G6 sat behind her desk, Earl's book open in her hands—payment for intruding on her training. Her eyes were on the page. Her mind was elsewhere.
Hmm. Ever since I woke up in this body, it's been a mess. A far cry from my old life. Exhausting.
Just to spend a few hours outside this gilded cage, I need a perfect alibi.
Her thoughts were a turbulent sea. A calm facade over an infuriating reality: she was a prisoner disguised as a noble.
But no one can stop me. I'll do this my way.
She closed the book—unread—and stood up abruptly. The sudden movement made Tina and Lilia snap to attention at their corner desks.
"Lady Reise?" Lilia called, confused.
"What time is it?" G6 asked, crossing her arms.
"Nearly a quarter to eleven—" Tina began.
G6 slammed her hands on the desk. Both maids jumped. "Where the hell is Edmund? It's almost time to leave." Sharp. Impatient.
"Why such a rush? Do you love Utility Magic that much?" Tina pressed, suspicion lacing her tone.
"Mind your own business, Tina." G6 turned her back, stared out the window at the capital.
"The entire Bastion is in a rush for the knight recruitment. Paperwork postponed for posters and leaflets."
"That's why I trained you for three days, isn't it?" G6 didn't turn.
"Stop whining and do your job. I'm paying you extra."
"The Collegium is paying me. I am merely taking over your duties." Polite but firm.
"I didn't come here to stick my face in paperwork."
"You must take responsibility for what you asked for."
G6 turned to face her. A dangerous glint. "Stop getting on my nerves, Tina. I'm already on edge."
Her sharp glare made Lilia gently grasp Tina's hand—a silent plea to stop.
"Forgive me for annoying you, my lady." Tina finally relented. Provoking a storm wouldn't help.
The door opened. Edmund.
"Lady Reise, would you like lunch before we—"
"No." Immediate. "Let's go. Tina, Lilia, I've informed Brenda you'll join her in the cafeteria. Take your meals with her."
"Thank you for your kindness!" Lilia said warmly.
"Please ensure you actually go to the Utility Department," Tina added, concern still there.
G6 responded with an annoyed wave. She hitched up her gown and hurried out without a backward glance.
"Please ensure her work here is handled well. We would not wish to draw the Queen's attention." Edmund gave a polite nod to the maids, then followed.
"Lady Reise was worried we'd be left out if she wasn't here," Lilia mused once alone.
Tina looked at her and smiled. Their mistress was harsh, cold, intimidating. But behind the pragmatic exterior, she was still looking out for them.
As they began to miss their busy mistress, G6 was rushing down the hall to escape the Bastion.
On the other side, Earl and Keith headed to Prince Dio's office.
"Reise! No breakfast with you this morning! Or dinner! Earl worked me to death!" Keith whined, spotting her.
"How are you? You've missed two morning sessions," Earl noted.
As they drew close, G6 brushed past without a word or glance. Her pace never slowed. The two men stood, stunned.
"Did she not hear us?" Keith puzzled.
"My voice was loud enough to carry," Earl stated dryly.
"Please forgive Lady Reise; she is merely in a great hurry." Edmund offered a quick, apologetic bow, then rushed after his mistress already descending the stairs.
Keith pouted. "I miss playing with Reise."
Earl gave him a sharp look, continued walking.
They reached Prince Dio's office door. It opened. The Prince himself emerged.
"Where are you going?" Keith asked.
"To Reise's office." Prince Dio gestured across the hall.
"Get inside. She's long gone." Earl ushered both Keith and Prince Dio out of his path and into the office.
"Yeah, it's your fault," Keith added, shrugging as he followed.
Prince Dio's brows furrowed in irritation. "What is this unmannerly attitude? Have you forgotten who I am?" He watched them make themselves comfortable on his sofa.
"You're the Prince," Earl said flatly.
"And my cousin," Keith added.
Prince Dio closed his door. His plan to see her, impossible. "Did she already leave?"
"Yes. In quite a hurry."
"She didn't even bother to answer me." Keith pouted again. "And it's your fault."
"How is it my fault?" Prince Dio walked to his desk.
"The Queen must be the one who instructed her to take up Utility Magic. To become a more suitable wife for you," Earl stated plainly.
"I was told she chose it herself."
"Why would someone like her ever take an interest in something meant solely to benefit you? It is clear how much she defies you."
"Well, Reise maybe cannot admit it was Her Majesty's order, so she claims it as her own will," Keith chimed in. "If you think back to dinner, it's obvious someone like her would never willingly stay in Utility."
"Why do you both keep insisting Reise no longer has any interest in me?" Prince Dio's annoyance surfaced.
"We know it hurts, but you must accept it," Keith teased, delighting in it.
"If you feel frustrated your fiancée does not like you," Earl said, voice cold and factual, "then perhaps you now understand how she felt all this time."
His words left Prince Dio utterly speechless. Heavy silence.
The truth hung, stark. Had the tables turned? Was Prince Dio, once pursued, now chasing the woman he'd carelessly ignored? The irony was a bitter pill.
「CAPITAL TOWN—ADVENTURERS' GUILD」
While the three men speculated, entirely wrong, G6 and Edmund were already at the Adventurers' Guild.
Same method. G6, concealed. Horses reunited beyond the gate. Now, inside the bustling hall.
G6 leaned against the wall beside the task board, arms crossed. Impatience radiated from behind her dark sunglasses. Edmund scanned the postings.
"Hmm… nothing suitable nearby." He grew uneasy under her sharp, silent scrutiny.
"Eddie!" Liam called, coming over from the reception desk. "Looking for?"
"A task not too far. Perhaps an hour's ride."
"Perfect! Here." Liam procured a fresh poster. "Small goblin nuisance in Oak Town."
"Oh, forty-five minutes by carriage," Edmund noted.
"A bit odd for adventurers to take a carriage, isn't it?" Liam stated the obvious fact Edmund had momentarily forgotten. "Don't you fellows usually walk or hitch?"
"Of course! We were thinking of hitching with a merchant. My niece is recovering from injuries; the ride is easier." Smooth.
"Well, it's yours if you want. Odd to see goblins so close to the capital. Best an A-rank team checks it out." Agreeable.
"Thank you, Liam."
"Nothing. Held it back, knowing you two would return. Good luck!" Liam smiled, returned to his post.
G6 remained unbothered. Edmund handed her the poster.
"Shall we?"
"Let's go." Flat. She handed it back without a glance.
They left, slipped into a quiet alley where their horses were tethered.
"I'll lead." Edmund mounted. G6 followed.
Both wore long coats, less for disguise now, more for sun protection. At the capital's main gate, knights stopped them for a routine check.
"Adventurers?" One asked. Edmund nodded, presented guild cards.
"Alright. Be careful. That serial killer is still at large. Daily gazette reported another victim this morning."
Serial killer? The one Tina and Edmund mentioned.
"Understood. Thank you for the concern." Edmund nodded politely.
The other knight gestured all-clear.
Their horses broke into a run. Vast greenery outside the capital walls unfolded. Breathtaking. The strong, warm breeze caught G6's hood, pulled it back, whipped through her hair.
She closed her eyes. This was freedom—not a destination, but the journey itself. No villa or gilded cage could compare to a world she could navigate on her own terms. The powerful animal beneath her was her partner, her engine, her key. Every hoofbeat on the dirt road was a rhythm of defiance—a step from the suffocating palace toward the untamed wild she understood better than any court.
Their horses ran at a swift canter. A forty-five minute journey cut to thirty. Powerful animals. They reined in at Oak Town's center, dismounted.
"G6, let's find the village chief." Edmund suggested.
A single, curt nod. They guided horses through unnervingly empty streets.
"Stop right there!" A man's voice commanded behind.
They froze. Training kept them perfectly still.
"Now, turn around. Slowly."
They turned, deliberate, non-threatening.
"Take off your hoods."
They complied, revealing faces to wary villagers armed with farming tools, makeshift weapons.
"A-Rank adventurers from the capital's guild." Edmund's tone calm, de-escalating.
"Oh! Sent by the guild?" The man relaxed, gestured for others to lower weapons. "Forgive our hostility. Mistook you for bandits—the long coats. Rare to see adventurers on horseback. I am Johan, chief."
"Eddie. This is my partner, G6."
G6 wordlessly removed her coat, folded it with efficient precision, secured it in her saddlebag.
"Bandits? This close to the capital's protection?" G6 noted. Modern sensibility found the concept illogical.
"Often happens when knights are sent on expeditions." Johan sighed wearily.
"But raids typically occur five towns out, not the first," Edmund pressed, storing his coat.
"Correct. But bandits have grown bold. Fourth town attacked recently. Only goods and supplies stolen."
"Hmm… bizarre."
"More bizarre is goblins appearing here now. First town outside the capital. Never happened. Our hunters kept from the forest. We cannot make our living."
"We'll investigate on our way." G6 stated, already leading her horse to a shaded tree to tether it. Professional. A mission parameter, not solace. "Ensure our horses are watered after they've cooled."
"Of course. Please, take care. The goblins are… unusually aggressive."
"We will handle it." Edmund assured.
After securing mounts, they headed toward the dark line of forest. Village tension replaced by ominous woods silence. A silence that felt less like peace, more like a predator holding its breath.
They moved with professional quiet, footsteps near-soundless on soft earth. G6 broke the quiet, voice a low, analytical murmur.
"The palace's security seems inefficient. Bandits ravage towns the moment knights look away? Flawed system."
"A matter of logistics and privilege." Edmund's gaze swept surroundings. "Every town has a teleportation circle, powered by natural mana. Activating requires significant charge and a mage at the palace to receive signal."
"Is that so?" Blunt. Needlessly complicated.
"More often, a single knight group is dispatched. All nobles. Combat affinities usually powerful enough to drive bandits away."
"Combat affinities." G6 filed the term. "Common ones?"
"Electrokinesis for lightning. Transmutation for alchemy. Floramancy for plant manipulation."
"Floramancy? Vines? Thorns?"
"Precisely. Versatile for attack and defense—thorn barriers, entangling vines. Sensory magic, crucial for scouts and trackers. Most are major occupations in the Collegium. Sensory and Electrokinesis users common in the Bastion, serving as knights." He paused, voice lowering. "True Geomancy—deep manipulation of earth and stone—is exclusive to one of the Three Pillars. Common nobles practice Floramancy, a derivative branch. But these are just common ones belonging to Upper Houses. Many more affinities in the world."
G6 processed this. Correlating to modern military specializations. Electrokinesis: artillery. Transmutation: support, logistics. Floramancy: area denial, crowd control. Sensory: recon. A classic fireteam structure. They just call it magic. The big guns—"earthquakes and landslides"—kept under one roof. Controlled.
"So response time is slow because they wait for a specific 'affinity group' to be available?" A hint of criticism. "Inefficient. A standard rapid-response unit should be cross-trained for versatility."
Edmund glanced at her, a faint smile. "A pragmatic perspective. But here, one's magic is tied to bloodline and status. Flexibility is not… highly valued among nobility."
"It's a weakness." Cold. "A system that prioritizes pride over practicality is vulnerable. These bandits seem to have identified that."
"An astute observation." Edmund's expression graver. "Becoming difficult to ignore. Suggests organization and intelligence we have not attributed to common highwaymen."
"So, there's a snake in the palace?" Blunt. Cutting to the heart.
"Possibility remains open. Many nobles dissatisfied with allotted domains." His voice low. "However, I am certain the Three Pillars are not involved. Their responsibilities are external affairs, intelligence, military—the kingdom's foundations. If treachery is afoot, it would more likely originate from one of the three courts: Upper, Mid, or Low."
The implication hung between them. A threat more insidious than any goblin.
G6 released a short, mocking laugh. "Who would've thought? Even your courtrooms have a class system."
Before Edmund could respond, a faint rustle echoed from the dense thicket ahead. Too deliberate. Too placed to be wind.
Their eyes met. Theoretical discussion over. Mission began.
"Dimensional Vault." Edmund whispered, touching his earring. A soft glow as he accessed his stored arsenal.
G6 merely touched hers, pulled out her twin custom blades. They gleamed cold, deadly in the forest shade.
Then, instead of advancing on ground, they took to the trees.
Edmund leaped onto lower branches, movements enhanced by the speed sub-skill of his Physical Enhancement magic. Landed with practiced silence.
G6 simply ascended, her form lifting effortlessly into the canopy using Reaper's Ascent.
<< P.A.F: PERCEPTION-ZOOM>>
Her vision sharpened. World narrowed into data points. Scanning for the sound's source. But as she focused, a deeper wrongness made itself known. She felt… nothing.
She flew ahead, cut through air to land on a branch directly in Edmund's path. Forced him to a sudden halt.
"What is wrong?" He hushed.
"I've been meaning to say this. Wasn't sure until now." Her voice low, tense. "There's no mana here."
His brow furrowed in disbelief. "Impossible. We are in a forest's heart. Life is mana."
"That's why I didn't jump to conclusions. But I am sure now. This forest is dead." Her grey eyes scanned the seemingly vibrant greenery with new suspicion. "You said my body reacts to concentrated mana. I feel a tingling in palace gardens. Here, surrounded by all this, I should be buzzing. I feel… nothing. Silent."
As they scouted from above, another rustling below. G6's sharp eyes pinpointed the source: small, green-skinned creatures in the undergrowth.
So these are goblins. Smaller than I imagined. About Lilia's height. Pathetic.
"Eddie. There." Whisper carried directly to his ear by Whisper of the Gale.
G6 turned. Edmund followed. They halted atop a thick branch, looked down at the horde.
"Those are goblins?" G6 flat.
"Yes." Grim. "Notice sent after three days of confirming presence. But this… this is a horde. Not the small nuisance we expected."
"Approximately two hundred." Her eyes glowed faint, oblong white light. Perception skill calculating.
"Can you manage that without overusing a subskill?" Concern in his voice. "Sustaining such precise perception is draining."
"I could do this with my eyes closed." A flicker of arrogance.
<
Glow faded.
"Let's proceed."
"Lady Reise, please be cautious. We cannot allow you to be compromised here." Political nightmare.
"To succeed in a mission, you only worry about the target." Cold. "Everything else is a distraction."
She descended first. Dropped from the tree with silent, controlled grace of Reaper's Ascent. Edmund followed.
What happened next was not a battle. It was extermination.
No chanted spells. No shouted warnings. No declarations. Only a flash of movement. Swift, brutal economy of a predator culling prey.
The moment her boots touched forest floor, G6 became a blur. She didn't run; she flowed. A phantom carried on a personalized gust of wind into the heart of the goblin group. In a blink, a dozen green heads toppled. Soft, simultaneous thuds on mossy soil. No fanfare. Only brief, sharp whisper of wind. Clean severing of flesh and bone.
Edmund stared, momentarily frozen. This was not an average adventurer—a pampered noble. This was the artistry of a born killer. A bloodthirsty predator unleashed.
She eliminated over ten in a split second… wind merely for mobility. The killing technique… hers alone. Terrifying finality.
Shaking off shock, Edmund joined. Movements masterful display of speed, precision. Stabbing, slicing through confused creatures. Blood slicked the forest floor.
Goblins descended into chaos. Back rows nocked arrows, fired wildly at the shimmering figure. G6 didn't fully dodge; she tilted her body at impossible angles. Arrows whistled harmlessly past. She descended to just the right height, a dancer in a macabre ballet. Twin blades a whirlwind of silver leaving headless corpses in her wake.
This is fun. A genuine, chilling smile.
This was not Lady Reise. This was Akira Gemstone. G6. The Reaper.
The warm spray of blood against her skin was a catalyst. Energized her. Sharpened focus. Filled her with a profound sense of purpose she'd missed dearly. Each life ended was a note in a familiar, beloved symphony of death. She couldn't stop the euphoric smile—this was her element, her reason for being.
"G6! ON YOUR REAR!" Edmund yelled, busy cutting down panicked goblins.
Without looking, G6 launched into a graceful backflip, soaring over creatures lunging for her. As she hung in air for a split second, she gathered wind around her, compressed it into a visible, shimmering arc.
Wind Blade. Smile widened. Sharp. Cruel.
She unleashed the spell not with restraint, but with near-full, devastating power. The compressed blade of air shot forward, decapitating goblins behind her and tearing through the entire row, cleaving them in two. Ancient trees were painted with a grotesque tapestry of gore. She landed softly, watching the helpless monsters lose not only their lives but their forms. A deep, twisted satisfaction settled in her. This was no fight for survival. It was a slaughter. And she was its willing, joyful architect.
"Seven minutes." Edmund stated, pulling his blade from the last goblin.
"Too short for fun, considering travel time." Cold. Devoid of remorse.
Edmund tracked the path of her work. Every kill efficient. Quick, precise severance. All died instant deaths. Scanning the field of headless corpses. Less a battle, more systematic dismantling.
His gaze fell on G6, leaning casually against the large tree they'd perched in earlier. Contrast jarring. Posture relaxed. Blood splattered across her face, hands. Unimaginable violence.
It is so obvious now. You are no ordinary noble. You are a weapon. A force with strength equal to—or greater than—an entire platoon of knights. So why does this sight only deepen my loyalty? The contradiction confused him, yet the feeling undeniable.
He pushed the thought aside. Retrieved a canteen of water, clean towel from his Dimensional Vault. Approached her not as partner "Eddie," but as Edmund, her butler.
"Here, Lady Reise." Offering.
"Appreciated. Thanks." She took the canteen. For the first time, drank without the cautious sniff that had always preceded it. A small, silent testament to earned trust.
"I will gather evidence to confirm task completion."
"How?" Wiping blood with methodical efficiency.
"By their ears." Pulling out cloth bags.
"Why not take their heads? More definitive." Tone implying it would also be more entertaining.
"We cannot. Considered too gruesome for guild receptionists." Already moving to methodically slice right ears from corpses.
G6 only watched him work. A faint smirk painting in her face.
This is great. I don't have the ring for fatigue, but I feel no ache, no tiredness. I've truly improved in this body. A thrill. This vessel wasn't a cage; it was being honed into the perfect instrument.
As Edmund worked, the silence of the dead forest pressed in. Stark contrast to the brief, violent cacophony. Mission success, but it unveiled a far more dangerous truth. A predator was now loose in this world. Thirst for freedom matched only by appetite for chaos. And back in the gilded palace halls, a different predator likely waited—a snake in the grass, whose treachery had allowed these monsters to creep so close to home.
The battle in the forest was over. The real game, G6 knew, was just beginning.
—To Be Continued…—