Tears streamed down from the doll girl’s mismatched eyes as she assumed a combat stance.
But Irene simply smiled, gently cupping Lilisah’s cheek as she whispered, “Don’t worry. I won’t die.”
Then she turned to Froya, smiling as she said, “Did you really think I’ve never been inside the White Tower?”
Froya’s expression changed. “Red Wolf, attack!”
At the very instant the greatsword was raised, Irene pressed a mechanism hidden in the corner of the wall. In a flash, the world spun—the entire structure of the White Tower began to shift. Everyone inside lost their footing, and by the time Froya regained her balance, Irene’s figure had already vanished.
Red Wolf stepped forward and said, “Employer, it seems the terrain has changed.”
Froya shot Lilisah a sharp glare. “Forget it. Keep moving forward—we’re almost at the top anyway.”
After climbing the long staircase and pushing open the door, what met Froya’s eyes was a vast, unbelievably opulent hall. Countless gold, silver, and gems shimmered with a dazzling brilliance—wealth enough to rival a kingdom.
But what truly caught her attention was the magical tome clutched in the bony hands of the skeleton seated upon the throne. With just one glance, Froya was certain—this was the object she had been seeking!
Her dream was finally within reach—the power to change her destiny.
The word trash would never again be associated with her!
She would become the Demon King! Her foolish elder brother could continue dreaming of his coronation within demon territory all he wanted!
Yes, she had once been a prodigy of the demon race, but because of Lilisah—because that broken doll had siphoned away all her magic—she had become the weak, useless creature she was now!
“Bring me that magic tome.”
“Yes, Employer.”
Red Wolf, a loyal retainer of the Froya family, naturally had no objections. Reaching this place surely meant they had cleared all obstacles. There shouldn’t be any more danger—
However—
Red Wolf had barely taken a few steps before a shrill scream tore from his throat. Before Froya’s horrified eyes, his body was instantly reduced to bare bones.
Something was wrong! There was a magical trap protecting the throne!
“…That’s a powerful curse. No mortal body can cross this barrier.”
The monk behind her stepped forward and offered an explanation.
Froya’s eyes nearly burst with fury. “There’s no way to dispel the barrier?! The tome is right there in front of us!”
The monk shook his head. “It’s a protective barrier personally cast by the Archmage King. Do you really think a mere mortal could break it? However…”
He trailed off, turning his gaze to Lilisah with a faint smile. “If it’s the combat doll created by your ancestor, Lady Caroline… she likely has extremely high resistance to curses. If it’s her, she might be able to retrieve it.”
Froya immediately gave the order. “Lilisah, go get it for me!”
Lilisah fell silent for a moment before replying softly, “…You mean, go there and die, Master?”
“That’s right. Dying for me—isn’t that an incredibly honorable thing to do? You are a doll created by my ancestor. It was our family that gave you life. What’s the problem with sacrificing yourself for us?”
Lilisah’s eyes had lost all their light. She shook her head, her voice becoming incomparably calm:
“…No problem. Lilisah is here, wishing her master the fulfillment of her desires.”
Orders were absolute. Lilisah’s own consciousness could barely resist them.
Watching Lilisah resolutely walk down the path to her death, Froya felt a moment of regret—but her lips merely moved without speaking, and the hand she had reached out slowly dropped back down.
Just how powerful was the barrier personally laid down by the Archmage King to guard his own remains?
Red Wolf, an A-rank powerhouse, had died the moment he touched it. Even Lilisah, now brimming with Irene’s magic and possessing strength surpassing S-rank with extremely high curse resistance, couldn’t withstand it. After just a few steps, the intense curse had already begun to corrode the doll girl’s outer skin…
Revealing the magic circuits beneath, like blood vessels made of light.
Lilisah retrieved the Codex of Law, each step forward draining massive amounts of her life force.
“Master, I hope you are crowned king. Lilisah will offer her blessings to you… and…”
She walked the long road of death, her life’s flame flickering to its end.
“Please… spare Miss Irene. She’s innocent.”
With her final strength, Lilisah knelt on one knee before Froya and handed over the Codex, glowing with dazzling magical brilliance. The overwhelming joy of victory instantly washed away the tinge of guilt Froya had just felt.
All the memories they had shared from childhood until now as master and servant—at this moment, shattered into nothingness.
The sigil on Lilisah’s forehead completely lost its glow.
“Well done, Lilisah. You useless piece of junk finally proved useful at last!”
Froya clutched the codex with a look of pure delight. Spare Irene? How could that be possible! She and her companions’ blood would serve as the perfect entertainment for celebrating Froya’s rebirth!
‘Oh my, what a loathsome heart this one has… But she does make a suitable vessel.’
‘A vessel… without magic.’
In an instant, Froya suddenly understood why she—an upper-ranked demon—had no magic at all.
That was supposed to be impossible. Unless…
She turned around—only to see her retainer kneeling devoutly on the ground behind her, as if bowing to a god.
“No! Stop! Don’t do it! This is my body—it’s mine…!”
Froya’s consciousness began to fade. It turned out, from the moment of her birth, her fate had already been sealed. She existed to be the sacrificial vessel for the resurrection of the ‘Holy Archmage King’!
Her identity, her effort—it was all meaningless.
Her consciousness gradually dissipated. How could a mere mortal soul resist the power of a legendary king? But Froya still knew—if someone could take the codex away, she might still be saved!
This book… how could it be called a book of miracles?
“That’s a lie! There’s nothing in it but a wicked soul!”
“Lilisah—yes, Lilisah! Save me, you useless piece of junk! Why are you just standing there?!”
“I told you to come here and save me…!”
“Didn’t… you… hear me?!”
In the blink of an eye, her pitch-black hair turned silver-white.
*****
At the same time, elsewhere—
Irene had arrived at a wide, open space. In front of her stretched an endless sea of flowers. The blossoms bloomed in dazzling colors, mingling with vibrant green, spreading all the way to the edge of her vision.
“…Looks like I took the right path?”
“But is this really indoors? How could…”
At the center of the flower field, Irene’s gaze was instinctively drawn forward. Atop a throne overgrown with ivy, a girl lay fast asleep, her eyes gently closed in slumber.
Her silver hair spilled out like a river of stardust, swaying in a breeze that seemed to come from nowhere.
Her skin was as translucent and flawless as fine porcelain—her beauty so perfect, it didn’t seem like she belonged to the mortal world.
In Irene’s golden eyes—she saw another version of herself.