"Sol, you are a half-dragon right?"

"... Indeed. So? Are you going to kill me to get my core?"

"Oh, ~!? You are surprisingly calm. Do you think I would not hurt you? No, from your reaction you are clearly wary of me. Then, do you think you can beat me? Ah~! Even though you don't really believe so you don't think you would lose either. I really wonder what kind of skills you obtained during your awakening."

The duchess continued to ask and answer to her own questions.

The binding surrounding him slowly came apart before completely vanishing.

"Arachne's thread. This is how this weapon of mine is called. It's a gift from the goddess after I showed my overwhelming talent. From what she told me. There was once a woman who went by the same name and whose skills could only be defined as godly. This thread was created by her. They are close to indestructible."

This information startled Sol. But he wasn't too surprised. If as he thought all the previous kings of Lustburg were earthlings, there was no way that such a coincidence could happen without a meddling hand behind it.

"This is interesting and all, but should I mention that imprisoning the prince of the kingdom, even shortly, is a crime?"

While he talked, his blue eyes turned gold.

"Say, duchess, are you perhaps underestimating me?"

Aura of power began to emanate from his whole body. He was well and truly pissed.

The reason why she acted this way didn't matter.

The fact that he could have escaped any time he wanted didn't matter.

At the end of the day, the sole truth was clear, she had assaulted him.

<<Intent>> "I suppose that Gerald was given a similar proposal."

All the energy he was amassing immediately vanished.

"What!?"

The duchess was as calm as ever.

"I believe that you heard me quite clearly the first time."

Sol's eyes showed pure disbelief.

He had been somewhat prepared, but deep in his heart, he always harbored the hope that everything was a mistake and that his uncle wouldn't betray him. Clinging on a vain hope, he asked,

"What makes you say that? Since when did you know or suspected?"

Arachne examined his expression. She could see how hurt he was at her revelation. Still, she needed to continue,

"I don't know all the details, but Gerald has a granddaughter. A very cherished girl, she was also the most likely candidate to become a Holy daughter since she was blessed. But out of nowhere, she suddenly vanished."

"I already know that, and so?"

"Heh, then, did you know? In his estate, there's two of my sculptures. No one outside of my companion during the war knows that I can share sight and hearing with the things I create. This is why I know. His granddaughter didn't vanish. I don't know why, but she is currently in a very deep sleep and she is growing weaker by the day."

"Once again, and so? This isn't enough to be suspicious of him."

"That's of course, see, after I received the invitation from those heretics, I immediately began to suspect people around me. This is when I saw it. It was just a glimpse, and I never saw her again, but I can't be wrong. He met a witch… A red-clothed witch...The same witch who proposed a way to resurrect Mars."

The hope in Sol's eyes dimmed considerably. He felt as if a stake was pierced in his heart.

Of course, this was just the duchess assumption.

Perhaps, like her, he only accepted outwardly while in reality, he was still loyal.

Perhaps, the way to save his granddaughter didn't need a core.

Perhaps, Milaris was truly a traitor and she was just misleading him.

Perhaps…

'Get a grip!'

He screamed internally.

"Hope for the best but prepare for the worst."

His murmur surprised Arachne. She had been prepared for many things. Tears, refusal to accept reality, suspicion toward her, and many others. But,

'To think that he would be able to recover so fast.'

This made her respect for him grow a great deal.

Sol on the other hand was doing everything to calm his fast-beating heart. He couldn't afford to be distracted now. He needed to keep his wits with him.

'Let's do one thing at times.'

Letting out a sigh, his eyes immediately focused back on Arachne.

"Your suspicions are noted. Now, I suppose that this is why you met my aunt to discuss. I will analyze the situation with her. Let's stop the discussion here. I admit that your revelation has quite rattled me."

"As you wish."

Getting her answer, Sol got up and turned away before leaving. His steps, heavy with muddy feelings.

Watching him close the door behind him, Arachne sighed and rose up before going to another room in her study.

There, admiring her full collection of Mars goods, she poured herself a glass of wine and closed her eyes, a feeling of peace washing over her.

This place was her sanctuary. It was her own little closed world.

"Mars, I finally had a true discussion with your son. He really grew up well."

She gulped her drink and continued to stare at Mars's portrait, her eyes, blurry with tears.

"I really miss you."

She could have resurrected her most beloved person. But she gave up this chance.

She could only smile bitterly and watch the future situation unfold.

A few minutes later, in the quarter reserved for Sol, Setsuna fidgeted uneasily.

Right now, the atmosphere in the room was extremely heavy. Sol had told them about his discussion with the duchess, and she had to admit that she was equally astonished.

Her relationship with Gerald wasn't particularly close, but he was still someone she respected as a soldier and as a sort of surrogate grandfather for Sol.

She knew that Gerald occupied a large place in Sol's heart and she couldn't even imagine how devastated he was currently.

Sol meanwhile, was thinking at an extremely fast speed. He was analyzing the situation in front of him from all angles. The best and the worst situation.

He was so focused, that the energy emanating from his body was slowly filling the entire room, bringing an incredibly heavy pressure.

Even Setsuna could feel her breathing becoming difficult. This level of power completely surpassed what he had shown during their fight.

"Sol, are you alright?"

The moment she asked this, she couldn't help but berate herself inwardly.

'Of course, he isn't alright. What are you thinking?'

The more hurt he was, the more hurt she became. Because she knew she couldn't heal those wounds. She had never been good with words and more than anyone else, she knew how painful it was to be betrayed by someone you trusted.

Her words seemed to bring him back, as he exhaled slightly before giving a weak smile.

"I am not really alright, to be honest. But well, this isn't a problem."

The situation wasn't at the worst yet. Whether Gerald betrayed him or not, at least he was aware of the situation.

What's more,

'Acting like this in front of my woman is seriously uncool.'

One of his greatest wishes is to become a man all his women could rely upon without hesitation.

This wasn't just a matter of strength, but also a matter of mental fortitude.

After all, how could he be reliable if he crumbled down at the slightest bad news?

Pushing down his worries, he gave a large smile at Setsuna and gently petted her head.

'Tomorrow at the shortest and in two days at the latest. Everything will come to light.'

Now, getting the allegiance of Milaris was the most pressing. Everything else could wait.

[In the tower of babel]

Milia was nursing a headache while sitting down in her office. It wasn't particularly comfy and was nearly devoid of any decorations.

The only exceptions were one large table and three chairs around it.

Thanks to the message system they developed, she already got the information about Gerald and Arachne from Ketia.

'This was truly an oversight of my part.'

Even though the crown's shadow was a powerful organization deeply entrenched in Lustburg, they weren't omniscient. Still, not knowing that a witch entered their domain and that said witch enticed someone extremely close to the prince they needed to protect was a great mistake.

'I should have pushed to know more about Gerald.'

Because of Gerald's past as a loyal general and his close relationship with the royal family, he was one of the least suspicious people in the kingdom.

What's more, he had never overstepped his bound and never fought for power. Even during the time of the Puppet king, he disregarded the rule of neutrality the Highland were known for and taught many things to both Mars and Lilith.

'I can't even imagine how bad Sol must feel right now.'

Just imagining his sadness made her feel like she was about to die. She wished for nothing more than to simply rush to the Milaris mansion and hug him tightly against her chest.

She wanted to comfort him, to make him forget all his problems. To bring him happiness and make his sunny smile never wane.

"So, why did you bring me here?"

Glaring at the source of the voice that broke her thoughts and was another reason for her headaches, she answered,

"I thought you were trained as a maid?"

She couldn't help but cringe when she thought about what happened.

After Sol decided to pass time with Lilin and Setsuna, she brought Nuwa to the maid quarters and decided to give her a little trial to gauge her skills...The result was catastrophic.

Three antique vases broken, one famous painting destroyed, and a few grimoires now completely unreadable.

Even though Milia wasn't particularly attracted by money and the like, just thinking about how each of those inestimable objects were lost forever made her feel like she was going insane.

Nuwa, tilted her head, a questioning light in her eyes, "Did I ever say that I was?"

Milia's expression froze.

"You aren't a maid?"

"I am not."

"Then why are you wearing a maid's uniform?"

"Because my previous master thought it suited me."

"Why did you not say that you weren't a maid when I entrusted those tasks to you?"

"Because you didn't ask."

Milia's face altered between red and white. It has been the first time in a long while since she wanted to punch someone so much.

"Then, what can you do?"

She could see Nuwa enter deep in thoughts, then,

"Look cute?"

Her answer once again astonished her.