Theodore’s eyes flashed fiercely as he lifted his head abruptly. Zen grabbed his shoulders and helped him stand. Zen nodded confidently as he looked into Theodore’s eyes.

“I haven’t been to the location, so we can’t teleport, but I’ve identified the coordinates. It’s not far from here.”

There was no need to think even more. The two immediately mounted their horses. Following Ventus’s lead, they started running in the indicated direction.

Theodore’s eyes reflected anxiety and urgency as he stared straight forward. Lily, please, please be safe. With this thought echoing like a prayer, he relentlessly urged his horse forward.

* * *

The last thing I remembered was Charlotte collapsing after shielding me from Owen’s attack.

Among the attendants who accompanied us to the hideout, one had Caligo’s mark, and due to this, our location was exposed.

Owen attacked swiftly and killed or incapacitated everyone except me. Charlotte and Jane were confirmed unharmed, but two knights and one attendant lost their lives.

Despite his clearly impaired vision, Owen still stared directly at me. As I shuddered at this fact, my consciousness was abruptly cut off. When I came to my senses, I was in a dark cave, I couldn’t determine the exact location.

There was something peculiar about this cave; it seemed to be decorated like a room. There was a table, a sofa, a carpet, and even a bed. It was undoubtedly a place that Owen had prepared a long time ago to imprison me.

“Why don’t you get up now?”

“….”

I pretended to be asleep until I slowly opened my eyes upon hearing Owen’s voice right in front of me. As I stared at his face in front of me as if to kill him, Owen chuckled as if finding it amusing.

“Oh, are you angry? Because I killed your attendants and knights?”

“Shut up, murderer.”

“Well, you’re not much different. You killed Lady Alvinith, right?”

“I got my rightful revenge.”

“Revenge, whether rightful or not, is just revenge.”

I snorted in disbelief. Clearly, turning the tables on someone who clearly intended to kill me was rightful revenge. But revenge is just revenge?

“Who are you to talk like that? You’re just a damn bastard who wouldn’t be enough even if you were crushed to dust under the weight of thousands of grudges.”

“It’s quite strange. When others speak harshly, it irritates me, but when you do it, it sounds pleasant.”

Owen smiled broadly and reached out to touch my cheek. I forcefully swatted his hand away. I was sitting on the sofa and he didn’t bound me. As if to say he could easily handle me even without restraints. That made me extremely uncomfortable.

“Touchy.”

“….”

My hands were trembling with wanting to strangle his neck right then and there. It felt pathetic to realize I lacked the strength to do it immediately.

But I had Somnia. If I couldn’t escape from here forever, I would rather completely destroy that bastard’s mind and die myself. I would turn Owen Everett into a useless fool who couldn’t do anything on his own, leading a miserable life.

“Lily, do you know why I haven’t completely broken you yet?”

Owen asked with a voice tinged with laughter. I only glared at him coldly and didn’t respond. Owen continued.

“If you break too easily, it’s not fun. It’s much more enjoyable to slowly break and tame you with my own hands.”

Owen’s fingers delved into my hair. I frowned in disgust and gritted my teeth. He smoothly brushed my hair down while revealing a satisfied smile. Inevitably, the impulse to kill him rose within me.

“I know exactly what you’re thinking.”

“….”

“You’re probably planning to defeat me with the power of your spirit. But it’s useless now.”

With a faint smile, Owen took my hand and lifted it to eye level. It was only then that I felt the cold touch of metal, and I opened my eyes wide, staring at my wrist.

On my wrist… was a golden bracelet with an unknown blue gem embedded in it.

“Curious about what this is?”

I ignored his question and silently called for Somnia in my mind. However, Somnia’s response was too faint, as if she was not able to exert her power properly.

“This is a relic of the Great Spirit. It contains the strong power of the Great Spirit. Now that your spirit was bound by the Great Spirit, it can no longer use its power.”

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