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"Master, I can feel it—my level just went up!"
(Setsuna's) Shana's excited cry burst out, her whole body trembling as though even her cells were celebrating.
She bit down hard on Edgar's shoulder—not enough to break skin, but enough to vent all that overflowing emotion.
Tears welled up, spilling down her cheeks. Tears of joy.
The frustration and struggle she'd bottled up for over a decade finally poured out, washed away by her sudden surge in strength.
When she looked at Edgar, her eyes shone with pure admiration, as though she were staring at a god.
On the other side, Anna and Freya couldn't help but be swept up by Shana's passion.
If even their newest companion worked this hard, how could they slack off?
They grabbed the "Level Breakthrough Potion," determined to push themselves just as far.
The Star Spirit muttered under her breath:
"…Forget it. Let the world end already."
A few days later.
The invisible barrier dissolved into the air.
Gulp!
Shana, fully dressed, tilted back her head and swallowed the potion she'd gathered. She stretched lazily, her movements graceful, her wild, athletic figure now carrying a touch of mature allure.
Anna let out a sigh. "Shana, don't you think you might've… hogged a little too much?"
"…Did I?" Shana froze, blinking in thought.
Now that she thought about it, most of the leftover potions had ended up in her hands.
She gave an awkward little laugh. "Sorry… the temptation to get stronger was just too much. I'll be careful from now on, Anna."
They were companions—family under the same master. She knew she'd gone too far.
Anna smiled warmly. "Don't worry about it. Honestly, I'm just glad you're with us. With your strength added, we can help Master even more—and that makes me really happy."
Freya nodded in firm agreement, her eyes gentle.
Meanwhile, the Star Spirit—with heavy dark circles under her eyes—watched the scene and twitched her lips in silent frustration.
You're all celebrating getting stronger, but do you have any idea how painful this is for me?
A flicker of something complicated crossed her gaze.
Maybe it was time… for her to reconsider.
"All right, enough chatter."
Edgar clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention. "We've got company."
The group stiffened, then quickly turned toward the sound in the distance.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Boots pounded against the ground.
Several armed figures in mercenary gear emerged at high speed, their presence radiating the raw, metallic aura of veterans who'd survived countless battles.
"Well, well, what do we have here? An ice wolf demi-human?"
"Perfect! Now we can finally track down their tribe's settlement."
Their eyes gleamed with greed as they fixed on Shana.
These weren't real mercenaries—they were elite soldiers of the Giolar Kingdom in disguise. Their mission: locate the hidden homeland of the Ice Wolf clan.
And standing before them, this young ice wolf girl, was the key to that prize.
But then their expressions froze.
Because they had noticed Freya.
"That's… Princess Freya."
"Tch—damn it, retreat! Report this to the Sword Hero at once!"
She might have betrayed the kingdom, but she was still one of the Heroes.
And Heroes were far, far above their pay grade.
The men turned tail without hesitation.
"Humph!"
The moment she saw the scene, Setsuna let out a cold snort.
In a blur of movement, she appeared right before them. Her icy claws slashed through the air—
Splatter! Splatter!
Blood sprayed. Bodies hit the ground one after another.
"You just said…" Setsuna's gaze was frigid as she looked down at the survivors, her voice cutting like ice. "...that you were looking for the Ice Wolf tribe's homeland?"
Her eyes gleamed with merciless cruelty.
"The Ice Wolves? Hah, if you know what's good for you, you'd better—ahh!"
One of them tried to sneer, but his words ended in a scream. He collapsed, lifeless, before he could finish.
Setsuna's bloodstained claws turned toward the next man. "If you stay silent, death will be a mercy compared to what's waiting."
Meanwhile, Edgar and the others simply watched.
None of them seemed bothered by Setsuna's brutal methods of interrogation. Only Anna's face showed discomfort, while the rest remained calm and detached.
It didn't take long.
Leaving nothing behind but a scatter of corpses, Setsuna walked back to them.
"Master," she said quietly, bowing her head, "I have a selfish request."
"Oh?" Edgar raised a brow.
"The kingdom of Gioral has already gathered its armies. They're preparing to strike at my Ice Wolf kin."
She drew a steady breath, her tone solemn. "I want to return to my homeland and stand with them in battle. For a while... I may not be able to remain by your side."
Edgar chuckled, shaking his head. "That's all? No need to trouble yourself. Didn't you just pry the army's location out of them?"
"We'll simply go there ourselves and take care of it."
"Master…"
Setsuna's eyes wavered, touched.
"For a king, protecting his retainers is part of the job."Edgar reached out, caught her fluffy tail, and gave it a playful squeeze. "Come on. Let's head out now."
"Yes, Master." ×4
With that, all five of them rose into the sky at once, soaring toward the Gioral army's encampment.
Thirty li east of the City of Outlaws.
Here, thousands of kingdom soldiers were stationed.
The sentries on watch had already grown lazy, some even yawning. After all, this was deep in Gioral's own territory. Not even demons would dare stir trouble here.
But—
Just as one guard was about to doze off, he jolted awake at the sight of five figures streaking through the night sky. His drowsiness vanished in an instant.
When he recognized the faces, his eyes widened in shock.
And not just him—every guard nearby froze.
"Wait… is that… Her Highness Freya?"
"She dares show her face here?"
"Hold on—that really is Princess Freya!"
The soldiers' panic spread like fire.
After all, nothing in recent months had shaken the kingdom more than the betrayal of its first princess. Even the Hero of the Sword himself had rushed here upon hearing rumors of her return.
"Only five of them?"
"Doesn't matter—report it at once! Princess Freya is way beyond what we can handle."
Some dashed off to deliver the news. The rest, trembling with tension, still drew their weapons.
From above, Edgar and his four retainers descended slowly, gazing across the army below.
"Looks like plenty of enemies," he said with a grin. "All the more experience points for you lot."
"Yes, my king." ×4
At his command, the Star Spirit and the others nodded. The air around them rippled as waves of overwhelming magic flared to life.
At that moment—
Inside the army's central command tent.
The place was lavishly decorated, every piece of furniture carefully arranged, as if this were a royal hall instead of a battlefield camp.
Seated at the head, clad in armor, was a woman in men's garb with golden hair and piercing blue eyes.
The Sword Hero—Braid.
Crash! Crash!
Braid smashed whatever was within reach, her face twisted with fury.
"Useless. Every last one of you is useless!"
"My Lady Freya—my beloved Lady Freya—who knows what suffering she's enduring right now?"
Her voice cracked with rage, and she hurled another goblet at the ground.
"And you worthless dogs haven't brought me a single word about her whereabouts!"
Around her, the generals and officers cowered in silence. Not one dared to speak.
They knew too well—anyone who so much as breathed wrong while she was in this state risked being cut down on the spot. Braid had already beheaded plenty of men in her frenzies, all in the name of Freya.
By now, the rumors sounded painfully true: this Sword Hero wasn't just unstable—she was obsessed. Twisted in her feelings. A deranged woman hopelessly infatuated with Princess Freya.
Then—
BOOM!
The earth trembled violently. Outside, lightning split the skies, and thunder rolled like the heavens themselves were falling.
The officers paled, exchanging uneasy glances.
But Braid's eyes lit up with excitement.
"This presence—yes! There's no mistake!"
Her pulse raced. She knew that aura better than anyone. It was the power of Freya's sacred weapon.
She all but leapt to her feet, ready to charge outside—
Another thunderous BOOM!
The command tent tore apart, flung into the air as if it were made of paper.
And before their eyes stretched a nightmare.
The ground was soaked in blood, bodies piled like mountains. Kingdom soldiers lay strewn everywhere, lifeless.
Through the carnage, several figures walked slowly forward, each step landing on corpses with terrifying calm.
"Braid… so you really were here."
At the front was Freya, walking in the shadow of Edgar.
Her eyes flicked toward Braid, and for just an instant, a glimmer of pure disgust showed.
She had never felt anything but revulsion for this lunatic. If not for her former position and the temporary usefulness of the Sword Hero, Freya would have crushed her long ago.
"Lady Freya!"
Braid's eyes shone as if she'd finally found salvation. She was about to pour out her heart, to cry her longing aloud—
"Star Spirit."
"Yes, Master."
The spirit raised one hand. In the air, a magic circle flared for the briefest instant.
Shhh! Shhh! Shhh!
The atmosphere tore open, and a swarm of vines shot forth like venomous snakes, coiling straight toward Braid.
Her pupils shrank. Instinctively, she raised her divine blade—[God Sword: Ragnarok]—
"..."
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