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“Unknown… how could that be… Siel, why are you here?”

“Father is probably on his way back from his business trip; I just heard you were coming.”

The mention of an alias used by Unknown during his time in the organization caused Nova’s eyebrows to twitch slightly.

He stiffened his expression, but Siel’s eyes shone white as if she was convinced of something.

‘Looks like I’ve been completely exposed.’

Siel’s unique ability, ‘Sian,’ allows her to see through all lies of her opponents.

Unless there is a significant gap in skill, deceitful reactions won’t work on her.

“You’ve gotten stronger while we were apart; have you been training?”

Two weeks since the start of the vacation, Siel’s skills were noticeably different from two weeks ago.

The aura emanating from her was already attempting to break through walls.

‘She’s nearing the Master level of a 3-star while just on the verge of 2-star.’

Most who handle mana aura are considered decent knights by the time they reach 2 stars.

Being a 2-star means one is a top-tier adventurer and, in terms of knights, equivalent to a squad captain.

In Stella’s case, with only mana enhancement, she’s on a whole different level, but she’s almost reaching that level too.

“It’s because of my lack of skill; if you had fought me, things might have gone differently.”

“…As I mentioned before, that’s not the reason; I just…”

“No, I know, that look in your eyes— you judged me as worthless.”

Nova couldn’t find a rebuttal to her words.

In truth, other heroines besides Stella were merely pawns in his game.

If there was something he could gain by filling their favor like playing a game, he would use it.

He knew that there were a few who expressed interest in him during that process.

The moment he realized they were people just like him, not game NPCs, he didn’t want to give them unnecessary chances to be hurt.

He also knew it was a rationalization that he was scum.

He wouldn’t give them a chance, but it was true that he approached them intentionally to get what he wanted.

However, he would cut them off without hesitation if it seemed like the relationship was becoming more than necessary.

But the heroine in front of him, Siel, was different.

“If I get stronger than that girl, then you can fight me again, right?”

No matter how hard he tried to cut her off, she wouldn’t break away. Nova felt a similar vibe from Siel as he did from Stella.

It wasn’t mere obsession; it felt as if something was lacking, like a child yearning for affection.

He had no memories of sharing a bond with her that would make her long for him this much at the academy.

“You… already knew since before that day we met at the academy, didn’t you?”

*

Whenever she closed her eyes, a sight always entered her mind.

“Why… why you….”

“Quickly, bring a doctor! Right now!”

The beautifully tended garden was stained with blood, and the surroundings were extremely noisy.

In front of her was a girl with purple hair, sorrowfully crying while holding her deceased mother.

Siel couldn’t comprehend.

‘Why is she crying?’

‘You couldn’t protect her; you should have safeguarded her, right?’

‘I’m the one who wants to cry; that person is my mother…’

“Lies… it’s all lies…” A chilling aura began to seep from Siel’s body like a frost.

In resonance, Selena’s cold body emanated an intense aura of frost.

“Duchess…? Oh, damn!?”

In the face of that intense wave, everyone nearby, including Stella, Unknown, and others, were thrown away.

Except for Unknown, who barely planted his sword on the ground, everyone else was either smashed against the wall or knocked out.

Stella, who was already pushing her limits, lost consciousness the moment she was hit by the shockwave.

“This… can it be…?”

The white energy emanating from the deceased Duchess began to be drawn entirely into Siel.

As if she had already lost conscious, Siel’s eyes became vacant, the whites alone remaining as she stood there absorbing the energy.

Unknown, or rather Nova, quickly understood what was happening.

“The inheritance of her unique ability… all her power is transferring to Siel.”

The Ice Witch’s unique ability was the heritage and identity passed down from the Gruwein family.

Originally, the previous inheritor should have passed on their power, but if the inheritor died, it is passed on to someone close by.

An icy aura that could freeze one to the bone began to spread across the ground around Siel.

“This is… dangerous!”

He was losing control of the overwhelming negative energy. If he let it be, Siel would be in danger too.

He created a fireball in his hand and attempted to cut through the chilly air, but the flame quickly extinguished.

At that moment, one of the instigators of the princess kidnapping, Lao Chen, shackled in chains, asked Nova.

“That looks dangerous… should I help?”

“Shut up, criminal; who would trust you?”

“Using copy-based fire magic isn’t enough… then….”

Creak, crack… The grotesque sound of bones twisting emerged from Nova’s hand as crimson aura began to seep out.

“…I don’t know if this will work, but… please.. Mors Dominum.”

“…What’s that?!”

Lao Chen’s expression turned to one of shock, unable to believe it.

The runes inscribed on Nova’s palm began to absorb all of Siel’s coldness.

It more closely resembled the energy itself being eliminated rather than just absorbing the coldness.

“Got it! Somehow I managed to eliminate the surrounding mana….”

Perhaps sensing the disappearance of the mana, Siel’s negative energy erupted once again.

Though visibly diminished from the earlier power, it still remained threatening.

Lao Chen observed Nova with interest and muttered.

“Erasing only the mana surrounding the target… using the Rune of Death like that… interesting, isn’t it?”

“You… seem to know something about this… let’s settle this later.”

With those words, Nova leaped into the storm of ice surrounding Siel.

*

Siel loved her mother.

It was thanks to her mother’s endless love and meticulous care that allowed her to awaken her abilities at seven and overcome nearly eight years of absence.

However, that vacancy was more than enough time for Selena’s health to deteriorate and weaken.

[Father… how can I help mother recover?]

Fearing that she would fall behind others, the Duke pushed Siel hard.

[As a duchess, show her appropriate worth; then Selena will improve.]

Siel diligently followed his advice. The more she fell behind, the harder she worked — learning diverse knowledge and the Duke’s swordsmanship. She believed that by doing so, her mother would surely return.

Yet, the reality that unfolded before her did not change; her cold mother remained in Siel’s arms.

“I should have protected her…”

Not Stella, not Unknown, it wasn’t about trust. If only she had been stronger, or if she could prove herself as a duchess for her mother,

“What… should I… do…?”

At that moment, a man appeared through the storm.

“Unknown…”

Siel’s expression hardened as she looked at him. It was completely expressionless, void of warmth.

“Leave. This is a space for my mother and me.”

As Siel reached out, frost gathered around her, forming sharp ice shards threateningly directed at Nova.

The shards flew toward him but only skimmed by; none made solid contact.

Siel, exhausted, hung her head and began to murmur bitterly.

“I don’t care anymore… Without my mother, there’s no one to show my worth… I have no reason to live.”

Nova approached her without saying a word and slowly embraced Siel.

He offered no comforting words; he simply held her quietly, a bit tighter.

With that alone, it was enough to break down the walls of emotions Siel had built for so long.

“Waaah… Waaah!”

Inevitably shedding her tears like a child seeking affection, Siel revealed herself beyond the mask of a duchess.

After crying for a long moment, the massive storm of ice surrounding Siel finally began to subside.

In Nova’s embrace, she whispered softly, “You know… Unknown… what should I do…?”

“…”

“Tell me, when the king dies in chess, the knight has no worth, right?”

“Yeah… in chess, when the king dies, the game is over.”

“I couldn’t protect my mother.”

“However, reality is somewhat different from chess.”

Siel lifted her gaze to Nova. Her eyes were still trembling.

“The king is a protected entity, but at times, he can also become someone who protects everyone, just like your mother.”

Nova held her gaze firmly as he continued speaking.

“You will become the next king, just like your mother— someone who protects others.”

“I will… become the next… like my mother…”

“In that sense, the Duchess has already won because she protected you, the next generation’s king.”

After pondering his words multiple times, Siel finally looked directly at Nova and said,

“I still don’t fully understand… so can you stay by my side and teach me more?”

Understanding her intentions, Nova frowned a little, then sighed and replied,

“…That would be a bit difficult… but I can play chess with you sometimes… why are you staring at me like that?”

Siel, whose white eyes shone with a beam-like clarity, soon bowed her head, a gentle blush creeping onto her cheeks.

“I was just wondering if that’s really your face… I think I like that look better.”

At that moment, Nova didn’t catch the softly whispered words.

 

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