Chapter 93
Chapter 93
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 93
Chapter Title: Erewin's Laboratory Mishap
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“This way.”
Damian followed Erewin to the laboratory set up in the basement of the mansion.
He had hurried a bit and been a touch forceful.
If Boris had been there, he might have chosen a different approach, but this was the best way to handle Erewin.
She wasn’t on Rubia’s level, but her twisted nature was just as bad.
You could tell from the clothes she was wearing.
She’d asked for a moment and then slipped into an evening dress that left her bare skin blatantly exposed.
Her intentions were plain as day.
Wooong. The massive magic device in the basement spun, emitting a blue glow.
This was where it had all started—the incident that sent Ariella to another phase.
“No way. Is that thing from the ancient ruins?”
“Exactly. The very ruins you investigated. No issues, right?”
The object inside the magic device resembled the crystal orb that had maintained the world of memories. This one was an artifact too.
“We’re just investigating its functions. I even got permission from the Mage Tower Council in case of emergencies.”
It didn’t sound like a lie. She was genuinely proceeding for research purposes only.
Just as Ariella had said, neither Boris nor Erewin had any malicious intent behind it.
“The Tower Master disappeared because of this.”
“W-what do you mean?”
Erewin’s lips quivered. Damian didn’t seem to be joking.
“It’s a type of accident. Let’s stop this magic device first.”
“O-okay….”
Erewin’s hands shook as she manipulated the control panel.
She had no choice but to be nervous.
Even as the empire’s sole princess, getting tangled up with the Tower Master would complicate things terribly.
‘Hurry, hurry, hurry!’
Wooong!! But the magic device didn’t stop. If anything, it sped up even more.
“You do know how to handle it, right?”
“O-of course. It’s j-just a minor error.”
Though Erewin and Boris had drafted the experiment plan together, Boris had handled the overall execution.
So Erewin didn’t know the specifics.
Should she call Boris now? No, she didn’t want to look incompetent in front of Damian.
‘It’s n-not my fault, technically!’
The plan itself had no issues. The problem lay with Boris, who ran the actual experiment.
She should have been honest from the start. Then she could have shifted blame to Boris and saved face.
“U-uwaaaack!”
Those stray thoughts ended up causing trouble. Smoke rose from the panel, and electricity sparked wildly.
The magic device’s state grew unstable.
The light it emitted had increased to an incomparable degree.
It was hard to even keep her eyes open.
‘It’s gonna spin me dizzy.’
Erewin focused only on the magic device, but the real danger was the artifact inside it.
Like the crystal orb that had sucked Damian’s group into the world of memories, this one had a similar effect.
Other coincidences had overlapped, but that was the core issue.
Of course, Ariella hadn’t fallen into a complex world like Damian had.
She seemed free to act, and her inherent powers remained intact.
Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle. The light faded, and the magic device shattered completely.
Then, unidentified sludge oozed from the artifact. It was the same defensive mechanism Damian had seen in the world of memories.
“St-step back. I’ll handle this.”
As Damian moved forward, Erewin blocked him.
Things had gone wrong, bruising her pride in all sorts of ways—especially in front of Damian.
At the very least, she had to clean up with her own strength.
That was how Erewin von Edbalt, the empire’s sole princess, preserved her minimum dignity.
Damian quietly stepped back.
If he intervened or called for outside help, it would be easy to resolve.
It resembled what he’d seen in the world of memories, but its completion was far inferior.
From their perspective, this was the external world, so it was only natural.
Still, he took the opportunity to gauge Erewin’s skill level.
They’d joined forces to purge the devil worshippers, but they hadn’t fought together.
So he hadn’t witnessed Erewin or Boris’s magic firsthand.
As twins, their skills were similar. Boris held a slight edge.
Whoooosh. Mana condensed around Erewin, forming dozens of daggers.
The lab was cramped, filled with other devices.
Using high-powered elemental magic recklessly could endanger the caster.
‘Her judgment’s textbook.’
Even in the chaotic situation, her magical decisions were spot-on.
It was only natural, really.
As a princess, she’d received top-tier education. It could forge talent where none existed.
If Saliva had gotten the same training, she’d already be on the Mage Tower Council.
Shoo! Shoo! Shoo! Dozens of daggers moved in perfect unison at Erewin’s gesture.
The sludge surged upward like a wave, only to be shredded back down by the daggers.
Moreover, the wounds from the daggers didn’t regenerate.
The mana daggers sliced while leaving fragments to inflict ongoing damage.
It wasn’t comparable to Aum Pasha’s slashes, but it was effective enough.
“Told you? Big sis can handle this.”
With the sludge’s assault blunted, Erewin regained her composure.
A smile even spread across her face.
This was an anomaly from an artifact, no less.
No ordinary mage could deal with it.
Yet she’d blocked it with flair.
And with Damian watching from behind, it was the perfect chance to showcase her talent.
She wouldn’t fall short of Rubia. She could shine even brighter.
She was proving it right in front of Damian, the one Rubia obsessed over.
As if responding to her emotions, Erewin’s mana surged higher.
The daggers moved faster, and the sludge’s momentum crumbled.
‘…She doesn’t notice.’
And that’s when the problem arose.
In her excitement, Erewin failed to realize her control over the mana daggers was slipping.
The artifact’s sludge wasn’t just taking it passively. They were pseudo-lifeforms with basic cognition.
The moment a dagger cut them, the sludge smeared a bit of itself onto the blade.
That buildup weakened Erewin’s control.
“Th-this….”
Pale-faced at the unexpected turn, Erewin faltered.
As her attack slowed, the sludge surged back fiercely.
Regaining control was impossible. Better to switch to a new spell.
Electricity sparked from Erewin’s fingertips. She planned to mark points on the sludge and connect them with lightning.
Bzzzt. Lightning lit up the lab. Lacking a unique hue, it was plain blue.
‘No, no, no!’
Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle. The outcome defied her expectations.
She’d aimed for controlled power to avoid collateral damage, but it was woefully insufficient against the sludge.
Worse, the sludge absorbed the lightning mana and grew stronger.
Now, the only safe spot in the basement lab was the narrow space where Damian and Agnes stood.
‘Wh-what next?’
She was proficient in dozens of spells. Yet none came to mind as ideal now.
‘Rubia would….’
Urk. The thought triggered revulsion. Why did Rubia pop up even in something this simple?
“Step back. I’ll finish it.”
Damian pushed past the floundering Erewin to the front.
He’d assessed her roughly. Time to end this farce.
‘This is her limit.’
That was his evaluation of Erewin.
Exactly this level. She had the skill expected of the empire’s princess, nothing more.
She could claim some status in the empire, but she lacked the talent for more.
Boris was the same. But he had one edge over Erewin.
Inferiority complex. Her feelings toward Rubia only hindered her growth.
Thus, in his previous life, she’d met her end at Rubia’s hands.
Would she face the same fate this time? It was too soon to tell.
“Y-you, you’re insane?”
Whoosh. Damian’s right hand ignited. Erewin couldn’t help but recoil.
She knew Damian’s firepower well.
She’d seen him in action in Ariella’s mental world and remembered the state of the enemies during the devil worshipper purge.
The lab held countless magic devices. Some were already buried in the sludge.
If they exploded, the damage was unpredictable.
“It’s fine.”
Snap. Ignoring Erewin’s reaction, a spark flared from Damian’s fingertip.
As she feared, black magic—Hellfire—was hard to control.
That’s what he’d worried about against the Hashashin in the Teya Mountains.
So he’d burned through the Book of Hell to unleash overwhelming power that wouldn’t spread.
That was in the past now.
Damian’s black magic hadn’t just grown in raw power. Precision and control had advanced too.
This shone brightest in Hellfire, which produced the widest area of effect.
The green flames seemed to engulf the entire basement, yet they affected nothing but the sludge.
Not a single ember escaped Damian’s control. No risk to the other devices.
“I’m destroying that.”
“…Uh, y-yeah.”
Erewin’s response came late, as if entranced.
He hadn’t asked for permission anyway.
Crack! Hellfire blasted toward the artifact. It resisted for a few seconds before crumbling to dust.
No more sludge spawned. Just clean up the remnants.
“Ah….”
Erewin stared blankly. No, she felt it on her skin.
This experience dwarfed what she’d sensed indirectly at the past banquet.
Unique hue.
The color held no special power, but mages born with them all left great legacies.
Its alien shade carried its own pressure.
Currently, four mages on the continent bore unique hues.
Erewin’s uncle, the head of the Florence family; the eccentric Ezekiel; Rubia; and finally, Damian.
She’d seen her uncle’s and Rubia’s hues countless times, so she knew their otherworldly feel well.
But Damian’s green flames were different in texture.
They should have felt alien, yet it seemed like green was natural all along—an illusion.
And it was beautiful. More beautiful than any flame she’d ever seen.
“Huh?”
Suddenly, the remaining sludge morphed into a spike.
Aimed at her defenseless self.
But it didn’t reach. Damian’s flames permitted no such thing.
“…”
Damian glanced back slightly. His sculpted jawline stole her breath.
Was he turning out of concern? The thought sent her heart racing.
But above all, what stirred Erewin was his overwhelming power.
The dominance of the green flames.
‘My judgment wasn’t wrong.’
He was the one. The only man who could fulfill her wishes and change her fate.