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“I’m here─”

Ileyana Kalia looked around.

Just a moment ago, she had been with her daughter, Eunice. The instant she passed through a door, she found herself separated and in a familiar place.

“…It’s the reception room.”

The enormous reception room of the Marquis family. At the central seat of honor, a splendid chair symbolizing the family head awaited her.

No matter which door she tried next, she would merely return to the same reception room. After several failed attempts at escaping, she finally felt the inevitability of being trapped here and walked towards an ornate structure in the room.

She tightly gripped her beloved sword. One could never know when a phantom might reappear to try and kill her. But why was it that no matter how much she scanned her surroundings, no specter was in sight? Since Allen had begun tormenting her, this was the clearest she had been in mind.

Yet, Ileyana remained vigilant until the end, ultimately sitting her frail body on the chair. Then, as if waiting for her to make herself comfortable, bizarre phrases began to materialize endlessly before her eyes.

「Succession Ritual」

「Flee from suffering by inheriting the Marquis position with Allen Kalia」

“Can I still see this nonsense?”

The illusion demanding her life was still very much alive.

If one message didn’t penetrate her, it simply resorted to more enticing whispers, forcing her choices. Such crude tactics were nothing more than what demons would use. Ileyana merely snorted in disdain.

Even if it meant losing her head, she could not allow Allen, who would sacrifice their family to demons, to become Marquis. She maintained her usual cold poker face, which had been seldom seen for some time.

At that moment, a distant door ahead opened, and a man entered.

“Mother, have you been waiting?”

As Allen Kalia stepped into the reception room, a sinister magic began surging in the air.

For a head of a family who had lost her mana, the toxicity was overwhelming, yet she paid it no mind. She possessed the strength to resist a significant amount of magic even without her mana. The garments bestowed by Eunice were infused with blessings that shielded her.

Ileyana glared at her son and expressed her fury in a low voice.

“Allen Kalia. I believed I had provided you ample support without any deficiency.”

“I entrusted to you a portion of the Marquis family’s troops to enable you to argue over the family headship with your sister. I waited, believing you would overcome the rumors about you.”

“Moreover, I have given you sufficient financial support to maintain the dignity befitting a second son of the Marquis. I cannot comprehend what you were lacking that led you to contract with that demon.”

To Ileyana’s words, Allen merely smiled.

“Mother, it’s not a demon but another god. Be careful with your words. Haven’t you seen all that they have accomplished for us?”

“You mean the whispers of a demon?”

“I said not a demon, but a god. They promised powers to encompass the kingdom if I relinquish the Marquis family to them. They’ve always given me what they promised, unlike you, who only coddled my sister.”

“You’ve truly lost it.”

Ileyana clicked her tongue.

As she rose from her chair, she adjusted her grip on the sword.

“The reason I provided more support to my sister than to you is that Eunice is diligent for the family and far more capable than you.”

“…….”

“On the other hand, can I trust you with any more power as head of the family when you’ve constantly lost yourself in foolish games and lust, revealing nothing but your incompetence?”

“Mother.”

“Yes, yet I have not completely cut off support because, before being the head of the family, I am still your mother. I believed all your misdeeds stemmed from the grief of losing your father.”

She could not wield mana, but her spirit remained unmatched. The mere presence of her aura heightened Allen’s tension. In her, one could catch glimpses of her former glory.

“However, joining hands with a demon is another matter. You are well aware I can strip you of your title and all powers with my authority and issue a purge order. Yet you still dared to show your face before me, Allen.”

“Enough with the long-winded speech. What can you do with that sword? After all, you’ve lost your powers to the Imperial knights. Can you really kill me in your current state?”

“Do you think I can’t?”

“Let’s stop the pleasantries and offer your neck. If you present it willingly, I will cut it cleanly.”

By now, the mana saturating the room began to take form.

Unlike the formless foes she had faced in the illusions, the solid enemies were far too formidable to be slain with mere imagination and willpower.

The defeat of Ileyana, deprived of mana, was a foregone conclusion.

But despite that, Ileyana did not lose her composure.

“It’s obvious you’re rushing. Are you that scared of Shianella arriving?”

“…….”

“I already know very well that should I die, your demon will manifest. You demonstrated that with alarming clarity. Thus, I cannot let you become head of the family and lead the Marquis to ruin.”

The enemies began launching attacks against Ileyana.

The head of the family swung her sword defensively against the enemy’s blows. Normally, she would have been killed by strikes of such magnitude, yet for some reason she deflected attacks and managed to maintain her footing.

“You said my powers were stripped by the Imperial knights? On the contrary, even if there were over thirty Imperial knights back then, none could kill me. They merely managed to obliterate my mana. Do you think I can’t endure?”

“…You must have lost your mana by now.”

“The pact made by my ancestors is the reason I dramatically pulled Shianella into the Marquis family─”

With a swift motion, Ileyana cut down an approaching enemy.

“Since demons cannot manifest properly, I can hold out until reinforcements arrive.”

Life itself harbors a vast potential.

Using mana and accumulating more is a question of one’s lineage and talents; however, exchanging life as a resource in place of immediate mana is feasible with the right techniques and mediums.

“Is there a reason this sword has been passed down through the generations of the Marquis family? Allen, you must recognize this sword.”

The Marquis family’s legendary sword serves as a medium that exchanges life for power.

It absorbs vitality based on the user’s will and grants power proportional to the energy spent in accordance with the worth of the sword’s owner. The sword was occasionally referred to as a cursed blade, at times a holy sword.

This very sword bore the unique power that flowed through the Count’s bloodline, quite sufficient to be labeled as the Marquis family’s extraordinary force.

‘I can’t hold out much longer.’

The aged life she possessed was sparse enough that she could expend it with abandon. She could not afford to die before Allen, so she needed to conserve her strength as much as possible.

Thus, Ileyana recalled the memory of being surrounded by thirty Imperial knights, fighting through chaos. That was a distant past, a time of disturbingly fierce imperial aggression. To intercept it, she had to confront the worst situation face-to-face.

Since losing her mana, she had always replayed that battle in her mind. She sought to revive the sharpness of her senses from that time.

“The time to indulge in the grievances of the old woman must come to an end, Mother.”

Allen began weaving spells.

The space inside the room began to shift drastically.

At times, the room twisted like a Rubik’s cube, while in an instant, the enemies surrounded her in tighter quarters to force a disastrous situation.

‘…What an atrocious ability.’

He carried himself as if he were some sort of god within this space. It was evident that even the famed wizards of the royal family would exact a tremendous toll just to manifest this level of magic.

However, despite that, the obstacles could not stop Ileyana. With her nimble judgment and succinct actions borne out of necessity, she remained a hunter amidst the rapidly changing environment. Though aged, her experience as a seasoned knight was overwhelming.

Ultimately, however, even her impressive feats in overcoming challenges would reach their conclusion.

“Damn…”

She realized she had aged a year more than expected.

Crack─!

Her left arm, unable to withstand the latest blow, broke. Her legs, pushing against the ground, had reached their limit, and even the miracles granted by her sword were nearing their end.

Despite her advanced age, still being alive was a testament to the immense value of her time. However, humans cannot defy the passage of time, and in a critical moment, that instant arrived.

Bang─!

An arrow shot through the center of the room.

A single arrow imbued with magic brought forth a miracle.

*

Thanks to Shione’s swift actions, we were able to proceed without obstruction.

Upon spotting a door in the distance, Shione nimbly nocked an arrow to her bowstring. Her arrowhead began to weave with Shione’s magic as she demonstrated an arcane skill she had never learned.

“There’s bound to be Allen inside. We must engage the moment we enter.”

At Shione’s declaration, everyone nodded in silence.

And just as her compressed magic was completed…

“Ray! Open it!”

At Shione’s shout, her expression drenched in sweat, I opened the door without hesitation.

Bang─!

The arrow flew.

The room was otherworldly. The ceiling and floor shifted erratically, and the form would change, with enemies swarming in every direction, beckoning death.

Ileyana Kalia, bearing witness to the end of her life, still clung to her sword with trembling hands, resisting with every ounce she had left. It was truly a miracle she was still alive in such a grotesque realm.

Whoosh─!

Shione’s arrow struck dead center in the dizzying room.

Simultaneously, the sacred white mist thickened on the ground, and the Elite Guard threw themselves into the room without hesitance.

Seeing this series of actions unfold, I immediately supported the mana-depleted Shione.

“Here’s a Mana Potion.”

“…I don’t even have the strength to drink.”

“I’ll feed it to you.”

I uncorked the potion and poured it into Shione’s mouth.

Unlike the previous times she had encased the castle wall, I didn’t know how she managed to compress the effective range, let alone bind it to an arrow, but nonetheless, Shione’s mana must have bottomed out as well. The mere fact she hadn’t collapsed yet was commendable enough.

‘It would be impossible to assist the Elite Guard.’

Taking a weakened Shione into a battleground like this was madness.

Even with all of Allen’s focus on that melee, the foes summoned by the black magic remained ever-present. Prioritizing her safety was paramount.

I ensured Shione was stable as I prepared to wield my bow and sword.

As for the view within the room…

“Allen, let’s end this.”

“Sister, it’s too late.”

It was a scene of two siblings battling over the head of the family.

“Did you really think such magic could stop me?”

Shione’s magic was pierced through as a knight emerged.

“Not a chance.”

The traitorous commander of the first legion, Chloe Anette, aimed her sword at Eunice.

 

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