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In the days that followed,
after Setsuna bid farewell to her parents and tribe, Edgar set off on the road with his companions.
The journey itself was uneventful—mostly eating, traveling, and grinding levels. Boring, really.
Meanwhile, news of the Sword Hero's death had shaken the Jioral Kingdom to its core.
Within a short span of time, word spread that the Magic Hero had defected, and both the Sword Hero and the Cannon Hero had fallen. No matter how tightly the kingdom tried to seal the news, rumors ran rampant.
One more detail stood out: reports claimed that the second princess, Norn Clatalissa Jioral, who had been studying abroad, had already returned to the capital.
That day, the Star Spirit was sparring with Setsuna and Anna as part of their routine training.
It was the Star Spirit herself who had insisted on this.
In her words: "As the strongest among the master's followers, it's my duty to help raise everyone else's strength."
Edgar, of course, knew her real reason, but he wasn't about to call her out.
Heh. She already belonged to him anyway—what was the rush?
Besides, he had his own responsibilities to handle.
At the adventurers' inn—
"Master, I think I leveled up," Freya murmured. She leaned into Edgar's chest, eyes shining as she felt the new power coursing through her.
She was becoming almost addicted to the thrill of breaking through her limits.
Edgar glanced at her stats, then nodded with a smile. "Not bad. You've hit level 42. Keep at it—you should be able to push past this wall soon."
Freya tilted her head back, gazing at him with starry-eyed devotion. "Hehe… it's not that easy. Besides, Setsuna and the others need Master's help too."
"True. Which is why you should be pushing yourself even harder."
At that, Freya gave him a teasing glare, her cheeks flushing pink. She still didn't hesitate to pull out the "level breakthrough potion maker" and start brewing the next round herself.
"…Oh, right. Master," she said softly, "my sister Norn's return is probably connected to me."
Edgar nodded, unsurprised. "Yeah. That much I'd already guessed."
"Please be careful. Norn's combat power might not be impressive, but she's a military genius. Schemes, plots, ruthless tactics—those are her weapons."
Edgar idly toyed with her devil's tail, watching her eyes glisten with worry. He chuckled. "You don't need to lose sleep over it. Against absolute strength, any scheme is nothing more than a castle in the sky."
"So what you should focus on now is sharpening your power."
"…Mm."
Freya swallowed hard, her heartbeat quickening as a familiar surge of energy rushed through her veins. The joy of growing stronger sent tears trickling down her cheeks once more.
"Princess Norn, huh?" Edgar rose to his feet, eyes blazing with fighting spirit. "I'm actually looking forward to seeing what kind of tricks you'll try to pull."
Elsewhere, in a lavish study—
The very subject of their conversation, Princess Norn, sat deep in thought.
Her pink, shoulder-length hair framed a face both pretty and sharp, her furrowed brows lending her an air of intellectual elegance.
Before her lay a map detailing Edgar's movements.
"…Fascinating. Absolutely fascinating," she murmured.
"Three of the kingdom's Heroes have already fallen to him, and yet he marches openly, making no attempt to conceal his path. He's either a fool who doesn't know his place… or a man supremely confident in his own strength."
"Judging from the reports, it's obviously the latter."
"And my dear sister—completely under his control. Not even the faintest sign of resistance left."
After a long pause, Norn let out a low laugh.
"Originally, I'd planned to use that follower, Anna, as leverage—trap her with threats to her homeland and bait the master into my hands. But now? That's unnecessary."
"With such an obvious trail, he's heading straight for the capital."
"Then let him come. I'll show him the price of overconfidence."
Bular Town.
A small but bustling stop on the way to the royal capital.
Merchants and adventurers from all over used it as a transit point, so even though the town wasn't large, it was always lively.
That day, Edgar and his group had already arrived.
"Master, it's almost sundown. Should we keep moving, or stay here for the night?" Anna asked, walking right behind him.
"Let's rest here. You and Setsuna are close to leveling up anyway."
"Understood, Master."
The star spirit tugged nervously at Anna's sleeve. "Uh… can I get my own room this time?"
"Nope."
Anna smiled sweetly. "Didn't Master say we should learn to be thrifty when we're out traveling?"
The star spirit's lips twitched. "...Maybe I should just go out grinding monsters tonight."
But she knew full well that if she tried, she'd just be summoned back anyway. After a moment of sulking, she gave up with a defeated sigh.
The group chatted casually as the sun spilled golden light across the road. Time passed, and slowly, the atmosphere shifted.
The street was… too quiet. The people passing by just now were gone, as if they'd vanished into thin air.
Setsuna's eyes sharpened, her brows furrowing. "Master, something's wrong."
"Yeah. Way too quiet." Anna glanced around, just as unsettled.
"It's fine," Edgar said with a calm smile. "We've been watched for a while now. I'm just surprised it took you two this long to notice. You'll need to be sharper in the future."
At his words, both Setsuna and Anna immediately stepped up, moving into a defensive stance.
A low chuckle broke the silence. "Heh… interesting. Looks like Princess Noren's judgment was correct. Even knowing it's a trap, you'd still walk right in, confident in your own strength."
A man carrying a bow stepped out from behind a chimney, standing tall on a nearby rooftop.
"Master, be careful! That's Trist Organ!" Freya's eyes widened, her voice urgent. "He's one of the Kingdom's Three Heroes, called 'Hawkeye.' With those eyes, he can read the battlefield and see through any killing intent."
Edgar only nodded. "I see. Well then… the rest of you might as well come out too."
At his words, the supposedly empty houses around them seemed to come alive—every building was packed with armed royal elites.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Heavy footsteps echoed like war drums, closing in from every direction. In no time, soldiers filled the streets, rooftops, and walls, encircling them completely.
And from the far end of the street, another figure appeared.
Noren, the second princess of the kingdom—Freya's younger sister.
"Of course. Noren." Freya bit down lightly on her lip as she stared at her.
"Haha, we meet again, dear useless sister." Noren smiled brightly, her tone cruel. "Who would've thought? The mighty Princess Freya, now reduced to being some man's slave."
Freya rolled her eyes. "Laugh while you can. You'll be crying soon enough."
After all the time she'd spent with Edgar, she knew—there was no way her master would let this sister of hers walk away unscathed.
"Alright, enough sisterly banter," Edgar cut in casually. "You'll have plenty of time to catch up later. For now—why don't you show me what else you've got?"
"You make it sound like I've been holding back," Noren's smile froze, her eyes turning cold. "Fine then. Since you're so eager… I'll show you."
The moment her voice fell, beams of light shot up from all across the town. They merged into a massive magic circle that spread across the sky, covering the heavens like a cage.
At the same time, every imperial soldier's body lit up with the glow of enchanted gems, radiating deadly power.
"..."
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