CHAPTER 153
The Gladion Imperial Palace, Mage’s Office.
A young woman was sighing there.
A girl with crimson red hair and scarlet eyes.
She stared out the window with a melancholic gaze.
“What’s with the gloomy face?”
Babiyen ignored the voice coming from her side.
It was because that voice was filled with nothing but scorn.
“If you ignore your master’s words like that, how do you think your master will feel?”
“You sure talk a lot of nonsense. Have you forgotten our original contract? In exchange for reviving me, you teach me, and we do not engage in any other private conversations.”
Beside Babiyen.
There stood another woman.

Of course, the woman’s appearance was different from before.
She could not enter this place in her original form.
The Red Flame Lord, Ignarion.
With her limbs barely able to muster any strength, she smiled brightly.
“The contract aside, a master is allowed to worry about her disciple.”
Babiyen showed her disgust toward the Red Flame Lord.
How could a person be so shameless?
But despite this shamelessness, her skill in fire magic was the real deal. In fact, as soon as Babiyen started learning magic from her again, she improved by leaps and bounds.
In the past, the one who taught Babiyen magic was the Red Flame Lord’s first disciple. The Red Flame Lord would only occasionally stop by to make an appearance; for the most part, her disciple did the teaching.
Unlike back then, Babiyen was now able to learn magic directly from the Red Flame Lord, and as a result, she grew at an astonishingly fast rate.
Babiyen was never untalented to begin with, and her mindset had changed after all her recent experiences.
“The driving force for magical growth is spite. Seeing my disciple possess such spite makes me feel concerned.”
“Don’t make me laugh. This spite I have was born because of you.”
“Think of it as a trial from your master.”
The Red Flame Lord laughed with utter shamelessness.
How could a person be like that?
Babiyen was human too, but she couldn’t comprehend it.
“The reason you’re moping around like this is because of your boyfriend, isn’t it?”
And she was also sharp.
When Babiyen bit her lip, the Red Flame Lord’s eyebrow twitched.
“He went to Wolun, I heard. My, what a steadfast heart. Meanwhile, you look like you’re about to die from anxiety.”
“It’s not like that.”
“Oh, but it is. Do you know how full of greed the human heart is? The more you pretend it’s not there, the bigger it grows.”
“Do you think everyone is like you?”
“Not everyone is like me, no. But fire mages are similar.”
Babiyen’s expression showed she couldn't accept that.
But her lips did not move.
The relationship between Aranseol and Harua.
It wasn't built in a day or two.
Although Babiyen had also spent a long time with them, she couldn’t form the same deep connection the two shared.
Harua detested the people of this world.
Aranseol hated Transferees.
They were clearly on opposite ends of the spectrum, but that was precisely why they could understand each other.
But what about Babiyen?
She had one-sidedly liked Harua and expressed her feelings, but she had failed to form such a deep relationship with him.
If a moment came when Harua had to choose between Aranseol and herself…
Harua would…
As soon as the thought crossed her mind, Babiyen squeezed her eyes shut.
‘That’s a foolish thought.’
Babiyen had experienced firsthand what kind of person Harua was.
Was he the type of person to abandon one and choose the other?
No.
He was the kind of man who would stubbornly save them both.
Even if Harua cherished Aranseol more than her, Babiyen’s feelings remained unchanged.
When she thought of Harua, her heart pounded and her mind fluttered.
The kindness he occasionally showed felt like it could melt her heart.
Just thinking of him brought her happiness every day, so why did she need to analyze it so much?
Babiyen casually ignored the Red Flame Lord’s words.
“Hmph, hehehe.”
That is, until she let out a disturbing laugh.
“What’s so funny?”
Unable to stand it any longer, Babiyen asked. The Red Flame Lord wore a sly grin.
“I just remembered that time your brain was touched by Wrath, Babiyen.”
The Sinner of Wrath, Asheria Eve.
As she said, Babiyen had once gone berserk when her brain was manipulated by her.
As a side effect, her brain was temporarily reset, and she became like a child.
Just thinking about it was still embarrassing.

“What about it?”
“It just made me curious about something.”
The Red Flame Lord slowly lowered her posture.
She looked like a thousand-year-old serpent preparing to hunt.
“When did you develop feelings for your boyfriend?”
Hearing the next question, Babiyen shot her a look that said, "What are you talking about?"
But soon, her expression began to slowly harden.
She had realized the intention behind the Red Flame Lord’s words.
Fwoosh—
Flames began to flicker around Babiyen.
It was excellent fire magic that radiated heat without burning the surrounding furniture.
Babiyen was now skilled enough to incinerate a person without affecting her surroundings.
It was a clear demonstration of how much her magic skills had grown.
“Don’t stir up unnecessary trouble with your nonsense.”
“You’re right, it’s nonsense.”
The Red Flame Lord readily agreed.
“Of course, whether to treat it as nonsense is also up to my lovely disciple.”
Babiyen bit her lip and extinguished the flames.
“Don’t say another word. Your role is to teach fire magic, I never asked you for life advice.”
“Right, I won’t say any more.”
The Red Flame Lord grinned mischievously.
A wave of disgust washed over her, but Babiyen didn’t say anything further.
However, the storm the Red Flame Lord had stirred up was quietly shaking her heart.
Asheria Eve.
That was the first time she had seen her with her own two eyes.
But Babiyen had never witnessed such deep malice in her life.
The horrifying malice she displayed toward the world was bone-chilling.
A woman like that could surely implant any thought into someone’s brain.
That was why Babiyen was wavering.
What if that woman had secretly planted these feelings to drive a wedge between herself, Harua, and Aranseol?
What if this love for Harua was Asheria Eve’s intention?
Babiyen turned and ran out of the room.
Her breathing became ragged.
When did the young lady start liking Harua?
Could it be…
Babiyen shook her head.
This was a trick by the Red Flame Lord.
If she were to list the reasons she fell for Harua, the list would be endless.
His actions and everything he had done for her had blossomed into love.
‘That’s a foolish thought.’
If she just took a moment to organize her thoughts, this would be over.
Babiyen turned her eyes to the window, trying to erase the thoughts from her mind.
From the opposite corridor, a familiar face was walking toward her.
The Ice Lord, Iox Lexar.
He was approaching.
His face had brightened considerably since Vanessa had been brought back to life.
“Lord Iox.”
“Ah, Lady Babiyen, you’re here.”
His face was bright today as well.
Vanessa was currently staying in the mansion that Iox had been granted when he became the Head of the Imperial Mages.
So, Iox came to work from the mansion every day with a beaming smile.
A person couldn't look any happier.
It had reached the point where even those who were displeased that the 2nd Prince had used his power to bring back the Ice Lord, who had turned his back on the world, saw Iox’s face and assumed he had come of his own free will.
“Sir Harua has arrived.”
Hearing those words from Iox, Babiyen closed her eyes.
Ah, gods, why now of all times?
She had longed to see Harua again, but right now, she didn't want to meet him.
“Where is he?”
“He should be here shortly.”
Babiyen composed her breathing and resolved to meet Harua.
But after waiting for a long time, she received some unexpected news.
The 1st Princess, Perasis Gladion.
The amazon who might become the first Empress in the history of Gladion.
The news was that she had intercepted Harua on his way.
A man with terrible luck when it came to women.
Babiyen quietly reflected on Harua’s romantic misfortunes once again.

I had come to the Imperial Palace seeking an audience with the 2nd Prince to secure Rapiel’s pardon.
Given my status, I had sent word to Iox, and passage was granted swiftly.
So I had eagerly come to the palace, only to be…
Forcibly dragged away by someone I hadn’t expected at all.
A large group of people had been waiting as soon as I arrived at the palace’s exclusive teleportation gate.
They introduced themselves as servants of the 1st Princess.
No matter that I was called a Saint, my opponent was the Imperial Family.
And this was an order from the 1st Princess, a direct descendant of the imperial bloodline.
It might be a different story outside the palace, but inside, if they requested my cooperation, the reality was that I couldn't refuse.

“Saint, thank you for agreeing to come on such short notice.”
“Yes, well.”
The man bowing before me was a loyal vassal and royal knight who had served the 1st Princess for a long time.
In any case, he was a subordinate.
If the 1st Princess ordered it, he had no choice but to obey, so I didn't blame him.
To be honest, I found this situation quite intriguing.
‘The 1st Princess must know that I’m a guest of the 2nd Prince.’
Thanks to the connections Vanessa had secured, I now understood the current structure of the Imperial Family. The court was divided into three main factions.
The 1st Prince, the most likely candidate for the throne.
The 2nd Prince, a candidate rapidly gaining momentum.
And the 1st Princess, so capable that she was often called a potential Empress.
These three factions were locked in a relentless struggle for the throne.
In such a climate, every single ally was crucial.
While I hadn't formally allied with the 2nd Prince, I was connected to him through Babiyen.
To some extent, I was already considered part of his camp.
For the 1st Princess to brazenly summon me like this, I had no idea what kind of reaction it would provoke from the 2nd Prince's side.
‘I heard she was capable.’
But I never imagined she would make a move this bold.
It made me curious to see her face.
The 2nd Prince was an unpleasant fellow; I wondered what the 1st Princess would be like.
My gaze fell upon Aigis, Ririran, and Aranseol.
The fact that she had brought these three along as guests also felt intentional.
As I pondered this, I waited.
After a moment, the sound of heels echoed from outside.
The sound alone conveyed a sense of confidence.
It was the gait of someone fully aware of how incredible they were.
The moment the footsteps stopped before the door, a lady-in-waiting quickly opened it.
Click-clack—
The sound of heels approached.
The shoes must have been quite high, as the source of the sound was elevated.

As my eyes slowly followed the sound…
There stood a girl with flowing golden hair.
Yes, a girl.
A girl of exquisite beauty, with a frame much smaller than my own.
At first glance, one might doubt if she was even an adult. She stood atop high heels, a confident smile on her face.
“Welcome, my friends.”
The 1st Princess, Perasis Gladion.
It was the arrival of the first-ever candidate for Empress.