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“Wasn’t this supposed to be a strategy game?”

Suddenly, a loud bang erupted outside, sounding like a gigantic firework exploding.

Eden gasped in surprise and looked out the window, where she could see fireworks bursting in the sky. Following that, a terrible roar echoed. Something must have gone terribly wrong.

Sereman personally explained it to her.

“Right now, there’s likely a final resistance happening outside. Of course, the Saint herself had set up the Emperor, who is struggling to hold them back. But how long can that really last?”

Even while uttering such terrifying words, Sereman wore his usual warm and kind smile.

“So just how limited is the strength of humans? It’s quite weak.”

As his smile gradually faded, despair darkened his eyes.

“That’s why I’ve been thinking. Is it really impossible for humans to rule over humans from the very beginning?”

He muttered something that sounded like a question, staring into the void.

“Perhaps, being completely ruled by a pure power would ultimately be the way for humanity?”

His eyes now gleamed with a deep madness.

‘Wow, this guy is seriously nuts.’

Eden couldn’t hold it in any longer and shouted.

“Shut your crazy mouth, you charlatan!”

At that moment, Sereman’s eyes turned icy, a gaze she had never seen when he was pretending to be a kind Chancellor.

He sighed lazily, then quickly put back on a benevolent smile.

“It’s a pity. That my intentions aren’t getting across until the very end.”

“So are you saying you want to resurrect the Demon King for the humans? Using Hagen’ti no less? You even sealed the Demon King’s heart inside Hagen’ti to do that?”

As Eden accurately pointed out Sereman’s plan, his gaze sharpened with anger.

“But it hasn’t been going the way you wanted, has it? That plan should have been executed fifty years ago. Right?”

With a mockingly pleasant smile, Sereman’s eyes began to shake with fury, just as she expected.

“You… what are you talking about?”

Eden was now sure of her suspicions.

Because she had entered Hagen’ti’s memories and prevented the resurrection of the Demon King, fifty years had passed ambiguously, and Sereman had been left in panic, unsure of what to do while watching over Hagen’ti for fifty years.

“You can’t kill Hagen’ti.”

Eden stated confidently. By clearing the previous quest, she had become the master of Hagen’ti’s heart as well.

Half of Hagen’ti’s life was now in her grasp, and she had no intention of letting him go.

“Absolutely not.”

At Eden’s declaration, Sereman’s face turned chillingly cold.

For a moment, he glared at Eden with threatening eyes before calming himself and again flashing his endlessly benevolent smile.

“Is that so?”

Eden felt the tension return with his change.

“I don’t know how you figured that out, but it seems you still don’t know this.”

“……”

“Yes, Hagen’ti should have died fifty years ago. But strangely, he’s been alive for fifty years. Teasing me with what I want.”

Sereman’s face appeared to be still searching for that cause, his brow furrowed in frustration.

The pact must have been flawless, and because of that pact, Hagen’ti’s heart had come to her. Yet, Hagen’ti had not died and had been alive for a staggering fifty years.

Sereman’s impatience grew with the twisted plan, and he could only search for another way.

That would be to become the Chancellor of Hesromo and acquire all the Holy Stones.

Sereman reached into his pocket and pulled something out.

“……”

Eden frowned as she recognized what he held. It was a magical stone, the so-called Holy Stone.

“Long ago, I attempted to devise and execute a grand plan in this brutal empire. Gathering exceptional mages and breeding them for combat.”

As Sereman spoke of what she had just seen in Hagen’ti’s memories, Eden held her breath.

“Mages hardly listen to the Empire or cooperate, making them quite a headache. But if I breed them from the start as sacrifices for the empire…”

He smiled at Eden, grinning.

“It would be incredibly easy.”

“……”

“However, mages with that much power can’t be easily controlled, can they? So they decided to use this mysterious magical stone. Using it to control their emotions. After all, the only thing capable of controlling magic is the greater Divine Power.”

Ha… Eden unconsciously exhaled a breath she had been holding and clenched her fists. It all started to connect.

The Hesromo Empire had controlled mages through the Holy Stones. But…

“But it failed. The mages couldn’t withstand the periodic infusion of Divine Power. They all exploded and died.”

“……”

Eden’s heart was swelling to the point of bursting, and her heartbeat stopped. It was then that she realized what that madman was saying.

So that deranged priest took the Chancellor’s position to gather the Holy Stones, and with those Holy Stones…

“Hagen’ti’s heart is going to explode tonight.”

To artificially blow Hagen’ti’s heart to unleash the sealed Demon King.

“It’s taken so long. You can’t even imagine how tedious that time has been.”

“Shut up!”

Unable to hold back any longer, Eden shouted in anger, but Sereman didn’t bat an eye.

“Soon, his life will extinguish, and a new life will breathe in.”

“You think I’ll just watch that happen?”

“What else can you possibly do?”

Sereman scoffed coldly. Eden shot him a glare and desperately racked her brain. It was frustrating, but Sereman was right.

What could she do here? How could she stop him?

Outside, the sounds of roaring and screaming could still be heard, sending chills down her spine. She had the skill called Mabess Spell, which might allow her to help them, even if only slightly. But…

‘If Hagen’ti is there…’

Eden’s heart trembled horrifyingly. If the Demon King is sealed within his heart, and if that power ever exceeded Hagen’ti’s…

Wouldn’t she be treated as a monster too? Would her spells simply fade away against him?

Fear paralyzed her, leaving her unable to act.

‘Silverstone…’

A wave of regret hit her hard. She should have found Silverstone first.

“You have continually obstructed me.”

Sereman gazed at Eden with mad eyes, utterly bewildered.

How could a mere novice priestess disrupt his plans time and time again?

How had she managed to uncover his true identity and threaten him?

What on earth is Eden’s true identity?

Sereman watched Eden, knowing that her existence was a wake-up call for Hagen’ti. He absolutely could not allow her this time.

“This world will be reborn into a form previously unimaginable.”

A chilling sense of oppression pierced through Eden’s chest.

“You lunatic…”

“I’ve come to the conclusion that I must kill you for that new world.”

Sereman raised his hand.

“So please stop interfering and calmly die.”

As something violet and sharp shot out from his hand, Eden swiftly dodged to avoid it.

With a crash, objects within the Chancellor’s office collided and shattered as Eden desperately hid.

However, the very sofa she tried to hide behind was torn to shreds with a mere gesture from Sereman.

“Ugh…!”

As Eden got up to flee again, a huge bookshelf flew in to block her path. Turning around, she saw Sereman watching her with a calm gaze.

“It’s no use. You’ll only prolong your pain.”

Sereman smiled lightly and reached out his hand toward Eden once more. At that moment, a blade-like light darted toward her neck.

“……!”

Suddenly, flames roared up from Sereman’s feet, startling him so that he staggered back.

Without missing the chance, Asmun swiftly deflected Sereman’s violet magic, stepping in front of Eden.

“Asmun…!”

Eden called his name in surprise as he glanced back at her.

As if he had just returned from a fierce battle outside, his face and body were splattered with thick blood.

Only after confirming that Eden was safe did he exhale the breath he had been holding and stood firmly to protect her.

In that moment, all of Eden’s anxiety and fear melted away.

“While I hold him off, you escape.”

“It’s dangerous!”

“I know.”

Sereman swung his arms violently, and the flames clinging to his clothes extinguished in an instant.

“To be able to greet the new Emperor like this, what an honor.”

Sereman smiled calmly at Asmun.

“It would truly be an honor to die at my hands, wouldn’t it?”

Asmun replied lazily, causing Sereman’s eyes to harden coldly.

“Unfortunately, I have yet to achieve my great ambition, so I cannot allow that.”

“It’s regrettable that I didn’t notice earlier that a Chancellor like you is such a lunatic.”

At Asmun’s provocation, Sereman’s anger flared up, and he raised his hand again.

“Quara.”

As he uttered the short incantation, someone was summoned to the center of the office.

Upon seeing him, Eden’s eyes froze.

“Hagen’ti…!”

Eden tried to rush toward Hagen’ti, but Asmun quickly got in her way.

“Your Majesty! Hagen’ti is…!”

“He’s being controlled by the Chancellor.”

A calm voice echoed in her ears. Slowly turning her head, she faced a face stained red, looking at her with no emotion.

“He is the Great Mage raised by the Empire for combat.”

Sereman stepped back behind Hagen’ti, wearing a smirking smile.

“Isn’t it truly an honor to die at the hands of such a man?”

Before his words could even finish, Hagen’ti’s hand moved.

“Hagen’ti!”

Eden’s pleas fell on deaf ears. Completely under control, Hagen’ti unleashed a magical power that made the world tremble.

The screams of the people fighting fiercely outside echoed along with everything that existed shaking.

It was colossal magical power.

 

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