"Hurry up and let’s depart."

"Yes, Master. But are we going alone?"

"···."

Just as I was about to rush out of the laboratory, I turned around at Sylvia's question. I saw Charlotte and Yuria quietly staring at me, without saying a word.

The Emperor's sister had summoned me urgently. It must be something very pressing. There’s a chance I will be assigned a mission that needs immediate attention upon arrival.

"Charlotte. Yuria. Come with us for now. Get changed and meet me."

"Mm!"

"Yes!"

In that case, it’s better to bring as many capable people as possible. But I don’t need to drag an entire undead army along. Just bringing Charlotte and Yuria, who are already powerful enough individually, should be sufficient.

"Master, what is the matter?"

As Charlotte and Yuria quickly rushed to the mansion, after they had gotten a good distance away, Sylvia approached me and quietly asked.

"What does the edict say?"

"It says that I must be at the Imperial Palace by today. It didn’t specify what the matter was."

"That’s... unusual."

Sylvia’s expression tightened. The fact that it specifically said to come by today means they want me here as quickly as possible. It seems like she’s also sensing that something serious is going on. I quickly started changing to prepare to leave.

"Didn’t you change clothes this afternoon already? Why are you changing again?"

Sylvia asked, tilting her head. Indeed, I hadn’t done anything that would cause me to get dirty. It hadn't even been half a day since I changed clothes, and I hadn’t done any experiments that could soil them.

"I’ve probably picked up the scent from being too close to Yuria for too long. If His Majesty the Emperor... or rather, the Emperor’s sister, notices, it could lead to some misunderstandings. Of course, I haven’t done anything suspicious or strange, so I’m not worried, but it's better to eliminate any possibility of misunderstandings from the start. That’s why I’m changing."

"...No one else but you could notice such a detail about someone’s scent."

I explained the perfectly reasonable and logical reason, yet Sylvia’s expression turned to one of disdain.

How could she not notice? It's just that Sylvia’s sense of smell is weak. The Emperor’s sister, who cares for the children, would surely notice it.

"Sniff, haaah. I only smell Master’s scent."

"···."

[The Evil God, ‘Kali,’ is frowning.]

Without missing a beat, Sylvia picked up the clothes I had discarded, buried her nose in them, and took a deep breath, then exhaled. Afterward, she calmly placed the clothes back down. My expression was now filled with disdain.

"Enough. Let’s leave quickly."

In no time, I had changed into neat clothes, and Charlotte and Yuria came rushing from the back gate. The coachman I had called earlier hurriedly drove the carriage toward us. The four of us climbed into the carriage, and as soon as we did, it started heading toward the Imperial Palace.

"KYAAAH! Humans! Where are you rushing off to!? My snack!?!"

"Oh, right. I promised to bake cookies for Heukheuk..."

As I heard the hurried footsteps, I turned around and saw Heukheuk trotting behind the carriage with an adorable little gait.

"Sorry, Heukheuk! Something urgent came up!"

[Wait! Wait for me! Kyaaah!!!]

Then, with a thud, Heukheuk fell face-first into the mud, letting out a desperate roar as the carriage continued to move farther away.

"Stay at the mansion and guard it!"

[Kyaaah! How dare a lowly human treat me, the great spirit, like a dog guarding the house!!!]

Heukheuk yelled angrily, then turned, grumbling in dissatisfaction, and trudged back to the mansion.

If something really urgent happens, it’s good to leave some force behind to guard the mansion in case of an emergency.

Heukheuk can now grow or shrink at will, so if the mansion is in danger, it can respond on its own. I trust Heukheuk, so that’s why I left it behind. It’s definitely not because it would be a hindrance if I brought it along...

"But, sir! What about the experiment you were doing in the lab? How did it turn out? I was crouching down, so I couldn’t see well..."

Just as the carriage left the rough road and entered the highway, Charlotte jumped up and quickly took a seat next to me. Yuria also hurriedly sat on the other side, and in an instant, the once spacious carriage felt cramped.

"The experiment was successful, and a provisional conclusion has been reached. It seems that neodymium is accumulating in my heart, and it continues to exert its effects."

"Neodymium!? What’s that!?"

Every time I used the skill ‘Touch of Death,’ I noticed that the mana concentration around my body rapidly dropped, centered around my heart. This sudden drop in mana concentration is lethal to living beings. For humans, it only results in exhaustion, but for weaker life forms like insects or spirits, they could die instantly.

This is the principle behind how ‘Touch of Death’ kills lower-level creatures.

"Then, does this mean you can’t use mana?"

"Probably because of the neodymium. Due to the neodymium surrounding my heart, the mana produced by my heart can’t escape."

"But neodymium is a metal, right? Does that mean you have a steel heart?"

"That’s one way to look at it."

"Wow! That’s amazing!"

"Charlotte! What do you mean, amazing...?"

Charlotte looked at me with shining eyes, full of admiration, while Yuria, almost in tears, scolded Charlotte.

I appreciated their concern, but I’m really fine. I’ve been in this physical state since the day I possessed this body, so I’m not too worried about my heart or being unable to use mana. After explaining it several times, Yuria sniffled and stopped crying.

"Master, but my sword... when it was absorbed into your body and then came out, didn’t it come out with its mana charged?"

"That’s right."

"So, did my sword go into your heart and come back out?"

"Well... that seems to be the case."

"Then, does that mean... every time I put my sword in, I’m stabbing it into your heart?"

Sylvia opened her mouth in shock, and her face went white in an instant. The thought of stabbing a sword into someone’s heart... it sounded creepy when I put it like that.

‘Aslan Vermont, what exactly are you doing?’

Looking at it this way, it really seems bizarre. My heart is filled with metal chunks the size of a fist, and despite a heavy longsword going in and out of my heart, my body is still fine.

At this point, it feels like I was born not only with the fate of a villain but also with an indestructible body. Maybe it’s true that the uglier the villain, the longer their life. If I had possessed a hero or an ordinary extra's body, I probably would have died already.

"Master, we’ve arrived."

Before I knew it, the carriage had reached the Imperial Palace. Before getting off, I looked back and observed how the children were doing. They were waiting calmly and politely, just as if it wasn’t their first time here.

‘Such good children.’

It looks like I don’t need to emphasize manners anymore. Smiling to myself, I stepped out of the carriage.

"Ah, Count Vermont. Welcome. You arrived quite quickly. I was expecting it to take a bit longer..."

"Let’s skip the pleasantries. Where is His Majesty?"

"He’s waiting for you in the Audience Hall."

"···?"

The Audience Hall? That’s strange. Why would the Emperor’s sister meet me in the Audience Hall instead of the office? I tilted my head in confusion, but I followed the maid’s lead toward the Audience Hall.

I’ve been in almost every room in the Imperial Palace, but this one was unfamiliar, so I didn’t know the way.

When we arrived, the door to the Audience Hall opened smoothly, and I saw the Emperor’s sister lounging on the sofa, her legs stretched out.

...Wait a second. What is that relaxed posture? Wasn’t this an emergency?

"Aslan Vermont. I have answered your summons and come to see you, Your Majesty."

"Oh, you’re already here. I sent the messenger just a moment ago, and it seems you’ve hurried over."

"Yes? You told me to come as soon as possible..."

"Did you think I meant to say you should rush here in a hurry? I know that in your heart, I am always at the center of your thoughts, so no need to worry."

"···."

The Emperor’s sister laughed softly, then slipped her shoes off under the sofa, revealing her bare feet, which were painted with red nail polish.

"Are you not busy today?"

"I declared a holiday for myself since there’s not much work today. I’m sorry that I’ve been meeting you while buried in documents every time."

"Wasn’t it urgent that you called for me? You even sent an edict instead of a messenger."

"The messenger is on vacation. He used up all his vacation days from over twenty years and is off traveling with his family. It's the busiest time, too. I can’t believe it."

"···."

The Emperor’s sister clicked her tongue in annoyance. What? She sent an edict instead of a messenger just because the messenger was on vacation? And he still had over twenty years' worth of vacation days?

The benefits at the Imperial Palace are more ridiculous than I thought. Given that people in high-ranking positions here lose their jobs at the drop of a hat, I guess anyone who doesn’t enjoy these benefits would have to be mentally unstable.

"Well, then it seems it wasn’t so urgent."

"Hah. Were you worried about me? Is that it? You keep subtly showing your loyalty like this. You’re as sly as a fox."

"It’s not like that..."

"Your Majesty's sister! Long time no see!"

"Ch, Charlotte! You’re not supposed to shout in the palace!"

"I’m allowed to! The Audience Hall is designed so that no sound escapes, so feel free to shout as much as you want."

"Your Majesty’s sister said it’s okay!"

"···."

While I was at a loss for words, Charlotte peeked her head out and appeared, followed by Yuria cautiously entering the Audience Hall with careful steps.

As soon as the children appeared, the Emperor’s sister’s face lit up with a bright smile. When she saw me, she had a mocking expression, but... this woman really loves children too much, to the point where sometimes she seems a little dangerous.

"Your Majesty. May I now hear the purpose of your summons?"

"Such a cold one. You want to talk about work on my rare day off, huh? Let’s get to the important news first, and I’ll tell you the rest later."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"General Reinhardt... My half-brother will soon return from his expedition. We’re planning a big welcoming event, and your role will be quite significant, so keep that in mind."

"···!"

As the Emperor’s sister smiled while talking about the good news, I couldn’t hide my stiffened expression. That’s because...

‘General Reinhardt. He’s definitely the main villain from Chapter 2.’

The person the Emperor’s sister is welcoming is someone who, after Aslan’s death, becomes the second villain the protagonist will face.