Su Nian’s chest heaved with fury, her delicate face flushed with a fiery blush born of indignation.
Her lips, red as ripe cherries, were clenched so tightly they nearly bled from the force of her bite.
‘These cowards are utterly spineless!’ she cursed inwardly, her heart seething.
‘Just because the Morsen family holds sway, they think they can act with impunity?’
After a moment of silent rage, her temper cooled, and clarity returned.
She understood their hesitation.
The Morsen family’s influence was no small matter, a truth she’d heard whispered before.
The Morsens were a ducal dynasty, their lineage guarding Morsen Fortress for over five generations, their dominion stretching across the surrounding villages and towns.
From the Demon King’s Citadel to Red Maple City, from the Empire of Beasts to the neutral city of Meiya, and even to the hallowed halls of Red Maple Magic Academy, their name carried weight.
The Morsen Fortress stood as a linchpin, its strategic position commanding over half the kingdom’s soldiers.
Beyond the royal family, no clan in Red Maple Kingdom rivaled their power.
Even in the capital, where their misdeeds might stir trouble, the crown hesitated to act.
The reason was simple: the Morsens were too strong.
To move against them risked sparking civil war or, worse, their defection.
Understanding this, Su Nian knew lingering at the patrol office was pointless.
She would have to save Amy and the others herself.
She turned to Lise, who stood beside her, worry etched across her face.
Su Nian’s slender, jade-like hand gently patted her friend’s shoulder.
“Lise, don’t fret,” she said, her voice clear and resolute, carrying an unshakable determination.
“I won’t let Amy and Evan stay trapped. I’ll bring them back myself.”
“Miss Su Nian, it’s too dangerous! Please, don’t be rash!” Lise’s eyes brimmed with tears as she clutched Su Nian’s arm, her grip tight with desperation.
Though Lise longed to save Amy, she couldn’t bear the thought of Su Nian risking her life.
Gathering evidence for the patrol office had already stretched their limits.
The Morsen family was a colossus they could not hope to challenge.
Su Nian tilted her chin, a confident smile curving her lips, her dimples flickering like stars.
Her presence radiated a captivating charm.
“Relax, Lise. I’m not reckless. I’ll keep myself safe. You head to Shadowmoon Manor—tell them you’re my friend and seek their protection.”
She’d meant to say Magic Feather Fantasy, but something stopped her.
Lise had accompanied her to the patrol office, and with Amy already captured, Lise might be targeted next.
Shadowmoon Manor, though perilous in its own right—home to that infuriating horned demon—seemed the safer choice.
The demon, for all his cruelty to Su Nian, wore the mask of the refined “Master Mo Yuan” to others.
Magic Feather Fantasy held deep significance to him, and he would likely ensure Lise’s safety.
Shadowmoon Manor, then, was her best bet.
“Alright, I trust you, Miss Su Nian,” Lise said, her voice trembling but resolute.
As Su Nian watched her friend depart, she activated her newly acquired enhanced senses, confirming no one was tailing Lise.
Then, she set her plan in motion.
Night fell, cloaking the Academy City in a shroud of darkness.
Su Nian stood outside Viscount Vere’s mansion, moonlight bathing her in a silvery glow, outlining her graceful figure like a sprite of the night.
Clad in a sleek black outfit that hugged her curves, her golden hair tied high with stray strands dancing in the breeze, she exuded an ethereal vitality.
‘Amy… you have to wait for me,’ she whispered in her heart.
“System!”
“Ding! I’m here.”
“Purchase Master-level Strength, Agility, Vision, Hearing, and Stealth (prerequisite: Master-level Strength and Agility). Also, Master-level Reconnaissance (prerequisite: Master-level Vision and Hearing).”
“Total cost: 60,000 Humiliation Points.”
Su Nian had spent days analyzing her defeat at the hands of the horned demon, pinpointing her weaknesses.
A lack of auxiliary skills had been her downfall.
Had she possessed these abilities, she might have avoided the ambush, evaded the lightning trap in the dungeon, or even detected the surveillance crystal.
The realization came too late—but not too late to act.
Once, 60,000 Humiliation Points would have stung.
But now, reporting daily to the horned demon’s chambers, collared and toyed with… a single night earned her that sum and more.
“Stealth mode, activate!”
Instantly, her new abilities surged to life.
Her eyes gleamed like stars, brimming with latent power.
Her body seemed to melt into the shadows, and the faint chirps of insects and calls of birds carried clearly to her ears.
With a nimble leap, she scaled a vantage point, studying the guards’ patrol patterns.
Master-level Strength and Agility had elevated her physical prowess to that of a B-rank warrior, even without magic.
Spotting a gap in the patrols, she sprang forward, light as a night cat, vaulting the wall and slipping into a haystack’s shadow.
Inside the mansion’s grounds, Su Nian moved with care, each step as soft as a feather’s fall, wary of the slightest sound.
Her heart pounded, a mix of nerves and exhilaration.
“System, open the map.”
A detailed layout of the viscount’s estate materialized before her.
After several rounds of observation, she noticed one area swarming with guards and patrols—an anomaly that piqued her suspicion.
Approaching the building from behind, she caught faint voices.
With her Master-level Hearing, she picked up every word despite the distance.
“Hey, what’s Young Master Olette up to, locking all those girls in the basement?” a guard muttered, his voice low.
“It’s a disgrace to the Morsen name,” another replied.
“Word is, he’s a bastard son, never favored in the family. If he didn’t look so much like the heir, Theodore, and serve as his stand-in, they’d have cast him out long ago. He’s got a chip on his shoulder—doesn’t skimp on dirty deeds, and the family turns a blind eye.”
“I hear Olette’s got a twisted hobby—collecting and tormenting girls of all kinds…”
“Poor things. Even if they survive his cruelty, they’re just gifts to be traded for favors, squeezed for their last shred of value.”
The guards served Theodore, the true heir, and were here only to make Olette’s masquerade convincing.
Their words held no restraint.
Su Nian’s brow furrowed.
So, it wasn’t Theodore Morsen who’d taken Amy and Evan—it was Olette Morsen.
From the guards’ chatter, they clearly despised this so-called second son but followed orders regardless.
She had to act fast, or Amy would suffer at Olette’s hands.
As she prepared to infiltrate further, aiming for the “basement” they’d mentioned, another guard spoke up.
“I heard Olette had that sibling pair snatched to lure out that magical idol girl, Su Nian. The guy’s got some nerve, chasing a mage like her. Isn’t he afraid of getting blasted by a fireball?”
Su Nian’s heart skipped a beat.
So the true target… was her.