episode_0080

Arina pushed herself up and stepped out of the laboratory.

“Teacher!”

As expected, Ellin was nowhere to be seen. No—more than that.

“There’s… no one here at all.”

Though there were plenty of recreational facilities and lounges for passing the time, the place where most mages spent the majority of their days was undeniably one of the five towers. Unless they were asleep, they were either conducting research in the towers or staying in the Towers’ residential wing—a massive communal living space—whether lounging together with colleagues or holed up in their own rooms.

As such, all mages were neighbors, colleagues, and friends to one another. For even a single tower in the Mage Tower to be completely empty like this was unthinkable under normal circumstances.

“Even at night, at least one or two people should still be here. Is anyone around?”

Arina’s voice echoed through the deserted hallway, but no response came. Strangely, however, the lights in each room remained on, amplifying the eerie atmosphere.

If there was some kind of group event happening, there’s no way Father Azul would just leave things like this.

Sensing the heavy tension, Arina wasted no time and tore off the mana-sealing necklace that had been suppressing her power.

The Mage Tower, where countless magical artifacts were crafted and experiments conducted, was saturated with a concentration of ambient mana incomparable to anywhere else. Instantly, mana gathered and flooded her body, filling every crevice with its familiar presence.

That overwhelming sense of omnipotence—that fleeting, dreadful helplessness she had endured for so long—returned. She never wanted to feel it again.

The absence of anyone in the laboratory tower was certainly abnormal, but it didn’t necessarily mean danger yet. And now, whatever happened, she had the strength to face it. Scanning her surroundings, Arina strode out of the tower.

Fortunately, not much time had passed. Sunlight still poured down outside, forcing Arina to shield her eyes with her hand.

“Even out here…”

Not a single soul stirred—not even an ant. It confirmed her suspicions. Something unforeseen had occurred. The question was—why?

Had her teacher, Ellin, betrayed her?

“No. If she had, there’d have been no reason to purify my demonic energy.”

Shaking off the unwelcome thought almost immediately, Arina dismissed the possibility. If Ellin had intended to betray her from the start, there was no chance she would have helped restore Arina’s power—especially knowing full well what she was capable of.

There had been plenty of opportunities to capture her while she was asleep or weakened over the past few days. If anything, Ellin was one of the few people inside the Mage Tower whom she could unequivocally trust.

Besides, it was still just an assumption that she’d even walked into a trap in the first place. Something abnormal was definitely happening, but whether it was a threat directed at her or an incident affecting the Mage Tower itself remained unclear.

Walking through the desolate streets devoid of people, Arina wandered through an empty shop, searching for any trace of human activity—signs of interrupted work, hastily abandoned tasks. Cabinets and desks were overturned, their contents strewn about chaotically.

“Something bad definitely happened.”

As she sifted through the clutter for clues, a shadow fell over her back.

Slowly—so slowly that she wouldn’t notice—the figure closed the distance. Until, suddenly, a hand lunged for her from behind.

Whoosh!

Thud.

Clatter.

“Phew. Nearly gave me a heart attack.”

Having sensed the ambush at the last second, Arina turned to see the man she’d knocked out cold with a mana bullet. Though his face was unfamiliar, his allegiance was unmistakable—the kingdom’s knight armor told her everything she needed to know.

“Well, that settles it.”

Not a pleasant revelation. As much as she didn’t want to believe it, there truly was a traitor within the Mage Tower. On her way here, Arina had disguised herself with dark hair, making identification impossible.

No one had recognized her, meaning it was unlikely she’d been exposed. If her movements hadn’t been tracked, then the only way the kingdom could have pinpointed her location was if someone had reported—

“But who?”

Was there someone who despised her enough to sell her out? Before, she might have suspected Chloe, but that matter had been settled. Even if Chloe still harbored resentment, she wasn’t the type to go this far—

Aside from her, Arina couldn’t think of anyone else. She’d maintained decent relationships with most mages, and even outsiders either respected her or, at worst, felt indifference—never hatred.

“Maybe it’s not just one person.”

If this betrayal wasn’t fueled by personal resentment, the next plausible explanation was that someone had reported her to the kingdom preemptively—to rid the Mage Tower of the ‘time bomb’ that was her existence. Logically, she could grasp the reasoning, but emotionally, it stung.

“Either way, now’s not the time.”

If someone had indeed betrayed her and reported her to the kingdom, the next most endangered were Ian and Millen. Given their skills, they shouldn’t have been captured yet. If they weren’t already caught, she—now restored to her full strength—could still save them.

Though she’d been pitifully protected until now, her true identity was that of the strongest mage—no embellishments needed. The strongest across worlds, across eras, untethered by time or space.

Stepping out of the shop, Arina stood still for a moment, focusing the mana within her body. Even the most disciplined warriors felt their senses dull after a single day of rest. But she hadn’t wielded her powers in nearly a month—this was more like stretching.

Confirming her mana circulation was flawless, Arina instantly cast a full-body reinforcement spell and sprinted forward.

The residential tower, much like the laboratory, was devoid of mages—only a few knights searching for her. After incapacitating them, she knocked on Ian and Millen’s doors, but again, no answer. Continuing her search, she eventually discovered a massive commotion at the tower’s main entrance.

The mages, though not overwhelmingly numerous, appeared in full force along with their families—an impressive gathering. And beyond them stood an even larger contingent: the kingdom’s army.

“I’m telling you! Riel Frost has never even stepped foot here! If he had, I would’ve beaten him black and blue and tossed him in a cell myself by now!”

A familiar bald-headed man—Azul—was shouting at the top of his lungs, defending her. At least he isn’t the traitor, Arina mused, exhaling quietly.

“Be patient. Once the search concludes, we’ll have our answer.”

“Waste of time. Even if Riel were found here, what do you intend to do? With this measly force, capturing my disciple seems like a pipe dream.”

“That’s not your concern. And frankly, you sound perilously close to issuing a threat.”

The towering knight captain glared at Ellin, his tone edged with warning. Though the disparity in their individual strength was immeasurable, numbers were overwhelmingly in his favor. Worse, the army had already breached the gates—even the near-impregnable Mage Tower couldn’t withstand this.

The mages were no soldiers and had no obligation to lay down their lives for the tower. No matter how powerful the Tower Lord’s authority was, he couldn’t order them to fight to the death. Many would choose to leave rather than perish.

In this situation, who held the upper hand was obvious.

But none of that mattered to Arina.

“It is a threat, you bastard.”

She was already the world’s most wanted criminal—what more did she have to lose?

“Oh-ho? Showing herself willingly? I thought you were adamant Riel Frost wasn’t here?”

Azul coughed awkwardly, avoiding eye contact.

“Ahem, does that look like Riel Frost to you? Just a pretty girl…”

His reproachful stare all but screamed, Why did you show up? Ellin, too, sighed deeply, pressing her temples.

“Riel… Couldn’t you have just stayed hidden?”

“So you were hiding him! A traitor! This matter will not be taken lightly!”

“Shut it, you runt. You’re the knight captain of the Intelligence Division, right? If you wanted to catch me, you should’ve at least brought Cecil Astrea.”

Mana swirling in her palm, Arina readied herself for battle.

“Arina!”

Then came the voice she’d longed to hear—calling her name.

“Ian!”

He was unharmed. Pushing through the crowd, Ian broke into a sprint toward her.

“Arina, run!”

“Relax. I’ve got my strength back. I need to clean up the mess I caused first.”

The scenario would play out like this: The knights, supposedly conducting a routine search, coincidentally crossed paths with Arina, who promptly incapacitated them before fleeing. The kingdom’s army, dispatched at staggering cost, wouldn’t even set foot inside the tower before being wiped out.

Would the higher-ups believe it? Who cared? Without solid evidence, they couldn’t openly pressure the Mage Tower. If they tried, fleeing to another nation was always an option. Despite their temporary alliance for the Demon King’s subjugation, these nations were ultimately rivals.

“Alright, who wants to die first?”

As Arina sneered, the knights instinctively recoiled.

“No one? Then I’ll just—”

“[Kneel.]”

“Gah?!”

The leg Arina had planted forward buckled, both knees slamming into the ground.

This wasn’t a misstep. The proof? She couldn’t stand back up.

“Ghk— Ugh!”

Forcing herself onto her feet sent searing pain through her upper chest. Unable to comprehend the agony, she tore open her collar to inspect the source—

“A… slave crest?”

She’d completely forgotten. Not in the sense that she’d erased its existence—but she’d dismissed it as nothing more than a troublesome tattoo to conceal. When she first received it, she never imagined it would ever actually be used. Yet now, it blazed across her chest.

“This… can’t be…”

“You didn’t think it possible, did you? Riel Frost.”

At those muttered words, Arina lifted her head. The slave crest shone brightly, as if proclaiming the man before her as her master.

“Dennis…”

Relief was impossible, but at least it wasn’t Daniel. Instead, it was his foolish younger brother, Dennis—his greed-filled eyes now pinning her in place. She’d never trusted him. Their first meeting had been disastrous, and even after learning her true identity, he’d only looked at her with covetous hunger.

Had he been plotting this all along? The sheer scale of the reward for capturing Riel Frost unharmed was beyond even Arina’s estimation.

“Why… you?”

“‘Why do I have her slave crest?’ I stole it from my brother. Cost half our family’s fortune, but worth it.”

Arina’s eyes widened in realization, fury twisting her face.

“You filth! You sold out your own family?!”

This wasn’t Daniel willingly betraying her—Dennis had stolen ownership from him.

Who helped him accomplish this didn’t require confirmation. He’d reported her existence to the kingdom, ensuring Daniel—perhaps even their father—was stripped of authority. Only then did he claim the crest for himself and stand here now.

“I had no choice. Dad was going to hand the family succession to Daniel. I had to survive.”

“That’s because you’re worthless! Daniel would’ve given you enough to live comfortably!”

“And why should the second son of House Hight settle for scraps?! A man should dream big.”

“You’re lower than vermin. You don’t deserve to call yourself a man!”

Scowling at her insults, Dennis clicked his tongue and gestured to the knights.

“What are you all standing around for? Tie her up. Let’s go. Oh—and [You are forbidden from using magic from now on.]”

With that command, her reinforcement spell dissolved. Powerless once more, Arina could only thrash as knights bound her with ropes.

“Let go—! Damn it—! Release me!”

“Stay back! Arina!”

Seeing Arina pinned to the ground and restrained, Ian unsheathed his sword and charged.

“What is the meaning of this, Baron Felix?”

“Knight-Captain Ludbert. Release her.”

“Since when does a traitor’s accomplice have the right to make demands? Once your family receives its summons, we’ll meet again—judge and criminal.”

“This isn’t a plea. It’s a threat!”

Ian’s grip tightened on his hilt. He was prepared to kill Ludbert here and now. Alone, he stood no chance against the army’s numbers—but that didn’t matter. Even if it cost his life, he wouldn’t abandon Arina.

“Ian! Stop!”

“Too late. I’m sorry. Seems like I’ll be leaving you alone again.”

“No! Please—! Ian, don’t! I’m begging you! Teacher!”

At Arina’s tearful scream, Ian abruptly froze—not of his own will, but by Ellin’s magic, which bound him completely.

“…What are you doing?”

“I’m sorry. But now isn’t the time.”

“And when is?! If not now, when will you stop them?!”

Never before had anyone seen Ian this enraged. Even his ingrained courtesy vanished as he bared his teeth at Ellin.

“……”

Ellin responded with silence, her gaze lowered.

“At least you’re sensible. Though truly wise men don’t harbor criminals to begin with.”

“Appreciate it, Teacher.”

A thanks devoid of joy. With that, Arina was dragged away into the endless tide of soldiers.