The forest had grown quiet again.
Rain dripped slowly from the branches above, tapping softly against the fallen leaves.
The storm clouds were beginning to drift apart, revealing faint slivers of moonlight through the dark canopy.
But the peaceful sound of rain could not erase what had happened.
The nobleman's body lay motionless on the forest path.
Ruby stood a few steps away, staring down at him in silence.
Her small hands trembled slightly.
She had seen danger before. The slums had never been gentle to children.
But this…
This was different.
The nobleman had died because he noticed the truth.
Because he questioned the System.
Ruby lowered her head.
"I'm sorry,"
she whispered.
The magical creatures gathered around her slowly.
Their glowing eyes reflected the faint moonlight, watching both Ruby and the fallen body.
They had seen everything.
They had seen Angelica strike the fatal blow.
They had felt the unnatural surge of the System's mana.
And now they understood.
Ruby crouched beside them quietly.
"You saw it too, didn't you?"
she said softly.
The silver creature chirped.
The emerald one lowered its head.
They understood now.
Angelica had not been acting of her own will.
Ruby looked toward the palace far beyond the trees.
"The System forced her,"
she murmured.
The creatures exchanged quiet sounds among themselves.
They trusted Ruby.
And because Ruby trusted Angelica, they would too.
But something else stirred within the forest.
A different feeling.
A stronger instinct.
The golden-winged creature suddenly landed near the nobleman's body.
Its nose twitched.
Ruby frowned.
"Hey… wait."
The creature moved closer to the body.
Then another animal followed.
And another.
Ruby suddenly realized what was happening.
The nobleman had possessed powerful mana.
Even now, traces of it lingered around his body like fading mist.
For magical creatures, mana was more than energy.
It was nourishment.
Ruby felt her chest tighten.
"Don't…"
But the creatures were already reacting.
Their instincts were stronger than their understanding.
The emerald creature stepped forward and touched the nobleman's hand with its nose.
A faint glow of mana flickered.
The creature absorbed it instinctively.
Ruby's heart sank.
The others quickly followed.
Small flickers of light rose from the body as the animals fed on the remaining mana.
It wasn't violent.
It wasn't cruel.
It was simply natural.
Ruby clenched her fists.
"I can't stop them…"
The silver creature looked back at her hesitantly.
Ruby shook her head slowly.
"It's not your fault."
Her voice was quiet.
"You're just following your instincts."
In the slums, Ruby had learned one harsh truth very early.
Nature did not obey human feelings.
Animals survived the way they always had.
And even though Ruby could guide them…
She could not change what they were.
The faint glow around the nobleman's body slowly faded.
His mana dissolved into the creatures of the forest.
The night wind rustled through the trees.
Ruby stared at the ground.
The world of the otome game had always seemed beautiful when she played it as a child.
Elegant nobles.
Romantic stories.
Happy endings.
But now that she stood inside that world…
She could see its darker side.
Manipulation.
Control.
Death.
And behind it all—
The System.
Ruby slowly walked toward the fallen weapon lying near the nobleman.
The blade still glowed faintly.
It was unlike any weapon Ruby had seen before.
The metal was dark silver, almost black in the moonlight.
Strange patterns were etched along its surface.
Ruby crouched beside it carefully.
The magical creatures immediately backed away.
They could feel the unnatural mana surrounding the weapon.
Ruby hesitated.
Then slowly picked it up.
The moment her fingers touched the handle—
A strange pulse traveled through her body.
Her eyes widened.
"…This weapon."
It felt different.
Alive.
Not truly alive, but something close.
Ruby closed her eyes briefly, focusing on the mana inside it.
The same energy she had sensed earlier.
Angelica's mana.
But twisted.
Forced.
As if the System had taken Angelica's power and bound it into the blade.
Ruby's grip tightened.
"So this is how it controls her…"
The System didn't only control Angelica's body.
It used her mana as well.
Ruby looked down at the blade again.
Despite the dark energy, she could still feel faint traces of Angelica's true power hidden inside it.
Not corrupted.
Just trapped.
Just like Angelica herself.
Ruby slowly stood.
The blade felt surprisingly balanced in her hands.
Almost like it had been waiting for someone.
The silver creature hopped onto her shoulder again.
It chirped curiously at the weapon.
Ruby looked at it thoughtfully.
"This might help us."
The creatures watched her carefully.
Ruby turned the blade slightly in the moonlight.
"If the System made this weapon…"
"…then maybe we can use it against it."
The thought sent a small thrill through her chest.
For the first time since entering this world, Ruby now held something created by the System itself.
Something powerful.
Something dangerous.
Her future signature weapon.
Ruby slid the blade carefully into the cloth belt around her waist.
The forest grew silent again.
The nobleman's mana had fully faded now.
Only his empty body remained beneath the trees.
Ruby looked at him one last time.
"You tried to find the truth,"
she said quietly.
Her voice was calm now.
Determined.
"I'll finish what you started."
The magical creatures gathered around her again.
Their energy had changed.
They were stronger now after absorbing the mana.
And more alert.
They knew the truth about the System.
They knew Angelica was not their enemy.
And they knew Ruby was the one fighting to free her.
But far away inside the palace—
The System was already reacting.
Inside its invisible interface, warnings continued flashing.
The nobleman's disappearance had created a dangerous gap in the story.
The System began calculating
possible causes.
Possible suspects.
Possible anomalies.
Then a new alert appeared.
[Unregistered Mana Signature Detected.]
The signal was faint.
But it was real.
The System traced the signature carefully.
Through the forest.
Through the rain-soaked trees.
Through the fading remnants of the nobleman's mana.
And finally—
It detected something new.
Something unexpected.
[Unknown Weapon Activity Detected.]
Back in the forest, Ruby suddenly shivered.
The blade at her waist vibrated slightly.
As if it had just been noticed.
Ruby's eyes widened.
"That's not good…"
The magical creatures became restless.
They could feel it too.
The System's presence was growing stronger.
Closer.
Much closer.
Ruby turned toward the deeper forest.
"We have to move."
Because somewhere above the palace—
The System had finally found its first real clue.
And it was now pointing directly toward Ruby.