“Princess Viola said with a light smile, ‘Your warm enlightenment, Sir Elcina, can’t lead them to the bright side.’”

“You speak with such certainty.”

“Didn’t you just see? Sir Elcina, who tried to hide her name and avoid appearing before me, is right in front of me. I found Sir Elcina less than a day after entering the Magic Tower. Do you think it would have been possible if I had used only the warm methods like Sir Elcina?”

“That is….”

It was something Elcina had no choice but to admit.

She hadn’t concealed her identity very proactively.

In fact, the high officials of the Magic Tower already knew where Elcina was and what she was doing.

However, she hadn’t expected that an outsider would find her in just one day.

“I’m not saying Sir Elcina’s methods are wrong. But sometimes different methods are necessary.”

“There are many monsters in Winter Castle. Sometimes, monsters with deadly poison come down too. Do you know what the martial artists in Winter Castle do when they encounter that poison?”

“They’ll use magic to heal it, right?”

“What if it’s a special situation where even magic doesn’t work?”

“Then….”

Elcina was an outstanding mage, but she didn’t know much about the ecology of martial artists.

“I don’t know.”

“They cut off the path to the heart.”

“….…Huh?”

“If a hand gets bitten, they cut off the wrist, if the arm gets bitten, they cut off the shoulder. If a toe gets bitten, they cut off the ankle, and if the ankle gets bitten, they cut off the knee. It’s a way to prevent the poison from spreading throughout the body. In the Eastern Continent language, it’s also called a desperate measure.”

Elcina seemed to understand what Viola was trying to say.

“Are you saying we need a desperate measure too?”

“Through Yorga gymnastics, they were able to learn mana. At the very least, they could write.”

Yet no one ventured outside the Magic Tower.

No one desired freedom.

Because the fear of being shackled in freedom was greater than the fear of life outside the Magic Tower.

“Fear is relative. There are scarier things and less scary things.”

The Mercenary King Kaiser had nothing to fear in the world, but he feared pancakes.

“First, they need to experience what freedom is. Right now, they don’t even have the time or will to think about freedom.”

When something scarier arises within, they will go outside.

“Do you think Sir Elcina has done everything she can for them?”

“I am doing my best.”

“You must not have put them into fear.”

I felt that while looking at Keitarun earlier.

They had no resilience to fear at all.

Viola declared with mana.

“I’ll give you a week. Go outside the Magic Tower.”

Outwardly, they had the right to leave the Magic Tower.

As long as they properly prepare the documents and submit them, they can leave freely.

“Those who haven’t vacated this place in a week…”

The Grass Sword cut down a wooden post in the village.

“I’ll behead them.”

Elcina wanted to shout, “Stop!” but it was already too late.

Elcina had sealed her own mana and could only manage the bare minimum.

She couldn’t cope appropriately with the situation.

Elcina shot a furious glare at Viola, but she had little she could do.

And one week later.

Miraculous events began unfolding from Elcina’s point of view.

Those people in Slum No. 1, who had been so immovable, eventually submitted all their documents and were about to go outside.

The empty village square of Slum No. 1.

There, Elcina asked with a puzzled expression.

“What on earth did you do?”

“I told you. Fear is relative, right?”

“No, not that, but all the caretakers of the Magic Tower approved.”

Had it been the beggars’ documents, they would have thrown them in the trash without even looking.

“Can you tell me? If you tell me…”

Viola momentarily pondered.

“Will you become Benato’s teacher?”

“Shall we seriously negotiate?”

After considering various possibilities, Ah-rin

chose to speak as Viola would.

“Please be my person.”

Her toes clenched tightly.

Lines like this were still not familiar to her.

“Why do I feel like I’m becoming a collector of talents? Must be just my imagination?”

Viola decided to think positively.

“Oh, and you don’t have to worry about those people. I’ve put measures in place for them to adapt outside the Magic Tower. They’ll have a guide.”

“..…A guide?”

“You’ll know the name. Black Hixson.”

Elcina’s eyes widened.

To think the name of Black Hixson would come up.

Isn’t he a hero who used to work alongside Duke Heron?

“Did that big shot move?”

Viola drove a wedge into Elcina’s heart.

“I won’t say I will make Elcina my person without proving this much.”

Applying pressure to her curling fingers and toes, she presented a vision.

“I will join the world you dream of, the world you desire. So please help me too, Sir Elcina.”

*

Carlton let out a sigh of relief as he looked around.

‘Phew.’

If there had been a village around, it would have been a huge problem.

A fight between Black Hixson and the Mercenary King.

The surrounding area had been reduced to ruins, nearly nothing remaining.

Hixson’s lethal sword and Kaiser’s overwhelmingly strong mace had shattered everything in their path.

Carlton prepared a report.

[The one who initiated the fight was none other than Sir Hixson. He boldly hurled terrible insults at Kaiser, claiming he was tormenting my daughter. Kaiser, furious, charged at Hixson. Their battle lasted for four hours.]

A duel lasting four hours.

Yet neither showed signs of fatigue.

As time went on, they began to fight more viciously.

The one to interrupt their battle was a passing baby leopard.

[As the two were in the midst of battle, a baby leopard appeared, and both Sir Hixson and Kaiser sheathed their weapons. For some reason, they connected on a level and even shook hands. This is an area I find difficult to comprehend, but one thing is certain—they both weren’t giving it their all.]

To the outside observer, it looked like they were fighting for their lives.

But it wasn’t so.

If they truly were, the baby leopard wouldn’t have approached at all.

Before it could get near, it would have been shredded by the pressure of their swords.

In other words, they had both been aware of the baby leopard’s presence from the start and had adjusted their fight to avoid harming it.

“You’re not too bad.”

“Neither are you.”

Hixson and Kaiser shook hands.

“Your daughter. She’s cute.”

“Right?”

Pride swelled in Hixson’s eyes.

Not many would admit that Viola was cute.

Everyone feared her for her “Killing Star” and only trembled in fear of her.

“You’ve got an eye for it. Not many can recognize Viola’s cuteness.”

“What strange people. She was cute.”

Carlton, who had been eavesdropping on their conversation through mana, wanted to shout.

‘You guys are the strange ones.’

But then Kaiser said,

“Is that eavesdropper on our side?”

“On our side.”

“I really hate eavesdroppers. Can I kill him?”

“Not easy.”

Hixson knew Carlton’s strength well.

Even in a serious fight, it would be difficult to predict a victor.

“You lose?”

“I think I’ll win the duel.”

A duel is initiated with a signal starting in an open space.

“I think I’ll lose the battle.”

The battle is about using all means available to kill the opponent while risking one’s life.

He might win the duel but thought he would lose the battle.

Chief Butler Carlton was not someone to be treated lightly, even if he was a Black Knight.

“But the problem is, if you kill Carlton, Viola will hate you.”

“Then I can’t do that.”

Kaiser was simple-minded.

“But is it true that my insurance claim will be coming because of me?”

“Well, if I were the head of the 6th Magic Tower, I think I would do that.”

“I still don’t get it, why?”

“Well, because from the 6th Magic Tower’s perspective, it’s easier for Winter Castle to collect money from you while Winter Castle can extort money from you, right?”

Hixson turned his head the other way.

“Carlton. What do you think?”

Carlton, who had been hiding from a distance, thought, “What good is hiding?” and simply revealed himself.

“Probably so. Winter Castle will probably pay the damages first, then forcibly collect from you, Kaiser.”

Kaiser grimaced.

“Are there many like you in Winter Castle?”

“Not too many, but not few either.”

“A place swarming with monsters then.”

Kaiser let out a long sigh.

“Well then, there’s nothing I can do.”

Hixson and Carlton both tensed up simultaneously.

‘Is that muscle-headed fool about to declare war?’

‘If he gathers mercenaries to fight Winter Castle, things are going to get uncomfortable.’

But what Kaiser said was unexpected.

“I’ll become a member of Winter Castle.”

“….Huh?”

“I was getting bored as a mercenary. I’ll work in Winter Castle and make up for my losses. How about it? I’m pretty expensive.”

Carlton fell silent for a moment.

This wasn’t a decision he could make alone.

He had to formally report to the Duke.

“What’s the reason?”

“Just because I decided to be friends with her daughter.”

Kaiser laughed heartily.

“I suddenly want to help my friend.”

Unbeknownst to Viola, a powerful ally had come to Winter Castle on its own.

It was entirely unintended, but it was indeed a shining moment for White Bellatu’s skills in mercenary work.

Carlton prepared a report.

[……That’s what they say. One peculiar point: Kaiser continues to refer to Viola as Sir Hixson’s daughter. I don’t think the Duke will care much, but just in case, I’m adding this note.]

*

Elcina fell into deep thought.

“Was my method wrong?”

What she had tried to achieve for years, Princess Viola accomplished in just one week.

Her mind was in a whirl.

“No, it wasn’t wrong.”

Viola had told her that without Sir Elcina’s past efforts, today wouldn’t have been possible.

If they hadn’t learned Yorga gymnastics, they wouldn’t even have been able to write.

However, despite considering all that, the shock wouldn’t wear off.

“They’ve all gone outside from Slum No. 1.”

It was astounding that she had made the caretakers approve, but that wasn’t the end of it.

‘The ones waiting for them outside are Black Hixson and the Mercenary King.’

In fact, the Mercenary King wasn’t someone Viola had planned for.

Originally, the management of the Beggar Gang was entrusted only to Hixson, but Elcina didn’t know that.

Even just Hixson was surprising, but to have the Mercenary King leading them too?

‘Viola’s words about joining the world you desire don’t seem like exaggeration.’

Elcina couldn’t shake off the shock for a long time and finally opened her mouth.

“Now tell me.”

The caretakers of the Magic Tower usually don’t process documents well.

Especially not for the beggars’ documents.

“How could this process move so quickly?”

Elcina, who grew up in the Magic Tower, thought it was even more strange.

It was indeed an extraordinary occurrence.

“Will you be my person?”

“It seems so.”

Viola smiled slyly.

‘Yes!’

Elcina was not someone to say pointless things.

She would undoubtedly become Benato’s wonderful mother and an excellent mentor.

When Viola smiled, a chilling wind swept through.

“That method was unexpectedly simple.”

Hearing Viola’s words, Elcina sank into shock once again.