Viola, who had overdone her role as an adopted daughter, concentrated her mind.

Unlike Sheilan, she didn’t need to gather leaves or use the grass around her.

This was because an endless flower field formed at her fingertips.

A voice rang out around Viola, wrapped in a watery veil.

“I don’t like that uncle.”

Pongpong whimpered.

“Apoda.”

“Just hold on a bit.”

“Okay. I’m the great Pongpong, so I can endure… Ugh, I can’t!”

A man swung a wooden sword.

Though, it was ambiguous to even call it a wooden sword.

It seemed he had picked up a branch from somewhere.

The man’s name was Heron, and he was the absolute ruler of Winter Castle.

He was one of the few who could torment Pongpong and was also Viola’s father.

‘Ugh. I can’t even touch a hair on him.’

No matter how much she used her grass sword, Viola couldn’t leave even a tiny scratch on Heron.

Viola’s heart raced.

‘I need to show some growth.’

For some reason, Heron had become Viola’s sparring partner since a year ago.

It had been quite a big deal within Winter Castle.

Rarely did Heron directly spar with his children.

Even the so-called great Princess Medea had only sparred with Heron a handful of times.

Thus, all kinds of rumors swept through Winter Castle.

“Hey. Did you hear that? The Iron-Blooded Princess was apparently born with the talent of a demon.”

“I heard that too. But it seems she has to drink blood for it to be possible.”

“That’s why she decided to become the White Bellatu instead of the Black Bellatu.”

“What difference does that make?”

“Because if she goes crazy for blood, she won’t be able to have a sane mind. To become the White Bellatu requires extreme mental training, right? It was said she chose that path to govern and stabilize herself.”

Until now, the White Bellatu had always been the outskirts of the Duke’s Mansion.

The Black Bellatu was recognized as the true Bellatu in this era.

The White Bellatu had been perceived as a failure.

“Whoa, so there were such circumstances?”

“She has the talent of a demon but the heart of an angel.”

In any case, Viola had the opportunity to spar with Heron, and thanks to that, her name within Winter Castle gradually soared.

However, Viola was nearly dying from the experience.

They say a thirsty person digs a well.

That was exactly Viola in this situation.

Sparring with Heron now and then, she desperately needed to grow stronger.

“Master, teach me hard. I’ll give you a hefty bonus.”

Sheilan was a tree that gave without reserve.

As long as you provided water (money), you could get anything.

“Bichen oppa. Let’s spar.”

Viola repeatedly engaged in sparring with Bichen, whom she had been avoiding.

There was no choice.

It was evident that if she showed no sign of growth, she would be left behind.

She had dreamed of a thin, long, happy life, but things just kept escalating.

Viola let out a rough sigh.

“Let’s call it a day.”

Heron pushed Viola right to her limits like a ghost.

He would only stop the sparring just before she fainted.

“I’ll show you a better side next time.”

Please, can we stop sparring already? My life is hanging by a thread every day.

She couldn’t bring herself to say that.

“You’re visiting the 6th Magic Tower, right?”

“Yes, I have someone to contact.”

“I see.”

Heron nodded.

“What’s the reason for the contact?”

“To take responsibility for what I started.”

She needed a mage to teach Benato, and someone who would embrace Benato with love.

Viola knew there was a suitable person at the 6th Magic Tower.

“They said they refused your visit to the Magic Tower.”

The Magic Tower was the most closed-off place on the continent.

It was very difficult to enter unless you were a magician or a paid employee of the Magic Tower.

Even a high-ranking noble couldn’t enter without a special reason.

“Is that so?”

“Are you still going to the Tower regardless of the refusal?”

“Yes.”

Heron frowned slightly.

The Magic Tower does not forgive trespassers.

It could lead to quite a troublesome situation.

After parting with Viola and returning to his study, Heron called for Carlton.

“You called, Duke?”

“Support Viola.”

…What?”

Carlton thought he must have misheard.

In all his years serving the Duke, it was the first time he heard him say to support someone who wasn’t himself.

“They say she’s going to the Tower.”

“Where to?”

“6th Magic Tower.”

Carlton’s expression deepened.

“Are you thinking of war?”

Winter Castle and the 6th Magic Tower were geographically close.

Moreover, recently the 6th Magic Tower had been deeply involved in the conflict over the Golden Road, leading to frequent disputes with Winter Castle.

‘If Princess Viola dies there… we could have justification to strike the Tower.’

Support Viola?

That was indeed a strange order.

Though it was formally declared as support, it was interpreted as a directive to follow and collect evidence.

Evidence to prove Viola’s death.

It all clicked.

‘The Duke sparring with Princess Viola was to show public relations!’

That way, the Duke would have grounds to crush the Magic Tower, having lost his beloved daughter.

It seemed the Duke had been planning for today since a year ago.

“Ahem! I don’t mean to be rude, Duke, but…”

Carlton cleared his throat once.

“Duke, Viola has been showing some great potential.”

To be honest, Carlton didn’t want Viola to die.

She had grown into an excellent Bellatu and had always shown her best sides.

“I know.”

“So why not give her a bit more time?”

It was too wasteful to sacrifice a child like that.

The words rose to Carlton’s throat.

“I don’t understand what you’re saying, Chief Butler.”

Heron had trusted Carlton all along.

There was a solid trust in Carlton, and he was a butler worthy of that trust.

But today, he felt a bit displeased, which was unusual for Carlton.

“I mean to ensure that Viola doesn’t die or get hurt. Discreetly.”

Carlton’s mind grew muddled.

He had never given such an order regarding the child of a Bellatu.

It was a very strange command.

He couldn’t grasp the Duke’s intentions.

“…I understand.”

There must be something I’m not aware of.

It was hard to understand the deeper motives, but he decided to follow the command.

*

“What brings you here, calling on me like this?”

Hixson was no longer the old Hixson.

The figure of a drunken fool was nowhere to be seen, replaced instead by a hero who had graced an era.

The potbelly he once had disappeared, and his previously slender arms and legs were filled with well-defined muscles.

The atmosphere he radiated, once akin to that of a cripple, was now the aura of the Black Hixson.

“You looked like a rotten fish eye, but you’re back to life.”

“Just trying to be a better adult.”

“For whom?”

“For my daughter.”

The quill Heron was holding snapped!

Anyway, that word “daughter” pierced him.

“Isn’t your daughter dead?”

“I have a new daughter now. Didn’t you know?”

“Did you marry someone without my knowledge?”

“Better introduce me to a woman before you say such things.”

It seemed Heron didn’t want to acknowledge any relation to Hixson’s daughter.

On the contrary, Hixson was keen to insist she was indeed his daughter.

“On paper, you have no daughter.”

“Having a daughter on paper doesn’t compare to having a special daughter, even if she’s violent.”

“Are you perhaps referring to me as violent?”

“Well, I didn’t mention anyone, did I?”

Luckily, Carlton was not present in this conversation.

If he had been, he would have been sweating bullets listening to the two’s exchange.

Their conversation, appearing like a squabble between young boys, was actually filled with the clash of mana that could rival a battlefield.

The aura of Black Hixson and Duke Heron clashed, causing the entire Winter Castle to shake.

“Is there something you need from me?”

“I’m giving you an order.”

“Hmph! An order?”

Hixson scoffed loudly, crossing his arms.

It seemed like steam was escaping from his nose with indignation at the mention of an order.

“Even if I can’t defeat you…”

He scratched the back of his neck.

“When I leave, I’ll at least take one of your arms with me.”

All this time, Hixson trained vigorously where no one could see him.

He truly wanted to be a good adult.

He even postponed his research on “Heat Wind” and focused solely on training.

He was earnest and had grown higher because of that earnestness.

“Vi…”

Heron almost said “Viola” but changed his mind.

“My youngest daughter will head to the 6th Magic Tower. It’s an uninvited place. There might be some conflicts, big and small.”

When Viola’s name came up, Hixson softened a bit.

“And?”

“Protect my youngest daughter so she doesn’t get hurt.”

It was an extremely peculiar order for a Bellatu, but Hixson was completely oblivious to the strangeness.

He took it as a matter of course, unlike the intelligent and capable Carlton.

“I’ve already lost one daughter. I’m not repeating that mistake.”

I couldn’t protect my biological daughter, but I will protect the one born in my heart.

He lived with that promise, reaffirming it hundreds of times each day.

With another scoff, Hixson turned away.

“I’ll protect her not because it’s your order, but because it’s my will.”

What a trivial command! Hixson walked away.

Before leaving, he added one last remark.

“Try being a bit more honest in front of your daughter. She’s not some tsundere.”

Hixson had recently been reading romance novels that noble young ladies were supposedly fond of.

What do young noble ladies like?

Why do they like it?

What are their psychological states like?

What kind of person seems cool in their eyes?

“You don’t even know what a tsundere is, do you?”

Reading romance novels was one of Hixson’s efforts to become a good dad.

Heron didn’t know what ‘tsundere’ meant, but somehow it left a bad taste in his mouth.

No one at Winter Castle knew that this exchange had occurred between Heron and Hixson.

Meanwhile, Viola packed her belongings, enveloped in worries.

‘I must take responsibility…

I’ve already said it nicely to Hela.

I’ve mentioned it to my father, so I can’t turn back now.

‘It’s a done deal now.’

I must go to the 6th Magic Tower.

There, I had to meet Elcina, Sirson’s abandoned disciple, called the nuisance of the 6th Magic Tower.

Given the nature of the Tower, it would likely be a tough process.

“Pongha, you can protect me, right?”

“Of course! I’m great, after all.”

“When magic comes flying and the magical weapons attack, block it well.”

“Just trust Pongha, only Pongha.”

Yeah.

You’re the only one who can protect me(?).

Zeno will hardly intervene anyway.

And I can’t drag along a bunch of knights or anything, or it might look like a declaration of war against the 6th Magic Tower.

Viola set off on the road with just Zeno.

‘I am an innocent being… This should be enough personnel to make that claim.’

She heard Zeno’s voice from outside the carriage.

“We’re nearing the 6th Magic Tower’s territory.”

Shortly after, sirens began to sound from various places.

It was a magical notification telling unauthorized individuals to turn back.

There were several warnings.

They stated that if one did not return, magical weapons would fire.

“What should we do?”

“Stop.”

Viola stepped out of the carriage.

“I’m going through. Right to the entrance of the Tower.”

Viola began to walk slowly with the water curtain unfurled.

At first, light magical attacks poured down.

They delivered minor shocks or made her skin itch, or suddenly made her feel the urge to use the restroom.

It was at that level.

“We are now truly entering the area of the Magic Tower, Princess. This will not end with simple warnings.”

Zeno smiled as always.

At the same time, a magical notification sounded.

[This area is the territory of the Magic Tower.]

[The Magic Tower does not forgive trespassers.]

[If you do not turn back, the firing of magical weapons will commence.]

Huff.

Viola exhaled.

I expected this much.

“Let’s go.”

But then, an unexpected situation arose.

“Hey, these Magic Tower guys are going too far! I’m starting to get angry, you know?”

A new figure, unplanned in Viola’s scheme, revealed itself.