The next day, at the Roby Viscount’s estate in the Artest Empire.
The butler was hurrying across the corridor.
He, who hardly ever lost his composure, was shaken because the anti-magic barrier protecting the viscount’s household had just been broken.
Arriving in front of Tracia’s office, the butler knocked urgently.
“My Lady!”
But strangely, there was no response from inside.
She should have been the first to notice the barrier breaking.
Mages, who naturally dealt with mana, were far more sensitive to its flow than ordinary people.
Even if Tracia was more of a research-type mage, there was no way she wouldn’t have sensed the collapse of the barrier that had protected the entire mansion.
Surely, nothing happened to her…?
His expression grew grave as he knocked again.
“My Lady! Are you unharmed? If you don’t respond by the count of three, forgive me, but I’ll have to come in.”
Having cared for Tracia since she was an infant, in this moment of crisis he instinctively called her “my lady.”
The butler began counting.
One, two…
And just as he reached three and was about to open the door, it opened first.
“What’s the matter?”
Tracia asked, blocking the doorway with her body.
The butler, relieved she was safe, quickly reported the situation.
“The anti-magic barrier was broken just a moment ago. Did you sense it as well?”
“Oh, that. Yes, I noticed it too.”
“Fortunately, there doesn’t seem to be an intruder, but…”
“Then it’s fine. I’ll repair the barrier myself later. Until then, keep the security tight.”
The butler eyed her suspiciously as she even gestured for him to hurry off.
“You’re not going to repair it immediately?”
“Uh… I had something else I was working on. I’ll finish it first, then go.”
Tracia prized her estate like her very life.
What could be more important to her than protecting it?
Though puzzled, the butler nodded at her order and hurried off to strengthen the security.
Watching his retreating figure for a moment, Tracia closed the office door and locked it at once.
Then she looked up…
Elsez and Rashiel were sitting on the office sofa.
The ones who had broken through the Roby household’s anti-magic barrier.
Crossing her arms, Tracia glared at the two of them and stepped closer.
“Wanted criminals trespassing in a private home together… you do realize if word gets out, you’re both finished, right?”
Elsez knew that despite her harsh words, Tracia still cared about her.
If Tracia truly meant to report her, she would have sent the butler away without a word.
“Well, my magic would probably be faster than you running to report—”
Elsez quickly covered Rashiel’s mouth mid-retort and smiled brightly.
“We know. But we also know how much you trust and care about us, since you’re hiding us anyway, Lady Roby.”
“…Unbelievable.”
Tracia let out a disbelieving laugh.
Rashiel, who stayed arrogant even when asking for help. Elsez, who, even as a demon, still cheekily assumed she was trusted.
Tracia glared at them both, then finally spoke first.
“So, what did you come to me for?”
At her question, Elsez smiled as if she’d been waiting.
“We need the help of the genius mage, Tracia Roby.”
At that very hour, a countermeasure meeting was underway at the Holy Nation’s temple.
“From this moment forward, Elsez Rohen, Rashiel Celeste, Astire Belcastel, Cassian Riden, and Tezette Rittenhaus—the five heroes—are hereby declared enemies of the entire continent.”
Dike officially announced Elsez and her companions as the “Enemies of the Continent.”
Ruel glanced at the empty seats beside her.
Seats that had once belonged to heroes who saved the continent, but now bore the weight of traitors.
I never thought all four of them would side with that wench.
At least one or two of them should have been drawn to her side, driving a wedge among the rest.
It’s a complete failure on my part.
Ruel bit her lip, nervously watching Dike.
Dike’s expression was firm, as though steeped in sorrow, her gaze scanning the chamber.
To outsiders, she would look like the one who cared more than anyone for the peace of the world.
“For those who led the charge in vanquishing the Demon three years ago to betray us now… It is truly lamentable. But we cannot remain paralyzed in grief.”
The tension in the chamber deepened at her words.
Then, one of the heroes spoke up hesitantly.
“Before we proceed, there is something I would like to ask regarding yesterday’s events, Saintess.”
“Yes, go ahead.”
“They called the Demon ‘Ruel.’ Do you happen to know anything about that?”
At those words, Ruel’s expression hardened instantly.
If the truth about the real and the false Ruel spread, not only she but Dike would also be placed in jeopardy.
Though Dike had spent centuries building her image as the Saintess, doubts had already begun to spread—among the heroes, and even within the temple—after yesterday’s confrontation.
Especially since monsters and beasts had been discovered in Dike’s underground chambers.
“The Demon called herself ‘Ruel’ and used that to bewitch the four heroes. Isn’t that right, Ruel?”
Ruel flinched under Dike’s gaze before forcing herself to answer a beat later.
“…Yes, that’s right. That woman pretended to be me and deceived the heroes.”
For a moment, confusion flickered across their faces. But seeing Ruel herself in front of them, they readily accepted it.
With that doubt resolved, the heroes moved on to their next concern.
“It is said that yesterday, beneath the Saintess’s office, piles of monster and beast corpses were found. May I ask for what purpose you were gathering them?”
The chamber fell silent.
Clearly, this was on everyone’s minds.
Ruel had thought this question would be difficult to answer, but Dike replied with perfect composure.
“I was conducting personal research on monsters and beasts. By studying them, I hoped to find even the smallest way to aid the world. Does that answer your question?”
A murmur rippled through a few in attendance.
To think that Dike, who seemed the very incarnation of mercy, had been experimenting on living beings.
It was unsettling, yet none could bring themselves to truly doubt the woman who had embodied “good” for centuries.
“Yes. Thank you for clarifying.”
As the doubts subsided, Dike steered the discussion back to her agenda.
“The Demon may be hiding her power for now, but we do not know when or where she will reappear to threaten our peace.”
“…”
“So I ask you all: return to your homelands. Protect the people you love, and the memories you cherish.”
Her words sounded as though she was placing the safety of the weak above even her own or the Holy Nation’s.
But Ruel knew better.
Dike wanted to disperse the gathered heroes across the continent so they would not linger here, asking questions.
The meeting concluded shortly after.
As always, Dike rose first and left the chamber.
Ruel watched her go, lost in thought.
After yesterday’s confrontation, she claimed she could no longer sense the Demon’s power. Is that woman really planning to live her life in hiding?
That was not Dike’s plan.
Nor was it Ruel’s.
Dike will kill me the moment I become useless.
The other heroes might not know, but Ruel had seen her “true” self.
The Dike she knew would discard and kill without hesitation once something—or someone—had lost its purpose.
The only reason she had kept Ruel alive at all was because she was a failed experiment.
Leaving the chamber, Ruel followed after her. Dike, walking at a leisurely pace, was not far ahead.
“Lady Dike.”
At first, addressing her with such honorifics had felt strange. But now, it came naturally.
Drawing close, Ruel asked with an anxious expression:
“What would you have me do next?”
“Hmm… Let’s see. For now, I can’t think of anything specific. I’ll have to consider it.”
Dike’s answer was light, almost cheerful, as she smiled and walked on.
To Ruel, the casual tone was agonizing.
Her life was at stake, yet this woman spoke as if choosing tomorrow’s lunch.
Desperate to prove her usefulness, Ruel pressed again.
“T-that woman seems intent on hiding indefinitely. Are you really going to leave her be?”
“Of course not. I worked far too hard to create a Demon.”
“Then allow me to find her and bring her back.”
“Well… A counterfeit who possesses the body of the real one but still cannot become the real thing… isn’t very reliable, is she?”
The gentle yet cutting words tightened around Ruel’s chest.
But Dike, as if she hadn’t just condemned her, added softly with a warm smile:
“There’s no need to strain yourself. Even if you don’t search for them, they’ll come to me on their own.”
Her lips curled upward in a confident, self-assured smile.
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