The Price of Vengeance

[This year, she killed your political enemies and eliminated your followers. She clearly realized the darkness of this world.]

[This also made her want to change the world even stronger]

[As fate would have it, you were precisely the adversary obstructing her path to reshape the world.

Aile’s nineteenth birthday passed without fanfare, marked by a quiet, unassuming normalcy.

No one celebrated her birthday; she never again tasted a cake like the one from that fateful day, nor did she receive flowers or applause, with not a single soul even inquiring about it.

Nevertheless, her life had vastly improved from before; she possessed her own room, and you had countless garments custom-made for her.

Indeed, such a life could easily be described as one of considerable affluence.

Yet, she harbored no attachment to these comforts, for her mind was singularly focused on one, paramount objective.

Summoning her into your study, you bade her voice her deepest desire.

Aile, without the slightest hesitation, expressed her fervent wish for an opportunity to venture out and hone her skills through experience.

To her, the power she now wielded served as a stepping stone to further transform everything into her own strength, a process that could only truly unfold far from your presence.

After all, your very name had long since etched a profound terror into the hearts of the Empire’s populace.

You readily granted her request, and, accompanied by Aile, even attended a festival.

Gazing upon the young woman’s smile, however feigned it might have been, brought a considerable measure of solace to your heart.

Your body, however, was growing weaker by the day; even Noyu’s sacrifice of her magical essence could not stem your inexorable decline.

You knew, with a profound certainty, that Aile’s departure might well mean that your next encounter would be your last.

You longed for her to stay by your side a little longer, as if it were the final recompense you would ever receive in this world; yet, as you observed the young woman’s utterly unperturbed expression, a wave of melancholy washed over you.

You had concealed your true condition exceptionally well, and Aile remained oblivious to your growing frailty; your fervent hope was to endure until that destined day, until the young woman’s triumphant return.

Chris’s expression grew increasingly grim, as the very concerns she harbored began to manifest into reality.

This world, marked by its discrimination against women and its oppression of witches, was, for Aile, unequivocally a realm steeped in sin.

In her eyes, merely shattering the power of the exalted Duke would be enough to send tremors throughout the entire world.

Fortunately, Aile no longer required your prodding; she had already begun to act independently, and her movements were swift and decisive.

You found solace in the thought that the final day would not be long in coming.]

****

“Teacher, I’m leaving.”

Aile lowered her gaze, deliberately avoiding the Duke’s eyes, not out of sorrow, but to carefully conceal the burgeoning elation in her heart.

Her meticulously crafted plan was but a single step from fruition; once she departed the capital, the Duke’s grasp would forever be beyond her reach.

As for Noyu’s knight order, a solution had fortuitously presented itself to her.

To utterly dismantle this world, her individual strength alone would prove insufficient.

During her days leading the “Shadows,” she had made a crucial discovery.

A storm, it seemed, was steadily brewing in the southern reaches of the Empire.

A burgeoning faction, proclaiming themselves envoys of justice, was swiftly accumulating influence.

Her current journey, in fact, was undertaken under the guise of investigating their true nature.

She was aware that the Duke seemingly possessed an artifact capable of discerning her level, yet she was far more cunning; her mastery of dark magic allowed her displayed level to appear as merely 90.

In truth, however, she had long since ascended to level 99.

Having delved into ancient texts, she knew that no one in history had ever reached maximum level with such astonishing speed, nor had anyone ever commanded magic of all elemental affinities.

Yet, the deeper she delved into her cultivation, the more acutely she sensed an unseen force subtly suppressing her, preventing her progress from truly solidifying.

Her cultivation remained precarious, and moreover, the Duke was attended not only by the formidable Chris but also by Eliza, a figure whose true capabilities she had never managed to ascertain.

Even if they were of equal level, she harbored no certainty of defeating Chris alone, let alone facing the combined might of both women.

To this day, she had never witnessed the sisters fighting side by side, almost as if an unspoken rule prevented them from doing so.

She resolved to journey south, believing that if she could secure an army to confront Noyu, it would be an unparalleled advantage.

“Aile,” Mingqian’s voice resonated, and though Aile could not see him, he raised his hand, tracing a phantom caress through the air.

‘This, he couldn’t help but realize, might very well be his final conversation with the young woman.

Only a few years prior, when she was but a tiny child, he had often run his fingers through her soft, golden hair; yet, with the passage of time, he found himself unable to extend that gesture once more.

‘Perhaps, this was simply the will of fate.’

“Go now, and be cautious.”

Aile perceived the Duke’s voice to have aged considerably, as if, in the span of mere years, he had already become frail and decrepit.

‘Time was indeed a peculiar entity, yet it was also inherently unjust, Aile mused.’

To allow such a menace to revel in lavish attire and sustenance, while her own teacher had endured the torment of poverty in their youth and had long since departed this world.

Her power, she could already sense it burgeoning.

Unfair. This world was utterly, completely unfair.

Countless times, fueled by simmering rage, she had plunged her knife into a dummy representing the Duke, and in the solitude of an empty room, she had cried out Mingqian’s name in helpless anguish.

It was the second name bestowed upon her after her rebirth, one she vowed never to forget as long as she lived.

She clasped her hands over her chest, for only then could she vividly recall the teacher’s face.

‘It won’t be much longer… Teacher.’

“Yes.”

With a slight nod, she refrained from glancing back at Mingqian, pushed open the door, and exited the study.

Compared to her teacher, everything else in this world held no meaning.

‘Utterly meaningless! Everything was utterly meaningless!’

“I only want my teacher… I only ever wanted my teacher.”

She had already resolved that, once her teacher’s vengeance was exacted, she would retreat to their old cottage to live out the remainder of her days.

Aile did not linger long in the capital; having secured her permission, she swiftly set forth toward her destination, for to her, the sooner, the better.

“You simply allowed her to leave?”

Chris, her sword clutched in her arms, cast a displeased glance at Mingqian.

“You should at least make certain she knows who has been paving her path all these years.”

“If you don’t, she won’t remember your kindness at all… Master! Are you even listening to me?”

“Oh, are you saying your homepage is filled exclusively with female-led novels? Then perhaps you ought to consider switching applications.”

Chris, in the prime of her youth, had harbored discontent toward Aile for quite some time; furthermore, having half of her guard duties usurped had only intensified her displeasure.

“No one said *that*! I’m asking what *that* is!”

Chris, puffing out her cheeks, circled behind Mingqian, adopting a theatrical display of anger.

“Anyway, Chris simply isn’t as important as Aile, and anyway, Chris is just an unloved child.”

When Mingqian made no move to console her, she merely sniffled dramatically, feigning tears.

“Anyway! Everyone clearly favors Aile!”

Mingqian offered a wry smile, patting Chris gently on the head; no matter how much time elapsed, this girl alone remained steadfast and true.

Chris blinked her utterly dry eyes, then gently pressed his hand against the crown of her head.

“Chris, I’m glad you’re here with me.”

Mingqian felt a rare, long-absent wave of solace; by his side, he had a witch consumed by a singular desire for revenge, and a princess who seemed poised to devour him whole at any moment, yet only Chris…

‘She was as pure as a pristine sheet of paper; at this thought, Mingqian found his eyes welling up with tears.’

“Master, that’s a very strange expression.”

‘Chris sensed that Mingqian might be lost in some peculiar thought; surely, he hadn’t discovered… *that*!’

‘Just yesterday, cradling the Mingqian doll she had secretly crafted, she had fantasized about pinning him beneath her… with considerable force…’

‘What exactly had she been doing then? She had tucked the doll beneath herself, slowly…’

“Oh, how I wish I could devour you, Master.”