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1.

Albireo’s face turned pale.

According to Deneb’s message, what they called a ‘meeting’ wasn’t really one.

It was just Duchess Erelim presenting her briefing and pushing for her view to be accepted without question.

The problem was that her position was solid to begin with. Also, though suspicious, the evidence she presented was pretty convincing.

Even Albireo found herself wondering, ‘Maybe Baroness Marigold has really become a Criminal Exile’.

Despite the chaotic situation, Albireo explained everything to Siwoo.

She also showed him the bird’s eye view that Duchess Erelim had presented during the meeting.

As for Siwoo, he was currently standing on a magic circle that Sharon had created, receiving enhancement rituals.

He was surprisingly calm, as if he had already steeled himself for what was coming.

In contrast, Sharon’s hands trembled as she used elemental magic to reinforce the seams of his black armor.

“So, since there’s no immediate threat to civilians, and we’re dealing with randomized space with large-scale spells at play, they gave us a 30-minute time limit?”

Siwoo calmly repeated Albireo’s explanation for confirmation.

Albireo had a rough idea about the relationship between him and Amelia.

She knew that he had been her private slave, and Amelia harbored feelings for him.

In fact, the sight of her desperately trying to save Siwoo when he was about to die was still vivid in Albireo’s mind.

However, some incident had driven them apart, and she hadn’t seen them meet again since.

Since the twins were so fond of him, Albireo tried to support Siwoo as much as possible, but there were still parts of him that she disliked.

Mainly the fact that he was a playboy and a troublemaker who’d cause trouble everywhere he went.

Still, she believed in his good nature.

He had fought Homunculi and stood against Criminal Exiles, all for the twins, who were practically strangers to him at the time.

And now, he was stepping into danger again, this time for Amelia.

What would happen afterward was anyone’s guess, known only to the gods.

“Honestly, I want to stop you.”

Just like Sharon, who had been silently helping with the preparations despite tears brimming in her eyes, Countess Gemini also wanted to stop Siwoo.

After all, he was the kind of son-in-law who’d end up battered and bruised the moment she took her eyes off him.

And now, he was planning to enter randomized space filled with unknown magic, all on his own...

From a cold, logical perspective, it was practically a suicide mission.

In a distorted magical realm where the laws of nature were distorted, magic would have to be used to push through spells that activated on their own.

But beyond this boundary, regular magical mechanics no longer worked.

Because no matter the spell, it would need to constantly adapt to the ever-changing rules of the ‘space’.

If even the slightest mistake were to occur during that process, the carefully crafted spells would bare its teeth at its caster.

The more advanced a witch’s magical prowess, the greater the risks that came with it.

This was why so many nobles and grand witches merely stood by, unwilling to act.

After all, witches prioritized their own safety above all else—it was in their nature.

“I can already hear the twins scolding me for not stopping you... Just thinking about it makes my head spin.”

“It’s fine. I’ve been through something similar before. Everything worked out fine then, it should be the same now.”

Objectively speaking, all the indicators and circumstances implied numerous ominous implications, and yet he was entertaining such a ridiculous thought.

But then she realized that this was the man who had hunted a Homunculus back when he was still a human, and survived even after getting his brain torn apart by the Witch of Aquarius.

He survived the mess that was caused by the Cowardly Witch and, recently, even defeated the Witch of Desire.

If he had managed to overcome the worst situations so far, perhaps, he could also twist this seemingly doomed outcome as well.

Although to Albireo, this was laughably baseless optimism.

“It’s ironic, isn’t it? Out of all the witches here, you’re the first one stepping in.”

Albireo wished to help. So badly. But she couldn’t.

Because she had the twins to think about.

If she let her emotions guide her and followed him into a place where survival was next to impossible, not only would she lose her life, she’d fail Odile, who’d never inherit her brand completely, and Odette, who’d end up inheriting half of it.

“Sorry, but I need to go now. The time limit is less than I thought.”

“Promise me that you’ll come back.”

After hearing those words, Albireo stepped aside, leaving space for him to pass.

She had to rejoin Deneb to prepare for the next plan while also giving Sharon and Siwoo the moment they needed to say their goodbyes.

After all, he was about to step onto a battlefield.

“I’m sorry.”

“Say that again, and I’m gonna slap you.”

Sharon’s once-flawless makeup had been stained with tears.

Her carefully curled lashes were now wet and drooping.

But even so, he had to go.

After hearing that Amelia’s execution was certain if he didn’t make his move here, there was no way he’d just feign ignorance.

Thanks to the spells cast in the hopes they wouldn’t be needed, Siwoo’s armor gleamed with magical enhancements.

Sharon had used up all the expensive offerings she’d saved for later, following him to where he retrieved the Red Branch.

Her self-essence magic was based on Tattva’s Elemental Magic.

In other words, her magic grew in power proportionate to the value of the offerings used, but...

Even if she were to use the finest rubies, black pearls, and blue-tinged diamonds as offerings, it still wouldn’t change one unshakable truth.

Amelia, who created this dangerous space, was a 23rd-ranked witch.

For Sharon, who had only just reached the early stages of the 20th rank, stepping into that space would do nothing but hold Siwoo back.

All she could do was to use every means available to boost his armor’s responsiveness to the limit.

Swallowing her tears, she fixed her gaze on Siwoo.

“I won’t kiss you. I won’t ask why you’re doing this, and I won’t even mention marriage if you come back safe.”

“...Sharon.”

Because she believed. Without a doubt. That he’d return safely.

After all, he’d faced death and survived at least five times in less than a year.

She clung tightly to the belief that he wasn’t someone who’d die to something like this.

“Just go. Don’t say anything else.”

She pushed him forward, as if it were just another ordinary day.

Like they were parting for a short while, she gave him a gentle push on the back.

Siwoo, who had been holding his gaze for a while, finally removed his eye patch.

It was like oil drops floating on water.

The psychedelic hues of the boundary wrapped around Siwoo, swallowing him whole.

Sharon resisted the urge to collapse and walked over to Albireo, who was waiting nearby.

“We’ll do what we can.”

Sharon, a scaredy cat who usually shrank back whenever something scary happened...

Showed an unwavering trust and determination in her eyes that even her flowing tears couldn’t extinguish.

2.

As soon as he stepped into the boundary, an overwhelming pressure surged through his magic circuits.

It felt like touching a mercury battery with his tongue; jolts coursed through him, while his reinforced shadow armor creaked like a boiling kettle.

The silence was so deep that he could hear his own blood coursing through his veins.

It was as if the world was withering, cloaked in a deep green filter, as rain, like rusty water, poured down, casting a melancholy veil over everything.

Everything felt utterly surreal.

“Phew...”

This place was a deranged magical realm where logic held no sway.

He’d claimed to have experienced something like this before, but that was only half true.

Because it was his unconscious self that did, the one who possessed computational skills far beyond his current self.

If he could only walk through calmly, perhaps he could figure out a way to untangle this most inexplicable natural disaster.

But the problem here was that three disasters struck at once.

First, this wasn’t just a randomized space; it was filled with volatile spells that could detonate at any moment.

Second, Siwoo had to head straight for the center of it all.

Third, as if that wasn’t bad enough, he was also up against a strict time limit.

He’d have to push his magic to the limit, since a single mistake could cost his life. And even if he made it through all this, if he failed to meet the deadline, Amelia would be executed.

If he was anywhere near her at that time, he’d be caught in it too.

That was why, there was no more time for him to hesitate.

Without delay, he grabbed the Red Branch and removed the ribbon inscribed with its control formula.

Though the weapon was dangerously efficient, it had one glaring flaw; one wrong move, and he’d be the one in tatters.

No matter how distorted the spatial randomization was, at the end of the day, it was still a phenomenon that affected space.

It couldn’t penetrate the distortion field generated by the Red Branch.

“Bloom.”

Siwoo sifted through his memories.

Recalling how Shin Siwoo back then had once used the spear as a guide, venturing down the twisted path.

For now, the path wasn’t too difficult to follow.

However, he couldn’t feel optimistic about the situation

As Albireo had shown in the bird’s-eye view, the distortion would intensify the deeper he went.

In other words, if this much strain was present at the outskirts, the core would be far worse.

-Click, clack

Siwoo met Amelia face-to-face almost a year after they parted during the fierce battle with Bianca, but they couldn’t have a proper conversation.

After returning to Gehenna, Siwoo tried to find her.

Over time, negative emotions tend to fade.

When Siwoo regained his memories, he felt betrayed and angry toward Amelia.

Back then, he wished he could dismiss those painful memories as if they had never happened. But now, those feelings dulled, leaving only a faint sting, like a splinter lodged beneath his skin.

Regret crept in, followed by guilt.

He had avoided seeking her out, justifying it by thinking, ‘Why hasn’t Amelia come looking for me?’.

Since he assumed that she had read his note, the fact that she hadn’t reached out yet felt like her way to tell him that things between them were done.

But in reality, Siwoo wanted to hear her side of the story, have the conversations they had put off, and apologize when he needed to.

Unfortunately, no one knew where she had gone after she resigned from her position as an associate professor.

All he heard were rumors that she had gone to the modern world, and every attempt to find her ended in vain.

“Of all times...”

And yet, their reunion had to happen under these circumstances.

Siwoo didn’t know much about Amelia.

In his eyes, she was a complicated woman.

Often, or rather, quite frequently, he just couldn’t understand what was going on in her mind.

Her actions thus far were closer to those of a Criminal Exile.

Even if Siwoo had attended the noble’s meeting, he wouldn’t have been able to counter Duchess Erelim’s claim or persuade the other witches.

However, something firmly guided Siwoo’s steps, stronger than the logical arguments presented by Duke Erelim or all the visible circumstances.

Belief

He believed that Amelia, while difficult to understand, was not a bad enough person to be a Criminal Exile.

That the kind smile and cheerful care she had shown him in the log cabin were genuine.

And that everything was the result of misunderstandings and mistakes.

It was an almost laughable conviction.

The thought of Amelia being executed while burdened with these misunderstandings was unbearable.

Siwoo quickened his pace.

His mind started adapting to the space at an astonishing speed.

Inhaling deeply into his lungs the air that smelled like oxidized iron and the twisting of gravity that felt like his insides were being twisted.

He pressed forward.