Seraphina opened her eyes.
For the first time in five years, she didn't wake up screaming. She didn't wake up in a pool of cold sweat or clutching her chest in agony.
She woke up warm.
She blinked, staring at the strong jawline of the man sleeping beneath her. Her arm was draped over his waist, and her leg was hooked over his. She was practically using him as a body pillow.
Wait.
Her brain rebooted.
Kael.
"KYAAA!"
THUD.
Kael woke up mid-air as he was telekinetically shoved off the bed. He hit the carpet with a groan, rubbing his lower back.
"Good morning to you too," Kael grumbled, sitting up.
Seraphina was pressing herself against the headboard, pulling the fur blankets up to her nose. Her face was bright red—a stark contrast to her icy hair.
"You! Why were you in my bed?!" she stammered, pointing a shaking finger at him.
"Correction," Kael yawned, standing up and stretching. "I fell asleep on the floor holding your hand so you wouldn't freeze the room. You dragged me up there in the middle of the night."
"Lies!" Seraphina shouted, though her voice lacked conviction. She remembered the feeling of seeking warmth. "I would never... I am the Empress of the Sword! I do not cuddle!"
"Whatever makes you sleep better," Kael smirked. He checked his system log.
[Daily Contact Reward:]
[+2 Constitution]
[+2 Charisma]
Worth the fall, he thought.
Before Seraphina could conjure an ice spear to preserve her dignity, a knock came at the door.
"Enter," she said, instantly fixing her expression into a mask of cold authority. The blush vanished as if by magic.
Alfred walked in, but he didn't have tea this time. He held a holographic tablet. His face was grave.
"My Lady, we have a situation."
Seraphina frowned. "Gareth?"
"Worse. The High Council." Alfred tapped the tablet, projecting a news hologram into the air.
[BREAKING NEWS: Sword Empress Mentally Unstable?]
[Exclusive: Vice-Commander Gareth claims Seraphina endangered the raid due to "Mana Hallucinations".]
[Guild Inquiry Scheduled for Noon Today.]
"That snake," Seraphina hissed. The temperature in the room dropped ten degrees instantly. "He abandoned the raid, and now he's trying to frame me to cover his cowardice?"
"He claims you brought an unauthorized civilian—me—into the dungeon, distracting the team," Kael read the subtitles. "He's trying to strip you of your Guild Leader status."
"I will kill him," Seraphina stood up, her aura flaring. "I will march into the Guild Hall and freeze his tongue."
"No," Kael said.
Seraphina stopped, looking at him. "Excuse me?"
"If you go in there angry and start freezing people, you prove his point. He wants you to look unstable," Kael reasoned calmly. "He knows about your curse. He's baiting you."
He walked over to the tablet and scrolled through the report.
"The inquiry is at noon? That gives us three hours."
"Three hours for what?" Seraphina asked.
"For me to get ready," Kael turned to her, his eyes cold. "You are the Empress. You don't fight dogs like Gareth. You let your 'Aide' handle the trash."
"You?" Seraphina scoffed, though there was concern in her eyes. "Kael, it's a Council hearing. You can't just punch them. And Gareth is an A-Rank Mage. You have potential, but you lack equipment."
"That's why I need to borrow your Forge," Kael said.
The Frostfall Forge
Kael stood alone in the high-tech smithy located in the estate's basement.
He didn't have years of blacksmithing experience. He didn't know how to temper steel or fold iron.
But he didn't need to. He had the System.
On the workbench lay the [Refined Titanium Chunks] he had salvaged yesterday, along with a spool of [Mana-Conductive Wire] he had bought from the shop with his remaining points.
"System, load Blueprint: Chain-Blade."
[Blueprint Loaded.]
[Materials Detected: Sufficient.]
[Activate "Auto-Craft"?]
"Activate."
Kael placed his hands on the materials.
ZZZZT!
He didn't use a hammer. He used pure mana manipulation. Under the guidance of the System, the titanium began to liquefy and reshape itself. It wasn't magic; it was matter reconstruction at a molecular level.
The metal twisted, stretched, and hardened.
Kael poured his own mana into it. He felt drained, his stamina bar dropping rapidly, but he pushed through.
[Crafting... 98%... 100%]
[DING!]
[Item Created: "Shadow-Weave Chain Blade"]
[Rank: B+ (Growth Type)]
[Attributes: Attack +55, Speed +20]
[Special Effect: "Hook & Pull" - Can grapple targets up to 15 meters away.]
Steam rose from the table.
Lying there was a masterpiece. It looked like a hidden blade gauntlet. A sleek, black metal bracer housed a retractable, razor-sharp dagger attached to a thin, nearly invisible chain.
Kael strapped it onto his right arm. It felt weightless.
With a flick of his wrist, the blade shot out. Schwing. It embedded itself in a dummy across the room. With another twitch, the chain retracted, pulling the dummy toward him.
"Perfect," Kael whispered.
He looked at his reflection in a polished shield hanging on the wall.
Tailored black suit.
B-Rank defense skill.
Shadow teleportation.
And now, a weapon designed for assassination.
He wasn't a Cleaner anymore.
Noon. The Central Guild Hall.
The hearing room was packed. Reporters, guild officials, and the seven members of the High Council sat in judgment.
Gareth stood at the podium, looking smug in his golden armor.
"...and that is why, esteemed Councilors," Gareth said, feigning sadness. "I believe Seraphina is no longer fit to lead. Her obsession with that... F-Rank beggar... proves her judgment is compromised by the Curse."
Murmurs filled the room.
"She isn't even here!" Gareth shouted. "She is probably having another episode!"
BOOM.
The double doors were blasted open.
Seraphina walked in. She didn't walk; she glided. She wore a formal white dress uniform, her medals shining. Her head was high, her expression imperious.
And one step behind her, to her right, walked Kael.
He was silent. He wore black sunglasses (to hide the System's glowing interface) and carried a briefcase. He looked like the ultimate professional bodyguard.
"Sorry I'm late," Seraphina said, her voice silencing the room. "My aide had to take out the trash."
Gareth sneered. "So you brought him. The Cleaner."
He pointed a finger at Kael.
"You! Tell the Council the truth! Did she force you into the dungeon? Did she put the team at risk?"
Kael stepped forward. He adjusted his sunglasses.
"Vice-Commander Gareth," Kael said smoothly. "According to the dungeon logs, your team exited the dungeon 4 minutes before the Boss was killed."
He opened the briefcase. It wasn't filled with papers. It was empty. He just brought it for the effect.
He pulled out the [Shattered Chimera Core] (which he hadn't fully recycled yet) and slammed it on the table.
"If my Lady was incapacitated..." Kael asked, his voice echoing. "Then who killed the S-Rank Boss and retrieved this?"
The Councilors gasped. The core was proof of the kill.
Gareth turned pale. "That's... she must have stolen it!"
"Stolen?" Kael smirked. "From whom? You? But you were already running away."
"YOU LITTLE RAT!" Gareth snapped. His temper broke.
He forgot where he was. He forgot the cameras. He just wanted to crush the insect humiliating him.
"DIE!"
Gareth launched a Fireball directly at Kael's face.
It was an illegal attack inside the Council Chamber.
Seraphina moved to block it, but Kael was faster.
[Shadow Step]
Kael vanished. The fireball hit the wall harmlessly.
Kael reappeared directly behind Gareth.
[Shadow-Weave Chain Blade: Deploy]
CLICK.
The cold metal of the blade pressed against Gareth's jugular. The chain wrapped around his neck, tight enough to cut off his air but not his head.
"Make a move," Kael whispered into Gareth's ear, loud enough for the microphones to pick up. "Give me a reason to recycle you."
The room went dead silent.
An F-Rank had just subdued an A-Rank Vice-Commander in less than a second.
Kael looked up at the shocked Councilors.
"My Lady is perfectly stable," Kael stated calmly. "I, however, can get a bit aggressive when people lie."
He tightened the chain.
"Now... who has more questions?"