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I gaped at her, speechless.

Why was she here? I couldn’t hide my bewilderment.

The girl standing before me was none other than Fron, with whom I had shared life and death in Sytan.

But then, why was Fron here?

I tried to speak, to ask her, but—

*Clang!*

“Ugh…!”

Fron suddenly grabbed my hair and yanked me forward, my face smashing against the iron bars of the cell.

Exhausted as I was, I could only groan, unable to break free from her grasp.

“You look pathetic.”

Fron said, her voice as cold as ice.

“What happened to killing my mother? Is this all you amount to?”

“That’s…” I trailed off, my shoulders slumping.

Before the final exams, I had told Fron that I would kill her mother.

It was the only way I could see to save her.

But what did that have to do with this situation?

I didn\'t even know where I was or why Fron was here.

I struggled to collect my thoughts.

Fron continued her words like venom.

“What, you couldn’t go through with it? Is that why you’re in this state? You were so confident back then.”

“...”

“You’re the worst. I came to see who my mother had locked up in this dungeon, and it’s you? How amusing.”

Fron sneered, her gaze cold as she looked me over.

She used to have an arrogant way of speaking before her personality changed.

But now… there was no trace of that girl left.

But this wasn\'t the time to dwell on that.

Fron\'s words held clues to our current predicament.

She said she came to see who her mother had locked up…

It dawned on me what Fron was misunderstanding.

‘…She thinks her mother locked us up here.’

Everything finally clicked into place.

We were in the Lust Territory, imprisoned within its depths.

And Fron, seeing us here, assumed that her mother had put us here.

I had to clear up this misunderstanding.

“The reason we’re locked up here isn’t…”

“Shut up. I don’t want to hear it.”

“...”

Fron’s hostility was palpable.

It seemed I had no choice but to hear her out for now.

‘I wish she would at least let go of my hair…’

Just as I thought that—

*Swipe.*

Fron dragged her thumb and forefinger down my cheek, leaving a searing pain in their wake.

Blood welled up from the scratch.

She then brought her fingers to her lips, savoring the metallic taste.

“…How distasteful.”

Fron didn’t respond, only continuing to stare at me with those cold eyes.

It seemed the wounds in her heart were far from healed.

My heart ached for her, but I had more pressing matters to attend to.

“Fron, you can do whatever you want with me, but please, grant me one request,” I pleaded.

“No. Why would I?”

“…I beg you.”

“I said no.”

Fron remained resolute. I pressed on.

“Didn\'t I win the invitation to the mansion from you?”

During the final exams, I had challenged Fron to a duel with the mansion invitation on the line.

It was more like I had forced her into it, but a win was a win.

‘I lost the midterm exams and gave Fron my slave contract…’

I doubted Fron even remembered that now.

However, my words seemed to have struck a nerve.

Fron clicked her tongue, muttering under her breath.

“…That damn bastard.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

As soon as I said that, the grip on my hair loosened.

The mansion invitation… had she accepted my proposal?

Hope flickered in my chest.

I sat up, looking at Fron with pleading eyes.

Perhaps my gaze was too intense, because Fron finally asked,

“What do you want?”

This was it!

I swallowed, my throat dry.

“Please… heal my friend and the young lady.”

“In exchange for nothing?” Fron’s eyes narrowed.

I paused.

“…Don’t you have the mansion invitation?”

“What are you talking about? That’s not a wish coupon. The only thing you can do with that is get yourself out of here.”

“Please, for old times’ sake…”

I appealed to her sense of compassion, but Fron remained unmoved.

*Thud.*

My head dropped.

Was this the only way?

I focused on the last vestiges of mana within me.

I had exhausted it all during my fight with Hamel, and I could only use it once more.

But it would be enough.

I activated Position Exchnage, targeting the wooden sword hanging at Fron’s side.

*Woosh.*

In an instant, our positions were reversed.

I drew the crimson dagger from my pocket in a flash, pressing it against Fron’s throat.

With her back to me and my dagger at her neck, surely she would have to listen now.

Or so I thought.

“Interesting.”

Fron chuckled, unfazed.

Then—

*Clang!*

*Clang!*

*Clang!*

From the shadows, dozens of figures emerged, each one identical to Fron, and surrounded Rene and Kyle, who were still unconscious.

Their blades were pressed against my companions’ throats.

“…!”

My blood ran cold.

They had been hiding in plain sight, their presence completely masked.

Even in my weakened state, my senses were sharp.

To have evaded them…

It couldn’t be simply because I was blind in one eye.

If my hunch was correct, they possessed an ability to cloud my perception.

As I stood there, frozen in shock, Fron spoke, her voice laced with annoyance.

“Well? You gonna do something?”

“...”

*Bite.*

I bit down on my lower lip, my grip tightening on the dagger.

But it was no use. I had lost.

With a sigh, I dropped the weapon and raised my hands in surrender.

*Shove.*

Fron shoved me to the ground.

Standing over me, she said, her voice like ice,

“You’re far too arrogant.”

“...”

“I’d love to kill you all right here, but I can’t afford to make an enemy of Bares’ daughter. So I’ll let her live.”

“Really?” I asked, a flicker of hope igniting in my chest.

Did she still have some of her old warmth left?

One look at her eyes, however, extinguished that hope.

‘…They’re so cold.’

They were devoid of any emotion but contempt and disdain, sending chills down my spine.

I had anticipated this, but facing it head-on filled me with dread.

Fron reached out, her touch as frigid as her words.

“Your power is dangerous. I need to seal it.”

In that moment, a wave of foreboding washed over me.

Before I could speak—

*Stab.*

Fron’s hand shot out, piercing my abdomen with a sickening thud.

Blood erupted from the wound, staining my clothes crimson.

I choked back a scream, the taste of iron filling my mouth.

Fron frowned, wiping the blood from her hand.

“Disgusting. I expected as much, seeing as you’re immune to seduction. But I didn’t think you’d resist me in this state.”

She paused, her eyes cold and calculating.

“But it ends here.”

Her mana surged into me, wrapping around my heart like a constricting serpent, suppressing both Bares’ and the Abyss’s mana within me.

Fron winced.

“You put up a good fight, I’ll give you that.”

But it wasn’t enough.

Her magic bound me, sealing away my power.

‘This is…’

It was a power unique to the children of Lust, a power of subjugation.

Fron had activated the Subjugation ability, allowing her to control my body.

Just like this…

*Twitch.*

She pointed a finger, and my body rose to its feet against my will.

With a flick of her wrist, she made me draw Fang of Darkness from its sheath.

And then—

*Slice.*

The cursed blade sliced through the air, severing a lock of Kyle’s hair.

I felt a cold sweat trickle down my back.

Fron, however, seemed pleased with herself. She turned on her heel, addressing her doppelgangers.

“Take them. And bring Bares’ daughter to me.”

“...”

The Fron look-alikes obeyed, hoisting Rene onto their shoulders and melting back into the shadows.

My body, still under Fron’s control, followed them out of the cell.

I had no idea what awaited us.

But I couldn’t fight back, not with Rene and Kyle as hostages.

Right now, I needed to recover.

In my current state, I wouldn’t even stand a chance against Fron.

As if sensing my thoughts, Fron scoffed.

“Try to escape if you want. You’ll probably rot in this place, but be my guest.”

Her words stung, but I couldn’t afford to retaliate.

Not now.

*Clang.*

The iron bars slammed shut, leaving me alone with an unconscious Kyle in the suffocating darkness.

Damn it…

*Thud.*

I slammed my fist against the ground, ignoring the searing pain that shot up my arm.

The jolt helped clear my head, but a solution remained elusive.

What could I do?

Every second that ticked by, I felt my life force draining away with my blood.

*Tear.*

I used my fingernails to stitch up the wound on my abdomen, ignoring the excruciating pain.

It was a crude but effective method, and I couldn’t afford to bleed out.

Besides, this was nothing compared to the agony of being pierced by the Sword Saint’s blade.

I stared down the empty corridor, my mind racing.

Now…

‘What’s the plan?’

Even in this hopeless situation, a glimmer of cold, sharp determination flickered in my eyes.

My gaze landed on the unseen presence that had been observing us this entire time.

It was time to involve her.

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