The King of Envy’s Power

“Aren’t you just bullying an honest person? If you’ve got the guts, come at me head-on!”

Liyahiss turned her head, her gaze falling upon the newcomer, a white-haired girl. Before she could even process why the girl was here, a sudden weakness enveloped her entire being.

She hastily checked her own status, only to find the results utterly unexpected:

{
…
Charm: 250
Luck: 61
Strength: C
Agility: B
Constitution: S
Endurance: B
Conviction: S
…
Basic Elemental Affinity: Imperceptible
…
}

Her strength and agility had plummeted! Furthermore, her elemental affinity for ice and lightning had diminished to a negligible level.

“Hahaha! How does it feel to be so frail and weak?”

Miro approached with an air of arrogant triumph, her nose tilted skyward. She gazed up at Liyahiss, who remained perched on the tree branch.

“Are you perhaps jealous of my figure?” Liyahiss asked calmly.

“What?!”

The white-haired girl froze instantly. It took a full five seconds for her to recover, and only after taking several deep breaths did she finally lift her head, her face flushed with rage.

“So what if I am?! I simply can’t stand seeing others stronger than me! That’s why I awakened a power that can weaken you. Anything that surpasses me will be brought down to my level; if it’s weaker, it won’t be affected. Now, you’re not only powerless, but you can’t even cast advanced magic, can you?”

Upon hearing Miro’s explanation, Liyahiss understood the logic behind [😧King of Envy☹️]. Although her physical and magical abilities had been severely restricted to match Miro’s base stats, she still felt she held the upper hand.

“Ah, no! Now I can only cast up to third-tier magic?!” Liyahiss gasped, clasping her hands over her head and feigning an air of profound distress. “And my close-quarters combat skills have been reduced to that of a frail woman! What ever shall I do?!”

“Heh heh, if only you had known then what you know now. Are you scared? Too late! Your great maid has also abandoned you and fled; no one can help you now!”

Miro laughed with unrestrained abandon. In her mind, anyone crippled by her power was hers to command. Even if the opponent was a witch, once they couldn’t unleash high-tier magic, they were no different from a mere mortal.

“W-wait a moment! What do you want? We can sit down and discuss this properly,” Liyahiss said, her expression appearing panicked as she continuously retreated.

Far from stopping, Miro advanced even closer. “Weren’t you so brave just a moment ago? What happened?”

When the distance between them narrowed to less than a meter, Miro halted. “Didn’t you say you wanted to discuss things? Very well, I’ll give you a chance now: hand over that item you stole last time!”

Liyahiss pondered for a moment, then reached into her bodice and retrieved a small bottle. “Is this what you’re looking for?”

Miro was momentarily distracted by where the bottle had been hidden. Could it actually be stored that way? she mused. Miro began to fantasize about herself producing an item with such flair before the Vampire Queen. That old hag would surely be taken aback, wouldn’t she? Heh heh, the thought alone is exhilarating.

“Exactly! That’s it! Quick, hand it over!”

Miro snatched the bottle and, with a series of gurgles, drained its contents in one gulp.

Before she could even wipe away the liquid clinging to her lips, Miro felt her entire body ignite with a burning sensation. She clutched the nearby tree, barely managing to keep herself from collapsing. White steam billowed around her in thick clouds. Once her vision cleared, she looked down and let out a blood-curdling shriek.

“Aaaah!!!”

Hearing the witch’s shriek, several students who hadn’t strayed far paused in their tracks.

“Did you hear that?”

“Such a loud scream—could someone have run into trouble?”

“Should we go check it out?”

“Yeah, let’s go, let’s go!”