The thick smoke of cigarettes hung in the air, swirling and intertwining with the sounds of chaos reverberating through the Black Company Main headquarters. Jammed with people in black uniforms, the HQ was busy as the marketplace. It took Arthur and me a whole ten minutes to arrive at Lady Megistus's office.

"Lady Megistus, it's me," Arthur said after knocking at the door.

A muffled voice, laced with feigned nonchalance, floated from behind the door, "I'm not here! Come back tomorrow."

"Oh, you certainly here, My Lady," Arthur barged into the room with me.

The stark contrast to the chaotic world outside, Quina's office was a sanctuary of order and peace. A sense of serenity permeated the room with lots of nature paintings hanging in the perfect position.

In the center of the room, Quina reclined on a plush sofa, her feet being massaged by a cat maid. She was relaxed and engrossed in reading a newspaper as if the chaos outside held no sway over her. A flicker of annoyance crossed her features as the door swung open.

"Well, well, well, look at them, Mrs. Laeyfann," Quina muttered in a sarcastic tone, her eyes fixed on Arthur and me. "Barging into the Mahamagi Office without permission. Why do I feel this city doesn't respect me as their Ruler?"

Her words dripped with playful sarcasm, but it was clear she relished the attention. Mrs. Laeyfann, the cat maid, let out a soft chuckle, seemingly unbothered by Quina's antics. With mischievous intent, she tightened her grip on Quina's mana point, eliciting a surprised reaction from the ruler.

"O-Oh! Yes, t-that's really good!" Quina moaned.

Arthur cleared his throat and bowed before saying, "My Lady, I present you The Princess of Darkness."

Quina's opened her eyes and looked at me amusedly, "Oh! So it's you. My my, Arthur, why didn't you tell me? I could prepare a proper welcoming to our Princess… What was it again?"

"Princess of Darkness," I replied with an awkward smile. Why do I feel I was being mocked here?

"Ah, yes, yes, the self-proclaimed Devil," Quina nodded before pointing at the door, "Now, Ms. Laeyfann, dearest Arthur, the door is that way."

... Wait, what? Why did she want to talk to me alone? I-I got a bad feeling about this. Scared, I looked into Arthur but right before I could say anything, with chilling intimidation, Quina declared,

"Don't make me repeat myself."

As the other two bowed politely and left me alone with the Mahamagi, a heavy silence settled in the room. Quina closed her newspaper and looked at me. The weight of her piercing gaze bore down on me, and I could feel the intensity of her scrutiny. Could it be she was suspicious about me?

Quina leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees, "You've piqued my curiosity, Princess. Capturing the culprit of The Hexagon Massacre, exposing and destroying The Order's secret facility, and killing two Lectors of the White Order in the process. Oh boy, you did our hundred years' worth of work in just a week," she said with a playful tone before taking out a vial from her pocket and putting it on the table.

It was a vial filled with formalin and.... an eye. Immediately, I recognized the Spear Mark engraved on it, the unmistakable symbol of The Seed of The Devil. It was Ayunda's eye.

Quina's smile grew wider, her eyes sparkling with mischief as she leaned back, crossing her legs elegantly. "Ah, the look on your face says it all," she teased. "You recognize to whom this eye belongs."

It took all my courage to ask, "What did you do to her?"

Quina raised an eyebrow, clearly amused by my distress. "I made her an example—a warning to all who dare oppose me," she replied, relishing in her words. "I can only imagine that death would have been a mercy for her in the end. A grace I don't have the heart to give for that Criminal."

... I clenched my fist. Anguish gripped my heart, regret choking my throat as I faced the consequences of my choices. Despite the atrocities committed by Ayunda, she had been manipulated by Pater, and forced into her role. The kind and gentle Ayunda..., she didn't deserve that fate. It should've been Pater!

I took a breath and tried to be calm, "... And what of the children?" I pressed.

Quina's smile widened, a glint of malice in her eyes, "Ho? Do you care for them?" she taunted, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "How surprising. I never would have guessed that you would be such a hypocrite. After all, you just killed their protectors."

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

Yet Quina crossed her arm in annoyance, "after a thorough examination, the investigators conclude that the children had yet been corrupted by The Order's Dogma. Though, I noticed they have sort of a gap in their memories. Could you know about this?"

Surprised by her words, I fought to keep my composure... Judging from her question, it seemed Arthur didn't report everything that happened. couldn't afford to reveal the truth, to let Quina know the extent of the Order's influence. Her extreme way of thinking could spark an inquisition. But at the same time, I couldn't show too much sympathy for the children, for that would only arouse Quina's suspicion.

"I was nothing more than a prisoner, following the orders of my Master," I responded, my words were carefully chosen.

Quina closed her eyes, a satisfied smirk playing on her lips. "Considering the children were raised under the watchful eyes of a Lector their entire lives, I have taken precautions," she revealed, her tone chillingly calm. "I have sentenced them to a lifetime of servitude in Hexagon, where they will toil away as miners, dedicating their lives to the service of the population."

...!

"Aw, come on, don't stand there all stiff like that. Take a seat, Princess," Quina said, rising from her chair and making her way to the kitchen.

As Quina busied herself in the kitchen, a mix of emotions churned within me. I... I couldn't believe what I heard. Wasn't that crueler than a death sentence? She just sent them for lifetime torture! How can one become so cruel?

Soon, Quina returned, a tray of tea in her hands. She delicately set it on the table, pouring the fragrant brew into dainty porcelain cups. With a graceful gesture, she invited me to join her.

"Let's take a moment to relax and have a pleasant afternoon chat, Princess," Quina suggested, her tone oddly light given the weight of our conversation. She took a leisurely sip of her tea, clearly relishing its flavor.

... To avoid suspicion, reluctantly, I followed suit, raising the cup to my lips. But as the liquid touched my tongue, all I could taste was a bitter blend of disgust and fear, etched deeply within my heart. After all, who could enjoy tea while looking at that vial?!

"The Mahamagi is the order of Alexandria, and the order is always just. That's what I believed in, " Quina started with an ominous statement as she flicked the vial, "I doubted your claim as The Devil, who cowardly hid for thousand years, avoiding its fate to die and save the world. Yet, on a strange coincidence, I stumbled upon a Nyghtingale scripture."

As Quina leaned in even closer, I found myself edging away, but before I knew it, I was backed up against the end of the sofa.

"Do you know what I found?" Quina asked, her fingers grazing my chin seductively.

"... R-Rubbish?" I replied, my voice trembling.

Quina chuckled, her breath tickling my ear. "Precisely. Who would believe such bullshit, right?" She pushed me down and continued, "Yet, within those ramblings, I stumbled upon a peculiar verse. It was a ballad about The Hero and The Devil."

"M-My Lady... You're too close!" I protested, attempting to resist her, but she effortlessly overpowered me, rendering me helpless.

No, that wasn't right. My arm... weakened?

"The Hero could only be born by consuming the forbidden Seed from The Loom of Fate, maturing after defying death time and time again. But The Devil, well, it had special circumstances," Quina said while locking my hand with a special handcuff.

The moment it touched my skin, my powers were sealed completely. The white feature of that handcuff, shite...! It was forged with The Snake Marrow!

"The Seed of the Devil has always existed within each of us. But it can only mature by drenching it in the blood of a god. And when I see the state of this eye..." Quina's voice trailed off, her conviction unwavering. "Now, I have become a believer."

... My consciousness faded, as I lost all of my power. The weakness wasn't caused by The Snake Marrow. But how...? Then I noticed the tea. Quina's cup was full. She pretended to drink it and lured me into her trap. Dammit, how could I be this careless?! The tea was obviously poisoned!

... But why?

As my vision dimmed, a figure materialized behind Quina. It was the cat maid, Ms. Laeyfann, or so I thought. But then, she shed her disguise, revealing short brown hair and a familiar grin. It quickly dawned on me that she was Kiara all along.

"So, what do you think? My Heroine is amazing, right, Big Sis?" Kiara exclaimed, wrapping her arms around Quina in an affectionate embrace.

"With Animata I stole from The Order and Mom's blueprint, I summoned a primordial goddess. Though her full potential is still locked in her memory. But monitoring her for these past days, I think facing life and death situation served as a catalyst to her awakening."

"What do you suggest, Kiara?"

"It's time to send her to Hexagon with her Divinity sealed. Sealing her overpowered blood manipulation would force her to awaken her other Animata. That way, I could extract more data, and hopefully, by the end of the month, our dream of mass-producing Malice would be a reality."

Quina chuckled softly as she gently closed my eyes with her hand,

"Get it done, quickly. I can hardly wait to see the result."

Kiara replied cheerfully, "Okey-dokey! Oh ya, can I take that murderer's body home? I want to play around with her."

Quina sighed, "You know, Arthur would be quite sad if he found out the truth about you."

"Let men indulge in their delusion. My focus is solely on seeking justice for Mom," Kiara chuckled as she approached me and gently touch my cheek, "Oh, C'mon, after all of my hard work, I deserved a toy. You know, it was hard to infiltrate The Order, spreading lies and deception within, leading to internal conflict that hosted them a facility and two Lectors. Hihi, but it was worth it. The trouble I made awakened her first Animata. Uwh, seeing her power, I can't hold the inspiration back anymore, I wanna try it soon!"

Quina smiled wryly, "What an evil woman. Fine, go get her on the 9th floor."

"Yaay! Thanks, big Sis! I love you!"

No, it can't be. All this time... It was just Kiara's plot to awaken my power? I-I couldn't...my eyes were so heavy... I...

"Sleep well, my heroine."