Payment.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°You need to, right? Valletta nodded bitterly at Duke Leon¡¯s words. She was sure that she only said it to Carlon Delphne, so how did he know about it? ¡°The payment is this.¡± Duke Leon reached out and stroked Valletta¡¯s head. As she nkly raised her head, he crossed his arms with an expressionless face. ¡°And thanks.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°I think he wants you to say ¡®Thanks.¡¯¡± Valletta looked up to him as if surprised by Carlon Delphine¡¯s interpretation as he smiled. Duke Leon was looking at her without shaking nor any shame. He didn¡¯t even avoid her gaze. ¡°Why is that the payment¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m strong so I don¡¯t need it.¡± ¡°Then sell it for money¡­¡± ¡°I have a lot.¡± ¡°¡­for fame¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t need it.¡± ¡°¡­¡± This one was truly one of the toughest types of people to deal with. She felt like she was dealing with a wall. She thought that even Reinhardt was easier to talk to than him. He was straightforward, intuitive and had a clear goal in mind. Once he said no, then it¡¯s a no. ¡°It¡¯s the payment for my help.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Answer.¡± ¡°¡­ Yes.¡± Even if she wanted to ask why that is the payment, she in fact, had nothing to refute. He was strong enough to jump down from the second floor, so there was no need for a potion, and no need to mention fame and money since he¡¯s a duke. ¡®No, he really doesn¡¯t need it.¡¯ Valletta kept her mouth closed. Even if she wanted to refute him, there was nothing to dispute, so it¡¯s just embarrassing. ¡°Therion, he¡¯s doing well¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Ah, I left it to Therion¡¯s own will. The Duke is teaching him since he said he wanted to learn swordsmanship.¡± ¡°Ah¡­Yes.¡± This too, in the end, was still somehow going ording to the original. It was a matter of course for Therion toe to him. Of course, as the center and main character of this world, she wanted him to grow up well. ¡®Who did he learn from originally?¡¯ The main protagonist was Therion, but it was surprising that she doesn¡¯t remember anything about him. Still, the swordsmanship that Reinhardt acknowledged was still there. She nodded her head. There wasn¡¯t much of a change. ¡°Come and visit next time.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± ¡°If you need something, say it.¡± ¡°Ah, then, can you tell me more about that alchemist Gillian? For example,¡­ starting with how long has he been close to the Emperor?¡± Duke Leon narrowed his eyes and nodded. It wasn¡¯t that he had never looked for information about Gillian, but there was no information at all. ¡°I¡¯ll find out.¡± Pfft, Duke let out a windyugh and lightly stroked Valletta¡¯s head. Then he nkly looked down at her. ¡°¡­ Thank, you.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Valletta¡¯s pupils trembled. She doesn¡¯t know what action this was. Was it okay to lightly address a duke like this? She looked at him with quivering eyes, then looked down at the warm thing wriggling in her arms. ¡°¡­ Thanks.¡± ¡°Duke.¡± ¡°¡­ Duke.¡± ¡°Combine.¡± ¡°No¡­¡± Valletta let out a long sigh. She understood what on earth he wanted. Yet in the first ce, it didn¡¯t make sense that he wanted to be paid for helping like this. ¡°Thanks, Duke. ¡°Good job. Duke Leon lightly praised her. He got up from his seat and walked out of the dining room with tired eyes. Bang, bang, bang. After Duke Leon left the dining room, Valletta¡¯s face crumpled into a tired expression at the sound of things crashing here and there. Carlon Delphine¡¯s forehead also narrowed. ¡°I had to stay up all night for the past few days, so I couldn¡¯t sleep.¡± ¡°Uhm¡­¡± How muchck of sleep turned a person into a living zombie? He raised his head and sighed with a slightly tired expression. Wriggle, startled by the movement in her arms, Valletta looked down. Gwang? Valletta smiled wryly. It was soft, cozy, and warm. ¡®¡­ Do I deserve to raise this? The tiny creature that was sleeping with loud breathing noises, resembled a baby white tiger in appearance. It was fascinating that he could sleepfortably in the arms of someone he had met for the first time. ¡®It¡¯s supposed to be a ferocious animal, would it be fine to be this careless?¡¯ This was why it stupidly came aboard on a ship. Valletta narrowed her eyes and tapped the snow tiger¡¯s nose with her index finger. *** Chapter 55 *** ¡°Give it a name and raise it. I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll pay you back by growing up well.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t give it a name. And do you think I can raise this well?¡± ¡°I think you can do it if you try.¡± In response to his answer, Valletta leaned back on the chair without answering. Everyday wasfortable, but she couldn¡¯t get rid of the feeling that she was sitting on a thorny cushion. She seemed to be walking towards the sea by herself. The water is up to her chest at the moment, and if she goes in a little more, the water will reach beneath her neck, making it somewhat difficult to breathe. ¡°Come to think of it, this snow tiger needs affection to grow big enough. I don¡¯t know how the cub parted with its mother, but if Valletta would give it affection, it would grow up.¡± Valletta did not dare to say yes. No matter how hard she thought about it, she wasn¡¯t confident. ¡°Now that I think about it, in the end, you didn¡¯t tell me anything.¡± ¡°Just as you thought, the Emperor and the Lost were rted, I was just wondering if it had something to do with alchemists or magicians.¡± ¡°A magician or an alchemist?¡± ¡°Why does Your Grace¡­¡± ¡°Carlon.¡± Carlon Delphine stopped talking. Valletta breathed in through her opened mouth. She did not expect to hear the same request that Reinhardt would always ask for again. ¡°The reason why you don¡¯t want to give that cub a name or call us by our name, is it because you¡¯re afraid that we¡¯ll die?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Will you call me by my name if I promise that I won¡¯t die?¡± At the sound of the voice mixed withughter, Valletta nkly stiffened and blinked her eyes. The reason why she doesn¡¯t call people by their name was because her habit from the mansion still remained. Since she knew that Reinhardt would kill all the servants in that mansion. It was so she wouldn¡¯t get attached to those who would die. Everyone really died by his hands, so she thought it was a good thing she didn¡¯t get attached to them. It had embedded into her like a habit, and as she thought about it, it had continued up to this day. ¡°¡­ It¡¯s simr.¡± ¡°Neither I, nor Duke will die.¡± Valletta, who was still thinking, suddenly remembered Reinhardt. ¡°Did you meet Rein¡­ No, that hateful guy yesterday?¡± ¡°¡­ Yes.¡± Carlon Delphine, who frowned, nodded obediently. In the first ce, even if he wanted to hide it, he couldn¡¯t do so anyway since it would show in his expression. ¡°You heard something from him, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°What did he say?¡± Carlon Delphine kept his mouth shut. He doesn¡¯t know if it was okay to say it to the child or not. It was an unusual obsession. Even if she¡¯s broken, he¡¯ll still take her. E/N: Reinhardt¡¯s unusual obsession with Valletta, and he would still take her even though she¡¯s broken. When there was no answer, Valletta opened her mouth first again. ¡°I fear him the most. That hateful guy would casually take everything away from me.¡± His obsession of course, rarely escaped from his attention unscathed. She still could not forget the day he first confessed that he killed someone in front of her. Of course, he didn¡¯t confess that he personally killed them. He just said that two servants who used their tongue recklessly ran out of luck and died. ¡°But why didn¡¯t you push him away whenever he came?¡± Valletta could not say a word at Carlon Delphine¡¯s question. Because she feels sorry for him? Because if she sacrificed herself then the other¡¯s would be fine? Was the reason really that noble and pure? Valletta¡¯s forehead narrowed. She couldn¡¯te up with an appropriate answer. ¡°I¡¯m not really sure.¡± Valletta shook her head. ¡°You can just learn step by step. Don¡¯t rush it. Duke must have given you that cub with that in mind.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Valletta answered meekly and lowered her head again. ¡°Your alchemy skills are honestly beyond my teaching capabilities. It¡¯s nearly perfect, but it would be better to rebuild your foundation.¡± Topare her skills to a building, the top was an antique building, but the bottom was messy with roughly stacked bricks. However, if the foundation was messed up, a hole is bound to be formed somewhere and would copse. ¡°Please open up the store first.¡± At Valletta¡¯s resolute words, Carlon Delphine held back a smile with a troubled expression. He nkly stared at Valletta. Valletta pursed her lips, and managed to open her mouth. ¡°Carlon¡­¡± She murmured in a voice like a crawling ant. ¡°¡­ I understand. Let¡¯s turn in the permit tomorrow.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Carlon Delphine nodded at Valletta¡¯s answer. She slowly got up from her seat. Still, one could feel that she was being careful not to wake up the cub in her arms. Carlon bit his lip. He shouldn¡¯t rm her byughing. The child may not know, but there was still kindness that remained in her. It was just that her way of thinking was a little out of order. ¡°And also about Gillian, I¡¯ll tell you as much as I know tomorrow.¡± ¡°You know about him?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t not know about him¡± Since they were in the same industry, there were rumors rolling around. They weren¡¯t good rumors usually, but since he was the best alchemist in the Imperial Pce, there were quite a few rumors going around about him. ¡°Yes, thank you.¡± ¡°Have a good rest today. You can go visit the market¡­ Or maybe it¡¯s better to go to the underground in the evening.¡± Valletta¡¯s eyes widened in interest. She nodded her head. ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Okay, then go and take a rest first.¡± ¡°¡­ I¡¯ll try my best.¡± Carlon nodded his head at her answer. *** ¡°Protests are constantlying from the Imperial Pce.¡± ¡°What protests?¡± Reinhardt asked in a crooked posture at Ceylon¡¯s worried voice. The Sky Room was a mess. It was because his abilities would often run wild. ¡°They said that if we don¡¯t apologize for touching the Crown Prince and for the murder of Count Delight, it will adversely affect our rtionship.¡± ¡°What do they want?¡± ¡°An apology letter, additional support for the magicians affiliated with the Imperial Pce, and 1 ton of mana stone.¡± Reinhardt held back augh. Was it worth it for those dogs and pigs? Even if he offers one rotten apology for each head that he chopped off, was asking his opinion needed just for a rotten apology? ¡°Ignore it.¡± ¡°The magicians sent to the imperial Pce have begun toe out now.¡± Ceylon said in a soft voice. It was a voice filled with difficulties. Reinhardt was well aware that the Magic Tower was not on his side. At best, he only had the watchdog and these two people in front of him. ¡°So what do you think I should do? Kill them all?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a good idea to try and solve work problem with violence and ughter.¡± ¡°Quilt.¡± Quilt responded by holding his hands behind his waist. Ceylon, who was standing next to him, was startled and stopped speaking, but he didn¡¯t change his words and only narrowed his eyebrows slightly. His short hair looked refreshing, but his expression was cold. Reinhardt frowned. ¡°You now know how to bark¡­ you sure have grown up a lot.¡± ¡°If my barking would turn you into an honorable master, I¡¯ll bark as much as needed.¡± ¡°¡­ Ha.¡± Reinhardt narrowed his eyebrows and fiddled around with his hair in his thin fingers. He doesn¡¯t know what on earth he wants. He doesn¡¯t know what to give. What the hell is he supposed to do? ¡°If it¡¯s about the purging of the magicians rotting the Tower, I¡¯m confident.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know how to be merciful to pitiful people who are swayed by others and have no will of their own.¡± Reinhardt said, lightly clenching his first. Even though it¡¯s just an insignificant action, it¡¯s terrifying. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s simple to kill all those who would stand in my way.¡± ¡°Lord.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what else you want me to do. If you have knowledge shoved into your head, forget about those crazy people, and let me know how to use them.¡± Gone are the days when surviving was the only way. Maybe that¡¯s why she left this ce as well. Perhaps they needed more experience because they were locked up. ¡°You can ask if you do not know. Do not hesitate to use things. We are your tools.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Reinhardt narrowed his eyes and sat down on the bed with an irritated expression. Then he clicked his tongue and let out a low sigh. ¡°Master hates blood. No ughter, no violence. I want to bring my Master here safely. For that to happen, this ce has to be quiet and stable.¡± ¡°¡­ Are you talking about that polite Sokor?¡± As soon as Quilt finished speaking, Reinhardt smiled and lifted his finger. Dozens of ice spears were created in an instant, densely blocked and shed around Caspelius, Ceylon and Quilt. ¡°I¡¯m your Master, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Right, she¡¯s the master of your master, so be careful with your words.¡± Quilt just narrowed his brows without answering. The grudge against Sokors was deep for any magician. Ceylon blocked in front of him and lightly bowed his head. ¡°Then what should we call that person?¡± ¡°Valletta-nim should be okay. Or maybe Master?¡± ¡°¡­ We will call her Valletta-nim.¡± Ceylon answered. Reinhard nodded lightly, and turned his head. His power would sometimes overflow, she wasn¡¯t there, and his head hurt. Reinhardt narrowed his brows. ¡°She¡¯ll be mad if I kill however I want¡­¡± There was too much to endure. Reinhardt lightly snapped his finger to remove the ice spears. Ceylon and Quilt, who were tense, rxed their body. *** Chapter 56 ¡°So what do you want me to do?¡± ¡°The most important thing is to know about the Magic Tower.¡± ¡°The basic information is in my head.¡± Reinhardt lightly tapped his temple with his index finger. ¡°However, you don¡¯t know the current situation, the magicians in the tower, the situation inside and outside, and the situation on this Sky Ind.¡± ¡°Sky Ind?¡± ¡°About ten years ago, this ind started to be called the Sky Ind. The Magic tower is also called Tartarus.¡± Reinhardt folded his arms and nodded. It¡¯s an ind floating in the air. Twelve¡­ He could imagine how much the ¡®Magicians of the Beginning¡¯ must have worked hard. ¡®Such permanent magic is still impossible for me.¡¯ He was curious about the magic that hassted for such a long time. ¡°Uhm, and I think it¡¯s good to learn the basics of magic as well.¡± ¡°¡­ You¡¯re kidding, right?¡± At Ceylon¡¯s words, Reinhardt responded with a puzzled expression. What basics ¨C is that what he has to say to someone who can use the most magic? ¡°I know that you are naturally born with it. However, learning the basics would broaden your horizon.¡± Quilt answered him instead. Reinhardt held back a smirk. Let¡¯s see, let¡¯s see, he was trying to take liberties very well. He straightened himself up as his hand twitched lightly, and let out a low sigh. ¡°How about learning from Bartio-nim?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re talking about the old man who was once a candidate to be the Magic Tower¡¯s Master?¡± ¡°Bartio Balloxis loves this tower more than anyone else. If the Lord would ask to learn from him, he would not refuse.¡± Reinhardt¡¯s eyes narrowed. He rested his hands on the bed, and leaned halfway. The ceiling of the Sky Room was quite high. If he wanted to, he could make the night sky fully illuminate. ¡°You¡­ Did you ever want to see that child smile sincerely?¡± Reinhardt sluggishly blinked his eyes. Has he ever wanted her to smile? Not really. Because he thought it wasn¡¯t necessary. ¡°Come to think of it, you have been going out for a while now, is there something wrong?¡± Reinhardt¡¯s gaze sluggishly reached Ceylon, then lightly fell, as if he had lost interest. ¡°It¡¯s none of your concern.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± Reinhardt cut short Ceylon¡¯s words sharply. Other than that, the recent situation made him feel very unpleasant. What he was aiming for was clear. ¡°I think the two of you will need to take turns going to Master. Escort her by her side, alternating in a twelve hour shift. If you tell them that I sent you there because the situation is not very good, she¡¯ll understand.¡± ¡°Lord.¡± In a voice filled with dissatisfaction, Quilt called out to him. Reinhardt lightly waved his hand. ¡°Treat her like you treat me.¡± ¡°Yes, Lord.¡± The two men answered at the same time. Whether he was to be instructed by Bartio or learn anything more about the Magic Tower, the thing that needed to be addressed first was the Imperial side that was threatening her safety. ¡®I was wondering what the hell was the reason for the recent events¡­¡¯ It would not be long before the rumor reaches the capital. The biggest problem was thinking of a way to block it. ¡°Go now, it¡¯s an order. Once you see it for yourself, you won¡¯t be able to ignore it. My Master is in extreme danger.¡± In the end, Ceylon furrowed his brows once again at Reinhardt¡¯s order. He turned and looked at Quilt. ¡°Quilt, you go first.¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± With an expression that showed his dissatisfaction, he finally released his hand that he was holding behind him. As he reached out at nothing, a long, ck crack appeared in the air. Quilt reached out to it and pulled something out. It was a long wooden staff. The staff was decorated with little ornaments. The wood was ck as if it was made with charcoal. The staff gradually thinned from the bottom to the top and had a blue mana stone embedded at the top in the shape of a circle. A staff embedded with mana stones was a necessity for magicians. ¡°I¡¯ll be back.¡± Reinhardt crossed his arms without answering as he got lost in his thoughts once again. Quilt, who was holding his staff and chanting a spell with the coordinates, disappeared along with a magic circle. Only Ceylon and Caspelius stood still with Reinhardt in silence in the Sky Room. *** Huak. Valletta¡¯s brows furrowed at the sudden light that illuminated the room. It was light from a magic circle, so she could guess who it was. She sighed and closed her notebook. ¡°You don¡¯t even have patience¡­¡± She turned her body around and slowly blinked. There was a man wearing a ck robe. The man with short ck hair and eyes of a simr color was a little familiar to her. ¡°You were in the mansion¡­?¡± ¡°This is the first time I¡¯m officially greeting you. I am Quilt, Valletta-nim.¡± ¡°¡­¡± His greeting was polite but the explicit hostility was surprising. It was the first time she felt such a feeling from a wless greeting. Gwang! Valletta looked down at the snow tiger that cutely ran to her and bit her legs, not sure whether it was a droopy puppy or a tiger cub. She lightly pushed it with her feet, but it approached again and bit the hem of her dress. Quilt¡¯s brows narrowed. ¡®¡­ A snow tiger?¡¯ He doesn¡¯t understand why there was an animal, close to being a rare creature, in a mansion of a Sokor. Quilt raised his head with a frown. ¡°Did that guy send you?¡± ¡°Yes, from today onwards and until my Lord¡¯s order is fulfilled, me and another magician named Ceylon wil escort Valletta-nim in turn for twelve hours each.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I was told to tell you that the situation is not going well.¡± Even Quilt did not hear what was going on. The fact that he was his closest aid did not change, but his master does not discuss anything with him. Even with the question posed today, he doesn¡¯t know how long it has been since he received a question. Each time he would go out without saying anything and woulde back suddenly, was enough to upset them. ¡°Ah¡­ As expected.¡± Once she heard the story, she let out a low sigh as if she understood something. Quilt¡¯s eyes slightly widened when he saw her, who immediately understood what he could not figure out. ¡°Did that guy ever touch the Crown Prince and some magicians?¡± ¡°Yes, the Sokor, no, the human Crown Prince¡¯s spirit user¡¯s spirits were killed by him, forcibly disconnecting them, and he disabled five priests.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Also, he carried out a sadistic act on a dozen magicians, who asked him to prove that he was the Magic Tower¡¯s Master, and then healed them.¡± Valletta sank into the chair with her hand pressing her forehead. Since he had already inserted the g, it was only natural for things to happen. It will be noisy in the capital and elsewhere as soon as in a few days. ¡®If that was the case, how would the ¡®Lost¡¯ disease happen?¡¯ Valletta, who furrowed her brows, slowly tapped her notebook with a pen. Quilt, who was silently watching her, opened his mouth. ¡°Valletta-nim, do you know what is going on?¡± ¡°Did you not hear it from that guy?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Valletta slowly rolled her eyes as if thinking about it, then shrugged her shoulders. If he didn¡¯t say anything, he must have a good reason or he thought he didn¡¯t need to say anything. ¡°Then, it¡¯s not a big deal. It¡¯s none of your concern.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Quilt¡¯s face contorted again. Seeing that expression, Valletta rubbed her nape. Having someone by your side seemed to be troublesome in many ways. For him and for herself as well. ¡°And when escorting, keep your expression as nk as possible.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to send me away?¡± ¡°I think I know why he sent you.¡± Since the Emperor was his opponent, he must be anxious. And if something like what urred in the novel really did happen, the Magic Tower would be a battlefield for a while. Many would doubt him, and many would turn their backs on him. ¡®¡­ Even so, these two were by his side until the very end.¡¯ When he asked them to die, they would really proceed to die. Reinhardt regarded them as dogs to raise or tools, and the two people in front of him took it as something that was natural. Knock, knock. Valletta got up from her seat at the knocking sound and opened the locked door. Although Quilt does not like the ¡®Sokor¡¯, he still made his face expressionless in an instant and took a step back, just like she said. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Ah, the Master told me to postpone dinner ande here to ask what you would like to eat. What should I tell him?¡± ¡°Oh? It doesn¡¯t matter to me, tell him to do what he¡¯sfortable with. And that I¡¯ll go down soon.¡± ¡°Yes, I understand.¡± After Valletta answered without any hesitation, the maid bent down with a bright expression on her face, closed the door and walked away again. ¡®Everything is good¡­¡¯ However, she was a bit wary on how she would exin him. The day she was caught sleeping on the same bed as Reinhardt, she received quite a scolding from Carlon Delphine. ¡®I¡¯ve heard many times that I shouldn¡¯t recklessly let such a brute to sleep next to me.¡¯ Thinking about it again, it was a bit tiring. ¡°Mr. Henchman, do you mind going out for a moment? I¡¯ll change my clothes ande out.¡± ¡°¡­ It¡¯s Quilt.¡± Despite Quilt¡¯s rebuttal, Valletta simply pointed at the door without a word. He nodded with his brows furrowed and turned around. After seeing that Quilt had gone out, Valletta hid the notebook deep inside the drawer. It was written in Korean, not the Empire¡¯snguage, but either way, it was not good to be caught. It was not a foreignnguage to her since it was the first ever writing system that I saw. If she wrote it in the Empire¡¯snguage, it would cause more problems if the content got found out. ¡®It¡¯s best not to get caught for various reasons.¡¯ After a quick shower and changing into outdoor clothes, Valletta opened the door. Gwang! Valletta turned her eyes around at the sound of whining as she stepped out of the room. Puppy¡­ No, the snow tiger was hugging her ankle with its two short paws. *** Chapter 57 The soft and fluffy feeling that touched her ankle was a new sensation. As if having difficulty, she shoved the snow tiger with her foot. Still, it ran to her and hugged her ankle again. ¡°¡­ I have to go out.¡± She muttered with a troubled expression. The snow tiger¡¯s head tilted slightly to the side. Gwang? Valletta took a breath. Perhaps it was because she hasn¡¯t been immune to it for a while, but it¡¯s definitely cute. However, she was afraid of touching it with her hands. She felt like it would die if she touched it, and she was afraid that she would adjust her strength incorrectly. ¡°I¡¯ll be back after a while.¡± Gwang? Gwang! The snow tiger replied as if it understood, but did not remove its two front paws from the embrace. ¡­ I¡¯m sure it didn¡¯t understand. Valletta rubbed her face and took a deep breath. ¡°If it bothers you, take it with you.¡± ¡°Will it not die? It¡¯s a cub that I received as a gift.¡± Quilt looked at Valletta with an expression saying ¡®what kind of novelty was this¡¯. He had never seen a mystical creature like a snow tiger die because it went outside. ¡°It won¡¯t die.¡± Quilt bluntly answered. Valletta shrugged and looked at him for a moment, then pfft, let out a windyugh. ¡°You don¡¯t know how or when it will die.¡± ¡°I am your escort.¡± ¡°Yes, but not this cub¡¯s escort.¡± ¡°I am to protect whatever Valletta-nim owns.¡± Quilt nodded at Valletta, who asked ¡®Is that so?¡¯. Valletta, who had been standing in ce for ten minutes and pondering, leaned down and carefully held the snow tiger in her arms. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to deal with the weak. I feel like it¡¯s going to die just by touching it.¡± Not expecting an answer, Valletta mumbled to herself. The quick-witted Quilt, of course, did not open his mouth. As she walked down the arched stairs with the snow tiger in her arms, she saw Carlon Delphine waiting at the bottom of the stairs. He was wearing a cloak with a fedora on his head, still looking very neat. Carlon Delphine, who was reaching out his hand to her as she descended the stairs, furrowed his brows when he saw Quilting down behind her. His stretched out hand slightly stiffened and then brought it down. ¡°Valletta, there seems to be some stranger.¡± ¡°Ah, this is Quilt. An escort that guy sent.¡± ¡°Escort?¡± Valletta, who finished answering by nodding her head at Carlon Delphine¡¯s question, turned her gaze to Quilt. ¡°And Mr. Henchman, this is His Grace, Duke Carlon Delphine. The owner of this mansion and a person that I owe.¡± ¡°I have no desire to remember trivial things such as a Sokor¡¯s name.¡± ¡°As you can see, he¡¯s a magician.¡± Valletta, ignoring his obvious hostility, casually introduced Quilt. Of course, Carlon Delphine did not smile at his rudeness. He hated rudeness and disrespect the most, and most magicians fell within that range. ¡°I can see that there¡¯s no difference between the master and his henchman in terms of rudeness.¡± Sure enough, Carlon Delphine furrowed his brows, showing that there was no need for him to be polite. Quilt¡¯s face grew grim. He took a step toward Carlon Delphine. ¡°You better be careful with your words, Sokor. I don¡¯t know how high your position is but¡­¡± ¡°Ah, Your Grace, Duke. Would it be okay if we take this along?¡± Carlon Delphine narrowed his eyes and looked at Valletta and the snow tiger in her arms. He taught her what to call him in the morning, and within a few hours she was saying ¡®Your Grace, Duke¡¯ again. ¡°If not, I¡¯ll leave it behind. Please speakfortably.¡± Carlon Delphine met Valletta¡¯s gaze. What was in her violet eyes were still achromatic color. She had no expectation and had no intention to persuade. If she didn¡¯t want to, she wouldn¡¯t have brought it no matter how much it cried, but she¡¯s acting like she didn¡¯t know it herself. ¡°Valletta, I think the way you are asking is a little bit wrong. I¡¯m sure I taught you how this morning.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Valletta¡¯s brows furrowed. She doesn¡¯t think that just thinking about the words that she never got used to saying, would make her open her lips. ¡°I¡¯ll just bring it back.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not difficult. All you have to do is stand there and move your mouth. Don¡¯t be scared and try it.¡± Valletta bit her lip. Why do I have to do something I don¡¯t want to do just because of the cotton ball that I have in my arms? She had little idea as to what Carlon Delphine was trying to teach her. ¡®Will I change if I do this?¡¯ She didn¡¯t think that it was possible to change what she was used to doing for 20 years in an instant. Valletta sighed again, not knowing how many times she did it, and opened her mouth. Imitating was easy, but when will it ever be the truth? It would be better to run away before she gets used to imitation. ¡°¡­ Please, Carlon. Can I bring it along?¡± ¡°Of course it¡¯s okay. Good job.¡± Before her head could turn to thoughts that he was just a tool, Valletta blinked slowly at Carlon Delphine¡¯s hand that stroked her head and moved away. Does he not know how corrupted a person can be, or was he just pretending not to know? ¡°But why did he suddenly send an escort?¡± Valletta blinked once. A painted-like smile once again appeared on her lips. Carlon Delphine¡¯s expression turned strange. ¡°It¡¯s always because of his whims. No need to concern yourself with it, Your Grace.¡± ¡®It¡¯s none of your concern.¡¯ Quilt¡¯s expression, who was watching them, hardened. There was no need to observe her for a long time for him to know one thing for sure. The two of them do not seem to be the same, but they do resemble each other. That¡¯s why she could understand what he was thinking. Quilt, there must be a reason why she hesitated for a while and didn¡¯t answer his question. She had a rough idea what his master was thinking. Quilt clenched his fists. ¡°Valletta.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Learning how to walk on your own without leaning on someone is fine, but don¡¯t forget that you have people on your side.¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t forgotten. I will ask for help if I need it.¡± In response to Valletta¡¯s answer, Carlon Delphine hummed and rubbed his chin. He nodded slowly and opened his mouth again. ¡°All right. But I would like it if I was helping right from the beginning.¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing in particr that I need help with right now, it¡¯s okay.¡± ¡°¡­ I know, but sometimes, trying to stand alone without leaning on the people on your side could upset them or make them sad.¡± Valletta kept her mouth shut as if she didn¡¯t understand, but she tried her best to keep it in mind. Quilt¡¯s expression stiffened as he turned his head. There was an invisible wall here as well as with his master. Who was inside it? That existence was probably¡­ ¡°So, are you taking this magician with you?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Does he know the situation?¡± ¡°He¡¯ll keep it a secret. Since this person is that guy¡¯s henchman.¡± Carlon Delphine narrowed his eyes, looked over to Quilt for a moment, and then nodded. The unfriendly man was the true form of a magician. His hate for humans was obvious. ¡°Well then, let¡¯s go. Of course, we¡¯re going out through the backdoor.¡± ¡°Backdoor?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m officially supposedly working inside the mansion today.¡± Carlon Delphine went out the backdoor and exited the mansion through a door hidden in the red bricks. Following him while wearing a robe, she saw a shabby carriage in between the bushes. ¡°Today, I¡¯ll lightly teach you some basics of alchemy.¡± ¡°We¡¯re not going sightseeing but will have a ss?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll do things at the same time. From now on, sses will be held there. Valletta¡¯sb is also set up there. Since there are no alchemy-rted tools in the mansion.¡± That was certainly true. No matter where she looked in the mansion, she couldn¡¯t find any tools or objects rted to alchemy. She doesn¡¯t know since she didn¡¯t go down the basement, but seeing the servants and the butlers walking around, it was probably a storeroom. ¡®They must be prepared in case of an emergency.¡¯ The house was left cleanly empty just in case their tail was caught. So there would be no evidence or whatsoever. Without solid evidence, even the Imperial family would not be able to capture a Duke of the Empire. In particr, the Duchy of Delphine was a contributor to the public and was a well-known prestigious family. They won¡¯t be able to touch him carelessly. ¡°But how were you able to hide it?¡± (T/N: Prolly the fact that he¡¯s an alchemist.) ¡°We¡¯ve been like this since the old times¡­¡± Carlon Delphine gently touched his chin as if he was carefully thinking. He paused for a moment and opened his mouth again. ¡°Yeah, since this kind of special constitution was starting to be discovered. At that time, the hunting was in full swing.¡± ¡°¡­ Ah.¡± ¡°The undergroundir was built around that time, the Alchemist.¡± Carlon said while pointing down with his long finger. Carlon Delphine entered the carriage first and the moment he tried to reach out, she was already climbing the carriage with the hem of her robe on her hand. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Anyway, Quilt, who was trying to escort her, and Carlon, who tried to hold her, stiffened on the spot. They didn¡¯t know that she could climb up the high carriage without stairs. They thought it would be difficult to climb in a flowy dress, but even with a dress and a robe, she did it naturally. Carlon sped his hand and smiled awkwardly. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± Quilt followed behind and climbed into the carriage. He didn¡¯t want to ride on something a Sokor made, but it was noticeably impossible to escort her through the roof of the carriage. *** Chapter 58 ¡°By the way, do newspaperse to the mansion?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re not ufortable, can we receive one more newspaper? I¡¯ll pay for it.¡± Carlon crossed his arms and gazed at her with a look of disapproval. When there was no answer from him, Valletta slowly pondered what she had said. She eximed ¡®Ah¡¯, and opened her mouth again. ¡°Do I ask for this as a favor as well?¡± ¡°You can ask me for anything except for those that you can do yourself.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Valletta nodded her head. How should she ask for this? She sluggishly worked through it in her head. When learning a foreignnguage, it would be easier to have a conversation form for things like basic tense, past tense, and present tense. ¡°Then¡­¡± Her brows slightly furrowed. ¡°Please, Carlon. I¡¯ll pay for it, so let¡¯s receive one more copy of newspaper.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Both Quilt and Carlon¡¯s mouth were blocked. The format was obviously a request, but that¡¯s it. It was a request forced into that frame. Quilt looked at Valletta with a very slight sense of surprise. He had guessed to some extent that neither his master nor the woman in front of him were ordinary. However, he never expected that she would be this inflexible. ¡°¡­ Valletta, if you¡¯re paying for it, then what¡¯s the point of requesting it from me?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know how to order and receive the goods in your mansion, so I will need to trouble Your Grace for this part and bother you.¡± Carlon touched his forehead. The exnation wascking. It seemed like he didn¡¯t have any talent in exining. Duke Leon forcibly pushed the child to understand, unfortunately, that kind of coercion was not Carlon Delphine¡¯s personality. ¡°It won¡¯t bother me.¡± ¡°I understand. If I edit that part¡­ Ah, should I remove the ¡®I¡¯m paying¡¯ part?¡± Valletta asked, tilting her head. She wasn¡¯t even some kind of a machine, so he wanted to ask the reason as to why she was this twisted. In what kind of environment, and what kind of treatment, does a person have to go through to grow up this soulless? The child did not learn any emotions, as if she had brainwashed herself. Like finding a mathematical form or what is normal, remember the wrong part in mind and someday, recing and fixing the incorrect parts. ¡°¡­ It¡¯s going to take a long time to get there, so how about we talk about the old days?¡± ¡°The old days?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s start with something simple.¡± One of the easiest topics to discuss was stories about one¡¯s family or themselves. Carlon Delphine spoke up after thinking for a while. ¡°Uhm, all right. Where is your mother? Now that I think about it, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve heard of Countess Delight. If it¡¯s hard to say, just shake your head. I¡¯ll ask something else.¡± ¡°Maybe my father killed or sold her?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Valletta answered in a calm manner while stroking the snow tiger¡¯s head, who had fallen asleep. On the contrary, Carlon Delphine was speechless at her answer. Even with choosing the topic, he chose the wrong one. Worse, even the detestable eyes of Quilt reached him from the side. ¡°Cough, cough.¡± After coughing a couple of times, Carlon Delphine rubbed his cheeks with dry hands and smiled. ¡°Hm, I see. Count Delight¡­¡± ¡°Yes. At first nce, I look like an adopted daughter. Count Delight should not be married. Aren¡¯t I often referred to as an illegitimate child? Because I was born from a woman that my father had embraced.¡± ¡°¡­¡± It¡¯s too bleak to say ¡®a woman that my father embraced¡¯ instead of mother. She also didn¡¯t have a look of longing. The child said it in a voice as rough as grains of sand and with a dry look. ¡°You don¡¯t miss her?¡± ¡°Yes, do I have to miss her?¡± ¡°Did she leave early?¡± ¡°I was born with this magic circle so my father was very pleased with me.¡± Valletta said as she pressed her palm against her eye where the ancient magic circle was hiding. She doesn¡¯t remember her face very well. She thought her hands were soft, but she couldn¡¯t remember for sure. ¡°I heard my mother¡¯s situation changed thanks to that. I think we were together up until I was three years old, but the problem was, that woman was also not in the right mind.¡± Recalling vague memories, Valletta licked her lips indifferently. It was a memory from when she was still very young so she didn¡¯t think it was regrettable. In the first ce, she was a woman who was jealous of a newborn child¡¯s happiness. Apparently, she was born unhappy. Then, she was sold to Count Delight and was embraced by him, and she became pregnant with Valletta. In fact, she doesn¡¯t know it very well. Whenever she asked anything, annoyed looks were the only response. ¡°She wasn¡¯t in the right mind?¡± ¡°She tried to kill me several times. I can¡¯t remember anything else, but I still remember her expression when she strangled me.¡± She still couldn¡¯t understand the heart of the woman who clenched her teeth and strangled Valletta while sadly crying as she spit out malicious words. ¡°One time, she fell down with me from the second floor to trymitting suicide. After that, she was dragged away by hand by father and disappeared.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°If she was alive, she¡¯d have been educated in a foster home; if she was sold, and went insane and died¡­ that may be happiness for that person.¡± She doesn¡¯t understand it, but she would have rather died. Count Delight was not a merciful person, so she couldn¡¯t even imagine what she¡¯d be like if she were alive. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to meet her?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± Valletta, who spoke vaguely, narrowed her eyes and pondered. Never in her life had she ever needed a mother. She doesn¡¯t know if it was because she has memories of her past life, but she was on a fast-paced track and was preupied trying to survive from Count Delight. ¡°If we did meet, I feel like I would kill her so I don¡¯t really want to.¡± ¡°¡­ Yes?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Carlon did not hide his surprise. Quilt¡¯s forehead also furrowed. Whenever he looked at her, he felt like he was looking at his Master. A dry attitude and tone that suggested having lived for a long time. ¡°Because she was kicked out like that, she wouldn¡¯t be living a normal life anyway. Wouldn¡¯t it be better to just die rather than living like that?¡± Twisted, crooked, messed up beings. Perhaps it was because they grew up together, so their way of thinking was also simr. ¡°If it was me, I would think so. If someone killed me, I would be grateful.¡± Quilt thought that his Master had inherited cruel tendencies, just like the previous Magic Tower¡¯s Masters. It was a bit too far reaching, but he thought that cruelty was proportional to the power that they had. Valletta shut her mouth as she felt the silence enveloping the carriage. As she btedly pondered what she had said, she rubbed her forehead with the back of her hand. ¡°Looking at the reaction of the two of you, I don¡¯t think I said something normal. I¡¯m sorry. Just forget about it.¡± Since that day, she had been trying to get her mind back to normalcy as much as possible, but things that were already established were not easy to return to their ce. ¡°No. I think I made you tell a story that was hard to talk about.¡± ¡°No, not really. But I need to be careful in the future.¡± Valletta bit her lower lip a couple of times and rubbed her nape. The words said in a dry voice were not tinged with regret but self-me. Self-me filled with sadness for not getting the correct answer. ¡°Because I lived in a narrow world, I haven¡¯t been able to understand the standard for normalcy, so there are times when I would make some mistakes. If you point it out, I will correct it.¡± ¡°¡­ It¡¯s more like gathering information so you can act.¡± ¡°Yes, my goal is to live a normal life, so in order to do that, I have to blend into other people¡¯s lives without any sense of ipatibility.¡± Valletta obediently nodded her head in response without any denial or falsehood. Indeed, it was just that. For her, it was simply a wrong answer. An incorrectly noted answer that will not happen twice. ¡°That child¡­ When did you first meet the Magic Tower¡¯s Master?¡± ¡°I think it was when I was nine years old.¡± ¡°Nine years old.¡± ¡°Yes, my father gave him to me as a birthday present to use as a ve.¡± And she found out the first time she saw him. The fact that he was a time bomb and not a present. She struggled to live her life, but the result did not change much. Except, she didn¡¯t die like the original n. ¡®Though I received a strange obsession.¡¯ But it didn¡¯t make everyday life impossible. ¡°What kind of person did Count Delight look like to you?¡± ¡°A person who nned ahead, meticulous, vain and greedy, but never stupid. But his disadvantage was that he doesn¡¯t listen to other people¡¯s opinions properly.¡± If he had listened, he could have lived. However, thinking about it a little more, if Count Delight had lived, she would¡¯ve been confined in the Imperial Pce and working like a ve. Looking back, it was clear that Reinhardt even saved her future. Of course, she would have run away as soon as the bracelet on her wrist loosened. ¡°Come to think of it, there was no news today, right?¡± ¡°News?¡± ¡°An incident or ident report thates in.¡± ¡°There was nothing particr.¡± Valletta nodded and sluggishly looked away. Since Reinhardt sent an escort, he must have seen something. And he was probably wary of the danger that it could pose to her. ¡°Mr. Henchman, how is the atmosphere at the Magic Tower?¡± ¡°¡­ It¡¯s Quilt.¡± ¡°Should I call you by your name?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re ignoring someone when they have a decent name.¡± Valletta¡¯s eyes slightly widened at Quilt¡¯s words. Was not calling someone¡¯s name an act of ignoring them? She closed her mouth and met Quilt¡¯s gaze. ¡°That¡¯s ignoring other people?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t call anyone¡¯s name, so isn¡¯t that fair?¡± ¡°In that case, you have been ignoring everyone.¡± Valletta¡¯s expression darkened at Quilt¡¯s resolute reply. She didn¡¯t know that rtionships with other people were that difficult. If you call someone by their name they be attached to them, so how the heck do other people call out someone else¡¯s name casually? ¡°When you call someone¡¯s name, you¡¯ll be giving that rtionship a name and feelings are also created.¡± Valletta said with a puzzled look. ¡°¡­ What are you saying?¡± ¡°Then I would feel something if the other person dies¡­¡± Valletta, whose lips slightly moved at Quilt¡¯s surprised eyes, stopped talking and let out a low sigh. When she nced back, Carlon Delphine had be pale white. ¡®So this is also wrong.¡¯ Valletta wrote the wrong answer in her mind. Unsurprisingly, the atmosphere became even colder. *** T/N: We finally got a glimpse of Valletta¡¯s mother and it¡¯s not great¡­ *** Chapter 59 She wasn¡¯t sure if it was filled with coldness or sympathy. Well, you can¡¯t avoid calling people by their name if you¡¯re living a normal life, so she should practice a little more from now on. Thanks to Duke Leon and Carlon Delphine, she had gotten used to calling someone by their name to some extent. ¡°I understand, Quilt. How is the atmosphere in the Magic Tower?¡± ¡°It¡¯s in chaos.¡± When Valletta looked taken aback, Quilt¡¯s lips moved slightly. ¡°Are the only people supporting Reinhardt still you, your partner, and the watchdog?¡± ¡°Yes, we still are.¡± ¡°The influence of that person called Bartio is quiterge.¡± Valletta murmured lowly. That being said, there was a specific room for the incident where Reinhardt would disappear. It would be better if Bartio Balloxis and Reinhardt would join hands. ¡°How did you know about Bartio-nim?¡± ¡°I heard about him when I was in the library the first day I got there. They said they don¡¯t approve of Reinhardt.¡± Valletta only answered the truth as much as possible. Fortunately, she didn¡¯t add any words as she remembered that incident. Quilt just quietly nodded. ¡°Isn¡¯t that guy going somewhere recently? Going out often.¡± ¡°¡­ Yes.¡± ¡°I know the conversation is fun, but we have arrived.¡± Valletta then looked away. Carlon Delphine knocked on the carriage door twice and the door opened. As Carlon Delphine was about to disembark and Valletta was about to follow him, Carlon Delphine grabbed her tightly. ¡°Wa¡­ Your Grace!¡± ¡°Carlon.¡± ¡°Carlon! Wait¡­!¡± The luxurious carriage quietly moved away. Looking around, it was time for the dawn to appear. Valletta was surprised by the position that she was being held. Gwang! She carefully brought the snow tiger into her arms using her other hand. ¡°This seemingly non-special entrance is the gateway to the Alchemist.¡± The carriage stopped in front of the forest. Judging from the murmuring that could be heard not far away, it was probably not that distant from the capital¡¯s market. ¡®Not a forest but bushes?¡¯ Anyway, it was not the same entrance as the pub she went tost time. ¡°Go past fourrge paulownia trees, turn left at the fifth tree, and turn right after passing seven maple trees. Do you remember?¡± ¡°Yes, yes.¡± Valletta nodded at him with a puzzled expression. She had long forgotten that she was being held in his arms Looking at Valletta who was anxiously memorizing the location, Carlon Delphine murmured to himself. ¡®Is this how it should be done?¡¯ Not giving them time to think was the way to make them act more child-like. The inside of his mouth was bitter. ¡°Yes, if you turn right after the eight maple three from here, the big stone is the entrance.¡± ¡°Yes, do you open the stone and go in?¡± ¡°No, you can climb up the slightly raised stone, touch the mark and activate the alchemy. Alchemy is drawn on the mark.¡± Carlon Delphine said, holding Valletta in one arm. He rubbed his thumb over his earrings once. ¡°You can bring whatever is in your hand there.¡± ¡°Yes¡­?¡± ¡°You can take that man¡¯s hand. If I use alchemy, the mark and this ce would react.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Valletta reached out to Quilt. Even though she was still being held ambiguously by Carlon. Quilt silently climbed onto the stone, cing a hand on Valletta¡¯s palm. ¡°Activate.¡± At the same time as the ancient magic circle appeared above Carlon Delphine¡¯s eyes, his earrings shone like the sky¡¯s light. The view changed in an instant. ¡°We have arrived.¡± Carlon Delphine said as he put down Valletta. They were at the front door of that underground mansion. The alchemy mark that was hidden under the carpetid down on the floor, and the light that appeared because of the alchemy disappeared under the carpet in an instant. ¡°It is simr to the structure of entering Sky Ind.¡± ¡°Is this done using alchemy?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. This is also an exchange. It¡¯s a reversal of position in exchange for something invisible in the air.¡± Valletta¡¯s eyes widened. She thought she could only exchange an object to get what she wanted, but it seemed like the scope of alchemy was wider than expected. ¡®How stupid.¡¯ She had lived in a very narrow world so she couldn¡¯t see anything else. Carlon Delphine was absolutely right. Her knowledge was too shallow and one-sided. ¡®Have I ever made anything other than potions?¡¯ She used to think that she paid and got something in return. However, she had never thought of using alchemy to attack people or to use it as a weapon. ¡°Are you feeling the need to re-learn the basics of alchemy now?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Well then, study hard in ss today.¡± ¡°Yes, I will.¡± Valletta nodded her head. Quilt seemed to have scanned the mansion once, and returned to Valletta¡¯s side. Quilt stood next to her and lightly put his hands behind him and sped them. ¡°It seems pretty safe for something a Sokor built.¡± ¡°Thank you for thepliment.¡± Carlon Delphine lightly cut off Quilt¡¯s words. ¡°How can I get the mark?¡± ¡°On something that you have and are confident would never be removed from your body and that will not be suspicious¡­ We engrave alchemy on things that one treasures.¡± Valletta slowly thought about it. Something she has that she would never take off from her body and won¡¯t be suspected? Something she treasures? There was nothing like that. ¡°I have nothing like that.¡± ¡°Then start making something your treasure from now on.¡± ¡°If I can¡¯t make one, then I won¡¯t receive the mark?¡± After thinking about Valletta¡¯s answer for a while, Carlon Delphine nodded. He thought it would be good for her to have something she was attached to. However, the problem was he overlooked the fact that Valletta is not ordinary. After thinking about it for a while like a person who was about to be stuck with a stake, she stretched out her arm. ¡°Then, can you engrave it in my arm?¡± ¡°¡­ What?¡± ¡°I will be in trouble without my arm so I will desperately try to protect it, and unless my arm was cut off, it will not be separated from my body.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Carlon Delphine could not say anything in helplessness. He never thinks it will end like this, but why was it always like this? On the contrary, Duke Leon, who was not very talkative, seemed to be more effective against Valletta. ¡®Is this also a wrong answer?¡¯ She thought that engraving it on the body was the most effective. She doesn¡¯t know where to put an alternative reference point in order to have a normal thinking. Valletta rubbed her head in frustration. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll have to ask that guy to give me a bracelet again.¡± She doesn¡¯t have any money right now to buy a luxurious bracelet for this situation. How should she ask that guy who made the bracelet? ¡°A bracelet?¡± ¡°He gave me a bracelet with a location tracker, but I forcibly broke it and ran away. I¡¯ll ask him to get me one the next time hees. Please engrave it there.¡± Valletta gently lowered her arm. He furrowed his brows as if he was dissatisfied with something, but he didn¡¯t say anything more. Anyway, when asked to give something she treasures, answering ¡®arm¡¯ didn¡¯t seem to be the right answer. It might have been a little bit morefortable if she was studying. ¡°Valletta, why don¡¯t we talk for a while before studying?¡± ¡°Yes, please do what you arefortable with.¡± Gwang! Then, the snow tiger intervened. ¡°You can leave the cub here for a while.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Valletta carefully lowered the snow tiger and followed after Carlon Delphine. He led Valletta to the second floor where she had never been before. It was truly a perfect and antique aristocrat¡¯s mansion that it was unbelievable that this space itself was underground. She stuck out her tongue. ¡°First, I want to make sure I point this out.¡± Carlon Delphine brought out the tea and sat across from her. Quilt just stood still behind her, reluctantly. He seemed to be thinking of something for sometime now. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I am your guardian. Do you know that?¡± ¡°Yes, that was what you said.¡± ¡°Do you know what a guardian means?¡± ¡°A person who would take care of a child until adulthood, feeds them, dresses them, and puts them to bed.¡± Carlon Delphine pondered over Valletta¡¯s answer for a while. Not saying much here would be bad for this child. After a brief hesitation, he spoke again. ¡°A guardian is someone you can count on to take care of you, your life, and someone you can rely on. You can think of them like a parent.¡± ¡°Like my father?¡± ¡°No, think more of an ordinary and normal parent.¡± He shook his head hurriedly at her question and altered his words. Valletta nodded her head. She knew very well that not all ordinary families were like Count Delight and Valletta. ¡®¡­ My head hurts.¡¯ She slowly turned her head. The mansion built underground had no windows. There was no light shining in from the outside. It was both mysterious and bizarre. If she knew that it would be this kind of conversation, she would¡¯ve rejected it. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but no matter how much I think about it, I¡¯m running out of time. I will try my best to not bother you as much as possible, so is it okay to learn the basics first then listen to what you have to say?¡± ¡°¡­ Sure, I understand.¡± Carlon Delphine painstakingly nodded his head and pulled out some textbooks from the vicinity. *** Chapter 60 ¡°¡­ Royal father, this is all.¡± ¡°All right.¡± As if tired, the Emperor leaned against the chair in his office and pressed his finger¡¯s against the middle of his forehead. At the sight of him feeling tired, the Crown Prince looked at him anxiously. ¡°It seems that the new Magic Tower¡¯s Master is causing incidents all over the country. I don¡¯t know if it was his power overflowing or that he was just venting his anger.¡± ¡°Power overflow¡­ That can¡¯t be it. I think he can handle his power very well. It¡¯s obviously just venting.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°He didn¡¯t look guilty when I saw him kill. These reports also bear resemnce to that of Count Delight¡¯s case.¡± Milrode clenched his fist, and with an angry face, he raised his voice. The Emperor acted as if he was looking over the reports again, and let out a deep sigh. Gillian, who was standing next to him, poured tea into his empty cup. ¡°Is there no answer from the Magic Tower?¡± ¡°I asked for an apology andpensation several times, but there was still no reply.¡± ¡°How can someone be this selfish! No matter how strong a person is born with, the moment he took power, he wanted to use it like this!¡± mes dripped from Milrode¡¯s eyes. He yed around with him in front of his eyes, he ruined the priests and spirit user¡¯s lives and took Valletta away. But this time, he also killedmon people. ¡°That¡¯s not all.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°The official statement has yet to be announced as it will causemotion in various ways, but the strange thing that happened before, happened again.¡± ¡°¡­ What? Something strange?¡± ¡°When I was still a prince, there was an outbreak of a strange disease called ¡®Lost¡¯.¡± ¡°That¡­ Wasn¡¯t that a curse? I heard that Royal father cleared everything up when you ascended.¡± Milrode¡¯s eyes widened. So far, stories about Lost were the ones he heard about the most from his history ss. There were also rumors that it was his Royal father, whom he was proud of, who dispelled it. ¡°What do we do? Isn¡¯t it an incurable disease with little to know solution?¡± The end of Milrode¡¯s words were shaking. The Emperor nodded with a serious expression. Milrode clenched his fist and opened it, then rubbed his face with his tense hands. ¡°But I have heard Royal father has gotten rid of the disease in the past. Why don¡¯t we use the same method from back then?¡± At Milrode¡¯s hopeful words, the Emperor did not say anything and just showed a benign smile. The reason why he adored his son was because he has never doubted him at all. He always treats his idol as an idol. Milrode¡¯s idol was his father himself, and the dashing, overflowing with righteousness Crown Prince does not doubt him at all. Of course, the Emperor also loves his son. How can he hate a child who looked at him honestly. ¡°Lost is a disease when a part of your body would just one day disappear. The origin, the cause, and the contagiousness is unknown. Depending on the part of the body, they could die instantly, and even if they do survive, they would slowly die within a week up to a month.¡± ¡°Yes, I have heard that it was a very terrifying disease. There was also talk among the public that it was a curse from God.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. The most important thing about Lost is to deal with it immediately. If one would take the medicine quickly, they could live.¡¯ ¡°Then the medicine¡­!¡± ¡°However, since the parts of the body would disappear abnormally, the only thing that can cure it is an alchemy potion. A high-grade or higher level potion is required.¡± ¡°Potion¡­? The number of high-grade potions in the Imperial treasury right now¡­¡± Seeing his son seep into dismay, the Emperor touched his chin. He was truly a talented person who will be an Emperor, he has no regret at all. If he could add a little more selfishness and greed to that, he would be the perfect sessor. ¡°Maybe a magician¡¯s potion¡­¡± ¡°Hm.¡± The Emperor let out a deep sigh. Seeing his face as he shook his head, Milrode¡¯s expression was filled with despair. Gillian, who was standing next to him, opened his mouth. ¡°A magician¡¯s potion is, of course, not ineffective, but in the end, it¡¯s nothing more than a copy of an alchemist¡¯s. It can notpare to the real thing.¡± ¡°At that time, there were a lot of good alchemists along with Gillian, so we were able to solve it somehow, but now¡­¡± The number of alchemists in the Imperial Pce was less than 50. Among them, the number of alchemists who could make high-grade potions would be less than 10, and they could make the standard 1 potion a week. If Lost urs on arge-scale, the quantity would be insufficient. The Crown Prince realized that without difficulty. Milrode held back augh, staggered, lowered his head and leaned on the nearby sofa. ¡°Gillian¡­¡± ¡°Gillian has also gotten older, so the quantity that he could make has considerably decreased. A new¡­¡± Looking at his son who had his head lowered, the Emperor changed to a kind voice. He had a greedy devil¡¯s look on his face, but Milrode, who had his head lowered, could not see it. ¡°We need a new and excellent alchemist.¡± ¡°¡­ Valletta.¡± The name he had been waiting for came out of Milrode¡¯s mouth. His son was smart and strong. His shorting was his hard-headedness and determination to walk only on the righteous path. Perhaps it was because of his carelessness that he was easily beatenst time, but if he was with Gillian, he would not be easily attacked by the Magic Tower¡¯s Master, who was unstable due to just being awakened. ¡°If we can join forces with the alchemists who are in hiding, we will be able to save the powerless and weak people without much damage to the Empire.¡± ¡°¡­ But those people.¡± ¡°If the treatment they receive iscking, we should give them more. The next Great Emperor will be you, so you just need to improve their treatment step by step.¡± The Emperor sat down and reached out to Milrode. Milrode looked at him with a distorted expression, then slowly walked towards him. ¡°Royal father¡­ I¡­¡± ¡°Son, the Emperor¡¯s position is lonely.¡± The Emperor affectionately stroked Milrode¡¯s hair. He spoke in a benevolent voice and held Milrode in his arms. Patting his back, the Emperor whispered in his ear. ¡°It would be great if you could save everyone by taking the right path, but you need to develop some flexibility.¡± ¡°Flexibility?¡± ¡°Yes, soldiers are forced to sacrifice their lives to save hundreds of thousands of people of the Empire. Hundreds of thousands of lives are saved.¡± ¡°That¡­ isn¡¯t that because of war?¡± Milrode, who furrowed his brows, questioned. His father¡¯s arms that held him after a long time were warm and cozy, so Milrode raised his hands and hugged him. The Emperor, who tapped his back a couple of times, let go of Milrode. ¡°However, it is inevitable everywhere for people in power to make a little sacrifice for the lives of the majority.¡± ¡°Royal father.¡± ¡°Gillian, you, and I are making sacrifices. Otherwise, none of the weak and powerless people would survive.¡± Milrode nodded as if he understood. The Emperor looked into his blue eyes. ¡°I know. In the morning, I will go to Duke Delphine and meet Valletta. If I exin the situation, she will offer to help.¡± ¡°What if she won¡¯t help?¡± ¡°¡­ Yes?¡± The Emperor rubbed his chin and leaned against the chair. Milrode swallowed his breath with a trembling gaze, as if he had never thought of such a thing. The Valletta he knew was by no means someone who would ignore the death of the weak. ¡°Valletta will definitely help.¡± Milrode took a deep breath and answered to cut his words off. The Emperor still smiled unwaveringly and kindly. The child was confused, but still did not doubt anything. ¡°But that child, along with the Magic Tower¡¯s Master, was abused by Count Delight for a long time. You don¡¯t know how a person¡¯s mind would change.¡± ¡°¡­ That can¡¯t be.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t ask that child about the details of Count Delight¡¯s annihtion. Can you really assert that the child was not involved in that?¡± ¡°Royal father.¡± Milrode clenched his fist and tightly closed his eyes. The Emperor patted him on the shoulder. His trembling gaze clearly showed that a slight doubt had already begun to creep in. ¡°It¡¯s because I¡¯m worried. I¡¯m saying that a child who has been abused for a long time may have taken the helping hand of a powerful being.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t touch Valletta.¡± ¡°If that child is willing to help us, there will be no need to doubt her goodness anymore.¡± A tendon protrudes on Milrode¡¯s clenched fist. He nodded slowly. Seeing his son¡¯s face full of faith, the Emperor calmly smiled. ¡°I will go to the Duke¡¯s residence tomorrow.¡± ¡°Keep Gillian as your escort as we sort this thing out. It won¡¯t be as easy asst time.¡± ¡°Yes, thank you. Well, take a restfortably, Royal father.¡± ¡°All right, Milrode my son.¡± The Emperor patted Milrode on the back. Milrode faintly smiled amid the confusion and quickly turned around. It was only when the door of the office closed and his presencepletely disappeared that the Emperor wiped the smile off his face. Benevolence disappeared in an instant, and all that remained was his true nature that was hidden beneath it. When he revealed this, Gillian looked at him as if familiar with it. ¡°When hope and faith are shattered at the same time, a person would despair. The time hase for Milrode to slowly turn his gaze to a different direction.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Valletta Delight is an unusualss. It will be quite difficult to get your hands on her. It is even more impossible that she will walk in the cage all on her own.¡± He had been filling the interests of the greedy Count Delight for a long time because he wanted to get his hands on her with a good rtionship without any blemishes. ¡°You will get what you want.¡± ¡°Of course I will. I have given up on the medicine that you couldn¡¯t make, but I think it would be possible for that child.¡± The Emperor grinned greedily and covered his mouth with the palm of his hand. He had been hiding his murky blue eyes with age and kindness for a long time now, but only greed and desire can be seen in them. ¡°If he brings her along, you know what kind of education would be good, right Gillian?¡± ¡°Yes, I will make sure that nothing iscking.¡± Submission to his master, obedience to his orders whatever the reason was. Gillian moved carefully and poured tea in the empty teacup. The little girl certainly seemed to be remarkably self-reliant and was quick to judge the situation, and could distinguish her enemy from the non-enemy. ¡®Although we seem to have been ssified as her enemies already¡­¡¯ In fact, there were many ways to get her to step into the Imperial Pce. ¡°Come to think of it, I heard that the Magic Tower¡¯s Master is quite obsessed with thatss.¡± ¡°Yes, I think you could control him to some extent if you get a hold of that child.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t wait to see how Milrode will turn out. He¡¯s a son who always restrained and controlled himself.¡± He was very much looking forward to how the child would react when things he believed in were broken, and the crisis of not having what he wanted and not having that child wrapped into his body. The Emperor licked his lips with his tongue. ¡°You can see everything you have been waiting for.¡± Gillian, who was next to him as he burst into giggles, simply put his hands behind him and did not say anything. The night gradually deepened. *** Chapter 61 ¡°¡­ Is that kid some kind of genius?¡± In the room of his close friend, in which he arrived after workingte at night because that friend said that he had something he wanted to say, was Carlon Delphine who was sipping a ss of wine and mumbling alone. Duke Leon, who faced him, pushed the door back and closed it. ¡°I¡¯m going.¡± ¡°Ack!¡± The moment he was about to close the door, Carlon Delphine slipped in between limply. Screaming and wriggling, he let go of the door Duke Leon was holding. ¡°You¡¯re drunk.¡± ¡°Duke, teach me some technique. How on earth should I treat my baby? I was going to talk to her today but I was cut off.¡± ¡°Long talk.¡± ¡°You¡¯re short.¡± ¡°Tell me honestly.¡± Carlon Delphine mumbled as he hung from Duke Leon¡¯s leg. Even though he has weak alcohol tolerance, he drank strong alcohol into a stupor. Duke Leon¡¯s forehead furrowed. Duke Leon pushed Carlon Delphine¡¯s body and mmed the door shut. He was surprised that he ended up like that with just one drink. Duke Leon pulled the drink towards himself and poured it into a new ss. Then Carlon Delphine ran and sat across from him. It wasn¡¯t fun to drink with this person, so he didn¡¯t usually do it. ¡°What genius?¡± ¡°She¡¯s a genius¡­ she quickly understood and applied what I taught her, and created a new form.¡± ¡°Because she¡¯s smart.¡± Carlon Delphine nodded at Duke Leon¡¯s short answer. He leaned against the table with his red-stained cheeks. She took the ss more seriously than he expected, and because of that, he taught her longer than he anticipated. After teaching all day and skipping dinner, there was actually nothing more to teach. Once taught the basics, she would be able to apply it, and she will be able to do it herself. Right from the beginning, he thought that it was great talent to be able to draw an alchemy circle while standing up and create that level of purity. ¡°I have nothing left to teach her. I¡¯m disqualified as a guardian¡­¡± Duke Leon drank a fairly tasty drink. Since they had been hanging out for a long time Carlon Delphine¡¯s taste in alcohol had be more sophisticated even though he couldn¡¯t drink that much. Thanks to this, whenever he came to his mansion, Duke Leon was able to drink alcohol that Carlon had carefully selected, even though he couldn¡¯t drink them. ¡°It¡¯s precocious. She doesn¡¯t have anything she treasures, she doesn¡¯t want to try to make something her treasure, and she doesn¡¯t like to call other people¡¯s names because she¡¯s afraid that they will die. It seemed like she didn¡¯t want to get attach. I wanted to ask but I couldn¡¯t.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Are you talking about the dying part, or the person herself? I just told her that I wouldn¡¯t die¡­¡± ¡°That child¡­¡± Duke Leon opened his mouth slowly. ¡°Doesn¡¯t know herself.¡± Carlon smirked at his calm words, then nodded his head as if he understood. Because she couldn¡¯t understand herself, she takes actions as if she¡¯s testing the limit. He knows that it was inevitable, but he doesn¡¯t know what to do about her inflexibility. ¡°I keep acting defensively and I don¡¯t know what to do. That was the case this time again, it seems like she was hiding something, but I don¡¯t know what she¡¯s hiding.¡± ¡®¡­ His drinking habit.¡¯ That child-like way of speaking, he alway spoke in an old fashioned way, but as soon as he got drunk, he changed into a child. Even so, it was better for Duke because he became less formal. Duke listened to Carlon in one ear and poured it out the other while he sipped his drink. ¡°Hiding?¡± ¡°Thatplicated and twisted Magic Tower¡¯s Master sent an escort to the baby.¡± Phew¡­ The smell of alcohol was strong in the breath that he exhaled. It was alway a surprise to Duke that this could happen after just one drink. ¡°Speaking about the Magic Tower¡¯s Master, he too is a mess¡­ these children¡­ act like they can only get help if they give something in return.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Duke tilted his ss without saying a word. They also have to choose whether to just try and fix their rotten insides. They can only wait for them to realize it themselves. All they could choose to do was to hug them and tell them that it¡¯s warmth. If they don¡¯t do so, the children will never know for the rest of their lives, so they¡¯ll let them know. This was a warmth and you can ept it. This was because humans do not easily forget what their bodies have experienced. ¡°He told me not to pretend to be nice and ept it. They are different from us, but do the two of them live in the same world?¡± ¡°Probably.¡± ¡°Aah¡­ I really want to take you out of your coffin, Count Delight, and put your face in the toilet.¡± (PR/N: As do we all Delphine, as do we all.) The man, who was always watching his words, suddenly spoke some nasty words. Duke burst intoughter as his shoulders shook. ¡°Ah.¡± Duke eximed in a low voice. ¡°The Magic Tower¡¯s Master¡­ has a charge for murder.¡± ¡°What charge for murder?¡± ¡°That was the reason for me beingte today.¡± ¡°Did youe from the scene?¡± Duke nodded his head with a drink in his mouth. That was the reason why he couldn¡¯t sleep properly for a few days and stayed up all night. He was the Empire¡¯s sword, so he was the first to be called when this kind of problem urs. ¡°South Tallos in the south-west vige, Northeast vige in Missia, Northern Kertonan¡¯s fourth vige, West Sicharin¡¯s northeast vige. They were all destroyed.¡± ¡°¡­ The viges were destroyed?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Wait. Does that mean that the vigers died? They are all small viges, but they should at least have dozens of people in them, and they¡¯re all dead?¡± Duke nodded his head once as he looked up at Carlon, who raised his head as if sobering up from the alcohol. Carlon Delphine¡¯s expression hardened. He put his hands together and rubbed his face. ¡°Are they really all dead?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Duke Leon¡¯s resolute words left Carlon Delphine speechless. Even if there were only at least 30 people in one vige, there were 4 viges. This means that at least 120 people have already died. ¡°Any witnesses?¡± ¡°One kid.¡± ¡°What did they say? Did you hear it?¡± ¡°Red eyes, silver hair.¡± Carlon Delphine held back a smirk. Even so, it didn¡¯t seem like he would kill someone recklessly. He tells him all the time that he would break his neck or kill him, but he never did so. ¡°Does it really look like it was that child?¡± ¡°Not sure. The scene was simr to Count Delight¡¯s¡± ¡°It was that cruel? I also read the case file¡­ He assembled some sort of cake. Mutted corpses rolled all over the mansion¡­¡± The one who visited the scene along with Milrode and escorted him was also Duke. Unsurprisingly, Duke nodded. He couldn¡¯t bring the case file, but it was also quite cruel from Duke¡¯s point of view. ¡°¡­ The baby will be shocked if she finds out.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Of course! Even though it doesn¡¯t seem like it, she seems to trust him a little bit and they seemed to get along pretty well. Also, since it involves the Magic Tower¡¯s Master, wouldn¡¯t it be quite difficult to work on?¡± Nod. Duke moved his head once again. Carlon reached out and poured a drink into his ss and drank it in one breath. ¡°Ah¡­¡± It already happened before Duke could reach out and take it. He stared nkly with his stretched out hand and sighed. Carlon Delphine¡¯s enthusiasm rose again. His eyes opened in an instant. ¡°You¡¯re not sure yet, right?¡± ¡°The imperial family is.¡± ¡°They¡¯re already certain he¡¯s the culprit?¡± He leaned his forehead on the table and mumbled, exhaling hot breath. At the sight of his tongue being loose more than usual, Duke responded by nodding his head. ¡°Yeah.¡± Anyway, even though he showed a mature image, he still turned to drinking alcohol when things didn¡¯t go well. What would he do when passed age forty. ¡°Come to think of it, there was also something going on with the baby today. Although she didn¡¯t tell me in the end.¡± ¡°Something going on?¡± ¡°Yeah, the Magic Tower¡¯s Master thinks that something is about to happen and sent an escort to her.¡± She didn¡¯t even tell him anything, so even if he wanted to piece things together, he couldn¡¯t. Carlon Delphine sighed and nodded. If he tells this story to the child tomorrow, he doesn¡¯t know how things would change again. ¡°I wish she would ask for my help¡­¡± ¡°You have to get used to it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Carlon Delphine nodded his head in agreement. ¡°Also, the snow tiger that you gave her is being well taken care of. Although I don¡¯t think she has given it a name yet. But, where did you get it?¡± ¡°Cargo ship.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you send it back?¡± ¡°It got into human hands.¡± His short answer could be easily interpreted. The Duke of Leon, which was createdte, was not a family that liked to fight. Perhaps it was because of that, despite not having a lot of agreements within the same rank, they became closer than expected. ¡°Ah, an animal like that would surely be difficult to return. What would you do if you didn¡¯t give it to the baby?¡± ¡°I¡¯d raise it myself.¡± Duke Leon poured hisst ss into his mouth. Carlon Delphine vacantly looked at the jacket that Duke Leon had taken off with his chin propped up. ¡°You¡¯re going?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Good bye.¡± ¡°I¡¯lle back tomorrow.¡± Carlon yawned lightly at the farewell and nodded. Unsurprisingly, Duke jumped out of the window today as well. Carlon poured the rest of his drink into his mouth andy down on the bed as if he was copsing. ¡°I pointlessly drank.¡± He regretted it toote, but it was inevitable. Eventually, a night filled with silence fell into the mansion. *** Chapter 62 ¡°Ack¡­¡± Valletta slowly opened her eyes as the pain pierced her head. She felt like she dreamed as well as woke up repeatedly in the middle of the night. It¡¯s a long-standing habit for her to not fall asleep deeply, but the headache she got every morning was annoying. ¡°Should I get you some water?¡± ¡°Ah, thank-¡± At the sound of an unfamiliar voice, Valletta raised her head, frowning. A light blue-haired man, who came near the bed, smiled softly. Maybe it was because of the pale pigmentation, but his eyes looked transparent. He poured water from the kettle and handed her a ss of water. Valletta got up from her bed, grabbed it, and poured it down her throat. Her throat only returned to its original state after that. ¡°Are you Ceylon?¡± ¡°It seems like the introduction was already given by Quilt. Nice to meet you. You can call me Ceylon, Valletta-nim.¡± ¡°Ah, I¡¯ve heard.¡± She rubbed her forehead and nodded. The splitting headache she had always lived with along with the insomnia, but thanks to Reinhardt, she feltfortable for a few days, then she experienced it again. ¡°Come to think of it, twelve hours might have already passed as I was sleeping.¡± ¡°The shift change was a littleter than expected. I think in the future, the shift will probably take ce when you¡¯re asleep.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Valletta rested her forehead on her desk chair. The headache will go away soon, but since it has been a while since shest experienced it, it felt even more unfamiliar. ¡°What about that hateful guy?¡± ¡°Hateful guy¡­?¡± ¡°That guy who calls me Master.¡± She can call him Reinhardt but she didn¡¯t want to. Maybe it was because she hasn¡¯t called his name for a long time, but when she tries to call his name, her tongue refuses first. ¡°Before my turn, he was in the Sky Room. Recently, his power has been unstable and there were cases when it ran wild¡­¡± ¡°¡­ Unstable.¡± ¡°That was why the Sky Room was installed at the very top. So even if the Magic Tower¡¯s Master mana overflowed, the damage would be minimal.¡± Is that why when I opened my eyes, I saw clouds? Certainly, with that height, there won¡¯t be any casualties except for a few birds. ¡°And the ss windows surrounding the Sky Room have the property of absorbing more than a certain amount of mana.¡± ¡°Ah, so that room is for the Magic Tower¡¯s Master¡¯s power that overflowed¡­¡± ¡°Everyone is unstable in the early stages of awakening. However, the Magic Tower¡¯s Master¡¯s power is so strong that normal control methods do not work.¡± Valletta leaned her head against the back of the chair and mumbled under her breath. After a while, her head felt a little refreshed. Although she still had a mild headache. ¡°Excuse me, but can I ask you a question?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°What is My Lord and Valletta-nim¡¯s rtionship?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a verymon question. Should I write the answer on my forehead?¡± I think I¡¯ve been asked the same question three times now. Valletta showed an ambiguous smile and shrugged. After her headache subsided, she slowly opened her eyes and turned her gaze to Ceylon. ¡°We have no rtionship. It¡¯s like a rotten rope.¡± Ceylon shut his mouth as a response to the seemingly indifferent answer. Nevertheless, his Lord believes in the Sokor right in front of him. He doesn¡¯t trust anyone and does things alone, but he believes in her alone with no single doubt. It hurt his pride a little. ¡°I¡¯m going to wash up and go out.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Valletta stepped into the bathroom attached to her room. She felt ufortable because she sweated all night, and her hands were cold because her body temperature dropped. She felt like she had to be sprayed with hot water. Ceylon slowly looked around. There was nothing strange about the room. Except for the bed and the desk, there was no feeling that someone was living there at all. ¡®She can¡¯t get a good night¡¯s sleep?¡¯ She had been groaning since his switch with Quilt, but she didn¡¯t seem to mind it that much. After that, she became quiet. She seemed to have quite a headache and showed fatigue. It was clear that she couldn¡¯t sleep properly. Click. It was the sound of the bathroom door opening. Ceylon shut his mouth when he saw hering out with her hair not properly dried. Then she slumped back down on the hard desk chair. ¡°Doesn¡¯t your leg hurt standing like that?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. Why is your hair¡­¡± ¡°Ah, I just roughly brushed it and came out. It¡¯ll dry soon.¡± She set the towel aside and took out a notebook and pen. Ceylon swallowed a breath as he looked at the handwritten notes and forms. Seeing that the ink hasn¡¯t faded significantly, it was not old. ¡°Are you studying?¡± ¡°The owner of this house said that it would be better if I learn the basics of alchemy again because my vision is too narrow. I had a ss with him yesterday.¡± Valletta propped up her chin, taking notes in her notebook. Her eyes were fixed on the notebook, so Ceylon could see what she was writing easily. ¡°Ah, so you¡¯re reviewing or pre-studying for today¡¯s ss¡­?¡± ¡°That¡¯s also true, but he taught me yesterday and said that there was nothing more to teach, so he told me to try various applications. So I¡¯m trying to make some forms. I also have something I need to analyze.¡± Her gaze quickly scanned the notebook and began to write something again. Each time a page was turned, a new alchemy form was drawn in the notebook, and the analysis was written down. Although Ceylon doesn¡¯t know much about alchemy, it was enough to make him faint and vomit. Creating something like magic or alchemy forms was not an easy task. You have to think of hundreds of various numbers and identify thousands of errors. Simtion in various ways was needed to see if it actually works. Some people took years toe up with magic that could be used properly. Even the number of magic that both Ceylon and Quilt own could be counted with one hand. ¡°Are there any new forms you¡¯vee up with after learning the basics?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°How many have you made so far?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ this is the third one since yesterday.¡± Valletta¡¯s eyes narrowed as she scribbled something down. She put her pen down for a moment and started flipping through the first pages of the notebook. She checked something and sighed. ¡°Is the verification finished?¡± ¡°I tried one yesterday, and after finishing this one, I want to try these two¡­¡± Valletta, who had been mumbling something, began to focus on her notes again. Ceylon also fell into a trance, and onlyter came to his senses when he realized that the sun had risen high into the sky. ¡°Valletta-nim, everything is fine but don¡¯t you have to eat? And this cub too¡­¡± Gwaang¡­ ¡°Ah¡­¡± Her fast moving hand flinched and halted. Valletta looked at the snow tiger that Ceylon was holding with a troubled expression. It was biting its bowl for food so it seemed to be quite hungry. ¡°Since when has it been like this?¡± ¡°It has been hovering around for a while now. You seemed busy, so I didn¡¯t tell you right away.¡± Valletta rose from her seat with a look of dismay, picked a paper bag of top-quality feed she had put on one side, and poured it into its bowl. ¡°¡­ Isn¡¯t that too much?¡± ¡°Is it? Won¡¯t it be good if it eats its fill?¡± ¡°It¡¯s still a cub so it can get a stomachache.¡± Valletta, after saying ¡®I see¡¯ btedly poured back some of the food into the bag with her hand. Having the proper amount confirmed by Ceylon, she put the bowl on the floor and looked at the snow tiger. Ceylon was holding the snow tiger by its torso, and its tail was suspended in the air, moving left and right excitedly. Its gaze had long since been fixed on the feed. ¡°Eat.¡± Gwang! The snow tiger shouted in response, then went up to the bowl, poked its nose and started eating. She heard its hind leg creak sporadically as it was so engrossed in burying its head into the bowl. Valletta, who was squatting in front of it, looked at it worriedly. It looked like it would die just like that. She doesn¡¯t know how to deal with the weak. Ceylon¡¯s expression, as he looked at her, became subtle. ¡°Nothing would go wrong even if you don¡¯t look at it like that.¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s true. Let¡¯s have a meal together. Do you hate the food made by Sokors?¡± ¡°I do not like it.¡± Ceylon smiled softly and spoke frankly. He looked at Valletta¡¯s reaction sluggishly, but she just shrugged her shoulders once. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll bring you some fruitter.¡± ¡°Are you okay with that? I just said I hate people like you.¡± ¡°Yes. If you don¡¯t like it, then you don¡¯t like it.¡± An indifferent gaze passed by Ceylon once. As she left the room and went down the stairs, a subtlemotion tickled her ears. Ceylon felt it as well and naturally covered himself with his robe. ¡®¡­ Imperial Knights?¡¯ Valletta¡¯s forehead furrowed. ¡°Good morning, Miss Valletta.¡¯ ¡°Yeah, these people are?¡± ¡°That¡­ There¡¯s a table of meals prepared so you can go to the dinning room.¡± The fact the Imperial knights came means that an Imperial Family member was here. They also had an Imperial seal so that would mean that they are knights directly under the Emperor. Only the Imperial Family could move them. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s the Emperor¡­¡± Ceylon turned his head slightly, as if he heard Valletta¡¯s mumbling. ¡®Is it the Crown Prince.¡¯ Valletta, remembering Milrode¡¯s face, showed an even more tired expression. She thought that he would appropriately back down, but it seemed like he was tougher than expected. As she followed the servant, unsurprisingly, Imperial Knights were guarding the entrance to the dining room. *** Chapter 63 ¡°Wee, Miss Valletta. You cane in.¡± ¡°All right.¡± As she was about to enter, two knights blocked in front of Ceylon with their swords in their scabbards. Ceylon¡¯s lips flinched under his robe. Before he could move his hand, Valletta stepped back and blocked in front of Ceylon. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°Only Miss Valletta coulde inside.¡± ¡°He¡¯s my escort. Let him pass.¡± He was the most reliable escort. There was no way Reinhardt would attach someone to her without any reason. At least, he was nothing but a magician who can fight against these uncouth knights. ¡°He can¡¯t.¡± ¡°Then I just won¡¯te in.¡± ¡°Miss Valletta, please don¡¯t do this.¡± Honestly, she has no regrets. She doesn¡¯t want to face the Crown Prince right now and argue needlessly. ¡°Just let them in.¡± Valletta¡¯s eyes narrowed at the familiar voice that came from behind. As she slowly turned around, a man she didn¡¯t want to see was standing there. ¡°Gillian¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s an honor to be remembered by you. Pleasee in. That person cane in as well.¡± Valletta¡¯s forehead narrowed. She was honestly startled that the man she never expected appeared. He went in first, followed by Valletta and Ceylon. ¡°I¡¯m back, Your Highness the Crown Prince.¡± ¡°Good work. Ah¡­ Lady Valletta, have you been well?¡± ¡°Yes, but you¡¯re visiting early in the morning without prior notice. I¡¯m sensitive in the morning, so honestly, I don¡¯t like it. I thought you were a polite person.¡± The thought of having to talk to him in the morning with a throbbing headache didn¡¯t make her feel so good. When Valletta tried to sit down, Ceylon pulled the chair out. At the table surrounded by three people, Carlon Delphine didn¡¯t look good. ¡°Good morning, Valletta.¡± ¡°¡­ Yes, good morning.¡± ¡°Yes. Except for the hangover and a bit of a headache.¡± Carlon Delphine ruffled his hair with his brows furrowed. Thebination of these people invading early in the morning and his splitting headache, made his mood hit the ground. ¡°So Valletta is here, please talk, Your Highness. No matter how much I call you Crown Prince, this kind of visit to a duke¡¯s residence is not good.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry about that. We have an urgent matter and I need to ask Lady Valletta for help.¡± ¡°Help¡­?¡± Valletta, who narrowed her eyes, asked. She leaned back leisrly in the chair, pressing her temple a couple of times. Her eyes rolled. ¡®I really don¡¯t want to deal with this.¡¯ The feeling of not wanting to listen to this conversation and wanting to get out of her seat, was a bad sign. A beeping sound rang in her head. Valletta¡¯s violet eyes slowly turned downwards, then slowly returned upwards. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s about the Magic Tower¡¯s Master.¡± ¡°Magic Tower¡¯s Master?¡± At Milrode¡¯s firm voice, Valletta slightly tilted her head to express her curiosity and opened her mouth. ¡°What about that guy?¡± ¡°He recently annihted every single viger in various parts of the Empire in the same way he did to Count Delight.¡± I knew it. Valletta pounded the back of her head against the chair and sighed. She didn¡¯t know that it would be revealed like this. She shook her head and nced to her side. She could see Ceylon¡¯s expression under his robe. Judging from his paleness, it seemed like he was thinking about something else. ¡°Isn¡¯t that guy going somewhere recently? Going out often.¡± ¡°¡­ Yes.¡± She sighed at the conversation that came to mind. ¡®I¡¯m sure he said that he went out a lot.¡¯ If it had been Quilt, he would have doubted it and would rebut that it was absolutely not him. ¡®So their personality is different.¡¯ Valletta, who had her head tilted, let out a deep sigh. The morning was not refreshing, the headache was severe, and it seemed that the headache was going to get worse, so he was warning her to be prepared. ¡®How kind.¡¯ If possible, it would have been better if he gave her a warning that would allow her to escape from this ce today. ¡°In less than a week, four viges,rge and small, were destroyed. The deaths of all the vigers were confirmed, and the bodies were disyed in strange shapes, usually with dismembered limbs.¡± Valletta blinked slowly and tilted her head It was also great in many ways to explode in vige units. She wanted to have a conversation with him about who he was thinking about. Milrode opened his mouth again when she didn¡¯t show the reaction that he was expecting. ¡°Considering the sequence of events, it took at least a week between each vige.¡± ¡°What about the evidence?¡± ¡°It happened in a short period of time, and the scene of the incident itself is evidence. Above all, there was one witness who survived.¡± This was a little surprising. If it really was Reinhardt, there was no way he wouldn¡¯t feel it if someone was still alive. Valletta¡¯s violet eyes deepened in worry. ¡°A witness?¡± ¡°There¡¯s one child who survived.¡± ¡°A child?¡± ¡°Yes, the child said that the person was floating in the air, his silver hair and red eyes shone under the moonlight.¡± She could hear Ceylon swallowing his breath from behind. She doesn¡¯t know why, but Gillian has been staring at her since before, and Carlon Delphine was¡­ ¡®I think he already knew about it.¡¯ While listening to the story, there was no agitation in his gaze. Perhaps he already knew that the suspect was Reinhardt. Valletta turned her eyes again and raised her head. ¡®If that¡¯s the case, I have no choice but to doubt the magicians, and the Magic Tower¡¯s Master, Reinhardt.¡¯ She remembered him blocking the exits one by one. Valletta¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°I see. But why is Your Highness conveying this to me?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Milrode pursed his lips as if embarrassed, then clenched his fist and raised his chin. ¡°I want you to know the truth about the people you trust.¡± A crooked smile crept onto Valletta¡¯s lips. She rarely thought that she was about tough, so she raised her hand and covered her mouth. She could roughly guess what the Crown Prince in front of her was thinking. ¡®If this is also possessiveness, is he possessive?¡¯ Compared to that hateful guy, his possessiveness was nothing so she wasn¡¯t that nervous. This was why early education was important. ¡°During Count Delight¡¯s annihtion, he even gave me a show in front of him, so there¡¯s no way I wouldn¡¯t know about his cruelty.¡± Milrode¡¯s eyes widened at Valletta¡¯s words. Valletta shrugged her shoulders while quietly looking at his trembling gaze. Clearly, he was misunderstanding something. ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, I didn¡¯t watch it because I wanted to.¡± She shrugged her shoulders. ¡°Anyway, if that was your only purpose, I understand. So, I think you can go back now.¡± As if not expecting Valletta¡¯s indifferent reaction, Milrode tightened his grip on the armrest. Tendons sprouted from the back of his hand, and his blue eyes shed dangerously. ¡°One more! That was only the gist. There is something I wanted to ask you for help with.¡± ¡°My help?¡± I knew it, my senses were telling me something. This was probably the topic she didn¡¯t want to hear about too much. Another sigh escaped from Valletta¡¯s mouth. It wasn¡¯t like she hated Milrode, but there was a bit of basic reluctance. It was simr to the difort of seeing a bright light or twinkle in a dark ce. He was so pure and upright that she hated getting close. Although she knew that he loved her with his pure heart. ¡°Yes, you may have heard of it, but in some viges in the south, a dangerous disease called Lost has been uring.¡± ¡°Aha¡­¡± ¡°If we don¡¯t rapidly extinguish it, it will greatly spread. However, the cure requires an alchemist¡¯s potion. We need Lady Valletta¡¯s help.¡± Lost. She had been paying attention to that for the past few days, and now it¡¯s impossible to make a surprised expression. Valletta narrowed her eyes and straightened her chin. ¡°¡­ In the end, this is how things turned out.¡± At Valletta¡¯s low muttering voice, Gillian¡¯s gaze and Ceylon¡¯s gaze, who was behind her, reached Valletta. Carlon Delphine watched the situation with his eyes wide open. ¡°By any chance, was it His Majesty the Emperor that gave you that information?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡± With a puzzled expression on his face, Milrode meekly answered. Valletta leaned back on the chair with a tired look, stroking her forehead with her index finger. Surely, this would give them a reason to imprison her and also an excuse to put pressure on the Magic Tower. ¡®I still don¡¯t know what they are aiming for.¡¯ What was the reason why the Emperor was aiming for the Magic Tower, and wanted to have her so badly? *** Chapter 64 For the session of Gillian¡¯s position? For the sake of his son¡­ ¡®Of course not.¡¯ The Emperor does not appear to be such a fatherly man. ¡°Lady Valletta?¡± ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry.¡± Valletta, who apologized inattentively at the sound of her name being called, slowly raised her eyes that had been lowered. She lightly patted her neck and made eye contact with Milrode. ¡°Your Highness. I¡¯m sorry, but that¡¯s also none of my concern. I refuse. Find someone else.¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t help, many people will die.¡± Milrode clenched his fists, and with a heavy subdued voice, answered. Valletta looked at him for a moment, then she tilted her head. After taking a light breath, Valletta opened her mouth. ¡°Is that a reason for me to help you, Your Highness?¡± ¡°Innocent people will die.¡± ¡°It is the Crown Prince¡¯s job to solve it, not mine.¡± Milrode was at a loss for words for a moment at her decisive words. He was not the kind to continue a conversation when they were this divided, but right now he felt like he was standing in front of someone he was meeting for the first time. ¡°That! That¡¯s true, but¡­¡± Milrode¡¯s head bowed down slowly. ¡°So is Lady Valletta saying that you can save the people, but refuse to do so?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± It was absurd to say that we have to save someone just because we have the ability to do so. Some people go down that path, and some people do not want to. Unfortunately, Valletta preferred to be normal more than being honorable. ¡°If you need an alchemist to cure Lost, find someone else. There is also Gillian in the Imperial Pce.¡± ¡°Gillian has worked for a long time in the Imperial Pce. Now that he¡¯s old, he has lost a lot of his strength.¡± ¡°Then you can ask him for a solution. Since he would know it.¡± Valletta slowly threw back her head and spoke softly. Standing behind the Crown Prince, Gillian¡¯s one eye settled on Valletta. The one-eyed man looked at her with a vague expression, then slowly blinked his eye and looked away. ¡°Why are you so cold, Lady Valletta? Weren¡¯t you a person who couldn¡¯t even ignore an injured animal?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t changed since then. Your Highness must have only seen the good side of me.¡± ¡°I never thought that a day like this woulde.¡± Even now, the man was sitting in an undisturbed posture without twisting his waist. He hasn¡¯t changed a bit since that day. On the contrary, he has be even more dazzling. ¡°Your Highness never treated me like a tool, but treated me as a human being, so I tailored myself to fit you as much as possible.¡± Whenever they met since they were young, she tried to act normal. At least during the times when she met up with him, she tried not to show her darkness. ¡°But¡­¡± As she continued to stretch her words, Valletta¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°That too shall end today.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see Lady Valletta as a tool¡­!¡± ¡°But you came here today because of my ability, didn¡¯t you?¡± Milrode was speechless at Valletta¡¯s words. As if he had been stabbed in the throat by a person he trusted, he had forgotten to breathe, and he opened his mouth but was unable to say anything. Valletta looked down at the shiny tableware. Her expression reflected on the well-cleaned knife and was fascinatingly unfeeling. ¡°Does Your Highness want me?¡± ¡°Yes, can¡¯t I have you? You¡¯re my fiance.¡± ¡°If you do want me, that position is too much.¡± Valletta shrugged and answered. Trying to protect everything without losing anything, it would be difficult for her to be with him, who was already rolling on the mud. She slowly got up from her seat. It¡¯s useless to deal with him any longer. ¡®There is no way this story won¡¯t reach the Magic Tower.¡¯ She doesn¡¯t know what Reinhardt was thinking. Although she was sure that he straightened his back thinking that he doesn¡¯t want to be involved in this y. ¡°You didn¡¯t bring the knights to take me by force, did you?¡± ¡°Yes, they are simply my escort.¡± ¡°Then please go back. My head has been aching since this morning, and it¡¯s killing me.¡± Valletta coldly drove the guests out. Milrode didn¡¯t know where to look, as if bewildered at the sight of this side of her that he had never seen before. She had never been that affectionate, but she has never been this cold. ¡°I thought of changing your mind again¡­¡± Milrode¡¯s persistence created a small crack in Valletta¡¯s expression. She turned around with an annoyed frown on her face. ¡°Milrode ines.¡± Milrode stopped breathing as she called out his name. He had never thought that the first time she would say his name since their first meeting would be this cold. Feeling the coldness emanating, he repeatedly clenched and loosened his meless fists. ¡°Don¡¯t force me to do something good. I¡¯m not a good person. You¡¯ve kept doing this ever since I first met you. Don¡¯t try to fit me into the mold of your narrow views.¡± ¡°Valletta¡­¡± ¡°I will never walk into the Imperial Pce with my own feet.¡± Milrode said nothing at her apparent refusal that descended coldly. Each word became a sharp dagger that pierced his heart. It stuck in ce like a nail. The tip of his droopy finger flinched. He raised his gloved hands very slowly and rubbed his face lightly. ¡°Your Highness, don¡¯t forget that you were rude today.¡± ¡°I wille back next time.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Milrode gave a light nce to Carlon Delphine, who had risen to see him off, and turned around. Valletta never moved for him. ¡°Please wait a minute.¡± Carlon Delphine patted her head and followed Milrode. As soon as the dining hall¡¯s door closed, she turned to her seat and sat down. ¡®So the Emperor has decided to use the Crown Prince as a card in his hand.¡¯ In that case, she has no choice but to cut off Milrode. She can¡¯t even use him as a soft shield. He will act for a great cause but he will never refuse the words of his father, the Emperor. ¡®What is the Emperor thinking?¡¯ The Emperor she confronted for a brief moment was extremely clever. The hidden meaning behind her words was easily understood by him, so he decided toe on strongly at her short refusal. It was clear that he was convinced she was not easy. Not only that, he was also good at recognizing her emotions and hiding his. He must have learned how to use people while living in the Imperial Pce, and adding his years of experience, it was enough topare him to a thousand year old Imoogi. ¡°Why¡­¡± She slowly lifted her head at the sound that interrupted her thoughts. ¡°Valletta-nim, why are you that calm?¡± ¡°Is there a reason why I shouldn¡¯t be calm?¡± Ceylon shut his mouth at her calm voice, different from earlier. Just now, she stood up like a sharpened de, but now he couldn¡¯t feel a trace of emotion. It was as if she took out the emotion that she needed for a while then cut it off and put it back. ¡°Magicians dislike Sokors. Sokors are also ufortable with the unique aura of magicians.¡± ¡°Yes, I know.¡± ¡°But we don¡¯t kill Sokors recklessly. There is a tacit non-aggression pact between the Magic Tower and the Sokor¡¯s empire.¡± ¡°Tacit non-aggression pact?¡± Valletta picked out the words that bothered her from Ceylon¡¯s words. This, too, was something she had never heard before. ¡°But why did you annihte Count Delight?¡± ¡°They have harmed our king, so we only took appropriate measures. There will always be a minor incident whenever the Magic Tower¡¯s Master wakes up.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± To say that it was a minor incident¡­ a whole aristocratic family was removed from its genealogy. That was why the tower was not taking any action at the moment. ¡®There was also this kind of problem in the novel.¡¯ Valletta leaned her head against the chair. This was bait for the Imperial Pce. ¡°And the king of Sokors knows that as well. So usually, Sokors would inform us what they want and end things smoothly. This time, it was a little over the top.¡± ¡°Did that guy ept their request?¡± ¡°No.¡± At Ceylon¡¯s answer, Valletta crossed her arms and looked down again. So, is the Emperor doing this so the non-aggression pact would fall? ¡®But is this really something that the Emperor would do by himself?¡¯ If so, how did the Emperor visit the viges quite far away in a short period of time and do such a thing in an instant? ¡°Anyway, because of that non-aggression pact, the King of Sokor tacitly allows the existence of the ind in the sky, like a sovereign state.¡± Valletta nodded slowly as she listened to Ceylon¡¯s exnation. It seems that the reason the Emperor, who viewed himself as the sun, closed his eyes at the existence of a country floating in the sky was that. ¡°You were terrified to the point where you were pale as a sheet.¡± Valletta propped up her chin at the table and licked her lip. Ceylon held his breath and slowly bowed his head to look at Valletta. Although she had heard the terrible story a while ago, her expression was indifferent and her actions seemed like she was bored and rxed. ¡°He was like¡­¡± It was silent for a while, as if Ceylon was choosing his words. ¡°A child who couldn¡¯t control his overflowing power. Even though they are Sokor, to kill them for no reason at all¡­¡± ¡°So, do you hate it?¡± ¡°No. We are his guides. Whatever choice he makes, we trust and follow him. Just¡­¡± Ceylon shut his mouth. He lowered his head as he took off the robe he was wearing as if it was stuffy. The dining hall door opened again while Valletta was tinkering with the dishes. Carlon Delphine strode in with a somewhat stiff expression on his face. ¡°Valletta, are you okay?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m okay.¡± It just seems like it would give her a little headache from now on. ¡°The Crown Prince doesn¡¯t look like he will give up.¡± ¡°Yes, it seems like it.¡± Even if he were to do so, the Emperor would not allow him to get off the game board. He will convince him with all kinds of lies to keep him on the board as a chess piece. ¡°Carlon, can I invite someone over?¡± As soon as the words were finished, Carlon Delphine¡¯s puzzled gaze reached Valletta. ¡°¡­ Please.¡± Valletta rolled her eyes once, and then carefully added this word. Carlon Delphine let out a faint smile and nodded his head. ¡°If Valletta asks for it, everything is allowed.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± After hearing his answer, Valletta sluggishly blinked her eyes, looking down at the half-filled ss of water and opened her lips. ¡°Reinhardt.¡± (PR/N: O.O) It was the first time she intended to call his name. At least calling him by name with her own will. The name at the tip of her tongue was just as sweet as his voice and appearance. The chandelier in the dining room appeared to have extinguished and the sound of a hem fluttering was heard from behind her. ¡°I think you summoned me properly this time, my lovely Master.¡± In the dimly lit dining hall, only the sunlighting through the spacious balcony illuminated most of the view. Making a stepping sound, as if slowly walking purposely, only after walking quite a few steps Reinhardt stood in front of Valletta. *** Chapter 65 Looking at them in the dark, the light of his red eyes were even clearer. His silver hair shone like the shattered sunlight. He approached her, bent down, made eye contact with her, and kissed the back of her hand. ¡°It is an honor to be called by you, Master.¡± Behind him was Quilt, who seemed to have been summoned along with him. ¡°Since when did you know about it?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Reinhardt paused for a moment at the sudden interrogation. Narrowing his eyes, he nced at the unupied table which had another dish on it, and then clicked his tongue. ¡°Did they alreadye all the way here?¡± ¡°The Crown Prince looked for me and asked for my help.¡± ¡°Asking to borrow Master¡¯s hand about the insect¡¯s murder case?¡± As Reinhardt tilted his chin at an angle, his hair fell down. Reinhardt¡¯s gaze fell upon Ceylon for a moment, then he shifted to Valletta. ¡®Murder case?¡¯ There should be something else besides that. Valletta¡¯s eyes twitched and she opened her mouth again. ¡°You don¡¯t know about the Lost incident that is happening as well?¡± Reinhardt¡¯s eyes narrowed and then the corners of his mouth curled up. Seeing that he spared no words, it seemed like he didn¡¯t know about it at all. In the flowing silence, Reinhardt licked his lips slowly. ¡°Who knows.¡± ¡°You¡­ If you didn¡¯t do it, say it clearly. Don¡¯t let the people around you misunderstand you.¡± Reinhardt¡¯s eyes slightly widened at her criticizing voice. His pupils that had dted slowly decreased. He let out a lowugh, leaned forward, and smiled with his eyes curving. ¡°It sounds like Master believes in mepletely.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t do it.¡± The expression on Reinhardt¡¯s face disappeared for a moment at Valletta¡¯s voice, who replied as if it was an obvious fact. As if embarrassed, he patted his lips with his finger. ¡°Why do you think so?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way you would leave a survivor.¡± At Valletta¡¯s words, Reinhardt smiled with an excited expression. Looking at his twinkling eyes, he looked like he was expecting apliment. ¡°You don¡¯t kill for no reason.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Reinhardt straightened his bent back as if he was speechless for a moment. His eyes slowly turned from left to right, and then he ran his hand over his flowing bangs. He opened and closed his mouth repeatedly, and eventually closed it again. ¡®What¡¯s up with him?¡¯ He had something he wanted to say but she could obviously see that he couldn¡¯t. It felt weird seeing him have such difficulty. ¡°Have you eaten?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t.¡± Reinhardt smiled brightly in response to Carlon Delphine¡¯s question. The sweet voice that seemed to drip with honey made her ears ache. ¡®Is he avoiding answering?¡¯ Valletta raised her head and looked at him as if it was ridiculous. Reinhardt was somehow not looking her way. ¡°We haven¡¯t either. If it¡¯s okay, how about we have one together?¡± ¡°¡­ Are you going to have a meal with me?¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t mind.¡± ¡°Do you need the alchemy stone that you didn¡¯t getst time?¡± Reinhardt, who furrowed his brows, said as he drew a horizontal line in the air. The space widened as he moved his finger. Carlon Delphine let out a low sigh and waved his hand as he sat down at the table. ¡°I don¡¯t need it. The seat is empty, so I just want it to be filled.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Reinhardt¡¯s gaze slowly turned to Valletta. He still had a dazzling beautiful smile. However, he also seemed a little perplexed, like a little child who didn¡¯t know what to answer. ¡°Valletta is also the same, but why can¡¯t you ept a favor as a favor?¡± ¡°You have no reason to do me a favor, do you? Did this great aristocat not learn that there¡¯s an ulterior motive for favors that were done for no reason?¡± ¡°Is that how you have been taught?¡± Pause, the expression on Reinhardt¡¯s face disappeared. He clenched his fist once, then opened it, and his index and thumb met. Tak. Reinhardt snapped his fingers lightly. Ceylon and Quilt¡¯s bodies flinched, knowing that it was a hand gesture when using magic. Carlon Delphine narrowed his eyes as if gauging him. Fortunately, the magic didn¡¯t happen. ¡°Sit down, let¡¯s talk.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Reinhardt sluggishly nodded. Reinhardt, seated on one side of the round table, crossed his legs and leaned against the back of the chair. ¡°Did you somehow find the scene (of the crime)?¡± ¡°Master, is the questioning still going on?¡± Reinhardt smiled awkwardly, put his elbow on the table and propped up his chin, then turned his head to the side. The chilly atmosphere instantly rxed like a spring day. ¡°If you¡¯re curious about the answer, I will ask first this time. Why do you think I won¡¯t kill someone if there was no reason?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve never been like that before.¡± Reinhardt ginned as if he was dealing with a child and covered half of her face with his palm. ¡°Aah¡­ That is Master¡¯s own illusion. Since I can do anything.¡± ¡°Remember when my father locked me up and starved me for a week? I heard you were also locked up and beaten until I was released.¡± Valletta tilted her head, moistened her throat and raised her head. Carlon Delphine, who was listening, as well as Ceylon and Quilt¡¯s expressions darkened. Reinhardt¡¯s facial muscles were, most of all, strangely distorted. ¡°¡­ Of course.¡± ¡°You killed those servants who tattled about what we did, right?¡± The end of Reinhardt¡¯s eyes nted and grinned as if it was somethingmendable. His red eyes gleamed with cruelty. ¡°Obviously. I wouldn¡¯t dare to spare anyone who touched you with malice.¡± ¡°Aside from them and Count Delight, have you killed anyone else?¡± ¡°That does not prove that I will not kill without any reason, my naive Master.¡± Just like the soft beat of the song, his voice was carefree and easy going. Valletta let out a low sigh. How are they even having this kind of conversation? ¡®I thought I just wanted to get away from him.¡¯ During the time she was properly separated from him, she learned something. Just how close they were with each other. At the same time, she understood the reason why Reinhardt let her go. Their roots were already intertwined long ago. To the extent that they influence each other. ¡°Are you scared?¡± ¡°¡­ Yes?¡± Reinhardt asked stupidly, as if he had heard something absurd this time. It seemed like he was hit on the back of his head seeing that he couldn¡¯t even hide his expression. Valletta stood up from her seat and slowly approached Reinhardt. A dry look touched her. Reinhardt, not moving his body, absentmindedly watched her approach. Valletta reached out and grabbed Reinhardt¡¯s hand. With their hands sped together, she leaned over and made eye contact with the man sitting there. Her cold hands and Reinhardt¡¯s hot hands intertwined. ¡°I realized this recently, you have started to care about my gaze, haven¡¯t you?¡± The low voice sunk into his ears. ¡°It urred to me¡­¡± She tilted her head at an angle and pushed her face forward up to Reinhardt¡¯s nose. Valletta¡¯s lips slowly opened right in front of Reinhardt. ¡°You don¡¯t want to be hated by me.¡± ¡°¡­ That¡¯s enough, Master.¡± Reinhardt¡¯s voice that stopped her was cold. At his indifferent red eyes where no emotions could be felt, there was coldness. (PR/N: I am ded.) *** Chapter 66 *** It was a rare behavior from him, who had never shown hostility to Valletta to this extent. At his warning, Valletta shrugged her shoulders and pulled back. ¡°It was your fault for not leaving the house even though I told you to.¡± ¡°You made the fight too bloody.¡± Valletta furrowed her brows at Carlon Delphine¡¯sugh and looked at him. Seeing Carlon Delphine smile brightly, she let out a low sigh and turned her head back. No matter what they say, it will only sound like child¡¯s talk to this person. ¡°So tell me. It seems that the Emperor ns to take me to the Imperial Pce, so I will have toe up with a countermeasure.¡± Reinhardt shrugged his shoulders and sighed as if he had lost. ¡°Why the hell are you taking the hard road? It¡¯s easier if you just order me. Whatever it is, I¡¯ll follow it.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Master is really stubborn.¡± Reinhardt¡¯s voice became even more blunt. He crossed his arms and leaned against the back of the chair. He lifted his finger. Quilt and Ceylon shuddered and shook their heads. ¡°We will be right here.¡± ¡°You¡¯re done. Take that with you and get out.¡± Reinhardt¡¯s finger turned to Carlon Delphine. It was an obviousmand, but Quilt and Ceylon kept their mouths shut and did not move. When Valletta nced at them, the two of them were staring at her. ¡®¡­ Oh no.¡¯ Valletta raised her hand and scratched her cheek as if in trouble. It was obvious that they were asking for help, but it seemed like Reinhardt didn¡¯t want them to know anything. ¡°I said piss off before I break your limbs. Wait until I call you again.¡± ¡°Just let them listen.¡± Reinhardt¡¯s eyes widened and he burst intoughter as if he heard something unexpected. Valletta looked at him a little absentmindedly at the sound of his refreshingugh. ¡°Master is a little strange. Since when did you start looking after useless things¡¯ mood?¡± At Reinhardt¡¯s words, Quilt and Ceylon expressions hardened. ¡°Why risk the possibility of others finding out with those who surely won¡¯t be of any help anyway? It¡¯s enough for you and me to work on this.¡± Reinhardt¡¯s roundly opened eyes gleamed at the three of them with a chilly light. ¡°Master has always been like thi as well. Why increase the hassle by telling it to people who aren¡¯t going to be of help anyhow?¡± She clearly used to be like this. Even up to this day, that kind of thinking hasn¡¯t changed. Still, the two could somehow help Reinhardt. ¡®Because it¡¯s better to have three pairs of eyes than one.¡¯ Reinhardt put his hand on his chest as if he were a knight taking an oath. ¡°I also agree with that. You and I could give roles to these useless things, but we don¡¯t have to.¡± ¡°Could I be of any help?¡± ¡°Yes, I know why Master is asking me this.¡± Looking at his affectionate gaze, Valletta slowly turned her eyes away. She let out a sigh. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to keep those two as my escorts? I think they should know about the situation.¡± ¡°As long as these b*st*rds listen to their Master¡¯s words, they don¡¯t need any kind of information.¡± When Valletta stopped answering, Reinhardt clicked his tongue. Even though they were being treated like that, the two of them standing there felt a bit terrific. ¡°Does Master have any n to lose to me at least once?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not the type who wagers.¡± Reinhardt took a deep breath with a tired expression. ¡°¡­ I get it. I lost.¡± Reinhardt shrugged his shoulders and Valletta nodded her headfortably. Carlon Delphine just quietly watched their conversation. There were quite a few things that could be learned from these two¡¯s conversation. ¡°That¡¯s not my field anyway.¡± ¡°Tell me everything you know, starting with the rumors circting.¡± At Valletta¡¯s words, he lightly nodded. ¡°Because the Magic Tower¡¯s Master ominously annihted an aristocratic family and the Magic Tower¡¯s King caused a bloodbath, the curse of the God has returned.¡± He licked his lips slowly. Looking at his crookedly arched lips, it was clear that he was quite upset. Valletta listened to Reinhardt and nodded her head. ¡°The current Magic Tower¡¯s Master is going crazy and is ughtering the vigers, unable to control his power.¡± At Reinhardt¡¯s words, Ceylon and Quilt turned pale. Both of them seemed to be angry as they clenched their fists. ¡°¡­ That¡¯s the rumors going around from the North, where the first massacre began.¡± ¡°So you went to each location each time you went out, didn¡¯t you? Were there no traces?¡± ¡°Surprisingly, there wasn¡¯t. Or maybe I just can¡¯t feel it.¡± Rinhardt propped his chin up as his eyes became exceedingly narrowed. With a dissatisfied expression on his face, he did not speak for a long time. Valletta, who seemed to have fallen deep into thought, did not dare to open her mouth. ¡°Anyway, the fact that Master called me means that even Master has noticed something going on to some extent, right? Did you find a clue?¡± ¡°I could roughly understand it, but I don¡¯t know for sure.¡± Valletta shrugged her shoulders as she spoke, and he nodded. Alchemy and Magic were simr but also different. Alchemy leaves a trace, but magic leaves no trace. However, alchemy was impossible to track down while magic was trackable. To look for traces of magic and tracking it requires high-level magic. The problem is that the opponent is a very experienced person. (T/N: It means that alchemy leaves traces but the person who used alchemy cannot be tracked down and it¡¯s the opposite for magic.) The two continued their conversation. Carlon Delphine, who was listening, made a strange expression, and then smiled bitterly. ¡®There¡¯s also thisck of sympathy.¡¯ Both of them were so smart that they didn¡¯t need much exnation from each other. So they didn¡¯t realize the basics of exining to the other people and making them understand. ¡°Are you talking about the Lost? Or the murder case?¡± As Carlon Delphine cleverly intervened in their lull conversation, Valletta lifted her head. A little startled, her eyes widened, then she opened her mouth with a low sigh. ¡°Ah¡­ We¡¯re talking about Lost.¡± ¡°See, they won¡¯t be of any help anyway. They can¡¯t even keep up with the conversation.¡± ¡°We also¡­!¡± Ceylon took a step forward and spoke out. Reinhardt¡¯s eyebrows rose slightly as he looked down at Ceylon¡¯s hand on the table. He crossed his arms and leaned against the backrest as if annoyed. ¡°We also want to properly know and help.¡± ¡°What help can you provide?¡± ¡°We can do anything. We are your hands, feet and tools.¡± Quilt kneeled down on one knee. Ceylon followed, kneeling next to him and bowed his head. Reinhardt swallowed a breath and clicked his tongue in annoyance. ¡°They won¡¯t be of any-¡± ¡°We will absolutely show that we can help. Let us try first. Aren¡¯t we your tools?¡± Reinhardt looked at Valletta with a frown. She, too, averted her gaze as if the situation was ufortable, and kept her mouth shut. He snapped his finger after a while. ¡°Ah¡­?¡± ¡°Ack!¡± Both bodies were forced to stand up. It even felt like they could hear their muscles grinding. Ceylon and Quilt, who had been forced to stand, had bewildered expressions as they turned their eyes. ¡°I¡¯m telling you this to be clear, I won¡¯t be responsible if you die.¡± ¡°Yes, understood.¡± The two of them bowed their heads urgently. ¡°It¡¯s my own problem anyway so I¡¯ll take care of it. Don¡¯t worry about it Master.¡± ¡°If you want to step into Lost, I have no choice but to get involved. It¡¯s your fault for making me hear about it.¡± Reinhardt took a deep breath and stood up. He has never understood her even before. Valletta tries to find the thorny path and walk down it on her own. ¡°If you have finally found a stable ce, why do you want to jump into this kind of work? It was also the same with the nurturing room, but¡­¡± Reinhardt tilted his head. ¡°Master, just stay here. Then I¡¯ll figure it out on my own and bring only the results.¡± ¡°If I only wanted to be protected by your arms, I wouldn¡¯t have run out of the Sky Room in the first ce.¡± (PR/N: Preach girl.) ¡°True, but that¡­¡± While Reinhardt was speaking, his expression stiffened. ¡°Master,e here!¡± He ran towards Valletta, raising his voice uncharacteristically, and put her in his arms. ¡°What is this¡­¡± ¡°A magic circle?¡± Ceylon and Quilt looked down at the floor in surprise and muttered. A magic circle was glowing on the floor where their feet were resting. It was a veryrge magic circle that enveloped the entire mansion. Gwang! Gwaaang! Grrrrr. At that exact moment, the magic circle emitted an enormous light, and a roar spread. The huge mansion began to crack and copse in an instant, as if all the beams had disappeared. Tak! Reinhardt snapped his fingers. His eyes widely opened. No magic circle appeared and there was no reaction. ¡°F*ck¡­¡± Tak! He snapped his fingers again. He held back augh. He doesn¡¯t know what it was, but he got hit in the back properly. Strangely, no magic could be activated. *** Chapter 67 *** Gwang-! ¡°Valletta! Are you okay?!¡± ¡°Lord!¡± A voice could be heard from a little far away, probably because he had dived to avoid debris falling from overhead. Reinhardt, in the midst of the fallen rubble from the building, clicked his tongue, grabbed her by the waist and opened his mouth. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°I¡¯m okay, I was just stuck for a while.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re not, don¡¯t push it. Summon Jin.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not good to reveal my hands here. I appreciate your sentiment, but I¡¯ll put it off for my protectionter.¡± Reinhardt, whispering in her ears, began to recite ancient words. He was clearly chanting. She always wondered if he didn¡¯t know how to perform basic chants since he always just snapped his fingers. ¡®So he just never did it.¡¯ After reciting the chant for nearly 30 seconds, an invisible wave strongly spread around Reinhardt. Kwaang! Huge building rubble that had fallen instantly turned to powder and poured out of reach. Tak, something fell and rolled on the floor. Although, because of the loud noise, nobody heard it properly. The fallen red marble rolled over to a corner of the magic circle, and then a dark shadow appeared with a faint light. The shadow wearing a robe, which appeared from the dust, slowly bent down. He grabbed the broken red marble and then woosh- he disappeared. ¡°Hold on tightly.¡± Tsk, the sound of his tongue clicking was heard. As he was about to move, Reinhardt¡¯s body stopped. ¡®I don¡¯t know what it was, but the unpleasant air has disappeared.¡¯ Tak-! When he snapped his fingers again, magic was activated again just like always. Reinhard lightly kicked the floor and flew upward. His robe fluttered here and there because of the st of shock wave. ¡°Tsk.¡± Tak, Tak! Reinhardt, who snapped his fingers two more times in a row, flew high into the sky as he emerged from the crumbling rubble of the copsing building. As they flew up the mansion, they could see the crumbling building even more clearly. ¡°I¡¯m sure I told you to take care of your own life.¡± ¡°I apologize, Lord.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Reinhardt lightly snapped his fingers and lowered the three of them down, then slowly scanned the mansion with a narrowed, icy gaze. The presence of the magic circle hadpletely disappeared. His red eyes narrowed even more, but there were no traces that could be tracked left behind. ¡°Gracious, what happened here!?¡± ¡°That person who became the Magic Tower¡¯s Master¡­ Isn¡¯t he the one who killed Count Delight?¡± ¡°Ah, and did you hear about the rumor? The Magic Tower¡¯s Master¡¯s madness¡­¡± ¡°Overreaction¡­?¡± Reinhardt, hearing the murmurings from here and there, bent down and burst intoughter. The onlookers that gathered below were fantic even with the dust that crumbled and scattered. ¡°The one in his arms¡­ Isn¡¯t that the Lady that is missing?¡± ¡°It is! I¡¯ve seen her before. The Count¡¯s esteemed daughter¡­¡± ¡°What, how did this happen? Is it really like what the rumors said?¡± ¡°What rumors¡­¡± The formpletely copsed, the building and the onlookers became unrecognizable. Reinhardt showed up on top of it with her in his arms. And through the voices she heard from the onlookers, she could tell what kind of rumor it would create without even thinking deeply about it. A sigh escaped from Valletta¡¯s lips. It seemed like she was being forcibly pulled into a very childish stage y. ¡°¡­ They got us.¡± ¡°I know right, we were fooled.¡± Reinhardt responded lightly to Valletta¡¯s droning voice. Reinhardt¡¯s countenance literally revealed madness. Reinhardt smiled as he revealed an expression dripping with bloodthirstiness. ¡°What kind of madman it is. I absolutely want to see their face at least once.¡± Reinhardt¡¯s smiling face was just like a madman. Valletta, unable to utter those words, pped him on the shoulder. Reinhardt lowered his gaze and looked at her. ¡°First, go down, leave the bracelet, then go back.¡± ¡°Bracelet?¡± ¡°The bracelet I cut offst time. You fixed it anyway.¡± As Valletta stretched out her hand, he looked at her with a strange expression. ¡°To think that with yourself, Master would be mine, I couldn¡¯t ask for anything more.¡± As Reinhardt lightly snapped his fingers, a silver ring-like bracelet was ced on both of her wrists. The tight-fitting bracelet was seamless and fitted just right, leaving just enough of a gap on the wrist to not make it ufortable. It would be difficult to remove without his permission, and if she were to try it likest time, a lot of blood would be seen. It was only fine up until then. Since this guy was not the type who would repeat the same mistake. The problem was¡­ ¡°You¡¯re not removing the chain?¡± A thin chain that connects the two bracelets was also created. At Valletta¡¯s words, Reinhardt smiled brightly with an innocent expression on his face. ¡°Remove it this instant, before I cut it all off.¡± ¡°¡­ How scary.¡± Reinhardt let out augh, then gently snapped his fingers. The thin chain disappeared. ¡°Take one off.¡± ¡°If you lightly bump your wrists together while wearing both bracelets, the left one wille off. To put it on, you just have to hold it out to your wrist.¡± Reinhardt put her down where Ceylon, Quilt and Carlon were, and he himself set his feet on the ground. ¡°Anyhow, if they havee this far, I¡¯m curious what they are aiming for.¡± ¡°My mansion¡­¡± Carlon Delphine brushed his hair. He still couldn¡¯t forget the scene where it copsed in an instant, like a castle built out of piled up ying cards. ¡°Carlon¡­!¡± He heard a low-pitched voice as if scratching his ears. Duke Leon was uncharastically walking fast with dted pupils. Carlon Delphine looked at him nkly, then he saw a dusty maid, who seemed to have run away from within, and suddenly lifted his head. ¡°M-master! Inside¡­ Inside¡­!¡± ¡°Oh no, the employees¡­! There should be servants and maids inside the mansion¡­!¡± Reinhardt nced at Carlon Delphine and then turned to Valletta again. ¡°Master, I will go back first. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s going to end with just a light joke.¡± ¡°Yes, well then¡­¡± ¡°Help! Y-you¡¯re a magician, right? My friends inside¡­ My colleagues are trapped! They¡¯re dying¡­ P-please help us.¡± The maid grabbed the hem of Reinhardt¡¯s robe and knelt down. Reinhardt lowered his head and nced at her with indifferent eyes, then he smiled broadly and looked back at Valletta. It was a dazzling smile that contained no worries. ¡°Master, are you hurt anywhere?¡± ¡°Help¡­¡± The maid, who had been rubbing her hand as if she was about to fall apart, looked up at him nkly. Carlon Delphine and Duke Leon¡¯s expressions also darkened at his empty expression. Reinhardt spoke only to Valletta as if there was no maid hanging on to him. ¡°No, fortunately there was nothing.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fortunate. I think something interesting is about to happen, but Master will be fine, right?¡± ¡°I will do my own thing. Anyway, be careful¡­ Ah.¡± Valletta blinked slowly as if she felt the stark gazes of her surroundings. The maid, who was holding on to Reinhardt, let go of the hem of his robe, with tears streaming down her face. Valletta, who was about to say her goodbyes, turned her eyes slowly towards Carlon Delphine, who was unusually disorganized and had a distorted expression. He was looking at her with a somewhat tired expression. ¡°But, isn¡¯t it right to help with that?¡± ¡°With what?¡± ¡°The people under the rubble?¡± Valletta muttered in a low voice as she nced at him. If there was an innocent animal lying in there, she would probably help. To some extent, thinking about it, she was able to feel something a little simr. ¡°Is that so? Shouldn¡¯t they take care of their own things?¡± ¡°Because it seemed to be the basic.¡± ¡°I see, if Master says so.¡± Reinhardt smiled and turned his head. There was hardly any vitality left inside. Most of them were crushed to death, and those still alive were dying. Even the ones that survived didn¡¯t seem to have all their limbs intact. Tak! The moment he snapped his fingers, the survivors from the rubble soared into the sky . He roughlyid them down on the floor and kissed Valletta lightly on the back of her neck. ¡°Well then, I¡¯m going.¡± Life was overflowing in those bright, red eyes. Just like that, he disappeared along with Quilt. She approached Carlon Delphine and slightly bent down. ¡°Your Grace, are you okay?¡± ¡°¡­ Yes.¡± Carlon Delphine responded two beatste to Valletta¡¯s words and then turned away. Valletta blinked once and straightened her bent back. The moment of wonder in her eyes turned into realization in an instant. nk, nk, nk. Valletta turned her head at the sound of ttering iron. A group of imperial knights with golden patterns on their silver armor stood in front of the duke¡¯s mansion. *** Chapter 68 ¡°Medical team! Start treating the wounded right now!¡± ¡°¡­ Incredible, I never thought it would be so dramatic. I guess they like ys.¡± Valletta murmured quietly. Duke Leon, who was beside her, looked at her face without a word. ¡°Valletta-nim, your fellow Sokors are writhing in agony, do you think nothing of it?¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Valletta¡¯s gaze shifted from the rubble of the building. In that horrible sight, there were people screaming and crying in agony as they held the corpse of their dead colleague in their arms. ¡°¡­¡± Why was it sad that people died in an inevitable event that happened? It wasn¡¯t like the world would move again if they cried right now. The dead won¡¯te back to life, and to mourn the death of people she doesn¡¯t know, she wasn¡¯t confident that she could do it sincerely. If so, wouldn¡¯t it be better to do nothing at all? Was it right to say that she was sad and that it was regrettable even if it was a lie? ¡°¡­ Snow tiger.¡± At that moment, Valletta¡¯s eyes widened at the sound of a small voice from behind. A look of astonishment appeared on her face for the first time, then slowly contorted. Valletta quickly swept her gaze at the people who were groaning. ¡®None.¡¯ Her eyes, which had not blinked for a long time, blinked slowly after a long time. Valletta took a deep breath, then her brows furrowed. ¡°You, can you find the snow tiger?¡± Valletta said in a bit of a hurry, turning her gaze to Ceylon. ¡°¡­My magic is not precise enough to find such a small thing.¡± ¡°You¡¯re being punished¡­¡± The maid, who had been sitting on the floor with missing arms, muttered in tears. Valletta¡¯s gaze slowly turned downward. ¡°It¡¯s because you¡¯re the only one unharmed and with that indifferent expression at the suffering of others¡­! An aristocrat who lived a happy life would not understand the suffering of others.¡± Valletta blinked silently at the malicious remark. ¡®It¡¯s an ident that already happened.¡¯ She could not move in a way that would help her. If she were to needlessly do something, she would¡¯ve been a hindrance. Thinking so, she slowly moved toward the rubbles. The Imperial Knights suddenly appeared and Gillian, who was among them, seemed very busy taking care of the situation. ¡°Where are you going?¡± ¡°To look for the snow tiger.¡± Valletta softly answered Duke Leon¡¯s question. It wasn¡¯t like there was no way to find it, it was just a little risky. Although she has no choice but to run away if she gets caught. ¡®It¡¯s a gift that I received as well.¡¯ More than anything, she didn¡¯t feel good hearing that it was buried. ¡°It¡¯s dangerous.¡± ¡°Uhm, Your Grace Duke Leon does not need to concern yourself with me anymore.¡± Duke Leon¡¯s expression darkened at her words. ¡®Carlon Delphine looked fed up with me anyway.¡¯ He must have distanced himself at her reaction that defiesmon sense. Was it because even though he tried to make the best out of someone, they didn¡¯t change in one breath? ¡°Ah, you were here.¡± As she spoke to Ceylon, she strode towards the rubbles of the building. After checking the structure of the building, Valletta walked towards the ce where her room was. ¡°Jin.¡± Whoosh, a cool wind blew away the dust around her. -What¡­ ¡°Smaller! Get smaller. Can¡¯t you get smaller?¡± -¡­ Jin¡¯s figure became as small as the palm of her hand in an instant. Therge hawk quickly turned into a small, ornamental hawk. Valletta leaned over and opened her mouth towards him. ¡°I want you to find a snow tiger in there. It¡¯s a small, snowy white animal of this size. Please be as inconspicuous as possible. And even if it¡¯s dead, bring me the body. My bag should also be in that room, bring that too.¡± -¡­ Ehem, where is that magician? ¡°Not here.¡± -Then you have to pay the price this time. ¡°I¡¯ll give you my blood.¡± She lightly held out her bloodied pinky finger towards Jin. Jin pecked it with his beak to absorb it. Jin¡¯s eyes gleamed with cool, green light and shimmered. -Good, I¡¯ll do you a favor. The fist-sized hawk quickly turned into a whirlwind, vanishing through the gap in the rubble of the building. Valletta carefully crouched down to sit. It would be great if it was alive, but if it was dead¡­ ¡®Gwang!¡¯ She shrugged at the sound of the cry in her head. ¡°It¡¯s a little sad.¡± It was the first pet she ever had. Of course, she was thinking of returning itter. Kwoong. The wind blew from below. Then Boom! Something popped up with a small explosion. Jin, who became a whirlwind, brought what she had asked for into her arms and disappeared in an instant Valletta, feeling the fluffy fur in her arms, quickly lowered her gaze. She brought her ears close to the cub¡¯s face. Hiss. A hoarse breathing could be heard. Fortunately, the cub was still barely alive. Although its front legs were twisted, and it¡¯s white body was stained with bright blood. With a sigh of relief, Valletta carefully held the cub with one hand and lifted the bag. She pulled out the high-grade potion she had madest time that Carlon Delphine refused from the bag. She staggered down from the rubble of the building. Valletta did not stop walking and opened the lid of the potion. The pale, pink color of the potion was high purity even among those well-refined ones that she had made. Valletta sprayed it like water all over the cub¡¯s body. Half spilled on the cub¡¯s body and half fell on the floor and her clothes. She looked indifferent to the fact that if other people saw her, they would be astonished. She left about a sip and poured it into the snow tiger¡¯s mouth. While moving busily, she made it all the way down the building. Gwang¡­ It was a weak voice, but the snow tiger was definitely crying. It seemed to be alive. Watching the snow tiger rub its head on her wrist, as if waiting for warmth, a faint smile naturally appeared on Valletta¡¯s lips. Duke Leon and Carlon Delphine¡¯s eyes widened slightly while watching from afar. She took a step forward towards Carlon Delphine. The wounds on the snow tiger¡¯s body were slowly healing. If it takes a good rest for a day or two, it will bepletely fine. ¡°If it was dangerous like that, you should run away.¡± Gwang¡­ ¡°Someone won¡¯t alwayse to your aid when you need it. You need to be able to stand up for yourself when that happens.¡± She advised it in a low voice. Her hand gently stroked the snow tiger¡¯s fur. It was a voice that was loud enough to be heard by Carlon Delphine and Duke Leon. ¡°Since there are many people who won¡¯t go easy on you just because you¡¯re young and crying.¡± Gwang¡­ ¡°But you met me, so I¡¯ll take care of you for a while. It¡¯s okay to grow up slowly. One step at a time.¡± Gwang! ¡°I haven¡¯te up with a name in a long time¡­¡± Because she knew it was useless to create one anyway. She tried hard tomit to not making anything. She tried not to give her heart away. However, it was impossible to let go of this fellow who had entered her heart. Gwang? ¡°Is the name ¡®little kid¡¯ not great?¡± The child did not answer at that moment. The fellow who had been working hard gwang-ing, became quiet instantly. What¡¯s this? Valletta narrowed her eyes and looked down at the snow tiger. The fellow who nced up at her, slowly closed its eyes. ¡°Valletta¡­ That cub¡­¡± Valletta raised her head at the voice that she had heard. Ceylon stuck behind her as if waiting. ¡°Ah, Your Grace Duke. I¡¯m d you¡¯re not seriously hurt. It¡¯s not distinct, but I received this bracelet earlier. Please engrave it here. First, setting the situation aside, I passed, right?¡± Valletta said with a smile painted on her lips, keeping a moderate distance. Carlon Delphine¡¯s eyes slightly widened at the unexpected words. ¡°What?¡± ¡°If you tell me the time and ce where the engraving will bepleted, I will go find it.¡± ¡°¡­ Wait. What on earth are you talking about right now?¡± Carlon Delphine raised his arms to interrupt her, and asked. At that moment, Valletta let out a low sigh and turned her eyes. ¡°Aha, I think the mansion became like this because of that hateful guy and me. I¡¯m sorry for bothering you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not it¡­¡± ¡°Besides, I think my way of thinking is not normal, so I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll be good for me to stick around.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Carlon Delphine felt like he stopped breathing. Duke Leon always seemed like a bystander. She alternatively looked at the two of them, and lightly shrugged. ¡°Don¡¯t make that face. I didn¡¯t think I would be able to suddenly live a normal life after living like that anyway. I¡¯ll study a little more and I¡¯ll probably be fine.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that, I¡¯m sorry. I was tired from the shock earlier¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what you felt when you saw me, but you¡¯re right. No matter what happens to other people, I don¡¯t particrly feel sad. Unfortunately, I¡¯m¡­¡± A shadow appeared from behind. Judging by the sound of the nking armor, they seemed to be a member of the Knights. For them toe and see her in that situation, it was not a good sign. ¡®I¡¯m anxious.¡¯ She wanted to run away right then. ¡°Lady Valletta Delight.¡± ¡°I thought the Delight family was already ruined.¡± Unsurprisingly, she responded lightly to the voice looking for her and turned around. The armed knights before her were filled with darkness. ¡°As long as the bloodline of the family is alive, in principle, the family will survive.¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯m tired so can you get to the main point?¡± Despite Valletta¡¯s dry, indifferent voice, the knights in front of her didn¡¯t even bat an eye. On the contrary, his hardened gaze was upright. ¡°You are under arrest as a suspect, and a witness, to the act of terrorism on this mansion.¡± *** This marks the end of Volume II! Chapter 69 ¡°The fact that one can be a suspect and witness simultaneously is something new I¡¯m learning today.¡± ¡°That-¡± ¡°What do you mean by that? She¡¯s supposed to be protected under Duke Delphine, under my guardianship.¡± Carlon Delphine interrupted the knight, who had opened his mouth, as he pulled and hid Valletta behind him. Valletta blinked absent-mindedly at the shoulder of the man standing in front of her. ¡°Lady Valletta Delight is being suspected of being an aplice of the Magic Tower¡¯s Master, Reinhardt.¡± ¡°¡­ Aplice? She¡¯s a victim.¡± ¡°There have been numerous citizen reports and eyewitness testimonies that Lady Valletta Delight was watching the building copse from above with Reinhardt.¡± Duke Leon, who was watching one step behind them, blocked the other side of Valletta¡¯s view and settled in front of her. Valletta¡¯s expression as she hid behind the two men¡¯s backs became strange. ¡°Who ordered it, Commander of the 2nd Knight Order?¡± At Duke Leon¡¯s words, the Commander of the 2nd Knight Order¡¯s forehead furrowed. ¡°There was a citizen report to the guard. The report came to me and I just visited in a hurry.¡± ¡°Knight Commander, as I have said beforehand, a magic circle emerged from within the mansion and there was just a strange attack. The Magic Tower¡¯s Master was simply visiting my mansion to see her.¡± ¡°Lady Valletta Delight is also suspected regarding the murder of Count Delight. Bringing her along is unavoidable.¡± Valletta, who had been silently listening to the three of them, sighed deeply. She can¡¯t say for certain, but everything fits together so tightly . Someone external was putting all these pieces of the puzzle together, and there were too many people ying on the board. ¡°Saying that without notice, my guardianship¡­¡± ¡°Would you like to return to Sky Ind in the meantime?¡± Valletta shook her head at Ceylon¡¯s voice as he bent down and whispered in her ear. Doing that would only add confidence to the allegations. ¡°We n to interrogate her in ordance with due process, understand the situation, then release her if it is determined that she is not guilty.¡± She wasn¡¯t sure when that would be. She would probably be nicely imprisoned in the Imperial Pce up until the Emperor wants her to be freed. Considering the probability that the Emperor would release her, liberation was just wishful thinking. ¡°What if I say no to this right now?¡± ¡°I apologize, but criminals can be arrested on the spot, so we have no choice but to forcibly enforce it.¡± He said it like that, but he doesn¡¯t sound sorry at all. Even if the Emperor was hit, they were properly hit. The Emperor was a much more formidable figure than she thought. He has everything. Authority, honor, money, numerous talents and their loyalty. ¡®It feels like the whole Empire is an enemy.¡¯ Valletta looked around carefully. Giin, who was among the knights, was looking at her with a smile. Ceylon lightly grabbed her waist and pulled her back. ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°Valletta-nim, it seems dangerous. Let¡¯s go back first.¡± Valletta¡¯s brows furrowed. She slightly turned her head and looked up at Ceylon¡¯s stiff face. Just as she was about to nod her head, wondering if there was anything she could do, Gillian appeared next to the Commander of the 2nd Knight Order. ¡°That would be troublesome.¡± ¡°President of the Association, Gillian.¡± ¡°Valletta-nim belongs to the Magic Tower. If you have something to say, it would be good to formally send the documents to the Magic Tower.¡± ¡°¡­¡± At Ceylon¡¯s words, Valletta¡¯s eyes widened slightly and then narrowed. Out of all the things he could have said, she wondered if that was the only thing he could think of. Perhaps there were no other particr words he could use to express what he wanted to say. The Magic Tower in the Sky Ind was a ce where only magicians or children of magicians were allowed to reside, but Valletta was a human born into a normal aristocratic family. ¡®So I¡¯m an object that belongs to the Magic Tower.¡¯ It seemed like a newbel was now attached to her, and it felt weird. ¡°If shemitted a crime here, it is only right that she gets arrested.¡± ¡°She has no magical power at all.¡± ¡°If the Magic Tower¡¯s Master, who is infatuated with her, has done such a terrible thing under her order then she is also a criminal. An aplice is also an offender.¡± She waspletely being treated like a criminal. No matter how much she thought about it, if she were to enter the Imperial Pce like this, she would never be able to leave. Her eyes turned sluggishly. ¡®If this goes on, the n to open a pharmacy would just be nominal¡­¡¯ If rumors like this were to spread, themoners will not act as her shield. As expected, she should have acted a little more and showed a sad expression. Ceylon stretched out his arm and pulled a magic staff out of the air. ¡°I don¡¯t rmend that option.¡± Gillian opened his mouth with a rxed expression. Priests and spirit users appeared around him. Ceylon, who was closely attached toValletta¡¯s back, slightly frowned. Wasn¡¯t the priest¡¯s, spirit user¡¯s, and magician¡¯spatibility opposites? She sluggishly turned her eyes again. Behind Gillian and the Knights, the people were busily moving around. ¡°There¡¯s not enough hands here! I need someone with empty hands¡­!¡± ¡°There¡¯s no one who¡¯s not doing anything!¡± ¡°Everyone is critical¡­ we need support!¡± Valletta¡¯s eyes sluggishly turned. She could use the umted shredded trust. She lightly licked her lips and tapped Ceylon¡¯s arm. Ceylon¡¯s gaze fell on her. ¡°Let me go for a moment.¡± Even while looking puzzled at Valletta¡¯s words, Ceylon gently released her arm. She rummaged through her bag and pulled out two potions. Then she grabbed the potion¡¯s bottle by the neck and lightly shook it. ¡°Can you make a bottle like this?¡± ¡°No, ¡®creation¡¯ magic is impossible unless it¡¯s the Magic Tower¡¯s Master.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± He¡¯s more incredible than she thought. She thought it was something simple since he easily made a table and food out of nothing. She didn¡¯t know that it was something only the Magic Tower¡¯s Master could do. ¡°Then, is it possible to gather pieces of ss from that building?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then please do so. I have something I need to do.¡± Out of nowhere, Valletta seemed to have begun hitting the ground with her feet , and she started to scan the ground. Then, holding a stone with a pointed edge in her hand, she began to draw arge circle on the ground. She knelt on the ground and drew for a while. Carlon Delphine¡¯s eyes widened as he watched. ¡®¡­ Alchemy circle?¡¯ It has been a long time since he had seen such arge alchemy circle. After all, it wasn¡¯t easy to see such an alchemy circle when he¡¯s someone who was doing something in secret here and there. ¡°What are you doing right now? If you do anything suspicious, I will arrest you. Do not forget that you are under suspicion right now.¡± ¡°Ah. Let her be, Knight Commander.¡± ¡°¡­ Association President, Gillian-nim.¡± ¡°That¡¯s an alchemy circle. A circle used by alchemists. You can think of it simr to a magic circle. Judging from the drawing, there¡¯s no intention to attack.¡± Gillian responded without taking his eyes off of her tiny back. It was the first time he was seeing such a tiny back and such an alchemy circle. In other words, it was an alchemy circle that she independently developed. ¡®Looking at the circle¡¯s form, is it a transformation?¡¯ Ceylon floated something into the air and it lightly flew towards her, thennded. ¡°Are these enough?¡± ¡°Ah, yep. Would you mind putting them inside this circle?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Ceylon moved his magic staff and raised the pieces of ss he had brought over towards the alchemy circle. Ceylon took a couple of steps back and watched what she was doing. She ced one of her palms on the alchemy circle and slowly opened her mouth. ¡°Produce.¡± Hwaak- Suddenly, the alchemy circle began to take on a deep purple color. Then, the alchemy circle that had been shining brightly enough to blind their eyes, slowly lost its light. Ceylon¡¯s eyes opened wide after tightly closing them. The used circle was gone, and dozens of potion bottles were lying on the floor in ce of the ss pieces. She lined them up in a few rows. ¡°I need some water.¡± She said without looking back. Realizing the fact that she was used to ordering people, Ceylon moved his magic staff. A bucket of water was ced in front of her. Valletta divided the water equally into the potion bottles. Then, she drew another circle on the ground and moved the half-filled water potion bottles. She put her palm on top of the alchemy circle she drew, and opened her mouth. ¡°Transform.¡± The light blinded their eyes again. Now, the eyes of the people nearby were also on her. Ceylon¡¯s expression wasn¡¯t good. He couldn¡¯t understand what Valletta was thinking by making a move like this. ¡®There¡¯s nothing good about attracting people¡¯s attention like this.¡¯ Gillian¡¯s eyes were already gleaming with greed. He doesn¡¯t know what it is, but there is absolutely something he wants from her. *** Chapter 70 What transformed?¡¯ There was a light, but only the alchemy circle disappeared, nothing changed. The water in the potion bottles were still about halfway, and the before and after drawing of the alchemy circle was still the same. ¡®Did it fail?¡¯ Ceylon thought, and slowly moved his gaze. Fortunately, no one seemed to be interested in what she was doing and nobody thought of making a move. He put a spell on his wand so he could use attack magic anytime. When she had finished everything, she took out a high-grade potion out of her bag and opened its lid. Then she started to pour a certain amount into the potion bottles that seemed to be about thirty. When the pale pink liquid mixed with the colorless and transparent water, the inside of the sk began to turn pink like a potion. After diving two potions among the thirty, she lightly got up. ¡°¡­ Neither extraction nor production, but dilution.¡± Ceylon¡¯s gaze turned to the small voice of surprise and astonishment, and turned to Gillian, who was smiling. He clenched his fists and took a deep breath. ¡®That¡¯s dangerous.¡¯ The aura he gave off was like that, but he also seemed to have knowledge about alchemy. ¡®I don¡¯t know much about alchemists but¡­¡¯ He could feel that she¡¯s outstanding. He thought that she was probably in the simr category of genius as his Lord. ¡°You, would you mind carrying this together?¡± ¡°¡­ Where to?¡± ¡°To where the wounded are.¡± Ceylon subtly tilted his head, but he obediently moved his magic wand. Bottles of liquid rose into the sky in an instant. The wounded, who were groaning in pain, and the medics, widened their eyes. ¡°It¡¯s potions made in haste. When the building copsed, everything I had disappeared.¡± Valletta raised the corners of her lips. Trying to smile as gently as possible, she opened her mouth again. ¡°It will not relieve the pain and heal at the same speed as a high-grade one, but it¡¯s better than nothing. There are thirty, I don¡¯t know if the number is correct. Drink half and spray the other half on your body.¡± ¡°Oh my gosh¡­ Thank you.¡± ¡°Miss Valletta¡­¡± Weeping was heard everywhere. Valletta nced down at them with an odd expression. Her violet eyes turned from left to right, then gently curved. ¡°If the situation allows it, I will make it again and send them to you.¡± As she nced at Ceylon, Ceylon swung his staff once more, cing the potion bottles in front of the wounded one by one. One medic¡¯s eyes trembled in bewilderment and cautiously approached. ¡°You¡¯re just giving us this precious thing?¡± ¡°Ah, I originally intended to open a potion store in the capital city that is avable for anyone, whethermoners, merchants, or aristocrats.¡± ¡°Wuuu¡­¡± Voices of exmation and astonishment flowed from here and there. The medic¡¯s eyes widened. What was a position? All the alchemists were monopolized by the Imperial Family, so they were not allowed to see them unless they were wealthy aristocrats. ¡°Fortunately, because I was gifted with talent, I thought I could sell it at a low price that anyone could buy. However, I do not have anything to be able to open a store so I asked the Duke for a favor to invest in it but¡­¡± The corner of Valletta¡¯s eyes slightly dropped down. She recalled Reinhardt¡¯s expression as much as she could. She didn¡¯t know there would ever be a time when that pretentious appearance would be so helpful. ¡°For some reason, the situation has be like this¡­¡± The sound of breathing in a slightly subdued voice could be heard from here and there. Since the Imperial Family showed up with such a ditch, she had no choice but to show her hands to some extent. ¡°They said that I would be released once I¡¯m proven innocent, so it¡¯d be great to see everyone at the store soon. My potion¡­¡± Valletta stretched out the end of her word and smiled. Some of the lightly injured who drank and sprayed the potion were already moving. The people who were on the verge of dying had betterplexion, at least no one seemed to have died. After confirming that, her violet eyes lit up for a moment. ¡°Isn¡¯t it fairly effective?¡± ¡°Yes, remarkably so. Thank you!¡± ¡°I hope I can open the store soon so that many people won¡¯t be hurt anymore.¡± Valletta spoke softly, and then she straightened her bent back. She rubbed the back of her neck and turned around slowly. Having tasted the potion once, it will be difficult to give it up easily. ¡®It¡¯ll be great if the word would spread.¡¯ At some point, Gillian was looking at her with a subtle expression. What was certain was that only madness shed in those eyes. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were such an outstanding genius.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were this persistent.¡± Valletta replied indifferently at Gillian¡¯s words. She didn¡¯t know what they were aiming for so it was impossible to prepare a countermeasure. ¡°That¡¯s enough. This is a child that¡¯s under my protection, and I do not intend to hold her ountable for this, so please step back.¡± Carlon Delphine approached, grabbed her hand and said. Valletta¡¯s eyes, who was hiding behind him, widened. She felt a subtle tickle on their sped hands. Feeling like insects were crawling starting from the tips of her fingers, her toes curled instead of her fingers as her brows furrowed. Carlon then held Valeltta¡¯s hand even tighter. ¡°Duke Delphine, are you really determined to defend a criminal like this?¡± ¡°Be careful with your word choice, Sir Gillian. It hasn¡¯t been confirmed that she is a criminal and I, under the name of Duke Delphine, testify to her innocence.¡± At Carlon¡¯s word, Gillian¡¯s forehead furrowed. The Knight Commander, who had also approached her, had a strange expression. He was one of the only two dukes in the Empire, and the name Duke Delphine should never be taken lightly. It has supported the Empire for a long time and has the trust of the people strongly. And because he was a man who had deep loyalty and conviction, there were many people who supported him and many aristocrats to help him. ¡°Valletta, go to Duke. He will take you to his residence.¡± ¡°¡­Is that okay?¡± At Valletta¡¯s question full of doubt, Carlon smiled softly and lightly stroked her hair. ¡°It¡¯s okay. A child should act like a child. Will will take care of this.¡± ¡°¡­ I¡¯m an adult.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a figure of speech.¡± Duke Leon approached from behind and ced a hand on Valletta¡¯s shoulder. Valletta blinked once and turned her head. He lightly points using his chin. It was a gesture to go. Valletta looked at Gillian, the Knight Commander, and Carlon alternately, then she turned around. There was no need to turn down people who were willing to help, but she doesn¡¯t know why it somehow felt strange. ¡°Come here.¡± Valletta followed behind Duke and looked behind her. The power of the name Duke Delphine was quiterge. Seeing that neither Gillian nor the Knight Commander could move freely. ¡°Where are we going?¡± ¡°My house.¡± Duke Leon opened the door of a carriage they didn¡¯t when he called over that was parked on one side. While Valletta made an odd expression, he grabbed her by her arm and promptly slipped her inside. ¡°¡­¡± As she looked at him with a surprised expression, Duke Leon got into the carriage and gestured his chin towards Ceylon. Even though Ceylon made a reluctant expression, he climbed on it and closed the door. ¡°Sit.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Seeing Valletta sit down, Duke Leon leaned down and lightly tapped the back of his hand against the wall on the side of the coachman, where her back was touching. As he was about to back off, he stopped near the back of her neck. He stiffened in that state, took a deep breath and shortly moved his body away with a frown. ¡°The smell of the wind¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Lying is bad.¡± At Duke Leon¡¯s words, Valletta blinked with a stupefied expression. What does he mean? The smell of the wind, lying is bad? Racking her head, her head slowly tilted to the side. ¡®The smell of the wind¡­?¡¯ Does the wind have a scent? If it¡¯s about the wind, the only thing that came to her mind was Jin who she summoned earlier No, she doesn¡¯t think that he was talking about that. Because there was no way that spirits would have scents. ¡°Carlon is worried about you.¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know.¡± In response to Valletta¡¯s words, Duke firmly said so with his arms crossed. The irm voice doesn¡¯t seem to be angry, but it was firm enough that it didn¡¯t leave any gap. ¡°It was enough for me that he was worried-¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know anything, Valletta.¡± Upon hearing those words, Valletta abruptly raised her head. ¡°Those who are around you aren¡¯t people but tools. You don¡¯t look at anything. A defensive attitude is not bad but disregarding the truth is poison.¡± It was rare, but Duke said a long sentence. Tongue-tied, Valletta swallowed her breath. She slowly blinked her eyes and met the other person¡¯s face. The ck-eyed person was surprisingly ming her. ¡°Then you should¡¯ve just left me behind. I don¡¯t know why you put me in this carriage and said these words.¡± ¡°Why did you save the snow tiger?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it because you gifted it to me.¡± ¡°Give it back then.¡± Valletta was speechless at Duke¡¯s words as he reached out his hand. Valletta¡¯s mouth opened and closed as she looked at the child sleeping in her arms. ¡°I¡¯m kidding.¡± Looking at Valletta as she held out the child in her arms after contemting, Duke shrugged. With a nk expression, Valletta¡¯s raised shoulder shrunken down. ¡°The snow tiger, why save it?¡± Duke asked once again. Valletta couldn¡¯t open her mouth easily this time. Why did she save it? She just wanted to. It didn¡¯t feel good to think that a fellow, who was chasing at her feet had died horribly. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Will you keep on saving it?¡± ¡°¡­ Probably.¡± ¡°Even though he won¡¯t be of any help to you?¡± Valletta clenched her fists at Duke¡¯s voice. He truly was a man who stabbed at sore spots as if it was nothing. He wasn¡¯t as kind as Carlon but he wasn¡¯t as severe as Count Delight as well. Nevertheless, she knew enough that the other person had no hostility. ¡®It¡¯s difficult.¡¯ That day, the day when Reinhardt destroyed all of her cages, it seemed like the boundary between the world and herself was also half broken down. Taking a deep breath, she wiped her face irritably and let out a bitter smile. ¡°Carlon and I are of the same mind.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you suffering from losses in various ways?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because we thought we were protecting you.¡± ¡°Duke Delphine¡­¡± Valletta, who had opened her mouth, slowly closed them again. She nced at Duke Leon for a moment, then rubbed the back of her hand on her cheek. After repeatedly opening and closing her mouth several times, Valletta pressed her eyes tightly with the back of her hand. ¡°¡­Carl.¡± Valletta took a deep breath. With slightly flushed cheeks, she cautiously opened her mouth. ¡°¡­ Carlon is like that, but what about you?¡± ¡°I heard a lot about you.¡± Duke has been a close friend of Carlon for a long time. And Carlon had been wanting to help her quite some time. Because she was living like a bird in a cage, she did not appear easily, and even if she did appear in the Imperial Castle, she wasn¡¯t alone and she was simply impossible to approach. As a result, it seemed like Carlon had influenced him at some point. An airyugh came out of Duke Leon¡¯s lips that were pinched together. ¡°You won¡¯t lose anything.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll protect you.¡± Valletta nkly looked at him at the pounding of the voice in her ears. Then she turned her head shyly and shrugged. The words she first heard were crude but she could feel the sincerity. She leaned back and closed her eyes. *** Chapter 71 ¡°This doesn¡¯t make any sense!¡± ¡°Even though he¡¯s the Magic Tower¡¯s Master, he¡¯s creating a dispute with the Sokor this way!¡± ¡°It¡¯s incredibly immature. Are you just going to let this kind of Magic Tower¡¯s Master who only believes in his position and act arrogantly? Bartio-nim!¡± Bang! A man in a robe smashed the table violently. The conversation between the magicians sitting around the round table was on the edge. The middle-aged man in a brown robe sitting at the head of the table, touched his chin and showed a troubled expression. ¡°However, he¡¯s the master that the tower has chosen. Is there anything we can do?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe that he¡¯s the master that the tower has acknowledged.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! A novice who¡¯s still wet behind the ears¡­ He even kneeled down before a Sokor and called her Master! Does this make any sense?!¡± Bartio Baloxis silently contemtes by himself. The small wrinkle in the end of his eyes deepened and then gently straightened out. He slowly closed his eyes and opened them as he strongly pressed his magic staff on the floor. The dark brown magic staff showed signs of age. At the end of the two braided trees, there¡¯s arge round mana stone. ¡°The Magic Tower¡¯s method is too old-fashioned. Bartio-nim would know what is best for us better than a Tower Master who is not reasonable.¡± ¡°So what does everyone want to do?¡± ¡°Please¡­ Climb directly to the position of Magic Tower¡¯s Master. If Bartio-nim ascend, the magicians in the Magic Tower will support you.¡± Bartio Baloxis stroked his beard without a word. As if he¡¯s in a very difficult situation, his eyebrows rose as he rubbed the rim of his eyes with his callused finger. Then, without saying a word, he slowly stood up and raised his head. ¡°Wee, Lord.¡± He turned towards the entrance of the conference on the 36th floor and deeply bowed. Even after Bartio finished speaking, the startled magicians remained and still for a long time, got up from their seats. ¡°Wee.¡± They hurriedly bent their backs and greeted the Magic Tower¡¯s Master. Reinhardt, apanied by Quilt and Caspelius, slowly removed his robe and gestured with his chin. ¡°Why? Let¡¯s keep the conversation going.¡± ¡°T-tower Master, how did you¡­¡± (T/N: Going to shorten Magic Tower¡¯s Master to Tower Master so it would be more natural in a conversation.) ¡°It¡¯s fascinating to think that there¡¯s something in this tower that I wouldn¡¯t know about.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± Those who turned pale, clenched their fists. At the head of the table, Bartio just stood there with a polite expression without saying a word. Reinhardt walked into a corner and lightly snapped his fingers. In an instant, a ck velvet chair appeared. Reinhardt leisrly sat down and crossed his legs. Then, he leaned back with his arms crossed and gestured with his chin again. ¡°Sit down again and continue. Where were you?¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing we are¡­¡± ¡°Right, aren¡¯t you talking about making a big snake the Magic Tower¡¯s Master, isn¡¯t that right, Doggie?¡± Reinhardt stretched out his hand to Caspelius, who was beside him, and lightly tickled his chin. The sound of someone holding their breath could be heard here and there. No one would be more audacious than him. Even though everyone doesn¡¯t treat the watchdog as a proper magician, isn¡¯t it too much to treat him like a dog? Caspelius lightly frowned but he obediently opened his mouth. ¡°Yes, you are right.¡± The magicians frowned at the sound simr to scratching an iron. Even after hearing it a few times, it was still a voice they are unwilling and ufortable to listen to. Among the people there, only Reinhardt, Bartio Baloxis and Quilt did not show any change in their expression as they were already ustomed to such a situation. ¡°Right, continue. Don¡¯t you have something like aint? I have something I need to think about today so I¡¯ll peacefully listen to it.¡± Reinhardt lightly gestured with his chin. The magicians blushed at the beautiful smile in a crescent-like shape, and hurriedly shook their heads. The person was a beautiful devil. They then remembered. How he punished the magicians who raised their voice against him with those fingers. As if their lips were glued together, everyone became quiet. ¡°Is that true?¡± In the middle of the silence, it was Bartio Baloxis who opened his mouth. Reinhardt, who was about to stand up when things became less and less interesting, raised his head and looked at the old man. The man, who was in the border line between middle-aged man and old-aged, has a few gray strands on his hair. ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°Are you saying that whatever we say here, we will not be punished?¡± ¡°Ah. Sure, today¡¯s a little¡­¡± Over Reinhardt¡¯s red eyes, the shadows made by his eyelids were thickly cast. He ced his elbow on his armrest, rested his chin on the back of his hand, and licked his lips. ¡°I think I need stimtion.¡± Bartio Baloxis was silent for a moment, then obediently nodded and sat down. He lightly moved his hand up and down as he looked at the magicians who stood up. ¡°Sit down first. The Lord has also spoken with his generous heart, so if you have anyints, it would be good to say it directly to him.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± Even so, how could they say those things to his face? The magicians who had their mouths shut, still followed Bartio¡¯s words and put their behinds on the chair. ¡°So what was everyone unsatisfied about again?¡± Bartio Baloxis continued the conversation with a rxed voice. Reinhardt leaning on the backrest, with his legs crossed and his chin propped up, looked as if he was listening to the conversation. ¡°That, our Lord kneeling before a Sokor is a bit¡­¡± ¡°He¡¯s right. Also, shouldn¡¯t you feel responsible for being the cause of the current situation¡­¡± ¡°Protestsing from the Imperial Pce of the Sokors continue to arrive. Even the magicians dispatched to the Imperial Pce who came to visit don¡¯t seem to be being treated well.¡± They fixed their gaze towards Bartio Baloxis and opened their mouths in a stumbling voice. Reinhart was still silently staring at the floor, his chin propped up, and he really did not impose any sanction. And so, little by little, although they were still ncing at him, they began to properly speak up. ¡°And it is also true that Tower Master is not interested in things happening in the magic tower.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Because the Lord position was empty for a long time, there are so many things to deal with but you are not interested in the works regarding the magic tower and instead doing things like this¡­¡± The voice that only sounded annoyed, gradually turned into a voice of concern. What they needed was a center that would keep the magic tower stable and would protect them. He was the long awaited Magic Tower¡¯s Master. Seeing that such a person knelt at a Sokor¡¯s feet and was not interested in the affair of the tower, they felt uneasy. A Sokor, he was not a Magic Tower¡¯s Master just for a Sokor. ¡°Also, why did you not properly answer the flood ofints?¡± ¡°It is just frustrating that we can¡¯t figure out what the Tower Master is thinking.¡± ¡°If there¡¯s a problem, please clearly speak about it. Then the magicians in the tower will try to help Lord¡­¡± With his chin propped up and immersed in his thoughts, Reinhardt listened to their conversation. He doesn¡¯t know what they want. However, the reason why he didn¡¯t step in was because he wanted it to roll on its own. He thought that there was already a center so he didn¡¯t want to fight for that position. ¡°To give your heart to a Sokor¡­¡± ¡°I would prefer for Bartio-nim to actually be the Tower Master instead. How much effort Bartio-nim put in when Lord was not here¡­¡± Reinhardt sluggishly blinked his eyes. Do I have to keep this position? The answer to that question was obviously ¡®No¡¯. He had no title nor duty to keep the position. He just wanted to look less insignificant when standing next to her. He just didn¡¯t want to lose her to the power of being the Crown Prince. Because the status of a ve was powerless. ¡®Also¡­¡¯ He wanted to create a ce where they could go back together. Although it seemed like he missed the mark. ¡°You¡­ If you didn¡¯t do it, say it clearly. Don¡¯t let the people around you misunderstand you.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t do it.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t kill for no reason.¡± Reinhardt slightly tilted his head. Come to think of it, there was no need for him to be attached to the position of Magic Tower¡¯s Master. In the first ce, she doesn¡¯t divide people based on their status. Everything was equal in all things and everything was fair in all things. She¡¯s that kind of person that was why he paid attention to her. He kept on getting greedy and wanted it. However, if she couldn¡¯te, then there was no need to be greedy. In the first ce, he stepped into it because of her. So if she rejected it, there was no reason to hang on to it. Reinhardt slowly got up from his seat. The chair was pushed back with the squeaking sound of rubbing against the marble. Flinched, the trembling magicians looked at him nervously. ¡°I understand your opinions. Barrio Baloxis?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°From now on, you¡¯re the Magic Tower¡¯s Master. I¡¯m going to leave here now.¡± Reinhardt¡¯s hair softly scattered. The voice that apanied his naturally grinning smile was something that no one expected. Everyone opened their mouths in surprise. Chapter 72 ¡°Lord!¡± Quilt said as he blocked in front of Reinhardt. Reinhardt shrugged his shoulders as he looked at Quilt¡¯s startled trembling eyes. It was himself who was intervening in an already created assembly, he just needed to leave it. ¡®I see¡­¡¯ So that was why that human called duke was filled with trepidation about her keeping her distance. The Duke wanted to ce her in an already created assembly, and she would naturally reject it. ¡°If the other side finds fault about it, just say that the Tower Master dismissed himself out of the Magic Tower.¡± ¡°¡­Lord.¡± ¡°Doggie, from now on, I¡¯m not your master anymore.¡± ¡°My only master is the Tower Master that the Magic Tower has chosen.¡± ¡°You won¡¯t have a master this generation then.¡± Barrio Baloxi furrowed his brows as if disappointed at Reinhardt¡¯s light, preposterous narrative. He said he wanted to hear their thoughts, but he made such a decision out of the blue. ¡®Young and inexperienced.¡¯ Bartio Baloxis let out a really light sigh and shook his head. The murmurs grew louder and louder. It was the sound of agitation. The magicians must not have really wanted Reinhardt to leave. It was simply reckless wordsing from dissatisfaction and disappointment. Knowing that, Bartio Baloxis naturally opened the conversation. He thought there would be something like a clue to the solution. ¡°Is that what Lord has decided on after hearing our thoughts?¡± Reinhardt, who nced at Bartio Baloxis after hearing his question, lightly tapped the floor with the tip of his shoe. A small magic circle appeared from his feet, and began to grow in size. ¡°Have you ever drowned and couldn¡¯t breathe?¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± Everything was for her. ¡°Or have you ever thought about a creature with gills that was forced to be put on thend?¡± So without her, there was no need for him to be there. The magic circle that started at the size of a fist at Reinhardt¡¯s feet was growing in size, enough to fill half the conference hall. He let out a smile and slowly lifted his gaze from the floor. His red eyes, reflecting the candles in the conference hall, oddly shined. ¡°If you take away the oxygen from the living things on earth, they will suffocate and die.¡± At Reinhardt¡¯s out of the blue and profound words, the magicians closed their mouths. Bartio Baloxis stood up, holding his staff in his hand, and listened to him. ¡°If you¡¯re asking me to close up my only windpipe, I have no choice but to leave.¡± The magician¡¯s expressions stiffened at Reinhardt¡¯s words. The reason why Magic Tower¡¯s Masters were violent was so they would not go insane. A lot of information would overflow to their head and numerous previous Magic Tower¡¯s Master would suffocate them and eat away their life. He could feel dozens of lives in his head and the feeling of boredom is imprinted. Humans would no longer look like humans. The hatred that magicians feel towards humans was felt by Magic Tower¡¯s Master deeper. The lives and memories of the precious Magic Tower¡¯s Masters, as well as their knowledge was living and breathing inside his head. There was nothing new. This magic and that magic, he knew all of them. He knew how to deal with people and there was nothing new to learn. To live the life that you seemed to have already lived was bound to be boring. Nothing was new and nothing was enjoyable. ¡°What on earth is that Sokor?! You mean to say that she was more important than us?!¡± One of the magicians clenched their teeth and shouted. All of the sudden, Reinhardt¡¯s magic circle was spreading all over the Sky Ind without stopping, even after covering the entire magic tower. Reinhardt, who tilted his head, slowly lowered his gaze. ¡°Do you remember the first time you breath?¡± ¡°¡­ How would I?¡± ¡°I remember. To a monster who was born with their entire body and windpipe blocked, bounded limbs and didn¡¯t even know they were suffocating, that moment will never be forgotten.¡± He could not forget the warmth of that kind person. Even though she told him that she doesn¡¯t like him, avoided him and told him to leave, during crucial moments, she would still defend him. To a sl*ve that no one cared about, she was just as concerned about his safety. What were his thoughts seeing that kind person, who couldn¡¯t even ignore injured animals or reptiles, trampled on by Count Delight, and her heart being killed? ¡°Master, if one of your wishes coulde true, what would it be?¡± The question he once asked was still vivid in his mind. Late at night, it was a conversation they had through a door. Looking after her who was trapped in the dark all night long. If he were to blink once, under his eyelid, he could still see that day¡¯s scenery, the atmosphere and even the tremor. Everything was still rooted into his retina. She could not easily answer his question. The other person trapped behind the door did not speak for a long time. As he was about to crouch down in front of it, he could never forget the small voice that he had heard. ¡°A home to return to¡­¡± Although words were muttered in a drowsy whisper¡­ ¡°Safe and normal¡­ I wish there was a ce that I could call home, where I could rest to my heart¡¯s content.¡± It still remained in his mind. After learning about the Sky Room, he thought it was the perfect fit for the utopia that she was talking about. However, if the original masters did not like it, there was no way they could rest peacefully. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you expected from me, I don¡¯t have any kind of great mission. I just needed a home to return to.¡± Otherwise, he would just go somewhere with her. He was confident enough that he could deceive the eyes of the Emperor, and it wouldn¡¯t matter if he had to cross the sea and go somewhere else. Eventually, the magic circle that spread from his feet covered the entire Sky Ind. Reinhardt let out a low breath. Soon after, the magic circle began to slowly glow. ¡°It seemed like it was a wrong choice to enter an already created group. So that¡¯s why Master is also like that.¡± Even if she were to step into it, she knew that she wouldn¡¯t be able topletely integrate, so she stepped out in advance. She has always been sensitive and defensive so it was understandable. ¡°It¡¯s impossible to manage the magic tower but I can fix the creaky areas.¡± Reinhardt grinned and snapped his finger. People frowned at the bright light. The light instantly spread throughout the Sky Ind and slowly began to seep in. The old and crumbling ce reverted as if it was new, and the magic circle was newly engraved. The ce where Caspelius had often wandered to and repaired was restored with a stroke from his finger. He looked at Reinhardt with his mouth and eyes wide open. There has never been a Magic Tower¡¯s Master like this. Magic Tower¡¯s Master has alway stood above others and surpassed everyone¡¯s abilities, but it wasn¡¯t that different. ¡°Shall I find a home somewhere else? I feel ashamed towards Master.¡± Reinhardt pursed his lips as he was in trouble. If he were to say that he left while in the middle of the work, she would definitely show a begrudging expression. Because that person is that kind of person. ¡°Are you going to leave the magic tower just like this?¡± ¡°You have to protect your home on your own. Isn¡¯t it a bit wrong to ask someone else to protect it?¡± ¡°You won¡¯t even tell us whenever something happens.¡± Reinhardt smiled at Bartio Baloxis¡¯ words. ¡°Isn¡¯t it fine for me to take care of what I did by myself?¡± It was not like he absolutely could not figure out how to catch the culprit. It was a magic circle that he remembered seeing somewhere, so if he were to meditate for a few days, he would be able to easily recall it. And if that was not possible, it wouldn¡¯t be a problem to draw the same magic circle if he were to follow his memories. ¡°Why is Lord not saying that you didn¡¯t kill them?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Reinhardt¡¯s eyes narrowed at his words. The murmuring of the magicians grew even greater at the bomb that batio had detonated. He let out a low sigh as he looked at Bartio Baloxis. ¡°Is there any meaning to it?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°It¡¯s human nature to believe only what they have seen, what I¡¯m saying is that will there be any difference if I were to say what I mean?¡± ¡°You¡¯re acting like a child who is rash andcks judgement.¡± ¡°Keuk¡­¡± A sneer escaped Reinhardt¡¯s lips. Pretending to be an adult to distort his mind. He lightly snapped his fingers. ¡°Kuheuk!¡± (T/N: Choking sound.) ¡°B-breath¡­ Heuk¡­!¡± ¡°Whether it¡¯s a child or an adult, do you know what is the most important?¡± Keuk-! The magicians began to kneel one by one. In an instant, the air became heavy. As if all the existing air in the tower were made of heavy lead. Standing there with their clenched teeth were Bartio Baloxis, Caspelius, who has no body in the first ce, and Quilt. The mana stone of the magic staff that Bartio Baloxis was holding was glowing. It wasn¡¯t perfect, but it was proof that he was blocking Reinhardt¡¯s magic. ¡°It¡¯s power. As long as I have power, you will kneel before me countless times and feel despair.¡± Tak! With the sound of his fingers snapping, the heavy pressure in the air disappeared. The magicians grabbed their chest and breathed heavily. Reinhardt slowly turned his gaze to see them breathing in the air with red faces. ¡°So if I humanely say that I¡¯m stepping down say ¡®I understand¡¯. It¡¯s the virtue of Sokors that you hate so much that you survive.¡± ¡°Lord, do you really want to go?¡± ¡°You are egomaniac and reckless. You are forsaking your calling. The Magic Tower is¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s just not my home.¡± Tak! As Reinhardt snapped his fingers again, a magic circle formed under his feet. The magic circle activated in an instant, and a light hit the conference hall once again. Once they opened their closed eyes due to a much more intense light than before, there was no one. Chapter 73 *the characters¡¯ names and terms might be different due to being tranted by a different trantor.* **** ¡°¡­¡­ No.¡± The wizards smiled bitterly and bit their lips. Barrio Baloxis nced at Reinhardt¡¯s vanished spot and slowly moved his head to scan the room. While Tower Master, the Magic Tower, and Sky Ind, which had been unstable, quickly regained stability. Originally, the Magic Tower would have had to be repaired slowly over a long period of time. ¡®And all it took was one finger¡­¡­..¡¯ Barrio Baloxis knew it. The Magic Tower this time was better than any Tower in the past. As long as he properly settled in the tower. It was not just the Magic Tower. The Sky Ind, which had been getting lower in altitude, was now higher than ever. The guard dog of the tower seemed to feel the same thing, and his face twitched. ¡°Quilt.¡± ¡°¡­¡­ Yes, Lord Barrio.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the Sokor the monarch is talking about¡­no, No, you know where he is, right?¡± Quilt¡¯s lips shut tight at Barrio¡¯s words. The shock of being abandoned made his head dizzy. He nodded slowly, his eyes still fluttering as if he wasn¡¯t quite sure what to do. ¡°I have to see him. Can you tell me where he is?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± He was not sure he could reveal the location of the person the Lord had ordered him to protect. And he didn¡¯t really want to reveal it. It was clear to Quilt that neither Sokor or the lord were immature children. ¡°I¡¯m not trying to do any harm, I just feel the need for a little conversation. The monarch doesn¡¯t seem to be interested in talking.¡± ¡°¡­¡­ I¡¯m sorry. I can¡¯t tell you recklessly.¡± Quilt shook his head after a while. He would have to exin the situation to Ceylon, but Quilt couldn¡¯t speak for himself. He was the one who had to be protected, wasn¡¯t he? Ah! The moment he said it, a magic circle was formed on the floor. Quilt¡¯s head turned naturally to the magic he was familiar with. Ceylon appeared with a staff in his hand, his white robe fluttering. ¡°Quilt, there¡¯s a problem.. ¡­.¡± Ceylon, who was speaking, frowned as if he had noticed a strange air. He moved his gaze slowly, and blinked. Ceylon, who saw Barrio Baloxis and the wizards in disarray with a strange expression on his face, he looked at Quilt again. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°The Lord has abandoned the magic tower and left.¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± Ceylon blinked in dismay. The sudden fall of lightning was very unnerving. Ceylon frowned and asked after a while. ¡°How¡­.?¡± Quilt meekly opened his mouth in response to Ceylon¡¯s question. After a brief exnation of what had happened, Ceylon nodded silently with a slightly serious expression. ¡°I think it¡¯s because of the attack earlier. He didn¡¯t seem to be in a very good mood.¡± ¡°The attack?¡± ¡°Well, ¡­¡­ I went to Sokor¡¯s ce for a while, and there was a magic circle I¡¯d never seen before, and someone copsed the building.¡± Ceylon spoke quietly at Barrio¡¯s question. There wasn¡¯t much to hide, and it was a problem that should have been reported to the magic tower. The Master of the magic tower was attacked. ¡°The problem is that while that magic circle was there, the magic wasn¡¯t working at all¡­¡­.¡± ¡°The Lord forced himself to use the magic to break through.¡± Barrio nodded. ¡°Besides, if I told Lady Valletta about this, she would scold my Lord.¡± ¡°She¡¯s the soul¡­. ¡° Quilt looked bothered by Ceylon¡¯s choice of words. Of course she had a very light attitude towards the Tower Master, but to say the soul¡­ ¡°As a matter of fact, what kind of person is she?¡± ¡°She is still a child. It¡¯s not much different from the Lord¡­¡­ Perhaps it was because they had been together for a long time, but they were both so unemotional, so untrusting of anyone, that it was as if they were building a world of their own.¡± Hearing Ceylon¡¯s, Barrio stroked his beard. Either way, it would be good to be able to bring the Master back. It would be a shame to leave it as it was. It was such a great ability. He wanted to see the Master learn what he didn¡¯t know properly and blossom. He wondered if Master knew how amazingly powerful he was. ¡°A world just for two of them?¡± ¡°Should I say they¡¯re everything to each other¡­..they are the only ones who understand each other.¡± Ceylon continued to exin with a look of ambiguity about the actual theory. He couldn¡¯t be sure as he hadn¡¯t seen her in a long time, but as much as Reinhardt clung to her, and she, too believed Reinhardt without a doubt. ¡°Lady Valletta was also excellent in her abilities in alchemy. She was probably as outstanding among alchemists as our Lord. That¡¯s why they can rte to each other more.¡± ¡°Do you think you could carry on a conversation with her if you went went to visit her?¡± ¡°Perhaps, since she was a bit better at prating the world and pretending to be ordinary rather than the Lord.¡± He could tell by looking at them closely. Both Rainhard and Valletta wore thick masks. To some extent, they were suppressing their true nature and hiding their true feelings in order to fit into the ordinary lives. ¡°Can you guide me?¡± ¡°No problem, but she¡¯s not a conniving person, and right now, she¡¯s a little¡­.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Ceylon nodded at Quilt¡¯s question. He was in quite a bit of trouble. Now she was in a house of another Duke, and it seemed uncertain what would happen. ¡°Sokor and the others have identified the lord as the one responsible for the building attack without even listening to me. They took Lady Valletta as an aplice.¡± ¡°What about Lady Valletta?¡± ¡°She was almost taken to the imperial pce, but the Duke, Sokor, who was taking care of her, defended her first. However, the situation doesn¡¯t look too good.¡± ¡°No, if the situation is like that, why didn¡¯t you bring her to the Magic Tower?¡± The wizards listened to their conversation, stunned by Quilt and Ceylon¡¯s bickering. They couldn¡¯t get used to that way he sounded, as if he was truly worried about Sokor. Weren¡¯t Quilt and Ceylon the two wizards who hated Sokor? Barrio Baloxis stared at them and smiled gently. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, may Ie with you?¡± ¡°If you are going, how abouting tomorrow?¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°If we go now, it¡¯s office time.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± When he questioned Ceylon¡¯s suggestion, the reply came from Quilt again. Barrio¡¯s wrinkles grew even deeper as he watched Ceylon nodding next to him. He wasn¡¯t the only one who was confused. The other wizards were the same. After listening to their opinions, Barrio didn¡¯t dare to be stubborn. ¡°Then we¡¯ll go together tomorrow at the shift change.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll let you know in advance.¡± ¡°Please.¡± Quilt nodded. He took out his magic wand, chanted a spell for long distance travel, and disappeared with the wizards. *** ¡°Failed?¡± ¡°Yes, the Duke of Delphine stood in front of me with the name of his family. Delphine is a venerable Duke, and with his family¡¯s name on the line, he wouldn¡¯t go out without a fight.¡± Gillian reported as he knelt on one knee. The emperor¡¯s mouth twitched slightly. With a frustrated expression he let out a long sigh, stroking his brow. ¡°I didn¡¯t know that she and Duke Delphine had such a close rtionship.¡± ¡°It was unexpected for me, too.¡± ¡°He¡¯s the type of person who can¡¯t let go of things that are too depressing. The Duke of Delphine is really tiresome.¡± However, as long as there was rotten water in the empire, there was nothing good toe from a national standpoint. Sometimes the two most powerful families were trusted people, so the foul muddy water below could not be rampaged recklessly. They were indispensable to the country. Cutting them out for what he wanted was never the right choice. ¡°We need to make things a little more certain¡­..¡± The emperor furrowed his brows as if he was in trouble. Originally, it was a magic circle that should have exploded the moment that Magic Tower Master made contact with her. He didn¡¯t expect the Duke would be there with her. ¡°How is the Crown Prince doing?¡± ¡°He was quite shocked.¡± Gillian stopped speaking for a moment. ¡°Then the ¡®thing¡¯ did something unexpected.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Gillian¡¯s expression darkened at the emperor¡¯s counter-question. It was an act for which he could not understand the reason in many directions. ¡°He¡¯s going to make potions, distribute them to the injured, and create a potion store where anyone can buy it cheaply¡­.¡± The emperor¡¯s expression hardened as soon as Gillian finished his words. He smiled bitterly and stroked his chin in annoyance. The emperor¡¯s lips, which had been closed for some time, stretched weirdly and formed a semicircle. ¡°He¡¯s very clever¡­.¡± ¡°What is the meaning of his actions?¡± ¡°He¡¯s trying to win the hearts and minds of the people. He dares to use the people as a shield. He knows the true nature of people who are obsessed with his abilities.¡± The emperor shook his shoulders happily as if he was having fun. The fact that he hadn¡¯t had such a clever opponent in a long time piqued his interest. Wouldn¡¯t it be very fun for entertainment? ¡°The potions are monopolized by the imperial family. Naturally, it¡¯s hard formoners to obtain it. What if we were to sell it to them at a lower price?¡± ¡°Everyone would want to buy it, but it would be hard to get enough of it.¡± ¡°Even so, themoners would be able to survive.¡± The emperor touched his chin. The Tower Mastsr was clever, but immature and young, probably because he was locked up in a cage for a long time. What he was thinking was unfolding in the emperor¡¯s mind. ¡°¡®All the people will be eyes and ears and hands and feet. If we try to touch him, the bacsh will be terrible. We have hired knights to guard him in exchange for watching his every move.¡± ¡°¡­¡­you¡¯re definitely smart.¡± ¡°However, I wish I had more time to experience society.¡± He hadn¡¯t, so the victory in this matter would be his. It was his fault for showing him the cards. Why not take the initiative and solve the problem with the cards he shown? ¡°There wouldn¡¯t need to be any bad rumors about the thing.¡± ¡°What?¡± The emperor crossed his arms and raised his chin. ¡°Gillian, do you know how to devalue an expensive item?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s a woman with a reputation for sobriety, you can defile her and drive her into the ground. If it¡¯s a precious and beautiful jewel, you can kill all their owners and start a rumor that the jewel is cursed.¡± Gillian¡¯s eyes widened. The emperor just smiled silently. There were many ways to diminish the value of an item. The easiest way was to create a rumor. ¡°What would be a good rumor about an alchemist who heals people? What is the truth about the one who offered to sell expensive alchemy potions at an exorbitantly low price?¡± The emperor¡¯s eyes bent as he recited the sweet words. It was probably because he was in such dire straits that he revealed his strange move, but his thoughts were short. ¡°It would be even better if there were actual victims. Are you sure you said that the wounded took the potion?¡± Yes, the thing gave the medicine to all the wounded.¡± ¡°Is that so? And ¡­¡­¡­ Okay! How about this?¡± The emperor¡¯s voice was tinged with joy. His lips began to move without rest, and Gillian took the ce of a reply with an asional nod. His lips eventually closed slowly in a smile. The thick index finger that the emperor lifted and made a gesture like brutally cutting his neck at an angle. Gillian silently stared at the Emperor¡¯s moving lips. He looked so happy as he chuckled and shook his shoulders. Chapter 74 ¡°Well, now you¡¯vepleted it to some extent. It¡¯s time for that boy to learn that the world is not so sweet.¡± ¡°As youmand, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°And the investigation of the case¡­.I¡¯ll leave it to Milord.¡± ¡°Yes, I understand.¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s time for you to leave and get some rest.¡± Gillian slowly bowed at the Emperor¡¯s order. He turned around and stepped out of the emperor¡¯s office. Feeling the absence of people around him, the emperor spontaneously rose from his seat. He took out four thick books from behind his desk, one in the right corner of the top column of the bookshelf, the next one under the left side of the bottom column of the bookshelf, next to those five books, and the second one on the top left side. To be precise, he left only half of them out on the shelf. At the same time, there was a click and lock sound inside the study, and a door appeared in the center of the bookcase. He slowly opened it and stepped into the dark interior. He closed the door and locked it skillfully, and outside, it was just another ordinary bookshelf. The emperor stepped forward and lit the candle with a flickering sound, lighting the darkness of the passage. After walking down the not-so-long path, arge room appeared inside. A bed was ced in the center of therge room, and bookshelves were lined tightly together. A desk in one corner was neatly organized with pen and ink. On the bed in the center of the room, there was an object curled up on its knees. Her winding light blue hair stretched long as if left unattended for a long time and was scattered on the bed. After a quick look around the room, the emperor took out his desk chair and pulled it towards the bed. ¡°Elise, why don¡¯t you show your face?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± He looked at her and said, ¡°It seems that you want me to sanction you again. Did I not punish you enough?¡± Elise flinched and her shoulders trembled. The emperor waited a moment. Elise slowly lifted her head. He could hear the creak of bones as she had been crouching for a long time, but she eventually raised her head fully and raised her chin. The woman¡¯s mouth was gagged tightly with a cloth. It seemed like it was to prevent her from biting her tongue so she couldn¡¯t kill herself. The scars on her neck were thick, as if she had been scratching it repeatedly, and one of her eyes was empty, as if one of the eyeballs had been dug out. The one remaining eye showed her original eye color was deep blue. The emperor reached out and untied the cloth binding the woman¡¯s mouth with one hand. ¡°¡­..kill me.¡± ¡°Milord will be sad to know that his only mother would say such words.¡± The woman¡¯s wrists were bound with heavy chains. The shackles were so heavy that she could not easily raise her hands. The emperor reached out and held it lightly. Poof. The shackles were released as if his hand was a key. The emperor reached into his pocket and pulled out something and shook it lightly. It was a red bead with phosphorus on it. Elise¡¯s eyes widened, as if she knew what it was. ¡°Elise, I¡¯ve found something interesting.¡± ¡°Who are you ¡­¡­.?¡± The sunken voice was full of anger. The Emperor put his hand on Elise¡¯s face with an unconcerned and pensive expression. Elise made a wince-inducing, abhorrent face, but didn¡¯t avoid it. ¡°I¡¯m an alchemist. Maybe I¡¯ll turn you back to normal.¡± ¡°You¡­., that vain dream ¡­.¡± Elise gritted her teeth. It seemed she hadn¡¯t been able to eat properly, her body was nothing but bones and her cheeks were slender. She looked so thin that her bones stood out. ¡°¡®If you rebel again¡­¡­It hurts my heart, but next time I¡¯ll cut off Milord¡¯s arm and bring it to you. Or would you prefer Lagris¡¯s right leg?¡± ¡°¡­¡­ Ah.¡± ¡°Lagris¡¯s right eye and left arm were already given as gifts. It¡¯s hard without arms, so right leg is okay next time.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll kill you ¡­¡­!!!¡± Elise let out a screeching scream and reached out her hands. The emperor, who lightly grabbed Elise¡¯s waist and sat her on hisp, held her neck and kissed it. She was a lovely, dainty woman who was easily fooled by his lies. ¡°Why did you reject me? Why did you want to abandon me? The two of you. Since you and Lagris rejected me, I really had to be a monster.¡± Elise shook her body. The Emperorughed lowly, lightly grasping her wrist as she raised her hand in horror. He kissed her wrist, his golden eyes glittering dangerously. ¡°Elise, do not forget. You, no. You and Lagris brought this on yourself.¡± ¡°You, dog¡­¡­!¡± ¡°No roughnguage.¡± The emperor, on the other hand, startedughing as if it were funny. Snickering as if her defiance was nothing. ¡°Anyway, start eating properly tomorrow. If you die¡­ ¡­I¡¯ll ravage Milord and Lagris in front of your dead body. ¡­¡­I¡¯ll make them live in your ce for the rest of their life. I¡¯ll make sure they won¡¯t die even if they beg me to kill them.¡± ¡°What the hell, Cainus¡­¡­¡­ what the hell is wrong with you¡­¡­.?¡± Elise¡¯s face contorted, and she crumpled in his arms, gritting her teeth and crying. The Emperor looked at her casually, then took her in his arms and sat her down on the bed again. ¡°It¡¯s your fault. You believed in me and told me that we would be together forever, but then you abandoned me and tried to create a world where it was just you and Largris. You tried to destroy the world of the three of us first.¡± ¡°I¡­ you as a friend. ¡­.¡± It was said as a friend. ¡®I believe in you as a friend, I¡¯ll stay with you forever as a friend.¡¯ Elise bowed her head in despair as he shook his head as if it was all her fault and he was an act of God. He smiledzily as he sat Elise down on the bed. It was a smile of madness, even deeper than the darkness. ¡°But I still love you, Elise.¡± The Emperor lightly grabbed her by the neck. He chuckled as he nuzzled her neck. ¡°What¡¯s your answer? ¡°¡­¡­ I love you, Cainus.¡± The emperorughed with satisfaction, even though Elise¡¯s voice sounded like she was reading a book in the nationalnguage that didn¡¯t contain the slightest bit of emotion. He took off her shackles and left his seat with a nk look on his face. ¡°I wille back tomorrow.¡± The emperor meekly turned away. He turned back the way he hade and returned to his office. He went outside and neatly rearranged his bookshelf, and eventually left the office as if nothing had happened. * * * ¡°Ah¡­¡± It was strangely hot. A soothing hand approached and patted her back as she lightly shifted her body, wondering why the bed she used alone was so hot. Valletta moaned lowly at the feeling of being even hotter. ¡°It¡¯s hot.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Miss Valletta, are you awake? ¡°Uh ¡­¡­.¡± Valletta took a deep breath at the sound of annoyance over her head. She slowly blinked her eyes and let out a small sigh before she lifted her eyelids with difficulty again. She raised her hand and rubbed her eyes at the hard chest she could see in front of her and the arms that held her. And on top of the dazzlingly inhuman appearance, her neck eventually stiffened as it was. She thought about how peaceful it was to sleep, and wondered who would think this was the Tower Master who had killed so many people. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you¡­¡± Valletta raised her hand and covered her eyes. It really was a ¡°mistake¡±. ¡®When did this man sneak into my bed again?¡¯ She usually pretended to allow him. She sighed and slowly got up. ¡°Master¡­¡­?¡± ¡°Why are you here¡­ ¡­.?¡± She was asking him a question, but Reinhardt didn¡¯t open his eyes, he just rubbed his cheek against hers, hugging her waist. ¡°I got kicked out. Please pat me.¡± ¡°¡­¡­ What?¡± ¡°My head.¡± Valletta patted Reinhardt¡¯s head a couple of times in a daze. In fact, she was just pressing his head instead of stroking it. She turned her head and looked behind her, feeling some kind of chillingly quiet realism. Ceylon stood with an awkward smile, and next to him was Quilt, who avoided her gaze. And the middle-aged man behind them, who looked even more embarrassed, already had the expression of having seen something he didn¡¯t understand. ¡°¡­¡­ when did you promise to meet here?¡± She eventually asked back in absurdity. Reinhardt, who had been sleeping bettertely, was once again catching his breath, still hugging her waist. ¡®No, what kind of dog are you?¡¯ ¡®Why do you hide in my bed at night?¡¯ Valletta couldn¡¯t help but giggle at herself for not knowing that. Probably a high probability that he used magic to sneak in quietly¡­¡­ ¡®No wonder I didn¡¯t wake up once today.¡¯ She wished she had slept a little longer, but she felt clear-headed enough. Sometimes just not having nightmares was enough to feel refreshed. ¡®If I keep this up, I¡¯m really going to be addicted.¡¯ Chapter 75 ¡°What is it again that you were kicked out?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡­ First of all, how about a cup of tea?¡± ¡°What kind of tea in the morning¡­.¡± Ceylon smiled awkwardly at Valletta¡¯s voice again. A man with a brown robe that seemed to be the border between middle-aged and old age standing behind him slowly walked forward. Valletta raised her head, still being hugged by Reinhardt. ¡°Nice to meet you, Lady Valletta. My name is Barrio Baloxis. I came here to talk to you because of some reasons¡­.¡± ¡°Ah¡­..¡± A low sigh escaped from between her lips. Come to think of it, it seemed that Quilt said something simr during his shift yesterday. He said someone wasing, but she was out of her mind so she nodded roughly. ¡°¡­ Yesterday you said someone woulde, but you didn¡¯t say it was this morning.¡± Looking at the Quilt, Vallettained. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Of course, he didn¡¯t even say that the visitor would be waiting as soon as she woke up. Of course, he was in a position of an escort, but he was in someone else¡¯s mansion, and he hated Sokor. Valletta got goosebumps at the thought of the servants gathering outside. No matter how she thought about it, it was be a strangendscape. ¡°Besides, Barrio ¡­.¡± After all, Barrio Baloxis came. Isn¡¯t he a person who upies one ce in the tower in many ways? Valletta, who narrowed her brow, looked at Quilt with a trembling gaze. ¡°Don¡¯t me him. I¡¯m sorry, I was impatient because I just wanted to talk.¡± ¡°Yeah, it can happen as a person lives.¡± Barrio Baloxis¡¯s eyes widened at her harsh reaction. ¡°By the way, Lady Valletta seems to know me.¡± Barrio Baloxis spoke with a benevolent smile, hiding his surprise. Valletta gently nodded her head. To be precise, Barrio was a character whom she had heard rumors at the Tower Library and encountered him by words in the novel. ¡°I heard a little bit about you when I was in the tower.¡± ¡°May I ask what was it that you heard?¡± At Barrio¡¯s words, Valletta nced at him. Her dark brown eyes were skillfully hiding her emotions. It was questionable whether she would like the current situation in which she was having a conversation with him, who was a Sokor. ¡°It must be something you are familiar with. It¡¯s a story of a rolled stone and an embedded stone.¡± ¡°¡­ Well.¡± Valletta didn¡¯t have to speak openly, Barrio Baloxis scratched his chin with a troubled expression as if he understood her words without difficulty. After a while, he lightly tapped the floor with the cane in his hand. ¡°Are you sure you want a cup of tea?¡± ¡°There is nothing difficult.¡± Valletta shrugged her shoulders. ¡°If only I could take this off.¡± With a tired look, she pointed her finger at Reinhardt, who was still holding her by the waist. There were times when she leaned on his warmth, but today it was especially severe. At Valletta¡¯s words, Barrio¡¯s expression became strange. He thought it would take quite some time to figure out where his Master disappeared again, but the scene he saw this morning made him speechless. The Tower Master, who killed countless people, was sleeping with the woman with a rxed expression on his face, hugging her tightly in his arms like a little child. ¡°Hey, you get away.¡± ¡°¡­ .¡± Valletta said, pressing Reinhardt¡¯s forehead firmly. Barrio¡¯s eyes widened slightly at Valletta¡¯s annoyed expression. ¡®¡­love?¡¯ He seemed to understand a little. The wowan in front of him knew that the man was the Master of the Magic Tower and must have seen him killing people right in front of her, but she treated him casually like that. There was no way the Master could easily give up on this woman who made him feel ordinary, not different from others. ¡°What do you want to say?¡± ¡°Master¡­¡­He said that he would give up the seat at the Tower, but he suddenly disappeared yesterday.¡± ¡°Ah¡­.¡± Valletta slowly looked behind her and sighed. What else do you not like? Perhaps he was a little shocked that he did not use magic this time. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I think you can take him with you now that he¡¯s here.¡± ¡°He seems to be running away again soon.¡± To call this an escape, it felt like she had just thrown it all away because it was just annoying to her. Valletta let out a short sigh. ¡°Why did he run away?¡± ¡°To put it simply, there was a slight disagreement.¡± Barrio Baloxis said silently. Valletta was sitting on the bed, her waist was being held by Reinhardt, and conversing with the other person. She pointed her finger at her desk chair. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t treat you properly, but please sit over there if you can.¡± ¡°¡­thank you.¡± Quilt brought him a chair. Barrio grabbed the hem of his robe and sat down on the wooden chair. ¡°The singrity between what we think and the niche of Sokor¡­ No, because the Master who grew up withdy Valletta did not agree.¡± Barrio briefly described what happened yesterday. Valletta listened intently to the story. When Barrio finished talking, she quietly shrugged her shoulders. ¡°I endured a lot because of his personality.¡± Valletta, who leaned her forward and put her chin on herp, looked down at Reinhardt¡¯s well-groomed face, obviously pretending to be sleeping. Although he didn¡¯t show any reaction. ¡°What did he have to do to the wizards who show hostility as soon as they arrived? I think he was trying to let it roll the way it used to.¡± Indeedi he was. Wouldn¡¯t it be better to just let the stone roll over and destroy the existing system altogether? The rolled stone would have to be added little by little to it whenever help was needed. ¡°¡­ ¡­ You were just going to let it roll?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s better than having a strangere and destroy everything that existed.¡± ¡°¡­ .¡± All that was allowed was their Master. To just leave it alone meant that he didn¡¯t know much about the system. ¡®The first thing to do is to exin it properly.¡¯ Although Reinhardt was born with great power, he must have lived in awe and fear. Or intense hatred among Sokor. ¡°I¡¯ll talk to himter¡­ ¡± thud! Suddenly, Valletta¡¯s heart tightened. She crouched down, clutching her chest with a throbbing pain. ¡°Lady Valletta ¡­ ?¡± ¡°Are you okay?¡± Barrio Baloxis and Ceylon asked one after another, but Valletta could not answer. Their voices seemed toe from far away. Reinhardt, which had been lying behind her, holding her waist, opened his red eyes. ¡°Ugh¡­ .¡± ¡°Master.¡± Reinhardt quickly turned her to her side and held her in his arms. Cold sweat dripped down Valletta¡¯s body. ¡°hurt¡­ah!¡± She screamed out and copsed, clutching Reinhardt¡¯s shirt. Reinhardt¡¯s face contorted. He stared at Ceylon and Barrio Baloxis. The two shook their heads. ¡°Ahhhh¡­..¡± ¡°Valletta, breathe.¡± Reinhardt patted her back and said softly. But she was holding her breath as if she couldn¡¯t hear properly in her ears. That wouldn¡¯t mean that her pain would subside. Reinhardt raised his index finger and ced it carefully on her forehead. It was a kind of magic that would prevent her from feeling pain. Only then did Valletta¡¯s face slowly softened. She exhaled harshly and was fine for a moment, then her face was contorted once again. ¡°Ah!¡± Reinhardt¡¯s expression hardened at her convulsive trembling. Heid her down on the bed and gently ced his palms on her stomach. He closed his eyes and slowly let his power flow into her. Reinhardt¡¯s face hardened as he sent his power to flow through her body. He hastily patted her neck. He clenched his fists and slowly stood up. (*the Emperor got the ne) ¡°Ugh¡­..¡± Valletta crouched down on her body, slowly inhaling her breath at the fading pain. She clenched her teeth, her body shook, convulsing intermittently. It was the kind of pain she had felt somewhere. ¡°Rein¡­.hardt .¡± ¡°Yes, Valletta.¡± ¡°You¡­¡­you punk¡­.. The ne, where is it¡­¡± Reinhardt couldn¡¯t open his mouth with a hard expression on his face. *** Chapter chapter 76 Valletta closed her eyes on the bed and let out a ragged breath. Then the pain disappeared as if someone had just stopped squeezing the bead. ¡°It¡¯s gone.¡± ¡°You b*stard¡­.¡± Rainhard chuckled as he watched Valletta casually spit out the harsh words. She didn¡¯t usually swear. He slowly swept her disheveled bangs. ¡°Now remove the engraved mark immediately.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, it¡¯s just¡­..It was engraved with a gain stronger than me.¡± Valletta¡¯s eyes widened at Reinhardt¡¯s words. Where in the world could there be an existence more powerful than the Magic Tower Lord? His entourage, Ceylon, seemed to be surprised by this as well. ¡°Master, I can¡¯t believe it¡¯s stronger than you¡­.¡± Valletta jumped to her feet. She grabbed Reinhardt¡¯s cor. She realized for the first time how terrible the pain was. This was how Reinhardt must have felt when she first met him. Valletta shivered with fear. She would rather be stabbed once by a sword and die. But she didn¡¯t want to shudder at the pain that mighte at any moment. ¡°You ¡­¡­!¡± Reinhardtid his hand on the back of Valletta¡¯s hand, which had grabbed his cor so hard that it turned white. ¡°I¡¯ll get this sorted out soon.¡± ¡°You¡¯re putting my heart in the hands of a stranger and telling me to do this?¡± Reinhardt¡¯s brows narrowed. If the engraved part wasn¡¯t the heart, he would have used other methods, but it was the heart of all things. Even a small mistake would make her stop breathing. The heart was a sensitive and important part of the body. That was why he couldn¡¯t touch it carelessly. Reinhardt slowly stood up. It seemed that he had to learn the magic circle first. ¡®This is not the time to be foolish.¡¯ The killing spirit fell from the red eyes of Reinhardt, who lowered his feet to the ground. ¡®Dare to mess with someone you shouldn¡¯t mess with.¡¯ The imperial family was the opponent for sure, but there were one or two strange things lined up behind him. Basically, there couldn¡¯t be any wizard stronger than the Magic Tower Lord. However, since it was a magic that has developed over a long period of time, there could have been another way behind it if it was clearly out of the norm. ¡°I¡¯ve been involved with you and nothing good hase of it.¡± Gritting her teeth, Valletta buried her face in her palms and mumbled. Reinhardt, who was putting on a robe, stopped moving. Without replying, he pulled the hood over his head. ¡°I¡¯ll protect you. I¡¯ve never hurt you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s interesting. What about the day of the massacre?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a bit of an exception. You said you were surprised.¡± Valletta sighed at the sound of Reinhardt¡¯sughter. When Reinhardt lightly hit the floor, the Magic circle spread angrily. ¡°You can go home now. You said you resigned from the magic tower, but you don¡¯t have to stay with me. I¡¯ve already moved half of my stuff over there, so ¡­¡­.¡± She was just going to have to deal with him for a while. It hadn¡¯t urred to her that she had lost her ne. She was so distracted by the behavior that she couldn¡¯t even think of the ne. ¡°My home¡­¡± On his way to leave the mansion, he heard Valletta¡¯s low voice, and Reinhardt slowly turned his gaze and looked at Valletta, who was bowing her head. Reinhardt¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°You ¡­¡­ you remember what I said back then?¡± ¡°I remember everything you said. One day, Master and I will have a ce where we can fold our wings and rest.¡± There will be a ce where they can rest. They, who had never rested because there were so many things they were born with. There were so many reaching hands that wanted to choke them. ¡°What about Roast? ¡°Oh, that.¡± Valletta put her bare feet on the marble. She reached across the desk, pulled something out of her bag, opened it to the middle page and held it out to Reinhardt. ¡°It appears to be some sort of alchemy, but it may not.¡± Valletta pressed her thumb firmly on her temple. She had been doing some experiments. After some experimentation, she realized that it was possible to create a simr potion, though not exactly the same. However, no matter how much she thought about it, she couldn¡¯t make it exactly the same. It didn¡¯t make sense to take away an unspecified number of things. ¡°What I know now is that if Roast does alchemy, the form used in it will progressively¡­ ¡­So it¡¯s to the extent that it¡¯s aposite alchemy where diverse alchemical forms arebined.¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± ¡°And there are at least four more forms used, and all we know so far is that they are about hardening, corrosion, erosion, and weathering.¡± Reinhardt nodded, looking at the various alchemical forms that filled the notebook. ¡°But what if it¡¯s different?¡± ¡°It¡¯splicated, different parts, different symptoms. It¡¯s rather easy to do magic with these things.¡± ¡°Anyway, you¡¯re so smart. I guess that¡¯s why more people want you so badly.¡± ¡°Did you start yesterday?¡± ¡°No, I started two days ago. I didn¡¯t have enough detailed information¡­¡­I wish I could see the people dying from the disease.¡± ¡°That would certainly be a good way to get information.¡± The eyes of Barrio Baloxis, who was listening to what was being said, were tinged with astonishment. He could see a little why Quilt and Ceylon said they had their own world. How can someone so smart have such a low capacity for empathy? There was something odd about the two of them casually mentioning the death of others. And that was not all. As with the Magic circle, ¡°creation¡± was the most difficult task for a wizard. Creating a new magic form or a new magic circle was never an easy task. But even more difficult than that was the task of tracking backwards the forms of the magic circles that were created. ¡°It could be a magic circle, so you should check it out too.¡± ¡°I got it.¡± ¡°If it is a magic circle, it will take some time to solve everything, but then we will know how to destroy it. So what about you?¡± ¡°I remembered that it was an ancient magic circle that destroyed the building.¡± In response to Valletta¡¯s question, Reinhardt chuckled and shrugged his shoulders. As a result of moving his mind while listening to the boring story yesterday, he was able to recall the ancient magic circle buried in his old memory. ¡°It¡¯s a magic circle I¡¯ve seen for a while, and it¡¯s going to take a while to recover it¡­.If it¡¯s the kind of magic that seals magic, the range will be small enough that we should be able to find it quickly.¡± ¡°What happened to the attack on the vige that youmitted?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ I¡¯m not sure no matter how much I think about it, so I¡¯ll have to look around first.¡± Reinhardt said, stroking his chin. The shadows that hung beneath the hood made his eyes look even murkier. Valletta could tell that he wasn¡¯t feeling well. ¡°I don¡¯t know who dared to steal my things¡­.¡± Reinhardt¡¯s eyes warped beautifully. It was a perfect smile, not even a wrinkle. ¡°If I ever see him, I¡¯ll rip off his limbs and feed them to the dog.¡± ¡°And the tower is your seat. Think again.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Reinhardt stared at her silently for a moment as her words. Then he looked at the three people gathered in silence and shrugged. ¡°Take care of yourself. Now that they¡¯ve taken the card you were holding, they¡¯ll be moving in earnest over there.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you and I both skilled at surviving crazy people?¡± Reinhardt let out a low chuckle at Valletta¡¯s indifferent words. He moved his shoulders for a moment as if he was happy, and then smiled brightly. He quickly moved closer and kissed Valletta¡¯s forehead. ¡°I¡¯ll be back.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have toe.¡± ¡°Another sadment.¡± The magic circle on the floor lit up. ¡°You may leave.¡± With onest look at Quilt and Ceylon, Reinhardt gave the order and disappeared in the blink of an eye with the swarm of light. Looking at the remains of the vanished magic circle, Valletta let out a low sigh. ¡®What kind of b*stard are you really¡­?¡¯ Valletta shook her head wildly. Chapter 77 ¡°Are you saying that this is connected to Valletta?¡± Milord asked in a strange voice, staring down at the red bead in his hand. The bead that rolled in his hand had strange letters stuck inside it, but it didn¡¯t look special. ¡®Yes, it hasn¡¯t been announced, but I¡¯m sure there will be a bounty arrangement soon. It had destroyed the building again, along with a new magic tower pir. ¡°It¡¯s outrageous. No matter how much Valletta has changed from before¡­..¡± ¡°That¡¯s not all. We have received reports of numerous deaths this morning.¡± The Emperor said, shaking his head with a worried look on his face. Milord, who opened his eyes wide, made his face firm as if he had something to guess. ¡°Again¡­Was it the destruction of the vige caused by that magic tower lord?¡± No, this time it¡¯s the servants of the Duke of Delphine.¡± ¡°You mean the people who were trapped under the building. I heard that their condition was serious. However, Valletta distributed the potion, and there are quite a few people who have improved thanks to it¡­¡± Milord¡¯s brows furrowed. His respected father, the Emperor¡¯s expression was not good, so Milord¡¯s expression darkened along with it. Milord clenched his fists. ¡°¡­¡­ You don¡¯t think she had anything to do with this?¡± ¡°There was a problem with whoever took the potion. Moreover..¡± ¡°What? No way. It¡¯s probably just a worsening of the condition.¡± ¡°On the other hand, the people who didn¡¯t take the potion to save money had no problem.¡± Milord¡¯s face went nk and he shook his head as if he couldn¡¯t believe it. It couldn¡¯t be. Valletta wasn¡¯t such a terrible person. She looked a little different, but that didn¡¯t mean she was someone who would indiscriminately ughter people. ¡°Are you saying that she deliberately poisoned people?¡± ¡°No poison was found. Gillian told me that there are two possible exnations.¡± ¡°Two?¡± ¡°It could have been a catastrophe created by the inexperience of an ipetent alchemist, or it could have been an experiment of some kind¡­..¡± Milord fell silent. Gillian was the best alchemist in the imperial family. His knowledge of alchemy was unrivaled. ¡®Her ability was outstanding.¡¯ He actually heard Gillian approve and praise other alchemists many times. It was said to be a potion with a very superior level of perfection. It was hard to believe that she had failed to do so. But if he eliminates it¡­..what¡¯s left? It was only the reality that Milord didn¡¯t want to believe in the most. Milord squeezed the bead he was holding. ¡°So, what is this¡­?¡± ¡°She¡¯s an excellent asset. We can¡¯t just let her roam around, but that doesn¡¯t mean we can lock her up and treat her inhumanely.¡± The emperor tapped his fingers lightly on the desk. It didn¡¯t matter what methods he had to use, as long as he could get his hands on her. ¡°When the suspicions are confirmed, she will be captured by the imperial family, but she won¡¯t sit still, so don¡¯t let her out of your sight.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Keep her close to you and you¡¯ll own her. You are my only heir, aren¡¯t you? Don¡¯t lose the child to the Tower Lord.¡± ¡°¡­¡­ I don¡¯t really want Valletta that much.¡± Milord¡¯s lips moved for quite a while before he finally spoke up. The emperor chuckled softly as he looked contentedly at his son¡¯s hand, which was grasping the bead with all his might. His son, who knew nothing, was adorable. He wouldn¡¯t even know what it was he was holding to calm his emotions. ¡°Milord, tie her close to you and one day she will give you her heart. Maybe when you have children they can feel the love for you.¡± ¡°But¡­..¡± ¡°And if you really mean to get it after that, you can choose any means or method you like. Because you are the one who will be Emperor.¡± The emperor said as he stood up and squeezed Milord¡¯s shoulder. Milord slowly bowed his head. His good and ring blue eyes became slightly cloudy. ¡°Milord, it¡¯s impossible for you to have that child with your position now.¡± Milord¡¯s shoulders shook with fright. His mouth dropped open in disbelief as if he had just heard something incredible. ¡°Does Your Highness want me?¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t I ¡­¡­ do that? She¡¯s your fianc¨¦e.¡± ¡°If you want her, you can¡¯t have her right then and there.¡± The conversation with her came to mind. The conversation that stuck in his mind and never left. Hearing the same words from his father, his heart quickly became heavy. ¡°Why? Father! Why? Why me? ¡­¡­.¡± ¡®Why is it that every person I meet tells me I¡¯ll never get her? Has loving someone be such a problem?¡¯ He liked her because she didn¡¯t think of himself as the Crown Prince. Because she seemed to see only the essence of Milord as a person. He was d she didn¡¯t tter herself to win his favor. ¡°That¡¯s where she is, in the mud of that deep bottom. To get the pearls in the mud¡­ ¡­Shouldn¡¯t you dip your feet in that mud too?¡± ¡°Can you get it then?¡± ¡°The next step depends on what you do. If you don¡¯t want to miss it, just hold it in your hand properly. Just make sure you hold onto that bead well.¡± The emperor¡¯s words made Milord¡¯s expression crumple even more. He wanted to believe that she hadn¡¯t done it, but there was too much evidence pointing to her as the culprit. Everything was a mess. ¡°I understand. What will happen to Valletta?¡± ¡°They¡¯ll bring her to the Imperial Castle and lock her up. And we¡¯ll have to educate her.¡± He must make sure that no one disobeys his words. The emperor was fortunately confident in such things, and there were many talented people around him. He tapped the Crown Prince lightly on the shoulder. ¡°You should go home now. If anything happens again, you will have tounch an investigation.¡± ¡°Leave it to me, father.¡± ¡°Yes, father is d to have a reliable son like you. Go now.¡± ¡°Yes, father.¡± Milord bowed with his hand on his chest. The emperor stroked his chin as he watched Milord turn his body and walk away. It was getting quite interesting. ¡°Jin.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± The fifth is the Espel vige.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± The vige of Espel was a fairlyrge vige near the capital. Not a small vige of only twenty people, but a ce inhabited by well over a hundred people. ¡°Do you have an answer for me?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Take that useless thing in the basement with you, it¡¯s useful in times like this. And you don¡¯t have toe back.¡± ¡°Yes? That means¡­.¡± ¡°If you seed this time, you don¡¯t have toe back.¡± Jin¡¯s eyes widened. She nodded quickly as she had no answer. She was speechless. ¡°I understand! Your Majesty.¡± The person who had been kneeling in the darkness disappeared immediately with the reply. The emperor slowly sat down and leaned back in his chair. Licking his lips lightly with his tongue, he held his chin leisurely and blinked slowly. ¡°I¡¯ll finally take care of everything.¡± Disposal of garbage was a very simple task. **** ¡°You heard the rumors?¡± ¡°Rumors about what?¡± ¡°Why! Do you remember the Count¡¯s daughter who opened a potion store a few days ago?¡± The man who was carrying the crate into the store turned away, wiping sweat from his face with the back of his hand. A skinny man with his arms crossed on one side approached him, looking terribly excited. ¡°Ah, the rumors have spread, haven¡¯t they? Isn¡¯t it outrageous? I¡¯m very curious to know which potion the giant nobles use. Have you heard any announcements as to when it will open?¡± The man who was carrying the crate leaned against the box for a moment, interested in what the skinny man had to say. ¡°Not at all! They said that all the servants of the Duke of Delphine who drank the potion at that time died!¡± ¡°What? I took the potion. Why?¡± ¡°Oh, you really don¡¯t know anything. Didn¡¯t you see the wanted notice on the bulletin board today? ording to the notice, she¡¯s inexperienced in alchemy skills.¡­.¡± The man couldn¡¯t believe there was a wanted notice for her. It was very rare for a bounty to be ced on a nobleman¡¯s child. It was also rare unless it was a case of tant murder. It could be a big blow to the aristocracy, but putting a person on the wanted list was literally a decision to end the life of a nobleman. ¡°But I¡¯m sure there were rumors that she had excellent skills.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why! There¡¯s a rumor going around that they may have been testing an unfinished product.¡± ¡°What¡­No way. How much has Duke Delphine given us?¡± The man shook his head and chuckled in vain. Most of the people in the capital knew how good Duke Delphine was. Whenever a problem arose, it was Duke Delphine and Duke Leon who were always willing to step up and solve it. ¡°So! The Count¡¯s daughter who destroyed that family line must have cheated our Duke as well! My best friend¡¯s daughter also died after drinking that potion!¡± The skinny man, who raised his voice, stomped his foot, unable to bear his anger. The man, who had broken out in a certain amount of sweat, silently looked at the person in front of him. ¡°I understand.¡­. you¡¯re getting overexcited.¡± ¡°Anyway, just now the Imperial Knights went to Duke Leon¡¯s residence. Only Duke Leon and Duke Delphine will feel sorry for her.¡± ¡°Hmm, I see. Anyway, I have to work until the end of the day, so why don¡¯t you get yourself together and go in.¡± The man said as he lifted the crate again and scurried toward the back. But the skinny man stood, drank all the liquor from the tin can that he couldn¡¯t resist clinging to his waist, and turned away, sniffing and snorting. ¡°Ah, the aristocracy of them¡­ ¡­It clears my chest!¡± What a joy! Augh naturally escaped his mouth as he thought about the fact that someone who had lived a noble life would never be able to live it again. The skinny man walked with a smile and shoved his hands in his pockets. He looked very pleasant as he headed for the damp alley. The man, who was leaning still in the alley holding a box, narrowed his forehead. ¡®I guess it¡¯s time to move.¡¯ It seemed it was time to get ready. Chapter 78 ¡°Are you breaking in?¡± ¡°No, Duke Leon. This morning, His Majesty officially ordered the arrest of Valletta Delight. There is also a letter of permission with the imperial seal.¡± The knight said as he quickly unfolded the rolled up paper and showed it to the Duke. Duke Leon¡¯s brows narrowed as he looked at the man who was clearly out as an executioner. With his arms crossed he stood protectively in front of the door and checked the permission paper. ¡®You¡¯ve drawn your swordpletely.¡¯ It was clear that his intention was to block the exit. The rumors that had started to spread gradually a few days ago were well known to Duke Leon, as well as Valletta Delight herself and Carlon Delphine. The day after the servants drank the potion that the child had taken pains to share with them, they all died due to unconsciousness. If the people who didn¡¯t drink it had also died, they would have been able to think that it was just a worsening situation. But the problem was that those who did not drink lived and they even testified. Suddenly, they all died one by one, vomiting the potion they had taken during the night. There was also a liquid near the dead that actually looked like the potion. Just from somewhere, rumors about Valletta started to spread, and the families of the victims instigated them with open anger. The rumor quickly grew. As a result, Duke Leon didn¡¯t even leave the mansion for a few days to guard the inside. They came to the front and started protesting. The rumors were mixed with malicious talk, and the story grew more and more. Carlon Delphine had moved to another mansion in the capital that he had been using as a vi since that day. He also seemed to be investigating the information in his own way, but he couldn¡¯t prevent the simultaneous spread of information by many. ¡°What¡¯s the charge?¡± As if ustomed to Duke Leon¡¯s short words, the man standing at the very front of the Order opened his mouth with courtesy. ¡°The order was given to take her into custody for serial murder. We have also found evidence that Lady Delight has been conducting experiments on humans at Count Delight¡¯s residence.¡± ¡°Experiments?¡± ¡°Yes, various experimental tools and drugs were found in the basement of the Count¡¯s mansion, as well as the bodies of the dead long before the murders.¡± ¡°What about Count Delight? The child was abused.¡± ¡°Count Delight is presumed to be the mastermind. Valletta Delight has been named as an aplice to Count Delight¡¯s experiments on human beings, and as an aplice to the murder of the Count¡¯s entire household. There are even charges of poisoning using potions.¡± Duke Leon fell silent. It made sense. All things were certain. Public opinion was brewing, and no one would believe him if he opened his mouth in this situation. But¡­. His eyes slowly sank. If he could prevent it, he would prevent it. It was not impossible if he tried to suppress them with the Duke¡¯s status. The problem would be after that. ¡°For the above reasons, Valletta Delight will be taken into custody.¡± ¡°What about the disposition?¡± ¡°It will be decided directly by His Majesty the Emperor, and will be finalized after the trial.¡± Duke Leon put his hand to his forehead. It was the first time in a long time that he was annoyed. It was amazing how much power the emperor had, how much honor and forces he possessed. ¡°I cannot allow it.¡± ¡°It is illegal to defend and protect a criminal whose guilt is certain and whose bounty is off the table, Commander.¡± The other party shook his head firmly. The man who held the position of deputy knightmander was a man who was as honest as Duke Leon, and at the same time, he was foolish. ¡°I cannot allow it.¡± ¡°What¡¯s not allowed, Duke?¡± ¡°Come in¡­¡­.¡± Carrying a bag on her shoulder, Valletta peeked through the crack in the door. Duke narrowed his brows and said briefly, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Valletta ignored him and emerged. She was looking down from the upper floor and heard amotion, so she wondered what was going on, and sure enough. They were here for her. It was within her expectations. She was going to lose the first fight anyway. She tried to fight first, but it was a blunder to expose her fight first. Dwelling over a lost game would not solve the problem. With a casual nce, she looked at the Deputy Knight Commander. ¡±Valletta Delight, you are under arrest for serial murder. Pleasee with me to the Imperial City.¡± ¡°If you can take me, I¡¯ll follow you.¡± The deputy knightmander¡¯s lips shut at Valletta¡¯s words. He didn¡¯t expect her to say something like that so openly. He clenched his fists with a hard expression. The woman looked like she didn¡¯t feel guilty at all after killing someone. ¡°Suit yourself.¡± ¡°I¡¯m losing this game anyway. I¡¯m defeated. That¡¯s too bad, a little. I thought I could win.¡± ¡°Valletta.¡± ¡°We can¡¯t end it here, we have to set up the next game.¡± Valletta thought about this as she watched Carlon Delphine, but it still seemed that age and experience mattered to people. Duke Leon furrowed his brow. He tried to reach out but Valletta shook her head lightly. ¡°I¡¯lle backter. And tell Carlon I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°He¡¯ll be angry.¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to see how the people who died this time died. That would be a shame, too.¡± ¡°You¡­.!¡± The deputymander drew his sword at the sound of Valletta¡¯s cold, unfeeling voice and speech. The tip of his quivering sword touched Valletta just below the neck. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m the Deputy Commander.¡± ¡°You¡¯re in a hurry.¡± But it was true that he was a little annoyed and deliberately mean at Valletta¡¯s irritating words. Valletta meekly shrugged her shoulders in silence. With a low sigh, she meekly took a step forward. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll just have to follow you.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Her words, so shameless, left the deputymander speechless for a moment. He barely hid the emotion from his face. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Can I take a bag with me?¡± ¡°As a general rule, animals and objects are to be confiscated.¡± ¡°¡­¡­ things too?¡± That was a bit of a problem. There was a lot of information in the notebook. To make the roast spell, it needed a magic circle, and to revert the spell, it also needed a magic circle. Of course some things to develop it were different. Valletta tilted her head and sighed deeply. ¡°There¡¯s something I didn¡¯t bring in my room, can I bring it?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go get it.¡± ¡°Okay. Please bring the notebook on the table. It¡¯s on the second floor in the fourth room.¡± The deputymander¡¯s green eyes colored with annoyance for a while. However, as an experienced knight, he bowed to the Duke, keeping his emotions in check, and entered the mansion. While the other watchers approached, Valletta took a small notebook from her bag and shoved it into Duke Leon¡¯s hand. He shook his shoulders and meekly put it in his pocket. ¡°¡­¡­ are you okay?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m tired of being protected.¡± Valletta was tired at the violence inflicted in the name of protection. She was strong enough without further protection. She could stand on her own, she could step forward. She had the power to make it all go away. ¡®It¡¯s a good thing I didn¡¯t use the power as Reinhardt said.¡¯ That was something to thank him for. Thanks to him, there was at least one more card that had not been caught. Eventually, she put the boring notebook in the deputymander¡¯s hand and walked with him. ¡°Thank you¡­.. Duke.¡± ¡°I¡¯lle see you.¡± At her thanks, Duke Leon replied nonchntly with a faint smile on his lips. Valletta opened her eyes wide and quickly shrugged her shoulders. Duke Leon stood still for a long time, from the moment Valletta stepped into the carriage, until she was out of sight in his field of vision. ¡°You don¡¯t need to say goodbye?¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s not like we¡¯ll never see each other again.¡± Carlon Delphine, who had been hiding in a corner, appeared with a sigh. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Duke Leon gently looked at the notebook that he had received from Valletta and held it out to Carlon Delphine. After examining the contents, Carlon Delphine took a step back and looked to where the carriage had disappeared, but all he could see was the spacious garden of the Duke¡¯s residence. **** Chapter 79 ¨C North Kertonan 4th Vige. ¨C The half moon in the azure sky illuminated the dead vige faintly. All that remained of the vige that had lost its people and vitality was pitch ckness and the presence of death. Reinhardt stepped lightly into thend of the dead. ¡°Did they say this is the first ce?¡± From the entrance of the vige, it was deserted, and once inside, the smell of blood stimted his sense of smell. Curiosity fluttered in Reinhardt¡¯s red eyes. It was a small vige, with houses lined up side by side. There were still traces of life here and there, and the bodies had been collected and piled up in one ce, but not properly cleaned up. Of course, the bodies were of different shapes and sizes. Reinhardt¡¯s head tilted as he carefully observed the corpses. ¡°That¡¯s strange, whether it¡¯s magic and or poison.¡± Normally, corpses that died from magic and alchemy would look simr. If they die of rupture, there would be traces of rupture everywhere, and if they die from being torn, there would be traces of tearing. It meant there should be consistency in the corpses. However, some of these bodies had their limbs torn out, while others looked as if someone had cut them with a knife. ¡°Besides.¡± He looked around. ¡®¡¯It¡¯s odd.¡± Dead bodies, of course, attract living things. To be precise, they attract animals. The animals that smell the rottenness and bloode rushing in, and they farm the dead people. However, the corpses here were quite dposed and exploited, yet there was not a single rat in sight. There wasn¡¯t even amon ant in sight either. Reinhardt walked towards the corpses, not afraid or peckish, as if a deste vige full of only unburied corpses was not scary enough. He lightly flicked his fingers. Then some corpses flew high into the sky. The sound of fingers interlocking was heard once more, and all the corpses that had umted wereid on the floor. Without hesitation, Reinhardt stepped among the corpses and lightly touched them with his foot. ¡°Decay is decay.¡± Why wasn¡¯t there a single creature? By nature, animals are the ones whose instincts are more developed than their reason. If they feel intimidation that is stronger than they are, they instinctively avoid it, and if it is dangerous, they do not notice the smell. Humans can sense natural disasters that they can¡¯t feel and run away before they happen, and there are even marine creatures that flee tond when there is an iing storm surge or typhoon. In other words, no one had a better ability for survival than animals. Instead of calcting in his head, exploring and predicting with science, he just naturally felt and realized. Reinhardt bent down, lightly grabbed one of the corpses by the cor, and lifted it to his eye level. The rotten eyeball fell to the ground with a pop and cracked. Maggots crumbling inside appeared. ¡±These things don¡¯t have any thoughts.¡± That was why they couldn¡¯t sense danger and didn¡¯t have the ability to deal with crises. In other words, there was a reason why no creatures came to the vige even though the corpses were dposing properly and the maggots were breeding. ¡°I should take a look at the vige.¡± Reinhardt lightly threw the corpse on the floor. The neck of the corpse thrown on the floor broke and became strange. Staring at it without emotion, he lightly kicked the floor with his foot. Or more urately, he tried to kick it. Rrrrrrrr! Reinhardt quickly turned away at the strange sound that came from behind him. He opened his eyes wide in rare surprise as he looked curiously between his weary eyes. ¡°¡­¡­ Ha!¡± Augh escaped from his mouth. ¡°What is this?¡± Reinhardt burst intoughter as if he were engrossed in madness. He stood and stared at the scene unfolding in front of him. Garrigiri, garrigiri- The dead corpses were wriggling and moving. To be more precise, it was all broken muscles trying to force itself to get up. Joints warped, neck bones bent, and they raised themselves in a strange shape. Their arms and legs hung down in front of them, and even their tongues were out. A strange look appeared in Reinhardt¡¯s red eyes. ¡°What madman would do such a funny thing¡­¡­¡± He covered his mouth with his hand, as if it was too absurd. Most of the corpses moved convulsively, even though they had already given their eyes and internal organs to the maggots. ¡°Wow¡­..¡± Rrrrrr! Their arms were stretched and their steps were unstable like a child who first started walking. Nevertheless, they began to sniff and turn toward one ce. ¡°Arggggg..¡± They all turned towards Reinhardt and screamed. This was the first time that he had ever seen such a thing. ¡°How is this possible?¡± It wasn¡¯t any kind of magic, that was for sure. There was no magic circle in sight, and no light when the magic circle was activated. At the same time, he couldn¡¯t feel any power at all. He wondered why they were moving. However, they were very slow, and Reinhardt could widen his safe distance just by taking a couple of light steps back. However, no matter where he ran to, they quickly followed him. ¡°Ahhhhh¡­.¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s strange.¡± Reinhardt touched his left hand lightly. He snatched the neck of one of them with his muscle-strengthening magic. There were no movements despite the fact that its neck had been pressed to the point that the muscles were sticking out. And it did not express distress or cry. It just kept reaching out and attempting to grab Reinhardt. On the other hand, it periodically opened and closed its mouth with a click. The hard teeth shed roughly, causing some tooth loss. ¡°Are you going to eat me?¡± Reinhardt could see its gesture wanting toe closer to him and try to bite his neck off. ¡°You don¡¯t feel pain, but you feel hungry?¡± Mumbled, Reinhardt put more strength into the hand that gripped its neck. The strengthened arm snapped the corpse¡¯s neck lightly. Crack. With a cruel sound, its neck snapped oddly at 90¡ã degrees. Reinhardt lightly threw it to the floor. Unlike its appearance, it had a weak offense. However, it was not intelligent or fearless. Only instinct remained, as the human had been transformed into a beast. No matter what kind of fear loomed in front of it, the monster would not retreat. ¡°Waaaahhhh ¡­¡­!¡± Reinhardt¡¯s eyes widened in slight surprise. The thing that he thought he had killed by twisting its neck started to raise itself up from the waist by putting pressure on its legs again. Its arms, which had been hanging behind him, hung forward again the moment its body stood up. Its neck was still broken. Reinhardt stepped back lightly. ¡°Kuaaaaah!¡± At the same time, the thing screamed and jumped at him. Reinhardt lightly flicked his fingers, looking at the thing running at him. The right arm of the corpse that jumped into the air burst. It flew far away, and other bodies pounced on the flesh of the corpse that crashed to the ground. The impact of the flying arm made the corpse flinch for a moment, but it was only for a moment. The thing jumped at Reinhardt again with its arm missing and bleeding. The speed was much faster than before, as if it was angry. Reinhardt¡¯s breath caught. ¡°This is ¡­¡­.¡± Snap! Muttering lowly, he flicked his fingers again. The fire that burned from the thing¡¯s feet quickly spread to its dead body. Throughout the mes, the thing jumped at Reinhardt with its mouth wide open, as if it felt no pain. ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Reinhardt¡¯s brows narrowed. The thing, which had been alive for more than ten minutes when it was on fire, finally stopped moving and slowly copsed after its hair waspletely burned and its body turned into a ck lump of coal. ¡°This is trouble.¡± Reinhardt mumbled to the end. *** Chapter 80 The smell of burning flesh wafted through the vige. But the strange thing was that the corpses rushed into unripe flesh and ate it, but did not rush into burnt corpses that clearly smelled of meat. The thing didn¡¯t die for more than ten minutes after the burning. Even though its neck was broken, it moved as if it was normal. That meant that autopsies and other physical shocks were not strange. The sound of something being torn apart and eaten while making a chewing sound was heard. The corpse¡¯s eyes seemed to glow red. At the same time, they turned their heads toward Reinhardt. ¡°Ahhhhh!¡± ¡°Quaaaaaah!¡± The corpses rushed to Reinhardt in groups. He narrowed his forehead and lightly kicked the ground. The corpses stretched out their arms as they looked up at Reinhardt, who was floating in the air. ¡°Ahhhhh!¡± One of them began to jump. It stepped on another living corpse and jumped, then it piled up and started jumping, reaching towards Reinhardt. Reinhardt¡¯s eyes widened. ¡®I can¡¯t deal with this for long.¡¯ Havinge to that conclusion, Reinhardt lightly flicked his fingers. Numerous ice spears were created in the air. The ice, which looked like light, covered the entire sky of the vige. Reinhardt¡¯s eyes narrowed. He waved his hand lightly, and in a sh, they poured down like rain. Crash. Spears made of ice pierced the corpses without mercy. All of the strange looking things fell on the floor. Despite this situation, no one wasing. ¡®Is it because it¡¯s a rural vige?¡¯ No matter how rural it was, they couldn¡¯t just leave a corpse like that¡­ .. Narrowing his eyes, Reinhardt stepped onto the ground again. Spears made of ice sunk into the corpses like a hedgehog. ¡°Arhhhhh¡­¡­!¡± Some of them stopped moving as if they werepletely dead, while others were still alive and well, waving their hands around. In addition, some of the bodies in the back did note back to life at all. Reinhardt moved his fingers to separate the bodies who had stopped moving and who had not to left and right. Then he moved the corpses that hadn¡¯t been revived from the beginning in front of him. Between the three separate piles of bodies, Reinhardt moved his eyes and slowly ran through the three groups. The non-living corpses all looked as if they had been ripped off by animals. The ones that came back to life were the ones without body parts or very neatly mutted. They look like people who have been hit by ¡°Lost¡±. ¡°¡­¡­ Hmm, I see.¡± A smile crept across Reinhardt¡¯s lips as he murmured lowly. Indeed, this was a rather interesting result. It seemed that the average person could handle this method to some extent. ¡°How is this even possible?¡± Even with the information he had, there was no magic of any kind that could bring back the dead. Until the ancient magic circle that suddenly activated under the Duke of Delphine¡¯s residence and the amazing scenery of the deading back to life. ¡°It¡¯s going to be fun for a while.¡± However, he needed to return to the magic tower. He needed a book from the library there. There wasn¡¯t as much information stored in his head as he thought there would be. And most of it was insr information, not his own memories, so it would take quite a while to retrieve. ¡°This is the first vige.¡± So there was a probability that something simr had happened in other towns as well. He quickly took out the map from his pocket and looked at it. Reinhardt, who had confirmed the location, killed all the wriggling ones. The corpses that hadn¡¯t been killed by the dozens of ice spearspletely stopped moving and copsed with one attack from Reinhardt. A magic circle was drawn underneath Reinhardt¡¯s feet as he looked over the corpses that were flopping down like crumbling blocks. ¡°I¡¯ll have to check the rest, too.¡± Leaving the corpses behind, Reinhardt disappeared. The vige, where the dead had been alive and moving, seemed to have quieted down again. ¡°Ahhhh¡­¡­.¡± Shortly after Reinhardt disappeared, a corpse raised itself again among the buried bodies. The body, which shook intermittently with its arms drooping forward, blinked. It was not long before it had ice spears on its stomach and shoulders. With a beehive hand, veins popping, the corpse pulled the spears out of its body. Then it hung its arms down again, grasping the pulled-out spears in each hand. nk. nk. Every time it moved, the ice spears in its hands were dragged on the floor. The corpse turned its eyes over, which looked like the eyes of a dead fish, revealed the whites, and then hung its body forward. It remained in that position for a while, but then it began to straighten its body and walk out of the vige. It looked as if it was sick or alone, but from a distance, it was definitely a person. * * * [¡°Barrio Baloxis, what you did was really interesting. Thanks to you, I, too, am indebted to you.¡± When Therion entered the imperial castle with the rebels to defeat the emperor, Reinhardt was also standing in front of the one who had sealed him for thest ten years to end the long-running game. ¡°I have given the Master many opportunities. It is you who have failed me.¡± ¡°A magic tower without a good Master was a symbol of uselessness, so I think it¡¯s better to be ruined.¡± ¡°I wanted to destroy my beloved magical tower rather than see it crumble.¡± ¡°It was indeed just before the sky ind fell. Although my dog was guarding it well.¡± ¡°That guard dog!¡± Barrio Baloxis bared his teeth and growled. The only thing that got in the way of his ns was the guard dog. No one would have imagined that a neglected and ignored guard dog could hide so much power. ¡°Even though I tried to persuade him, he refused to listen to me and inevitably hid himself and protected the ugly looking sky ind.¡± Barrio snorted. The wizard who had been so wise had rotted and sores of his own to the extent that he had set the Magic Tower on the path of decay. Reinhardt listened to the story, still expressionless and absent-minded. ¡°It was a grand gesture, but then the wizard he had begun to admire would have preferred to be destroyed.¡± The twelve wizards who founded the Sky Ind and the Wizard¡¯s Tower. They, too, would prefer to see the ugly ind disappear rather than be maintained. ¡°But it¡¯s done. Before this old man¡¯s life is over, the Sky Ind will be driven into the ground. And it will be over. All because you are not a righteous Master, but a tyrant!¡± Reinhardt silently shifted his gaze as he listened to the wordsing from the senile voice with his white hair. ¡°That¡¯s too bad.¡± ¡°What? It¡¯s already toote¡­..¡± A magic circle began to unfold beneath Reinhardt¡¯s feet. Standing in the middle of the magic circle that was spreading more and more across the sky ind he was stepping into, Reinhardt looked at Barrio with a cold stare. ¡°The first thing about yourcency is that you have no understanding of the will of the twelve wizards who built this ind and tower¡­¡­¡± Reinhardt¡¯s red eyes slowly began to turn silver, like the color of his hair. Barrio stepped back at the sight of the silver dye gradually spreading as if someone had unraveled it over his red eyes. ¡°The second is that I had too much blind faith in your abilities¡­¡­.¡± Reinhardt¡¯s lips slowly drew line. The magic circle that covered the Sky Ind was slowly taking on a glow. The remnants of broken homes and leaning towers slowly began to soar into the sky and return to their original locations. It was as if time had passed and was returning to its original ce. ¡°Third, holding hands with Sokor, you dared to seal me up and give me time to cool down.¡± ¡°Hey, that¡¯s outrageous¡­¡­.¡± Barrio¡¯s mouth gaped open. What was happening in front of his eyes was unbelievable. It wasn¡¯t simply a matter of fixing things and putting broken things back together. Time had been turned back. Reinhardt was invoking a realm that humans could never reach, without a magic wand, just by flicking his fingers. A smile spread across Reinhardt¡¯s lips. It was a deceptively beautiful smile. ¡°Thest thing is that you¡¯ve ignored my ability too much.¡± At the same time, the light of the magic circle covered the Sky Ind. The altitude of the Sky Ind, which was shining dazzlingly like the sun floating in the night sky, gradually increased and the light eventually disappeared. Reinhardt¡¯s eyes had turnedpletely silver and were shining like they didn¡¯t belong to a human. Barrio sat on the floor and looked up at him with an open-mouthed, stunned expression. ¡°Transcendence ¡­¡­really¡­?¡± As if hearing Barrio¡¯s rambling murmur, Reinhardt rxedly nced over the Ind where life returned. ¡°I¡¯ve gained enlightenment since you took the lead in sealing me away with the wizard who became the imperial dog. Transcendents are subject to restrictions.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re a transcendent¡­..¡± ¡°Killing a bunch of people with my own hands became too much trouble. So I raised an interesting person among humans. The emperor of Sokor will die, killed by the toy I raised.¡± In a voice as crisp as singing, Reinhardt quietly exined. Seeing his expression, Barrio shook his head. The master of a noble magic tower can¡¯t be a man crazy with blood and madness like that. ¡°Why, like you.¡­ An unqualified human being¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Barrio, most of the things in the world are unfair. And it¡¯s inevitable.¡± Reinhardt, who had moved a little closer to him, squatted down and met Barrio¡¯s eye level. ¡°Ignorance is a sin, and arrogance and pride are directly linked to death.¡± Reinhardt slowly swept Barrio¡¯s wrinkled old skin with his hand. Reinhardt chuckledzily. ¡°Do you know it, Barrio Baloxis?¡± ¡°What¡­¡­?¡± ¡°The twelve wizards loved the Sky Ind even more than you do. They even let it rece and sustain life without giving up, even if it had crashed like you said.¡± Barrio¡¯s mouth dropped open. ¡°No way¡­.¡± Rainhardt¡¯s fingertip lightly swept Barrio¡¯s face and tapped him on the shoulder. The moment his touch fell off and he took a step back¡­¡­. Flickering. He lit up. ¡°No¡­!¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it the policy to incinerate garbage, this Sky Ind?¡± ¡°Kuaaaaah!¡± The fire that started from Barrio¡¯s face spread to his body in an instant. Barrio hurriedly took out his magic wand and moved his magic power to pour water on his body. Crackle. Crackle. The fire that contained the water grew evenrger. It was as if I was drinking oil instead of water. A horrible scream filled the Sky Ind, but Reinhardt sat in front of it and watched it slowly, holding his chin. Barrio Baloxis¡¯ body, which was struggling even at the moment of his burning death, slowly fell forward. Seeing the corpse burnt pitch ck without any recognizable shape, Reinhardt mindlessly threw it out of the Sky Ind. ¡°The game is over.¡± It was more boring than he thought it would be. Emperor Sokor¡¯s wish to put all kinds of malicious rumors against him was so empty and vain. It was pathetic. Reinhardt¡¯s new silver eyes , which were staring vacantly at the Sky Ind that had returned to its original form, soon concealed itself.] Chapter 81 It was a dream. Normally, it would have ended here. However, strangely, Valletta¡¯s vision was also changed along with Reinhardt. The ce Reinhardt arrived at was familiar. ¡®The Sky Room?¡¯ She was reminded of it from time to time, but never like this. Valletta just held her breath at the choking sight. ¡®Was this room this big?¡¯ Reinhardt was looking down with a weary expression on his face with his hand on the ss of the top floor of the Sky room. There was nothing in his dry eyes. Valletta stood there and blinked dazedly at the memories that were unfolding like a movie in front of her. She read the book, but she didn¡¯t know why it always came to her mind like this. ¡®When can I get out of here?¡¯ It was extremely ufortable. It was hard to breathe even though she knew the other person couldn¡¯t see her This was how Reinhardt became alone. Valletta could intuit that this was the end of Reinhardt in the novel. The whole story came to mind. After this, the story will unfold only from Therion¡¯s point of view. Therion killed the emperor, the world returned to peace, and the boy became an adult and married his beloved woman. ¡®¡­¡­but I didn¡¯t realize he had been sealed for ten years.¡¯ That was why whenTherion¡¯s story unfolded, Reinhardt was never mentioned. There were so many circumstances that made her wonder why she had forgotten about him. Valletta walked slowly by Reinhardt¡¯s side. She wanted to catch his eyes to see what kind of scenery he was looking at. Following him, she ced her palm on the same ss and looked out of it. Reinhardt, of course, has a genius ability, butpared to an old wizard who has umted years and years of experience, maybe he was full of false points. He also acted like a child. He craved affection like a child. He wanted twisted affection from her, who was always afraid of him, always pushing him away. ¡°So, how long are you going to hide in silence, intruder?¡± Valletta¡¯s shoulders shook as she turned her head to the side. She didn¡¯t think he was talking to herself. ¡°¡­¡­.¡± But it seemed like he was talking to her. Precisely he was staring at her with his head tilted. Valletta gulped at the eyes that had somehow returned to red instead of silver. ¡°Wanderer, is it?¡± He stared at Valletta and then murmured in a low voice. ¡°Wanderer?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a phenomenon that sometimes arises from sensitive people, where the body is actually elsewhere, but only the spirit moves.¡± Reinhardt silently replied to Valletta¡¯s dumbfounded question. The cold voice and a cold stare strangely made her back shiver. ¡°Of course¡­¡­¡± Reinhardt slowly reached out his hand. He wrapped it lightly around Valletta¡¯s neck with his long, white fingers. It didn¡¯t feel threatening. So she silently allowed his fingers to touch her neck. It was true that the grown-up Reinhardt looked a little more mature, a little more cold, a little less merciful. ¡°Ugh¡­..¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean you can¡¯t break into my house. And it¡¯s in the Sky room¡­.Is there a purpose?¡± Reinhardt slowly scanned Valletta from top to bottom, putting more and more pressure on the hand that held her neck. Nheless, she didn¡¯t feel scared. She acted like they were old friends. Even now, when he grabbed her by the neck, she just stood there dumbfounded and didn¡¯t even try to run away. What did she believe in? ¡°It hurts ¡­¡­!¡± Reinhardt¡¯s lips lifted up at the sound of a scream after he put a little more pressure on her neck. Valletta grunted through clenched teeth. The look in Reinhardt¡¯s eyes as he tightened her neck was not the least bit inspiring. Tingles, goosebumps on her spine. ¡°Don¡¯t!¡± ¡°What?¡± Reinhardt asked hatefully. She could feel theughter in his curled lips. Valletta¡¯s shoulders shook finely as she raised her hand and grabbed Reinhardt¡¯s wrist. ¡°Rein¡­hardt¡­.you punk!¡± Reinhardt¡¯s eyes opened wide. He quickly loosened his hand, shaking off the force he had been giving it. Valletta, who was strangled, copsed on the floor with her face turned red. ¡°You know my name?¡± Gasp. She breathed heavily as she grabbed her neck with her shaking hands. Fear stopped all movement. It didn¡¯t even ur to her to call to use alchemy. She just thought that dying was the only answer. ¡°Are you all right?¡± Reinhardt asked as he crouched lightly, eye level with her. This Reinhardt or that Reinhardt was the same, they both hurt then soothe. Valletta just coughed with her head down on the ground and her shoulders shook. ¡°Ha¡­¡± Reinhardt grabbed her hand and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, then lifted her up, holding Valletta lightly with one arm. Valletta grabbed his shoulders and frantically dug into his arms. It was as if she knew that it was the only thing she could rely on. She couldn¡¯t stop shaking with fear of death. She knew that the one who held her in his arms was being cunning and shady¡­.. ¡°Hmm¡­¡­¡± Reinhardt curiously tilted his head, but gently ced Valletta on the bed. His warmth finally stopped her from shivering. Valletta btedly touched her forehead, recalling what she did. Did she really need to rely on this child who gave her a disease and medicine? It certainly would have been better if she had left it alone for a while. Reinhardt, who¡¯d been looking at Valletta with her head down, knelt on one knee. Lowering his body, Reinhardt made eye contact with Valletta. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve seen you, I¡¯m trying to remember.¡± ¡°What are you saying¡­..?¡± Valletta mumbled, her forehead narrowed. Reinhardt, who was staring at her, tilted his head at an angle, holding her waist with his other arm. Then he kissed her lips. Then he went straight down and up, kissing Baretta¡¯s nodding lips. Valletta¡¯s eyes opened wide. Reinhardt slowly got up and held the back of her head. His soft tongue pushed in, cutting through Valletta¡¯s lips, which opened in surprise. He bit her lips slightly, trying not to hurt it, he tangled her tongue. Valletta retreated gently, supporting herself with her arms and blinked. Reinhardt¡¯s face came closer. His red eyes bent gently, expressing satisfaction. Saliva mingled as his tongue swept the inside of her mouth. with his tongue as it poked out and scraped off the mucous membrane in his mouth. It was an unfamiliar sensation that made her tingle and goosebumps appeared on her back. ¡°Ha¡­.¡± The tongue devouring the inside of her mouth was very greedy. Valletta eventually squeezed her trembling eyes shut at the sensation of the flesh in her mouth. She reached out and grabbed onto Reinhardt¡¯s shoulders just as he pinned her down on the bed with his knee between her thighs, holding her body firmly in ce. Valletta gasped for breath due to insufficient air, and did her best to breathe through the gap that Reinnhardt gave up each time. His tongue was inside her mouth again. Her mouth was filled to the brim, and her eyes with his presence. ¡°Ha¡­!¡± Reinhardt sessfully blocked Valletta¡¯s lips from moving through the gap that finally opened. Laughing with his eyes, Reinhardt¡¯s hand loosely inserted itself through the gap in her clothing. The warmth she felt on her low temperature skin only made Valletta¡¯s shoulders shake. She opened her eyes to look at Reinhardt, then opened her mouth and bit down on his tongue. Reinhardt¡¯s shoulders flinched for a moment, but then the corners of his eyes curved up. Reinhardt pulled back slowly as he lightly sucked and licked the running saliva, his eyes narrowed. He gently raised her body and sat her down again. Valletta, who was bowing her head nkly, swallowed a vain smile. ¡°You are crazy¡­¡­¡± ¡°I asked who you were, but you wouldn¡¯t answer, so I just took the liberty of looking it up. Were you mine from a different world?¡± ¡°Who is yours?¡± Valletta gasped and counter-asked. Her lower lip was burning from how much he had chewed and sucked up. Reinhardt sat on the floor and looked up at Valletta, who sat on the edge of the bed. ¡°Valletta?¡± Valletta gasped at the sound of Reinhardt¡¯s strange voice and mped her mouth shut. ¡°I have goosebumps, so don¡¯t call me that.¡± ¡°So, Master¡­ right¡­?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Ah, you seem more used to it this way, Master.¡± This Reinhardt was a bit like that Reinhardt too, but he seemed to be much older than he was. Even though age was longer relevant to a transcendent, she could feel the experience that she originally did not feel from Reinhardt. ¡°You¡¯re afraid to get attached to me if I call you by your name, right?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°But from my point of view, I think you¡¯re already¡­¡­¡± Valletta reached out and grabbed Reinhardt¡¯s cor, who was sitting on the floor. Reinhardt¡¯s eyes widened slightly at the roughness of Valletta¡¯s touch. ¡°You, shut up.¡± Her sharp voice made Reinhardt¡¯s eyes grow wide. He came closer and kissed Valletta, and then quickly pulled away. ¡°Do you want to die?¡± ¡°It won¡¯t make a difference anyway, here and there, the faces are the same, the voices are the same. It¡¯s not real, so I don¡¯t have to decide.¡± Valletta, who was staring into Reinhardt¡¯s eyes, sighed and crossed her arms. She knew that this one did not have the slightest sense of morality, but in fact, when confronted, she did not have an answer. ¡°Am I not good enough?¡± Valletta was speechless as Reinhardt stared up at her and asked. Fortunately, this was a dream. It was a world in a dream. Even if the world existed somewhere else, it was not her world. ¡°You and I are different.¡± ¡°How can we be different when we are the same?¡± Reinhardt shrugged, as if he had heard something interesting. ¡°Well, at least the other one doesn¡¯t lie like you do. And here¡¯s the thing¡­¡­¡± Reinhardt smiled silently at Valletta¡¯s words. He slowly got up from his seat. Then he slowly approached the ss and stood leaning against it. ¡°Do you know what you see below this? Valletta.¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°There is a world here that I cannot belong to.¡± Reinhardt said, pointing out the ss with his chin. Dressedfortably without a robe, Reinhardt looked out the ss silently for a long time. ¡°This room is the world I can have. It¡¯s the world that all of the tower wizards have had.¡± ¡°You¡­¡­¡± Valletta¡¯s lips twitched. Reinhardt looked down with his arms crossed with tired eyes. ¡°I feel like I have another world in my hands.¡± Her gaze focused on him. Reinhardt turned lightly and approached Valletta. Valletta didn¡¯t take a step back as she faced those red eyes. ¡°Before you leave¡­.would you like to do it? I¡¯m confident I can be gentle with you.¡± Reinhardt said as he lightly nudged Valletta¡¯s waist. Valletta, who narrowed her forehead, turned her head. She didn¡¯t answer yes. She didn¡¯t even say no. He gently stroked her hair and withdrew his fingers. Instantly, her vision flipped. In the pitch-ck vision, Valletta gasped. Reinhardt smiled gently. He looked at her as if looking at a child in trouble. ¡°You¡¯re so sweet¡­¡­ and you know this is an illusion created in your head.¡± ¡°¡­¡­..¡± Reinhardt burst intoughter when he saw Valletta¡¯s poor handling of the situation, not even uttering a single word of acknowledgement or a word offort until the end. That was thest thing Valletta remembered. *** Chapter 82 Chapter 82 She thought she had a long dream, but it hasn¡¯t been long since she fell asleep in the carriage. Valletta, who opened her eyes at the touch of the deputymander, looked at him nkly. Then she turned away silently. Should this person have been the first person she encountered when she arrived here? ¡°It¡¯s been a really long time since we¡¯ve seen each other, hasn¡¯t it, Valletta?¡± ¡°We met at the banquet not too long ago, your memory seems to be distorted.¡± ¡°Your tongue is sharp.¡± ¡°It¡¯s better than having a sharp sword on my neck.¡± Valletta replied with a casual expression, straining her hands on her knees, as if trying to hide her nervousness. Isn¡¯t it awful that the emperor is the next in line after Reinhardt in the dream, and that they appear one after the other? ¡®It¡¯s not even thest ending.¡¯ Come to think of it, she tried to cut ties with Reinhardt, who was the mastermind at first, but she never expected another mastermind to appear like this. ¡®¡­¡­ I was the problem.¡¯ Combining the contents of the novel that surfaced, the emperor was originally Therion ten years from now¡­¡­which meant that he had to die at the hands of the male protagonist of this world. From the reader¡¯s point of view outside the novel, the final mastermind was Reinhardt. However, what Valletta had overlooked was that there was naturally a viin in the novel as well. And that viin was the emperor in front of her. Therion and Milord should be in a friendly rtionship with each other after a few years. Milord believed in the emperor, but slowly began to question his actions, and heard the truth from Therion. When he did, he was greatly disappointed and despaired. Milord, who could no longer bear the distortions of his father, eventually joined hands with Therion to start a rebellion. As such, it was Milord who upied the imperial throne after the emperor died. However, all of these things got mixed up and this was what happened. Originally, the meeting between Therion and Reinhardt would have taken ce once in the training room, and then once under the precipice after seven years had passed. ¡®¡­¡­ Wait a minute, seven years?¡¯ It wasn¡¯t sealed for ten years, was it unseal beforehand? If so, it would fit the bill perfectly. Since the emperor will die approximately in 10 years or so¡­ So from that moment on, Reinhardt chose Therion to take his ce and punish the entire Imperial Castle. He went through various trials while choosing him and eventually made him grow. It was also how Therion found out about the story of the deading back to life. It was Reinhardt¡¯s doing. Valletta blinked slowly. She dropped her gaze and stared at her cooling teacup, quickly sorting through the few facts that came to her mind. The stories in the novel had a few major branches, but mostly it was a variety of incidents. Among them, she remembered quite a few events. The moving corpses. The Emperor. The alchemist. The framed murder of Reinhardt, and Lost were two such cases. ¡®Something is missing¡­¡¯ Valletta, whose head was spinning, swallowed her breath. ¡®The ones who came back to life¡­¡¯ Obviously, the dead were revived in the story. It hasn¡¯t been long since Reinhardt was framed¡­.Valletta shook her head. She was sure everything was on the te, but the te was flowing in an unexpected direction. Valletta smiled bitterly. She didn¡¯t want this. ¡®The empire will be in turmoil.¡¯ The dead wille back to life. Stories like this certainly existed. Valletta swept her face with her hands in frustration. Some nobles were sacrificed here. Obviously¡­¡­ [¡®Lesir¡¯ is rampant throughout the empire. The newly resurrected ¡®Lesir¡¯ were easy to deal with, but as time went by they learned how to use their weapons. ¡®Lesir¡¯, the corpse that lives without dying. In order to prevent the increasingly serious damage, Duke Leon, one of the two pirs of the empire, led an army to the gue area, but after a long battle, he was infected andmitted suicide himself. By the time he died, the number of ¡®Lesir¡¯ he had killed exceeded several thousand, and many mourned his death]. Valletta¡¯s shoulders stiffened at the memory that came to her mind. Reflexively, she tried to hug the Snorta she¡¯d received from him, only to rememberter that it¡¯d been seized by the Deputy Knight Commander. ¡®¡­¡­I¡¯m angry.¡¯ She didn¡¯t remember the year properly. But the main stem hasn¡¯t changed, the outbreak of Lesir in any form was inevitable. ¡°What are you thinking so deeply about¡­ ¡­I¡¯d like to open your head.¡± At the sound of the Emperor¡¯s voice, Valletta raised her head, blinking slowly. She tried to calm herself down. She was not an easy person to deal with while thinking. ¡°If you split it open, you¡¯ll only see the brain.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. It¡¯s a real shame that it¡¯s useless unless it¡¯s attached to you. Isn¡¯t Valletta a rare top notched alchemist?¡± The emperor said with a broad smile. Though his words were bleak and unremarkable. Still, he seemed to think he waspletely confident, judging by his generosity. Valletta just kept her mouth shut and her eyes narrowed. She slowly looked around where she was sitting. ¡°Where am I?¡± Valletta thought it was the office, but the strange structure of the room naturally blinded her. This was due to the bookshelves that filled the room to the brim. ¡°It¡¯s my office.¡± ¡°¡­¡­ office.¡± There was something strange about it. What could she say? It was a weird feeling, like she had invaded someone else¡¯s territory. The silent Valletta clenched her fists. ¡®Where did I get this familiar feeling?¡¯ Her eyes narrowed. Valletta exhaled and slowly leaned back. Maybe it was because she was too nervous, but she felt like she couldn¡¯t think straight. She clicked her tongue low and shook her head. There will be a guest soon, so wait a moment.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t want to let me go.¡± The Emperor smiled at Valletta¡¯s words. His eyes, which had been bent, appeared slowly under his eyelids. Unlike his smiling lips, his gaze was cold and disgusting, and Valletta¡¯s shoulders hardened for a moment. ¡°Didn¡¯t you tell me? Careful when you roll your tongue. It¡¯s not hard to inflict pain. There are many ways to bring a man to his knees.¡± Like a snake hissing in her ears, so did the emperor¡¯s voice. It gave her goosebumps. It was like a snake climbing on her ankle, threatening her with its venomous teeth bared as it wrapped around her neck. Knock knock. When she heard the knock on the door, the emperor¡¯s eyes bent gently again. The atmosphere changed once again as the eyes that had been spewing out the killing energy that disappeared. ¡°Come in.¡± Click, the door opened. Heavy steps were striding inside. Valletta didn¡¯t turn around. She didn¡¯t want to, and she was serious enough without him. ¡°Father.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± No matter how much so, this would not do. Valletta bowed her head with a tired expression . Did she really have to see him now? ¡°Yes, have a seat.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Valletta exhaled and turned her head. This man¡­ she sighed. Did he have to sit beside her on the couch? Well, of course, he couldn¡¯t sit next to the emperor. As he sat beside her, the familiar ne with the red bead on his neck shook. Valletta¡¯s eyes widened as she saw the ne around the Crown Prince¡¯s neck. The culprit was visible in her eyes. Valletta clenched her fists. She had a rough guess, but she didn¡¯t know that the emperor had taken the ne. And she didn¡¯t know that he had given it to his son. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, Miss Valletta.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you take the medicine with the group?¡± Harsh words that came out of Valletta¡¯s mouth. The moment she saw the ne, she couldn¡¯t hold back her irritation at the pain that surfaced. They met the other day¡­ ¡°¡­¡­What?¡± ¡°Long time no see. What kind of greetings do you have after such a long time?¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? Why is the sun standing still?¡± Valletta chuckled at Milord¡¯s narrowed forehead. What¡¯s going on? There had to be. Wasn¡¯t it obvious? Even if leaving the ne out of it, wasn¡¯t there a problem with the fact that she was dragged here? ¡°Where did you get the ne?¡± (Valletta) ¡°It¡¯s mine.¡± (Milord) ¡°It looks just like mine¡­ ¡­No, it¡¯s exactly the same.¡± (Valletta) Milord stared at Valletta. Valletta¡¯s violet eyes were shining. She red coldly at Milord with her clenched fists. Milord opened his mouth, unperturbed by her gaze. ¡°Isn¡¯t it mine that I got it from my father?¡± (Milord) ¡°Didn¡¯t you learn to return what you picked up?¡± (Valletta) A smile crossed Milord¡¯s lips as if he had just heard something interesting. His blue eyes were hidden for a moment by his long eyshes before quickly reappearing. ¡°No, I didn¡¯t learn that.¡± (Milord) ¡°¡­¡­ What?¡± (Valletta) ¡°I¡¯m the Crown Prince and I¡¯m going to be Emperor¡­. What¡¯s wrong with having what I want?¡± (Milord) The deep desire in Milord¡¯s usual cold voice left Valletta speechless. She never thought he would say something like this. She crossed her legs and stared at the red bead on Milord¡¯s neck. ¡°Do you know what it is?¡± (Valletta) ¡°Yes, Gillian exined it to me. But I still can¡¯t give it back.¡± (Milord) Milord¡¯s answer was firm and concise. Valletta was stunned for a moment. Was this man originally this kind of person? His blue eyes bent round as if she didn¡¯t need to worry. ¡°However, I have no intention of fearing Miss Valletta with this.¡± (Milord) ¡°Then give it to me.¡± (Valletta) ¡°That¡¯s hard. If Miss Valletta tries to get away from me ormits dangerous acts such as being inspired by the Tower Master, feel free to do so.¡­.¡± (Milord) Milord moved his hand as if trying to grasp the ne. ¡°I am also willing to punish you.¡± (Milord) The hand that acted as if it was squeezing tightly stopped in front of the bead. Valletta¡¯s shoulders shook. Milord nced at her and put the ne gently into his clothes and lowered his hand. His action left Valletta speechless. No, d*mn it. What was she supposed to do when there were two crazies instead of one? One doesn¡¯t have to be a know-it-all to know the answer. Valletta smiled bitterly and lowered her head. She finally knew what it meant to be at a loss for words. She struggled to suppress the boiling inside her. ¡°You¡­¡­Have you gone mad?¡± Chapter 83 Chapter 83 ¡°No, I¡¯m perfectly normal. I just did what Miss Valletta told me to do.¡± ¡°Me?¡± ¡°Yes, since you said I would not be able to get to where I am today¡­.. I will try to be on the same level as you.¡± Vallettaughed in vain and slowly swept her face. No matter how many times she rubbed her face, the frustration did not go away easily. Her expression darkened slightly. ¡®What is the same level as me?¡¯ She couldn¡¯t bring herself to ask that back. She felt like she would get a fire inside her if she did. Valletta struggled to take a deep breath. ¡°Same level as me¡­¡­¡± ¡°Yes, apart from that, it¡¯s hard for me to sympathize with Miss Valletta, who uses and kills people as experiments.¡± She went quiet, as if she was speechless. ¡°I used humans as test subjects and killed them?¡± Milord nodded in response to Valletta¡¯s perplexed question. In fact, Milord couldn¡¯t believe it either, so he investigated this and that. The conclusion was all too easy to reach. All the evidence pointed to her as the culprit, so there was no room for doubt. Unable to bear to look into Milord¡¯s blue eyes, Valletta left her seat. ¡®Let¡¯s be patient.¡¯ It would be easy to call Jin here and run away. But she had to resist her urges, because exposing her defeat would only bring the emperor another victory. ¡°I¡¯m tired. Can I go rest?¡± ¡°Why did you kill?¡± The emperor looked at Milord with curious eyes. He didn¡¯t know if those were the eyes of a child or a well-grown pet. As she was turning around, Valletta stopped moving. Her eyes narrowed as she nced for a moment at the bookshelf standing behind the desk. She eventually turned her face away, seemingly unconcerned, and swallowed her breath. ¡°Will I be able to get back my Snorta that I brought? And my bag, too.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll return them both once they¡¯re confirmed. You¡¯re not answering me.¡± ¡°What is the importance of my answer?¡± Valletta asked back with an absurd look. ¡°You¡¯re sure of it anyway. It¡¯s a waste of time talking anymore.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take the Young Lady to her room, father.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s do that.¡± The Emperor gave Valletta a cursory nce with a subtle gaze and nodded. Valletta stepped out of the office without dy. As she walked, Milord followed her, not more than a few steps behind. He too seemed to be well trained and didn¡¯t look weak. ¡°Are you angry?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m just frustrated. Please don¡¯t talk to me.¡± Valletta drew the line. There were things she wanted to think about, and she was going to explode if she kept talking. Let¡¯s just say that Reinhardt was that kind of guy by nature. She got used to it and some of it made sense to her. ¡°I¡¯m disappointed, Young Lady.¡± ¡°Of course you are.¡± ¡°But still, I can¡¯t let you go.¡± So you took a person¡¯s heart hostage?¡± Milord was speechless for a moment at Valletta¡¯s words. He became quiet for a moment and then slowly swallowed his breath. ¡°If I don¡¯t do that¡­.¡± His lips moved hesitantly up and down. Valletta nced at the man. Milord reached out and grabbed her wrist firmly. The strong force stopped her from walking. It was not of her own volition. She had no strength to shake off his hand and had to stop. Valletta¡¯s gaze sank lower. ¡°I thought I wouldn¡¯t reach you forever.¡± ¡°Are you happy that you reached me?¡± She said, shaking her arm lightly. Milord was silent for a moment as she said with a hint of sarcasm. He just looked at her quietly and opened his mouth shortly after. ¡°If I say yes, will you despise me?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Without a word, Valletta lowered her gaze and stared at her captured wrist. They were bound tightly, but it didn¡¯t hurt or leave a mark. She didn¡¯t despise him but it was surprising. He was always gentle and kind. He was considerate of her and couldugh at her cold attitude. He was able to step back and wait. She was the one who kept drawing the line, not caring about him. ¡®¡­¡­ I didn¡¯t expect him toe back like this.¡¯ She didn¡¯t think she did well. However, there were some things that came naturally to her as she became more familiar with this world over time. Even if she gave her heart to someone, it would eventually disappear. Because this was such a world. There were transcendents, wars, sses. There were many things that were lost before her eyes. It was all too easy to kill and to be killed. She pushed people away. She hurt them. It was the same for Milord as well as for Reinhardt. She didn¡¯t regret it because it was for survival. However¡­. ¡®I don¡¯t think there was any other way.¡¯ She didn¡¯t mean that they should all fall into the abyss together like this, but those words she said to Milord were words that told him to give up. It meant to stay there as it was because he was not the one to fall so far. It did not mean that they should roll through this mud together. ¡°¡­¡­ What do you want to do now? You¡¯ve finally reached me as you wanted. What else is left to do? ¡°I will make you mine.¡± Milord¡¯s words were calm. Valletta, who was looking up at him, slowly turned her head. She let out a low sigh of exhaustion as he held her wrist, and she squeezed her eyes shut and opened them. ¡°I want to rest.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll guide you there.¡± That was all the talk she had with Milord. He gently took her to her room and ced a knight in front of it. It was a third floor window from which there was no escape. Even that was a structure that could not be opened without a key. ¡®It¡¯s like a prison.¡¯ ¡®Should I be consoled by the fact that my bed seems fluffy?¡¯ ¡®When on earth are Snorta and my baging?¡¯ She took a step into the room. At that moment, she gulped as she felt something press down on her shoulder. ¡®It¡¯s the same as before. As expected, this is¡­.¡¯ A simr feeling of deja vu and a strange queasiness existed when she went to the emperor¡¯s office earlier. Valletta pretended not to notice and spoke. ¡°What about Snorta and my things?¡± ¡°I will bring them to you tomorrow.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t let the child starve.¡± Milord nodded with a light smile as Valletta spoke. Valletta couldn¡¯t get used to this changed man, and touched her forehead. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you in advance. This is a room where no magic or even alchemy can be used.¡± ¡°¡­¡­ what?¡± Milord¡¯s words bewildered Valletta. Her face waspletely contorted in a simultaneous expression of bewilderment and perplexity. She clenched her fists. ¡°As I told you, I used a magic and alchemy circle to seal it.¡± ¡°And you locked all the windows as well?¡± ¡°Because we¡¯ll never know when and who will visit. Just in case.¡± Milord¡¯s blue eyes stared outside for a moment. His gaze eventually met Valletta¡¯s again. Seeing the expression on Valletta¡¯s face, Milord slightly lowered his head and kissed the back of her hand. ¡°I will see you tomorrow morning. Good night.¡± ¡°Are you really going like this?¡± Milord smiled silently at Valletta, who asked back and stepped out. Staring at the tightly closed door, Valletta gasped for air, stomping on the ground repeatedly, and soon sank into the bed. ¡°Oh, I think I¡¯m going crazy. Really.¡± She had been following along honestly, and she had nothing to say about the thoroughness with which the emperor had properly prepared the prison. ¡®If you¡¯re only sealing alchemy and magic¡­¡¯ If only alchemy and magic were to be sealed off, it would mean that spirits would be quite possible. Sitting on the edge of the bed with her head in her hands, Valletta¡¯s eyes took on a different look. She stood up and put her ear to the door. It was quiet on the outside. Even if there was a guard, fortunately, no noisy light leaks out when summoning the spirit. ¡°Jin.¡± She said in a low voice. Whoosh, a whirlwind began to blow. Seeing the curtain about to flutter, Valletta hurriedly grabbed it and quickly opened her mouth. ¡°Jin,e out quietly! Jin!¡± She hurriedly opened her mouth in a small voice mixed with a deep wind. Then the rumbling tornado gradually became smaller and smaller, and eventually it was the size of the palm of her hand. A hawk the size of her palm approached her, pping its wings. It was fortunate for Valletta that she had no dignity at all, but she was surprised. Jin looked very unhappy. ¡°Jin? Oh, I heard that there is a way to unseal the magic and alchemy circle here, do you understand?¡± ¡°Can you erase it?¡± The hawk sighed and narrowed its eyes as if asking what she was talking about. The hawk sat down quickly on the back of her hand, but then shrugged. ¡°¡­¡­Is that so?¡± Valletta touched her chin. It was a strange feeling that could be felt everywhere in the Imperial Castle. The same feeling she had when she entered here, she also felt in the Emperor¡¯s office. Jin¡¯s head tilted. Its neck trembled and it shook its head. ¡°Before I was born¡­?¡± What¡¯s the need to keep a device like this here since that time? Valletta¡¯s expression darkened. No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn¡¯t figure out why. If she had to put it together, it would be most appropriate to say a wizard or an alchemist was imprisoned here. Speaking of which¡­¡­.. ¡°I could feel traces of alchemy in the Emperor¡¯s office.¡± Chapter 84 ¡°I don¡¯t know exactly what it is, but¡­¡­ Probably the kind that continues to be useful, seeing as how the traces feel thick inyers.¡± Valletta recited low. It was not a simple form, but it was not impossible to solve. Assuming the person who created it was Gillian. ¡°What the hell is Reinhardt doing?¡± He should have shown up at least once, but he hasn¡¯t even contacted her. Of course, he was probably too busy trying to get to the bottom of things. ¡±Jin, you may leave now. I just wanted to see if I could call you here.¡± <¡­.. you, really.> ¡°Quickly, before someone sees you.¡± Jin shivered at Valletta¡¯s urging, but after a moment, Jin disappeared. Valletta¡¯s lips quivered in distress at the sight of the vanished Jin. ¡°Nerade,e out!¡± Therge tornado instantly became smaller, and soon a mermaid the size of a palm emerged from the water droplets with the sound of water droplets bursting. The bright blue mermaid with her tail wagging floated in the air. ¡°That¡¯s right. There¡¯s one thing I need you to check. ¡­.¡± Valletta thought she could pay with her blood, but the mermaid¡¯s taste was fancy. Valletta¡¯s face was stained with awkwardness at Nerade¡¯s words. She scratched her cheek, narrowing her brows as if in trouble. ¡°I don¡¯t have anything with me right now. ¡­. May I give it to you next time?¡± A palm-sized mermaid began to roll around in the air. Valletta touched her forehead as he watched Nerade holding her belly and burst intoughter. It was fortunate that the voice of the spirit was not heard by the general public, or else there would have been a problem. ¡°I¡¯ll try my best¡­¡± ¡°I heard that water spirits can go anywhere there is water. Somewhere in this castle, there should be a corpse that died after drinking the alchemy potion that was brought in for autopsy.¡± ¡°No, what does it look like? Can you show it to me?¡± Nerade pped her hands. As she spread her arms out on both sides, droplets the size of fists gathered in her arms. Nerade, who had collected as much water as Valletta¡¯s face, held it out to her. ¡°Oh, yes.¡± Valletta put her hands out in front of her, and Nerade ced the water gently on Valletta¡¯s palms. The smooth surface was very slippery. Nerade replied with a squeak. She began to chuckle, and then disappeared with a small tornado. It was an amazing sight to see a tornado the size of a fist slowly diminish and soon disappear into the droplets. Valletta sat up in bed and sighed. The water droplets looked like a small ocean. She continued to gaze into it for a while, feeling as if she was seeing a reflection of a creature in the sea, but nothing was reflected. The calm water suddenly began to shake with a noise as if it had been interrupted, and eventually something appeared. What she could see in the water droplets was a human corpse. There was pink potion on its mouth, and from the clothes it wore, it was clear that it was a servant of Duke Delphine¡¯s mansion. Nerade mumbled in frustration as she slowly showed Valletta one by one. Maybe it was Nerade¡¯s vision. ¡°It¡¯s ¡­¡­ weird.¡± Valletta narrowed her eyes and took a deep breath. ¡°It¡¯s all right, Nerade.¡± Poof, the screen she had been projecting through the water droplets disappeared. A whirlwind of water formed in front of her eyes, and Nerade reappeared. With a light p of her hands, Nerade removed the water droplets from Valletta¡¯s hands. ¡°Yes, thank you. You can go now.¡± ¡°Yes, I understand.¡± Valletta nodded, and Nerade disappeared. When the water spirit disappeared, Valletta took off her shoes and crouched down in bed hugging her knees. Definitely, she found something strange. ¡®I need more information than this.¡¯ She needed information about alchemy and the roast. Of course, she also had to find out what it was that the Emperor had hidden in his office. And¡­ ¡®I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s Lesir, or that zombie¡­.¡¯ ording to her memory, Therion wasn¡¯t able to solve the underlying problem either. They were simply ssified as monsters by drastically reducing the number of Lesirter. ¡®There must be a solution.¡¯ If Duke Leon was tangled, that meant that Carlon Delphine was also tangled. Either way, it was a specification. ¡®It¡¯s a headache ¡­¡­.¡¯ Valletta grabbed her throbbing head and pushed herself under the covers. What was certain was that she hadn¡¯t been able to sleep well for some time. After tossing and turning for a while, Valletta finally fell asleep. * * * ¡°Is there any reason why I should spend my morning eating with the Crown Prince?¡± ¡°I want to eat with Miss Valletta.¡± ¡°I see my opinion is excluded.¡± Milord ced the te of food in front of Valletta. There was no reply. Valletta looked down at the food, and touched her forehead. Her head was throbbing with a headache. ¡®I didn¡¯t sleep well all night.¡¯ She knew her insomnia was serious, but her symptoms were even more severe now that she had something to pay attention to. The room was all about books on alchemy and the bed. Nothing sharp or anything that could harm herself in a thousand dangerous ways. It was literally a prison with a soft bed. The windows could only be opened by the maids who came to clean them every morning. Even then, it was only for a short time, no more than ten minutes. It was not impossible to escape with Jin if she took advantage of the opportunity. However, she could not move carelessly. ¡°So, now that you¡¯ve grabbed me like this, what am I supposed to do?¡± ¡°You can do anything you want. As long as you wear this.¡± Milord held out a ne that looked like a choker. In the middle of the ck leather strap, there was an amethyst-like jewel embedded. Valletta reached out and observed the choker, not even bothering with the food. There was an alchemical sealing form written on the inside of the leather strap. Inside the jewel was also a magic circle of sorts that seals magic. She thought she was going to learn the sealing form by looking at it too much already. ¡°It¡¯s amazing. I can¡¯t believe you made this in just a few days.¡± ¡°My aunt gave me what she had. I can¡¯t just keep you locked up in your room.¡± ¡°So if I wear this, what is the extent of my activities?¡± ¡°You are not allowed to go outside. You can only go to the garden if you are apanied by the deputy chief of the department or above.¡± Milord¡¯s words left Valletta speechless. For a moment, she could not say anything. Valletta burst intoughter. Theugh that spilled out of the ridiculousness was a mockery. ¡°You¡¯re really ¡­¡­¡­ pathetic.¡± Valletta slowly put on the ne. She needed the freedom to do some research. It was enough to get into the imperial castle. She had to find out what was beyond the hidden alchemy. Even more so if it was a trick to strangle the Emperor. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you that I can¡¯t ept you for bantering.¡± ¡°That didn¡¯t mean you had to be ugly, though.¡± ¡°Be careful with your choice of words.¡± ¡°At least Reinhardt tried to lock me himself¡­.Your Highness, the Crown Prince has many things in his possession, but he only relies on His Majesty.¡± Valletta irritated Milord. The reason why he obeyed the Emperor¡¯s words without question was because he believed in the Emperor. Milord was basically a person with a strong sense of justice. His true nature wouldn¡¯t change easily. It¡¯s not easy to change one¡¯s true nature. ¡­¡­ He eventually turned his back on the emperor after noticing his corruption. He actually led a rebellion. That would be a decade or soter than now¡­.. ¡°Don¡¯tpare me to that demon (Reinhardt). He killed people. He killed innocent people.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Valletta shrugged, putting a piece of fruit in her mouth. She closed her eyes as she savored the sweet and sour fruit. Only after eating two slices of apple did she leave her seat. ¡°Now that I¡¯ve worn the choker, can I move about on my own?¡± ¡°Yes, the entire Imperial Castle is enchanted. Do not expect him toe to save you, as you believe he will.¡± ¡°Your Highness, I think you¡¯re misunderstanding something¡­I never believed in that boy, not once in my life.¡± Valletta replied, turning her head away before grabbing the door. Milord¡¯s brow furrowed as if he had just heard an answer he didn¡¯t like. ¡°You don¡¯t have to lie to me.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t believe or expect it, I simply predict it.¡± When she finished speaking, Valletta went outside. Guarding the outside was the deputy knightmander who hade for her. Duke Leon¡¯s direct deputy knightmander, it seemed ¡­¡­. ¡° I¡¯m going to the gardens now, can you escort me? Incan move with the deputy knightmander and above¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­ I see.¡± His green eyes were irritated, but eventually he nodded nonchntly. Valletta walked down the familiar path with the deputy knightmander. In fact, the garden walk after meals was what she always did with Milord. ¡°What¡¯s the name?¡± ¡°It¡¯s ¡­¡­ Kien.¡± ¡°Are you amoner?¡± ¡°Is there a problem?¡± ¡°No, I just thought it was typical of Duke¡¯s personality.¡± Valletta replied with a shrug. Fortunately, there were no people in sight in the garden. She stood in the middle of the garden and looked around. She stood still for about three minutes, but there was no response. ¡°How long are you going to hide?¡± (Valletta) ¡°I wondered if the Master had called me by mistake again.¡± A chuckling sound could be heard in the air. The leaves on the branches of the tree swayed and Reinhardtnded gently on the floor, his silver hair dancing. ¡°You¡­!¡± The moment Kien, the deputy knightmander, was about to draw his sword, Reinhardt¡¯s gaze reached him. At that moment, Kien¡¯s movements came to a halt. His lips were tightly attached, and the only thing that could move was his eyes. ¡°Oh, that seems painful.¡± His posture was more like that of a man about to draw his sword. Valletta looked at Kien with a bit of regret, thinking of what he had done to her during the assassination of Count Delight¡¯s residence. Her eyes widened and bloodshot. Reinhardt burst outughing and quickly flicked his fingers. ¡°What did you do?¡± ¡°I let the image of the Master looking at the flowers be reflected. If they look at it from the outside, it will seem that way. No one will know that we are having a conversation.¡± ¡°¡­¡­ How did you know I was going to see the flowers?¡± At Valletta¡¯s question, Reinhardt raised the corners of his mouth with a subtle face and smiled gently. ¡°Is there anything I don¡¯t know about my Master?¡± Where the hell does his confidencee from? Valletta, who was ring at him with a cold stare, sighed deeply. Reinhardt¡¯s gaze scanned slowly from Valletta¡¯s head to toes, then came up again. His eyes rested on Valletta¡¯s neck. ¡°You¡¯re wearing something interesting. After not seeing you for a while, you became someone else¡¯s property. You¡¯re in trouble.¡± ¡°¡­¡­ What are you talking about? This was the price of gaining freedom within the imperial Castle.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡­.¡± Kien gritted his teeth. He wanted to move, but he couldn¡¯t move at all against the invisible force that bound his entire body. It made him feel sick to see the two people still talking in front of him. ¡°Did you find out anything?¡± ¡°Of course. But do I have to kill him?¡± ¡°No, he¡¯s the Duke¡¯s subordinate.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­..¡± Reinhardt folded his arms and stared at the muscr knight. There was no wasted flesh on his body, apparently the result of tireless training. ¡°The first thing is interesting. Have you ever heard of a corpse being brought back to life?¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± Valletta¡¯s eyes opened wide at Reinhardt¡¯s words. She couldn¡¯t hide her surprise, and Reinhardt tilted his head and stared at her. She made a wry face at the sight of him erupting inughter. ¡°Stopughing.¡± ¡°Because you¡¯re so cute.¡± Valletta sighed at his shrewd words. Seeing the curious look in his eyes, it seemed that something very interesting had happened. And it was probably about ¡°Lesir¡±. ¡°I was curious who dared to impersonate me, so I went to the 4th vige of Kertonan in the north, where the first incident happened.¡± ¡°Right.¡± ¡°While inspecting the corpses, I discovered something strange. First of all, there were two kinds of corpses. One corpse was bitten to death and the other had a well mutted face. Some of them were missing their eyeballs.¡± ¡°It¡¯s roast.¡± ¡°I think so too. Secondly, the maggots were umted in those corpses, but there wasn¡¯t any creature there.¡± Reinhardt stroked his chin. ¡°Then suddenly they started to move.¡± Reinhardt¡¯s eyes were tinged with tremendous enjoyment. He seemed to feel all of this was just stimtion. Valletta nodded as she stared at him. Kien¡¯s growl died away. She looked at Kien, he was listening to their conversation with a panicked gaze. Valletta made eye contact with Reinhardt again. As their gazes met, a faint smile appeared on Reinhardt¡¯s lips. Valletta, who was looking at his bent eyes, swallowed her breath. ¡°¡­¡­ Hmm¡­!¡± Because she was reminded of Reinhardt in her dream, who was kissing her with that face. The sensation that had been wandering around in her mouth suddenly rushed through her mind. Valletta¡¯s face turned red and she covered her mouth with the back of her hand. *** Chapter 85 ¡°Master?¡± (Reinhardt) With her head up, Valletta took a step back to avoid Reinhardt, who put his face right in front of her. ¡°¡­¡­ you, what is it? Why are youughing all of a sudden?¡± (Valletta) ¡°Ah¡­.. well, I like it.¡± (Reinhardt) Valletta swallowed a vainugh at Reinhardt¡¯s nonsense. What the hell is this saying? When Valletta looked at him with stern eyes, Reinhardt shrugged. ¡°Now I¡¯m waiting in the southwestern vige of Talos. I think the same thing is going to happen.¡± ¡°Is that magic?¡± ¡°I doubt that it was actually magic that destroyed the vige. It looks like traces of a roast.¡± ¡°Roast?¡± ¡°Yes. But there¡¯s a possibility that roast is magical. And the one that brought the corpse back to life is definitely not magic¡­.. The corpse is more like ¡­ alchemy.¡± Reinhardt¡¯s voice was low and contained doubts, which meant that he was not sure either. Reinhardt had no talent or interest in alchemy, so he might not know. ¡°What else did you find out?¡± ¡°There were traces of an ancient magic circle in a vige in the north. If I¡¯m right, it¡¯s most likely the magic circle that generated roast.¡± ¡°Roast¡­¡­.¡± ¡°It seems that it was an ancient magic circle that destroyed the building of the Duke¡¯s residence. And I also found out that whoever it is can use more powerful magic than I can.¡± Reinhardt crossed his arms, but he did not look troubled. Rather, he looked rxed as if it was within the scope of the assumption to some extent. ¡°So why is Master trapped here?¡± ¡°There was an attack on Duke Delphine¡¯s residence.¡± ¡°Yes, it was an ancient magic circle for mass destruction.¡± ¡°After that, I made a potion and distributed it to the injured servants. However, the servants who drank it all died. And on top of that, I was the suspected aplice to the murder of Count Delight.¡± Valletta shrugged her shoulders as if it wasn¡¯t serious. Unable to move, Kien, who had to hear and see everything that was going on, was simply speechless. Because from what he heard, she was framed, but she was too calm. ¡°Is it possible that Master made a mistake?¡± Reinhardt, who smiled, asked mischievously. Valletta¡¯s face hardened. She stared at him, not hiding her displeasure, and Reinhardt stuck out his red tongue and licked his lower lip. ¡°That wouldn¡¯t happen.¡± Reinhardt shrugged his shoulders at Valletta¡¯s determined answer. ¡°I don¡¯t doubt my ability. But when I gave it to Snorta, it was fine.¡± ¡°¡­¡­really? That¡¯s weird.¡± ¡°The corpse is weird too. I checked and found that the wounds had mostly healed. The potion was okay, so I think it healed the wounds. But there¡¯s something about it¡­..¡± Valletta blinked slowly. There must be something different. Maybe it wasn¡¯t the potion she had created in the first ce. Then there was the situation where another potion was given to them. ¡°Did you find out what the emperor is after?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know yet. But I think he hid something in his office. There were traces of alchemy.¡± ¡°I actually want Master toe to the vige and see that corpsese to life. Because I don¡¯t feel anything about alchemy at all.¡± ¡°Wait a little longer.¡± ¡°Then again, no matter how you look at it, the destruction of the vige is far from magic and alchemy. That¡¯s why I¡¯m hoping that Master wille and see it.¡± Valletta fell silent at Reinhardt¡¯s words. She was tempted to do the same, but she couldn¡¯t leave right now. Valletta swept her forehead hesitantly. ¡°I didn¡¯t tell you, did I?¡± ¡°Tell me what?¡± ¡°¡­¡­ the ne you lost. The Crown Prince has it. It seems the Emperor stole it and gave it to him.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Reinhardt¡¯s face hardened. Seeing his expression, Valletta sighed. In fact, she honestly didn¡¯t expect Milord to pop out from there. ¡°That gold?¡± Reinhardt¡¯s fingers twitched. ¡°I hated that gold, can I kill it?¡± ¡°No. And¡­ if you can find out something here, I¡¯ll go with you to the vige.¡± Reinhardt¡¯s shoulders twitched at Valletta¡¯s words. He crossed his arms and nodded his head with an even more venomous expression. Valletta turned and looked at Kien. ¡°Let him go.¡± ¡°Is that an order?¡± Valletta narrowed her forehead as she saw Reinhardt¡¯s smiling face. She put her palm to her forehead and nodded. ¡°Please, Reinhardt.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Reinhardt¡¯s gaze met hers as she spoke with a gentle voice. With a look of disbelief, Valletta pointed at Kien. Snap! Reinhardt snapped his fingers and the movement that had been blocking Kien was released. There were no words from Reinhardt, who released him honestly. Kien, whom they thought would attack them right away, looked at Valletta with an expression of iprehension. ¡°Why did you bring me here?¡± ¡°The Duke told me that he believed in you. I trust that you will keep what you hear here a secret.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t believe you.¡± Kien said with a hard expression. Valletta frowned. ¡°Who wants you to believe me? Just report what you just heard to the Duke and Carlon. And forget everything. That¡¯s enough.¡± She needed someone to tell the Duke what was going on. And they needed to be warned. The Duke would inevitably get involved. ¡°And tell them to watch out for Lesir.¡± ¡°Lesir?¡± ¡°A living, moving corpse. You heard what this guy said earlier, didn¡¯t you?¡± Reinhardt nced at Valletta as she spoke. It was a word he was familiar with. Reinhardt¡¯s specialty was ancientnguages, and so was Valletta. The basics of alchemy and magic have been handed down since ancient times. In the old days, there was also a saying that alchemy and magic had the same source. In other words, there were times when alchemy and magic were one and the same. ¡°Lesir ¡­¡­¡­ means resurrected in the ancientnguage.¡± Valletta nodded at Reinhardt¡¯s words. Kien stared at Valletta and Reinhardt. They were obviously much younger than he was, but they were good at dealing with all situations. ¡°¡­.. If you are right, that means you¡¯re being framed, but you¡¯re very calm right now.¡± Reinhardt burst outughing at Kien¡¯s words. He stroked his chin, looking very amused. Valletta, who was staring at him, opened her mouth. ¡°Survival is my specialty.¡± ¡°Are you doing this because you can¡¯t get out of here?¡± ¡°What¡­..?¡± ¡°You can¡¯t put me and my Master in the same standard as you. She and I could destroy everything and run away, but we¡¯re just keeping pace with you.¡± Kien¡¯s eyes widened at Reinhardt¡¯sughter. Reinhard shrugged, looking at Kien¡¯s iprehensible gaze. He looked at Valletta and opened his mouth. ¡°I am trying to live within that ordinary framework you speak of. If I want to do that, it is the ve¡¯s job topensate for it. Isn¡¯t that right, Master?¡± ¡°Would you mind stepping out of very for a moment?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have the right words, do you?¡± At Reinhardt¡¯s words, Valletta sighed, turning her head, as if she was tired. She felt her stomach churning whenever she talked to him. Kien stared at them in a daze. He felt like he was in a whole different world which people said the two were out of standard. ¡°Can you deliver it to Duke? Lesir¡¯s problem will be solved by me and this guy, so never step in.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll deliver your message¡­.¡± ¡°And what happened here¡­..¡± ¡°Today you visited the garden. I don¡¯t know about anything else. But I won¡¯t let it go a second time if something happens like today.¡± Valletta nodded as she listened to Kien¡¯s firm reply. In fact, there was nothing more she wanted from him. Seeing her sigh low, Reinhardt tilted his head. The sky was still very blue. He blinked slowly at the dazzling sky. ¡°I wille back again.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Reinhardt¡¯s gaze finally met hers at her gentle reply. Valletta couldn¡¯t pretend to be unaware of his gaze and opened her mouth. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°There¡¯s something strange about Master today.¡± With thosest words, Reinhardt stood still for a moment and then with a snap of his fingers, he disappeared. In the blink of an eye, the spell was broken. Valletta turned away, as if she had no more regrets. ¡°The room is stuffy¡­.¡± Where would it be a little easier to get information? She couldn¡¯t just go to the Office right now¡­¡­. ¡°Can you take me to the library?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± She didn¡¯t seem the least bit interested in the emotionless reply. If there was no kind of magic that could bring people back to life, there was a high probability that it was alchemy. If that was the case, she had to get some information on alchemy. ¡°Oh here you are.¡± ¡°Lord Gillian.¡± ¡°Where have you been?¡± ¡°I went to the garden, is there a problem?¡± Valletta replied irritably, interrupting Kien who was not a good liar. Gillian shook his head at Valletta¡¯s counter-question with his eyes looking at her as if she was a child. ¡°Nothing. If you have time, how about a cup of tea?¡± Valletta¡¯s brows narrowed. She didn¡¯t want to drink even a drop of water if he gave her. The man was definitely up to something. She was pretty sure that this man was the one who killed people with the potion he made. At the very least, it was a strange trick that came out of this man¡¯s head. ¡°I¡¯m going to the library to read books, so I¡¯ll pass.¡± Chapter 86 Chapter 86 ¡°I¡¯m going to the library to read books, so I¡¯ll pass.¡± ¡°The library?¡± ¡°I feel frustrated, so I¡¯m going to find some alchemy papers to read.¡± Valletta replied appropriately with a troublesome sigh. Gillian nced up, perhaps because her reply was unexpected. If he looked closer, the wrinkles were indeed thicker and the eyes¡¯ shade was deeper. Valletta looked at Gillian. His eyes were sunken and tired. One eye was still covered with an eye patch. ¡°Is there a book you¡¯re interested in?¡± ¡°¡­¡­I like Alpana¡¯s The Origin of Alchemy.¡± Gillian, who was touching his chin, smiled. ¡°For the original series, isn¡¯t it better with The Alchemy of Beginnings, by Bertas Author?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve read that one, if it¡¯s a copy, but the thought doesn¡¯t sit well with me.¡± Valletta said quickly and without the slightest hesitation. ¡®You didn¡¯t learn it randomly, did you?¡¯ Stroking his chin, Gillian evaluated Valletta lightly. Aside from the fact that she knew how to use it, her knowledge was much deeper than that of a normal alchemist. It was astonishing even for Gillian. Not many alchemists would even look for other people¡¯s books. In particr, the authors Alpana and Bertas¡¯ books were minor. ¡°What aspect do you mean?¡± ¡°Personally, I¡¯m unconditionally altruistic and service-minded¡­ ¡­For example, I don¡¯t like Ramuda¡¯s Alchemy of Salvation, but I don¡¯t like the opposite either.¡± Gillian¡¯s eyes were deeply bent. It seemed that Valletta had read many different kinds of books. If it was Ramuda¡¯s ¡°Alchemy of Salvation,¡± it was the kind Gillian didn¡¯t like either. The logic was nonsense. The beginning of all alchemy was the ability given by God to save humans. But that logic counted as one of the best-selling alchemy books. ¡®I never thought I¡¯d see you like this.¡¯ It would have been a great pleasure to meet Valletta as a schr. Gillian clicked his tongue, regretting it for a long time. ¡°On the other hand, Bertas¡¯s im is that alchemy began with human experimentation. Of course, if you examine the ims closely, you can¡¯t say they¡¯re wrong from the start, but even if they¡¯re really right, I don¡¯t really want to know.¡± Valletta shrugged her shoulders. It would be more correct to say that it was the kind of thing she didn¡¯t want to know at all. Gillian nodded. Chuckling, he scratched his eye patch. ¡°Wasn¡¯t Bertas the object of denunciation, the demon of the alchemy world? The possession of the book itself should have been illegal in the first ce. In fact, I heard that the original book has detailed materials of human experimentation.¡± ¡°That would certainly be the case.¡± ¡°The principal was so horrible that it would have been processed illegally several generations ago.¡± ¡°But as I suspected, once I saw the original, I could figure out why they made this im.¡± Gillian stared at Valletta as if she was a child. Valletta, who had guessed him with narrowed brows, said, ¡°I see,¡± and turned away. She didn¡¯t want to talk about this any further. ¡°If you wish, you may take a look. It is in the forbidden archive of the imperial library.¡± ¡°¡­¡­ Forbidden archive?¡± ¡°Yes, there are quite a few illegal books in there. It is difficult to take them out, but I can give you permission if you want.¡± Valletta remained silent. As a schr, she was curious, but she didn¡¯t want to be put off by seeing something like that for no reason. ¡®¡­¡­ By the way, human experimentation?¡¯ For a moment, ¡°Leshir¡± popped into her head. A corpse brought back to life, a ghost that wandered around without dying. Looking at it closely, Leshir might be a kind of human experiment. If it wasn¡¯t magic that brought Lesir back to life, as Reinhardt had said, then alchemy was the most likely exnation. If it was alchemy, what the hell was the purpose of putting a less-than-perfect soul into a corpse? ¡°¡­¡­ Then could you bring it to my room? I can¡¯t take anything out of my room anyway. It¡¯s safe there too.¡± ¡°If you promise to have a cup of tea with me, I¡¯ll do that.¡± Didn¡¯t they just have a conversation? Valletta nodded instead of responding. ¡®I¡¯ll have someone bring it to you.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll go to the library then.¡± Valletta left Gillian. Kien led her to the library, where she checked out several unsuspecting kinds of alchemy, especially the papers and books of the ancient alchemists. Fortunately, it wasn¡¯t that difficult to take the books out of the library, as Kien mentioned Milord¡¯s name. After borrowing about ten books in the form of rental, Kien¡¯s expression turned bored. Sure, it wasn¡¯t outwardly obvious because he was just as good at managing facial expressions as the Duke was. He had a look in his eyes that said, ¡°What the hell?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take it for you.¡± ¡°Oh, well, I¡¯ll just have these three books.¡± Valletta picked up three of the books and handed them to Kien, who stared at them and then suddenly lifted the remaining seven books. Valletta opened her eyes round. ¡°I can¡¯t carry them?¡± ¡°However guilty you may be, you are still the Crown Prince¡¯s fianc¨¦e and the guards still remain. It would be ludicrous for you to carry it yourself.¡± ¡°Oh, really?¡± Valletta nodded her head and stepped aside after being slightly convinced. Kien walked briskly toward her room, as if the books were not too heavy. ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid?¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°His Majesty is a scary man. He will be merciless. But you are not afraid at all.¡± As he walked up the stairs, Kien¡¯s voice was blunt. There wasn¡¯t much emotion in his voice. Of course, there were no mixed feelings of sympathy, so Valletta shrugged lightly. ¡°They say that if you feel strongly from a young age that you¡¯re going to die if you don¡¯t do something, you develop a strong heart.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Oh, we¡¯re here. You don¡¯t have toe anymore.¡± Valletta took the books from Kien and went to her room, grunting. As she put the book down on the bed, she looked at Kien, who was waiting outside the open door. ¡°What do you mean I don¡¯t have toe anymore?¡± ¡°I mean you won¡¯t have to escort me in the future. Go get some rest.¡± Valletta closed the door behind her. There was an old book on the desk that she seemed to have forgotten about. The paper was so yellowed and discolored that she was afraid the paper would shatter even if She put her hand on it. ¡°I¡¯m too tired to sleep anyway, so I might as well read until midnight today.¡± She didn¡¯t want to wake up in a cold sweat, and she didn¡¯t want to open her eyes feeling like she was falling into a deep hole. Sleeping soundly while she was held in the pce seemed to be a regretful thing to do. Fortunately, there was water in the room, and notebooks and pens. There was also a candle, so there wouldn¡¯t be any evidence remaining if she burned them after writing. Valletta leaned her back against the bed and sat down on the rug floor. She raised her knees and put the book on top of it. She carefully flipped the cover of the heavy book and slowly skimmed through the contents. Her movements, slow at first, became faster and faster the more she got into the book. The reading that began in the afternoon continuedte into the night, until the moon rose. *** ¡°Ugh¡­¡­.¡± Her eyes were heavy and blurry. When she reached thest page, she slowly raised her head. There were certainly a lot of papers and books of various types, probably because it was at the pce. ¡°What time is it?¡± Seeing the moon rise, it seemed like it was just past midnight She squeezed her stiff eyes with her hands. The blurred vision slowly returned to its original position. ¡°Oh¡­¡­¡± She slowly lowered her head. ¡°Jin,e out.¡± Tiredly, she leaned her neck back, and the back of her head reached the mattress of the bed. She let out a long breath. It was fine when she was engrossed in her book, but when she looked up again, it was reality. ¡°No, I¡¯m sorry¡­¡­¡± She rubbed her forehead against her knees as she slowly held her arms around her knees. At the sign of Valletta, who seemed tired and exhausted, Jin quietly sat on her shoulder, coughing. ¡°Yes, the Emperor¡¯s office¡­.. Can you see if there is anyone in the office with the dragon painting on the second corridor on the first floor?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have to think very carefully about how to get there.¡± She had to find out what the Emperor had hidden in his office. Valletta furrowed her brows wearily. ¡°Right? Nerade.¡± Nerade, who smiled brightly, suddenly showed her face. Valletta nodded. She slowly swept her face and stood up. The only thing left was Bertas¡¯ papers about that human experiment. ¡°If Jin says there¡¯s no one, would you mind moving me to him?¡± ¡°Of course. It¡¯s a simple matter of building water on both sides.¡± p! Nerade, who pped her hands cheerfully, gave Valletta fist-sized drops of water likest time. Jin hit Nerade, who burst intoughter, with his wings. Valletta stared nkly at the fight between the two spirits with blurry eyes. She rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand. ¡®What am I looking at now?¡¯ As if they heard the sneer that escaped from between her lips, Nerade and Jin looked at Valletta¡¯s expression and sneaked out of sight. As the two spirits disappeared, Valletta pushed the pile of books to the side. She carefully stood up with water droplets in her hands. At the same time, the droplets hit her like a quick wave. It swallowed her whole, from head to toes. The size of a fistful of droplets was already enough to cover her. Her purple eyes slowly closed. The droplet of water that swallowed her became a little smaller and disappeared in the blink of an eye. The next moment, no one was in the room Chapter 87 Arge drop of water spat her out mercilessly to the floor. Valletta, who was thrown to the floor, breathing hard. Cough. Cough. ¡°Nerade! You stupid thing! What is this?¡± <¡­Ah! I¡¯m sorry. Humans can¡¯t breathe in the water. I forgot! Are you okay?> ¡°Gosh, yes ¡­¡­.¡± She inhaled and exhaled the air quickly and repeatedly, getting her breathing back to normal. The office was clean and smelled of ink. It was hard to believe that the demonic man would use it. Nerade, who had dried Valletta¡¯s wet body, circled her anxiously. Valletta waved her hand, saying she was okay. Valletta slowly looked around the study of the room. ¡°As expected, I can feel something.¡± It seemed to be alchemy. She slowly looked around the study. There were few signs of having been touched. It just looked like it was more for decoration. Still, there was no umtion of dust. It must have been neatly cleaned by the hands of the attendants and maids. Inhaling, Valletta looked over the books one by one with her fingertips. There was nothing to be found on the bookshelf that was by the side of the desk. ¡°Jin, Nerade. There¡¯s no device here, is there?¡± Valletta nodded. She stood in front of the bookshelf behind the desk. This ce seemed to be well cleaned and neat as well. Her fingers slowly swept through the books one by one. ¡°Oh.¡± She paused for a moment, seeming to detect a subtle difference in her fingertips. There were some scratches on the bookshelf. It was the traces of the books that had been pulled in and out repeatedly. She narrowed her eyes and rubbed the area again with her fingers. It was definitely small marks, but they were interesting ones. She quickly lifted the book and looked a little further inside. There were traces in the middle, but after that there were no traces. Her fingers came down to the nextpartment. The top left square of the bookshelf, then the top right square, then the bottom left again, then another one a little further away¡­¡­ There were four traces in total. Traces that took out about half of the books. While contemting, she slowly took out each half of the books from the very top. As she did so, she stepped back and heard the sound of something clicking and meshing from inside. Click. With the sound of something fluttering, a door opened in the middle of the bookshelf. It wasn¡¯t what it seemed, but rather what it said. ¡°Is it ¡­¡­ pliable?¡± It didn¡¯t glow, and it didn¡¯t feel like the kind of sensation she got when alchemy was used, but this was definitely alchemy. She swallowed her saliva as she looked at the swinging door. It was dark inside. It was no different from the pitch ck night. She didn¡¯t know what was at the end of the long corridor, but it was clear that at least the emperor hid this much. But Valletta didn¡¯t like pitch ck ces. She swallowed her breath. Her fingertips trembled finely. She reached out and hugged Jin and Nerade in her arms. ¡°¡­. Don¡¯t go anywhere.¡± Her heart was about to burst. Valletta took a deep breath at the sound of Nerade¡¯sughter. She grabbed the bookshelf door with trembling hands as she stepped inside. Alchemy was basically a one-time thing, and sustainability was always a condition. Everything had to return to its original state. Only then would the evidence disappear and the traces be put back together again. Perhaps the emperor continued to use the same method. She gazed nkly into the darkness, then slowly closed the door. The light that had been shining through the bookshelf disappeared as soon as the door was shut. There was the sound of the books being returned to their original position, along with the sound of the lock being engaged. Valletta hugged Jin and Nerade and slowly stepped forward. The sound of mes burning irritated her ears. The sudden sound caused her body to jump reflexively. Candles red up along the dark passage. Her body slowly rxed as she watched the candles begin to burn faintly in the darkness. ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Valletta didn¡¯t respond to Jin¡¯s words, but stepped silently, keeping her gaze fixed in front of her. Jin watched her walk and shook his head. They didn¡¯t walk that long and a huge central hall appeared. It was used by one person, of course. It was more like the structure of a room itself. However, it was a little wider than a typical nobleman¡¯s room and had a different shape. The deste room with a single bed was round in shape. The walls were surrounded by an enormous amount of books. There was a single desk between the bookshelves that were packed tightly together. There was nothing else dangerous about it. All she could see was a water kettle. She stepped forward and shifted her gaze to the bed. The bed was stark white, with what looked like thin sky-blue threads hanging from it. It twitched and it was breathing faintly when she approached. Valletta¡¯s eyes went ck and white. ¡°Is it a person ¡­¡­?¡± She stopped in her tracks. She didn¡¯t know if it was okay to approach the opponent. However, the person didn¡¯t seem to be dead. She didn¡¯t need to get closer, but she could see that the person was very thin. ¡°You came earlier. Why are you here again? How much more of me¡­.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± The woman¡¯s voice sounded tired and dry, with tears mixed in. Valletta put more pressure on the arms that were holding the spirits. Jin eventually couldn¡¯t stand it and pped his wings, pummeling her arms down. ¡°Hello¡­¡± The woman who didn¡¯t turn around lookedpletely disconnected from the world. Valletta clenched her fist and greeted her. The woman¡¯s body bounced loudly on the bed. The woman, who had been lying with her back facing the doorway unwillingly, finally moved on the bed. She slowly raised her body up, pushing it with her thin arms.Then she turned and faced Valletta. ¡°¡­¡­ who are you?¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡­.¡± Valletta was speechless for a moment. The person in the bed was beautiful, with pure white skin. Her long hair was disheveled on the bed, and her skin was pale, as if she hadn¡¯t been in the sun for a long time, and her bones stuck out so prominently on her skin. It was as if she had lost one of her eyes, and the only thing left was a hole that looked pitch ck. It looked as if there was a deep darkness inside it. However, the one remaining eye was a beautiful color that seemed to embrace the ocean even darker than Milord¡¯s. ¡°What are you going to do here¡­.?¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s¡­¡± What could she say? ¡®I came here because I wanted to know what the emperor was hiding, but I just panicked because there were people¡­¡­.¡¯ She couldn¡¯t say that. That didn¡¯t mean that there was anything else in this room. There was no evidence of valuable treasures or of the many evil deeds he hadmitted. There were no corpses lying around, no evidence of human experimentation. To be honest, she was a little disappointed. ¡°It seems that the emperor is hiding something¡­I¡¯ve been looking for it, and here I am.¡± ¡°It wouldn¡¯t have been easy to find, but it¡¯s fascinating.¡± The wind whispered in her ears, a very gentle soprano tone. It was a distance from the kind of voice she didn¡¯t want to hear. ¡°Are you a spirit?¡± ¡°Oh, this one, ¡­¡­.I know how to call a spirit. I¡¯m not a spirit.¡± The woman¡¯s words were gentle and her eyes were kind, but within themy a deep loneliness, an inexplicable despair, and a horrible weariness with life. ¡°Who are you then?¡± ¡°I¡¯m an alchemist.¡± ¡°Alchemist¡­..¡± Elise mumbled in a small voice. She listened to the child in front of her answer without letting her guard down. It had been a very long time since she had talked to anyone who wasn¡¯t a cynic. ¡°I am an alchemist, too.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Really?¡± ¡°Yes. I was an alchemist to be exact. I was so miserable with that power that I gave up on myself, but I still couldn¡¯t get out in the end.¡± Valletta¡¯s eyes went wide at Elise¡¯s words. The surprised gaze naturally went to Elise¡¯s empty eyes. The power of the alchemist could only be activated by those who embrace the ancient magical formation carved into their eyes. However¡­¡­. ¡°Directly¡­?¡± The fact that the woman gave it up herself meant that she pulled out the ancient magic circle. There was only one way to pull it out. The only way would be to dig where the magic circle was carved. ¡°What do you mean you couldn¡¯t get out?¡± ¡°I thought it was the power of alchemy that he was obsessed with me. So I gave up. ¡­¡­.¡± ¡°The Emperor is obsessed with you¡­?¡± Valletta¡¯s question was met with Elise¡¯s blue eye. She didn¡¯t say anything, but Valletta could feel the insidiousness of it through the pitch ck hole. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have met him¡­.¡± Elise¡¯s face twisted. Her pure white hands gripped the bed sheets tightly. Valletta couldn¡¯t say anything as Elise¡¯s face contorted as if she was crying, but not a single tear came out. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to tell him that it doesn¡¯t matter what he looks like.¡± Well, that was just like ¡­¡­ the end. Valletta could see Elise painting the worst possible ending right in front of her eyes. It was after a while that Elise, who had been silent for a long time, raised her head again. She smiled awkwardly with a more serious expression. Valletta stared at the awkward smile, which was as crooked and awkward as her own. Valletta didn¡¯t dare speak to Elise. She waited until Elise opened her mouth first. She didn¡¯t have the confidence to say anythingforting, and she didn¡¯t know what words to say either. ¡°I¡¯m Elise.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Valletta¡­¡­Valletta Delight.¡± ¡± ¡­¡­ Delight, a greedy fox with torn eyes?¡± Valletta¡¯s lips quivered at Elise¡¯s scathing assessment that jumped out at her with all her might. Of course, it¡¯s not wrong at all. It was just that she had never heard it so harshly before. And that wasing from someone who was on the verge of tears just now. **** Chapter 88 ¡°Uh, yes. ¡­¡­¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t think he was going to have a child and raise it. Did he* have a woman?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m an illegitimate child.¡± ¡°Oh, that makes sense. Any alchemist born under that greedy man* would have grown up mostly trapped.¡± (*Count Delight) Elise said in a brighter voice than before. Valletta stood stunned and crept closer. She could tell by looking at Elise that she had been locked up for a long time. ¡°You know him well.¡± (Valletta) ¡°He was about the same age as us.¡± (Elise) ¡°Us?¡± (Valletta) ¡°¡­¡­ Cainus, me and Lag, we met when we were young and were friends for a long time.¡± The mention of Cainus seemed to be a reference to the Emperor. Elise was this beautiful person in front of Valletta. She didn¡¯t know who Rag was. After a brief moment of thinking, Valletta nodded. ¡®The emperor must be in his early to mid forties¡­.¡¯ ¡®So this woman is also in her 40s with this appearance?¡¯ Valletta was now bored with a different look. She was confined and not well managed, but how great could she really be if she looked like this woman even under stress? ¡°What else is Cainus doing?¡± (Elise) ¡°He wants me. I don¡¯t know why¡­¡­¡± (Valletta) ¡°¡­¡­ You¡¯re the interesting alchemist he mentioned, aren¡¯t you?¡± (Elise) Elise opened her eyes wide, as if she knew something. Valletta nodded, ¡°Probably so,¡± and she chuckled and nodded. ¡°Get away from Cainus right away. Run away.¡± (Elise) ¡°I¡¯d like to do that, but¡­.¡± (Valletta) Valletta said, pointing to the choker on her neck. Elise narrowed her eyes and quickly pulled herself out of bed. The sound of nking iron came from somewhere, and Valletta¡¯s gaze moved toward the sound. Her brows narrowed as she saw the shackles around Elise¡¯s ankles. It was very long, and walking around this room itself seemed to be no problem. However, the corridor she had just walked through seemed to be blocked. ¡°Can youe closer?¡± (Elise) ¡°Yes.¡± Valletta approached and bent down. Elise sighed lowly as she slowly swept the choker. ¡°I made this.¡± (Elise) ¡°¡­¡­ What?¡± ¡°This alchemy sealing formation, I made it before. Cainus asked me to arrest an alchemist criminal.¡± Elise¡¯s face twisted . . a look that said she did expect it to be used in this way. She sighed and wiped her face. At Jin¡¯s words, Valletta nodded lightly. ¡°There is also a sealing formation in this room. This was an attempt to seal me up. It¡¯s useless now, after what happened to me, but I¡¯m sure it¡¯s still working.¡± (Elise) ¡°If you made the seal, you already knew how to disable it. Why didn¡¯t you run away?¡± (Valletta) Whenever you create a new alchemy, you must also create a way to undo it, because the founder of the form also has the means to take responsibility for it if something goes wrong. Elise lowered her head at Valletta¡¯s question. ¡°I couldn¡¯t¡­¡­. Someone important to me is being held captive. Now, I¡¯m off the path of alchemy and have no power.¡± (Elise) This was definitely a part that wasn¡¯t in the novel. The nuance that the emperor had some hidden agenda was mentioned several times, but the character Elise never appeared. This meant that the writer deliberately didn¡¯t reveal it, or that it was literally ¡°the viin¡¯s inside story.¡± Because he wouldn¡¯t write down the circumstances of the viin who must die in the story of the protagonist. ¡°Who is that important person?¡± ¡°I mentioned earlier, Lag. Lagris, my lover.¡± ¡°Lagris ¡­¡­.¡± Valletta recited his name in a low voice. Lagris was a name she had heard somewhere before. It was notpletely familiar, but it wasn¡¯t unfamiliar either. ¡®Where did I hear it?¡¯ She had heard of it, but she couldn¡¯t properly recall where she had heard it before. ¡°¡­. Perhaps you haven¡¯t heard anything about it?¡± ¡°Yes, because I¡¯ve never heard that name before.¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± Elise bowed her head, looking terribly disappointed. Valletta, who was staring at her face, which looked tired and weary, spoke up impulsively. ¡°I¡¯ll check it out next time I¡¯m here.¡± ¡°¡­..Really? But I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s not safe for you toe here again.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Jin and Nerade will help me.¡± Valletta shrugged her shoulders. It was not a problem as long as she didn¡¯t get caught. The only thing she had to watch out for was that the emperor would notice if there was even the slightest disturbance. ¡°Do you know anything about a child named Milord?¡± ¡°Yes, he¡¯s the Crown Prince. Lately, he seems to be swayed by the Emperor.¡± Valletta said indifferently. The only thing she couldn¡¯t do anything about was the bead ne Milord was holding, and that was the problem. Literally, the only way to get it was to steal it or take it away, but he was wearing it on his ne¡­.. ¡°The mark of obedience is engraved on my heart, and the Crown Prince holds the medium. There are many people who want this trivial body.¡± (Valletta) ¡°¡­¡­ that kid.¡± (Elise) ¡°Yes, the ne is a problem, but the bead is a bigger problem. I have to go and get the ne, but there¡¯s no space.¡± Valletta sighed and shrugged. There were several ways to do it, but the option that inevitably shes with the imperial family. As for Valletta, she didn¡¯t feelfortable with it. Elise, who was silent for a while as she listened to Valletta, suddenly burst intoughter. Valletta blinked at her refreshedugh. ¡°Did you know that there is a ¡®recement alchemy¡¯ in alchemy?¡± (Elise) ¡°The switching alchemy form¡­..? How can that be alchemy?¡± Is it a simr principle to the ¡®mobile alchemy¡¯ used by Carlon Delphine? Valletta tilted her head as she thought about it. ¡°I¡¯ve actually studied it with Lagris to use it in magic. Excuse me, can you grab the pen from my desk?¡± (Elise) Valletta tilted her head curiously, but brought the pen from the desk. It was a little odd why Elise didn¡¯t go get it herself. Even though she was shackled, it wasn¡¯t like she couldn¡¯t move at all¡­ She acted like someone who couldn¡¯t walk. Taking a pen that was neatly ced on the desk, Valletta held it out to Elise. Elise grabbed the pen with one hand, and with the other she grabbed Valletta¡¯s hand and turned it over so that her palm was facing up. ¡°Lady Elise?¡± ¡°Hang in there, Miss Valletta. It won¡¯t sound like alchemy if you listen to my exnation, but it is alchemy.¡± Valletta leaned slightly as she listened to the softly recited voice as if singing. Elise eximed, ¡°Oh!¡± and pulled Valletta to sit on the bed. It was just a little force, but Valletta didn¡¯t dare to hold back, and she was dragged to the bed as she was. Elise began to draw something with the pen on Valletta¡¯s palm. She drew a round circle and wrote a detailed alchemical form inside it. Valletta tilted her head as she stared at it. When she saw that it contained a dposition form, it looked like she was trying to take something apart. It was a really difficult alchemy form. It was also the alchemy form that Valletta saw for the first time. It was quite different from a typical alchemy, but it also looked like a magic circle. ¡°Now, it¡¯s done. Any item that can be held in the palm of your hand is possible. Now, would you like to hold the pen?¡± Valletta gripped the pen tightly. ¡°Now put it back.¡± Valletta obediently followed Elise¡¯s words. She put the pen back on the bed. ¡°Now, open your hand.¡± ¡°Yes, but what is this doing¡­¡­.¡± Valletta was about to make a ridiculous sound while imitating her, but surprised and let out a breath. The same pen that she had just lowered onto the bed was again in her hand. Valletta looked at the bed with a hint of bewilderment on her face. ¡°I have the¡­. pen.¡± What in the world is this evil? Valletta¡¯s eyes widened as she looked at Elise. ¡°Swap it with the new one you made. This is the one you made, and that¡¯s the original pen. It sounds like magic, doesn¡¯t it?¡± (Elise) ¡°¡­¡­ Yes, but, what¡¯s the price?¡± (Valletta) ¡°You don¡¯t have to pay for it. It¡¯s not even a perfect alchemy, and it¡¯s not subject to the sealing process. There are not many types of this alchemy.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t call it alchemy?¡± Elise smiled silently at Valletta¡¯s question, a little troubled, and put pressure on her lips. ¡°That¡¯s a trade secret. Of course, it¡¯s a kind of taboo that you shouldn¡¯t do. It¡¯s a bit of a trick. So this won¡¯tst long.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°So leave it at that and take this and see how long it takes to disappear. When this disappears, that¡¯s the time when you can deceive others.¡± Valletta put the alchemy form that had been drawn earlier in her mind. If she had time, even just a few days, she could get out of here. It was just a matter of getting in touch with Reinhardt beforehand. ¡°What is your rtionship with Milord?¡± ¡°We were forced to engage for a time. But I have no intention of marrying him. And now he wants to lock me up.¡± ¡°Perhaps Cainus encouraged him to do that. (The Emperor) He¡¯s always been very good at dealing with people with his words.¡± Indeed, that was something Valletta agreed with. The Emperor was a man who could say anything he wanted to say in a friendly way, a man who could make an impression with a single smile. And since he wasn¡¯tcking in looks, it would be even easier to make a favorable impression. He would be a man who could put a knife in someone¡¯s back with a smiling face. **** Chapter 89 ¡°He became emperor at a very young age and treated us from another country with great formality. I and Lagris regarded him as friends.¡± That seemed to be the problem. Because she treated him as a close friend. A man like the emperor wanted someone who could stand on equal footing with him. In particr, the emperor was a man who hid his greed and was consistent in his pretense from an early age. He smiled falsely to gain people¡¯s favor and whispered false in people¡¯s ears. Those who knew his true face were afraid of him, while those who only saw him in his false form were busy ttering him. In the midst of all this, she and Lagris had stepped into his realm. Valletta raised an eyebrow at the situation, which she could somehow imagine. ¡°I don¡¯t want that boy Milord to turn out to be like Cainus.¡± ¡°Probably.¡± In fact, he was going to be emperor eventually. Of course, it was unknown what would happen if he continued to fall further and further to the bottom. ¡°And if you don¡¯t mind¡­.. Please let me know if you hear anything more about Lagris.¡± ¡°I will. Thank you for letting me know about the formation. And by any chance, you¡¯re not nning to run away, are you?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Elise justughed at Valletta¡¯s words . The sadness and desperation in her eyes as she silentlyughed made Valletta give up on speaking any further. If Elise doesn¡¯t want to leave, there¡¯s no way to help her. ¡®¡­¡­why do I want to help in the first ce?¡¯ Sometimes you just can¡¯t pretend not to know, even though you know that it¡¯s often easier to pretend not to know. Valletta wrinkled her brow and shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s not safe for me to stay here for too long, so I¡¯ll go. And one more thing. I didn¡¯t see the light when you wrote the formation earlier.¡± ¡°Hmm, they don¡¯t tell you that these days, do they? Ancient alchemy doesn¡¯t shine.¡± ¡°¡­¡­really?¡± Valletta¡¯s eyes widened as she asked back. Elise, seeing the rare shards of emotion on her expressionless face,ughed and nodded. ¡®If those kids had grown up, they would have been this big.¡¯ Elise didn¡¯t ask how old Valletta was, but they must have been around the same age. She didn¡¯t know when thest time she had talked this much. The muscles in her face and her mouth were already sore, but Elise ignored it and opened her mouth again. ¡°You do know that alchemy is basically abination of magic and alchemy, right?¡± ¡°Yes, I know.¡± ¡°And the newer alchemy is probably easier than the ancient one, right?¡± Elise¡¯s words made sense to Valletta, who nodded her head. The person in front of her (Valletta )must have been trapped here for a long time, yet she (Elise) could remember many things. The story must be that she was that smart and didn¡¯t get desperate. How amazing that she (Elise) could endure such a ce without going crazy. ¡°Yes, I heard that it was simplified to prevent the magic circle from taking too long to draw.¡± ¡°Yes, I suppose it was for the sake of convenience. But that¡¯s not the case with the original. That¡¯s why when you draw an alchemy formation, if you write the alchemy form in the old, ancientnguage, it won¡¯t glow.¡± Valletta nodded. Surely this was information that she wouldn¡¯t understand even if she read the book day and night. It was something she had never understood before, even though she had read quite a few books. ¡°But many of the ancient alchemical forms were taboo, and some of them were dangerous, the kind that involved human sacrifice. There must be a good reason why they are banned.¡± Valletta nodded. ¡°So remember that it¡¯s your job to choose and use them well.¡± Elise smiled. Valletta nodded silently and bowed. She wouldn¡¯t be able toe again for a while to avoid arousing suspicion, but the next time she came she wanted to bring the information Elise wanted. ¡®Although that would be thest time.¡¯ Elise waved her hand lightly as she watched Valletta bow. Valletta walked down the long corridor again and came out . With Nerade and Jin¡¯s help, she returned to the room safely and exhaled slowly. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Valletta asked Nerade, interrupting Jin¡¯s words. The mermaid the size of the palm of Valletta¡¯s hand nodded slowly as she swam slowly, using the open air as her ocean. Then she sat down in front of Valletta, her hands cupping her chin. Jin, who took the shape of a bird, answered as it pped its wings spontaneously. Valletta bit her lips. Elise was a pretty cheerful person, but she wondered what Elise would think if she heard news of death soon after they met. ¡®It seems like every time I meet people, everyone dies.¡¯ This was why Valletta was afraid to approach people. To call their names, to promise them the next time. And if she visited them, if no one was there¡­. ¡°¡­..like that.¡± Valletta let out a low sigh. If she had known this was going to happen, she should have examined Elise¡¯s wound properly. But, there was no way to put back something she had lost a long time ago¡­¡­. The alchemist¡¯s potion was highly effective, but it only worked if it was used before the wound had healed. For example, if someone¡¯s arm got cut off and used a top-grade potion on the spot, the arm would grow back, but if the part had already healed, there was no way to get it back. ¡°You can go now. Thank you for helping me.¡± Valletta nodded. She sat down at her desk and slowly opened the first page of the book Gillian had given her. * * * The book contained some amazing things. There were various links about alchemy and human experimentation, and the book even recorded in detail the stories and experiments of human¡¯s connections using the elements necessary for human beings. There were bizarre experiments, including cutting a human¡¯s body parts and attached it to a wound that wasn¡¯t healed or it was already healed. If this wasn¡¯t an introduction to creating a chimera, what was it? In the end, however, it seemed that even the author, Bertas, was still unable to make it work. Valletta, who had concentrated on reading the book until the morning came, finally raised her hand and rubbed her face. The impact hit her hard on the head. All of the techniques were written in ancientnguages, and many of the stories were unbelievable. However, with a little application of this, it would not be difficult to make a y doll. If she could put a soul into the y and move it, then moving a corpse didn¡¯t seem tooplicated. However, it required a human soul to do so. That meant that she would have to use two alchemy. Once the alchemy to kill a person on the alchemy circle and once the alchemy to trap the soul in a specific object¡­. And then once the kind of alchemy that breaks the trapped soul and shares it with a few people. ¡­¡­ But there would have to be a price for that. What did they give as a price? What price did they pay to rip out a single soul and put it in a dozen people? ¡°Surely this deserves to be ssified as a forbidden book.¡± Her index finger tapped lightly on the leather cover. If this content were to be circted freely around the world, it would be a serious matter. It seemed that she knew what Gillian or the being that created Lesir had seen. Of course, they must have read this book and applied it. ¡®I suppose I can use it too.¡¯ Knowing this, it would be possible to reverse the raging Lesir back to corpses. Then again¡­¡­ The same goes for Lost*. (*as the reader saidst time, I¡¯ll use ¡®Lost¡¯, instead of ¡®Roast¡¯ for the disease) ¡®Let¡¯s think about it.¡¯ When Lost urred, the light did not stream out of arge or small magic circle. Because then some people would have noticed. In other words, the fact that it didn¡¯t glow means that whatever was used to cause Lost to develop was ancient. ¡®Ancient, ancient, ancient.¡¯ Valletta muttered irritably. What the hell is ancient rted to? But the ancient stuff was certainly powerful and dangerous, and rtively safe from exposure because it was not known. Knock. Knock. Valletta raised her head at the sound of the knock. When she turned her head, it was already as bright as midday outside. ¡°Is it already thiste?¡± Even though she stayed up all night, she didn¡¯t even look tired. * * * Chapter 90 ¡±What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Why?¡± Carlon Delphine, who had been sounding like he was about to cry, took a slow, deep breath and tried to regain hisposure. ¡°Valletta, you really¡­..¡± Valletta opened her eyes softly as she saw Carlon with his hand on his forehead in front of her. It seemed only a day had passed since she had given him the word, but to visit her before it was even noon the next day? ¡®No, noon is fine with me.¡¯ Now noon was perfect. The first knock on the door was Milord, who came in the morning. She sent him away, and once again she was engrossed in her books, but she didn¡¯t expect Duke and Carlon to visit her this time. Valletta¡¯s expression held a hint of suspicion. ¡°Kien.¡± ¡°Oh, yes. He told me your words¡­ ..¡± ¡°Exin.¡± At Valletta¡¯s words, Carlon folded his amrs and looked strangely breathless. He hesitated for a moment before answering honestly. ¡°It¡¯s just as I heard. It¡¯s dangerous, and you don¡¯t want me to involve in the matter.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll fix it?¡± ¡°¡­¡­ Yes, I think so.¡± ¡°Here?¡± ¡°No.¡± Valletta shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m going to the vige.¡± ¡°Any help?¡± ¡°Probably, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything in particr.¡± The only thing left to do was to get out of here, now that she had some idea of what alchemy was. The only thing that she needed was on Milord¡¯s neck. And what Elise asked for¡­¡­. ¡°Oh ¡­..¡± Valletta¡¯s eyes went wide. ¡°Do you know someone named Lagris by any chance?¡± Carlon Delphine tilted his head at Valletta¡¯s question. ¡°I know? Why?¡± It was Duke who answered. Valletta opened her mouth happily. It had saved her a lot of trouble, she thought. ¡°How is he doing now?¡± ¡°I think he¡¯s in the imperial castle¡¯s undergroundboratory.¡± Carlon replied with a light tilt of his head. ¡°Undergroundboratory? What kind of research is he doing?¡± ¡°Oh, what kind of researcher is he? ¡°He¡¯s a representative of the imperial wizards.¡± ¡°He¡¯s a wizard?¡± Duke nodded lightly as Valletta¡¯s asked back, a little perplexed by his reply. Valletta¡¯s expression changed strangely. ¡®¡­Elise was locked up and her lover was appointed as the representative of the imperial wizard? And the Emperor raises her child as the Crown Prince?¡¯ Valletta¡¯s mind spinned slowly. She couldn¡¯t understand. What on earth was the emperor thinking and doing? ¡°Right, but why are you curious about that?¡± ¡°I wondered how he was because there are people asking about his safety.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t suppose there¡¯s anyone who doesn¡¯t know.¡± At Duke¡¯s brief words, Valletta involuntarily turned her head away. Duke¡¯s brows furrowed again and he leaned back with a low sigh. Carlon looked at Duke once, then opened his mouth. ¡°He doesn¡¯t show himself very often. He only appears when the Emperor calls him, and he spends most of his time locked away in his undergroundboratory, not talking to people. He always wears a robe and doesn¡¯t want to talk to people.¡± ¡°I see. Where can I find him?¡± ¡°It¡¯s unspecified.¡± ¡°If I wait in front of the basement, will I be able to see him?¡± Valletta whispered. But to do that, she had to pass a few people. If she waits in front of the basement, people will notice it, and the Emperor will be notified. ¡°Valletta.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Why don¡¯t you take advantage of the adults in front of you?¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡­¡± Valletta touched her cor, as if she had realized a step toote. She wasn¡¯t used to asking someone for help, so of course it wouldn¡¯t be an option. Valletta¡¯s lips quivered as she wrinkled her brow. ¡°Of course¡­.¡± Valletta took a deep breath. ¡°Valletta, if you ask someone to do something for you, you have to pay for it. There¡¯s nothing free in this world.¡± Her heart began to beat faster as a voice rang in her ears. She smiled at the memory of the ghost that hadn¡¯te to mind after a long time. ¡°There¡¯s not much I can do while being locked up. I don¡¯t want to stand out, but can I ask you to be quiet¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°Okay¡± Carlon Delphine and Duke Leon¡¯s voices ovepped. The two men¡¯s brows narrowed simultaneously as they answered lightly and without hesitation. ¡°I am Valletta¡¯s guardian. Duke, why do you answer?¡± ¡°Drinker¡­.¡± Carlon¡¯s mouth dropped open at Duke¡¯s short reply. He didn¡¯t even respond properly. Valletta¡¯s eyes became round at the sight of Carlon Delphine and Duke Leon avoiding her gaze. Before the questioning was over, his reply was that he had already decided what he wanted to say, so just ask. What had been difficult so far wa a disappointingly simple answer, and Valletta opened her mouth. ¡°Ha-ha-ha!¡± She startedughing, covering her mouth with her hand. Valletta¡¯sughter caused Carlon and Duke¡¯s eyes grow wide. The child, who barely knew how to smile, held her stomach and shook her shoulders with her forehead buried on the table. ¡°Valletta,mare you sick?¡± ¡°Doctor¡¯s office ¡­¡­.¡± When Duke jump up from his seat, Valletta hurriedly reached out and grabbed his arm. If he really brings a doctor here, she¡¯ll be in trouble. ¡°I¡¯m fine, I¡¯m fine.¡± Valletta chuckled asionally. When was thest time sheughed this much? She couldn¡¯t remember properly. Duke, who was caught by Valletta, stared down at the child and slowly sat down. ¡°Because you two were so funny. Oh, and if you know someone named Lagris, do you also know someone named Elise?¡± ¡°Lady Elise?¡± This time, Carlon asked back in surprise. Valletta nodded, cooling her face with her fan hand. ¡°Do you know her?¡± ¡°Yes, she used to be the head of the Imperial Alchemists Association. She was also going to be the Empress.¡± ¡°That was more than fifteen years ago.¡± Carlon replied, and Duke added. Valletta was speechless. She had no idea that Elise was the head of the Imperial Alchemists Association. Valletta was silent for a moment, seemingly trying to clear her confused head. ¡°But, why is Gillian now¡­.¡± ¡°I heard there was a major ident at the Imperial Pce and she died. I also heard that Lagris was there.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Valletta slowly lowered her eyes in bewilderment. But Elise was alive. Did Lagris know about it? If he knew, it was likely that the Emperor was using it to ckmail him. If he didn¡¯t know¡­¡­. ¡®Is it guilt?¡¯ If there was a major ident, he may feel that it was his fault for not preventing it. To lessen his guilt, he may be listening to the Emperor¡¯s words. It didn¡¯t help whether he liked it or not. ¡°Lady Elise was a good person. She devoted herself to the welfare of the alchemists and even convinced the Emperor to guarantee their freedom and human rights.¡± ¡°Did you meet her?¡± ¡°Only briefly, but she was a very capable person. She was also a good observer.¡± Valletta nodded at Carlon¡¯s words. The pieces of the puzzle seemed to fit together, but still none of the important pieces of the puzzle could be obtained. She still had many questions about the Emperor¡¯s true purpose and thoughts, about Lost and Lesir. ¡°He doesn¡¯t need to see me. Just give him the letter. And as for me, I have to get out of here.¡± She couldn¡¯t learn anything if she was trapped in the castle. She needed Reinhardt, and she needed to jump into the storm herself. She was frustrated by the fact that he had to be a part of all of this, but she had no choice. ¡°¡­Can you do it safely?¡± ¡°Yes, don¡¯t worry. And¡­.¡± Valletta sighed as she realized that their favors were sincere, so it was time for her to reveal what she was hiding too. It would be a while before they would see each other again. ¡°To be honest, I can make about ten top-notch potions in a day.¡± ¡°¡­¡­ What?¡± ¡°Then there¡¯s ¡­¡­¡­ um, Nerade.¡± At her words, a small tornado began to form, and in the blink of an eye, a mermaid the size of the palm of her hand appeared. She was inwardly grateful that she didn¡¯t have to tell her anymore toe out of her little body on her own. ¡®My mouth doesn¡¯t hurt too much.¡¯ ¡°There¡¯s no need to be nervous.¡± ¡°In fact, you can call it spirit.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°We also went to a hidden space behind the Emperor¡¯s office. I also met someone there named Elise.¡± Valletta¡¯s lips quivered as she spoke briefly of what she had been hiding. She tried to say it as inly as possible, but she wondered how they would see her. ¡°¡­¡­.¡± There was no response from Carlon and Duke. Valletta, who had her gaze was down a bit, let out a slow breath. She clenched her fists a few times and gently raised her head. Duke elbowed Carlon, who looked a little dazed. When he nodded toward Valletta, Carlon finally opened his mouth. ¡°¡­I¡¯ve been waiting for Valletta to tell me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry it took me so long to get to ¡­¡­ to ask you for help.¡± She could understand a little bit of what Carlon had said when they first met. Why he said she could only run, why he said he couldn¡¯t let her hold the sword¡­ ¡°Everyone needs time.¡± ¡°After you get out of here.¡­.. Will youe back?¡± (e back to them) ¡°Yes. If I still have a ce to go.¡± Valletta replied quietly with a faint smile. *** Chapter 91 ¡°Not this one, either.¡± Poof, the thick hardcover was folded, and with a light flick of his fingers, Reinhardt put the book back in its ce. The library in the tower was very spacious, probably because it contained all the stories in the world over the long years. The problem was that no matter how much Reinhardt knew, he couldn¡¯t tell the contents of all these books, and it was impossible to extract them with magic. ¡®Thanks to you, I have to go through all the contents one by one.¡¯ There was no better way to waste time. If it was any constion, it was that the part about the ancient magic circle was not asrge as he had expected. Still, there were three bookshelves of roughly ten meters packed tightly together, so it wasn¡¯t exactly small. ¡°This bookshelf is finished. What¡¯s next?¡± His red eyes took on a rare, tired look. Because he came inte at night when everyone else was asleep and stayed until before the library opened, he spent a lot of time just looking through the books. Yesterday, he had even taken about half of the books on one bookshelf and put a wee spell on them all. Sitting cross-legged on the floor, Reinhardt raised his arms to his knees and put his chin on them. ¡°I can almost understand the principle¡­¡± He only understood the principle. If he could look at it, learn it, and write it down, but if he couldn¡¯t understand the fundamentals and was asked to create a new magic circle, unfortunately he wasn¡¯t confident. ¡°I¡¯m touched that Master is studyingte at night.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t bother me. Just go and sleep more.¡± Reinhardt replied casually with his chin propped up on his hand, then skimmed over the pages of his book. Then he moved his fingers and plugged it back into the bookshelf. He ced one of the books he had stacked beside him on the floor and flipped through the covers again. ¡°¡­¡­ There¡¯s hardly any trace of it, even for a mass-casualty magic of that magnitude. Some of the less-thanplete limbs of the corpses are cross-sectioned, as if they were bitten by animals.¡± This one was apparently very irregr to be called magic. ¡°So what about Lost?¡± ¡°This one has a high probability of magic. It¡¯s a little irregr, but it¡¯s not impossible.¡± ¡°It¡¯s still weird, though.¡± He looked at the contents of the revived corpses just in case it was rted to magic, but neither of them appeared easily. Reinhardt pressed his eyelids with the palms of his hands. ¡°Just tell me what you¡¯re looking for and I¡¯ll help you.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t bother.¡± Reinhardt¡¯s eyes moved mechanically. The gaze from top to bottom contained no emotions. ¡®And I can¡¯t erase that obedience seal.¡¯ It was powerful, even though he was sure that someone had ced another seal over the one that was on her. The question was, how could someone cast a spell so powerful that it could not be touched? Actually, to be precise, he could solve it if he wanted to, but it was dangerous because it was on her heart. (Valletta¡¯s heart) ¡°The Master must know how to use the people under him. If you don¡¯t tell them honestly to help you, they are more likely to not notice.¡± Barrio said as he approached and put his hand on Reinhardt¡¯s stack of books. Reinhardt flicked his fingers lightly when he saw the hand that was about to take it. Just at the same time, arrows made of ice formed in the air shone menacingly in front of Barrio as if to pierce his neck, his head and his heart. ¡°Do I look that fragile? I thought I told you not to bother and get lost.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s something you¡¯re looking for, I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll be helpful. I am older than you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need it. I told you I would take care of it.¡± Reinhardt¡¯s eyes shed. Barrio gulped for a moment at the menacingly glowing red gaze. As if he felt it, the red eyes warped, soon filled with cruelty. Reinhardt slowly got up and walked up to Barrio. ¡°Weren¡¯t you trying to help Sokor instead of Valletta?¡± ¡°So?¡± ¡°As long as you give the order, everyone here will do what you say.¡± Reinhardt looked into Barrio¡¯s eyes. His brown eyes, which had faded over the years, did not avoid Reinhardt¡¯s. Reinhardt clicked his tongue and frowned He didn¡¯t think Barrio would retreat easily just because he was old. If he moved his fingers, Barrio would die with the brain marrow trickling from his head, so why was he be unwilling to do so? ¡°Ancient magic circle for killing.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll look for it.¡± Barrio said, smiling gently. With a spontaneousugh, Reinhardt flicked his fingers to clear the ice arrows, then sat down again on the floor. ¡°And is there a way to make magic non-normatively stronger? It¡¯s a way to have powers you can¡¯t normally have.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t think of anything right away, but I¡¯ll think about it.¡± Barrio replied as he sat down across from Reinhardt. Reinhardt started running his hand over the bookshelves again. Then he scratched his neck and frowned in annoyance. Reinhardt took his hands off the bookshelf and tilted his head. He could see the night sky that covered the high ceiling of the library. It was so uniquely designed that someone thought it might be a wizard¡¯s tower. ¡®I miss you.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t sleep much, and it was the first of many nights that he stayed up all night without a wink of sleep. At this point he wanted to sleep in Valletta¡¯s arms. He would have gone to see her it wasn¡¯t for this task. ¡°No matter how much the Master is born knowing, there can always something hecks. Even if there is nothing, I have my years.¡± ¡°Noisy.¡± ¡°So feel free to use it and ask.¡± Reinhardt¡¯s expression twisted in annoyance. Why there were so many people who are so outspoken these days? Slowly, his patience wasing to a limit. Reinhardt¡¯s lips twisted slightly. ¡°You are the most powerful master of all time.¡± ¡°I know.¡± The muffled voice was not filled with annoyance. Respect, admiration, jealousy, time. He had already know and understood most of the feelings in his head. There was nothing new to feel. Only Valletta gave him new feelings. The emotions of the existence of ¡®Reinhardt¡¯ that only ¡®Reinhardt¡¯ could feel, not understood or felt in his head. It was a feeling that no one had ever felt before in the history of The Tower Lord. Reinhardt, who had been flipping through the pages, was about to turn to the next page, but he turned to the next page and came back to the front again. He read that page silently for a while, and eventually turned to a few more pages ahead. Then he started reading slowly. At the sight of him, Barrio gently pushed his head to look inside it. ¡°ck magic¡­.¡± At the sound of Barrio¡¯s voice, Reinhardt¡¯s gaze slowly turned towards him. He lifted his head from his slump and looked at Barrio. ¡°Do you know anything about ck magic?¡± Reinhardt searched his mind. There was no memory left in his memory for ck magic. ¡°Yes, ck magic is one of the ancient magics. It is ssified as an abomination among abominations because of its poor quality among ancient magics.¡± ¡°An abomination of abominations.¡± It sounds like something that would be attractive to the crazies. ¡°Yes. The use itself is strictly forbidden by thews of the Magic Tower, and all rted books should have been destroyed.¡± ¡°Destroyed¡­¡± He found it hard to believe that such valuable things were all discarded due to the nature of people who were obsessed with the study of wizardry¡­ Reinhardt narrowed his eyes as he propped his chin up. ¡°The reason why the tower was created was also because there were too many people who were affected by ck magic and vited the unspoken prohibition during that period.¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­ I didn¡¯t know there was such a story.¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s a story that often appears in history books, so if you didn¡¯t grow up in the tower or on the sky ind, you might not know it.¡± Somehow, he had no memory of the tower masters. All that existed was a variety of forms and magic methods. Other than that, there were useless emotions and things that the masters had to do. ¡°So the twelve wizards of the beginning built a tower in a ce where humans could note and go, and created a country for wizards.¡± ¡°The Wizard of the Beginning¡­..¡± Reinhardt narrowed his eyes. Come to think of it, there was one person who called him that name. The edge of Reinhardt¡¯s mouth curled up slightly. ¡°And the first thing they did when they built the tower was to create taboos, establishws, andy the groundwork for sanctions. In fact, there is a wizard¡¯s prison at the bottom of the tower.¡± ¡°Is that the so-called Tartarus?¡± At Reinhardt¡¯s words, Barrio nodded. Barrio opened his mouth again and exined. ¡°Yes, Sokor thinks that Tartarus refers to this tower, but to be precise, it refers to the prison that can only be reached through the lowest level of the tower, underneath the sky ind.¡± ¡°Is that right?¡± Reinhardt¡¯s curved eyes were full of interest. If the wizards of the beginning created the tower and the forbidden magic began to disappear, then the wizards of the beginning must be well aware of the taboo. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, you should ask him yourself.¡± ¡°What ¡­¡­?¡± ¡°Is that right, watchdog?¡± Reinhardt turned his head back slowly. Caspellius, who had been hiding in an invisible corner, revealed himself with his head down. ¡°You came and you didn¡¯t even say hello, dog.¡± ¡°I thought you wouldn¡¯t want it.¡± **** Chapter 92 ¡°Dog greetings are wee. Doesn¡¯t a dog wag its tail at its owner?¡± Caspellius fell silent. Despite being thoroughly treated like a dog, he kept his mouth shut. Reinhardt simply treated him as a real dog, not belittling or abusive. He was much more generous than the other magic tower lords of the past who did everything they could to relieve their stress. At least that was Caspellius¡¯ point of view. Reinhardt¡¯s eyes narrowed as he looked at Caspellius, who was not talking as much as he was used to. ¡°If you don¡¯t like me calling dog, then give me a name. I know you don¡¯t like Caspellius either. It¡¯s long and tedious for me too.¡± Caspellius flinched and his shoulders trembled loudly. At the same time, Barrio¡¯s eyes grew sorge that they couldn¡¯t get any bigger, and even the veins hidden by his eyelids could be seen. ¡°Pell¡­..¡± There was a small voice that sounded like it was scratching iron. ¡°You can call me Pell¡± ¡°Hmm, okay, Pell.¡± Reinhardt flicked his fingers lightly. In a sh, a book came to his mind. Reinhardt, who had been sitting on the floor, rose from his seat. His silver hair swayed as he moved. ¡°Where is the taboo book?¡± ¡°It¡¯s been destroyed.¡± ¡°That would be the answer as a manager, and honestly.¡± A sweet voice whispered soothingly. Reinhardt¡¯s half-moon eyes reached Caspellius. Caspellius clenched his mouth shut and did not reply. ¡°If you don¡¯t answer, I¡¯m going to destroy these towers one by one and check.¡± Exactly as soon as Reinhardt finished speaking, the ice arrows filled therge library. Reinhardt¡¯s gaze still contains affection. He reached out and patted Caspellius on the cheek lightly. ¡°Are you nice, Pell?¡± Barrio gulped as he seemed determined to deceive people. He had never thought of people having a halo, but at least it was clear that Reinhardt did. ¡°Impossible.¡± ¡°They didn¡¯t discard it.¡± ¡®I guessed it.¡¯ Reinhardt smirked and stepped into the library entrance. Again, with the sound of footsteps, the ice arrows that covered the library shattered into small pieces in the void and flowed down in shards. Reinhardt walked through them was nothing short of graceful. Caspellius was rendered speechless for a moment by the same sight of the twinkling star dust falling in the night sky that covered the ceiling of the library. ¡°Pell! This is our starting point.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give you the top room. It is the room of the master who will take care of the magic tower from now on, so decorate it well.¡± Caspellius slowly closed and opened his eyes to friend in the memories that were already too faded to even be memories. He rushed after Reinhardt. ¡°Didn¡¯t you know that before I asked?¡± ¡°I was just thinking.¡± ¡°Ancient magic is a Pandora¡¯s box that can never be opened. It is literally taboo. I cannot show it to the master.¡± Caspellius spoke at an unusually long length. He strode forward, blocking Reinhardt¡¯s path. As Caspellius stood in front of him, Reinhardt stopped and smiled at him. ¡°You don¡¯t have to show it to me, I can find it.¡± ¡°Impossible, I¡¯ll block it.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Caspellius was silent for a moment. Rainhardt tilted his head and lightly walked past him. Caspellius hurried after him. Barrio also followed, watching the two of them as they fought. ¡®Is Caspellius really is the keeper of the magic tower?¡¯ He was one of them, called the Wizards of the Beginning, the Twelve Greatest Wizards. Barrio shook his head in disbelief. It was funny how narrow-minded and foolish he was. ¡°¡­¡­ ck magic can be deceptive. It is especially easy for those who cannot control their emotions and live with madness to fall into it. Unstoppable ck magic can cause wizards to run amok.¡± ¡°Am I going crazy?¡± ¡°Not necessarily, but the probability is more than fifty percent. Again, it¡¯s impossible.¡± Reinhardt sighed exaggeratedly. He had no sense of danger. The whole thing felt like a prank. Caspellius fell silent. ¡°Can¡¯t we really do it, Pell?¡± Reinhardt chuckled as he changed his attitude. He grabbed Caspellius¡¯ hand and brought his face close to his nose. Caspellius¡¯ body trembled loudly and then reflexively stepped back. ¡°Huh?¡± The beautiful looking man¡¯s eyes warped. It was as if he was trying to win his opponent over. Caspellius quickly nced at him with a sharp gaze. This¡­¡­ ¡°It was your way of survival.¡± ¡°¡­¡­..¡± Reinhardt smiled with his eyes and brushed himself off quickly. Then, after taking a step back, he quickly approached, kissing the back of Caspellius¡¯ hand as he gently bent over, then looked up at him. ¡°You¡¯re still beautiful today, Pell.¡± Caspellius¡¯ shoulders stiffened. The eyes of the watching Barrio grew big as amp. Barrio moved closer to stop his action, but Reinhardt bent down a little more than before. He looked up at him with a lower posture. ¡°I¡¯ll be careful from now on. I¡¯m sorry for blocking the way.¡± When he had finished speaking, Reinhardt knelt down lightly this time. His face was still smiling. But Caspellius¡¯ face stiffened at the action, and Barrio stopped moving. ¡°Thank you for letting me throw away the trash.¡± ¡°Master, stop¡­¡­¡± Undeterred, Caspellius shook his head. But Reinhardt lowered himself a bit more, still in his kneeling position. His red tongue could be seen between his lips, which opened slowly like a slow screen. Caspellius came to his senses and stepped back, almost pushing Reinhardt aside. At the same time, Barrio grabbed Reinhardt¡¯s cor from behind and pulled him back. ¡°¡­¡­God, why are you looking so tired, Pell?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Weren¡¯t you curious?¡± Reinhardt stuck out his red tongue and lightly licked his lower lip. ¡°I wasn¡¯t curious.¡± ¡°Then, shall I say it differently?¡± Reinhardt, who had been tapping his chin lightly with his index finger as if contemting, chuckled. ¡°You made it this way.¡± His curved eyes eventually glowed viciously. Caspellius¡¯ back stiffened. His mouth hung open, speechless. He was staring at his lips and clenched his fists. Reinhardt¡¯s eyes, which were watching the change in emotion, slowly became stained with boredom and weariness. Reinhardt turned his body toward the entrance again. ¡°So, you killed them all?¡± Reinhardt took a few steps without replying, then stopped immediately. He blinked slowly. ¡°¡­¡­ No one was helping.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°No one treated me like a human being.¡± When he closed his eyes, he could clearly hear breathless criesing from the darkness. It was still lingering in Reinhardt¡¯s mind. Perhaps this memory would never go away. ¡°I still don¡¯t see what the problem is with ughtering the pigs.¡± (Reinhardt) ¡°What are you trying to do with ck magic?¡± (Caspellius) ¡°Ummm. ¡­¡­ A game of finding the culprit with Master*.¡± (*Valletta.) (Reinhardt) At the wording out from Reinhardt¡¯s lips with round arcs, Caspellius stood in there for a long time with a stupid expression on his face. **** ¡°I knew this was the ce.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know there was such a ce in the magic tower.¡± Reinhardt rolled his eyes slowly. Barrio, who was moved along with Reinhardt, opened his mouth, not hiding his surprise. It was a small space that was only half the size of the Magic Tower Library they were in earlier. The old books were kept neatly under preservation magic. All of the books, including the ones that were packed tightly together, were written in ancientnguages. In the middle of it all, an old bed was ced alone with some traces of life. Caspellius, who had followed, eventually touched his forehead. ¡°¡­¡­ How in the world did you find this ce?¡± Listening to a voice mixed with rough metal, Reinhardt did not blink. It was like that from the first meeting. He did not evaluate Caspellius by any standard. He didn¡¯t frown once, saying he was offended, and he just treated him thoroughly like a dog after hearing the exnation. ¡°A weird guy.¡¯ But what happened in front of him was a shock. He didn¡¯t want to know how he had survived. It was shocking to see a man who never seemed to bow acted without a care in the world. ¡°I looked through the entire tower with my power.There were no doors, but there was one empty space, and it was about the height of a library.¡± Reinhardt said as he slowly looked at the bookshelves one by one. He looked through the whole tower with his power? Caspellius swallowed his breath, which may be the fewth time, at the opponent¡¯s endless potential. ¡°There is a reason why ck magic is designated as a taboo subject. It is a magic that should not be used.¡± ¡°Hmm, why is that?¡± Reinhardt stretched out his hand and took a book, flipping through it. Caspellius wrinkled his brow, but he did not sanction it. More than anything, Reinhardt¡¯s movements were nothing short of natural. ¡°It¡¯s because there¡¯s a price you have to pay for using it.¡± ¡°ck magic, or human life?¡± Caspellius¡¯ expression hardened at the question, which was met with a smile. He nodded, his face scrunched up, and his lips quivered. ¡°Yes, I can ept the life of a person as payment. But it¡¯s that powerful.¡± ¡°Have you ever used it?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve seen people get destroyed after using ¡­¡­. ck magic can attract people. Even a drop of blood left in the body will be offered as a price.¡± Tak. Reinhardt folded the book and pushed it back to its original position. He took out the book next to it and slowly scanned it with his eyes. Anyone could tell that Caspellius¡¯ words went to Reinhardt¡¯s one ear and came out the other one. ¡°When people like you run amok, nothing can stop them.¡± ¡°Someone will stop me. In times of crisis, heroes alwayse out, right?¡± Reinhardt replied routinely, flipping lightly through the book. His eyes moved fast as he read the contents. ck magic could certainly outdo himself in magic. ¡®To mess with such an ancient thing¡­.¡¯ Reinhardt¡¯s eyes narrowed. The opponent seemed to have been a fairly good researcher. Ancient magic, especially hidden ck magic, would be impossible unless he delved deeply into the study of magic. ¡°Please don¡¯t start now.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s a small magic, can I pay for it with blood?¡± Reinhardt, who was about to read the story, murmured in a low voice. He held the book in one hand and lightly scratched the index finger of his other hand in the air. Then the finger, which was white, split open with red blood, and the blood oozed out. ¡°Next is ¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Master¡­..!¡± Caspellius raised his voice. He was clearly angry, but Reinhardt just nced at him. ¡®Memorize spells in ancientnguage¡­.¡¯ **** Chapter 93 It seemed that this couldn¡¯t be aplished simply by imagining it in his mind. Anyway, ancient things were annoying. Thinking, Reinhardt slowly opened his lips. ¡°Spears of ice.¡± The reason for prolonging the chanting in magic was to concentrate the mind and gather the disturbed magic power in one ce. Regrettably, Reinhardt, who was full of magical power, did not need to gather it. So his order was short. It was more of a starting word than an order. Faaaah! A huge magic circle floated up in the air, and thousands of ice spears were filled so tightly that they couldn¡¯t move an inch. Caspellius was simply mesmerized by the spectacr sight. As Reinhardt lightly waved his finger, his blood trickled from the gap between his fingers and formed a round sphere in the air. And then it disappeared, reducing its volume as if it¡¯d been sucked into the air. At that moment, the spears flew furiously towards the wall. Caspellius and Barrio opened their eyes wide, as if they didn¡¯t expect it. Boom! With a huge explosion, the first floor of the magic tower building was half destroyed. Reinhardt, who had been standing still through the sting shock wave, fluttered his eyes once and looked down at his still bloodied fingers. Then he raised his head again and looked at the entire expanse of sky in front of him. ¡°It¡¯s certainly fascinating.¡± He didn¡¯t even try to exert half of the original power, but four times the original power came out even stronger. If he had tried to use the power properly, the tower might have already copsed. ¡®I would have set up a protective boundary.¡¯ He was nkly thrust through. Shrugging his shoulders, Reinhardt lightly flicked his fingers.The magic tower, which had been shattered by the ice spears into powder, instantly returned to its original state. ¡±¡­¡­ you.¡± ¡±I didn¡¯t even exert half of your original power.¡± Reinhardt exined to Caspellius. Caspellius¡¯ eyes opened wide. Only half of his power but this powerful? With a jerk movement, Caspellius snatched the book of ck magic from Reinhardt¡¯s arms. ¡°It¡¯s still dangerous.¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s fine. I don¡¯t need it.¡± Reinhardt smiled with a childlike expression as he raised his hands neatly. ¡°What is that¡­¡­?¡± ¡°I understand the principles of ck magic, and I know how to create a magic circle. All we need to do is use our brains to find the rest of the answers.¡± ¡°¡­¡­ you¡¯ve already figured it out? You¡¯ve only seen two books?¡± At Barrio¡¯s words, Reinhardt raised his head and smiled. What is there not to understand? The principles of learning were easy to apply once the basics were generally understood. ¡°How hard can that be? Once you understand the basics, it¡¯s all about application.¡± Barrio Baloxis, who had been exploring the discipline of magic for nearly a hundred years, opened his mouth dumbfoundedly. He felt as if he was denied his entire life that he had worked so hard to live. ¡°Oh, Master, I miss you.¡± Reinhardt murmured in a low voice as he turned his head. He chuckled as he looked down at his fingers, which still had red marks on them. ¡°If I say it hurts, will you fix it?¡± The gentle smile on his lips made Barrio and Caspellius look at him in surprise. It was not a painted smile, nor a made upugh, but an expression that came from the heart. ¡°A magic circle that seals magic is only good if you don¡¯t use magic to enter it, right?¡± ¡°A magic circle that seals magic¡­?¡± Caspellius¡¯ counter-questioned with a contraction of his brows. A look of iprehension. Reinhardt, who had been watching his expression closely, continued to speak. ¡°Yes. For example, what if I use magic to get outside the door where that magic circle is, and then walk in?¡± ¡°You won¡¯t get caught. A magic circle that seals magic is fine as long as you don¡¯t use direct magic. Or ¡­¡­.¡± Caspellius pulled something out of a drawer on a side table by the bed in the middle of the room surrounded by bookshelves. He held the object out in front of him in his hand. Holding out the object on his scarred hand, he opened his mouth again. ¡°You can wear this and use your magic to get in. ¡°A ring?¡± It was a silver ring with an borate magic circle wrapped around the entire ring on the inside, while the outside was clean and free of any artifacts. ¡°This ring is used to enter underground prisons. The entirety of Tartarus is engraved with powerful magic circles that seal off magic. This one has a magic circle on it that will prevent you from being affected by it.¡± ¡°Is it yours?¡± Reinhardt asked as he took the ring and looked around. Caspellius shook his head. ¡°I have a separate one. This is given to the Lord of the Tower.¡± ¡°By the way, where the hell are we?¡± Barrio spat out a series of questions that he had stuffed into his mind. Reinhardt, who wore the ring on his left index finger, looked at Caspellius and smiled. ¡°It¡¯s the empty space between the 74th and 75th floors. It¡¯s our dog¡¯s home.¡± ¡°¡­¡­ Come to think of it, I¡¯ve never even heard of a dog¡¯s home.¡± ¡°Are you going to Lady Valletta?¡± Reinhardt smirked at Caspellius¡¯ question. He lowered his head and stretched his right hand. The fingers, which stopped bleeding and left only red marks, now looked almost normal. Reinhardt, who was looking down at it, held up his left index finger and slowly drew on his right palm a long, diagonal line. A red blood line was drawn along his movements. ¡°Master, What are you doing now?¡¯ Barrio, who was watching from the side, rushed over and grabbed his wrist. Reinhardt nced at him and shrugged. He lowered his gaze and looked at his palm. Blood spurted out from a red line that cut diagonally across his palm and eventually began to pool in his palm. ¡°She won¡¯t heal me if I don¡¯t do this.¡± ¡°You ¡­¡­.¡± This was the first time in Barrio¡¯s life that he had seen someone so twisted. The Tower Lord was of course a cranky, arrogant, self-centered person, but not of this sort. Neither Caspellius nor Barrio had ever seen such a disregard for their own lives. ¡°Now that I¡¯ve done my business, I¡¯ll go now.¡± ¡°Are you really noting back?¡± Reinhardt¡¯s brow furrowed in annoyance at Barrio¡¯s question. He tapped the floor lightly, a little nimbly. A magic circle glowed gorgeously beneath his feet. Oh, I¡¯ll give it back after I use it, Pell.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to return it until you die. Because you¡¯re the owner of the tower.¡± Reinhardt¡¯s eyes narrowed and he disappearedpletely. After Caspellius had put the book he had been holding back in its ce, he looked at Barrio . ¡°You should leave now, too.¡± ¡°Is he really going to abandon the tower?¡± Caspellius did not answer Barrio¡¯s deted voice for a while. Eventually, he saw Barrio on the verge of disappearing and slowly opened his mouth. ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± ¡°Really¡­.?¡± ¡°For the sake of Lady Valletta, he¡¯lle back. I¡¯m sure there is no safer ce for the two of them in the world than here.¡± With thosest words, Caspellius kicked Barrio out of the room. With the peace that hade again, he took off his thickly d robe as he sat on the bed, looking tired. * * * ¡°Hello, Master.¡± ¡°¡­¡­ what? How did you get in here?¡± ¡°The guard dog gave me something interesting.¡± Reinhardt picked upValletta, who was still sitting at her desk atte dawn, and sat her down on the bed. The pen she was holding fell out of her hand and rolled around on the floor. ¡°You really are out of line.¡± ¡°Just, I miss you.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Valletta, whose forehead narrowed, looked at Reinhardt, kneeling in front of her. She sighed low as he rubbed his forehead against her thigh as if he was tired. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Umm, I got hurt.¡± Reinhardt¡¯s voice was unusually soft as he raised his head and looked up at her. There was no sense of danger when he said he was hurt, but he didn¡¯t seem to be in any pain. Instead, it was Valletta who raised her eyebrows. ¡°¡­¡­ injured? Where?¡± ¡°Hand.¡± The smiling face showed no sign of pain. Valletta looked at Reinhardt suspiciously and eventually shrugged her shoulders and opened her mouth honestly. ¡°Let me see.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Reinhardt smiled and reached out his right hand. Valletta gulped at the sight of the red blood dripping down. Why did this crazy mane looking like this? The wound was deeper than she expected and she could see inside the open skin. ¡°Have you gone mad?¡± ¡°I think that¡¯s true for Master¡­¡± Reinhardt said as he grabbed Valletta¡¯s hand and kissed the palm of her hand. Valletta pulled out her hand and opened her mouth. ¡°I can¡¯t do alchemy here.¡± She couldn¡¯t use alchemy in her room, and she didn¡¯t have the materials either. Her items, which they said they would return the next day, were not returned, neither was her bag or Snorta. Reinhardt lightly flicked his fingers, and the medicine box appeared. ¡°I have the healing tools.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be quicker to ask the doctor to treat you rather than bring the ring with this?¡± Despite the ridiculousness of the situation, Valletta meekly opened the medicine chest and took out an antiseptic from it. Reinhardt smiled as he looked at her. It was a dazzlingly beautiful smile. ¡®¡­¡­.¡¯ She felt like she was possessed. Besides, this man reminded her of the other Reinhardt he had met in her dreams. The one who was more weary, and had a look in his eyes that said everything was boring. The man who would end up staying that way. ¡°It hurts. ¡­¡­¡± Valletta, who had disinfected his hand, applied the medicine, and was bandaging it, stopped moving for a moment at the sound of hisint. Reinhardt, who leaned his face against her thigh as he always did, looked like a child. Valletta said nothing, but bandaged him up, then closed the medicine box and pushed it to one side. She reached out her arm and stroked Reinhardt¡¯s hair. His shoulders shook in surprise, and he slowly closed his eyes, leaning back to adjust. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°I was kicked out, Master.¡± ¡°You came out on four legs.¡± Valletta stroked his silky hair as she criticized Reinhardt. She even wanted to ask how in the world he managed it. ¡°Valletta.¡± She stopped, a little startled by the sweet voice in her ears. ¡°Yes.¡± Reinhardt stretched out his arms and hugged her around the waist. She let go of the hand that was stroking his head and looked at Reinhardt. She was contained fully in his red eyes. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t youe out with me? We¡¯ll look for the culprit together.¡± Valletta shrugged at Reinhardt¡¯s words. His voice was so sweet as he whispered in a nostalgic way. ¡°Umm¡±, Valletta nodded gently and smiled faintly. ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m going to do. But not now. I have someone to meet.¡± ¡°Then when shall I see you again?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be in the garden tomorrow morning.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Reinhardt kissed the back of her hand and stood up. The blood that hadn¡¯t stopped oozing out from between the tightly wrapped bandages. ¡°Oh, mana stones, can you give me some?¡± At Valletta¡¯s words, Reinhardt put some of the best mana stones in her hand without asking or questioning. They were all about the size of a fist, so they would be expensive on the market. ¡°Two is enough.¡± ¡°Really? I can give Master as many as you want.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. Go ahead.¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll see you tomorrow.¡± Reinhardt didn¡¯t hide his disappointed face when he replied. He looked at her white neck for a long time, then quickly bent down and kissed her neck to her shoulder. ¡°Then I¡¯ll go.¡± He then disappeared with the magic circle with a fresh expression, leaving behind the speechless Valletta. ¡°¡­¡­ What is it with him?¡± Heat gathered on her face in a sh. Valletta, who held her hot neck with her hand, swallowed a vainugh. All she could think about was that the Reinhardt in her dreams and the Reinhardt in reality were both Reinhardt after all. Valletta, who sighed deeply, stretched lightly and raised herself from the bed. ¡°Jin, Nerade.¡± She sighed briefly as she watched the two tornadoes form. It was time to sort everything out. *** Chapter 94 The second way to see Elise was even easier. Using Jin and Nerade to reach the room hidden in the emperor¡¯s office, Valletta stepped inside. At the sound of ttering metal, Elise turned her head. Her eyes widened slightly. Eventually, seeing the happy curve of her eyes, Valletta approached Elise. ¡°You came early.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to leave here tomorrow. So I came to tell you what I promised.¡± ¡°Did you hear¡­.?¡± Valletta nodded at Elise¡¯s expectant gaze. She didn¡¯t have a lot of information, but she decided to tell Elise and believed she would do well. ¡°Yes, Lagris is the representative of the imperial wizards. I haven¡¯t been able to meet him in person, but there¡¯s someone who saw him recently.¡± ¡°¡­¡­he¡¯s safe, but a representative of the Imperial Wizard¡­¡± Elise¡¯s brows furrowed. That meant that Lagris was working for the Emperor. Why would he work for the imperial family? Why didn¡¯t he go back to the Tower¡­¡­ ¡°In the meantime, I passed on the letter I had written to inform him about Lady Elise. I don¡¯t know if I can get the password right, but if it¡¯s delivered safely, he might be able to help.¡± ¡°Yes, safely¡­ he¡¯s alive.¡± Elise slowly buried her face in her hands. She only thought Lagris was dead. She had never thought that he was alive. The reason she asked Valletta to find out information about him was because she had a glimmer of hope that he might be. ¡°I was worried because Cainus said Lagris had disappeared since that day, but thank God¡­¡± Elise exhaled. Valletta observed her closely. Her skin was pale, her breathing unsteady andbored. The injection marks on her arms showed she was getting regr checkups, but that was it. ¡®Her condition is very serious¡­.¡¯ She should have known even if Jin didn¡¯t tell her about Elise¡¯s condition. She felt like an idiot for not knowing. Valletta clenched her fists and sighed. ¡°Are you in a lot of pain?¡± ¡°It used to hurt a lot, but now it¡¯s slowed down and I¡¯m used to it.¡± That was not good. Getting used to the pain was not a good thing. It meant that she was losing sensation in her body. Valletta pondered, but eventually gave up the idea. She didn¡¯t have the materials and no time. Tomorrow morning she had to meet Milord, take the bead from him and remove the choker. Because Elise told her how to break the seal. ¡°Thank you for telling me that Lagris is still alive.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯ll stop by again when I get a chance.¡± ¡°And please don¡¯t hate Milord too much.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t hate him.¡± She didn¡¯t like him either. Valletta greeted Elise, then turned back with a faint smile. * * * ¡°¡­I thought you wouldn¡¯t eat again today.¡± ¡°I must, unless I want to starve to death.¡± Valletta replied calmly, breaking the bread in half and dipping it in the soup. The bread, full of butter, was indeed savory and tasty. The corn soup was also quite thick. ¡°Valletta.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you want to be my person?¡± ¡°No.¡± Milord became speechless at the determined answer without any contemtion. Valletta looked at Milord¡¯s neck. The bead was hidden from view, but the string was definitely visible. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Do you want me to love you?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you do that?¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s up to you. But you can¡¯t force me to do it.¡± Valletta got up from her seat and circled the table with neat steps to approach him. Then Milord turned his body to the side. She grabbed Milord by the shoulders. She bent down and slowly ced her hand on his chest, bringing him closer. ¡°I¡­..¡± Reaching into his slightly opened shirt, Valletta smiled as she brought her face close to his. Milord swallowed his breath as he tightened his hips at the hand that touched his skin. ¡°Even if I do this, I have no interest in the Crown Prince.¡± Valletta said as she straightened herself up. She hid the bead in her sleeves as she circled around and returned to her original seat with an unconcerned expression. Then she took a sip of her drink. ¡°So, please reconsider.¡± ¡°¡­Valletta.¡± Milord clenched his fist and gently raised his gaze. Valletta, who was standing next to her chair, put down her ss and sighed. ¡°You would make a good emperor, but I don¡¯t know why you are trying to dye yourself into some strange ce. Put aside your prejudices and look around.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t promise you anything else, but I can promise to be your friend if you be a good emperor.¡± Milord¡¯s eyes grew surprisingly big. Looking at his shaking gaze as if in a panic, Valletta turned away. She grabbed her sleeve tightly and walked towards the door. ¡°I hope you will be a good emperor.¡± ¡®So, please, let yourself be free. If that crazy emperor continues to keep his throne, I should probably leave this empire myself.¡¯ ¡°Sincerely.¡± That was really troublesome. So she was really serious. She felt sorry for Elise too. Valletta left without hearing his reply. Milord sat frozen for a long time after Valletta left the dining room. * * * Once outside, Valletta put the duplicate ne on her neck, pretended to head for her room, and hid behind a pir. As she stepped into the garden, avoiding the eyes of the soldiers, Reinhardt appeared as if he had been waiting for her, his robe fluttering. ¡°Good morning, Master.¡± ¡°I¡¯m tired. Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Reinhardt reached out and lightly patted her choker. With a puff of blue me, the choker quickly turned to ash and disappeared. The burning blue me wasn¡¯t hot at all, oddly enough. ¡°Can you make it go away?¡± ¡°I learned yesterday that the sealing magic circle also has dispel.¡± Smiling, Reinhardt pulled her to his robe. Suddenly being trapped in the robe, Valletta frowned slightly. Reinhardt put more strength into the arms that held her waist. ¡°Oh, we can finally be together.¡± ¡°I¡¯m really tired.¡± ¡°Yes, go to sleep.¡± Valletta pressed her thumb against her throbbing temple while listening to his low voice. Tiredness consumed her whole body. She hadn¡¯t been able to sleep properly for the past few days, but she had also been using her head too much. She didn¡¯t even eat properly. It was as if her body had been overloaded by the slight panic of trying to get out of the Imperial castle. A magic circle was drawn under Reinhardt¡¯s feet as he wrapped his arms tightly around Valletta¡¯s waist. ¡°I¡¯m going to bring Master¡¯s things, too. Wait a minute, Master.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Reinhardt stood Valletta on the magic circle for a while, and then disappeared in an instant. When he came back, he had Snorta and a bag in his hand. Gyaan! Snorta took off from Reinhardt¡¯s arms and flew straight to Valletta. Valletta patted the furball that was hugging her, though she looked tired. Reinhardt, who stared at Snorta with jealous eyes, held Valletta tightly with one arm again and activated the magic. The magic circle on the floor lit up, and the two disappeared without a trace. * * * ¨C Second vige in the east, Espel. Cough. Cough. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°Yes¡­..kakkak.¡± Light sky-blue hair scattered in the wind. A young man with a paleplexion and dark eyes was busy covering his mouth and coughing. The girl standing beside him took care of the man as she was used to doing. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Lynn.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. We need to get an inn nearby. I¡¯m going to have a look around, so please stay here for a while.¡± Lynn said, patting Desilian on the back as he coughed dryly. The brown hair tied together shook near the shoulder de. Desilian nodded slowly. ¡°Yes, I got it.¡± A cracked voice finally answered. The girl asked anxiously again and again before running off. When Desilian saw Lynn running at full speed, he covered his mouth and coughed. ¡°Kaakakak¡­.¡± His lungs hurt and he felt like he was going to stop breathing. Desilian grabbed his chest as he breathed in and out as if the wind was leaking. His trembling face was full of fear. ¡°Master, are you alright?¡± ¡°Yes, the inn, ¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Are you sleepy?¡± ¡°My head hurts a little¡­ ¡­.¡± Maybe it was because the tension had dissipated. Reinhardt nodded at Valletta¡¯s muffled voice. He held her in his arms and looked around slowly. ¡°It looks like the inn is over there.¡± ¡°How do you know?¡± ¡°It¡¯s crowded with people.¡± Valletta meekly buried her forehead into his shoulder with a hazy mind. She blinked and her eyes met with the man sitting at the fountain table. He was a young man with light sky blue hair and dark indigo eyes. ¡°¡­¡­ Oh, hello.¡± As soon as their eyes met, the young man greeted her with a smile as his eyes bent slightly. Valletta nodded in the awkward position in which she was being held by Reinhardt. ¡°If you know this area well, is there an inn over there?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.?¡± The young man asked. Reinhardt nced at the young man and ignored him cleanly. Desilian smiled still, despite Reinhardt¡¯s ignorance. ¡°Mypanion has gone to find an inn as well. If you don¡¯t mind, do you want to wait ande with me if you¡¯re sure it¡¯s over there?¡± ¡°Master, do bugs talk these days?¡± ¡°Oh, he¡¯s not a bug¡­!¡± ¡°I was happy to hear that it was just magic. Are you a wizard, too?¡± ¡°You¡¯re ¡­¡­ ¡® too¡¯?¡± It was Valletta who asked back with a strange expression. The answer finally came back, and Desilian¡¯s face bloomed like a flower in full bloom. He nodded quickly. ¡°It¡¯s not me, but ¡­¡­ I heard that my father is a wizard too! Kakakakk. ¡­¡­!¡± Valletta¡¯s eyes widened at the sight of Desilian, who suddenly coughed loudly. Her head felt fuzzy. She felt a strange sensation from the young man. Valletta¡¯s brows narrowed as her skin felt tingling. It was like when she went to the Emperor¡¯s office. *** Chapter 95 ¡®I guess I¡¯m not feeling well.¡¯ Valletta chuckled. Kak kak! (Coughing sound.) With a paleplexion and dry cough, it seemed that the man¡¯s lungs or bronchial tubes were bad. ¡®Why do I see so many sick people these days?¡¯ Valletta sighed and hid her face in Reinhardt¡¯s robe. Her head felt like it was going to crack. She wanted to sleep. Perhaps she was too nervous to get the ne. ¡°Are you a wizard? Are you in the magic tower?¡± The word ¡°wizard¡± seemed to hit Reinhardt¡¯s nerves this time. ¡°No, my father is¡­.¡± ¡°Master Desilian!¡± Reinhardt frowned as a person suddenly interrupted before he could hear the answer. He sighed in annoyance. Reinhardt, who stroked Valletta¡¯s back before the rushing woman could touch it, did a spatial shift. At the same time as the view changed, the inn was right in front of her. Valletta tiredly patted Reinhardt on the shoulder. She looked at him and asked him to let her down, and he did so meekly. Wobbling, she took some coins out of her bag and stood at the counter of the inn. It was certainly smaller than the inns she had stayed at in the capital the other day. ¡°Two people.¡± ¡°Are two adults staying?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°How many days will you be staying?¡± Valletta lowered her head as the conversation dragged on. Then Reinhardt stepped forward and smiled at the clerk. The clerk¡¯s face quickly turned red and heated up. ¡°One week, please.¡± ¡°Oh, ¡­¡­ yes, yes.¡± ¡°I only need one bed.¡± The sweet voice that sounded like falling honey instantly attracted the attention of everyone around. This was why Valletta wondered if there was any point in running away. Of course, the news would not spread easily overnight because it was far from the eastern part of the capital. ¡®Thank goodness we don¡¯t have inte.¡¯ Everywhere she went, people took pictures and almost reported their recent activities on social media. Even though Reinhardt acted like he had no social skills at all, when she saw him having conversations like this, he looked perfectly normal. ¡°Oh, that¡­ And we have separate supplies. What do you want me to do?¡± (Clerk) ¡°Supplies ¡­¡­?¡± (Reinhardt) ¡°Yes.¡± (Clerk) Reinhardt looked at Valletta with a strange look on his face. How the scene was like from a movie, there were three clerks at the counter, and all three of them looked very much as if their souls had been drained by Reinhardt. ¡°If It¡¯s good, I¡¯ll take it.¡± Reinhardt said with a smile in his eyes. It was good that she didn¡¯t have to say anything herself, but was it her imagination that the conversation seemed to be getting longer and longer? ¡°Please use the supplies, and be sure to wrap them in paper scraps and put them in the trash.¡± (Clerk) What supplies do they wrap in paper or paper scraps and put them in the trash? Reinhardt, who had a smiling face, looked suspicious, Valletta¡¯s tired eyes looking at him absurdly. ¡°We will clean it every time you request it, and it costs extra. And if there are any traces of the affair left behind, there will be an additional cost for that as well¡­¡­..¡± (Clerk) ¡°Wait a minute. What did you just say¡­?¡± Valletta quickly interrupted with a tired look in her eyes. The moment the clerk¡¯s gaze, which had been meltingly rxed, met Valletta¡¯s, it changed abruptly. ¡°Where are you talking about?¡± ¡°No way, the supplies are ¡­.¡± (condoms ??) ¡°Yes, we do offer a service for two adults.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡­¡± Reinhardt looked at Valletta with curiosity. As soon as Valletta turned her head and her gaze met his, she opened her mouth to say, ¡°No need,¡± but Reinhardt was faster. Quickly, he grabbed Valletta¡¯s shoulder, turned her around, and hugged her with one arm. Then he smiled at the clerk with his eyes. ¡°Then will you do that for me?¡± ¡°Oh, oh! Yes, yes, that..¡­ I will.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give you the rest of the money as a tip. Buy something delicious and eat it. Let¡¯s go up now, Valletta.¡± ¡°Hey, you¡¯ve gone crazy¡­!¡± Reinhardt looked refreshed when the clerk handed him a key and some of those ¡®supplies¡¯. Valletta bit her lip and shouted at him as she grabbed her throbbing head. ¡°You can look forward to it, Master.¡± Reinhardt, who brought his lips close, whispered softly. Valletta, who had been squeezing his shoulder, tiredly buried her forehead in his neck. ¡°Snorta, don¡¯t bother it¡­..¡± ¡°¡­¡­I don¡¯t touch what you cherish, Master.¡± He didn¡¯t like it, but he didn¡¯t have a choice. It was an animal that his Master held it so many times. If she protected it, he would too. He wasn¡¯t going to rob what she cherished like he would a ughtered pig. ¡°You can go back to sleep. I¡¯ll be right beside you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want you to have nightmares.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t make it.¡± Reinhardt whispered. Baretta eventually fell asleep with a pained expression on her face, her head still buried. Reinhardt came into the room, closed the door, and carefullyid her down on the bed. Snorta, who was wedged between them, turned its head. Reinhardt grabbed Snorta by the neck and put it on the floor, then he closed the window and curtains. After casting a spell that allowed Valletta, who had just fallen asleep and was now groaning, to sleep soundly, Reinhardt put the keys and ¡®supplies¡¯ on the table and took off his robe. He carefully took off her robe as well. As he pulled the thickforter over her, he extinguished the candle and settled into ce beside her. Reinhardt, who had hugged Valletta, also fell into a deep sleep. Snorta, who had been wandering around on its own while everyone else slept, its eyes shining as if it was tired and tried to get on the bed. After a long death struggle, in which it stabbed its nails into the dangling bedspread and grunted, it climbed onto the bed after a while. Snorta swirled around on the bed avoiding people, approached Valletta¡¯s face, and rolled up. Snorter let out a snort and slowly closed its eyes. It seemed that an untimely early night hade to the inn. * * * * After a good night¡¯s sleep, her head felt clearer. Valletta in particr felt it as soon as she realized it, but today, too, her head didn¡¯t hurt and she couldn¡¯t feel the cold sweat. Instead, she could feel the heaviness on the side of her face and around her waist. Valletta wrinkled her brow with her eyes wide open, staring at the ceiling. Snorta was ying with its hands next to her face on the right, and onerge ¡®crazy dog¡¯ was sleeping peacefully on her left. ¡®What time is it?¡¯ The sun was shining through the gap between the window and the curtains, so at least it wasn¡¯t night. Valletta tapped Reinhardt on the shoulder. ¡°Hey, wake up.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Reinhardt groaned and dug further into her arms. One furball and a warm human snuggled up together, plus the bedding was too thick, she was overheated. ¡°It¡¯s too hot. Can you move away?¡± ¡°Master, I¡¯m cold.. ¡­.¡± Reinhardt slightly opened his eyes with a weak sound. His red eyes still have drowsiness. Valletta pushed Reinhardt out of the way, and this time she unwrapped his arms and pushed him out. ¡°Why can¡¯t you wake up when you¡¯re sleeping next to me?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the same as Master sleeping quietly in my arms.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Valletta fell silent at the sound of Reinhardt¡¯s mischievousughing voice that was right on the target. She red at him briefly, then she looked at Snorta and cried out loud. ¡°Oh, Snorta. How are you?¡± Kian, Kian! Kiang! Valletta smiled brightly and hugged Snorta, who was crying hard, as if to reply to its Master. Reinhardt¡¯s eyes, which were still on his cheek as hey on his side, widened a little in surprise. ¡°How did you end up raising it?¡± ¡°Duke gave it to me as a gift to raise.¡± ¡°Did he?¡± Reinhardt¡¯s expression became subtle as he watched Snorta, who was relentlessly charming and licking Valletta¡¯s cheeks and neck, licking and licking. Reinhardt smirked as he slowly licked his lower lip. ¡°Master, would you be interested in raising another dog?¡± ¡°A dog?¡± Valletta¡¯s expression became strange as she sat on the bed. She stroked Snorta¡¯s head twice lightly and set it down on the floor again. ¡°Yes, a loyal dog that listens to its owner well.¡± Seeing the smirk on his face, Valletta¡¯s expression faltered. It was because she realized without difficulty what he was saying now. ¡°Are you still sleepy? Don¡¯t go crazy here and get a hold of yourself.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s a cool dog. A wolf is also possible. It¡¯s beautiful to look at and I think Master will like it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not my type.¡± Valletta replied with a tired expression, and Reinhardt opened his eyes wide as if he couldn¡¯t believe it. Valletta got up from the bed, swallowing her vainugh. ¡°Lie. Master mumbled something about getting rid of me every day and not letting my face deceive you.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Valletta¡¯s face went nk. Turning her stiff neck, she saw that Reinhardt, who was lying at an angle, was sitting on the bed before she knew it, with his chin on his hand and crossed his legs. ¡°¡­¡­ you, that¡­¡­¡± ¡°I heard you mumble once in a while. That¡¯s why I was determined not to hurt my face, and you didn¡¯t even know it.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Reinhardt reached forward and stretched out his arms and pulled Valletta closer to right in front of him. His face came right up to Valletta¡¯s nose. ¡°Master, do you like my face?¡± Valletta was surprised by Reinhardt¡¯s wide smile and quickly stepped back. The smile on Reinhard¡¯s face deepened. She just wanted to rip the corners of his eyes out of those twinkling smiles. ¡®Ugh, crazy b*stard¡­¡­¡¯ ¡°¡­¡­ So, where are we?¡± *** Chapter 96 When Baretta changed the subject at random, Reinhardt disappointingly opened his mouth as he held his chin. ¡°The second vige in the east, Espel.¡± ¡°Espel Vige? Why are we here all of a sudden?¡± Espel Vige was quite a distance from the capital. And the vige was muchrger than expected. It didn¡¯t really look like there was any connection to what happened this time¡­¡­.. Valletta tilted her head. ¡°If you draw a circle, the vige will fit in without being disturbed.¡± Reinhardt said, drawing a circle in the air with his finger. ¡°I¡¯ve looked at the north, south and west, but not yet with the east ¡­. If I had to do it again, I thought, it would be the east. And this is the only vige in the east that met the conditions.¡± ¡°Drawing circles¡­.¡± ¡°It¡¯s an ancient magic circle. All the viges that have been attacked so far, when you look down from above, if you draw a circle around the entire vige, it fits perfectly within that circle.¡± Valletta nodded at Reinhardt¡¯s words. That meant that both alchemy and magic circles were drawn. What kind of people would cooperate in such a terrible thing? ¡°I thought that the magic circle that destroyed the vige was for killing, but I guess not.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°The attack pattern was erratic. The magic circlees out in a constant pattern, but this one was very irregr. And the numbers don¡¯t add up either. ¡­¡­¡± Reinhardt¡¯s eyes narrowed. He counted the bodies and limbs of the corpses in several viges, but they strangely didn¡¯t match. Rarely were the bodies missing, but often the limbs were missing. No animals came to eat the corpses. ¡°The numbers don¡¯t add up¡­..?¡± ¡°There were few heads, arms, and legs missing.¡± Thinking of Reinhardt, who must have been looking at the corpses one by one, Valletta was speechless. Still, Valletta didn¡¯tin. In fact, it was an appropriate measure. ¡°So it¡¯s a different magic circle? What kind?¡± ¡°Well, yes. What is it? Is it a magic circle? The inside of the vige was more of a mess than I thought, and it looked like a lot of blood was spilled ¡­¡­.¡± Reinhardt tilted his head and adjusted his posture. If they were hit by an explosive attack, it would have been inevitable that there was so much blood. ¡°It looked like it was eaten by animals.¡± His low voice spat out the words in a mumble. ¡°Animals?¡± ¡°Or more urately, it tried to tear it off and eat it, but I think it threw it away.¡± Reinhardt shrugged. Valletta just bowed her head silently and lost in thought. Reinhardt, who was looking at her, smiled and brought the supplies he had put on the table yesterday and shook them off on the bed. ¡°Master, what are you using this for?¡± Smiling brightly, with a cheerful expression on his face, Reinhardt asked in his purest, innocent voice. Valletta, who was in agony, looked up reflexively. She turned white when she saw Reinhardt, who opened a small wooden barrel about half the size of a finger. It was a pink gel-like, sticky object. ¡°Why don¡¯t you clean it up right away?¡± Valletta asked with a shudder, and Reinhardt straightforwardly tossed it into the trashcan by the bed, then he grabbed a handful of other things roughly, and pushed them in front of her. ¡°Wow, what¡¯s this? It¡¯s some kind of stick that looks like a stick¡­..¡± Valletta took it all and threw it into the trash can, covering Reinhardt¡¯s mouth with her hand. Reinhardt smiled brightly at Valletta¡¯s red face. He then licked the palm that was covering his mouth lightly. Valletta sighed after a long time after swallowing a falseugh. ¡°Rather than dealing with you¡­.¡± Rubbing her face down with her other hand that was not caught by Reinhardt, Valletta muttered softly. Reinhardt kissed her fingertips lightly and gently let it go. ¡°By the way, Master seems to know everything.¡± ¡°¡­¡­ did you forget who my father was?¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡­.¡± Reinhardt replied in a low voice. His lips began to twitch. His red eyes glowed dangerously as he propped his chin up. ¡°How could I forget? I¡¯ll never forget.¡± His low voice was so cold and chilling. Valletta blinked slowly. They didn¡¯t have a chance to talk properly after that. After the murder at Count Delight¡¯s residence, she tried to avoid talking about it. ¡°Speaking of which ¡­¡­.¡± At the sound of Valletta¡¯s downcast voice, Reinhardt slowly raised his head. He chuckled as he turned his gaze to her. ¡°I never thought you¡¯d go through that. I was going to apologize to you to some extent for threatening you¡­¡­.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Reinhardt opened his eyes wide as if Valletta¡¯s words were unexpected. As if he was agonizing, his eyshes fluttered and he shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s because I forgot my ce. Come to think of it, where can you find a human being who sincerely listens to dolls?¡± ¡°My situation was not different from yours. That¡¯s it.¡± Neither my position nor yours were different. That¡¯s all.¡± Reinhardt replied to Valletta¡¯s words with a smirk. There was no difference. As much as he suffered, she suffered too. At Reinhardt¡¯s answer, Valletta looked up and looked into the eyes. When she looked at his red eyes, she was infested with the desire to own the other person from the bottom of her stomach. The desire to open her mouth and chew it and swallow it. She was forced to be attracted to his crooked straightness as he looked at her without hesitation. ¡°Is that why you¡¯re so obsessed with me? Because I was in the same situation as you in that family? Is that why you don¡¯t let me go?¡± In response to Valletta¡¯s question, Reinhardt only smiled meaningfully with the edges of his mouth curling up. He did not reply until Valletta had averted her gaze. After a while, Reinhardt suddenly smiled and opened his mouth. ¡°Valletta.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± Her nameing out of his lips sent goosebumps down her spine. But Valletta did her best to answer. Reinhardt reached out, grabbed her arm lightly, and sat her in hisp. ¡°I have decided to stay by your side, and we will always be by each other¡¯s.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°You know that, don¡¯t you? Now that Count Delight¡¯s mansion is gone, we have nowhere else to go.¡± Valletta¡¯s brows furrowed at Reinhardt¡¯s words. His lips quivered as he reached out with his long fingers and carefully passed Valletta¡¯s hair behind her ears. ¡°Keep in mind. It¡¯s not me who didn¡¯t run away, it¡¯s you, master.¡± ¡°¡­¡­where can I run away from that prison-like mansion?¡± When Valletta asked in a ridiculous voice, Reinhardt began to chuckle. Valletta escaped from hisp with a tired look at the refreshingughter flooding her ears. ¡°Somewhere out of my sight?¡± ¡°Rather, I say, create a new world.¡± ¡°Create a new world then¡­¡­¡± Valletta threw a nearby bag at Reinhardt and walked to the bathroom. Seeing her disappear, Reinhardt stroked his chin in annoyance. Eventually, he covered his mouth with his smiling crescent eyes. ¡°When will you be honest with me?¡± The master who only liked his face. Listening to the sound of the cascading water, Reinhardt lifted Snorta by the neck and put it on his stomach. When he tapped its nose with his finger, the four-legged beast that was crying began to growl. Then it scampered around, and eventually sat down in one spot and started to chew on Reinhardt¡¯s hair. Reinhardt, who was watching him closely,y down at an angle and closed his eyes. It seemed that peace hade again. *** ¡°Are you sleeping?¡± After washing up, Valletta swallowed a vain smile as she watched Reinhardt, who was closing his eyes with afortable expression, and Snorta, who was biting his hair and ying next to him. ¡®I was wondering when you were going to sleep when we were at the mansion.¡¯ He woulde to wake her up at dawn and disappear even though he was therete at night. He probably couldn¡¯t sleep as well as she did, or at least he couldn¡¯t sleep properly. Watching Reinhardt, Valletta sat on the edge of the bed. It was quite a difficult time for both of them. It was not an easy day for anyone. So she didn¡¯t want her current freedom to be disturbed. ¡°If we¡­.¡± Valletta recited lowly. ¡°If we had grown up in a different environment, met in a different way¡­..¡± Yes, if they both were born without these abilities and had grown up normally¡­¡­ Would their lives be a little different then? Would she not have been afraid to step into a rtionship with him? ¡°There is no such thing, Master.¡± Reinhardt¡¯s red eyes looked directly into her profile. He reached out and lightly pulled Valletta in a lying position. He held her in his arms and put his chin on her wet head. ¡°If you and I had grown up normally, that would have been it. We would have never gotten involved.¡± A voice whispered in her ear and Valletta exhaled, staring over his shoulder. He was kind, but honest and cruel. He didn¡¯t seem to even allow what ifs. ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± Reinhardt blinked slowly at Valletta¡¯s reply. She didn¡¯t know why they were so close now when she tried to stay away from him. ¡°Master seems a little tired.¡± Count Delight¡¯s mansion wasn¡¯t the only one Reinhardt had broken that day. He dered that he would tear down the solid wall Valletta had built. ¡°If you are tired, you can stay in my room with your eyes closed and your ears covered. I¡¯ll take care of everything.¡± (Reinhardt) Reinhardt lightly stroked the back of Valletta¡¯s head. Valletta slowly gulped at the gentle petting touch. He blinked slowly. ¡°You can go outside again when everything is over.¡± (Reinhardt) ¡°I have no idea what you are thinking.¡± (Valletta) Valletta sighed and pushed him lightly on the shoulder. Reinhardt chuckled and sat up in bed, his body recoiling. His red eyes curved softly. ¡°Because you always hide your true feelings with a smiling face.¡± (Valletta) Valletta said, fiddling with her robe. When she nced back, Reinhardt was looking at her with a strange expression. *** Chapter 97 Chapter 97 ¡°I couldn¡¯t trust you.¡± Reinhardt¡¯s smile deepened as he rested his chin on his hand. He did not respond to those words. He just smiled, got up from his seat, and walked over to Valletta with a broad stride. ¡°It¡¯s a mess, Master.¡± Reinhardt fixed her crooked robe, and after sitting her down on a chair, he went into the bathroom and came out with a towel. ¡°Your hair isn¡¯t very dry either.¡± He gently dried Valletta¡¯s hair with the towel. His touch was very careful. Reinhardt, who was clumsy at first, got used to it over time. ¡°I thought you¡¯d use magic to dry it.¡± ¡°I like this better than that.¡± ¡°You¡¯re strange, really.¡± Reinhardt removed the water left on her hair, brought a brush, andbed her hair. Valletta was familiar with it. ¡°Master seems to be good at everything, but she is certainly Count¡¯s daughter in this respect.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re going to curse, go away. I¡¯ll do it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a curse, it¡¯s apliment.¡± ¡°Think about what you said. Where is the nuance of praise?¡± At Valletta¡¯s growl, Reinhardt burst into a lowugh. He was really good at only one thing:ughing. She couldn¡¯t help butugh a little and her mouth hurt like a cramp. ¡°Everything.¡± As she tilted her head and looked at his face, Valletta stood up. Reinhardt, still smiling, brushed off her robe and then stepped back. ¡°Doesn¡¯t your cheeks hurt when you smile so much?¡± ¡°Yes, but this is the best expression to use on my face.¡± ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯ve grown up so well. So where are you going to use it? ¡°To seduce Master?¡± Valletta gulped at the face that was suddenly pushed in right in front of her. She swallowed her breath and pushed his shoulder out, and Reinhardt was meekly pushed out of the way. He chuckled as he flicked his fingers and got dressed. ¡°Shall we go?¡± ¡°Are you going too?¡± Valletta asked with a sullen expression and Reinhardt nodded as if it was natural. Snorta bounced up and naturally hung on her shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m going to eat.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s eat together. I think there¡¯s a diner down here.¡± In spite of the fact that they were going to a crowded ce, Reinhardt nodded pleasantly without any change in expression. ¡°Come to think of it, Snorta needs to be fed, too. We also have to buy feed, but I don¡¯t know what else to feed it.¡± She felt like she was a little dim for trying to raise them without anymon sense. But it¡¯s still cute¡­¡­. Above all, she didn¡¯t want to forcibly remove a child who was so tangled up. ¡®Was it awful for Therion?¡¯ ¡®I guess my attitude was a bit cold hearted when it came to trying to rte to Snorta. I should have been a little better with my words.¡¯ ¡®In the end, I went to Duke¡¯s house without saying a word.¡¯ ¡®I didn¡¯t mind that I didn¡¯t say goodbye to him. I was the main character and I saw the future, so I wondered if I was really doing well. I didn¡¯t think much of it after I left, but now I care about it.¡¯ ¡°Snorta is basically an omnivore, so you can give it raw meat. The meat will be even more ptable than feed.¡± ¡°¡­¡­ Oh, really?¡± ¡°Yes. And I¡¯m an omnivore too, Master.¡± Valletta red at Reinhardt and walked out of the room. Reinhardt locked the door and followed her downstairs. ¡°¡­¡­.¡± * * * * There was a line of people at the diner. Valletta turned her head with a gloomy gaze. Reinhardt¡¯s gaze moved slowly. ¡°Well, should we kill them all?¡± ¡°Are you crazy?¡± ¡°What about kicking everyone out or putting them to sleep?¡± He seemed to be out of the normal range in his own way, but if the people were all put to sleep, who would take orders and cook? Valletta was a little disappointed as the delicious smell made her hungry, but not enough to make her wait in this line to eat. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go outside and buy some apples.¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡­.¡± Reinhardt didn¡¯t seem to like it, so he took one look at the diner and obediently followed her. ¡°Huh? Mr wizard?¡± A voice that sounded familiar made Valletta stop in her tracks. It was a small voice, but the person seemed to know Reinhardt was a wizard. ¡°I met you yesterday at the fountain, remember?¡± ¡°Oh ¡­¡­.¡± He was the man from that time. The man¡¯s dark blue eyes were filled with joy as Valletta nodded in understanding. The man with the wavering light sky-blue hair took two more steps closer, as if to show his familiarity. ¡°Are you nning to dine?¡± ¡°Yes, but for some reason the line is so long so I was going to go somewhere else.¡± ¡°Oh, in that case, we made a reservation yesterday when we entered the room. Would you like to join us?¡± The young man¡¯s voice was low, hushed, and very clear. He wasn¡¯t coughing like yesterday. His skin was still pale, but hisplexion was brighter. ¡°I¡¯d say you¡¯re a different person than yesterday.¡± Not that this cheerful mood had changed, of course. As Valletta was about to shake her head to refuse the invitation, Reinhardt smiled and wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her from behind. ¡°Then can I ask you a favor? My Valletta doesn¡¯t eat properly.¡± ¡°You¡­¡± Reinhardt lightly patted her shoulder as if he was soothing her. ¡°Of course! My party is inside already, let¡¯s go. Oh my name is Desilian.¡± The man¡¯s sparkling eyes were a great burden. Valletta¡¯s expression darkened when she saw the eyes that were as blue as if they were inside a jewel. Valletta, who was looking at Desilian¡¯s neat face, eventually opened her mouth. ¡°I¡¯m Valletta.¡± ¡°You can call me Rein. I am Lady Valletta¡¯s squire.¡± ¡°Wow, a squire, you two seem to be very close.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve been together since we were children.¡± Valletta and Reinhardt followed Desilian, whose eyes sparkled with envy. He talked a bit with the waitress and was shown to his seat, wondering if it was true that he had made a reservation. ¡°Well, actually my party is my squire as well. I asked her to be my friend, but she said that¡¯s a bad idea even if I were dead.¡± The well spoken Desilian¡¯s voice was surprisingly unobtrusive. In fact, it was surprisingly catchy. ¡°It¡¯s just like Elise¡¯s.¡¯ ¡®When was thest time I didn¡¯t mind people making noise?¡¯ ¡°Master Desilian! Where have you been?¡± The woman who had been sitting in her seat in frustration stood up and shouted. There were worries in her brown eyes. Every time she moved, her hair, which was in a ponytail, swung from side to side. ¡°Oh, I met them yesterday in front of the fountain yesterday.¡± ¡°Yesterday, that person..That wizard? Yes. This one is the wizard, Mr. Rein, and this one is Valletta. Rein is Miss Valletta¡¯s squire.¡± ¡°The wizard is the squire?¡± The woman questioned suspiciously, then she stared at Reinhardt and Valletta. Reinhardt looked at her with a sly smile. ¡°Ah, Mr. Rein, Miss Valletta. This is my squire, Lynn.¡± ¡°Lynn?¡± ¡°Yes, my original name was Zenith. He calls me by my nickname.¡± Valletta nodded, looking at the smile on her face. Zenith greeted by bowing lightly to her. Desilian was surprised and hurried them to sit down. ¡°I didn¡¯t know this was a ce where you had to make a reservation.¡± Reinhardt said as he moved the chair out and sat Valletta down, then he sat down after her. Valletta looked at Reinhardt with curious eyes and tilted her head. ¡®Sometimes this guy seems to be more social than I am.¡¯ The waitress brought out two menus and ced each in front of them. Then she walked away, saying to call her when they were ready to order. ¡°There¡¯s a special lunch-only menu here, and it¡¯s really good. Originally, reservations were not avable, but they do ept reservations for guests only.¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­¡­¡­¡± Listening to Desilian¡¯s exnation, Reinhardt slowly skimmed through the menu. The lunch-only menu at the very beginning seemed to be the dish the man in front of him was talking about. Looking through the food descriptions, Reinhardt quickly moved on to the next section with an interesting nce. After looking at some of the food, he turned his head to the side and looked at Valletta. Valletta¡¯s brows furrowed very faintly as she read the description of the limited lunch menu. ¡°Shall we have some of this special home cooked meal? Actually no¡­.¡± (Reinhardt) ¡°What? Why not? The lunch menu is the best here!¡± (Desilian) Valletta also turned her face at Reinhardt¡¯s words and looked at him. Naturally, she thought he would say, ¡°Shall we have some of this too?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t like fried fish.¡± ¡°How did you know?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way that I don¡¯t know anything about you, Master.¡± Reinhardt smiled and closed the menu. Valletta also folded the menu and handed it to him. He took it naturally and smiled at her. ¡°You two are really close.¡± (Desilian) ¡°Is that so?¡± Valletta replied indifferently. It wasn¡¯t as noisy in the dining room as she thought, unlike the row of people outside. At least not to the point where they couldn¡¯t hear each other¡¯s conversations. Chapter 98 ¡°Lynn, I¡¯ll have the limited menu. What about you?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have the same.¡± Zenith narrowed her eyes and called someone over to order. When Reinhardt finished ordering, the people around him started looking at where he was. ¡°Wow, everyone is looking here. I think it¡¯s because Rein has a very beautiful face.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Zenith and Valletta were speechless at the same time. There was nothing to say about Reinhard¡¯s splendor, but Desilian also had an appearance that attracted people. Pale, clear, pure white skin and dark blue eyes. In Addition to his neat appearance, his sharp features as well as his voice were all attractive. Desilian¡¯s light sky blue hair fluttered as he was talking excitedly. ¡°I¡¯m not a model for a shampoomercial.¡± Valletta turned her head. In this world, men were basically prettier than women. In fact, Carlon, Duke, Ceylon, and Quilt all looked above average. ¡®Even the Emperor¡­¡­¡¯ It was a bit different to look like that when they were a human being of a certain age. Therion also had a look that will make people cry after ten years¡­There was nothing more to say about Milord¡¯s appearance. He must have inherited the gene. Well, in that sense, Elise was also not ordinary. ¡®A novel is a novel.¡¯ There were only non-human people around. All the people she met on the street looked the same. ¡°By the way, how did a wizarde to a vige like this at this time?¡± ¡°Lynn¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s a simple question. Wizards don¡¯te out of their magic towers very often.¡± Valletta didn¡¯t bother to answer Zenith¡¯s sharp question. She didn¡¯t ask her, but she thought that Reinhardt would want to answer it. ¡°Valletta said she wanted to go on a trip for the first time in a long time.¡± ¡°Oh, I see. But you¡¯d better leave early. There are a lot of bad rumors circting in the vige these days.¡± ¡°Bad rumors?¡± Valletta, who had not said anything for a while, asked. The answer came from Desilian, who was sitting next to Zenith. Desilian, who opened his eyes wide, pushed his head close. ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear? All the viges in various areas are being destroyed¡­ And I heard that the corpses areing back to life, fighting each other and dying the next morning.¡± ¡°Destroyed¡­¡­?¡± When Valletta pretended not to know, the Desilian nodded, looked around, and lowered his voice considerably. ¡°What brings you two here at such a time?¡± ¡°Actually, we were ordered by someone to catch a criminal. We have been going around to various ces. We got the information that it would happen here this time.¡± (Reinhardt) Valletta¡¯s eyes got a little bigger. She narrowed her eyes and slumped, and a smile spread across Reinhardt¡¯s lips as he sat beside her. He looked at her lovingly. ¡°Who gave you that information¡­..?¡± (Reinhardt) ¡°That¡¯s what my father told me. He¡¯s a wizard, so he can see a little into the future. I¡¯ve never met him, of course. ¡­¡­.¡± (Desilian) ¡°Master Desilian¡­..¡± Zenith called his name. Desilian¡¯s dark blue eyes widened slightly in surprise, and he quickly gave a small, self-conscious nod. Desilian¡¯s lips quivered as he chuckled awkwardly. ¡°Sorry, it¡¯s actually a secret mission.¡± ¡°That¡¯s interesting.¡± Reinhardt leaned back against the backrest with a smile on his face. It was a sweet, good-natured smile, but there was something annoying and abhorrent about the way it hung around his mouth. ¡°By the way, is the wizard in the tower?¡± (Reinhardt) ¡°No, my father is a wizard belonging to the imperial family, dispatched from the tower to the pce.¡± ( Desilian) ¡°Hmmmm¡­¡­.¡± Reinhardt narrowed his eyes and shifted his gaze to the side. ¡®What else does my master think so deeply about?¡¯ While pretending not to care about people, trying not to give them her heart, she ended up stepping on at the most important moments. She treated people dying in front of her as if they were expected, acting as if she should not trample on someone¡¯s life in order to live, but never averting her gaze from it. She put up a wall, but she didn¡¯t prevent it from breaking in the end. She did not rebuild the wall. Reinhardt¡¯s gaze moved to the creature squirming in Valletta¡¯s robe. The animal she vowed she would never have again, but in the end, she couldn¡¯t let go of the ball of fur that came to her and held it in her arms. She even took that kid in the training room that she thought she would kill and moved him to a safe ce. ¡®But a magic that sees the future?¡¯ Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t remember any such magic. Seeing even a single beat of the future was only possible for a Transcendent who had crossed the limit and broken through the critical point. Only the awakening of a transcendent could confine the power of God in a human body. ¡®And that¡¯s just a dispatch wizard¡­?¡¯ It couldn¡¯t be. Either that dispatch wizard was the killer, or he knew the killer. Amused, Reinhardt covered his mouth with his hand. He thought he had to go to the imperial pce to find out, but he never thought he woulde to know like this. ¡°Have you been going to that vige?¡± (Valletta) ¡°Yes. Yes, but every time I go there I faint. In the end, I woke up¡­.¡± (Desilian) In answer to Valletta¡¯s question, Desilian bowed his head with a guilt-stricken expression. Even with that guilty expression, Valletta didn¡¯t say anything. It was very odd to see her not even spitting outfort. ¡°Is that so? Do you remember what was going on around you?¡± (Valletta) ¡°Well, there was nothing unusual about it. There were just bodies on all sides with their limbs cut off, broken furniture and houses, and traces of attack.¡± (Desilian) ¡°Traces of attack?¡± (Reinhardt) Reinhardt interrupted with an interesting expression. Zenith¡¯s expression was not good, but Desilian opened his mouth with an even harder expression, as if he had not noticed her. ¡°Yes, there were no survivors at all. What kind of atrocities did that tower lord do¡­?¡± (Desilian) ¡°I know. It¡¯s cruel. Do you know the face of the criminal?¡± (Reinhardt) Zenith couldn¡¯t take it anymore and jumped up from her seat. She red at Reinhardt with a cold stare. ¡°You¡¯re a squire, why are you asking such questions? And do you think who this person is and speak to him without permission¡­¡­!¡± ¡±Aren¡¯t you a squire too?¡± (Reinhardt) Reinhardt¡¯s eyes bent gently. While looking at the smiling Reinhardt, Zenith did not change a single expression. Desilian looked at the fierce Zenith with a troubled look on his face. ¡°Lynn, please don¡¯t.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know if you know who you¡¯re shouting in front of. Who do you think is my Master and raise your voice?¡± (Reinhardt) The smile on Reinhardt¡¯s face deepened. Valletta leaned her head back, her eyes fluttering at the sound of his absurd voice. ¡®Who am I?¡¯ Isn¡¯t she a broke beggar with no act, no money, no home? Reinhardt¡¯s expression was scornful and proud. ¡°Ha! Master Desilian is the one who is perfect and noble in every way!¡± (Zenith) ¡°There is no one who can match my Valletta for nobility.¡± (Reinhardt) ¡®What are they doing?¡¯ Desilian¡¯s neck began to heat up red. Valletta, who was watching him gradually lowering her eyes, gasped and looked at Reinhardt, who sat beside her. ¡°Ha!¡± Zenith raised her voice as her body trembled, and the surrounding gazes had long since been drawn to her. It was like she was letting people know her existence. ¡°Master Desilian is a lovely man! You can never just walk by and pretend not to see him.¡± (Zenith) ¡°That¡¯s the sweetest thing of all. I¡¯m sure my Master will melt all the faces of anyone who looks at her.¡± (Reinhardt) Reinhardt slowly scratched Zenith¡¯s nerves. Unlike her angry self, Reinhardt was just rxed. ¡°Lynn, please.¡± (Desilian) (Desilian told Zenith) ¡°You, shut up.¡± (Valletta) (Valletta told Reinhardt) Desilian and Valletta spat out a word at the same time, and their lips pressed together tightly as if they were glued together. Zenith sighed, and finally sat down in her seat. The food was served as if it had been waiting for them, and Valletta lifted the fork without saying a word. Reinhardt stared at her, who was not speaking. ¡°Master, are you angry?¡± ¡°No.¡± Valletta replied coldly, and began to eat. Throughout the meal, there was only silence. Valletta couldn¡¯t finish half of the food that was served and set the fork down. It didn¡¯t suit her pte, but she didn¡¯t go in for much because she had a habit of eating small meals to begin with. Not a necessary news habit, but once it was ingrained, it didn¡¯t go away easily. ¡°When do you two n to leave?¡± (Desilian) ¡°We¡¯ll be here for about a week.¡±(Valletta ) Valletta answered Desilian¡¯s question with a wipe of her mouth. Zenith seemed ufortable with Desilian¡¯s behavior despite his eagerness to talk, but that didn¡¯t stop him from talking. ¡°But it might be dangerous, so hurry up and leave.¡± (Desilian) ¡°I will. By the way, do you know what day it is today?¡± (Valletta) ¡°Oh, it¡¯s the 12th.¡± (Desilian) Valletta was silent for a while. When she nodded and slowly tried to get up from her seat, Reinhardt lightly pressed her shoulder and stood up first, then removed her chair. ¡°Thank you very much. We¡¯ll leave first. By the way, how long do you two n to stay here?¡± (Valletta) ¡°Until four days from now. We have to visit other viges.¡± (Desilian) ¡°I see.¡± Valletta nodded, smiling faintly. Reinhardt¡¯s eyes, who found out without difficulty that Valletta¡¯s expression was not good, moved slowly from left to right. ¡°It¡¯s a shame we won¡¯t be seeing more of you.¡± (Desilian) ¡°¡­¡­ I suppose.¡± Valletta smiled quietly and nodded. She bowed silently to Desilian and turned away. Reinhardt ced his bills on the table and followed her. ¡°Why is your expression so bad again, Master?¡± ¡°Sometimes the truth I learned. ¡­I wish it weren¡¯t true.¡± ¡°The truth?¡± ¡°I rather hope I¡¯m a fool and don¡¯t know until the end.¡± Valletta put her strength into the arms that held Snorta, who was sleeping, hanging with its paws on the inside of her robe. She went to a butcher¡¯s shop and bought and paid for some raw meat and a hunting knife. She went to a shady tree, set the meat down, and ced Snorta beside it, and it pounced on the meat with a gleam in its eyes. Reinhardt grabbed Snorta by the cor. ¡°Kaaaaaaa¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Wait.¡± Reinhardt¡¯s red eyes looked straight into the eyes of Snorta andmanded. Snorta was startled and made a low cry. Snorta, who whined andined a few more times, soon withdrew its tongue and bowed its head. Looking at Snorta, Valletta cut the meat into small pieces. ¡°Don¡¯t tease it.¡± (Valletta) ¡°It¡¯s training. We don¡¯t need a beast that bites its owner.¡± (Reinhardt) ¡°It was trying to bite the meat, not me.¡± (Valletta) ¡°We don¡¯t need any more beasts that don¡¯t have the courtesy to grasp the subject.¡± (Reinhardt) Finding the cut meat, Reinhardt lowered Snorta as if throwing it. Snorta swirled around in the air once and settled in a light step like a cat. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s stupid.¡± ¡°Rrrrrrrrr!¡± *** Chapter 99 Valletta squatted down in the shade of a tree when she saw Snorta growling loudly. Reinhardt flicked his fingers and pulled out a handkerchief, and he wiped Valletta¡¯s hands that touched the meat with care, one by one. ¡°So what did youe up with?¡± (Valletta) ¡°I think the culprit is that person.¡± (Reinhardt) ¡°You mean the blue haired man*?¡± (Valletta) (*Desilian) Reinhardt took Valletta¡¯s other hand and wiped it. She didn¡¯t know why this guy always made troublesome things with convenient magic. ¡°In front of people, you were smiling but thinking like that inside.¡± (Valletta) ¡°Because there is no reason to be honest with others. But to Master, I am always serious.¡± (Reinhardt) ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense.¡± (Valletta) ¡°It¡¯s true, but you¡¯re so mean.¡± (Reinhardt) ¡®I don¡¯t see how that behavior, which you shrug off with augh, can be taken seriously.¡¯ When Valletta didn¡¯t say anything, Reinhardt didn¡¯t continue to bring up the topic. ¡°Master, if all of that were an act, I honestly think it was amazing. But the way he acted, the way he looked, it didn¡¯t seem like he was lying.¡± ¡°I guess there¡¯s a possibility that he* doesn¡¯t know either.¡± (*he=Desilian) Reinhardt nodded at Valletta¡¯s words. As she stared at Snorta, who was eagerly chewing his meat, Valletta turned her head. ¡°You said that what you felt was an ancient magic circle?¡± ¡°Yes, I believe it¡¯s ck magic.¡± ¡°What I found out and felt in the Imperial Castle was ancient alchemy.¡± Valletta blinked slowly. ¡°And I could feel the energy of alchemy from that man as well. It¡¯s like what I felt in the Emperor¡¯s office or in my room.¡± When she first met Desilian, she was confused, because she wasn¡¯t feeling well, but when she met him properly, she knew for sure. ¡°Do you mean he¡¯s an alchemist?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so¡­..¡± Valletta tilted her head lightly . She could feel it directly from Desilian¡¯s body. It wasn¡¯t simply traces of it, but as if Desilian, was himself an alchemical form. ¡°I learned from reading ancient alchemy books that the power of alchemy is strongest on the day of the full moon. After that is New Year¡¯s Eve.¡± Valletta hugged Snorta, who had finished eating the meat and was lying on its back, revealing its round belly. Folding the paper and tossing it in the trash, she slowly stood up. Snorta seemed a little heavier than before, and a faint smile appeared on Valletta¡¯s face. Reinhardt¡¯s eyes widened slightly as he walked beside her. He slowly averted his gaze as he looked at Snorta, who was breathing heavily in Valletta¡¯s arms. ¡°Do you remember the day each vige was attacked? I didn¡¯t get the right information.¡± ¡°The southern Talos, the southwestern vige on the fifteenth day of the month, the northern Kertonan fourth vige two days earlier on the fourteenth day, the northeastern vige of Mysia one day before the end of the month, and the northeastern vige was on the veryst day of the month.¡± Reinhardt recited the information smoothly. Valletta was at a loss for words for a while as Reinhardt¡¯s words flowed out without a trace of deviation. Sometimes she couldn¡¯t help but be amazed at how inhuman this man was. ¡°And a few dayster, it¡¯ll be the full moon.¡± ¡°What is Master suspecting?¡± ¡°There¡¯s an ancient alchemist named Bertas who has done some dangerous research. To be precise, he¡¯s the one who focused on human experimentation.¡± Reinhardt nodded at her words. ¡°That¡¯s interesting. Very. I¡¯d love to take a look at it myselfter.¡± Reinhardt¡¯s eyes lit up with interest. Of course, where else would he find materials on human experimentation, but when she heard him talking about it like that, she felt like he had be a little trash. ¡°I¡¯m terrified of what you¡¯ll do if you take it.¡± ¡°Master¡¯s confidence level is too low.¡± ¡°Anyway, I read some interesting material there. They turned people into chimeras while they¡¯re still alive.¡± ¡°Chimeras?¡± Reinhardt did not hide his surprise at the unexpected words. Chimera was one of the forbidden magics banned by the Magic Tower. Human experimentation itself was also forbidden, but the kind of magic that created new life forms itself was forbidden by the twelve wizards of the beginning. It never urred to her that a simr kind of magic existed in alchemy. Valletta nodded her head refreshingly, not even questioning Reinhardt¡¯s counter-question. ¡°Should I say it¡¯s a forced monster? I guess you could call it a mutation. A chimera is a creature that has been mutated by some external device or experiment, rather than a natural mutation.¡± ¡°Forced monster¡­¡­ That¡¯s interesting and not bad to hear.¡± Reinhardt nodded. He gave her an absent-minded look, his eyes flutteringzily and the tips of his lips lifting gently. When he heard the word chimera, Valletta had an idea of what kind he was thinking of. ¡®He thinks the man (Desilian) is a chimera?¡¯ But he had gathered a lot of information too, and he had never heard of a chimera with an ego. It took different and diverse life forms, genes, and a process of destruction and re-creation to create a chimera. When Reinhardt looked up, his lips were quivering again. He deviated from his thoughts and listened to Valletta again. ¡°For example, I would use alchemy to dpose and rebuild roses, insectivores, and dragonflies and sunflowers.¡± ¡°Is it still alive?¡± At Reinhardt¡¯s sharp retort, Valletta just shrugged. ¡°Yes, I can say it¡¯s alive because the paper resulted in the conclusion that it was ¡®alive¡¯.¡± ¡°By alive I mean did the ident happen. Master.¡± Valletta, who had been agonizing for a while, shook her head lightly from side to side. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I should be viewed as an intelligent being capable of rational thought, but ¡­¡­ what I¡¯m sure of is that it was breathing.¡± ¡°As long as it¡¯s breathing, it¡¯s possible with magic.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Of course. There¡¯s a simr kind of magic. It¡¯s designated as forbidden, though.¡± Valletta sat down at the fountain table where she had firste yesterday and ced Snorta on the floor. ¡°Go and exercise.¡± Valletta waved her hand and dismissed Snorta, keeping her gaze fixed on it, and continued her words. ¡°Anyway, if you do that, what you¡¯ll end up with is an insectivorous nt that grows thorns all over its body, flies around like a dragonfly, and eats insects while watching the sune up.¡± ¡°It¡¯s strange, but it is a nt after all, Master.¡± Reinhardt said calmly. He wanted to hear her additional thoughts, not try to stop her from speaking. Valletta had always been an inquisitive person, and human warmth was something she sought from beasts. Once she realized that she couldn¡¯t find it in a beast, she only stuck to books. Reinhardt would sometimes read with her at her side, so there were quite a few books that they shared. ¡°I know, but the problem is, these things grow.¡± ¡°¡­¡­ chimeras grow?¡± Reinhardt¡¯s red eyes took on a different expression. ¡°That¡¯s how it was described in the paper. The author was a crazy person, but the book itself was more logical and well written than any of the other books.¡± Valletta was a little surprised when she read it. All the experiments were brutal and inhumane, but the content was reasonable. ¡°It¡¯s like a child growing up watching and learning¡­¡­¡­.. It is said that the insectivorous nts that used to eat only flies gradually evolved to learn to taste animals when they tasted dragonflies.¡± ¡°What did the author experiment with?¡± Reinhardt sat down next to Valletta and asked. Valletta tilted her head as she listened to the sound of the water. Sorta ran that way, then skirted around the people and came bounding towards her. ¡°The first time he seeded was with a dog and a cat, the second time with a frog, a mouse and a stray dog. The third is the nt I mentioned earlier.¡± Valletta stroked Snorta¡¯s head and replied. It was strange to see the little guy painting with his tongue hanging out. She ended up picking it up and putting it on herp. ¡°But it seems that you can¡¯t have things that arepletely different, where coexistence is impossible from the start. For example¡­.deep-sea fish and lions, or birds and horses.¡± ¡°Birds and horses¡­¡­from the sound of it, even a Pegasus mighte out.¡± It was strange to be having a conversation under the shining sun. Reinhardt was not threatening, and his eyes were always gently bent. Valletta often wondered what has changed since she was in the mansion, where things seemed to be bnced. ¡°If Master was right, how could a creaturee back once it was broken, if that was the culprit?¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s what I don¡¯t know. So I¡¯m going to try. I¡¯ll create a chimera.¡± ¡°¡­¡­ I wouldn¡¯t rmend that. It¡¯s dangerous, Master.¡± Valletta stretched lightly and stood up. If she wasn¡¯t going to tell him it was dangerous, she wouldn¡¯t have moved in the celestial room as he had told her to do from the beginning. ¡°I want to live in peace, and any threat to that peace must be eliminated.¡± (Valletta) Frustration seeped into Valletta¡¯s violet eyes. It seems to make her angry to think that if it wasn¡¯t because of the emperor from the start, things wouldn¡¯t have gotten so messed up. Reinhardt, who was watching those eyes shining with willfulness, bent down and kissed the back of her hand. ¡°If that¡¯s what you want¡­..¡± His fluttering eyes seemed to have emotion, yet they didn¡¯t. It seems friendly and not friendly at the same time. Reinhardt¡¯s emotions were both understandable and iprehensible. ¡°Anything is fine. Just do what you want, Master.¡± If she moved forward, Reinhardt was willing to be a knight to see her through to the end at any cost. He didn¡¯t think Valletta was weak. Instead, he would protect what she decided to protect. If she was looking ahead, Reinhardt didn¡¯t need to worry about the future and just protect her. No matter what it was, she would get through it on her own. It sometimes upsets him¡­¡­so he wanted to destroy it. ¡°I¡¯ll do that even if you don¡¯t tell me. I barely made it out of there, and I don¡¯t have any desire to be pushed around again.¡± (Valletta) Reinhardt erupted inughter when he saw Valletta shrug her shoulders as she spoke in an indifferent voice. ¡°Of course you don¡¯t.¡± (Reinhardt) Valletta looked at Reinhardt and stood up with a sigh. Reinhardt quietly followed her as she headed for the market. *** Chapter 100 ¡°What the hell did you do? Milord!¡± ¡°¡­¡­I¡¯m sorry, father. I didn¡¯t mean for that to happen.¡± ¡°Do you know what you ruined?!¡± Crash! A flying teacup flew past Milord and hit the wall, shattered in pieces. Milord was speechless, only swallowing his breaths. ¡°Father, I¡­.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why you can¡¯t beat that tower master! If you want it, push it! Lock her up so she can¡¯t escape! What can you have without such persistence¡­¡­!¡± Milord couldn¡¯t say anything to the emperor¡¯s fury. Milord had never seen him angry like this before in his life. He really couldn¡¯t say anything as his eyes were filled with anger. ¡°I want to respect Valletta. I didn¡¯t want to lock her up to have her¡­¡± ¡°Then give it up. She¡¯s a woman you can¡¯t even have anyway. Back out of this one and don¡¯t you dare step out of the castle for a while.¡± ¡°Father! What on earth is the reason!¡± The Emperor¡¯s frosty voice made Milord raise his voice in defiance. His father¡¯s cold gaze reached him. The emperor mmed the desk violently with his fist. ¡°What power does she have to be able to escape like this?¡± ¡°I need Valletta¡¯s abilities for the people suffering from Lost¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Do you have any idea how hard it is to catch someone once they¡¯ve escaped, let alone twice! She¡¯s a smart girl!¡± Milord was speechless. He couldn¡¯t get used to his father talking as if something had escaped, as if he was something without an ego. Milord swallowed his breath and the emperor sank into his chair with a low click of his tongue. ¡°Lost or not, isn¡¯t it only with the child it can be resolved?¡± ¡°¡­¡­ I¡¯ll go and try to solve it somehow.¡± Milord said with eyes filled with a determined will. The emperor shook his head with a sigh. ¡°Yourck of knowledge of alchemy will not help you if you go there. As I said, you should stay in the castle for a while to study imperial science and cool your head.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Father!¡± ¡°You won¡¯t gain anything with such a hardened head. In fact, your rtionship with that girl has been going on for quite some time and you still haven¡¯t been able to gain a single piece of her heart.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Milord was no longer able to move because of the emperor¡¯s cold words. Valletta had said the same thing to him. The words, ¡°If you be a good emperor, I will be your friend as much as you want,¡± pierced him like a de. ¡°If you want to be her friend, that¡¯s fine. Either way, there¡¯s no turning back on my decision, now take the Crown Prince to the castle!¡± ¡°Is it not enough to be sincere because I like her, Father?¡± ¡°Haven¡¯t you always done that? Did you win a piece of her heart? If you can¡¯t get it, it is better to create a memory that will be remembered forever.¡± With that, the emperor waved his hand toward Milord, who bowed his head. The knights approached, held him up, and carefully led him out of the office. The emperor raised his right hand and gently beckoned. Gillian, who stood behind him, came forward, and knelt down. After lowering his vision from the emperor¡¯s, the emperor slowly opened his mouth. ¡°If they do not wish to cooperate, I will have no choice. Use it. I feel sorry for Milord, but that¡¯s the only way to get it undamaged. Bring it this time, Gillian.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Take Lagris with you and track them down. I¡¯ll tell him separately.¡± The emperor reached out and condescendingly swiped his thumb over Gillian¡¯s eye patch. ¡°You will have to seed unless you want your other eye to be plucked out as well.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Bring Lagris.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± The emperor dismissed Gillian from his seat. When Gillian left, he tapped his chin slowly. He closed his eyes and waited for a while, and eventually he heard the presence of a person. The emperor was pleased with the presence of the person and opened his mouth with his eyes closed. ¡°I believe that magic is forbidden in the imperial court.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know it applied to me as well.¡± The emperor opened his eyes slowly to the light tone of the person. The emperor smiled and straightened up. Despite not having the Emperor¡¯s permission, the person sat down on the couch as if it was natural. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? I don¡¯t want to talk too long.¡± ¡°You¡¯re so mean to your only best friend, Lag.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not your friend, your friend Lagris is dead. And Elise¡­¡± Lagris bowed his head slowly. The mes fell from his short hair, gray hair, and gray eyes. He swept his hair roughly. The dark-skinned man twisted his face in pain. ¡°Since the day you killed Elise by making it look like an ident, I¡­¡­.¡± ¡°But when you ask for help, I eventually help.¡± ¡°You never told me where her body was¡­!¡± Gritting his teeth, Lagris reached across the table and grabbed the emperor by the chest. It was rude and disrespectful at best, but the emperor looked brighter as if he was in a better mood. Watching him smile even as he grabbed him by the chest, Lagris slowly released his hand. ¡°There¡¯s something I want to have. Please track it down.¡± ¡°Is it Count Delight¡¯s daughter?¡± ¡°You know? Who told you?¡± The emperor¡¯s gaze was fierce. Lagris chuckled. He leaned back on the couch with a dry look in his eyes. The emperor¡¯s eyes met Lagris¡¯ as if he was trying to calm down and find out his true intentions. ¡°If you want to have a conversation, offer me a whiskey.¡± ¡°¡­¡­ me?¡± The emperor asked, pointing a finger at himself. Lagris¡¯ eyebrows raised with an expression that said, ¡°Isn¡¯t that obvious?¡± The emperor¡¯s mouth quirked up. ¡°I¡¯m the guest, Cain, and you¡¯re the master, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°You and Elise are the only ones who dare to treat me like this.¡± The emperor shrugged happily, then meekly got up and came to the side table to get a bottle of whiskey and a ss. Then, Lagris took out his wand and swung it lightly, and a fist-sized round of ice fell into the ss. Lagris poured the liquor, which was so strong that it made the tip of his nose twitch, and tipped the ss. The emperor had to fill the cup himself, but he didn¡¯t seem to have anyints about this. ¡°And who told you?¡± ¡°I only heard it in passing, since rumors about Count Delight¡¯s daughter are rampant.¡± ¡°Hmmm.¡± ¡°And don¡¯t you remember that time you told me to bring you the cursed ne when that mansion copsed?¡± It was a light way of speaking, with no courtesy. The slightly droopy lips and dark circles made Lagris look tired. The emperor was also well aware that Lagris lived with strong alcohol. ¡°So when are you going to let me and Elise go? Give her back to me.¡± ¡°Elise won¡¯t be yours alone, Lag. I can¡¯t even split her corpse in half for you¡­¡­.¡± The Emperor spoke quietly with a strange expression on his face. Lagris felt angry at the shameless answer. He gulped down his drink as if frustrated and tilted the bottle again. ¡°Cain, my son is dead. Elise is dead, too. I don¡¯t know how you can be so cruel to what is left of me.¡± ¡°You have me, don¡¯t you, Lag? ¡°You, of all people, are the one I would cut out of my life if I could.¡± With a plump smile on his face, the bold-looking man threatened the Emperor coldly with a tired expression. His cold features, which appeared to be belligerent, were darkened under his tired, dark eyes. ¡°That¡¯s cruel. No matter how much you¡¯re hurt.¡± (Emperor) ¡°¡­¡­ I thought of you, seriously, as a friend. From the moment I first met you, I liked your kindness.¡± (Lagris) Lagris recited bitterly and gulped down the liquor again. He didn¡¯t even blink, even though the highly alcoholic liquor wasing down his esophagus and making him hot all over. The emperor slowly tipped his cup. He shook his head as if to say it wasn¡¯t true, and opened his mouth. ¡°I was kind. I was also willing to be kind to the end, no matter how much. It was you and Elise, who broke it.¡± At the emperor¡¯s words, Lagris paused for a moment. He tilted his ss again, feeling breathless. When the emperor had not yet finished his cup, Lagris emptied his cup and filled it hard by himself, and finally opened his difficult lips. ¡°¡­¡­ Cain, we were just in love.¡± He spoke slowly, as if trying to convince the Emperor. Be as gentle as possible, as soothing as possible to the child. The emperor tilted his head even as he seemed to listen to him. ¡°Even if the two of you get married, have children and be a family, it doesn¡¯t mean anything about our rtionship. We would have always been friends.¡± *** Chapter 101 ¡°But I suppose I was pushed to the back of the line. First you and Elise, then the children, and your bond.¡± The emperor said, shaking the ss with one hand while resting his chin on his other hand. He stared at the round ice and tilted it lightly. The harsh alcohol burned his throat. He swallowed a few times, then raised his head again to look at Lagris. ¡°Lagris, do you know that? Once a crack is made, it can grow very quickly. It doesn¡¯t take long for it to break.¡± ¡°So you¡¯d rather break it than watch it break, wouldn¡¯t you? And¡­¡± Lagris scrubbed at his face with both hands. He thought about it but couldn¡¯te up with an answer. He couldn¡¯t figure out where everything went wrong. There were times he regretted that they met. ¡°I broke it because I couldn¡¯t handle and deal with it breaking all of a sudden. Thanks to it, you¡¯re in my pocket and Elise is in my hands.¡± The emperor seemed satisfied as he spokefortably. Lagris despaired again at the sight of the man who looked so much like a full-blooded, ravenous beast that had finished its predation. The more he looked at him (the emperor), the more he saw him change, the more he saw the changed rtionship, the more the glorious past haunted him. He didn¡¯t want to be sane anymore. ¡°It¡¯s not really the three of us anymore, is it? It¡¯s your fault when you said you¡¯d abandon me first and create your own world with Elise. I felt like I was stabbed in the back.¡± ¡°You defiled Elise! Cainus! You did something you shouldn¡¯t have!¡± ¡°You should say it right. You were the one who defiled her first, Lagris.¡± The emperor smiled darkly. Lagris was at a loss for words and could not say anything for a while. Lagris and Elise loved each other and wanted to get married. It was a time when they were young and weren¡¯t very thoughtful, so they rushed to have each other¡¯s hearts and bodies first, and then they had a baby, so they decided to get married a littleter. It was as if it was already a given that they would get married. ¡®It wasn¡¯t defilement,¡¯ Lagris tried to exin, but closed his eyes as he watched the emperor¡¯s mouth open again. ¡°What difference does it make if I defiled it once or twice? Oh, of course, I don¡¯t think our actions are dirty just because we mimicked your words.¡± ¡°Where the hell did you throw away yourmon sense!¡± Well, I think I left it in my mother¡¯s womb.¡± The emperor looked at Lagris, who was exploding with anger, and chuckled. He put his hand on his forehead that seemed to crack. The migraine had been going on for so long it was driving him crazy. ¡°Lagris, Lag. This is what happens when you¡¯re greedy. And then Elise gave birth to four children, and ¡­¡­ to be fair, she had to give birth to my child too.¡± ¡°My children¡­ didn¡¯t live long and died.¡± Lagris said despairingly. ¡°I still think it¡¯s sad.¡± At the sincere words of the emperor, Lagris faltered and tipped his cup and poured himself another drink. Watching him continue to drink the strong liquor, the emperor took the rest of the liquor bottle and turned it upside down. The orange liquor flowed down onto the rug. Lagris stared at the emperor as if to ask what he had done. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°I hear you¡¯ve been drinking a lot of strong liquortely, and it¡¯s not good for you, Lag.¡± ¡°I¡¯m drinking because I can¡¯t sleep.¡± The emperor put down his ss on the table with his left hand, grabbed Lagris by the chest with his right, and pulled him to the front of the table. Lagris wavered and frowned. ¡°You¡­¡­.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not in good shape either. Have you been eating?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mind me¡­¡­.Since the beginning.¡± Lagris looked away. He rose from his seat as the emperor released his hand that gripped his chest. Both Lagris and the emperor knew that he would have to obey the emperor¡¯s words in order to safely hold Elise¡¯s body in his arms again. ¡°Bring the child to me safely, and I will let you see Elise, Lagris.¡± The emperor said as he drank the rest of his cup. The gray eyes of Lagris grew evenrger, and he turned away in a panic. He sat down at the table, made eye contact with the Emperor, and opened his mouth. ¡°Is it true?¡± The emperor nodded pleasantly, very pleased with his eyes, as if it was the first time he had ever seen them properly. He (the emperor) was willing to pay back as much as he could if Lafris did the job well. ¡°I keep my promise, Lagris.¡± ¡°Okay. By the way, what do you intend to do with the child?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a drug I need to make. Gillian can¡¯t do it.¡± The emperor, shrugging his shoulders, said frankly. Lagris, his arms folded, opened his eyes wide in slight surprise. Wasn¡¯t Gillian also a pretty amazingly skilled alchemist? ¡°¡­.. She¡¯s such a great kid, isn¡¯t she?¡± ¡°She¡¯s as great as Elise. But she¡¯s not as interesting as Elise.¡± The emperor said, thinking of Baretta. Emotions, all emotions, were not very interesting to a dead child. Though some of the actions she tried to provoke still seemed juvenile. ¡°I¡¯m surprised you¡¯d rate it that way.¡± ¡°Oh, by the way. ¡­There have been stories of corpsesing to life all over the ce, do you know anything about that, Lagris?¡± ¡°Corpsese to life?¡± Lagris opened his eyes wide and asked back. The emperor was silent for a while. He didn¡¯t reply, but looked at Lagris for a long time, then smiled affectionately and shook his head, as he always did. ¡°If you don¡¯t know, it¡¯s fine. Track the girl down and bring her to me. Then all three of us can be together again.¡± ¡°Can we be together?¡± ¡°There is such a thing. Anyway, please do.¡± Nodding, Lagris stopped moving as he tried to turn himself around. He hesitated a bit, and eventually opened his mouth slowly. ¡°You¡¯re not going to kill her¡­. are you?¡± ¡°If I¡¯m going to kill her, I wouldn¡¯t ask you to bring her here, would I?¡± There was no reply from Lagris. The emperor¡¯s smile deepened as he effortlessly grasped the truth of the unanswered. He had already been involved in many crimes. There was no way he could back out now. Lagris clenched his fists tightly. The Emperor smiled broadly, licking his lips as he lowered his voice as much as he could. ¡°You¡¯re bringing her here, aren¡¯t you, Lagris?¡± His smile deepened. ¡°For our precious Elise.¡± The emperor¡¯s voice whispered in a small chant, but Lagris said nothing and turned away. ¡°Cain.¡± ¡°Why? Lag?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t make me kill you.¡± The emperor did not answer. Lagris disappeared with the magic circle that did not glow. The emperor slowly sank down on the sofa as the presence of Lagrispletely disappeared. Ting! The ice in the ss of whiskey clinked together in the ss. Even though it looked like that, Lagris also cherished the time when the three of them were together the most. That was why he couldn¡¯t leave, couldn¡¯t push the Emperor away, couldn¡¯t kill him. ¡°A long time ago.¡± The emperor, left alone in his office, smiled. **** Chapter 102 ¡°Is that enough, Master?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°What is it with nts, ants, and centipedes¡­¡­¡± Seeing Valletta ying with the things, Reinhardt secretly stepped aside. ¡°Master¡­You¡¯re a maniac.¡± Reinhardt finally managed to get the words out. His heart thumped in his chest as the centipede turned overpletely and swung its many legs around madly. Valletta nced at him and then opened her mouth. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were afraid of centipedes. ¡°I¡¯m not afraid of them, Master.¡± ¡°Then what is it?¡± ¡°¡­¡­ physiological rejection?¡± Valletta lowered her gaze again. The centipede that was moving its legs around like crazy to live, was indeed creepy. Sometimes they were used to make potions, so Valletta was familiar with them. ¡®I¡¯ve never used one alive¡­¡­¡¯ Usually, she would grind up the dried ones or used the dead ones. It wasn¡¯t a great looking sight anyway. What was more, Snorta was ring at the ants trapped in the barrel and rolling the ss bottle around incessantly, as if he had great enemies. ¡®I think I¡¯m going to die doing that.¡¯ Valletta drew a circle with a pen on a piece of paper she had bought earlier that was only as big as five palms together. She slowly began to write the form. Dpose, reestablish, and reconstruct. The alchemical form was based on the alchemical form that she saw in the book and was slightly transformed. The criteria for activating the ancient alchemy form was difficult. To be precise, it was not activated simply by amand. The ancient one wanted an offering. An offering of a body. If it was life, it was life, if it was blood, it was blood. Or a magical power so great that it could withstand them. The man named Bertas, the author of ¡®The Alchemy of the Beginning¡¯ was short-lived. He lived to make his name known as an alchemist for only ten years before he died. In other words, he couldn¡¯t leave any of his books to the world other than the one called ¡°Alchemy of the Beginning.¡± She didn¡¯t have to think too hard to find out what the author paid for that one book. If this was a taboo, then he had broken dozens or hundreds of taboos. He started out with blood, but he should have paid a muchrger price for arger experiment. One could easily guess what it would have been like. ¡°Will this be right?¡± The basics were brought from Alchemy to begin with. Another addition to it was stability when re-established, an alchemical form for making the ss bottle disappear, and specifying that it would be the main medium. The centipede would be the main medium for this concoction. Valletta¡¯s hunting knife slightly bled the tip of her finger. She put it on both index fingers and slowly raised her hand above the magic circle. Reinhardt put his hand on Valletta¡¯s shoulder. If any problems arose, he would react quickly and take care of it. Valletta took a deep breath. Activation. An ancient magic circle appeared in her left eye at the same time as the starting words she muttered in an ancientnguage. Soon, the ss bottle on the soft dust shattered into pieces and everything disintegrated. It was the beginning of a strange phenomenon. Valletta couldn¡¯t say anything about the strange things that were happening in front of her. Purple light covered her eyes, and soon something strange was walking around on a piece of magical paper. The centipede¡¯s body was shaped like three equal parts, like ants, and the numbers on its legs were exactly the same as the centipede¡¯s numbers. On its face, there were nt root-like things hanging down and moving like tentacles, and there were the sharp jaws of an ant. On the back of the strangely shaped centipede, translucent wings sprouted. It looked like a newly hatched butterfly, shaking its wings as it bloomed. ¡°¡­¡­Huh?¡± The centipede began to shake its wings and flew away while Valletta stopped, unable to grasp the situation. Her body shuddered and she took a step back. She swallowed a breath as she stepped back quickly. ¡±This is not¡­¡­.¡± Valletta hurried back as the centipede chased her. It was creepy. She hurriedly twisted towards Reinhardt. Then the centipede followed her and flipped its wings in her direction. ¡°Hey, it¡¯s ¡­¡­.¡± Valletta hastily grabbed the hem of Reinhardt¡¯s robe. A normal centipede was fine, but not a centipede with wings. A cockroach was good, but not a cockroach with wings. Furthermore, the centipede that wriggles its numerous legs¡­.. ¡°Hey, hey! That¡¯s¡­!¡± ¡°Hmmm, didn¡¯t Master say it¡¯s not scary?¡± Reinhardt asked with a sly smile. ¡±This punk¡­¡­¡­¡± She deliberately snuggled up to Reinhardt¡¯s back. Then the centipede, which had folded its body, flew in front of Reinhardt this time. Reinhardt frowned. ¡°Come on!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Do something!¡± ¡°Should I burn it?¡± ¡°No! No! Don¡¯t kill it!¡± ¡°Picky Master.¡± Still smiling, Reinhardt lightly flicked his fingers. It was the first time she¡¯d ever touched him, but it was also the first time he¡¯d ever seen her with such a scared expression on her face. A thin needle of ice flew out and stung the centipede¡¯s head and stomach. The centipede, still alive, was constantly moving its limbs like a madman. A gasp came from behind him. Laughing lowly, Reinhardt lightly flicked his fingers again, it hit the squirming, swingy centipede like a specimen on a t board. ¡°Wow, that¡¯s weird. It¡¯s creepy. ¡­¡­¡± ¡°You said the centipede wasn¡¯t scary.¡± ¡°A centipede with wings and tentacles is a no. ¡­.¡± Valletta pped her hands lightly with a slightly bored expression. It seemed that she made the wrong choice. She just grabbed what she saw and decided to experiment¡­¡­.. ¡°He didn¡¯t mention queen ants.¡± ¡°As expected, Master is very lucky.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡­.¡± No matter what she wanted to look for, the one that was moving its legs in a sprawling, lifeless manner was not going to die. Valletta just watched it from a distance for a moment. ¡°How¡¯s your body? Is Master okay?¡± ¡°¡­¡­ A little tired.¡± She felt as if her strength was being drained from her body. It was simr to the exhaustion she felt when she made three top notch potions. If she repeated the same thing three or four times, she would definitely copse. ¡°Is this what you call a chimera?¡± ¡°ording to the definition¡­..I guess so.¡± ¡°Can you turn it back to normal?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to try an experiment now.¡± Valletta drew another circle on the nk sheet of paper with tired eyes. Reinhardt leaned against a tree as she began to write the alchemy of dposition and reconstruction, the exact opposite of what she had just done. ¡°Why are you so desperate, Master?¡± ¡°It¡¯s for peace.¡± ¡°If peace is so important to you, why don¡¯t we go to another country? Just you and me, where no one knows us.¡± The low soaring voice slowed down Valletta¡¯s pen that was drawing the form. She was silent for a moment, then quickly opened her mouth as she wrote the following equation. ¡°You have to stay here. There¡¯s the magic tower.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s for Master, I¡¯m fine with it.¡± ¡°If something goes wrong and we have to leave, I will go alone.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think Master will be able to get rid of me.¡± Hsi voice mixed withughter was always the same. He acted like he wasn¡¯t hurt, but she knew he must have been hurt. Valletta slowly closed her eyes and then opened them. In the blink of an eye, the boundary between darkness and light was unclear. ¡°Time is not the same for you and me.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± There was a chill in the air in the presence of someone that had been felt from behind. Valletta didn¡¯t turn around and continued writing theplicated form. The form, which looked three times moreplicated than before, was written in an ancientnguage that was so tightly packed that it would have taken arge sheet of paper. ¡°You must stay at the magic tower, you know that.¡± ¡°¡­¡­ What do you mean?¡± Valletta eventually had to stop as she could no longer concentrate on writing the form. She looked down with a frown at the centipede, which was still alive and pping its legs, then turned around and looked up at Reinhardt as he sat down. ¡°The average lifespan of a wizard would be three or four times that of an ordinary person. Of course, alchemists aren¡¯t short either, but they¡¯re probably less than you. So don¡¯t get attached to me, you¡¯ll get hurt.¡± ¡°No way, not until now¡­¡­¡± ¡°Until now, I was really scared of you. Of course, I¡¯m still scared of you. Still, I¡¯m being a little realistic right now.¡± She just thought it was time for a little reality check. They would figure this out somehow. Whether it takes a few years or a few months, the victory will be Reinhardt¡¯s and he will regain his freedom. ¡°If you stay in the tower, Caspellius will be there, Quilt and Ceylon. I read a book the other day and found out that Snorta will also live a long time.¡± (Valletta) ¡°¡­What does that have to do with me?¡± (Reinhardt) The voice that had always been so rxed froze in ce. The pretentious salutation had already disappeared. Unhurriedly, Valletta stared up into Reinhardt¡¯s red eyes. ¡°I¡¯m going to settle down somewhere after this, or travel far away from here.¡± (Valletta) ¡°Where is that?¡± (Reinhardt) ¡°Where you won¡¯t be.¡± (Valletta) Valletta replied calmly. She hadn¡¯t given him her heart for a long time, partly because she was afraid of the world he would take away, that she would die like the real Valletta, giving him her heart without knowing anything¡­. Maybe you don¡¯t have this idea at all. The fact that wizards had different lifespans had been mentioned many times in the novel, of course, since the main character, Therion, was of wizard blood. She thought she found some way and Therion and the heroine would be able to be together for a long time, but¡­ ¡®I don¡¯t remember.¡¯ Valletta stared at Reinhardt¡¯s face, which had turned cold. ¡°¡­¡­ you, you know I¡¯m being cruel now, don¡¯t you?¡± (Valletta) ¡°I know.¡± (Reinhardt) ¡°Do you hate me that much?¡± (Reinhardt) ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Valletta didn¡¯t answer. She didn¡¯t dislike him. She thought he was scary, but she didn¡¯t hate him. If she had really disliked him in the first ce, she would have taken whatever steps she could to find. However, Reinhardt smiled bitterly with a very hard expression on his face at Valletta¡¯s silence. ¡°I don¡¯t hate you.¡± *** Chapter 103 ¡°I don¡¯t hate you.¡± Valletta answered, turning around after a long time. Holding the pen again, she slowly wrote down the unfinished alchemical form. Reinhardt¡¯s eyes grew wide as he heard her voice. He slowly turned his head as if he couldn¡¯t believe what he was hearing. All he could see was her little head. ¡°What did you just say¡­.¡± Valletta sighed as she heard Reinhardt¡¯s stupid voice. She had a strange feeling that she might be vulnerable to him. ¡°I had never thought I hated you, even though you were scary. When have I ever told you that I didn¡¯t like you? I wanted to kick you out because it was going to be a disasterter.¡± (Valletta) ¡°So don¡¯t wait for me because I don¡¯t want to¡­¡± (Valletta) ¡°Let¡¯s say it right now. I said I I don¡¯t like ves.¡± (Valletta) Valletta replied firmly. Even if the situation hadn¡¯t been what it was, she wouldn¡¯t have had to send him away. ¡°¡­¡­ So you don¡¯t hate me?¡± Reinhardt, who came closer, squatted next to Valletta and asked. The sharpness of his mood had gone, and it had softened. ¡®Is he bipr?¡¯ Valletta red at Reinhardt and her brows contracted. She wrote down the final form, but with a little toss of the specimen-like plywood, which still moved, she shoved it into the magic circle. Without replying, Valletta lightly scratched the palm of her hand, causing it to bleed. Then she opened her mouth as she had just done. Activation. At the same time as the ancientnguage flowed from her mouth, the blood from her palm gradually began to be absorbed into the alchemy formation. ¡±¡­¡­ What is it?¡± She opened her mouth as if in a panic. She hurriedly tried to remove her hand from the magic circle, but it wouldn¡¯te off. She couldn¡¯t move at all from the position where she had touched the circle. She was constantly sucked into the alchemy formation as her blood was gushing out in the vortex. It was absorbed as red blood was drawn along the ¡®alchemy formation¡¯ and ¡®circle¡¯ she had drawn. The magic circle was bing bloodier and bloodier. ¡±Master¡­¡­? ¡°I can¡¯t take my hand off.¡± Hearing Valletta¡¯s words, Reinhardt rushed over and grabbed her wrist. He pulled with all his might, but it didn¡¯t budge. Meanwhile, Valletta¡¯s face twisted. Her experiment was in progress while Reinhardt clicked his tongue and tried to flick his fingers. At that moment, Valletta steeled herself for the feeling that something more was about to escape from her body. Goosebumps broke out on her spine. Valletta hurriedly pulled her hand away. Fortunately, her fingers, which had been moving with strength, were free for a moment, as if they were free from bondage. Valletta¡¯s eyes wide open when she felt it. ¡°It moves.¡± When she hurriedly put her hand over his, Reinhardt stared at her palm with a stiff expression. The small wound earlier was about the size of a finger. But now, the wound was diagonally dividing half of her palm. Reinhardt rushed to tear his sleeves to bind her wound. Then, finally remembering, he ran his fingers over it. The wound quickly healed as if it had never been made in the first ce. ¡°Are you all right, Master?¡± ¡°Oh, uh, thank you.¡± Valletta¡¯s gaze immediately went to the alchemy form. Sure enough, on top of the magic circle, something awful was seen. She reflexively retreated and rose from her seat. ¡°Master,e here.¡± ¡°¡­¡­ What is that thing?¡± Three iprehensible ck lumps of melted y buzzed about. It was a strange shape, like a piece of ck y. They seemed to be alive, but their form was not what she had imagined. Its body seemed to be rotting, and the horrible smell of burning stimted her sense of smell. Yes, it looked like breaking a ck burnt cookie. ¡°Ugh¡­¡­.¡± Valletta took another step backwards, covering her mouth. Reinhardt came up behind her and hugged her tightly around the waist. Her blood stained formation disappeared from the paper as the alchemy formation was activated properly. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen you fail, Master. Can I get rid of that one first?¡± ¡°¡­¡­ It¡¯s not a failure.¡± The form was done properly. It¡¯s just. ¡­¡­ Valletta¡¯s face twisted. She remembered the sharp sensation of something trying to escape from her body. She slowly bowed her head at the terrible sensation. ¡°I think the price was insufficient.¡± If she hadn¡¯t taken her hand away, who knew what would have been taken from her. Reinhardt¡¯s expression hardened at Valletta¡¯s words. He slowly turned and looked down at Valletta, then stared again at the three seething ck masses. ¡°What about the price?¡± ¡°There was a gap in the middle of the activation, so I forced myself to take out my hand, but I felt something unpleasant.¡± If she couldn¡¯t have taken her hand out, she couldn¡¯t even imagine what it would have eaten. A huge thing must have opened its mouth and ate her. Something invisible. ¡°Is it the price of life?¡± ¡°Perhaps the author who wrote the book paid his life for it.¡± Reinhardt tilted his head and held his chin gently. ¡°I don¡¯t know how he sacrificed his life.¡± Valletta sighed small. ¡°I don¡¯t think we should use this¡­¡± ¡°If you want to y with life, you have to give your life.¡± She blinked slowly. With a small sigh, Valletta took out a small notebook and scribbled something, then dropped it on the three ck blobs. ¡°Ignition.¡± Unlike before, she gave themand word in Imperialnguage instead of ancient. An ancient magic circle appeared above her eyes, and the paper burst into mes. A small fire the size of the palm of her hand burned into the wide sheet of paper thaty beneath the ck masses. Eventually, it began to burn bright red. The ck y, which had been buzzing regrly as the fire began to ignite, immediately shook. Valletta¡¯s face twisted as she watched the agonized, soundless wriggling get worse. ¡°It¡¯s disgusting.¡± The thing¡¯s sense of pain was still alive even after all that. It was as if she could feel the sensation of being burned alive, and it made her chest swell. In contrast, Reinhardt¡¯s gaze seemed to be looking at something strange, which was really a strange sight for a third party to see. ¡°It¡¯s possible tobine living things and then return them to their original state.¡± ¡°If you call that ck mass a sess.¡± ¡°If I knew how much it would take my life, I¡¯d like to experiment on it once¡­..¡± It certainly could not move because the masses were not there. Certainly not enough to die all at once, considering the person who wrote the book. She purposely chose a small one. ¡°No.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°No, don¡¯t do useless thing. I¡¯ll turn the entire empire upside down to protect Master if I have to.¡± ¡°You know that¡¯s really useless, right? I can protect my body.¡± At Valletta¡¯s decisive words, Reinhardt shrugged and refrained from speaking. She nced at him and touched her forehead. She felt a little dizzy. It was as if all the energy in her body had been taken away. ¡°Do you really think that guy is the culprit?¡± ¡°I believe it¡¯s possible. If someone is using this kind of magic at the cost of their lives, nothing is impossible.¡± ¡°It was indeed the mark of a beast that had bitten off a piece, but does he* (Desilian) really need to turn from human into a beast to do it?¡± This was the most inefficient action. Valletta fell silent at Reinhardt¡¯s words. He was certainly right. They didn¡¯t have to do that. Considering that his hypothesis was correct, if this was the fifth vige, it meant that the man (Desilian)* had already returned from man to beast and from beast to human four times. (*Valletta and Reinhardt suspected that Desilian was the culprit that made the corpsese back to life.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know ¡­¡­. we would have to see it with our eyes.¡± Valletta stared at the ashes. ¡°But I can use it now. Making fire with alchemy.¡± ¡°Because all you have to do is create a chemical effect.¡± ¡°Can you make ice like the Duke?¡± ¡°It can be done as long as you use the form. It was simpler than I thought. Creating the means to attack people. I was a fool that I didn¡¯t know.¡± It was her narrow-minded idea that alchemy was powerless. She took it for granted because what she was given was limited. ¡®This is why brainwashing from an early age is dangerous.¡¯ She hade to take for granted that she even had memories of her previous life. Of course, alchemy seemed a little moreplicated and cumbersome than magic, but that didn¡¯t mean it wasn¡¯t still a threat. ¡®There was a reason why I had to write down my form in advance.¡¯ It would be hard to draw it right away, so she had to write it in advance. Basically, the principle was that the green alchemy form would disappear after one use. However, recently, she heard that there were inks that were not one-time use, but multi-times use, so there were new types of inks that would not disappear no matter how many times she used it. *** Chapter 104 Of course, these were also made by alchemists, and of course she had no idea where they were sold. She had only heard about it through rumors. Perhaps that was the kind that Carlon Delphine was using at that time. She activated the form that she had written down somewhere beforehand, just in case. ¡°Too bad, I thought such things were my area.¡± Reinhardt said, shaking his head. Valletta chuckled at the exaggerated drooping of his shoulders. ¡°We should go back to the inn first. Are you tired?¡± ¡°¡­¡­ How did you know?¡± ¡°Master frowns when you get tired, and you often press this area with your thumb.¡± Reinhardt tapped his temple area with his index finger. Valletta, who was watching with a smiling face, turned away. Come to think of it, it seems they had been together for a really long time. She couldn¡¯t believe he even noticed this habit of hers. ¡°I didn¡¯t know it was a habit.¡± Valletta nodded rather than making excuses. ¡°I don¡¯t have the energy. I feel like I¡¯ve reached my limit.¡± She was able to walk around, but her whole body felt heavy like wet cotton. If there was no need to move, she didn¡¯t want to move. ¡°Oh, your hands are better now, but what about your dizziness?¡± Vallettaughed small as Reinhardt bent down and looked up at her from below. He looked like a puppy who was begging for food. Reinhardt¡¯s eyes grew bigger as he faced Valletta, who burst intoughter. ¡°I like it.¡± ¡®¡¯What?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nice when youugh. Iugh a lot.¡± ring at him, Valletta swallowed herugh at Reinhardt¡¯s oundish words. As she turned away, Reinhardt blinked slowly. Valletta bent down and picked up Snorta, who was lying curled up in the shade of a tree. Hmmm. A sleepy voice escaped from Snorta¡¯s mouth. ¡°Let¡¯s go back.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± As Valletta turned her body, Reinhardt stared at Snorta in Valletta¡¯s arms. He strode closer to her. ¡°Master.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Master, can I hold your hand?¡± ¡°¡­¡­ I¡¯m holding this child.¡± At Valletta¡¯s answer, Reinhardt was silent for a moment. He stared at Snorta and nodded. ¡°I know.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± It was odd to see him retreat so honestly again. Valletta gave a low sigh, moved Snorta to her right arm, and held out her left hand to Reinhardt. ¡°Here you go.¡± ¡°Master, why are you so sweet all of a sudden?¡± ¡°Are you crazy? Why is this sweet?¡± ¡°Master has been weird for a while. Raising weird animals and calling the other guys¡¯ names, and now you¡¯re sweet to me too.¡± ¡­¡­ this kid has gone a little crazy. Did he forget the meaning of the word ¡®sweet¡¯ because he was hit in the head? Frowning, she nced at Reinhardt and shrugged. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to, don¡¯t worry.¡± When Valletta tried to withdraw her hand, Reinhardt quickly grabbed it. His warmth flowed through her cold fingertips. Valletta sighed as she saw the deep smile on his face. ¡°Why are you being so picky?¡± It was strange to walk hand in hand through the market. It was rare that she held hands with someone, which made her feel even weirder. At Reinhardt¡¯s warmth, she closed her eyes and then opened them. The future Reinhardt in her flickering memory made her frown. ¡°Master.¡± ¡°I told you to stop calling me that.¡± ¡°Valletta.¡± The word, which came out of his mouth like a melted sweet candy, sent shivers down her spine. It felt as if someone was wing and scratching her back along her spine. ¡°I like the sound ¡®Master¡¯ better.¡± ¡°¡­¡­ Why is that?¡± When Valletta asked with a deliberately nonchnt expression, Reinhardt suddenly stopped walking. ¡°I want to eat that.¡± Reinhardt¡¯s long, straight finger pointed to a ce: a candy store with many different colors. It seemed to be a store that sold different kinds of snacks, to be precise. Among them, there was a clear jar of colorful round candy balls. ¡°¡­¡­ candy?¡± (Valletta) ¡°Yes, buy it for me.¡± (Reinhardt) ¡°You have a lot of money. Do you have to steal it from a beggar like me?¡± (Valletta) ¡°I¡¯ll give you money.¡± (Reinhardt) Reinhardt¡¯s eyes bent nicely in front of her. Valletta was rendered speechless for a moment as he bent his body slightly and acted cute. Of course, that was under the assumption that it was his charm, not a threat. ¡°If you¡¯re going to give me money, you can buy it yourself.¡± (Valletta) Is there any reason why she has to buy it for him? Even though she felt awkward, Valletta walked to the candy store. She thought that if she didn¡¯t buy it for him, he would pester her nonstop, so she would give him what he wanted. She sighed as she stared at the rusty, wobbly sign. As she entered the old candy shop, a wide variety of colorful candies caught her eyes. From among them, Reinhardt wanted a clear ss jar filled with candy. There was a cork stopper on it. ¡°Please give me this one.¡± Valletta paid the owner, took the candy jar, and handed it to Reinhardt. ¡°Here. What¡¯s wrong with you today?¡± (Valletta) ¡°I just love being treated like a child by you.¡± (Reinhardt ) Reinhardt murmured, gently raising his lips. As if he had received an unexpected gift, he grasped Valletta¡¯s hand tightly, looking at the candy jar for a moment in his other hand. ¡°You don¡¯t know how much I wanted to get this.¡± (Reinhardt) ¡°You don¡¯t like candy.¡± (Valletta) ¡°Me? What made you think that?¡± (Reinhardt) Reinhardt¡¯s eyes opened wide when he heard Valletta¡¯s words. When he asked back, Valletta opened her mouth as she headed back to the inn. ¡°I saw you once steal a piece of candy from the desk in my room, but you spit it out right away.¡± (Valletta) ¡°Oh, really? I only like one candy.¡± (Reinhardt) He ate it only once and fell in love with its taste. He thought all the candies tasted so sweet and pleasant. It wasn¡¯t until he secretly ate the second candy that he realized the reality. ¡°I¡¯ll put you to sleep, so go sleep.¡± ¡°If I go to sleep now, I¡¯m not sure if I can wake up at night.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll wake you up.¡± Reinhardt said as he walked up to the inn room. He opened the door and stepped inside, taking off her robe himself and lowering Snorta to the floor. ¡°Oh, I forgot to buy food for Snorta.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll get it. Go to sleep.¡± Reinhardtid Valletta down and said, stroking her cheek. Valletta nced at him and nodded. When she lowered her eyelids, the darkness came clearly. There was a slight rustling sound as if he was cleaning up, and then silence came. She could feel his fingers caressing her forehead. She didn¡¯t reject the sleep that was rushing in on the usual signal. Hearing her breathing change evenly, Reinhardt turned away. He carefully turned the doorknob and stepped outside. Locking the door wasn¡¯t enough, he even cast a protective spell that was invisible to others. Only then was he able to leave the doorway. He naturally put on his robe and walked around the market. He walked with a rxed gait, but his gaze was sharp. The market streets were buzzing with people. Even though it was arge town, it was certainly smaller than the capital or the city, so it wasn¡¯t difficult to go around. The problem was that he couldn¡¯t find any traces of magic or alchemy circles. He felt annoyed because he was walking around and not picking up anything. Reinhardt¡¯s eyebrows became wrinkled. He sighed lowly, stepped to a less popted area, and tapped the floor with his shoes. The magic circle widened and his vision flipped in an instant. Reinhardt, who had reached just below the sky ind, used his magic on it once more. He was soon inside the sky ind, and went to the library. It was still daylight, so there were quite a few people in the library. ¡®I¡¯m also very eager to study.¡¯ He nced around the library thoughtfully. In all likelihood, he had missed something, but it was hard to tell what that something was that he had missed. He took a suitable book from the corner of the bookshelf and sat down in a secluded spot, propping his chin up. ¡®Lost, murder, and resurrected corpses, Lesir¡­¡­¡¯ The murdered body did not have any body parts. Or more urately, there were those thatcked body parts. As if they were cut off, not torn. They were the only ones that came back to life. The ones that simply died of torn limbs did note back to life. The ones that came back to life were the ones with very clean cuts. If those clean cut ones were the ones that had Lost, then¡­? ¡®What if it wasn¡¯t just a murder in the vige, but Lost and a murder together?¡¯ It was one question after another floating around in his head. Reinhardt tilted his head and blinked. It was possible that Lost itself was buried because of the murder. There was a mixture of bodies that had actually showed signs of Lost and those that had not. It also fit to some extent with what was said about people who died from Lost became Lesir. Speaking of which¡­. He had only heard descriptions of Lost, where parts of the body suddenly disappear, but he had never seen it with his eyes. It would be easier to understand if he knew where the phenomenon would ur. ¡°Where is it?¡± He had heard that it actually happened. Reinhardt tapped the desk with his fingers, his eyes drooping sluggishly. ¡°Come to think of it, I was in Sokor¡¯s vige the other day, and I saw something odd.¡± He was cleared of his thoughts by nearby voices. Reinhardt slumped over and blinked his eyes. ¡°What¡¯s strange?¡± ¡°The two-eyed Sokor walked briskly. Speaking of which, that town was a little strange¡­¡­.¡± Reinhardt¡¯s lips curled up as he listened to the story. He bent his eyes and squeezed his robe a little tighter, then rose from his seat and approached the people who were talking. ¡°Can I listen to that story?¡± The eyes of the gathered wizards opened wide at the sweet voice that suddenly interrupted. If it hadn¡¯t been for how naturally he interrupted and how inhuman his voice sounded, they would have thought they were friends. ¡°Huh? Yes, of course.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Reinhardt replied softly in a honeyed voice and positioned himself beside them, his red eyes downcast. *** Chapter 105 ¡°So? How was the vige strange?¡± ¡°Oh¡­ Should I say that the spirit of death overflowed? The whole vige is gruesome and abominable. I felt like I was in a graveyard.¡± The wizard shuddered as he thought of that moment, as if it was an abomination. Reinhardt rubbed his long fingers under his chin. He was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked. ¡°What kind of vige was it?¡± ¡°Oh, it was a small vige in the southwest¡­ ¡­The moment he saw me, he jumped on me like a hungry animal. I had no choice but to go there because I needed something urgently, and I came back without being able to buy it.¡± Reinhardt listened intently with his chin propped up. Without him interrupting, the three wizards engaged in an enthusiastic dialogue. ¡°Come to think of it, it was a bit odd.¡­¡­.There was no one whose limbs were fine.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a vige that only gathers people with problems. Isn¡¯t that what Sokor always does? If you do anything slightly different, they won¡¯t even treat you.¡± The cynicism in the wizard¡¯s voice was thick with disgust. Reinhardt snickered and the corners of his eyes drooped. ¡°It¡¯s true. But the Sokors seem to have been starving for a long time. There were a lot of emaciated people. ¡­¡­ I thought I was going to get eaten. Anyway, it makes me shudder to think about it again. I¡¯m not going to the southwest anymore.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t go. Please don¡¯t go.¡± ¡°Yes. Why would you go to Sokor vige? What¡¯s so beautiful about it?¡± After deciding where to go next, Reinhardt slowly got up from his seat. He pressed his neck lightly and folded his eyes narrowly. The three wizards who had been conversing shifted their gaze to Reinhardt as he stood up. ¡°Are you leaving?¡± ¡°Yes, I have something to do.¡± At the unexpected reply, the three wizards nodded. The way he spoke so informally was so natural that none of them pointed it out. ¡°Have you seen the tower Mastertely?¡± ¡°No.¡± Reinhardt shook his head without the slightest hesitation. He had seen him every day, if he may say so, but it would be strange to say that he had been watching him. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since the master didn¡¯te back, hasn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Did he really give up his position as the master of the tower?¡± ¡°Even so¡­¡­¡­. He is our lord. It would be nice if he paid attention to the mart, not the Sokor.¡± Reinhardt could not even turn his body at the voice that suddenly became depressed and frowned. He didn¡¯t understand what was so depressing about it, but it felt odd to have his name listed among them. ¡°I¡¯ve heard that he¡¯s stronger than the previous Lord of the Magic Tower.¡± ¡°I was when Gray¡¯s head exploded. The Lord was very brutal, but his strength was really amazing.¡± Having said all that, there was silence again. Reinhardt stood at an angle and kept his mouth shut. He had to turn his body around properly, but he couldn¡¯t move his feet easily. Even though he knew that good words wouldn¡¯te out if there was one anyway. ¡°¡­. Hey, can¡¯t we just let Sokor live in the tower? Honestly, one Sokol is such a distraction.¡± ¡°I heard that Sokor also helped the lord a lot when he was struggling.¡± ¡°Is that right?¡± When Valletta¡¯s name was mentioned, Reinhardt was even more unable to leave the room. If there was any possibility of harm to her, he would have to kill them here. No harm should be done to her. Veins appeared on the back of his white-knuckled hand where the calluses had formed. ¡°On top of that, I heard that the lord even went to repair the tower and the Sky Ind on his way out. I think that¡¯s why the altitude of the Sky Ind has increased recently.¡± It would have been troublesome if he fell, so he just did hisst duty and went. It didn¡¯t seem to be something to say in a sentimental way. Reinhardt just tilted his head. ¡°However, I still feel that destroying Sokor Vige this time was a bit excessive.¡± ¡°Ah, I met Quilt a while ago and asked him. He was angry because it wasn¡¯t like that¡­¡± ¡°Are you sure? But if that¡¯s the case, the lord should have told people. He didn¡¯t say anything and just went away.¡± The growls had somehow be neither aint nor a grumble, justints. Reinhardt swallowed a vain smile at the sight of himself standing awkwardly. He didn¡¯t know what he was doing. ¡°Isn¡¯t he usually quiet? He doesn¡¯t even talk about himself. He never gave orders, and he¡¯s just been quiet about this whole situation.¡± ¡°No, wait a minute! Then he left to figure it out on his own, didn¡¯t he?¡± A startled voice echoed through the library. Sure enough, several pairs of eyes came back to them. The tense atmosphere dissipated after the person who raised his voice hurriedly bowed his head and apologized. ¡°His mood was a little off¡­ and he didn¡¯t seem to be happy.¡± ¡°Should we stop talking?¡± ¡°But I was hoping my lord would settle down here soon.¡± ¡°Can we ask him toe back so he can live with Sokor?¡± One of the wizards, who had been talking in a gloomy voice, ced his face on the desk without effort. One cheek rested against the desk, and his lip quivered as he discovered Reinhardt. ¡°What do you think? Will he really note back?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think he¡¯lle back.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t the tower doing well without the Lord? Why do you need him now? It seems that he knew this and left.¡± ¡°Wow¡­You¡¯re saying something really cold-hearted. It hasn¡¯t been long since you entered the tower.¡± Instead of replying, Reinhardt just looked at the man who opened his mouth in silence. What did the man think of Reinhardt¡¯s silence? The man quickly stood up from his slumped position. ¡°It¡¯s a little different from that.¡± ¡°Different?¡± ¡°The lord is our lighthouse, our beacon and thest stronghold of the tower.¡± Reinhardt¡¯s eyes, hidden under his robe, opened a little wider at the majestic description. The red irises widened a bit and then quickly returned to their original shape. He opened his mouth. ¡°I think you¡¯re exaggerating.¡± ¡±As long as the lord is alive, no matter what problems arise on the Sky Ind or the Tower, we are not worried. We will protect him until the end, and the one who survives will somehow rebuild our country.¡± Reinhardt was silent for a moment. He didn¡¯t know that he had such value. To be honest, he hadn¡¯t given it much thought. What kind of existence does a tower master have for a wizard? ¡°The tower is your ce, think again.¡± ¡°You have to stay here. Because there¡¯s the tower.¡± ¡°Your time and mine are not the same.¡± Valletta¡¯s words came to his mind for a moment. He rubbed his thumb across his wrinkled brow as he thought of Valletta asleep in her room. Reinhardt¡¯s hand snapped to a stop as he realized that he was copying her habit. ¡°Isn¡¯t there Barrio you like?¡± He opened his mouth as usual. The wizard in front of him was already exining everything in a friendly way, as if he was looking at a new student. Reinhardt narrowed his eyes, feeling a litte bothered. ¡°My lord?¡± As he was about to disappear, a voice from behind him made him raise an eyebrow. His short-lived romp was over. He hade to cool his head, but his head hurt even more. He tapped the floor lightly without replying, and in a sh, a magic circle was drawn. ¡°Are you leaving again?¡± ¡°When will youe next?¡± ¡°I won¡¯te.¡± ¡°Lord? What, have you been talking to us?¡± The previously pompous wizard hurriedly stood up from his seat and bowed his head. Reinhardt¡¯s brows contracted, and all the wizards rose from their seats and bowed. ¡°I¡¯m going.¡± ¡°You are wee toe back any time after you cool down. I¡¯ll be taking care of this side for a while.¡± Reinhardt didn¡¯t say anything to Barrio¡¯s words. As soon as Reinhardt disappeared, destion descended. Everyone blinked without saying a word. ¡°Wow, we¡¯ve talked to the lord.¡± ¡°I see he has notpletely abandoned us yet.¡± ¡°How about that¡­¡± Barrio burst into lowughter as he saw the wizards gathering and whispering in an instant. * * * The fifteenth night moon in the pitch ck sky was dazzling. It wasn¡¯t as bright as the sun, but it felt strange to see it from the roof. After everyone had gone to sleep, the vige was quiet at dawn. All that could be heard were the cries of the nocturnal animals. ¡°Are you tired?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m fine.¡± She wasn¡¯t not tired, but she didn¡¯t feel good either. Unpleasantness was added to the unpleasant mood. Valletta hugged the dozing Snorta and let out a low sigh. Reinhardt, who was about to sit next to Valletta, narrowed his eyes. The magic that grazed his skin made him stand up straight again. Noticing Reinhardt¡¯s unusual behavior, Valletta¡¯s eyes turned to him. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°Stay here for a moment, I think someone¡¯s here.¡± Reinhardt¡¯s gaze turned to the entrance of the vige. Valletta¡¯s eyebrows furrowed as if she was in trouble. She didn¡¯t like the idea of being alone in the pitch ck night. ¡°The moon is bright, will you be alright?¡± Valletta nodded at Reinhardt¡¯s question. Then he soared high into the sky and quickly disappeared from her sight. Valletta leaned against the chimney of the roof. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­.. But this is thest time. We can be free now.¡± Hearing a small voice, Valletta¡¯s ears twitched as she slowly straightened her leaning body and turned her head. It came into her view that someone was holding a person, mumbling incessantly as they walked out of the inn. ¡®Zenith?¡¯ Zenith was holding Desilian in her arms. Valletta leaned forward and looked at Zenith and Desilian, who were moving away. ¡®How do I get down?¡¯ There was no quick way to get down as Reinhardt had brought her up to the roof. Fortunately, Zenith holding Desilian didn¡¯t go far. Valletta put her hands on the roof and watched them. Holding a piece of paper in her left hand, Zenith began to draw something on the ground with a stone in one hand. Judging by the way she looked at the object in her left hand and drew, it was probably some kind of spell. ¡®Is that the ¡­¡­ alchemy form?¡¯ Zenith drew a circle, and what was written in it was an alchemical form. It was too far away to see clearly, but the shape was different from a magic circle. After Zenith finished drawing the alchemy circle, she took something out of her bag and slowly poured it into it. Reflected in the bright moonlight, it looked like a ck liquid. *** Chapter 106 Valletta narrowed her eyes and moved her body forward a little more. At that moment, her eyes widened at the fishy smell that hit her nose. ¡®¡­¡­ blood?¡¯ It was night, so she couldn¡¯t see the color clearly. Her expression also darkened at the light bloody smell. Zenith soon put Desilian on it, who seemed to have fallen into a deep sleep. Then she closed her eyes and stepped backwards. At the moment of the first, second, or third step, the reddish formation gradually faded. Soon something pitch ck began to seep into Desilian¡¯s body. The blood-soaked formation could clearly be seen from a distance as to what it was. Seeing that it didn¡¯t emit any light, it was an ancient alchemy circle. nk. nk. As Valletta blinked to see what was going on, she heard the sound of bones being twisted somewhere. She couldn¡¯t see properly, probably because she was in a blind spot. The distance was also quite far. Valletta scanned around, found adder, and carefully climbed down. Keeping herself hidden behind the building, she kept her eyes glued to Desilian, who began to wiggle. As soon as she got down, Valletta, who was hiding, peeked her head out and looked outside. Then, she froze in ce. ¡°Aaaaah!¡± Desilian was twisting and screaming in pain. His bones were warping, his vertebrae were tearing one by one, and every bone seemed to be broken. It was as if he had be a soft mollusk. He was no longer in a human form. In fact, it looked more like the failed ck lump Valletta experimented with the other day. The unpleasant smell of it seemed to waft to her nose again, and she covered her nose and mouth with her hands. Eventually they began to fit together anew, one by one, as if reassembling a human body. ¡®Chimera be damned, what chimera is this?¡¯ It was no different than simply reassembling a puzzle as she looked at it. The muscles bulged full, teeth sharp as a wolf¡¯s, and thick veins grew on the face and body. The clothes it wore were naturally torn, its fingernails and toenails were long like those of a beast, its back was long and curved, and both arms and legs stretched long. It was as if it was walking on all four legs. It was not covered with fur, and it still had a human face. It was clearly different from a beast. Valletta held her breath at the horrible sight that she could not even describe in words. The moment when the human turned into a beast unfolded before her eyes. The skin, which had been pure white, turned bright red due to the torn blood. She couldn¡¯t even say that it was actually a beast. Monster was the right word. And someone had created it on purpose. They took all the bones out of the human and crushed the flesh into y. The y was then used to create a new life form. The part that had been the Desilian¡¯s face was already hanging down like it was unconscious. ¡°Rrrrrrr.¡± And when he woke up again, he was no longer human. The eyes with all the veins protruded out and looked like fish, and the red-colored pupils already didn¡¯t look like humans. ¡®¡­¡­What price did they pay?¡¯ The only thing she remembered was the price was blood. They can use alchemy¡­.what is the blood that has the price of¡­? ¡®It¡¯s ¡­¡­ alchemist¡¯s blood.¡¯ Valletta¡¯s eyes opened wide. Zenith was not an alchemist. This meant that there was another person who did this. ¡®Is it ¡­¡­ Gillian?¡¯ ¡®Is Gillian¡¯s blood enough?¡¯ Valletta did not rx, keeping her eyes fixed on the scenery in front of her while thinking nonstop. The saliva dropped through the open lips of the hungry beast. Its long sharp ws gripped the ground tightly. The ws looked like those of a mole. Its teeth were as long as a mammoth¡¯s tusks, and his torso was elongated like a panther¡¯s. The monster that had been Desilian kicked up off the ground and soared high into the air. He mmed himself straight into the building of the inn. ¡°Rrrrrrrrr!¡± With a roar, a cloud of dust scattered. ¡°Kyaaaah!¡± The screams that began to ring out from everywhere turned the vige into a madhouse. Valletta turned her body while holding the shaking Snorta to her chest. For now, it would be better to join Reinhardt. ¡°Rrrrrr!¡± Valletta¡¯s eyes opened wide. The ce where the sound was heard this time was not the one with Desilian. It was the direction Reinhardt had gone to look for something earlier. ¡°Jin.¡± Valletta called Jin after much consideration. Then Jin appeared with the tornado. Valletta took a step, admiring him, who did not appear loudly anymore. ¡°No, it¡¯s a dangerous situation¡­ Stay hidden here, and when I call you,e out and protect me. It doesn¡¯t matter if they are dead or alive. But you can¡¯te out under any circumstances until I call you.¡± He said, and Jin obediently hid himself inside Valletta¡¯s robe. It felt like a gentle breeze drifting down the back of her neck, cooling her feverish head a bit. ¡°I don¡¯t know. My head hurts so bad, I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on. I¡¯m going to catch the murderer first.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t, but finding peace is tough. Lost will be here soon¡­ what? What is this? Is it a magic circle?¡± In the middle of talking, a huge magic circle started to be drawn on the floor. Valletta opened her eyes wide. ¡°Ahhhhh!¡± She turned her head in panic at Zenith¡¯s scream. The person, who had been fine until now, was sitting on the ground crying, with ck holes in both eyes. ¡°Why ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ why already¡­? Blood trickled down from Zenith¡¯s empty eyes like tears, constantly running down her cheeks as she mumbled unknown words in despair. ¡°This is the end¡­ ¡­..¡± Valletta took a reflexive step backward when she saw Zenith¡¯s body writhing like a maggot on the floor. Valletta¡¯s pupils fluttered. ¡°Ha, save me¡­.!¡± ¡°Aaaaah!¡± As if Zenith¡¯s scream had been the catalyst, horrible screams began to be heard everywhere. ¡°Ahhhhhh!¡± Valletta also panicked at the terrible pain that entered one of her eyes. She could see part of a huge magic circle at her feet. She rubbed it with her foot, but it didn¡¯t break. ¡®We have to get out of the magic circle.¡¯ It was unknown how big it was. It was obvious that the whole vige was surrounded by the magic circle. She finally understood what Reinhardt had said about entering the whole vige circle. She kicked the ground with all her might and moved her feet. It seemed that the phenomenon of ¡°Lost¡± was something that happened by magic, not by alchemy. It was just too strange to be sure it was magic in general. ¡®There¡¯s also a feeling of alchemy.¡¯ She knew what kind of magic Reinhardt used because she had experienced it often. This was different from ordinary magic. Moreover, there was a subtle feeling of alchemy underneath the magic circle covered by the huge magic power. ¡®Did something happen to Reinhardt too?¡¯ There was no way that he couldn¡¯t have felt such a surge of magic power. The fact that he couldn¡¯te meant that there was a problem with him. If he wanted to kill himself, he could do it with his own hands, he wouldn¡¯t bother with such aplicated task. ¡°Ugh¡­¡­¡± Valletta squeezed her eyes with the palms of her hands in such intense pain that was hitting her in the eyes constantly. Groaning in pain, she gritted her teeth. It felt like someone was slowly pushing their fingers under her eyelids, gripping her eyeballs and tearing the nerves. ¡®¡­¡­ It¡¯s okay.¡¯ Fortunately, it was not the eye with the magic circle carved into it. Losing one eye would be solved by making a potion. Valletta, who had struggled to calm herself down, gritted her teeth as she looked at the long path. She ran frantically with her eyes squeezed tightly shut. The empty eyes of Zenith appeared in her mind. And Elise¡¯s dark-filled eye sockets. A cold sweat trickled down her spine. ¡°Ha¡­.ha¡­.ha.¡± She was out of breath. She looked back, but she barely made it past a couple of small houses, and that was the very road she had been running down. Come to think of it, she remembered now that her fitness was garbage. She hadn¡¯t been exercising, so it was all too normal. Valletta finally stopped in her tracks, gasping for breath. ¡°Ha ¡­¡­ please help me¡­¡­¡± A person crawled out of the house. It was a man with one of the legs missing. Blood left a trail in his moving path as his legs suddenly disappeared. The man¡¯s eyes were half turned inside out, and his thighs had been sliced clean under a single stroke of the sword. Valletta stepped back as he crawled out of the house to live. *** Chapter 107 There was constant screaming everywhere. ¡°Ugh.¡± Valletta put a little more pressure on the hand that was pressing her eyes. It started out as a light pain, but her eyes hurt so badly that she couldn¡¯t even stand, let alone move an inch. If she took a step or wobbled her body, it hurt like her eyes were going to fall off. ¡®Is it a littlete already?¡¯ Once again, she thought it was fortunate that it was not the eye with the power of alchemy. The best potion was needed to restore the lost eye. ¡®¡­ Do we have any ingredients?¡¯ She staggered in pain. ¡°Phew¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get caught¡­.¡± Valletta knelt on the floor, grabbing her eyes. Her eyes were already blurry. She didn¡¯t know if she should takefort in the fact that her other eye was fine. Jin quickly raised his body and took off high into the sky with Valletta on his back. As he pped his wings a couple of times, the distance between them and the vige quickly increased. As he moved away from the radius of the magic circle, the pain that cut her nerves finally disappeared. Valletta slowly lowered her trembling hand. Jin went to a reasonable distant ce and put Valletta down. When she let go of the hand she was holding so tightly, she saw the blood on it. Her face turned white when she saw it. She rushed to cover her eyes on the other side. She couldn¡¯t distinguish well in front of her eyes, but fortunately she could see ahead. Her vision was blurry, as if her eyesight had failed. It was true that she could see objects, though they were blurry. She slowly lowered her hand. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the entrance again. Hide in my robe. Thank you for helping me.¡± Listening to Jin¡¯s grumbling voice, she carefully put Snorta in her bag. ¡°You have to be quiet.¡± (Valletta said to Snorta) ¡°Kaaaaa.¡± She patted the child¡¯s head lightly and walked, a little staggering, to the entrance to the town. It wasn¡¯t too far away, and after about five minutes of walking, she saw people gathered at the entrance. ¡°Untie me now before I rip you to shreds!¡± A tornado created by pitch ck magic swept around Reinhardt. In front of Reinhardt, who stood frozen as if he couldn¡¯t even move, there were two unknown people in robes. One was a man with gray eyes wearing a robe, and the other was a man who seemed familiar. A magic circle was drawn under Reinhardt¡¯s feet. ¡®Are they wizards?¡¯ Valletta¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°That¡¯s great. Are you sure you¡¯re the master of the magic tower?¡± (Men in robe) ¡°Valletta¡­.¡± Valletta forgot herself for a while as she looked at Reinhardt, who struggled to speak with a distorted face. Had she ever seen the man expressing so much emotion? Reinhardt wasn¡¯t able to use his magic despite the raging storm of magical power. What was the reason? The atmosphere changed as she watched the situation for a while from behind. ¡°¡­.. Wait, who did you just say?¡± A man standing on the other side asked back with a furrowed brow. The other man in the brown robe standing nearby looked annoyed. ¡°Well, I¡¯m in trouble.¡± Valletta¡¯s brows narrowed at the familiar voice. ¡®Gillian?¡¯ What the hell is that man doing here? Valletta gulped hard and squeezed her eyes shut with her hands. ¡°The magic has already been activated, so I can¡¯t stop now. Valleta is Count Delight¡¯s daughter whom Cain is looking for, right?¡± (Man in robe) ¡°Yes, but it doesn¡¯t matter if she lost her limbs.¡± (Gillian) See how they recklessly talked about someone¡¯s limbs. Reinhardt really wanted to push them into a manure trough afterwards. Dying from pain, no one would understand the feeling of having their eyes dug out alive until they have experienced it. ¡°What the hell are you saying to my Valletta?¡± (Reinhardt) Reinhardt, who had been listening to the two of them, lowered his arms and murmured in a gloomy voice. The words that broke off one syble at a time made Reinhardt¡¯s atmosphere even more bleak. The pitch-ck magical storm that was blowing around him grew evenrger. Gillian and the other man who saw this change also opened their eyes wide in surprise. Valletta, of course, stood speechless in a distant ce. In Valletta¡¯s view, it was already like a small typhoon. The only one standing there intact was Reinhardt, who was standing in the center of the typhoon. ¡±If anything happens to her¡­you all better be prepared to die beautifully.¡± (Reinhardt) Reinhardt slowly raised his head. Valletta¡¯s eyes grew even wider as she watched him, hiding diagonally from the bleakness in his brutal voice. Madness shed in his bright red eyes. Anger dropped sharply. At the overflowing madness, Gillian and the unknown man (Lagris) just froze. ¡°¡­.. Is this the same person?¡± ¡°It¡¯s different.¡± Looking down at the sealed magic circle that was forcibly broken, Lagris was simply speechless. A great amount of life force was put into the ancient magic circle. It couldn¡¯t bepared to a magic circle made withmon magic power. It was usually difficult to break it no matter how many magic tower lords there were. However, the magic circle was forcefully breaking right before his eyes. It was as if the Almighty God had descended wearing a human mask. He couldn¡¯t even move, as it added to the eerie killing power and hatred. ¡°I will tear you limb from limb alive. You will not be able to die or lose consciousness until thest moment when your hearts are ripped out.¡± (Reinhardt) A madman stood before them with a deadly voice. ¡°I will find things you cherish and kill them painfully in front of your eyes.¡± (Reinhardt) ¡°Hey, hey! What are you doing?¡± Valletta interrupted. She had a feeling that if she stayed put, Reinhardt would take a dark path. He continued to recite his gruesome words casually, but she wasn¡¯t strong enough to open her eyes and see the darkness. The brutal air at her call hardened as if time had stopped. The sweeping mana storm quickly disappeared. ¡°Val¡­.Valletta?¡± (Reinhardt) ¡°Okay, but you..¡­ Don¡¯t say things like that carelessly. You know what?¡± (Valletta) She didn¡¯t want to create something that would make them both ufortable when they remembered the pastter. Reinhardt stared at Valletta and then opened his eyes wide. ¡°¡­. Master¡­? What¡¯s wrong with your eyes?¡± ¡°My eyes? Why? Is it weird?¡± ¡°You look like a rabbit that exploded.¡± He always says things like that. ¡°First of all, I think my eyesight has gotten worse. The front looks a little blurry, but I stopped my eyes from falling out. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve lost my eyesightpletely. Fortunately, I think this will be solved with a higher-level potion.¡± The furrow between Reinhardt¡¯s brows deepened as Valletta nonchntly diagnosed her condition and gave herself a prescription. He approached Valletta very slowly and struggling, as if he had a few tons of weight on his body. Cold sweat flowed down his cheeks. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Valletta stood still with her eyes wide open. She looked closely, she could see a magic circle under Reinhardt¡¯s feet. It was obvious that he was being restrained in some way, though she couldn¡¯t be sure. ¡°¡­¡­Oh, you solved it on your own.¡± Sure enough, a voice came from behind Reinhardt. Seeing Reinhardt take one more step, she stared at him and looked around. The magic circle under his feet was already broken. ¡®Was he under some kind of spell?¡¯ Reinhardt¡¯srge hands covered Valletta¡¯s cheeks. Her eyes, reddened with broken capiries, were not normal in any way. Not only that, but her bloody eyes weren¡¯t even in focus. Suddenly, Reinhardt clenched his teeth. ¡°What the¡­¡± ¡°I was waiting for you in the vige when the Lost phenomenon suddenly started.¡± (Valletta) ¡°I could feel the magic from inside¡­¡­.. Was that magic? Not alchemy?¡± (Reinhardt) Reinhardt nced at the vige and said. The vige, which had been filled with screams, had somehow quieted down as if everyone was dead. Valletta, who had captured thest tragedy in her eyes, turned her head to the other side of the vige. ¡°Yes, it was magic, but it¡¯s kind of strange magic.¡± ¡°Strange magic?¡± ¡°I felt the power of alchemy as well as magic. I¡¯m not sure if this is a trace of the alchemy that transformed Desilian or something else.¡± She thought Lost was a precursor to Lesir, but the Lost phenomenon she experienced herself was strange. Alchemists couldn¡¯t use magic. Conversely, wizards could not use alchemy. Yet, it was impossible for alchemy and magic to be activated at the same time. If Lost was magic, was Lesir also magic? Was there magic that could make dead things move again? So what were the traces of alchemy that she felt? If alchemy and magic were activated simultaneously, then it could be concluded that the culprit of Lost and the culprit of Lesir were not the same. The murderer was Desilian, and it was clear that the emperor was probably involved, unless they make it look like a coincidence. With Gillian, the morphing alchemy that was activated earlier was his work. So the murders were definitely rted to the emperor. Zenith knew about Lost. And Zenith was probably the emperor¡¯s subordinate. Looking at it, the destruction of the vige, Lost and the Emperor were rted. Then, what about Lesir? If the culprits of Lost and Lesir were different, then who used alchemy to revive the bodies? ¡®Will Gillian be able to revive the bodies?¡¯ Gillian was amazing, he could make two bottles of top quality potion in a day. But he finally failed to calm three insects, despite being deprived of enough energy to make about five top-grade potions. ¡®It seems thatck ofpensation was the cause¡­¡­¡¯ In the first ce, Gillian¡¯s magic power didn¡¯t seem to be that overflowing. Aside from the price, without magic power, alchemy would not work. Valletta¡¯s head seemed to crack open. In other words, it was concluded that another alchemist was involved in this unless Lesir¡¯s creation was done by Gillian. ¡°Hi, Miss Valletta.¡± Valletta held her breath at the sound of a voice behind her as she was lost in thought. ¡®I didn¡¯t feel it¡­¡­.¡¯ A crack appeared between Reinhardt¡¯s eyebrows, and he couldn¡¯t detect the surge of magic. A faint surprise shed in Reinhardt¡¯s red eyes and quickly disappeared. The man behind Valletta thrust his magic wand under her neck at the same time as Reinhardt, who had noticed quickly, grabbed her by the waist and tried to pull her into his arms. The gray magic stone glowed intermittently. ¡°I¡¯m Lagris.¡± ¡°Lag¡­.?¡± Valletta stammered, opening her eyes wide. She tried to turn her body to look at the man standing behind her, but his magic wand squeezed her neck. ¡°Shh, don¡¯t move.¡± ¡°Ha¡­¡­¡± When she let out a voice that sounded no different than the wind, Lagris looked at Valletta with only his eyes opened. His dry skin was gripping the wand tightly. *** Chapter chapter 108 Lagris¡¯s mouth curled up into a smile. A vaguely mischievous boyish air emanated from him. ¡°Cainus has been looking for you. You¡¯ll have toe with me.¡± ¡°¡­¡­ if I don¡¯t want to?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have to force you.¡± There was no malice in his childlike voice. It was rather innocent. If Lagris was the same age as Elise and the emperor, that meant he was close to forty, but he looked very young. ¡®Are wizards originally like this¡­?¡¯ In fact, Barrio Baloxis also looked younger than his age. Reinhardt¡¯s fingers twitched as he listened to the conversation. ¡°I¡¯m willing to cut thedy¡¯s limbs. So go ahead and make your move, tower lord.¡± Reinhardt stopped at Lagris¡¯ words. With a smile, Lagris took something out of his pocket and held it out to him. It was a ck leather choker. ¡°Does everyone here only make chokers?¡± Valletta¡¯s eyes were distorted. It felt strange, whether it was a choker or a dog cor. ¡°You can put it on.¡± Lagris said with a smile, pointing to Reinhardt¡¯s neck. Reinhardt looked carefully inside and put it on his neck. Valletta¡¯s face turned pale. ¡°Are you crazy? Can¡¯t you just disappear?¡± ¡°Where am I going without master?¡± Reinhardt breathed in at the click and the sound of iron interlocking. ¡®¡­.. magic.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t just a ¡®magic sent¡¯. His power waspletely blocked. Reinhardt involuntarily raised his head and stared at his opponent, feeling empty as if his body was emptying of power. ¡°I made a few modifications that are a little different from the norm, but I don¡¯t know if I like it.¡± ¡°¡­¡­I like it very much.¡± To the point he wanted to smash his head all over it. Reinhardt swallowed his insinuations with a smile. ¡°Miss Valletta should wear it, too.¡± Valletta furrowed her brow as she looked at the choker that Reinhardt had obviously broken when she was caught in the imperial pce. She held it up in frustration, alternately looking at Reinhardt and Lagris, who had a magic wand attached to her neck. ¡®Good thing I took out Jin.¡¯ The magic wand fell away only after she put the choker on her neck. ¡°Good girl. Gillian said he had something to do inside, so we¡¯ll go into the vige for a while.¡± The tip of Lagris¡¯ magic wand pointed to the entrance of the vige. The devastation she had seen earlier still flickered before her eyes. Valletta exhaled slowly and turned her face away. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Master.¡± Reinhardt held her hand, sounding too sweet. He blinked slowly. His lips drew a soft line. Reinhardt looked as if he was enjoying a game even in this situation. Looking at the two curiously, Lagris smiled mischievously. ¡°You two are close. Are you dating?¡± ¡°Are you crazy?¡± Valletta asked back, startled, and Reinhardtughed. ¡°Obviously not in such a shallow rtionship.¡± ¡°Hmm. ¡­.¡± Lagris looked at Reinhardt with an interesting look in his eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t forget. If you have to die one day, it will be me who kills you, Master.¡± Lagris nced at him with a frown as he entered the vige. It was like seeing Cainus when he was a child, but the frown on his brow quickly straightened. He seemed to be very good at hiding his emotions. ¡°Did you do this?¡± ¡°The tower lord did this, right?¡± Lagris said with a smile. Valletta¡¯s face scrunched up. He had no intention of hiding it. Reinhardt¡¯s smile deepened. ¡°What are you talking about? This guy was tied up by you guys, wasn¡¯t he?¡± ¡°If that¡¯s what the world believes. Does the truth matter?¡± Her breath caught in her throat. The words had bones. Reinhardt sounded naughty and innocent, but he didn¡¯t seem like the kind of person who talked lightly. Valletta was silent for a moment, then chose a suitable question. ¡°How do you turn people into animals with a magic circle?¡± ¡°No, honestly, that¡¯s easy.¡± He murmured low. Lagris¡¯s eyes took on a different look for a moment. ¡°I think you should ask how I can turn an animal back into a human being.¡± ¡°My junior is asking, Gillian.¡± Lagris, still smiling, shrugged his shoulders and shot the question back lightly. Soon the four of them were at the entrance to the vige. As usual, Valletta still had a magic wand pointed at her. She turned and looked at Gillian. ¡°What is it that you gain by giving your life and tinkering with people like y?¡± Gillian smiled at Valletta¡¯s sunny words. ¡°Oh, by the way, I see you¡¯ve read Bertas¡¯s book. Did you ever find out what magic he wrote?¡± Gillian, who was clearly tired, answered her curiosity honestly. It was not a friendly reply, but more of a counter-question. ¡°It¡¯s an alchemy formation with a morphing form as its main axis: ¡­¡­. You disassembled the entire human body and reconstructed it as if it were y and then put it together anew.¡± Valletta covered her mouth with her hand. The image of the human body crumbling like it was melting down and being reconstructed again flickered before her eyes. She felt nauseous. It did not take a great price to turn a person into a monster. Perhaps an offering of alchemist¡¯s blood or equivalent would have been enough. Just as she had done with the insects. But to return it to human form, or at least to its original form, a great price had to be paid. Perhaps Gillian had given his life. ¡°To turn people into monsters and use them..¡­ How much have you sacrificed your life?¡± Gillian silently nced at Valletta and exercised his right to remain silent. He wasn¡¯t feeling very well with his eye patch on. He looked tired and sweat was running down his face. Valletta looked at him for a long time, who did not answer, and then turned to Lagris. ¡°Did you create Lost in every vige?¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s pretty good, isn¡¯t it?¡± Lagris answered Valletta¡¯s question in a light tone. He looked like a wizard, so it shouldn¡¯t be difficult for him to move through space and activate the magic circle. ¡°But this had already happened over twenty years ago. You weren¡¯t there then.¡± Lagrisughed low at Valletta¡¯s words. He snickered with a very amused expression. ¡°I didn¡¯t create the magic of Lost.¡± ¡°Then¡­..¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since we had an empty seat at the head of the table, hasn¡¯t it? How have the wizards dispatched to the Imperial Castle been doing?¡± Lagris said in a light voice as he turned around and walked backwards. It was a mischievous voice, but there was still a bone in it . Reinhardt¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°Cainus has always been cunning, smart, and good at dealing with people. It¡¯s easier for him to win people over and take advantage of their weaknesses than it is for him to breathe.¡± ¡°Are you saying that the wizard was dispatched to the imperial family while the tower lord was away?¡± Reinhardt asked, his face still smiling. The dark smile on his face indicated that his mood was very bad. ¡°It¡¯s like that.¡± Lagris said lightly. ¡°Rrrrr¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Huh ¡­¡­.¡± At that moment, there was a scratching sound somewhere. Reinhardt stopped walking at the eerie sound and grabbed Valletta¡¯s wrist. His eyes narrowed. ¡°Don¡¯t go.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Instead of answering, Reinhardt pointed to the front with his chin . Valletta looked forward and stopped. Gillian took a step back. As Valletta turned to step back, she saw Lagris standing firmly in his original position. His mouth was faintly drawn in an even-tipped smile. But it was only for a moment that the smile was hung on it. When she blinked, there was no smile from Lagris. He then took a step back, as if startled. Valletta blinked twice when she saw his brows contract in a slightly annoyed way. ¡®Did I see it wrong¡­¡­?¡¯ She rubbed her forehead with a frown. She looked around, left to right. They were quite a distance from the entrance to inside the vige and already most of the people were dead or not normal. Most of them were rolling on the floor holding one of the limbs, and of course some of them were dead. Yes, it was indeed dead people. At least until a few minutes ago. The problem was that these dead people were standing up with strange muscles and bones. When a normal person stands up, they use their muscles to raise themselves up, either by pushing the ground or putting pressure on their legs. However, the corpses were different. They stood up, bending their legs and bodies in odd ways to raise themselves from the waist. Valletta swallowed a breath as she hurriedly tried to get a paper and pen out of her satchel. ¡®¡­I can¡¯t use alchemy.¡¯ For no reason, Snorta, who was in her bag, peeked out. ¡°Kaaaa.¡± Valletta blinked as she watched the child tilt its head without warning. The tension in her body rxed a bit. She patted the child on the head and carefully closed her bag. She didn¡¯t want to put it in danger for no reason. She exhaled. ¡°Master, I¡¯m behind you.¡± ¡°Do you use a knife?¡± Valletta asked, looking at the pickaxes and knives scattered nearby, and Reinhardtughed more gaily. Valletta stared nkly at his smile as if she was mesmerized for a moment. ¡°Not at all.¡± It was a grim reply, the exact opposite of the bright smile. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve been working on your muscles, haven¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t feel the need to do this since I had the magic to strengthen my muscles.¡± ¡°Do you feel it a bit now?¡± ¡°Well, it looks like you needed a little.¡± Reinhardt chuckled. Then he snatched her wrist. All four sides were full of living, moving corpses. Gillian was seen pulling a bunch of papers out of his pocket. He tore one of them up. ¡°¡­¡­ You can use it like that, too.¡± Valletta regretted that she didn¡¯t ask Carlon Delphine properly about this kind of thing. Of course, it would have been useless even if she had now. ¡°Rrrrrrr¡­.¡± ¡°Quaaaaaah!¡± Those, who were shaking their bodies with their arms hanging down in front of them as if they couldn¡¯t keep their bnce, rushed to Gillian and Lagris. Reinhardt took the opportunity and grabbed Valletta¡¯s hand. ¡°Let¡¯s hide in a suitable ce until we decide what to do with them.¡± ¡°Run away¡­¡­?¡± ¡°Yes, I can¡¯t do anything right now.¡± Reinhardt replied with a more nonchnt expression than expected. Valletta was a little surprised because she thought he was going to smash everything just because he was angry. Perhaps it showed on her expression, for he asked lowly, ¡°Why?¡± ¡°You¡¯re softer than I thought.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ I¡¯m annoyed, so you think I¡¯d destroy them right away? Or did you think I stayed still because of my pride?¡± ¡°¡­¡­ I don¡¯t think it was thetter, but a little of the former.¡± ¡°The situation is annoying, but I hate it even more when master is in danger. And I¡¯ve dealt with them, so I know, but it¡¯s a little annoying to just kill them.¡± Reinhardt replied with a smile, then turned slightly and strode towards the inn from earlier. Everywhere he stepped, he heard the sound of people who were still alive, being eaten. Grrrrrrrrrrr. Valletta¡¯s eyes shook at the sound of chewing raw flesh and the screaming for help.. She knew it was practically impossible to help them, but the smell of blood and the sound of screams drifting from all directions was unbearable. ¡°Master, do you know where thedder to the roof is? ¡°Oh, back there.¡± Valletta, who came to her senses at Reinhardt¡¯s words, turned around and took the lead. When she went to the back of the inn, thedder she used earlier was still there. *** Chapter chapter 109 ¡°Hey!¡± Someone shouted as Reinhardt grabbed thedder. A rough but subtly familiar voice came from behind. ¡°Valletta! Get up there!¡± ¡°Zenith?¡± It was almost the same time that Reinhardt¡¯s urgent voice and Valletta¡¯s eyes met with the opponent¡¯s. As Valletta climbed up, the sword in Zenith¡¯s hand flew high into the sky. ¡°I¡¯mte.¡± She was about to go up as Reinhardt had said, but she let go of thedder and stepped back. She felt something hard touch her back. ¡°Ugh.¡± She heard a squeal right next to her as the livestock got ughtered. The smell of blood that had been wafting in the distance suddenly thickened. ¡°Ugh¡­¡­..¡± Valletta raised her head in panic at the voiceing from above. A sword was embedded in Reinhardt¡¯s shoulder. ¡°What¡­¡­..¡± ¡°Master, are you okay?¡± Reinhardt smiled and asked with a pale face.That strange voice made Valletta lift her chin. She gritted her teeth and grabbed the sword stuck in Reinhardt¡¯s shoulder with her hands. ¡°Don¡¯t do it.¡± (Reinhardt) ¡°Shut up, is that what you¡¯re saying to me now?¡± (Valletta) Valletta gripped the de of the sword in her hand as hard as she could. As the de dug in, blood flowed down on the de with sharp pain. Reinhardt¡¯s face turned white and crumpled. ¡°Don¡¯t do it, Master.¡± ¡°Who are you tomand me?¡± Her violet eyes were different in the darkness. Reinhardt held his breath for a moment, but then quickly frowned. Valletta grabbed the sword de and began to carefully remove it. As she grabbed the sword de, Valletta was unconcerned, but the look on Reinhardt¡¯s face became even more crinkled as he watched her. ¡°It hurts, Master¡­¡­¡± ¡°Hang in there. I could¡¯ve avoided it on my own. Why did you interrupt?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. My body just moved.¡± Reinhardt¡¯s calm words made Valletta speechless. Sometimes when she heard such candid words, she was speechless without realizing it. Her lips quivered for a while as she looked at Zenith, who was making a strange sound without rushing in right away. ¡°Why does a corpse use a sword?¡± (Valletta) ¡°Haha ¡­¡­ it must be the boss of the walking corpses.¡± (Reinhardt) ¡®Say it like you¡¯re a genius.¡¯ Valletta red at him. ¡°Can you move instead of talking nonsense?¡± The sword wasn¡¯t pulled outpletely, and his robe was soaked with blood. Valletta couldn¡¯t do it, because in front of thedder stood the empty-eyed Zenith with tears of blood streaming down her face. ¡°Let¡¯s go that way for now.¡± ¡°Master, look at this.¡± Reinhardt rubbed the dirt floor with his feet a few times, his chin tilted. There was a magic circle on the floor. It was a unique magic circle that he had never seen before. ¡°This is¡­.¡± A magic circle was basicallyposed of lines, dots, and an ancientnguage. The basic principle of magic was to pour magic power into thepleted formation. On the contrary, an alchemy formation consisted of a circle and various basic alchemical forms, with the object to be alchemized ced in the center of the circle and magic power poured into it. The basic difference between alchemy and magic was whether or not there was a price. Alchemy was basically based on the principle of giving something and getting something back that was worth that much, but magic was not. Creating something out of nothing was magic. ¡°¡­¡­ What is this? Is it magic or alchemy?¡± Valletta said as she knelt down on the floor, examining it closely. She carefully moved the dirt away with her fingers. Her expression was not good. Reinhardt, who was bent over next to her, also shrugged. ¡°Well, it¡¯s my first time seeing it.¡± ¡°It looks like abination of an alchemy form and a magic circle.¡± Reinhardt¡¯s head tilted. His crooked smile grew even deeper. ¡°If we call this alchemy, is the price the bodies of the people of this vige?¡± ¡°¡­..you¡¯re right. When ites to magic, it¡¯s a simple killing spell.¡± Valletta said with her eyes wide opened. In fact, it made sense to call it magic or alchemy. She knelt still and looked around the mysterious magic circle. Zenith, who hadn¡¯t moved a muscle earlier, started sniffing and swinging the sword recklessly with missing eyes. ¡°Get out of the way, Master.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ yes.¡± Valletta raised herself up to follow Reinhardt¡¯s tug on her shoulder. ¡°Can you run?¡± (Reinhardt) ¡°Me? I can¡¯t run for very long. I realized the limitations of my physical strength.¡± (Valletta) Reinhardt¡¯s forehead wrinkled. Smiling, he lightly stepped back and held Valletta¡¯s hand. ¡°Master has always been very weak.¡± ¡°Did I have time to exercise when I was locked up? Even if I had, he wouldn¡¯t have let me do it. That man liked it when I didn¡¯t rebel.¡± The corners of Reinhardt¡¯s eyes flickered. Seeing Zenithing more and more forward, swinging her sword, Reinhardt let out a light breath. With that faint gasp, Zenith¡¯s body snapped to a halt. Her sword was thrust precisely at Reinhardt and Valletta. Valletta and Reinhardt¡¯s bodies also froze. ¡°¡­. Hey, this is your fault.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Master.¡± ¡°Turn it off, whoa, whoa, whoa¡­..!¡± Zenith stumbled all over and rushed in with her sword. Valletta and Reinhardt dodged as they were. At that moment, boom! A lightning bolt struck. The two were about to kick the ground, but their feet stopped. They turned around, and Zenith, who was struck by lightning, was on the floor, asionally wriggling. What was certain was that she wasn¡¯t dead. It smelled like burning meat and it made Valletta feel nauseous. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°¡­Quilt?¡± ¡°Did both of you get hurt?¡± Valletta¡¯s eyes fluttered in surprise at the sight of Quilt and Ceylon appearing, asking for their safety. Instead of answering, she turned her head to look at Reinhardt and saw that his pupils were slightly dted. Perhaps it was not what he expected either. ¡°Let¡¯s go back to the tower for now.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I said I could do it on my own..¡­.¡± ¡°Stop being so stubborn!¡± Quilt shouted as he clenched his fist. Reinhardt¡¯s eyes narrowed. A faint smile indicated his displeasure. Valletta squeezed his hand that was holding hers a little more tightly. ¡°You are our master. The owner of the tower. We are your tools. Please consider using it.¡± (Quilt) ¡°I thought I told you I don¡¯t need the tower. Do whatever you want.¡± (Reinhardt) ¡°We¡¯ll help you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need you guys.¡± Reinhardt hung his bleeding arm and wrapped his other arm around Valletta¡¯s waist. ¡°Just my master and I will be enough.¡± ¡°¡­.. Didn¡¯t you get caught in the magic circle?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll figure it out on my own.¡± Reinhardt replied indifferently and turned his head away. He narrowed his eyebrows as he sensed that the wriggling Zenith was trying to get up. ¡°Master, this way¡­..¡± Valletta sighed and gave Reinhardt a light flick on the forehead. Reinhardt¡¯s eyes widened. He dropped his gaze and stared at her, perplexed. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Why are you being so hostile? They say they¡¯re here to help.¡± Valletta stopped walking. Her words startled Reinhardt, as well as Quilt and Ceylon, who opened their eyes wide. The most shocking person seemed to be Reinhardt himself. His red iris expanded to the fullest. He crumpled his forehead as if it were unpleasant. ¡°We don¡¯t need them, they¡¯re useless anyway. We can do this on our own.¡± (Reinhardt) ¡°How do you know if they are useful or not, if we can do it or not?¡± (Valletta) Now was not the time to argue about cold water or hot water in this situation. He couldn¡¯t move his limbs, and the metal scratching sound was getting closer. She didn¡¯t like getting help from anyone either, but this was not a situation to be stubborn about. It was obvious that the lightning from earlier had caught Lesir¡¯s attention. ¡°I know because it¡¯s happened before. Why are you suddenly taking their side?¡± (Reinhardt) ¡°I¡¯m not taking their side. What if we fail to get out?¡± (Valletta) Reinhardt shrugged at Valletta¡¯s counter-question. He still looked rxed and still didn¡¯t seem serious. Even more so, at least by looking at his smiling face. ¡°I said I would be responsible for your end. I¡¯ll kill you painlessly, so you can die and I can die together.¡± (Reinhardt) He made the brutal sound as if it were nothing. The scariest part of this was that he was actually going to do it when the time came. Valletta still didn¡¯t know how to fix his crooked mindset of dying together because he would rather kill herfortably than suffer and die. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you up front, the reason I¡¯m going through all this trouble is for my peaceful life, not for my peaceful death.¡± Valletta drew a firm line. If it had been about ¡®dying¡¯, she would have already chosen death long ago instead of enduring such a cruel life. She decided not to die, and that was why she was still alive. As if Valletta¡¯s words had touched somewhere, Reinhardt¡¯s face turned grim. Tightening his grip, he stepped closer to her. How much blood did he shed, even his lips turned blue. The floor was filled with blood. ¡°So, master, are you asking for help from them?¡± Reinhardt¡¯s breathing was rough and hot as he tilted his head at an angle and spoke sarcastically. He wasn¡¯t in a good condition. Valletta frowned. ¡°Reinhardt.¡± At her low call, Reinhardt¡¯s fierce eyes bent slightly. He reflexively made eye contact with Valletta. ¡°I was the only one who believed you in that bloody mansion.¡± ¡°¡­¡­ You say you were different.¡± Valletta sighed briefly at the speech mixed with bitterughter as he was so close. She understood that he didn¡¯t want any help, but she couldn¡¯t watch Zenith wriggling from behind anymore. ¡°I once heard your voice in the dark as a salvation.¡± (Valletta) Reinhardt¡¯s mouth slightly opened at Valletta¡¯s rare disy of sincerity. She lowered her gaze slightly and immediately faced his red eyes. The violet eyes were reflected in the bright red ones. ¡°But, Reinhardt, our world will not always be ours alone.¡± She said, averting her gaze. That day, Reinhardt broke the birdcage. It was a small, stuffy cage that had confined them. A prison-like ce where she seemed to be unable to escape forever. They were alone, the two of them, and he broke it down himself. The suffocating mansion and small world copsed, and an endlessly wide world opened up before them. She could now stand under the bright blue sky and walk and stop as much as she wanted. ¡°¡­¡­ Why can¡¯t we?¡± Reinhardt asked gloomily. The sluggish, crooked look in his eyes already had a lot of power in it. The raised corners of his eyes reflected his sharp feelings. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re abandoning me. Valletta, you are mine. If you¡¯re ever going to die, it will only be at my hands.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the one who is about to die, what are you talking about?¡± Valletta put her hand on her forehead. She couldn¡¯t understand what the hell he was so worried about when he had the ability to find her and grab her by the neck wherever she went. She didn¡¯t understand him before, but she understood him even less now. ¡®Does he usually express his feelings this way?¡¯ *** Chapter chapter 110 Reinhardt himself didn¡¯t want to admit it. Valletta nced at him as he acted like a child. ¡°¡­¡­I don¡¯t want to, Master. What¡¯s wrong with you all of a sudden?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a birdcage you¡¯ve broken yourself. Let¡¯s face it. We can¡¯t survive on what we originally had now.¡± ¡°It¡¯s only a special situation.¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t know, you should find a book and learn how to act your age. This is not something we can do on our own.¡± Reinhardt went silent at Valletta¡¯s words, which were strangely feisty. Boom! A sh of lightning ran through the air again. The lightning magic seemed to belong to Ceylon. Lesir began to surge from the perimeter again. ¡°So? What do you want, master?¡± ¡°My feet hurt, I have no energy, and I¡¯m tired. I want to sleep.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go home now.¡± Reinhardt¡¯s eyes opened wide. He immediately put more pressure on his folded hands. Valletta lowered her gaze. ¡®Oh, you¡¯re still holding it.¡¯ If it¡¯s like him to be stubborn and not let go, then it¡¯s his job. Reinhardt kept his mouth shut and nced at Quilt. The magic stone on the tip of Quilt¡¯s magic wand was shing. It was evidence that he was ready to use it, only waiting for an order. ¡°Master, is that home?¡± Valletta paused for a moment, finally realizing what she had said in response to his question. Reinhardt quickly opened his mouth again. ¡°How about as long as I don¡¯t move out. You and I will be in my room.¡± Valletta, her brows furrowed, replied bluntly. ¡°Yes.¡± A thin breath exhaled from between Reinhardt¡¯s lips as Valletta replied quietly, and he shrugged. Reinhardt kept his gaze locked with Valletta¡¯s, only his lips moving. ¡°Quilt, move, tower¡­..¡± At that moment, Reinhardt wobbled heavily. ¡°Oh my, ¡­¡­.¡± With a low voice that sounded troubled, he copsed on Valletta like a slow screen. His forehead was hot as he copsed with his face against her neck. ¡°Hey¡­¡± Valletta hurriedly grabbed Reinhardt¡¯s hand. Reinhardt¡¯s fingers were cold. Valletta opened her eyes wide, as if she had finally noticed something strange. Reinhardt had always had a higher body temperature than her. Now, however, he was colder than her, who had always had a low body temperature. Reinhardt¡¯s face turned strange when he saw Valletta¡¯s nk face. ¡°Master¡­..did you think you could use the replication technique as well?¡± Reinhardt¡¯s voice,ced withughter, became increasingly slurred. Valletta hurriedly extended her arm toward Reinhardt, who was slowly passing out. ¡°Oh¡­¡­.¡± Reinhardt¡¯s voice was getting fainter and fainter. Valletta held him tightly around the waist. He was still one head taller than her, and there was no way Valletta¡¯s weak arms could hold him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Master.¡± With a low voice, Reinhardt closed his eyes. Valletta¡¯s pupils dted and shook violently, unable to get anyrger. Her face hardened as she watched Reinhardt lose consciousness and slipped from her grasp. She hurriedly sat down and put her hand on his forehead. His forehead was hot. ¡°Lord!¡± Valletta, who had sat down on the ground with him so he wouldn¡¯t fall, lowered her forehead. Her eyes sank coldly as she watched him bleeding with a nk face. ¡®You never get tired of it, do you?¡¯ ¡®Everyone has greed. I¡¯ve been here long enough to experience it, so how could I not know? It didn¡¯t matter where in the world we fought or who did something dirty, as long as it wasn¡¯t my business. I thought it would be. That¡¯s how it has always been. But what the hell¡­¡­.¡¯ ¡®Why do you touch us when we¡¯re sitting still?¡¯ If it was a sin to be born with the ability, it was up to them to use it to the best of their ability. And the reason why Reinhardt was like this was because he was holding back. ¡°Miss Valletta, it would be better to go back to the Magic Tower for now.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t use healing magic, so it won¡¯t help.¡± She spoke in a low voice as she watched Quilt and Ceylon approach and take Reinhardt¡¯s body. ¡°Jin.¡± Jin, who had been hiding in Valletta¡¯s robe, appeared. ¡°Kill all living and moving corpses.¡± At the cold voice, Quilt and Ceylon¡¯s eyes opened wide. Her voice, always so heartless, could not be this cold. Jin pointed at Zenith, who kept getting up without dying even after being struck twice by lightning. Valletta stood up, answered indifferently. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°What are you worried about? You¡¯re the wind. You can tear the whole body apart.¡± The reply was in a voice as light as the wind. Jin looked very satisfied and pped his wings wide as he grew his fist-sized body to its original size. ¡°Miss Valletta¡­.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Valletta answered Ceylon¡¯s call with the same voice as always. Her violet eyes were not as quiet as usual. Ceylon was silent for a moment, then shook his head. Valletta lightly dug the wound on her hand that was created by the removal of Reinhardt¡¯s de. Red fresh blood came out of the wound again, which had stopped to some extent, and it cracked open. The fact that she was doing all of this with no expression made her look like someone else. ¡°Is this enough blood?¡± Valletta clenched her fist and held it out, and the gently approaching wind drained enough blood from her palm enough to make a fist-sized ball. Jin opened his mouth wide and put it in his mouth, then quickly flew up into the air. ¡°Try to keep a low profile.¡± Jin nced at Valletta then took off straight up into the sky. Jin disappeared at an invisible speed and soon disappeared into the dark clouds. ¡°You can leave when you¡¯re done, Jin.¡± Jin¡¯s voice echoed in Valletta¡¯s head, even though she couldn¡¯t see him. ¡°I¡¯ll call you again next time.¡± And yet Jin didn¡¯t add a word. Boom! There was a distant rumble of thunder. Valletta nced at Reinhardt, who was held in Quilt¡¯s arms, and approached them. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the tower.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± As soon as Ceylon took his magic wand and chanted a spell, a magic circle was formed on the side where he stepped in. Seeing that Lagris and Gillian were noting this way, it seemed that they must have been stranded or had some unexpected ident. Whoosh~ A dashing wind blew across her spine. Valletta¡¯s lips were drawn with a slight even tip as she quickly realized what measures Jin had taken. The sky had turned ck, and from a distance a small tornado growing in size. The closer it got to the vige, the more massive the tornado became, gradually increasing in size as it swallowed everything in its vicinity. ¡°That¡¯s¡­..¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Quilt and Ceylon¡¯s eyes opened wide. Creak! The wind blew, and the old door, which could not be closed while running away, began to shake. The sound of scratching ears was loud, as if the oil had not been applied properly. Crunch, crunch, crunch. The roof of the hut was blown off, and the trees quickly tumbled into the waste garbage less than the scraps of paper. When it began to swallow the entrance to the vige, Valletta took a step toward Ceylon and Quilt. ¡°You¡¯re not going?¡± ¡°Oh, no, I¡¯m going.¡± Ceylon nced at Valletta¡¯s face. Despite the huge typhoon looming in front of them, there was not the slightest change in her expression, despite its intimidation. ¡°Move.¡± Using the magic power stored in his magic wand, Ceylon spat out the starting words, and in a sh, their view changed. In the blink of an eye, they were just below the sky ind. The chilly windpletely disappeared. Ceylon used his magic once more. When they reached the sky ind, Valletta rxed her tense body and looked at Reinhardt. Reinhardt was still breathing heavily. Of course, the blood hadn¡¯t stopped yet. The body temperature of his fingers felt even colder than before. Valletta¡¯s expression hardened at this fact. ¡°Caspellius!¡± Valletta, who had been staring at Reinhardt for a while, unusually raised her voice. At the same time, Caspellius appeared in front of her. It wasn¡¯t only Caspellius who appeared. The wizards showed their faces as well, as if they had heard a fuss. ¡°Sokor?¡± ¡°Why is Lord of the Magic Tower lying down? ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that Sokor?¡± Valletta¡¯s face turned grim at the sound of rustling behind her. She red at them and approached Caspellius. ¡°Move him into the room for a moment. And you can solve this too, right?¡± She said, tugging on Caspellius¡¯ wrist. Caspellius opened his eyes slightly wide at the touch of hering to him without hesitation. He cautiously brought his face close to Valletta¡¯s neck and looked at the choker on her neck. ¡°If there is a seal, I must check it. However, if it is alchemy, I won¡¯t be of much help.¡± The voice was still the same, with a hint of iron in it. Valletta kept one hand on Reinhardt¡¯s hand and on Caspellius¡¯ scarred hand with the other. Caspellius¡¯ shoulders shook when the person he had expected to lift a finger a little, instead held his hand firmly. He looked at Valletta with another strange look and immediately hit the floor with the magic wand he always carried. The field of vision flipped again along with the magic circle. ¡°Put him here.¡± ¡°¡­¡­ on the floor?¡± ¡°In case you¡¯re wondering, right now, the floor is fine.¡± Even though Quilt looked ufortable, he meekly lowered himself andid Reinhardt down on the floor. At the same time, Valletta climbed on top of Reinhardt. ¡°Va, Valletta?¡± Ceylon called her with a panicked expression. Without any hesitation, she opened her legs and sat down along Reinhardt¡¯s thighs and began to peel off Reinhardt¡¯s robe. ¡°Lady Valletta, we will do it¡­.¡± ¡°No. Is there any wizard among you who can use recovery magic? Or potions. Anything that can stop the blood?¡± Even as she continued to shoot questions like a rapid-fire cannon, she didn¡¯t stop her hands from undressing Reinhardt. As if she remembered something, she opened her bag and took out the sleeping Snorta from inside and carefully set it down. Then she searched through the bag and pulled out a small dagger that was well wrapped in the case. Chapter 111 Chapter 111 Valletta ripped Reinhardt¡¯s remaining clothes with her dagger. She was so bold that the people frowned as they watched. Suddenly she stopped moving. ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear my voice? I¡¯m asking if there¡¯s anything you can do to help now?¡± Valletta¡¯s gaze was cold as she stopped moving and turned her head away. Everyone held their breath at the sharp emotion in her eyes, which had always been sluggish and unraveling mindlessly. The atmosphere was just as dangerous as when she ordered the wind spirits earlier. ¡®¡­¡­ Is this really the same person?¡¯ Now, her appearance was like looking at Reinhardt, whoughed and broke someone¡¯s head. Ceylon, who had been standing there in a daze, opened his mouth. ¡°There are few potions I¡¯ve produced. However, they¡¯re not as good as the alchemist¡¯s potion.¡± ¡°As long as it stops the bleeding, it¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll be back.¡± After hearing the answer she wanted, Valletta¡¯s gaze fell from them. She took off Reinhardt¡¯s jacket. It revealed pure white skin that was covered in blood. The torn wounds were full and swollen and hot. Blood was still trickling out. She was amazed that he hadsted in this state. ¡°Crazy b*tard.¡± She spat out harshnguage. She was annoyed that Reinhardt persisted in standing there and having a war of words with her. She knew he was a little crazy to begin with, but this was too much. ¡°I think it¡¯d be better to take him to bed.¡± ¡°Are you going to stain the bed with blood? Let¡¯s treat him first then move him.¡± Valletta said as she tore at Reinhardt¡¯s robe. ¡°Why are you tearing it?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to use it as a bandage.¡± Quilt¡¯s expression changed at her calm voice. ¡°If you need anything ¡­.. just tell me and I¡¯ll bring it to you.¡± ¡°Oh, yes. That¡¯s right.¡± Valletta murmured quietly, as if she remembered now. ¡°Then please.¡± At the additional words, Quilt disappeared for a while, then appeared with the bandage and medical tools. Along with him, Caspellius brought some cloths and hot water. ¡°Usually people try to ask for help from those around them when they are in trouble, but both my lord and Lady Valletta always take care of things on their own, don¡¯t they?¡± Hearing Quilt¡¯s words, Valletta sighed as she wiped away Reinhardt¡¯s blood with water. She didn¡¯t know why she had to care for this man. But it was true that her heart skipped a beat for a moment. ¡°It¡¯s a habit. It¡¯s a very long habit and it doesn¡¯t go away easily. I know it¡¯s frustrating, but still, don¡¯t think too much.¡± She said as she wiped away the blood. As the blood disappeared, the wound which had turned bright blue was revealed. Caspellius stood upright from behind as if he was a stone statue. ¡°¡­¡­I think these wounds are quite old.¡± Valletta swept through Reinhardt¡¯s body when Quilt looked down at Reinhardt, who breathed heavily. Most of the wounds were healed, but there were quite a few ces where traces were left. ¡°He has been through a lot in the mansion since long ago¡­.¡± Valletta¡¯s eyebrows furrowed as she said it. ¡°I tried to use the potion to heal the big wounds but sometimes his body turned blue.¡± ¡°Did he endure it?¡± ¡°He tried to hold it in.¡± On the day that Valletta was mistakenly locked in, Reinhardt had a simrly bad experience. Reinhardt was Valletta¡¯s ve and servant. If she got into trouble, he was punished as well. Sometimes it went too far. It was mostly the servants who punished the ve, but Reinhardt had many enemies. The attendants and male workers were more hostile towards him than the maids. ¡°I brought the potion, Miss Valletta. It¡¯s the best one the manager of the control room just made. ¡­¡­.¡± Valletta epted the purple potion from Ceylon¡¯s hand. It was the first time she had seen a wizard¡¯s potion instead of an alchemist¡¯s. She lifted the potion bottle into the air and examined it. ¡®It¡¯s a mess.¡¯ Valletta clicked her tongue inwardly. It looked like it was at best a low to mid grade potion. The color was also different from the basic recovery potion. She opened the lid, sniffed it through her nose, then poured it onto Reinhardt¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t you usually feed half of it?¡± ¡°The quality is low so pouring it all in will only stop the bleeding.¡± ¡°That¡¯s definitely truepared to the alchemist¡¯s potion.¡± Ceylon awkwardly responded to her cold words and closed his mouth. It was fortunate that the bleeding stopped. Valletta stood up and looked at Caspellius. ¡°Can¡¯t you solve this?¡± (*she was talking about the choker on her neck) ¡°I don¡¯t know much about alchemy.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if it¡¯s a little rough. Reinhardt got rid of it before.¡± ¡°The amount of magic, knowledge, and talent the lord possesses knows no end. It¡¯s not something we can do.¡± Valletta clicked her tongue low at Caspellius¡¯ decisive words. It was true that alchemy was not the same as magic. When he refused, Valletta pondered briefly. ¡®If it¡¯s the same as the seal that Elise showed me.. .¡¯ ¡®It¡¯s like the sealing formation Elyse-san showed us¡­¡¯ ¡­.¡¯ With a little brainstorming, it didn¡¯t seem too difficult to create a form to unlock it. But there might be a faster way, but the world was heartless. Valletta sighed and got up from her seat. ¡°The blood has stopped, so please take him to the bed.¡± Snorta poked its head out of her bag and crawled out. Then it came to Valletta¡¯s feet. ¡°Waaa!¡± At the cry, Valletta dropped her gaze and smiled thinly. She lightly ruffled Snorta¡¯s hair. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I always forget.¡± If it weren¡¯t for this situation, she¡¯d really like to rest. ¡°Miss Valletta, I apologize for the situation, but I have a few more questions to ask you about earlier¡­.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s take this off first.¡± After cutting off Ceylon¡¯s words, Valletta took out paper and pen from her bag and sat directly on the floor and started drawing something on the paper. She slowly drew an alchemical seal that she remembered, tracing her memory little by little. ¡°Was it like this?¡± ¡®If I had known this would happen, I should have watched it properly then.¡¯Valletta searched her mind intently. ¡°Ugh¡­.¡± A few times a groan escaped her lips, but the pen kept going. None of them could take their eyes off of Valletta¡¯s movements. Then, after quite a while, she blinked at the form, which had been restored to some extent. ¡°Ha¡­¡± With a low exmation, she soon took out another paper and wrote something down. Unlike earlier, Valletta moved her pen quickly, and in less than an hour, she had created a release formation while sitting on the floor. Not only Quilt and Ceylon, but even Caspellius, who had little change in expression, had to hold his tongue at the situation. Valletta repeatedly trimmed and erased some ces with her pen, and soon put the paper with the formation in front of the three people watching from behind. ¡°Can you engrave this on the choker?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s not hard.¡± Ceylon waved his magic wand and chanted something. Then the formation she had drawn came out of the paper and attached itself perfectly to Valletta¡¯s choker. Her lips flinched as she felt the formation moving. ¡®Is that a sticker ¡­¡­?¡¯ It would be very convenient to have such a technology. After her formation moved, she bent down and picked up the dagger that was lying on the floor and gently scratched her fingertips. She had a bit more trouble gouging out the wound she had made earlier again. ¡®Zenith activated the alchemy with just blood.¡¯ This meant that the alchemist¡¯s blood also contained a certain amount of magic power. Alchemy always required a price and the alchemist¡¯s magic power. ¡®That is if the prediction is correct. ¡­.¡¯ Valletta, who had been watching with a numb stare at the blood reappearing from her fingertip, pressed her finger hard in the middle of the seal of the choker to bury the blood. Click. The blood seemed to permeate the seal, and soon she heard the locking device loosening.The sweaty, suffocating leather choker fell off and she finally felt a little cooler. She lightly rubbed her neck. Valletta narrowed her forehead with a hot gaze that seemed to pierce her face. She turned her head to where the three people were standing. ¡°Why is that?¡± ¡°¡­.. It¡¯s nothing.¡± ¡°Excuse me, where did you make this potion? I see you have some kind of herb. I¡¯ll make it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the 82nd floor, where we grow and study herbs and nts, and do general potion production and management.¡± ¡°¡­¡­The 82nd floor?¡± Somehow that was a very familiar number. Valletta opened her eyes wider and burst into a lowughter. She remembered walking down the stairs when she first came to the Magic Tower. She remembered the wind blowing softly and the small garden inside the magic tower. ¡°Isn¡¯t there a kid this big there? A little boy with light green hair and eyes of the same color.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­.¡± Ceylon¡¯s voice became strange. ¡°He¡¯s not someone you can call it like that¡­.it¡¯s the manager who looks like that¡­.¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯ll go to the 82nd floor then. Caspellius.¡± She held out her hand naturally. Caspellius flinched and held Valletta¡¯s hand carefully. As if he had been waiting for her, their vision flipped. ¡®Ah, it feels different.¡¯ It felt like quite some time had passed since she arrived. She had been out and about a lot, but it shouldn¡¯t have been that long as far as the day was concerned. She stepped out and the tightly closed door opened. The 82nd floor was still a field. The air was crisp and fresh, and all sides were filled with the smell of grass and herbs. She stepped inside, looking around at the lush interior. ¡°What is it? Do you need more potions?¡± ¡°Oh, little one. Long time no see.¡± ¡°Oh, isn¡¯t that the unlucky Sokor?¡± ¡°Did you think so?¡± Vallettaughed at the fierce hostility as if she was familiar with it. The boy¡¯s green eyes narrowed. The appearance was young, so it didn¡¯t seem too hostile. Valletta looked at the still blue sky and white clouds and smiled. When the boy saw her, he snickered lowly and turned his head away. ¡°Mr. Wirence.¡± Caspellius called out the boy¡¯s name as he stepped forward as if to stop Wirence. The boy¡¯s green eyes came up to his waist. ¡°Wirence?¡± The name and appearance did not match at all. You¡¯d think he would be quite old just by hearing his name. ¡°This is the famous Sokor of the lord.¡± When Caspellius stopped him, Wirence recited a low chant. ¡°The lord¡¯s Sokor?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you know? No, you didn¡¯t know?¡± You didn¡¯t know¡­..? Valletta¡¯s eyes widened at once. She just heard a tone that didn¡¯t suit the boy at all. Valletta narrowed her eyes and Wirence coughed and raised his head brazenly. ¡°So, the lord¡¯s Sokor, what¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Oh, there is something I need.¡± ¡°What do you need?¡± ¡°Well, do you have a remedy sentinel, a floss sentinel, Rigor root and Dandelion flowers? If possible, I need the buds.¡± ¡°You¡¯re Sokor, you¡¯re going to make a healing potion. And it¡¯s a stupid one, with poisonous herbs mixed in.¡± With a tone of disregard, Valletta smiled gingerly and went further inside. ¡°What I¡¯m trying to make is a potion, because I¡¯m an alchemist.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t just walk in! And since when was the lord¡¯s Sokor an alchemist? I¡¯ve never heard of it.¡± ¡°Since ¡­¡­ you were born? And I¡¯m Valletta. I¡¯m not that guy¡¯s Sokor.¡± Valletta slowly followed the field with her eyes as she paced. There was a greater variety of grasses growing there than she had expected. It seemed as if they had nted seeds and then let them grow wild. No insects, warm sunshine, water, and lots of nutrients, though, so there would be no reason for them not to grow. ¡°Oh, here it is. I¡¯m going to use this. Little one.¡± ¡°Oh, I already gave you a potion.¡± Vallettaughed lowly. Unfortunately, it was not enough to heal Reinhardt¡¯s wounds. It was the first time she had seen a magic potion. It was strange, but it was not unique or surprising. ¡°Thanks to it, the bleeding has already stopped.¡± Wirence¡¯s eyes hardened. Valletta didn¡¯t say thest words, but he understood her hidden words. ¡°So you¡¯re saying my potion didn¡¯t help?¡± The way he spoke changed drastically. His mood became harsher. There was a hint of pride and frustration in his steely eyes. Looking into those green eyes, Valletta said, ¡°hmmm¡± ¡°I¡¯m not good at this¡­¡­¡± The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!