"Every time I see you, Charlos… I feel like hitting you."
Saint Roselith Seraphina's voice was calm, almost gentle but the meaning behind it was anything but.
Suspended over the vast drop beyond the palace railing, Saint Charlos trembled violently. His limbs flailed uselessly in the air as panic overtook whatever fragile composure he had managed to gather.
"I I really won't do it again! I swear! I won't do it again!"
His voice cracked, shrill and desperate, utterly stripped of the arrogance he usually wore like a crown.
Seraphina watched him in silence.
To her, this Celestial Dragon was the embodiment of everything rotten within the nobility of Mary Geoise a fool, yes, but worse than that, a fool steeped in cruelty. There was something inherently foul about him, something that no amount of status or lineage could conceal.
And for people like that
She had never shown mercy.
"Seraphina! Release my son at once!"
The furious shout came from behind. Saint Rosward stood rigid, his usually pompous demeanor replaced by barely restrained panic. His eyes were fixed on Charlos, who dangled helplessly above a deadly fall.
For all his arrogance, Rosward was still a father.
And right now
He was afraid.
The palace stood high above the ground, its white stone walls overlooking the vast expanse of the Holy Land. A single slip, a single moment of carelessness and Charlos would fall to his death.
That outcome would not simply end a life.
It would ignite consequences.
Conflict between Celestial Dragon families was rare but when it happened, it could spiral into something far more dangerous. Even Rosward understood that provoking the Roselith lineage was courting disaster.
Behind him, a masked agent of CP0 stood silently.
He did not move.
He did not speak.
But his hesitation was clear.
Logically, he should intervene. His duty was to protect a Celestial Dragon. However, the situation before him was far from ordinary.
Because the one holding Charlos
Was Saint Roselith Seraphina.
Years ago, he had crossed paths with her. What followed was not a battle it was a lesson. He had been subdued within moments, her control over strength and precision far beyond what he had anticipated.
He knew one thing clearly:
He could not defeat her.
Rosward caught his subtle hesitation and immediately signaled for him to act, desperation creeping into his gestures. Yet the agent remained still, choosing instead to observe Seraphina's movements with intense focus.
If she let go
He would act.
Using Rokushiki techniques like Geppo (Moonwalk) and Soru, he might still be able to catch Charlos mid-fall.
That was the only option left.
Seeing his supposed protector remain motionless, Rosward felt anger rise in his chest, but he suppressed it. This was not the time to lash out.
Not when his son's life hung by a thread.
"Seraphina… let's talk about this."
His tone changed, losing its arrogance, becoming something closer to pleading.
He had no choice.
"The last punishment was too light."
Seraphina's response was immediate, her gaze still fixed on Charlos. Her grip did not loosen.
Her words carried weight not just anger, but judgment.
Rosward's heart sank.
She wasn't wrong.
But admitting that now would only make things worse.
"Seraphina, please. My son… he has always been a bit… slow. Surely you wouldn't hold a grudge against someone like that?"
He forced the words out, each one costing him pride.
But Seraphina did not yield.
"No. He is like this because you allowed him to become like this."
Her tone sharpened slightly as she turned her gaze toward Rosward.
"If that is the case, then you are the root of the problem."
Her words struck harder than any blow.
There was truth in them an undeniable truth that even Rosward could not refute. Charlos had not become this way by accident. He was shaped by indulgence, by unchecked authority, by a lifetime of being told he was above consequence.
Still
Rosward clenched his teeth.
"This is no time for lectures! We are Celestial Dragons we are the gods of this world! Everything here exists because of our ancestors!"
His voice rose again, clinging to the identity that had protected him his entire life.
But Seraphina cut him off coldly.
"And what does that have to do with him offending me?"
Silence followed.
Rosward faltered.
Because this time
He had no answer.
"…I didn't offend you…"
A weak, trembling voice interrupted.
Charlos, still hanging in the air, had somehow regained enough composure to speak. Perhaps it was the strange way his mind worked, or perhaps it was the false sense of safety from still being held.
"I just wanted a toy…"
The words fell into the air like poison.
Seraphina's expression did not change.
But her fingers loosened just slightly.
Charlos dropped a fraction.
"AHHH !!"
His scream tore through the air, raw and primal.
For a moment, it truly seemed as if she would let go.
The CP0 agent tensed instantly, ready to move.
Rosward's heart nearly stopped.
Then
Seraphina tightened her grip again.
Silence returned.
"I'll give you one chance," she said slowly, her voice devoid of emotion. "Keep him inside. Forever. He does not step outside again."
It was not a request.
It was a condition.
A final line.
In truth, killing Charlos would have been simple.
Too simple.
But Seraphina was not reckless. Killing a Celestial Dragon even one like Charlos would trigger consequences that could disrupt everything she intended to do in the future.
And more importantly
She did not kill without reason.
Even now.
Even here.
"Fine… I agree."
Rosward lowered his head slightly, the words heavy with reluctance. But there was no hesitation in his decision.
Charlos was his only son.
That alone made the choice inevitable.
"Next time…" Seraphina's gaze turned cold once more. "If I see him again, it will be the last time."
Rosward clenched his fists tightly.
Humiliation burned within him but he endured it.
Because he had no choice.
Because standing before him was not just a Marine Rear Admiral
But the daughter of Saint Victor Roselith.
A lineage he could never challenge.
"I hope you understand what that means."
Without waiting for a response, Seraphina released her grip.
Charlos flew backward
Crashing heavily onto the polished floor inside the palace.
"Ahh ! That hurts!"
He groaned, curling into himself, trembling.
Seraphina did not spare him another glance.
With a light step, she pushed off the railing and vanished from the balcony in a fluid motion.
The white coat behind her fluttered in the wind
And for a brief moment, the word "Justice" was clearly visible.
Rosward froze.
"…Marine?"
Only now did realization strike him.
Seraphina
Had joined the Marines.
Confusion filled his mind. The Roselith Family, one of the pillars of Celestial Dragon authority, allowing their daughter to serve under the banner of the Marines?
It made no sense.
But no matter how much he thought about it
He could not understand.
Because unlike them
He had no real power.
Only wealth.
Only status.
And in the world of the strong
That meant very little.