Kaelith had killed Caramel. With her death, the strange power that had bound so many people vanished, and those under her control were finally freed.

Many of them slowly opened their eyes, blinking in confusion as they rubbed their faces. Their gazes darted around, taking in the unfamiliar surroundings.

“What happened…? Why am I here?” some mumbled, their voices shaky.

But not everyone was simply confused. There were some who had lost themselves completely. Those who had been under Caramel’s control for too long had gone mad.

As their eyes landed on Caramel’s lifeless body, horror twisted their faces. A wave of agony washed over them, and then, as if something inside them had shattered, they began to act in ways no one could understand.

“No! This can’t be happening! I can’t live without my goddess!” someone screamed, clutching their head.

One by one, they started banging their heads against the walls with such force that their skulls cracked open. Others clawed at their own skin, ripping out their hair, their nails digging deep into their flesh as if trying to tear something out of themselves.

Some bit their own tongues, blood spilling from their mouths. Others grabbed whatever they could find—sharp objects, their own nails—and cut into their own arms, their eyes empty, lost in despair.

Their madness had taken them beyond saving.

The teachers who had also been freed from Caramel’s control gasped as they regained their senses. They rushed to help, trying to stop the students from hurting themselves any further.

But then, all at once, their own memories came flooding back—the things they had done while under Caramel’s influence. The cruel words they had spoken, the actions they had taken against their own student.

“No… I did this?” a teacher whispered in disbelief, their hands trembling.

Many of them felt a deep sense of guilt and horror. They couldn’t believe that they had been controlled so completely, that they had lost themselves without even realizing it.

Kaelith and Maruti stood back, watching the chaos unfold before them. But neither of them moved to help.

Kaelith let out a long sigh. “You see that?” she said, tilting her head toward the scene. “I saved you, not your boyfriend. Or… don’t tell me he was one of the ones under Caramel’s control?” She smirked slightly.

Maruti blinked several times, taken aback. “Boyfriend? Who said I have a boyfriend?” she asked, her voice filled with disbelief.

Kaelith snorted. “Hmph! Like I don’t know? Stop trying to keep it a secret,” she said, crossing her arms in what seemed like mild jealousy.

Maruti made a face, her expression filled with disgust. “A boyfriend? Me? I’d rather die than have a boyfriend!” she said firmly.

Kaelith’s eyes suddenly lit up with interest. A small smile played on her lips as she leaned in slightly. “Ohhh… so it’s actually a girl?” she teased.

“You—!” Maruti’s face turned red with anger, and she kicked at Kaelith’s legs several times. “I’m not the type to be tied down in a relationship! I like being free” she huffed.

Kaelith chuckled but said nothing.

Maruti turned her back and started walking away. “Didn’t I already tell you? Rule number three—friends don’t lie to each other. It’s up to you whether you believe me or not,” she said over her shoulder before leaving.

Kaelith watched as Maruti’s figure disappeared into the distance. She sighed, rubbing the back of her neck.

“Was I just overthinking it?” she muttered to herself. “Maybe it was some accident… Maybe she fell down the stairs and landed on someone, or something else like that. Yeah, that has to be it!”

Deciding to believe in Maruti’s words, she pushed aside her doubts.

But then, her gaze dropped to the shirt she was wearing. The moment she focused on it, a familiar scent filled her nose.

“This shirt… It smells just like Maruti.”

A warm, overwhelming fragrance surrounded her, making her feel as if she were wrapped in Maruti’s embrace. Her heart skipped a beat as she brought her hands close to her face, inhaling deeply.

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It was strange. She had never felt like this before.

Her cheeks felt a little hot, She actually thought of holding maruti's soft cheeks and about to kiss but she quickly shook her head, pushing away the weird dirty thoughts.

“Ugh, what am I even thinking?” she whispered before heading toward her own dorm room.

Even as she walked, her heart continued pounding in her chest, refusing to calm down.

-----------

While all of this chaos had been unfolding inside the academy, Esdeath had been outside. By the time she returned, everything had already settled.

She didn’t need to ask what had happened—one glance was enough. The aftermath spoke for itself.

Her sharp eyes scanned the scene as she pieced everything together in her mind.

“In *Free Life Fantasy*, Caramel was supposed to survive until midnight,” she thought. “She was like a firecracker… glowing brightly for a short time before burning out forever. Her strength grew fast, but in the end, she died on her own.”

But whatever the case, it didn’t really matter anymore. Caramel’s main purpose had been to distract Ethan so that Violet could be kidnapped.

Yet, Violet was still here.

That meant Caramel had failed completely.

With a shrug, Esdeath continued walking through the academy corridors, deep in thought.

As she turned a corner, she spotted someone heading in her direction—Maruti.

“Yo—” Esdeath started, lifting a hand in greeting.

But before she could finish, Maruti scoffed, her face twisted in irritation.

“Eat shit and die,” she snapped, not even slowing down as she walked past.

Esdeath blinked, then let out a dry laugh.

“Yeah, fuck you too,” she said casually, not bothering to look back as she continued on her way.

The encounter was brief, but Esdeath immediately understood the reason behind Maruti’s bad mood.

“Not in the mood, huh?” she muttered.

It wasn’t hard to guess. The only person who could have annoyed Maruti this much was Caramel.

With a sigh, Esdeath shook her head.

“She’ll be back to her usual self by tomorrow,” she said to herself, her voice light with amusement.

And with that, she headed toward her own dorm room, ready to put the day behind her.

------------------

Inside Esdeath’s dorm room, Selene was sitting on the bed, completely focused on a book. It wasn’t a storybook or anything about science. Instead, it was a mix of history and general knowledge.

But the real reason she was reading it had nothing to do with studying—it was all because of Lortell Mariette.

When Selene had gone out with Esdeath earlier, she had purposely chosen this book just to learn more about Lortell. Esdeath, having no idea about Selene’s true reason, had simply nodded and agreed, thinking that learning general knowledge would help Selene understand the world better.

Selene’s eyes sparkled as she read a certain section.

“Daughter of the Arch-Duke and captain of the Third Division… Dad is just so cool!” she whispered to herself, feeling a deep admiration for Lortell.

After finishing the page, she closed the book and lay down on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

“From what I know, other people don’t seem to know about Dad and Mother’s relationship. That means… this is just like the story I read yesterday,” she thought.

A bittersweet smile formed on her lips as she remembered the story.

“It was about a heroine who secretly loved the hero, and even though they had a child together, the hero’s rich family didn’t allow them to marry. So, the heroine had no choice but to raise the child alone. The hero could only visit her a few times, and whenever they met, they had small conversations before parting ways again.”

Selene sighed, feeling sad as she imagined her own parents in the same situation.

But then, her eyes suddenly lit up with excitement.

“But in the end, the hero ran away with the heroine! After facing many hardships, they finally got to live a happy life together.”

She sat up, her heart filled with determination.

“If that’s the case, then I’ll just have to reunite Dad and Mother myself!” she declared, clenching her small fists.

Just then, the door swung open, and Esdeath stepped inside.

As always, the moment Selene saw Esdeath, her mood brightened even more.

She quickly put the book aside and ran toward her, throwing her arms around Esdeath’s thighs.

“Mother! I finally refined a Rank C essence stone! All by myself!” she announced proudly, looking up at Esdeath with shining eyes.

Esdeath smiled and gently patted Selene’s head.

“Good job,” she praised.

Selene’s face turned slightly red, her heart swelling with happiness.

Letting go of Esdeath, she quickly ran back to her bed, eager to read more books.

Meanwhile, Esdeath was in a good mood as well. Today had been a successful day—she had won first place and obtained a soul-strengthening essence stone.

Although this wouldn’t completely fix her soul-related problems, it was definitely a great help for now.

Holding the essence stone in her hands, she looked at it with determination.

“I should refine it as soon as possible,” she muttered to herself.

Esdeath sat on the ground without wasting any time and took out the Warrior Spirit Essence Stone.

Unlike the Loyalty Essence Stone, which had Trynne's will inside it, this one was pure. Her system allowed her to refine any essence stone up to Rank B instantly, but because Trynne had placed her will inside the Loyalty Essence Stone, things were different.

Trynne had done it so that if someone used the stone on a weapon to make it loyal to them, she would also have access to it. Even though Trynne was dead, there was always the chance that one of her subordinates could still use it.

Because of that, Esdeath had no choice but to remove Trynne's will before refining it. Since she didn’t have much time, she had to make a sacrifice—four months of her lifespan.

But the Warrior Spirit Essence Stone was different. It was completely pure.

Esdeath used her system and refined it instantly.

“At least that’s the best use of my system,” she sighed.

This essence stone was a one-time-use item. As soon as she refined and used it, the stone vanished.

Suddenly, Esdeath's soul was pulled out of her body.

It appeared as a small, glowing dark blue orb, but something about it was unusual. The orb wasn’t whole—it looked like two half-spheres stuck together, slowly merging into one.

One half was Esdeath. The other half was Fable.

It was a beautiful sight, but ordinary people couldn’t see it. Even Selene wouldn’t be able to see this happening.

A mystical energy surged through the air, and then the orb began to change. It expanded, slowly forming limbs, a head, and a body.

It grew larger, shifting into the shape of a small girl. Half of her body was dark pink overflowing with obsession, while the other half was dark blue.

As time passed, the small girl grew into a teenager, and armor formed over her body. The armor was deep blue, gleaming under the faint light. She floated in the air, looking like a true warrior.

Most souls started as tiny orbs and had to go through several stages—expanding, forming limbs, then gradually taking a human shape. But Esdeath’s soul had skipped three whole steps, transforming into a warrior form instantly.

That was why the Warrior Spirit Essence Stone was so rare and valuable.

But it came with a risk.

"Strengthening my soul also means I'm strengthening Esdeath's soul… She will start affecting me even more," Esdeath thought, her expression serious.

As expected, a powerful current of energy rushed toward her body.

It wasn’t painful, but it was an eerie sensation—like someone was trying to take control of her.

Esdeath gritted her teeth and focused, refusing to give in. Her will remained strong, unshaken.

After about an hour, she finally opened her eyes, feeling satisfied.

“No matter what, my soul and will are stronger than Esdeath’s. There’s only a slim chance she can take control of my body ,” she whispered to herself with a small smile.

Looking outside, she realized it was already nighttime.

Feeling tired, she picked up Selene and carried her to bed.

Snuggling beside Selene, she closed her eyes, but sleep wouldn’t come.

Her heart was racing with excitement.

"Tomorrow is my first date with Lortell… I wonder how it will go," she thought, her face turning red just from imagining it.