“You… You really don’t recognize me? You truly don’t know who this is?”

“…….”

“Ha, this is just… Unbelievable.”

“Sorry.”

Seeing Rene apologize, Fron felt a surge of frustration.

Fron let out a deep sigh.

To think she genuinely didn’t recognize her.

Fron wanted to scold her, but there was nothing she could say when Rene seemed genuinely clueless.

Fron frowned, staring at Rene who was fidgeting nervously.

‘More importantly, why is she so injured?’

It wasn’t just Rene.

The delinquent who had been harassing Luna in Sytan, and even Adel, didn't look like they were in good shape.

Come to think of it, she heard that the delinquent had dropped out of school.

So why was he with Adel?

Ugh…

Fron felt a headache coming on.

Something extraordinary must have happened between them, but Fron was completely in the dark.

So, Fron decided to question Rene.

“What on earth happened to all of you?”

“That’s….”

“Ah, wait. You don’t even understand the current situation, do you?”

“……No.”

Where should she even begin explaining?

Fron sighed deeply.

How could she make this clueless girl understand?

Finally, Fron decided to explain everything from start to finish.

“You suddenly ended up in prison, and I, finding you there, sought permission from my mother to treat you…”

“Yes, I understand.”

After Fron's lengthy explanation, Rene nodded.

It seemed like she finally grasped the situation.

At least it wasn’t an empty affirmation.

Just as Fron was about to continue, Rene cut her off.

“But.”

“What? You want to ask something?”

“Who, are you?”

“……Ha.”

Fron had no choice but to explain herself.

“I’m a student in the same class as your escort. During the midterms, I even ranked first.”

“……!”

Rene's shoulders trembled at the mention of Sytan.

Then, she breathed a sigh of relief, seemingly feeling a sense of security.

Seeing this, Fron clicked her tongue.

This girl had no idea what kind of situation she was in.

If her mother hadn't ordered her to save Rene, Adel’s pleas would have fallen on deaf ears, and Rene would be dead.

She didn't mean that Fron would have killed her.

It simply meant that her mother wouldn't forgive anyone who dared to intrude upon her palace.

“Anyway, be relieved. I’m the one who treated you while you were unconscious. My mother also ordered me to send you back to the Bares’ mansion.”

“……Thank you.”

“Whatever.”

Why didn't even a thank you sound sincere?

Looking at Rene, Fron couldn't help but think of Luna.

Their relationship had grown distant due to Fron's drastic change in attitude, but Luna was the only one Fron considered a close friend.

Of course, Luna was a handful, a bit of a scatterbrain, her face always falling whenever Adel was mentioned.

And somewhere along the line, Luna had started to look after Fron as if she were her older sister…

Shaking her head, Fron pushed the thought of Luna away.

There was no going back.

The relationship she had built with Luna, and everyone else at Sytan, had crumbled.

More importantly…

“You should get going.”

“……?”

“Don’t look at me like that. Go back to your family. Did you think you could stay in our territory forever?”

“……Can’t go.”

“What?”

Fron frowned at Rene's refusal, her lower lip caught between her teeth.

What was this girl saying?

If she stayed here any longer, she would die.

At the hands of her mother, no less.

Fron had personally braved that suffocating presence, endured the overwhelming aura, to get her mother's permission to avoid such a situation.

And now Rene was saying she didn't want to go?

“Ha….”

Fron let out a deep sigh, rubbing her temples.

Okay, let's hear her reason.

“Why don’t you want to go home? Explain yourself.”

“……Haven’t, found Adel yet.”

“Why do you need to find him?”

“My escort…”

Rene tried to explain that Adel was her escort, but the words caught in her throat.

Escort.

Adel was her escort.

But in this situation, a question arose in Rene's mind.

After experiencing such a horrific ordeal, would Adel still want to be her escort?

He wouldn’t.

In fact, Rene knew it.

Adel was forced to be her escort by her father.

That’s why she couldn’t bring herself to say that Adel was her escort.

What was she to Adel?

And what was Adel to her?

Unable to find the answer, Rene mumbled incoherently.

‘What is she doing?’

Watching her, Fron felt like dying.

Rene wasn’t very good at communicating.

She would often trail off mid-sentence, and even when she managed to speak, her responses were mostly monosyllabic.

The only ones who could understand her were Crete and Adel, who had known her for a long time.

But Adel wasn’t here now, so there was no one to translate.

“……So, where, is Adel.”

Rene stopped trying to explain why she was looking for Adel and went straight to the point.

Fron was taken aback by Rene's sudden assertiveness.

‘What’s gotten into her…?’

Cold sweat beaded on Fron’s forehead.

Fron had encountered Rene once before.

Back then, Rene was only capable of using basic Sword Lacquer.

Even then, her spirit was quite fierce, but she was no match for Fron, who had been concealing her true strength.

But now…

‘…She’s intimidating.’

This was not the naive, sheltered young lady from Sytan.

Even back then, it was a bit of a stretch to call her that, considering her remarkable skills, but seeing Rene constantly accompanied by an escort in Sytan had led Fron to that assumption.

Furthermore, the contrast with the impoverished Luna had only solidified that image.

But now, it seemed her very presence exuded strength…

Neither Fron nor Rene realized that Rene, having experienced the war in the human realm, had entered the initial stages of awakening her 'Fighting Spirit'.

However, neither of them had reached the point where they could fully utilize their true potential, so they remained oblivious to each other's true state.

“Answer me, where… is Adel?”

“How dare you release your killing intent in front of me.”

Whack!

Fron struck the top of Rene’s head with the edge of her hand.

“Ow!”

Rene rubbed her head, wincing in pain.

“What was that for…?”

“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t forget where you are, little girl. This is the Territory of Lust.”

“…….”

Rene swallowed nervously, a chill running down her spine.

The power dynamic between Fron and Rene had shifted.

Having spent the break by her mother's side, Fron had absorbed a great deal of Yin energy, enhancing her already alluring features.

Rene, who had absolutely no resistance to such charms, couldn't help but feel intimidated.

Clack.

Fron pulled out a cigarette from her pocket and put it in her mouth.

“Cough, cough, ugh, why do I even bother with these things?”

As Fron coughed, struggling to light her cigarette, Rene spoke up.

“Smoking, bad for you.”

“Quiet.”

Fron raised her hand threateningly.

“……!”

Startled, Rene quickly shielded her head with her arms.

Exhaling a long plume of smoke, Fron spoke, her gaze fixed on Rene.

“Adel’s name wasn’t on the list of those Mother allowed me to save. Do you understand what I’m saying? You’re the only one who gets to leave this place.”

Fron’s words sent a jolt of fear through Rene’s heart.

If what Fron said was true, then Adel could be dead.

Rene shot up from her spot and lunged towards Fron.

“Take me to Adel…”

“Not a chance.”

Thud!

Fron effortlessly swatted away Rene’s hand and grabbed her by the hair.

“Ugh!”

Rene cried out in pain as Fron yanked her hair back forcefully.

Still recovering from her injuries, Rene was powerless against Fron’s strength.

Fron leaned in close, her face inches from Rene’s.

“Just stay put. Until I send you home. That’s all you need to do.”

“No…”

“Then keep trying.”

If you want to see your precious Adel die.

Fron’s final words struck Rene like a bolt of lightning, freezing her in place.

***

“So, let me get this straight.”

“Yes.”

“We’re trapped in a prison within the Territory of Lust?”

“Yes.”

“And by some bizarre twist of fate, the gate we went through led us here?”

“Yes.”

“The Clan Leader is dead, the Demon soldiers are wiped out, and you’re saying that you barely managed to save us from those monstrous human brats?”

“Your comprehension is truly remarkable.”

“Hmph, even though I was once a top student in espionage training… No, forget that! Aren’t we utterly screwed?”

Having regained consciousness, Kyle bombarded me with a barrage of questions.

He praised my explanation for being easy to understand, but in reality, Kyle had initially been completely lost.

After all the explanations I provided, just to reach this conclusion… how much had I actually had to explain?

Listening to Kyle’s exasperated shouts, I could feel my face growing damp with his spittle.

Well, I could understand his disbelief.

The mighty Crete was dead, countless others had perished… it was only natural for Kyle to struggle to accept it.

Or perhaps, he understood it intellectually but couldn't bring himself to truly believe it.

Anyway…

Taking out a handkerchief, I wiped Kyle’s spittle from my face and spoke.

“It’s not all bad. You could even say it’s a good situation. Well, maybe not. It’s definitely a desperate situation. But there’s still hope, is what I’m saying!”

“…I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about. Especially since even that girl from our class betrayed us!”

Kyle’s suspicion was understandable.

Fron had forcefully turned me into her subordinate.

She hadn’t exactly been forthcoming about rescuing us either.

But I could tell that Fron had no intention of killing us.

“I don’t think she intends to kill us.”

“And how can you be so sure?”

“Faith, and love. With those two, you can trust anyone…”

“Stop talking like a Cerberus!”

“Oh my, your Demonic language skills have certainly improved.”

This was a significant improvement.

I beamed at Kyle, impressed by his progress.

This only served to make a vein bulge on his forehead.

But eventually, Kyle, ever the composed one, spoke in a calm voice.

“So, what’s the plan? You seem so relaxed, I assume you have a way out of here.”

Kyle’s words, though laced with irritation, hinted at a glimmer of hope.

He seemed to believe that I had some trick up my sleeve.

I responded to Kyle’s question with a cheerful grin.

“Ta-da! Surprisingly enough, I don’t!”

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