‘It’s done.’

I removed my hand from the Emperor’s sister, who was now breathing steadily, and unbuttoned her clothes once more.
Perhaps it was the relief from getting through the emergency unscathed, but the sensation of my fingertips lingering on her skin came rushing back, and I was filled with guilt.
...What if the Emperor’s sister holds me accountable later for touching her body?

I decided to think about that later.

"Did you... break the spell?"
"I’ve definitely broken it. All the mana that was swirling inside Your Majesty’s body has been expelled completely."
"How did you...?"

Silvia, still in shock, stumbled over her words.
She then began to examine the Emperor’s sister’s body and was taken aback.
Because all the mana had been temporarily drained, the mana exhaustion symptoms had overwhelmed her, causing her to fall asleep.
But the Emperor’s sister’s mana production abilities were extraordinary, so she would likely recover quickly.

In other words,
until the Emperor’s sister wakes up and recovers, the strongest force here would be in a disabled state.

"Yuria. Stay here and keep an eye on the Emperor’s condition. Make sure it doesn’t worsen."
"Wh-What!? Where are you going...?"

"There are still others here, aren’t there?"
"The skeletons are still fighting too!"

[The Evil God, ‘Kali,’ adds that Hukhukh is still present.]

Charlotte raised her powerful sword and added her comment.
Reinhardt and the guards were still in the banquet hall, fighting the legion soldiers.
The safety of the nobles who had fallen unconscious from the spell was also a concern.

For now, we had to lock the panic room’s door.
Once we waited for the army to arrive, the situation would end.
But by then, I couldn’t even imagine how many casualties there would be.

We had to finish this with as few casualties as possible.

"We’ll find the sorcerer who controlled them. The panic room is safe, so those who want to stay can stay. Yuria, what will you do?"
"I’ll be your close guard today, Count. I can’t abandon my duty."
"Good. Charlotte?"
"I want to go too! I can’t just sit back and wait like I did at the ant nest last time! I won’t just watch this time!"

"Then let’s go."

Yuria and Charlotte nodded and followed behind me.
Silvia, swiftly tearing her skirt for easier movement, also followed closely.
But despite her quick actions, her mouth kept pouting, clearly dissatisfied.

"…Why didn’t you ask me first?"
"Why would I need your permission? You’re a slave who has to follow my orders."
"What an inhumane...!?"
"If you wanted humane treatment, you should’ve removed your brand when you had the chance. Who was it that threw away their freedom?"
"Hah? Ha! Heh...!"

Silvia, speechless and dumbfounded, let out a chuckle and couldn’t retort.
She had had a chance to remove the brand, but she gave it up.
In other words, she had chosen to follow my orders for the rest of her life, right?

While it was slightly burdensome,
as the master of the brand, I decided to accept it graciously.
Who else but me would take care of a poor, dependent person like Silvia?

I didn’t know who had branded her and left her to me,
but I decided to take responsibility, thinking of it as a form of community service.

[“Ahh! You shall not pass!”]

Hurrying toward the banquet hall and looking down the opposite corridor,
Hukhukh was standing firmly without moving an inch.
Though it seemed to slowly be pushed back, the legion soldiers were gathering in considerable numbers on the other side.

If this continues, the blockade will eventually break through.
Before Hukhukh is pushed back and the rear is compromised, we need to end this situation.

"Hukhukh! If you feel your life is in danger, immediately ghost-form and escape!"
"Are you trying to make me give up chocolate cake!? No way! Chocolate cake!!!"
"Hukhukh is so cool...!"
"Haha! Do you think I’m that easy to manipulate?! You drag me here, and now you think you can control me with a cake?!"

"I’ll make you a chocolate cake!"
[“Hahahaha!!!”]

Charlotte, her eyes shining with admiration, cheered for Hukhukh.
For a moment, I thought she was lying to encourage him, but looking at her face, she seemed completely serious.
What about Hukhukh is so cool?
Sometimes, Charlotte’s mindset is completely incomprehensible to me.

"Ah! Count! Have you returned? I was just about to chase after you!"
"..."

As soon as I stepped into the banquet hall, I heard a boisterous voice.
I had been nervous the entire way there, wondering why it had been so quiet without the usual sounds of clashing weapons.
But standing in the hall was Reinhardt, alone.
The guards had all fallen to the ground.

I had hoped for the best, but it seemed that even Reinhardt couldn’t overcome the spell.

‘What is this? He’s acting like a completely different person…’

But Reinhardt’s behavior was very strange.
It felt completely different from the Reinhardt I had seen until now.
He wasn’t acting like a puppet controlled by someone, like the others, but his movements were unnaturally smooth, almost as if he were a different person.

Yeah, that’s definitely...

"Sephiroth. Is it you?"
"You guessed it right away? How strange. We’ve never met before, so I thought..."

Reinhardt, with a seductive tilt of his head and a deep smile, answered.
Seeing him act this way while wearing a man’s face nearly made me gag, but I barely managed to hold it in.
This is insane.

Sephiroth was Reinhardt’s subordinate, so they must have shared many opportunities to drink together.
That meant Reinhardt must have been drinking even more frequently and for longer periods.
It wasn’t just brainwashing; it seemed he had been possessed by Sephiroth.

"That’s the legendary sword that split mountains, right? I’ll need it to break through the panic room. Hand over that cursed sword and step aside, and I’ll spare your life."
"It’s not a cursed sword, it’s a Super Sword! And if you plan to do anything bad with it, I won’t let you have it!"
"Did you hear that? If you want to save your life, stop this nonsense and surrender to me!"
"Ha ha! What a threat!"

Szzzz...

Reinhardt unsheathed his sword and laughed with a high-pitched tone.
That was the moment the negotiations fell apart.

‘If we clash like this, we’ll lose for sure.’

Reinhardt had reached the level of Sword Master, recognized by both the guards’ captain and the Emperor’s sister.
So with our current forces, there was no way we could win.
But do we really have to fight?

"Ha... "

It was time to test the newly evolved skill, Necromancy.

[Translation of further text in this context]:

‘One semi-swordmaster, one brat using the cursed sword to act like a swordmaster, and the last one... Hmm, just a girl who’s a bit stronger than average, perhaps.’

As Sephiroth looked at the group surrounding Count Vermont, he snorted.
Their strength didn’t seem significant.
If I, with my body, had already defeated the guard captain, who was a true swordmaster, there was no way that these lower-tiered individuals could defeat me.

It was meaningless resistance.
I would quickly clean up the mess, grab the cursed sword, and head toward the panic room.
Once I kill the Emperor, this damn war would finally end!

Sephiroth raised his arm, and Reinhardt’s arm followed, his sword raised and ready to strike.

"Ha..."

At that moment, Count Vermont sighed deeply, his demeanor so calm that it didn’t even hint at fear.
Where was his confidence coming from?
How would he possibly stand up to a swordmaster with such a weak group?

Perhaps he was preparing some secret weapon.

I tensed, my body ready for anything.

"Ah?"

Boom!

A shockwave burst from Count Vermont, and black, tentacle-like shadows surged from his body, writhing ominously in the air.

‘What the hell is that!?’

Is it magic?
I didn’t sense any fluctuation of mana. No, there wasn’t even any mana in the air right now.

What’s happening?

A technique that eradicates all mana around it?
I’ve never heard of such a thing.

Count Vermont had been researching necromancy, but could that be the actual Necromancy?

‘Has he really perfected Necromancy?’

At the thought, Sephiroth felt the connection between him and Reinhardt snap, unstable.
Only then did Sephiroth realize that the mana in the air, and even in his own body, was rapidly vanishing.

His eyes widened.

"Ah, we have to run…!"

Just as Sephiroth turned to Reinhardt, the second shockwave struck, severing the connection completely.

Gasping for air, Sephiroth stood up.

"Ah...?"

From a distance, the Imperial Palace was visible.
A massive, black, tentacle-like mass soared into the sky, twisting and writhing as if it were ravaging the world itself.

What the hell is that?
The body of the Evil God?
What on earth did Count Vermont summon from hell?

"This world was just a plaything for some enormous being...?"

In the face of this supernatural phenomenon, Sephiroth’s will to resist completely crumbled.
Only helplessness and a primal fear took control of his body.

"I found it! Quickly, bind him!"
Clang!

Yuria and the skeleton soldiers rushed in and restrained Sephiroth’s wrist with a magical tool.
Sephiroth was completely out of his mind, his mental state shattered.