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Liphiel, ever the responsible leader, stepped forward. "We have failed, Your Majesty. Please accept our apologies."

Philip\'s smile faltered, an awkward tension seeping into his posture. "It\'s not a complete failure, Lady Liphiel. The demons have left our territory. That, in itself, is a victory."

His attempt at consolation did little to hide the underlying power. It was clear that the Divine Knights wielded considerable influence over the Emperor.

Nancy, with a mischievous glint in her eye, couldn\'t resist a jab. "Looks like you utterly failed everyone~"

Aiden shot her a withering glare as he walked past. "Fuck off, Nancy. While I\'m out there fighting, you\'re cowering like a bitch in the castle."

Nancy\'s smile widened. "I don\'t think anyone should take pride in losing, though. Don\'t you agree, Jason?"

Jason\'s fists clenched, his knuckles whitening before he stormed off. Siara and a few other girls followed, casting icy glares at Nancy.

"Where are the others?" Amelia asked, her concern for the students who had stayed behind evident.

Nancy shrugged nonchalantly. "I don\'t know, teacher. Probably crying in their rooms, asking for their mommies?" She laughed derisively as she sauntered away.

Since she started fucking with the Emperor, her attitude had only worsened, reminding me unpleasantly of her behavior back on Earth.

Emperor Philip attempted to diffuse the tension. "As I said, there is nothing to be ashamed of, Heroes. You should now take a well-deserved rest. A sumptuous dinner awaits you." His eyes scanned the group, pausing briefly on me, making my skin crawl. His gaze was scrutinizing, almost invasive, before he turned and walked away.

"Liphiel, follow me. We need to talk," she called out to Cecilia, and the two departed, leaving the rest of us to our own devices.

"Ah! I\'m tired!" one of my classmates exclaimed, breaking the silence.

"Let\'s rest," another agreed.

"The guy at the end was scary!" someone else murmured, relief mingling with exhaustion in their voice.

"Thank god Jason is here!" a classmate added, looking towards where Jason had gone.

Slowly, my classmates began to disperse, heading towards their respective rooms, their steps heavy with fatigue.

I trudged back toward my room, my mind heavy with thoughts. I needed rest before I could prepare for what lay ahead. What was it that awaited me? Well, the time had come. My time in this Empire was drawing to a close. Staying here any longer would be perilous.

The recent arrival of a Third-Ranked Divine Knight did not bode well. She seemed wary of me, and I couldn\'t blame her. At least she wasn\'t aware that I was the one who had "killed" Radakel. That secret, however, was a ticking time bomb. The constant game of hide and seek was wearing me down, and I was tired of living on edge.

If I wanted to become stronger and advance, I needed freedom, something I could not obtain here.

As I approached my room, I noticed that my maid, Anna, was absent. Had they finally realized it was pointless to keep her here? I had done my best to act like any normal teenager, and perhaps they believed there was nothing more to spy on.

Slumping onto the bed, I closed my eyes. A few hours seemed to pass, but when I opened them again, the sun had already set. My heart thumped heavily in my chest, a sense of unease gnawing at me.

"Something isn\'t right at all..." I muttered to myself. Liphiel\'s sudden appearance, the Emperor\'s peculiar gaze, Anna\'s unexpected absence—everything felt off. Khione\'s silence added to my unease. Was it all connected? I couldn\'t be sure, but I trusted my instincts.

I stood up from the bed just as a knock echoed through the room.

"Who is it?" I called out.

"Hero Nathan?" a knight\'s voice responded from the other side of the door. He entered, his expression serious.

"What?" I narrowed my gaze, my guard up.

"The Emperor has called for you. He wishes to discuss your abduction," the knight said.

My abduction? What did he want to know at this hour?

"Alright," I nodded, suppressing my suspicions for the moment. I followed the knight, my mind racing with possibilities.

I could choose to escape right away with my Artifact, but leaving no traces of suspicion was paramount. Fleeing immediately after being summoned would only raise more questions and create more problems. I would talk to the Emperor and leave silently tonight. Although I had planned to depart tomorrow, my instincts screamed that now was the time.

I\'ll explain everything to Khione later.

Accompanied by two knights, one on either side, I walked toward the throne room. I would play my part as usual. In my current state, I couldn\'t pull off any grand fight like I did against the God of Light and Radakel. If forced, running away was my only option.

Khione wasn\'t there either. I was on my own. Normally, she would provide insights about these meetings, but now, I had no idea if this was truly about my kidnapping.

The doors to the throne room opened, and I stepped inside. The knights closed the doors behind me, leaving me alone in the grand, echoing chamber.

As I raised my gaze, I was taken aback to see someone other than the Emperor seated on the throne. It was Liphiel. Beside her stood three burly men, their expressions stoic and their presence formidable. They radiated strength far beyond Elias, stronger even than me at my full capacity.

"Lady Liphiel, I thought the Emperor had called me," I said, stepping forward with measured confidence.

"Indeed, I told him to call you. Here you are, Hero Nathan," Liphiel replied, her voice calm yet commanding. "We thought you might know the identity of the demon who left Radakel in such a state. After all, you were with them for a few hours."

"I already told Cecilia everything I knew. I can\'t say more than that," I said with a sigh, maintaining a façade of exasperation and honesty.

"Hmm. I understand," Liphiel nodded thoughtfully.

Her three men moved quickly, surrounding me with a menacing air.

"May I know what\'s happening?" I asked, forcing a smile to mask my growing unease.

"I think you already know, Hero Nathan. You\'ve become a thorn in our side. That kidnapping might happen again, and we can\'t risk you falling into the hands of demons," Liphiel said, her voice cold and calculating.

"So, you decide to kill me off?" I responded, a mixture of incredulity and defiance in my voice.

"It\'s to ensure the safety of your comrades. Please don\'t hold any grudges toward me," Liphiel said, her expression feigning sadness.

"If you really wanted to kill me, you could have just let me die back then or pretended to heal me and finished me off," I said, puzzled by her approach.

"Indeed, I could have, but I need to verify something," Liphiel replied, a sly smile playing on her lips as she twirled her staff.

"Verify what?" I asked, my curiosity piqued despite the danger.

Liphiel\'s golden eyes shone with an eerie light. "If a god is really backing you, you see."

I kept my expression neutral, revealing nothing.

"Hmm~ still, how are you this calm even though you\'re dying in a minute, Hero Nathan? I\'m impressed," Liphiel said, sounding genuinely admiring.

The three men around me raised their palms, ready to strike. I clenched the artifact in my pocket, preparing for the worst.

"Killing me will come with consequences. I hope you Divine Knights will remember that," I said, my voice turning cold and steely.

"Scary, Hero Nathan. What consequences could you mean? Could it be a god is truly supporting you? We are all thinking that, you know? I am not sure, though," Liphiel chuckled, resting her hand on her cheek.

I smiled slightly at her words, realizing they were not just dismissing me but actually wary of the possibility of divine intervention. They had deduced that someone, perhaps a god, was backing me based on my luck and confidence despite my perceived weakness.

"You\'re playing a dangerous game, Liphiel. You all are," I said, my tone filled with a quiet threat.

"This is not a game, Hero Nathan. This is a fight beyond anything you can imagine. We are grateful for whatever help—or in your case, none—that you could provide, but this is the end of the road for you. Please don\'t make it difficult for us," Liphiel said, her voice icy and resolute.

Ignoring her, I poured mana into my Artifact of Urgent Teleportation, the same one I had given to Catnys. But nothing happened. I tried again, forcing mana into the artifact, but still, nothing.

Huh?

I tried once more, my desperation mounting. Still nothing. It couldn\'t be… My body hadn\'t fully recovered, but that shouldn\'t prevent me from using mana. Pouring mana was a simple act, something I should be capable of even in my weakened state.

Why?

Why?!

For the first time, I felt my composure slipping away.

The three giants surrounding me focused their mana toward me, a terrifying force that could erase my existence without a trace.

"Since you are a Hero, unfortunately, killing you might take a lot of effort. As such, pardon me, Hero Nathan, but you will suffer greatly while dying," Liphiel said, rising from the throne.

"I hope you have prepared good reasons for my death, then," I said, my tone dropping to a deadly cold. I abandoned all pretense of nonchalance, staring at her with unfeeling eyes.

I couldn\'t even pour mana into my ring to remove my seal and disguise. When I uttered these threatening words, one of the giants involuntarily took a step back in fear. I didn\'t need to remove the seal to scare them off. Liphiel\'s eyes widened slightly, not understanding what had happened.

"Good reasons? Or are you not aware? Demons have put a forbidden magic in your body during your kidnapping. And they teleported all in the castle using that to attack us. The good news is that there had been no casualties, the bad news though is that Hero Nathan had been killed before his body taken away by the Demons. Such a sad outcome just when we managed to save Hero Nathan~"

I ignored her once more.

I was just buying time.

Why doesn\'t it work? I clenched the artifact again. I can\'t use mana. Why?

Huh?

My eyes widened in realization. I looked at Liphiel. That woman... When she was healing me... she took advantage and sealed all my mana.

"I can\'t even use mana..." I murmured, the full horror of my situation dawning on me.

"Oh?" Liphiel said, breaking off from her earlier stupor, a smug smile spreading across her face. "Just a measure of safety. We\'ll see if a god steps in to save your life now."

Khione?

I called out to her.

But there was no answer, just like always.

Now I was certain—something had happened to her.

But she wasn\'t dead; I could feel it with my seal.

Am I going to die, then?

My heart thumped heavily inside my chest, a frantic rhythm that matched the turmoil in my mind.

My life flashed before my eyes.

My mother, Phoebe, first.

Then those two twins...

My father.

My step-mom.

Sienna and Siara.

Amelia, Courtney, and Aisha.

Finally, Khione.

I wished I could make her smile genuinely.

"Am I going to die?" I asked out loud with a slight tremble in my voice.

I heard Liphiel mumbling something, but I ignored her.

AM I REALLY GOING TO DIE?

The words echoed in my mind, plunging me into darkness.

The threatening aura engulfed me, and I felt my life slipping away. The mind-boggling pain hit my legs first, then my arms, slowly consuming me. My consciousness began to fade as the agony spread, pulling me into the abyss.

°°°°

Liphiel looked ahead, her eyes fixed on the black and red charred ground where Nathan had stood just a moment ago. Now, his existence had completely vanished.

"Prepare to release the demons we have captured in the castle and warn our knights. Not a single hero should be injured," Liphiel commanded, turning around with a wide smile.

"Hero Nathan is dead."

END OF VOLUME 1