Tyrian looked at Deus in disbelief.

He had shattered the office door of the detached palace and strode in without hesitation, looking like a madman to anyone who saw him.

Tyrian tried to speak immediately but—

“!?”

He soon realized that it was pointless.

The knights, who should have always been on standby for him, were lying collapsed in front of the broken door.

Aghast, Tyrian looked at Deus Macallian with an expression that conveyed his confusion.

“What in the world are you doing?”

“I merely came to ask something.”

“Ask what?”

“I heard you are framing Count Palatio. Is that true?”

Deus asked with a cold, piercing gaze, and Tyrian momentarily fell silent.

‘What a murderous aura…! No matter how unruly he may be, he’s still a knight. But this aura from Deus wasn’t something he was deliberately exuding—it was simply a natural part of him,’ Tyrian realized, his face reflecting both surprise and a slight frown.

“So, what is it?”

“I would like you to retract your decision.”

At Deus’ words, Tyrian stared into his eyes.

“Hah—”

He let out a hollow laugh.

“Why should I do that?”

“…”

Deus continued to gaze at Tyrian intently.

The subtle pressure of his killing intent weighed on Tyrian, who soon grasped the situation and twisted his lips in disdain, as if thinking, ‘What nonsense is this?’

“Are you threatening me right now?”

“I mean it literally. I have no intention of inciting a rebellion or making threats. I merely—”

“Merely what?”

“—wanted to inform you that the successor might die due to the architectural issues of this detached palace.”

The words, ‘That’s a threat, you bastard,’ rose to Tyrian’s throat, but he couldn’t bring himself to say them.

Deus’s eyes clearly belonged to someone speaking the truth.

‘This guy is serious…!’

As cold sweat trickled down his back, Deus spoke again.

“So, can you reconsider your decision?”

“And if I don’t?”

Thinking Deus wouldn’t dare do anything so absurd, Tyrian spoke, but upon hearing his response, Deus simply murmured, “Is that so,” as if regretting something.

He then casually swung his hand.

Crack!

“!?!”

A purple line extended across the entire detached palace.

Soon, as the intertwined lines spread like a spider’s web throughout the palace—

Creeeeak~!!

An ominous sound that should never be heard in such a grand palace began to echo.

“The crack on the 8th pillar, which has been there for 18 years, suddenly gave way under the impact and collapsed.”

“!?”

A voice, as if reading from a textbook, rang out.

Deus, looking at Tyrian with a deeply regretful expression, prepared to clench his fist as if signaling that negotiations were over.

“Wa-wait a moment—!!!”

“What’s wrong?”

“I retract it, I will retract it!”

At Tyrian’s urgent shout, the once-trembling royal palace suddenly fell silent, as if nothing had happened.

“…It seems there’s not much of an issue after all.”

Hearing these words, Tyrian, who had an expression that seemed to say, ‘What kind of madman is this?’, let out a heavy sigh.

‘If I can just survive this situation somehow…!’ he thought secretly to himself.

However, Deus, reverting to his usual indifferent expression, spoke up.

“Then, we’ll need to align our stories.”

“What?”

“The reason I had to enter the palace so violently is because the heir harassed my younger sister.”

Tyrian’s jaw dropped at those words, as if he couldn’t believe it.

“Fine, let’s go with that,” he eventually agreed with a nod.

After all, he had no intention of giving in to Deus’s demands from the start.

‘Once I get through this, I’ll find a way to deal with him…,’ he thought to himself, already plotting to use the situation to his advantage and bring Deus down once he left.

A sly smile crept onto his face, but Deus continued.

“Oh, and just to clarify, if you’re thinking of any other ideas, you might want to reconsider.”

Unfortunately, Tyrian’s vicious plan was cut short by Deus’s next words.

“Unless, of course, you want the rumor about the heir’s deep involvement with foreign underworld organizations to spread.”

“…How do you know…!?”

It was a devastating blow.

For Tyrian, who still coveted the throne, it was a story that could never reach the royal palace, let alone the king’s ears.

And with that, Deus concluded,

“I trust you’ll make the right choice.”

Having said everything he intended to say, Deus turned and left the palace.

Tyrian, left alone, stared blankly at the exit.

“Arrrgh!!!”

In a fit of rage, he grabbed his office chair and smashed it against the wall.

About a day later, a rumor spread throughout the royal palace—

The scoundrel prince had harassed Deus Macallian’s younger sister.

***

Meanwhile, in Caliban,

Alon managed to meet Rine in Merd without the difficulties of his previous visit and was finally able to get the insignia appraised, which had been his original goal.

“Here it is, godfather.”

“Thank you.”

“I should be the one thanking you, godfather.”

“Seeing you happy makes me happy as well.”

Receiving the insignia from Rine, Alon noticed her lightly fiddling with a fountain pen, her lips curling into a slight smile, and he nodded in satisfaction.

‘I should have brought it sooner if I knew she’d be this pleased.’

Seeing Rine’s subtle smile, Alon thought to himself.

‘Is it just me, or is her expression a bit more lively than before?’

Perhaps it was due to her unusually good mood, but the emotions on her face were more apparent than they had been during his last visit.

The thought was fleeting, though, as Alon recalled something he had heard earlier.

However, he soon shrugged it off.

‘There’s no way Rine would do such a thing.’

At least, from his perspective, Rine didn’t seem like someone who would kill over mere insults.

‘That’s not possible, right?’

Suddenly, Alon thought of the son of the Lord of Lartania.

Some time passed, and Alon stood up.

“Then, let’s wrap things up a bit earlier today.”

“You’re leaving already, godfather?”

“Yes, I have some business that requires me to move quickly.”

Confirming that the sun was still high in the sky, Alon decided to part ways with Rine earlier than usual.

With the insignia appraisal complete, he had no more reason to stay in Lartania.

As he prepared to leave, Alon suddenly uttered, “Ah.”

“What’s wrong, godfather?”

“Is it possible to get an artifact like this?”

After he explained what he needed, Rine pondered for a moment and then nodded.

“Yes, I should be able to get that type of artifact right away… Shall I get it for you?”

“Please do.”

She moved quickly and returned shortly with a box containing the artifact he had requested.

“Here it is, godfather.”

“Thank you. How much do I owe you?”

“No need to pay. It wasn’t that expensive to begin with. Please consider it a gift.”

Hearing her words, Alon paused briefly before nodding in understanding.

“Then I’ll gratefully accept it.”

“Yes, godfather. If you ever need anything else, please let me know anytime.”

“Thank you for your consideration.”

With that final exchange, Alon wrapped up his brief stay in Lartania and set off once again.

And.

Watching Alon’s carriage gradually disappear into the distance, Rine turned to look at the lord’s castle of Lartania beyond.

“Not much time left.”

She muttered quietly.

***

It was the fifth day since leaving Lartania.

With only about a day’s travel left to reach the port city of Raksas…

“…The sea.”

“It’s the sea…”

The sea came into view outside the window.

As the ocean gradually appeared beyond the forest, Alon gazed blankly at the scenery.

“Stop!”

A man suddenly stepped in front of the carriage.

Wearing a pointed hat, the symbol of a wizard, a blue-haired boy with an exceedingly arrogant expression spoke to Evan.

“You there, hand over some food.”

“?”

Evan was baffled by the boy who had abruptly appeared in the middle of the forest and started speaking informally.

Perhaps the boy found Evan’s confused expression displeasing.

“Can’t you hear me?”

The boy furrowed his brows and raised his voice even more.

Hearing the commotion outside, Alon stuck his head out of the window to see the boy blocking the carriage.

“Oh, are you the master here? I was having trouble communicating with the servant, but this is perfect. Can you spare some food?”

The boy made his request for food as if it were the most natural thing in the world, his face brightening.

Alon was briefly taken aback by the audacity, but soon asked,

“…Who are you?”

With an exaggerated “Hmm!”, the boy made a smug expression and declared,

“I am Felin, a third-rank wizard affiliated with the Tower of the Blue Wizard!”

He introduced himself in a highly dramatic tone.

Alon’s jaw dropped at Felin’s self-satisfied attitude, which only made Felin act even bolder.

“You probably know that receiving a favor from a wizard is a rare opportunity. And now, that precious opportunity has come to you.”

“…Is that so?”

“Indeed! Though it may be immodest to say, I am undeniably a genius, even if not on the same level as my elder sister.”

‘So you should buy my favor with food!’—Felin declared boldly.

As Alon pondered what to do with this kid…

“Hey, Felin! I told you not to rush off on your own!!”

A familiar voice called out from the nearby bushes.

Though Alon hadn’t heard it in quite some time, he instantly recognized its owner.

Turning toward the bushes, Alon saw Penia emerge.

“Are you seriously going to keep acting on your own? I swear, I’ll beat some sense into you!” she shouted at Felin in frustration.

But when she spotted Alon’s face sticking out of the carriage window—

“…Huh?”

—her body instantly froze.

“Elder sister, don’t worry. We’ll get some food now—”

Felin, oblivious to the situation, started to speak again.

CRACK!

“Gah!?”

Penia’s eyes widened as she swung her staff at Felin’s head with lightning speed.

Felin collapsed face-first into the ground.

Then—

“I-I’m so sorryyyyy!!!”

Penia fell to the ground, bowing deeply in apology.

“…?”

“…?”

Alon and Evan could only stare in stunned silence.