Ereka stiffened as she saw the child’s face.

“E-Erilot Astra!”

The child smiled gently and grabbed Ereka’s shoulder.

“Be grateful. I saved you from death.”

“What?”

Ereka shook off the child’s hand.

“What nonsense─!”

She flinched and looked around.

She saw fallen figures at the child’s feet.

They all wore masks, making it hard to recognize them, but the darkness was familiar, revealing a vague outline.

‘Those are his soldiers...!’

Erilot calmly scanned the surroundings and said,

“He sent a lot. Thanks to that, our soldiers went through some trouble.”

“.......”

“You should say thank you for saving your life, Ereka.”

“No, no no no!”

That’s impossible.

Why would he want to kill her?

She remembered the conversation she had with him in the Mage Tower.

He sat in a chair.

He looked at her lovingly as she kneeled.

“You don’t know how much the Shilui follow me. They fetch the balls I throw, despite being ancient monsters. Like dogs!”

“Excellent.”

“I’ll make sure to fulfill your dream, Elder. I’ll kill Erilot myself, the obstacle.”

He laughed heartily, stroking his own head tenderly.

“You are my joy, Ereka.”

‘I am his joy.’

He said he would grant her wishes.

He would bury all the insignificant direct descendants of Astra in the gutter and give her the position.

The position to rule the world.

The one called Lady Astra...!

‘He wouldn’t try to kill me.’

“Lies! You tried to help me escape! The people who came to help me, you, you......”

“Why would someone who came to help carry something like this?”

Erilot lightly shook a red bottle.

She opened the cap and tilted it toward the floor.

Soon the grass below rustled softly, turning to dust that scattered.

“I have subordinates with the blessing. If you want, I can track where this bottle came from.”

“N-no. No, no. You’re trying to deceive me, he loves me. He...”

“Oh, so much that he abandoned your father.”

“What......?”

“Think about it. If you escaped alone, you’d know what your father would suffer.”

“.......”

“I would never abandon my father.”

Ereka’s eyes gleamed sharply.

“Well, your father is Daymond Astra!”

“Why is that?”

“His abilities, his looks, the fact he’s the son of the Duke of Astra...! I wouldn’t abandon a father like that either!”

Ereka shouted angrily.

“But my father is Izur Gilar! The bloodline of a lowly knight!”

“.......”

“His bloodline and abilities are garbage! Why would you abandon trash?”

“Still, your father raised you with love.”

“Love? What use is that? Does love give me the direct lineage name? Does it give me wealth? Raise me to the highest position in the world?!”

Ereka’s mouth twisted bitterly.

“From the start, he was someone I planned to abandon someday. He was supposed to make me his daughter.”

“.......”

“I only need to think of my real father! Not such trash─!”

“I see.”

Erilot smiled softly and raised her head.

Ereka’s gaze followed the child’s movement.

Something floating in the air glittered.

‘A transmission magic device!’

The image was being transmitted somewhere.

Where on earth?

.

.

Meanwhile, in the underground prison.

[Not such trash─!]

Gilar Duke clenched his fist tightly, staring at the magic circle.

His pale fist trembled.

“Ereka...... you, you damned woman!”

Who did she owe her privileges to?

Because of whom had he fallen into this state...!

The seventh-ranked children silently watched Gilar Duke’s condition.

Balzac, lying on the floor, chuckled watching the trembling duke.

He then crouched lightly and tapped the magic circle.

“You didn’t speak a word under torture for your daughter, but your daughter intended to abandon you from the start.”

“.......”

“Are you going to keep silent like this?”

“.......”

“Fine then. Hold out if you can.”

He smiled faintly and whispered as a warning.

“The torture hasn’t even started yet.”

Gilar Duke lowered his head deeply and remained motionless.

Balzac shrugged and stood up.

Some time passed.

Noisy sounds came from outside the prison.

“Let go! Let me go! That man won’t let you be! That man......!!”

It was Ereka’s voice.

The door creaked open, and Ereka was brought in, subdued by soldiers.

They threw her down.

Thud!

The dull sound echoed as Ereka frowned and lifted her head.

At that moment, their eyes met.

Gilar Duke’s eyes flashed a deep blue light.

“Father?”

“.......”

Gilar Duke glared sharply at his daughter and spoke.

“I confess. It was indeed my daughter who brought the ancient monsters into the Divine Hall.”

“What... Father!”

“If you check the nearby forest, you’ll find tunnels. They were made with your daughter’s blessing, so you can trace the magic.”

“Are you insane?!”

“I never agreed to this plan. It was all my daughter’s doing─!”

“Father─!!”

Ereka screamed.

But the duke didn’t stop.

“All claims that Ereka Gilar has the blessing are lies! She gave her blood to the alchemy experiments in the Mage Tower and became the source of the artificial monsters!”

Ereka crawled forward, clutching her father’s shoulder.

“You’ve lost your mind? Why /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ would you do this......!”

“No, now I see everything clearly.”

“What, what?”

“I gave birth to a monster. I regret giving birth to you, Ereka.”

Ereka’s lips quivered.

She breathed intermittently and slowly turned her head.

Erilot, who just entered the room, tilted her head and said, “Hmm?”

“Yes, it’s you. You brainwashed your father, didn’t you?”

“You always blame me whenever you get a chance.”

Erilot chuckled and tapped the magic circle with her knuckles.

“You’re the one who made the duke open his eyes.”

“Don’t tell me... you told him that conversation...!”

“Even parents hurt their children. Sometimes the wounds are so deep, they want to give up on their children.”

“Y-you─!”

Ereka jumped up and lunged at Erilot.

Branches sprouted as the wall cracked.

It was Ereka’s blessing .

The branches stretched quickly, aiming for Erilot.

Snap.

The branch broke and fell to the floor.

Two orbs of light fluttered near the broken branch.

Look closely and they were...

“Swamp fairies─!”

Ereka’s swamp fairies appeared.

Erilot raised her hand, and the fairies fluttered over, circling her hand.

The swamp fairies rubbed their cheeks on Erilot’s palm.

A clear, bell-like sound was heard somewhere.

It was the sound the swamp fairies made when pleased.

...A sound Ereka had never heard before.

“What have you done to my swamp fairies...?”

That girl must have done something.

‘She took my swamp fairies before I was locked in the prison!’

Erilot gently petted the braided swamp fairy and said,

“My fairies would never betray me! I am their mother!”

“Just as parents sometimes feel disappointment in their children, children also feel disappointment in their parents.”

“What?”

“I never did anything to the swamp fairies.”

“Lies!”

“It’s true. I petted them and said, ‘You must have had a hard time.’ That’s all.”

“What......?”

“In other words, you never once said kind words to the swamp fairies — your children who gave everything for you.”

Ereka grabbed Erilot by the collar.

“Don’t lie! They wouldn’t betray me over something like that......!”

Kaaak─!!

The swamp fairies’ faces changed instantly.

They transformed into a terrifying form and charged at Ereka.

“Kyah─!”

Thrown by the swamp fairies, Ereka stiffened.

‘Impossible.’

That girl’s taming skill was better than mine?

‘No. It’s a lie.’

She must have been drugged.

If not, why would swamp fairies made from her own blood obey that filthy blood─!

While Ereka remained stiff, Erilot said,

“Well then, since Ereka Gilar is confirmed as the culprit, shall we proceed to the next matter?”

Erilot looked at the soldiers and ordered in a low voice,

“Move out to the Mage Tower. If there’s interference, even if it’s an elder, behead them!”

“Yes!”

“Yes!”

Thuds and stomps.

Those who saluted quickly left the prison.

Erilot exited first, followed by the seventh-ranked children.

Joshua, left alone, smiled faintly and closed the door.

“Then shall we begin the real torture?”

Gilar Duke flinched and lifted his head.

“I have revealed everything!”

“My brother was hurt.”

“......Yes?”

“You say you don’t regret my brother getting hurt, Duke.”

Ereka was greatly shaken and looked at Joshua.

Joshua smiled sweetly and murmured,

“Don’t expect it to end easily. ...Of course, you too.”

The gazes on Ereka were as cold as a winter’s north wind.

“Y-Your Highness......”

“J-Joshua-sama! Joshua-sama!”

The screams of the father and daughter echoed in the underground prison.

The noisy dawn passed.

In the main courtyard of the Divine Hall, piles of Mage Tower documents were stacked like mountains.

Erilot’s father glanced at the kneeling magicians reading the documents.

“Experiments involving alchemy banned by the manor.”

“Th-that is─”

“Using Astra’s wealth but leaving no records of the experiments.”

“Please hear us out. Divine...!”

Erilot’s father threw the documents at the magicians and said,

“Who authorized the experiments?”

“Th-that’s─!”

One of the second generation raised their hand.

It was Aunt Vasile, Dionera’s mother.

“Most of the magicians involved are under my command.”

“You were involved too?”

“Of course not. My seal isn’t on any of those documents.”

“Experiments conducted without the head’s permission?”

Aunt Vasile looked coldly at the trembling magicians.

“I suppose my ability was insufficient. Such experiments dared to be done without my knowledge.”

Aunt Vasile gave a bitter laugh.

She picked up the papers Erilot’s father had thrown and said,

“Most of those involved were magicians absorbed into my command after Noarizen’s death. Now I see their hands may have also touched the blessing extraction.”

“That’s serious.”

“Yes, how much time and money does it take to raise a magician? It’s a waste.”

No one misunderstood the meaning.

‘It means a magician was killed.’

The magicians turned pale and shouted.

“We only kept our loyalty to Baron Eilots.”

“Yes! Baron Eilots asked for help with the experiments, and he promised to take full responsibility!”

“He said it would greatly help Astra. But because it was alchemy, permission would never be granted, so he said to report only after results...!”

Erilot’s father spoke with a cold expression.

“So Baron Eilots....”

Then Enzo, who had led the soldiers away, replied with his hands behind his back.

“Today was his duty shift, but he wasn’t in the Mage Tower. I sent soldiers to his home, so news should come soon.”

At that moment,

Several people stormed noisily into the main hall.

They all wore elder robes and carried proud expressions.

The elders stared furiously at Erilot’s father and his uncles and aunts behind him.

“How could such a thing happen...! The Mage Tower is protected by the head’s jurisdiction─!”

“The current acting head is me.”

“Daymond-sama!”

“But you see.”

Erilot’s father slowly walked toward the elders.

“Since when did you lowly retainers begin raising your heads against the family’s direct blood?”

“We have served the Astra since the previous generation.”

“Elders or not, you’re still retainers.”

“How dare you be so rude...!”

“Your words are disrespectful to the acting head! Were you this rude to my father too?”

The elders swallowed nervously as Erilot’s father grabbed the elder council chair by the collar.

He pulled him close and whispered in his ear.

“I’m asking. Where did you get the nerve to come and go in my father’s castle without permission?”

“If I open my mouth, the main house won’t be safe...!”

Ha ha.

Low laughter echoed through the courtyard.

Erilot’s father tapped the elder council chair’s neck and said,

“No need to worry about such things.”

“...Yes?”

“Because your old necks will soon fall to the floor.”

The second generation curled their lips.

Among them, one huddled his shoulders.

I walked over and lightly tapped his shoulder.

“Are you scared?”

“W-what?”

“I asked if you’re scared... Uncle Hernan.”

It’s you.

The one who supervised this experiment.

His son, Milan, and I exchanged a quick glance.