“Don’t worry. Once the employer gets their hands on the Book of Law, she’ll be of no more use. There’s no way she’s leaving the White Tower alive.”
Serena’s forehead was soaked in cold sweat. After the brutal defeat she had just suffered, she barely had any strength left. What the hell is with these ropes? They were tied so tightly she couldn’t struggle free at all.
Serena glared at them. “So you really are demons. You want the Book of Law that badly?”
“That’s right. The Book of Law is an item of critical importance. Now, die. Don’t worry—Miss Irene will be joining you shortly.”
Just then, a crimson magic circle suddenly lit up beneath the feet of the demonfolk.
The moment they noticed it, it was already too late.
“A magic trap?!”
Flames erupted along with blood-curdling screams, engulfing the three of them in an instant and reducing them to ash. Atop a nearby rooftop stood Helga, dressed in a voluminous mage’s robe, her hand raised in the aftermath of casting.
Serena stared in disbelief. “Helga?!”
“Don’t ask why I’m here! I thought those people were acting suspiciously, so I disguised myself and followed them. Turns out they really were demons!”
Helga walked over, her fingers shimmering with magical light. With a couple of casual flicks, the ropes binding Serena and the others unraveled.
“Save the explanations for later. Did Irene enter the White Tower just now? What’s your condition?”
Serena could only shake her head, prompting Helga’s expression to darken. If I’m the only one left who can still fight, and if it’s not a surprise attack, there’s no way I can beat the demons who went into the tower!
But she had no choice—if she didn’t go, Irene would be in danger.
Just as she was struggling with this dilemma, the door to the White Tower swung open.
Helga’s face went pale. She turned toward the entrance in alarm, only to freeze.
Silver hair swayed with each step, and golden eyes calmly swept over the group, a faint smile playing on her lips.
But Irene’s outfit looked… odd. Why was she wearing an ostentatiously extravagant mage’s robe?
Helga didn’t have time to think it through. She rushed forward, calling out in relief, “Irene!”
The demons had been exposed, and everyone was here. As long as they cleared up the misunderstanding, everything would be fine. This place was remote—no one else would overhear them.
Even that stubborn Serena would be willing to apologize under these circumstances, she thought. We’ll all be together again—just like before.
But then—
“Who are you? Why are you acting like we know each other?”
…Huh?
Blood spilled from the corner of Helga’s lips. A beam of magic had pierced through her chest—fired by none other than Irene herself.
Only when Irene grasped her in midair with magic did Helga realize—
Though this person looked exactly like Irene, her presence felt completely unfamiliar…
“Mmm, the taste of blood isn’t bad at all. This body is a vampire’s—so this is what they call the instinctive bloodlust?”
‘Irene’ held Helga in her arms, sharp fangs glinting at the corners of her lips.
Serena and the others could only watch from a distance. Their bodies felt as if they were being crushed by a terrifying aura, completely unable to move. The scene before them was like a vivid reenactment of the nightmare Serena had once experienced.
Everyone would die. Irene would kill them all.
Despair engulfed Serena.
She couldn’t even begin to comprehend what was happening anymore.
Just then, from the top of the tower, a voice rang out—accompanied by the sound of shattering glass.
“…Everyone, watch out! That one isn’t me!”
“Irene?!”
Serena looked up and saw Irene in the arms of a girl with long brown hair and heterochromatic eyes. They were falling rapidly from above, aiming directly at the ‘Irene’ who was holding Helga!
Upon hearing the voice, the false ‘Irene’ looked up—grinning with an even more sinister smile.
*****
Moments earlier, inside the White Tower—
Irene and the others were ascending the spiral staircase toward the throne room at the top.
As they climbed, magical sconces along the corridor lit up one after another, as if warmly welcoming the first visitor in a thousand years.
Froya walked in front, glancing back at Irene. “So that means we’re almost at the throne room. Our adventure is about to end, right?”
Lilisah asked, “Miss Irene, there shouldn’t be any more danger now, right?”
Irene shook her head. “There shouldn’t be. This isn’t a place that normal magical creatures can reach. I doubt the Magus King would place traps in his own dwelling…”
“I see.” Froya smiled faintly. “So, Irene—as our guide, you’re no longer of any use to me, right?”
Irene stopped walking. “So it is like that?”
She had actually started growing suspicious earlier. Though she instinctively didn’t want to believe Froya could be a demon, would Serena really make such a baseless accusation?
Now calm again, Irene felt regret over her earlier lapse in judgment.
Only Lilisah seemed confused. “Master, what do you mean by that?”
“What do I mean? Isn’t it obvious?” Froya tilted her chin slightly, looking down at Irene from above. Her voice was cold as she ordered:
“Kill her, Lilisah.”
“Wait, Master, what are you saying…”
Suddenly, Froya’s expression changed. She grabbed Lilisah by the neck and slammed her into the wall, her face hidden in the flickering darkness of the magical lights.
“I told you to kill Irene. Didn’t you hear me? Or are you planning to defy even my orders now?”
Lilisah shook her head firmly. “Miss Irene is our companion. Master, how could you do this?”
“Companion? A human and a demon being companions? You broken doll with nothing but paste in your head!” Froya’s voice cracked with fury, her blood-red eyes blazing like fire. “I get it now. You prefer her over your master, don’t you? You enjoyed absorbing her magic power, didn’t you?!”
“No, that’s not it, Master. Lilisah just wanted to be of help to you—”
“Shut up!” Froya roared. “What was our ancestor thinking, giving a puppet self-awareness? You keep defending her—do you even recognize me as your master anymore?!”
“But Miss Irene helped us so much… why do you want to kill her?”
“All you have to do is follow my orders. Don’t question why!”
Lilisah was silent for a moment, then shook her head. “I can’t. Please take back your order, Master.”
Those words completely ignited Froya’s fury. The magical sigil on her hand began to glow brightly as she commanded sternly, “Lilisah, in the name of your master, I order you: kill Irene!”
The crest on Lilisah’s forehead flared to life, and her body began to move against her will, slowly turning toward Irene.
“Stop, Master, please don’t do this… Miss Irene, run! I can’t control myself…”
