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My baby?

Did I just mishear that?

I didn’t even have time to put on a baffled expression.

The Blood Witch approached me immediately and helped me stand.

Strangely enough, my body started responding again.

However, I still couldn’t channel mana or invoke any powers.

It felt as though all the important mana circuits in my body were completely blocked.

Even my thoughts felt sluggish.

“I’m sorry. It was my mistake, and I almost lost you.”

The Blood Witch pulled me into an embrace.

Before I could even react, she pushed me away and scrutinized me with her crimson eyes.

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

“… What on earth is this all of a sudden?”

“That cursed old man. I left you with him to be transferred safely, and this is how he treats my baby?”

Fwoosh.

An intense aura, almost like flames, burst forth from the Blood Witch.

It was so overwhelming that I instinctively took a step back.

But the aura quickly subsided when she saw my reaction.

“Oh dear. I didn’t mean to frighten you.”

I wasn’t scared. Ever since acquiring my title, I’d become quite distant from such feelings. I was just… surprised.

The aura emanating from her—the fiery manifestation of her rage—was more intense than any mana flow I’d encountered before.

The issue was that this wasn’t even her full strength.

‘… I knew there was a difference in level, but this…’

It had to be at least two tiers higher.

Her abilities—such as the sudden chime that accompanied her time-stopping skill—had only recently stopped paralyzing me. Yet, here was another insurmountable wall.

Just how much stronger was this woman compared to me?

“Don’t look at me like that. To my eyes, your potential shines even brighter.”

It was as if she had read my thoughts from the start.

And perhaps that was only natural.

If our roles had been reversed, I might’ve thought the same.

This wasn’t extraordinary.

For any mage, or anyone who manipulates magic, inevitable pursuit.

‘Growth’.

In that respect, the Blood Witch and I shared a common value.

“Why did you…?”

I was about to ask why she saved me.

But I quickly realized it was an inappropriate question.

If she had intended to kill me, she would have done so already.

She wouldn’t have kidnapped me and dragged me all the way to the Bloodstone Cult’s stronghold.

The Blood Witch smiled.

“You’re precious to me.”

“…”

I had no response.

Her sincerity was palpable, and that made it even harder to reply.

From the beginning, she had given me three chances.

The first was when I returned from the north.

The second was when I was nearly assassinated at Lichten Academy.

The third was during my return from the Vatican.

Each time, I failed to find a way to overcome her.

Despite knowing that the intricate web around me was tightening, I couldn’t escape.

And so, I was caught by the spider.

It was my fault.

The more pertinent question here wasn’t why she spared me.

“… Why did you capture me?”

The Blood Witch stared at me.

Her blood-red eyes gleamed intensely under the light.

Her long lashes half-covered her gaze as she smiled seductively.

“Are you planning to drain me dry?”

I’ve heard.

Among the bloodstone people, there are those who suck blood just enough to keep their opponents from dying.

Treating them like living blood dispensers.

“Ufufu.”

The Blood Witch chuckled as if amused by my question.

“I wouldn’t have gone to all this trouble if it were something that simple.”

“Then why did you capture me? Wasn’t it to consume me?”

“If that’s what you’re into, I wouldn’t mind a bite.”

How distorted must my expression have been?

She burst into laughter once again, her voice clear and melodious.

“I plan to nurture you.”

Her smile lingered as she continued.

“I’m going to pour my abilities and knowledge into you. I want to see how you’ll absorb it all. Just like you absorbed Evan’s skills—you’ll produce something extraordinary. That’s the path I must take.”

The Bloodstone Cult revered strength.

And strength required growth, regardless of the means—often unethical—used to achieve it.

The Blood Witch intended to use me as a tool for her own growth, to find her path forward.

“I’m not going to be of any help to you.”

“You underestimate your own abilities.”

“There’s no reason for me to cooperate with you.”

“Oh, but you’re smart enough to know better.”

Her eyes were gleaming mischievously.

What did she see in me?

Perhaps this woman had a higher opinion of me than I did of myself.

This crazy woman—there’s no telling what she’ll do.

“Every time I see you, I’m amazed. I can sense a faint trace of the Cult Leader’s energy within you.”

The Blood Witch’s crimson eyes grew wilder, brimming with madness.

It felt as though her intensity was accelerating, her gaze deep and unfathomable.

That look encapsulated all the obsession she’d shown toward me thus far.

And yet, for some reason, I felt like I understood her.

The Bloodstone Cult—

Fanatics who worship strength above all else, pursuing it without restraint or morality.

Her gaze was fitting for someone ranked among the top three in that deranged group.

At that moment—

“Everyone, stop right there!”

Tap, tap, tap.

A group of people rushed toward us in a hurry.

They all had stark white hair, a striking uniformity.

Soldiers?

There was an unusual discipline about them, something rarely seen among the Bloodstone Cult.

As they approached, they stopped in front of us and bowed their heads deeply toward the Blood Witch.

“We greet one of the Three.”

“Hmm.”

Her response was curt, almost cold.

It was a stark contrast to the passionate demeanor I’d come to associate with her.

She seemed as if her fiery surface had been covered in ice.

“We rushed out because the Blood Ritual was abruptly halted. What has occurred?”

Their polite tone carried an unmistakable undertone of inquiry.

The Blood Witch answered nonchalantly, as if uninterested.

“They tried to kill what is mine.”

The soldiers glanced at the bodies of the fallen crimson robes on the ground, then at me.

Their gazes fixed on me.

“Who is this person?”

“My possession.”

“… Your Grace, you know we cannot overlook matters concerning the ritual.”

“Do you dare defy me?”

“… Please. The Cult Leader will be furious.”

The blood woman’s eyebrows, which had been raised, sank.

“Well, I had to tell you anyway.”

The Blood Witch’s arched brows lowered.

“Well, I was going to explain anyway.”

“Yes. Who is this individual?”

“Ian.”

“Ian?”

“Yes. Ian Blackangers.”

That was all. The Blood Witch merely spoke my name and fell silent.

‘… I doubt that explanation is enough to satisfy them.’

I swallowed my thoughts.

It felt absurd to elaborate further, as if I needed to advertise myself to these people.

But perhaps I was wrong to worry.

“Ian Blackangers? Are you referring to the vessel the Cult Leader has been searching for?”

“No. He’s mine.”

The Blood Witch snapped, then added with a softer tone.

“And… yes.”

She looked at me longingly, murmuring,

“The vessel the Cult Leader sought—that is this child.”

Her voice carried an unshakable resolve, as though she had vowed to protect me.

The reason became clear soon enough.

“… So this is the one the Cult Leader has been seeking. We shall escort him.”

It seemed someone had been searching for me.

Fantasy X Academy.

The final boss of this game.

◆

The Bloodstone Cult.

The most vile villainous group in Fantasy X Academy.

They wreak havoc across the continent through countless means, yet one fact about them has never been revealed.

Their stronghold.

Not once—not even a hint of its location—was revealed in the game.

This led to endless speculation among players.

— Actually, the Bloodstone Cult is a cell-based organization. The Cult Leader is just some overachiever.

— Nonsense. Do you even know the predicted specs of the Cult Leader? LOL. Catch even one of the Six Executives, and you’d never say that.

— Maybe the Bloodstone Cult doesn’t exist. We’re all just brains in jars.

— I think they’ve hidden it really well. A group this organized definitely has a base somewhere. It’s just buried deep.

— LMAO. Did they hide it in a pocket dimension? How could they hide a stronghold with that many cultists?

Rumors ran rampant among players.

“Open the inner gate!”

Clang!

With a harsh grinding sound, an iron door opened.

Beyond it lay buildings painted in shades of crimson and ash.

Looking at the sight before me, I finally grasped it.

‘… This is the Bloodstone Cult’s stronghold.’

I was the first—before anyone else.

I had set foot inside the heart of the Bloodstone Cult.

A long, straight avenue stretched out before me.

At the end of the road stood a towering structure radiating an oppressive aura.

It looked like something out of a nightmare—a fortress fit for a Demon King.

“That’s where the Cult Leader resides.”

The Blood Witch said beside me.

Her gaze was deadly serious, devoid of her usual playful smile.

It was my destination.