Sera frowned at her father's words. Because of Anna's intervention, her relationship with her father had drastically changed. However, how was she supposed to show such care and concern towards him, as Anna had towards her father, when she felt nothing towards her father anymore? If it weren't for the fact that his status had given her an upper hand, she wouldn't have wasted a single second with him at all.
'Show me my stats,' she told the system.
[SYSTEM REBOOT: TACTICAL OVERRIDE ENGAGED]
CURRENT STATUS:
» VP: 550/10,000
» Blood Mana Reserves: 17% (Critical)
» Physical Integrity: 63% (Healing Detected)
IMMEDIATE OPTIONS:
[BLOODFIRE OVERDRIVE]
- Cost: 3 fingers (permanent loss)
- Effect: Incinerate all barriers (95% success)
- Warning: Will trigger [PAIN COMPLIANCE] protocol
[ROWAN SYNCHRONIZATION]
- Compatibility: 91% (Demon-Blood Resonance)
- Effect: Shared mana pool (+200% efficiency)
- Risk: 40% chance of temporary soul-bond
[DUKE'S GAMBIT]
- Utilize your father's political immunity
- VP Penalty: -200 (This option is a perceived weakness)
- Reward: Safe extraction (no mana cost)
FUTURE OBJECTIVES UNLOCKED:
» [TOWER OF WHISPERS]: Infiltrate Magic Academy archives (600 VP)
» [LAWRENCE'S FALL]: Public humiliation at royal banquet (+400 VP)
[Efficiency is violence optimized. Choose your sacrifice.]
Sera's eyes widened. Her attention turned to Rowan, who was standing next to her father. She never knew that Rowan and his elder sister had demonic heritage—those who were born with demonic blood are usually born with silvery white hair and bloody red eyes. Their mana was also unstable, making them vulnerable to losing their minds from overuse of magic.
Sensing her gaze, Rowan's eyes turned to meet hers. His pale golden locks were made brighter by the fire from torches within the tower, while his dark eyes made it impossible for Sera to guess what he was thinking. Rowan raised a brow in a silent question, but she didn't dare to voice them in front of everyone.
By this time, he should be taking an apprenticeship at the magic tower along with his sister, not joining the war with her father. Anna didn't have many close interactions with Rowan in this lifetime and didn't cause him any trouble during her time at the magic academy at all. There was no argument, but only polite nods and greetings, which Sera found somewhat… boring.
Seeing Rowan being riled up was one of Sera's favorite things to do during her time at the magic academy. She liked to see Rowan lose control and patience towards her, but couldn't do anything but walk away, knowing he wouldn't be able to persuade her to behave.
As if sensing what she was thinking, Rowan's eyes narrowed suspiciously towards her, making Sera chuckle. He looked away, muttering incoherent words to himself.
[Your choice, my lady?]
The system pulled Sera's mind back to reality. Sera sighed inwardly. For the system to give her such choices wasn't it like asking her to die or sabotaging her chances to fulfill her mission?
The first choice was a no-go. Why would she willingly lose three fingers for such a scenario? Also, although she would hurt herself to gain an advantage in a situation, Seraphine de Lys was like other noble ladies in the upper society. She was a vain woman who valued looks and appearances. She liked cute things and would always be the first one in line, whatever was on trend in the nobility circle.
As for the second option, it would be hard to tap on Rowan's mana without him noticing it. Regardless of whether he wasn't an apprentice of the magic tower right now, it wouldn't change the fact that he was one of the strongest mages Sera knew.
Her fight with Rowan had never reached a point where one of them emerged the winner. However, when it comes to swordmanship, Sera was confident she could make Rowan bite the dust. Being trained from a young age had its advantages, thanks to her father.
This only left her with the last option: Relying on her father's influence to get away from the tower. However, it came at a costly price, as expected. 200 VP. That was a massive loss on her part. Weighing all the options, Sera made a decision.
'I choose the third one. Rely on my father's immunity.'
[SELECTION CONFIRMED: DUKE'S GAMBIT]
[VP PENALTY: -200]
» Current VP: 350/10,000
» Warning: VP threshold below 'Hate Resonance' unlock (500 VP required).
[POLITICAL RAMIFICATIONS DETECTED]
» Duke's Favor: +30% (Temporary shield from Church retaliation)
» Crown's Hostility: +50% (Prince Adrian now marks you as "Priority Threat")
[NEW OBJECTIVE UNLOCKED]
» The Price of Protection:
- Duke de Lys's survival probability drops to 40% (Was 65%).
- Reward for preventing his death: +1,000 VP.
- Failure penalty: Permanent loss of "Bloodfire Sigil" ability.
[FINAL NOTICE]
The System remembers your hesitation.
Next time, it will charge triple.
'200 VP for using my own father? This wretched thing charges more than a demon broker.'
Sera's fingers slightly twitched, imagining stabbing the system itself. She scoffed aloud, making Rowan tense. The Duke mistook it for disdain toward the prince.
"Fine. Take your VP. I'll carve it back from the prince's hide."
The system laughed evilly.
[Now you're speaking my language.]
"Duke de Lys, this is an urgent matter. Your daughter committed unforgivable crimes." Sir Lawrence faced the duke, trying not to be intimidated by his overpowering presence.
"You haven't held a trial to prove that she poisoned Saintess Lilian, but you have already subjected our Sera to torture. I wouldn't allow you to hurt my daughter under my watch!" Duke Lysander's voice dropped with such a terrifying coldness in his tone.
"This is a direct order from His Highness." Sir Lawrence broke into a cold sweat. If the duke chose to settle the matter with their blade, he wasn't confident he would be able to keep up with the duke.
"Ha! After everything Sera did for all of you, this is how you repay her?" The duke's mocking expression was almost the same as Sera's; no doubt she got her menacing attitude from him.
Sir Lawrence swallowed the invisible lump in his throat and didn't dare to utter a single word in defense.
Hurried steps could be heard outside, and they turned their heads to see what it was. Prince Adrian came into view. His face turned pale as soon as he saw Duke Lysander among the crowd. No one had expected that the duke would march back to the capital before his daughter's execution. The council had never thought that he would abandon his station at the borders to choose to save his daughter instead.
"Duke de Lys, you should have attended the council meeting instead of coming here." Prince Adrian said, wondering if the duke would choose to draw his sword at once to sever his head without hesitation.
The duke of Lysanthia was known for his ethereal appearance and noble demeanor. He was not outspoken, unlike other nobles who kept themselves entertained by attending functions and having a tea party. He would rather spend his time training along with the knights. It was also not a secret that he doted greatly on his daughter. They just didn't think he would abandon all reason for her sake.
"Ah, yes. You and the council should give me a valid explanation why I shouldn't cut you down at this moment."
"Duke de Lys, you should know that because of your daughter's recent actions, several high-profile inmates here managed to escape. " The prince replied, trying his best to keep his composure.
"We have already informed you before the lapses in the security of this place, and yet you and the council refused to take action about it. " The duke let out a mocking chuckle. "So it takes Sera to prove that we've been right all along. So who's truly at fault here, Prince Adrian?"
Sera couldn't help but find the conversation entertaining. The duke, who rarely spoke or conversed freely before, was now actively reasoning out in her favor. It was hard to believe that Anna was able to do what Sera couldn't accomplish in her previous life.