My body shuddered upon hearing his words.

'So he wants to take everything...'

Leon and Evelyn both looked stunned by what the Head said, his nonchalant attitude only adding to his suffocating presence.

It was as though he had said nothing of importance.

I pursed my lips and talked,

"....If you've already planned everything out, why do you need me and Leon to lead?"

"Didn't I say so before?"

Aldric carefully placed the teacup down.

"I'm doing all of this to fix your reputation within the Household. If you manage to succeed, then the citizens and my vassals will start treating you better. They won't avoid you like they do now. This will benefit you in the long run."

But I like it that way...

"Of course, I do gain something out of this too."

A faint smile appeared on Aldric's lips as he refilled the teacup.

"...Not only will I gain several territories, but it'll also be the perfect opportunity to showcase the two of you. The other Households will have to think twice before eyeing our lands. Unlike the four fools we're currently targeting, they have no reason to suspect that we'll move against them. For that reason, it will be in their best interest to appease us rather than antagonize us."

His words brought a strange silence across the room.

Nobody said a thing. Or it was more like... Nobody had any words to say.

It became clear from the start to Leon and me that Aldric had everything figured out from the start.

The reason why he had come to visit me wasn't because he had more interest in me because I won the Summit, but because my presence would enable him to push his plans forward.

He planned on eliminating and swallowing everything that surrounded the Evenus territory. He was a...

I looked in Leon's direction.

'Snake.'

As if sensing my gaze, Leon frowned but didn't look my way.

I knew he understood me.

"You won't have much to do. Just attend and display your faces. My vassals will take care of everything else for you."

I shifted my attention away from Leon and back to the Head.

He was still as calm as he was before, and it was his calmness that made me hesitate.

'....I need to keep my distance.'

It felt as though nothing could escape his eyes. The fact that he was able to endure for so long and even incur losses so that he could swallow all the nearby territories made me extremely apprehensive.

....I was afraid he'd figure something out if I stayed too close to him.

Thankfully, from what I understood from Leon, Julien's relationship with his father wasn't very great.

It made things a lot easier for me.

"Do I get anything out of this?"

Still, if he was going to make me do this, I wasn't planning on doing it for free. The previous Julien wouldn't and the same was true for me.

The Head's gaze shifted towards me the moment I said those words.

His intense eyes focused directly on me as I stared back without much of a change in expression.

"Isn't the opportunity to gain the trust of my vassals enough?"

"No."

It was nice, but I found it unlikely that I'd be able to gain control of the vassals any time soon. He still looked rather young.

Furthermore, we both knew that his excuse was bullshit.

He had only called for Leon and me so that he could cover himself with our reputation.

This was an elaborate plan to display the two of us in order to deter any other territory that didn't have any conflicts with the Evenus Household.

He had all to gain while we had nothing to gain.

"I want something else."

Aldric quietly nodded his head.

"Let's hear it. What do you want?"

"1

I frowned slightly, a little stumped. I didn't actually know what I wanted. But it didn't really

matter.

"I'll let you know when I can think about it."

There was no need for me to think about it now.

I had plenty of time to do that.

"....Okay."

The Head appeared okay with the arrangement and I nodded in satisfaction. Good. At least, he

was reasonable enough to talk with.

Aldric extended his hand in the direction of the door.

"Since we've come to an agreement, you may take your leave."

"Um."

I stood up alongside Leon and Evelyn.

But just as Evelyn stood up, Aldric stopped her.

"You, stay."

Evelyn's expression froze as she looked at Leon. He only looked at her for a brief moment

before turning away.

'I've noticed it for a while, but Leon seems to be really scared of the family Head...'

He was so obedient to him.

It made me a little curious. Why exactly was he like this?

"Close the door on your way out."

The two of us could only glance at each other for a short moment before leaving the office

space and closing the door behind us.

Clank!

We stood by the hall that led to the office and stopped briefly. I turned my attention towards

Leon who appeared to be lost in his own thoughts.

"What do you think he asked her to stay for?"

"....I don't know."

Leon replied with a calm look.

"You don't thi-"

"It's unlikely."

Leon stopped me before I could elaborate further.

"The Head of the Verlice family would need to be involved for any marriage alliance to go through. He's probably speaking to her about the plan we just discussed. He wants the Verlice

family's support."

"Ah."

That made sense.

While the Verlice Household wasn't located near the Evenus Household, they were relatively

close to several lands of Viscount Raimsal.

Their goal was probably that.

"Oh, right."

As if recalling something, Leon looked at me.

"I've received news that the Curse Chamber has been built. We have a lot of time before we

need to help the family Head. In the meantime, if you want, you can enter the chamber and train."

"I can?"

My heartbeat sped up all of a sudden.

Finally, a good piece of news!

I had been waiting for this for a very long time. Finally, I could focus on training without any

disruptions.

"Where is it?"

"....It's in the courtyard. I'll bring you to it."

Leon beckoned me with his head and walked ahead. I followed closely from behind, massaging the ring on my hand as I thought about the two books that Atlas had given me. I

also thought back to the pill and pursed my lips.

'Should I learn the two spells first, or upgrade my already existing skills?'

These thoughts crossed my mind multiple times on the way to the Chamber which I soon saw

as we headed downstairs, towards the courtyard which was stunning to look at with all the well-maintained grass and pillars by the side.

"Yeah, it's done."

Leon's steps came to a sudden stop as he pointed toward the center where a large wooden

shack appeared.

"Uh?"

The sight threw me off a little.

It looked out of place.

"That is...?"

"The Curse Chamber."

Leon replied nonchalantly.

I scratched the side of my face, squinting my eyes to make sure Leon wasn't lying. However,

seeing how there was no change in his expression, I could tell that he wasn't.

"It looks a little bit different than I imagined."

"...How did you expect it to look like?"

"I don't know. A big black box? One with runes all around and stuff."

"...."

Leon looked at me weirdly before shaking his head and opening the door of the chamber.

"You can train in peace. Every day one of the attendants will bring you food. If you want to

come out, you can tell one of the servants in advance so that they can prepare your room. If

something comes up, I'll call for you."

"...Okay."

There was no need for Leon to say anything else. Nor was I interested in hearing anything

else.

....I just wanted to get started with my training, and after sparing Leon one last glance, I directly entered the chamber, closing the door behind me.

Clank!

***

Near the borders of Westernborn.

A camp housing several thousand troops had been set up, its tents stretching across the

landscape. Overseeing the camp was Viscount Ramsail, who beckoned one of the guards to his

side.

"Captain Bohr, how is the situation?"

"...All good for now. The soldiers are all healthy and ready to fight."

"Good."

Viscount Ramsail was pleased.

He was especially pleased at the sight of the man before him. Jack Bohr-A Tier 5 Knight and

one of the main cornerstones of his army.

He wasn't particularly tall, about the same height as the Viscount, but his muscular build was

striking. His presence exuded an air of dominance, making him appear far more imposing

than his stature suggested.

Furthermore, his shiny silver armor that covered his features made him extremely intimidating to look at.

His tall and sharp lance made him especially terrifying to look at.

It was one of the main reasons he was extremely infamous, with some regarding him as one of

the best knights beneath the sixth tier.

...He was someone that even the higher-ranked nobles coveted.

"We will be departing in a couple of days. Our operation must be done in secret. We must first infiltrate Westernborn and cut off all means of communication and transportation. We'll isolate the place from the Evenus Household before striking in one go and taking over the

mine."

The entire operation was going to be a long one.

It would approximately last a couple of months, with the goal to cut off all means of help from Evenus House)

By the time the Evenus Household sent reinforcements, it'd already be too late. "The other Barons have already stationed their troops outside the other borders. They'll be

the first to strike, taking most of the attention. I want you to take the troops and start the

operation once that happens."

"Understood."

Captain Bohr nodded with a stern gaze.

Then, with a clean salute, he turned around and left.

The Viscount smiled and watched his departing back for several seconds.

It was only once he left that his smile faded.

Licking his lips, his eyes narrowed.

"....I didn't really want to do this Baron Evenus, but some things are necessary in order to

survive."

Yes.

This was all for survival.

The next day, the operation began.

***

Darkness embraced me the moment the door closed.

I struggled to make out my surroundings, but the moment I closed the door, a dim purple

light flickered on from above.

Flick.

It was soon followed by another light, and then another.

Flick. Flick.

In a matter of seconds, over several dozen purple lights flickered around the room.

I looked around in a daze as I felt the air thicken considerably. A familiar sensation washed

over me as I felt the pores on my body open up.

"This..."

I looked closely to the dim purple lights to notice several runes inscribed on the walls.

'So that's the source of the light.'

Closing my eyes, I could feel that the air was dense with the 'Curse' element. I had felt this

feeling before and I didn't waste a second to take out the books that I had received from Atlas,

alongside the pill.

[Nightmare Hex]

[Immersia]

"....I think I'll start by learning these."

After that, I planned on upgrading my spells. And right after that, I planned on expanding my

domain.

I was still at the 'Concept' stage and there was still so much for me to explore.

"Alright, then."

I let out a long breath and popped the pill in my mouth.

"Let's get started."

Crunch.

My mind cooled down and I opened the book.

Instantly, the complicated runes displayed on the spell became easier to decipher as I

extended my hand and mumbled, "One run, two runes, three runes..."

My training began like that. I became so immersed in it that I lost track of time. I just ate,

trained, and slept.

It was all that I did.

And by the time I came out, apparently...

Three months had passed.