2025-08-20 12:29:43Inside one of the grand castles at the very heart of the empire’s capital—the central city of the strongest nation on the continent—a middle-aged man sat in his study, buried beneath a mountain of documents.
Though his desk was cluttered beyond reason, his pen moved tirelessly across the sheets of parchment.A knock echoed on the door.
“Enter,” the man commanded without looking up.The heavy door creaked open. A guard stepped inside and bowed slightly.
“Your Majesty…” he spoke with reverence.At last, the emperor turned, his face stern and commanding.
“What is it?” “There’s a message from Shadow No. 55,” the guard replied, offering a sealed letter.The emperor accepted it, broke the seal, and began to read. His lips curved into a thin smile.
“Hoh…” he murmured, before suddenly erupting into booming laughter. “Ha ha ha… HAHAHAHA!”The guard stood frozen, expressionless, though his confusion was clear. Whatever the letter contained, it greatly amused the emperor—but it wasn’t his place to ask.
Moments later, the emperor’s voice thundered again.
“Summon the witch. Immediately.”The guard stiffened in surprise. Which witch…? His face briefly betrayed hesitation.
Before he could answer, a teasing voice cut through the room.
“No need to search. I’m already here.”In an instant, every guard tensed, their hands inching toward their weapons, ready for combat.
“Oh my, so cautious, aren’t you…” the voice cooed, followed by the appearance of a mesmerizingly beautiful, mysterious figure—a witch.
She stepped into the room, her elegant black cloak shimmering faintly with arcane light. Her graceful body cast both an intimidating and enchanting silhouette. Her eyes locked onto the emperor’s, and she grinned.
“So… what business do you have with me, my emperor?” she asked playfully.The emperor leaned back in his chair and tossed the letter toward her.
“I’m here to collect one of your debts. The details are in there.”The witch caught the letter effortlessly, skimmed through it, and a flicker of amusement crossed her face.
“Heh… interesting,” she muttered.Then her gaze sharpened, eyes glittering.
“Are you certain you want this done? He might gain an incredibly rare talent… something on par with a ‘Hero.’ Perhaps even greater.”The emperor’s expression didn’t waver.
“It doesn’t matter. Just grant it to him.”The witch’s smile widened, her body leaning forward slightly.
“Oh? What’s this? Normally, you couldn’t care less about your children. And yet now, you’re willing to use one of my favors… for some distant descendant?”Unfazed, the emperor returned to his documents.
“This isn’t about feelings. It’s instinct. He will bring a greater change to this world than I—or any of my predecessors—ever could.”His eyes flicked toward her.
“Isn’t that right, witch?”The witch chuckled softly, folding her arms.
“It seems… the emperor is finally beginning to see.”At that, the emperor’s brows furrowed slightly, irritation flashing across his face.
“Of course. Especially after reading that letter… and realizing you were already here.” His gaze narrowed. “Do you take me for a fool?”The witch smirked slyly, resting her chin on a finger.
“A fool? Perhaps… Like that little incident four years ago, during the celebration…”But the emperor’s sharp tone cut her off.
“Enough. Just do your job.”He waved his hand, signaling her dismissal.
With a crooked smile, the witch turned, her body slowly dissolving into shadows.
“As you command… Your Majesty.”And just like that, she vanished into the darkness.
The emperor stared blankly at the spot she had been, then turned back to the guard.
“You may go,” he said curtly, already resuming his work. “Yes, Your Majesty,” the guard bowed and quietly left.Once again, silence settled over the study, broken only by the scratching of a pen across parchment.
Witch’s Perspective:
“Haaah… troublesome,” the witch muttered with a sigh as she strolled into a bustling port city.
She scanned the rows of moored ships.
“Now… which one should I take?” she mused, hand resting on her chin.“Ah… that one,” she decided, pointing at a mid-sized vessel that looked swift enough for her journey.
As she approached, a sailor spotted her striking figure and greeted her with a flirtatious grin.
“Well, hello there, pretty lady. What’s a beauty like you doing alone in a dangerous place like this?”The witch chuckled softly, then tossed him a peculiar coin.
“Call your captain. Now.”A sly smile tugged at her lips.
The moment the sailor glimpsed the crest engraved on the coin, his face turned pale and his body stiffened. His crewmates exchanged wary glances but kept working in silence.
Seconds later, the sailor snapped back to life and bolted toward the captain’s quarters, shouting,
“Captain!!”The witch only shook her head, amused by the commotion.
Days later, after passing the island with BlackHarbor Port, the witch stood at the ship’s bow, lounging casually against the railing. Her voice drifted softly into the wind,
“Head straight to SeaWatch Port…”Though whispered, every crew member on deck—and even the captain at the helm—heard her words as if they had been spoken directly into their ears. Instantly, the entire crew froze.
The captain, hands trembling on the wheel, stammered,
“B-but… we’ll be sailing dangerously close to the cursed dragon isle…”Faces across the deck paled. Some stared into the sea, panic flashing in their eyes.
The witch merely laughed under her breath.
“That’s fine… I’ll deal with the dragon.”The captain and his first mate exchanged a resigned look, then gave a weary smile and shook their heads.
“Change course!!” the captain bellowed.
Moments later, as the ship neared the Dragon Isle, a thunderous roar erupted—
“ROOAARRR!!”
The deafening cry of a dragon shook the skies, pressing down on every chest aboard.
The witch only smiled faintly, eyes fixed on the island.
“Still as naughty as ever…” she whispered, stepping away from the railing and toward the center of the deck.The crew froze in terror. Some collapsed where they stood, hands trembling violently. Above them, the massive dragon soared into the sky, its colossal wings blotting out the sun.
But the witch showed not a shred of fear. She raised a single finger toward the heavens.
“[Dark Bullet],” she murmured.—WHUUM!—
From her fingertip, dark mana condensed rapidly into a sphere the size of a marble. Its pitch-black surface gleamed like ink under moonlight. The air stilled, the wind silenced, and even light seemed devoured by the writhing shroud of darkness.
“ROOAARRR!!”
The dragon now hovered high above the ship, right within striking range.
The witch whispered,
“Now.”—THOOM!—
—ZWWMP!—The orb shot forth like a lightning bolt, tearing through the sky.
A heartbeat later—
—BOOM!!—A massive explosion erupted above the ship. Dark mana blossomed in the heavens like a flower blooming in the void.
“SKREEAAAGH!!”
The dragon’s scream pierced the skies. Though the blast hadn’t struck it directly, the sheer aura of the attack was enough to drive the beast back, shrieking in terror.
Within moments, the dragon retreated to its lair, vanishing into the mist.
The witch smiled triumphantly, turned on her heel, and strolled back to her perch at the bow, sitting once more as if nothing had happened.
At the helm, the captain exhaled in relief, though his face remained pale. His grip on the wheel was iron-tight.
The trembling first mate pointed toward the witch, stammering,
“C-captain… that woman, she’s…”The captain only nodded, his voice barely above a whisper.
“Yes… that’s her… Lady Veyra, the Legendary Shadow Witch…”Though distant, Veyra heard his words. She glanced back with a sly smile before turning her gaze to the open sea, letting the ocean breeze billow her black cloak.
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Chapter 17 - Dungeon Floor Boss: Goblin
Dungeon – Floor 3After a brief rest, we continued our journey toward the final floor, the boss room.The farther we went, the more monsters blocked our way.Perhaps because we were already close to the dungeon’s core… and no one had ever reached this point before, since it was a new dungeon.“Oh… six goblins at once,” muttered Victor, standing calmly as he waited for them to approach.Three goblins in front immediately charged together, leaping straight at him.“Hah… why do they always do the same thing?” sighed Victor, swinging his sword in a wide horizontal slash.As soon as they entered his range,–slash–all three fell at once.The fourth goblin leapt high, aiming straight at his face.Victor stepped forward and slammed his shield upward, right into the goblin’s chin.Crack!The goblin was flung into the air, tumbled, then crashed hard onto the ground.The fifth rushed quickly, brandishing its dull dagger.Before the weapon even touched him, Victor once again slashed horizontally
Chapter 16 – Dungeon
Meanwhile, Lyanna and Cedric went to find a water source to clean the rabbit meat.Victor focused on setting up the tent for Reina, while Rhoderic gathered logs for the campfire.And Reina? She was still playing her role as the young noble adventurer.Why? Because we were still being watched.Through the earpiece in Victor’s helmet, she asked quietly,“Shall we continue the act?”Lyanna replied without hesitation,“Of course. If they move, we can capture them, and if necessary, just behead them.”Hearing that, Victor immediately responded,“Can’t we just incapacitate them?”The line went silent for a moment. No one answered.Then, as if nothing had happened, they all went back to playing their roles.They all knew, those eyes were still lurking.While Lyanna’s hands were still busy cleaning the rabbit, she asked with a scornful tone,“Hey… Prince, why bother capturing that useless rabble?”Her voice dripped with contempt.“Savages like them… it’s better if they just die,” she said ang
Chapter 15 – Encounter with a Wolf Pack
After collecting several bundles of spider webs, we continued our journey.Along the way, Victor occasionally spotted Horned Rabbits.The small ones, he ignored, but the big ones…Upon seeing one, Victor immediately took out his crossbow and a tube of bolts from my spatial bag, then said,“Reina, wait a moment,” his gaze locked on a large Horned Rabbit ahead.“What is it?” Reina asked, following the direction of Victor’s eyes.“Practice,” he answered while quickly taking a crouched stance.Victor steadied his footing, adjusted his posture, and raised his weapon, ready to aim.This one was larger than before… and faster too.But if he could land a clean hit, it would mean he was improving.He held his breath for a moment, shutting out all distractions.His heartbeat slowed.His fingers tightened around the grip of the weapon.Once he was confident in his aim, Victor murmured,“Now…”and released the shot.–Thump!–‘Let’s see… if my instincts are still sharp.’After retrieving the Horne
Chapter 14 – Victor, the Novice Guard
Six months had passed.During that time, Victor spent most of his days dueling with Rhoderic or practicing Rune Magic under the guidance of his teacher.‘And who is my teacher? Obviously… none other than the beautiful Witch herself, Lady Veyra,’ thought Victor as he glanced at her.‘Although her methods of teaching are somewhat… unconventional, I managed to learn how to interpret, carve, and apply rune magic.I’ve even begun modifying my armor so that it can adjust to my growing body,’ he continued while analyzing the magic patterns he had drawn.“Like this…?” asked Veyra, swinging her spell with an elegant motion.“Yes, yes, just like that,” Victor replied quickly, his eyes fixed on the glowing mana trail, trying to imitate the mana flow into the form of runes he was shaping.“Wait a moment, Teacher,” he added, scribbling notes quickly, without shifting his focus.Hearing that, Veyra suddenly spoke in a cold tone,“What…?”Victor blinked, confused by the change in her tone. He was ab
Chapter 13 - The King, the Queen, and the Witch
Dining Hall, Royal PalaceAbout thirty minutes after Paul’s departure, King Louis glanced at the guards and servants standing still around the room.“You may leave us,” he said calmly.“Yes, Your Majesty.”After bowing in unison, the servants and guards silently left the room.Their footsteps sounded light and rhythmic, slowly fading away behind the long palace corridor.Once the door closed behind them, only King Louis and Queen Valessia remained at the grand dining table.Silence hung in the air, broken only by the faint clinking of silverware and the gentle breeze brushing against the stone walls of the palace.Then, without turning his head in the slightest, King Louis spoke,“Come out. It’s only us here now.”He and Queen Valessia both turned toward the corner of the room, where shadows danced behind the dim candlelight.For a moment… nothing happened.Then, the voice of a woman came from the darkness, smooth and laced with a teasing tone.“As expected of someone bearing the Titl
Chapter 12 – Conversation with My Father (The King)
Morning came.Victor awoke as sunlight began to shine upon his face.He saw Reina, already dressed in her maid uniform, quietly cleaning the room.“Good morning,” he greeted.Hearing his words, Reina replied without turning her head,“Good morning, Prince. Would you like to take a bath first?”Still half-asleep, Victor answered drowsily,“Yes…” while lying back down on the bed, looking exhausted.“Alright, I’ll fetch the water,” she said, then walked out of the room.It took him several seconds to process her words.“Fetch…? Water…?”The moment he realized what she meant, Victor immediately sat up.“Wait, don’t—”But the door had already closed.She was gone.Victor let out a long sigh.(Two hours later, after bathing and changing into the clothes prepared by the maids…)Now clean and neat, Victor sat at his desk, examining the damage on the exo-armor he had used the previous night during the attack.Several mana rune circuits were severed, the metal plating on the legs was bent and d
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