Edsel walked out of the office while staring at his own hands.
To be honest, he was surprised by the outcome of everything that had just happened. Achieving a third circle this easily had been a piece of cake for him, although reaching the fourth circle would have to be much more complicated in the future.
After absorbing the life force of the maids that he had killed earlier, he had only increased his mana by five percent. But that did not matter to him right now. He wanted to become stronger, and he would have to do anything necessary to go beyond his current level.
Suddenly, a pair of hands grabbed him and dragged him into a corner.
He was pushed against the wall and found himself looking down at Fiora, who was staring up at him furiously. Her face was almost red with anger.
"What is it?" he asked flatly.
"What is it?" she repeated, incredulous. "Is that really all you have to say after ignoring me for four days?"
Edsel sighed.
"I was curious about something," she continued. "Why did you suddenly decide to end the engagement so easily?"
"You really are presumptuous," Edsel muttered.
Her eyes widened. "What?"
"You came all the way to my estate and announced you wanted to break the engagement first. Now you're upset because I didn't chase after you." His hand caught her wrist and pulled it away from his collar. She winced as he pushed her arm aside. "Don't tell me you're actually in love with me."
"N-no! Of course not!" she stammered. "But—"
"We should keep things this way," Edsel interrupted calmly. "Distance suits us better. We'll probably see each other at the academy anyway… if fate allows it."
His eyes drifted briefly to her injured arm.
"Take care of yourself," he added quietly. "Life might become difficult for you now that our engagement is over."
Fiora frowned and she had no idea what he meant.
"Young master, please refrain from holding or coming into close contact with my lady. You two are no longer engaged to each other," Elena intervened while stepping forward and adjusting her glasses.
Edsel slowly turned toward her.
"I'm certain I warned you before," he said softly, "not to interfere with me."
Elena stiffened as he approached.
"D-don't come any closer!" she cried, backing away. "I'm a member of the Alastair family! Miss, say something—"
Her words ended in a strangled gasp.
Edsel's hand shot forward and closed around her throat, slamming her against the wall.
"Gah—!"
Elena choked as her feet lifted slightly from the ground. Her fingers clawed helplessly at his wrist.
"Edsel, stop!" Fiora shouted.
Edsel turned his head. The killing intent that burst from him forced Fiora back a step. Instinctively, her hand moved toward where her sword should have been.
She hadn't brought it.
"If you don't stop," she warned through clenched teeth, "I'll treat you as my enemy."
Edsel stared at his father's office door for a moment and quickly stopped his attack. Fighting now might easily anger his father even more than he already was. The outcome of the mess that he had made in the room with the maids was something that he would have to deal with later. He would probably be punished for a while because of it. But fighting Fiora now would make everything much worse, so he stopped himself.
"Ah," Elena gasped while breathing heavily as she noticed Edsel releasing her neck.
But Edsel could not let this woman just go free. She might become a threat to him in the future, and she was starting to make him angry with her constant interference. Suddenly, he thought of an idea.
He activated his skill immediately. "Active Authority: Chains of the Black Covenant," he chanted under his breath.
The chains appeared and were visible only to Edsel's eyes. They pierced through Elena's forehead without any physical resistance. Strangely enough, she saw the chains approaching her and her eyes widened in terror.
"What is that—"
She did not get to finish her words before her expression went completely blank. Edsel covered her mouth quickly and whispered something directly into her ear.
Fiora stood there dumbfounded while watching the scene unfold before her. Suddenly, Elena bumped into Edsel as she walked away from him and stood next to Fiora again.
"Let us go, young miss," Elena said while adjusting her glasses as if nothing had happened.
"Huh? Elena?" Fiora asked with confusion.
"Take care, Fiora. I will not be seeing you out," Edsel said while turning away from them.
"As if I would want you to see me out anyway," Fiora responded while regaining her composure. "I will see you next month at the academy, Edsel."
She turned around and walked away with Elena following closely behind her.
********
Fiora had already left the manor and was inside the carriage, with Elena seated across from her. The five days she had spent in the Domitius household had felt suffocating. It wasn't warm like a normal home, it felt more like a battlefield.
Now she was beginning to understand Edsel's behavior over the past years.
"Aaah…" she sighed.
It was embarrassing to admit that she had still been worried about him after what had happened between them.
Still, despite everything, she couldn't deny the determination he had shown. Even while everyone mocked him for being weak and untrained, he had still achieved his goal.
Maybe… he really had been a good kid after all.
She turned her gaze to the window. They had finally left the Domitius territory , but the weather was quickly getting worse.
"Miss, it seems it will rain soon," one of the soldiers muttered while staring at the darkening sky.
"You're right," Fiora said quietly, a hint of worry in her voice. "Please go faster."
She leaned back in her seat, folding her arms.
"Anyway, Elena, what you did back then—"
She paused.
Elena had been silent ever since they left the manor. That alone was strange. Normally she would be complaining nonstop about Edsel, yet now she hadn't said a single word. Was she still in shock from being strangled?
Fiora smiled gently to reassure her. Elena had always been like a mother to her, the one who had raised and cared for her since she was young. Though sometimes… she could be a little too overprotective.
Elena was staring out the window as the rain began to fall. It wasn't heavy yet, but the wind made the surrounding trees sway violently.
"Elena…?"
The moment Fiora touched her shoulder, Elena suddenly smiled and lifted her head.
"My lord, as you wish. I shall do as you instructed!"
Before Fiora could react—
Bang.
Elena slammed her forehead against the glass window.
Then she lifted her head again.
"Again!"
Bang.
"Stop!" Fiora's eyes widened in terror as she rushed forward to grab her. "What are you doing?!"
But Elena kept going.
Bang.
Bang.
"STOP THIS! HELP!"
The soldiers outside heard the commotion. Just as they were about to slow the carriage and open the door, Elena suddenly grabbed Fiora's rapier.
In one swift motion, she drove the blade into Fiora's right arm.
"AAAH!" Fiora screamed in pain.
She kicked Elena away instinctively. The force sent Elena crashing into the carriage door, which burst open from the impact. Everything seemed to move in slow motion from Fiora's perspective.
She watched helplessly as the woman who had raised her… the woman who had cared for her like a daughter… fell out of the moving carriage.
"Elena—!"
Fiora reached out her hand, but it was already too late. Elena hit the muddy road and rolled violently across the ground.
"STOP THE CARRIAGE!" Fiora screamed.
But she did not wait for them to stop.
Ignoring the searing pain in her injured arm, she jumped out of the moving carriage and ran back through the pouring rain as fast as her legs could carry her.
When she finally reached Elena's broken body on the ground—
the soldiers behind her gasped in horror at what they were seeing.
"No, it cannot be," one of them whispered.
Elena's body was twisted unnaturally in multiple places. She was completely broken from the fall that she had just endured.
Rain poured heavily over both of them as Fiora collapsed to her knees beside her.
"Elena, please wake up," Fiora cried out while grabbing her.
Her hands trembled uncontrollably as she held onto the woman who had raised her.
"ELENA!"
Her desperate scream was swallowed entirely by the sound of the rain falling around them.