While the two brothers were being reunited…
On the other side of the castle, inside a terrifying room filled with the scent of old books and decorated with relics and artifacts that seemed to belong to forgotten eras—ancient and rare—stood a massive desk made of black oak.
It was buried beneath stacks of documents and papers. Behind one of those piles, the Count sat, flipping through pages and signing others with intense focus.
Silence dominated the room, so deep that even the fall of a pin could be heard—until a knock echoed.
Tap… Tap…
"Who is it?"
Behind the door, an elderly servant spoke humbly
"Forgive the interruption, my lord Count, but the mage is waiting for you."
The Count replied
"Ah… tell him I'm coming."
He rose from his chair and lightly adjusted his clothes in front of a glass cabinet that housed a stone statue of a serpent strangling a lion.
When he finished, he stared at the statue, a look of hatred and contempt spreading across his face as he glared at the lion.
He slammed the cabinet door shut, turned away, muttered a few words, and headed toward a hidden, isolated chamber where the mage awaited him.
He opened the door to find a man wearing a black hood, who immediately bowed.
"My lord Count, it is an honor that you summoned me. How may I serve you today?"
The Count ignored the greeting entirely and sat down, impatience written clearly on his face.
"Listen carefully, because I will not repeat myself.
When will the child awaken? And did the soul transfer and brainwashing succeed?
You know there is no time left—and that he is an irreplaceable piece."
"My lord Count, it is too early to judge the experiment's success or failure. As for his awakening, he will most likely wake up by tomorrow morning."
"Silence. Stop spewing nonsense. The last time I listened to you, the child burst into screaming and crying.
I swear, if this operation fails again, I will separate your head from your body.
Especially since the auction is approaching, and that brat is a key item—an essential pawn in the Chairman's plan."
With that, the Count stood to leave. Just before exiting, he turned back, his voice cold and indifferent, a terrifying smile on his face.
"If I were you, I'd watch every word I utter. You know very well that if even a single word of what happens here leaks out, you'll lose your head."
He turned away and slammed the door shut behind him.
The mage slumped into his chair, resting his head on his hand.
"Hah… if it were up to me, I would have killed that arrogant bastard—and his so-called superior—long ago.
If he hadn't offered me something so tempting, I would never have played along with his scheme. Who would have thought he'd try to brainwash that child into believing he was his deceased son—and now he threatens to kill me if it fails."
"If I didn't have a use for him, I would've ended him already. But I must wait—especially since he's helping me with my plan to create an army of dark spirits.
More importantly… that child's body. He's a rare and perfect specimen—the missing piece for my plan's success. I have never seen such compatibility in my life."
"I'll wait for the right moment. Then I'll use hypnosis to make that brat slaughter everyone at the auction. I'll plunge his soul into absolute darkness."
Back to the brothers on the other side of the castle…
"Wait—let me understand this. You're saying that when a dungeon break occurred, the System forced you to trade your life and freedom to slow the dungeon flow. You then became the Demon King destined to destroy the world.
After I defeated you, you were freed from the System's control, saved my soul, reincarnated me as Lucian Givner, and bound our souls—making you my companion spirit?"
Alexander replied calmly
"Yes. That's the short version."
Lucian: "..."
"Tell me the truth—have you lost your mind, or did you replace your brain with nonsense?"
Alex snapped back
"What?! How dare you call me crazy! If I hadn't done that, humanity would've been wiped out five years before the Demon King's castle even appeared!
Besides… this way, we won't be separated again. For once, we'll stay together."
Lucian: "..."
Alex frowned.
"What's wrong now?"
"…Nothing."
"By the way—how long has it been since our battle? I mean… after I died. How long was I a wandering spirit?"
Alex answered quietly
"Five hundred years..... "
Lucian blinked.
"…Huh? I thought maybe a hundred at most—
WHAT?! FIVE HUNDRED—?! Shhh! They'll hear you!"
"Sorry… I was just shocked. But how did so much time pass? And what happened after my death?"
Alex sighed.
"After Vivian and White betrayed you, you cast a powerful curse that sealed their powers and inflicted unbearable pain—as if acid were corroding their flesh and bones.
If they try to break the curse using their abilities or outside help, they'll lose their sanity completely."
"The others weren't spared either, though the effects were weaker."
Lucian asked sharply,
"What about the rest? Did they know about Vivian and White's plan?"
Alex shook his head.
"About ten minutes later, the others sensed something was wrong when you didn't exit the gate.
They returned to find Vivian writhing on the ground in agony, claiming you tried to resurrect the Demon King to steal his power—and that she and White tried to stop you."
"She said you cursed them before disappearing… and that you severed White's arm."
Lucian scoffed.
"What nonsense. She was the one trying to control my body—and she cut off White's arm after he shattered my mana circles.
Though… the first part is true. I was about to resurrect you."
Alex fell silent.
"I never thought I meant that much to you…"
Before he could finish, Lucian grabbed him by the waist.
"Even if you became the enemy of the entire world, I'd still stand by you. You're my only family.
But tell me—why are there two moons now?"
"Oh—right. I almost forgot the reward.
Earth was relocated to another dimension. Humans now live alongside other races—djinn, dwarves, merfolk, dragons, vampires… Though conflicts still exist, peace dominates most of the time."
"This galaxy is called the Alpha Galaxy. Each race has its own planet, and this one is the Union Planet, where all races coexist under a treaty between the Emperor and the other kings."
Lucian stared blankly.
"…I think I'm going to faint."
Who would have thought the 'unknown reward' was relocating Earth itself?
Alex chuckled.
"It's not that bad. Science advanced significantly—though physics and chemistry remain mostly the same, with slight differences."
"Wait—you already know this. Right… Lucian's memories.
More importantly—what's your next move? How do you plan to escape?"
Lucian's eyes darkened.
"I'll stay in this castle for a while… torment the Count a little, then kill him.
As for the mage—I'll make him beg for death."
Alex hesitated.
"Don't you think that's excessive? The maids said he's just grieving his son—"
Tap—!
"Ahh! That hurt! Why did you hit me?!"
"Tell me—what kind of sane person kidnaps a child to transplant his dead son's soul into him?
That child is the youngest son of Duke Givner. And black magic? That alone proves his intentions were vile. Someone ordered him to do this."
"But why? And why target you specifically?"
"There are two possibilities: either he bears a grudge against the Givners, or he's targeting something far greater—using one child to destroy two sides at once."
"You mean…"
"Yes. Either the Empire… or an attempt to incite war between humans and the other races."
Lucian groaned.
"Why do disasters always pile up on my head…"
Alex asked,
"So—what's your plan?"
"Simple. I'll let him believe his plan succeeded… then corner him and force a confession. After that, I'll kill him.
Or maybe torture him first."
Alex sighed.
"Sometimes your plans scare me. I wonder if you were a gang leader in your past life."
Lucian smirked.
"Honestly? I scare myself sometimes too.
Now hide—someone's coming."
Alexander vanished just as the door opened and the elderly servant rushed in, stopping short at the sight of a child standing by the window.
"Y-Young Master—you're awake?!"
He bolted into the hallway, shouting,
"Inform the Count! The young master has finally awakened!"
The entire castle was thrown into chaos, while Lucian watched in silence.
Heavy, hurried footsteps approached. The door burst open, revealing the Count and the mage, both panting.
"When did he wake up? What did he say?!"
Lucian hurried forward and hugged the Count tightly, his voice trembling with tears.
"Papa… I was scared. Why did you leave me? I was in pain… why did you take so long… hic…"
The Count froze. His body trembled as he looked at the mage, then spoke softly.
"Benjamin… my little one… is that you? Do you remember who I am?"
Lucian smiled through tears—an expression that could shatter hearts.
"Yes, Papa. But why do you look like you've seen a ghost? Aren't you happy to see me?"
The Count hugged him tightly, apologizing over and over.
"I'm sorry… I'm sorry for leaving you alone.
Does your body hurt? Can you move? Do you have a headache?"
Lucian smiled sweetly.
"No, I'm fine. I don't feel any pain.
But Papa… who is that man? He's scary."
The Count glared at the mage with disdain.
"He's just a healer I hired to treat you."
"I can make him leave if you want."
Lucian shook his head.
"No, it's fine. He can stay."
After checking on him, everyone left—leaving the Count alone with Lucian.
"I know it hasn't been long since you recovered… but since you're better, I need to ask.
Do you still wish to continue the plan? You know I aim to become Emperor.
After your accident, I worry you won't be able to fulfill your role properly.
If you don't wish to participate, I can erase your name from the family registry and send you to the countryside to live with a friend."
Lucian's eyes hardened.
"Stop, Father. You know I want to participate. I'll help you—especially since I despise the Crown Prince and the Emperor."
The Count's face twisted between joy, doubt, and suspicion. He stood and said before leaving,
"We'll discuss this tomorrow. Rest for now."
After he left, Alexander's message appeared.
"I didn't know you were such a good actor—you almost fooled me. You deserve an Oscar ✧\(>o<)ﾉ✧"
Lucian smiled and replied telepathically,
"We'll communicate like this from now on.
Who would've thought the Count was power-hungry? I'm curious about his so-called plan."
Alex replied,
"…Just be careful. Don't put yourself in danger."
Lucian reassured him.
"Don't worry. I'm a great mage, after all.
But tell me—can I still use my magic? And what's with this lock symbol?"
"You can use magic—but with restrictions.
You can only choose one mana usage limit per day, with a maximum of 50%."
"What a cruel restriction…
From now on, I'll have to plan every move carefully. Why does misfortune always follow me? I'm exhausted."
"Sorry—but as your level increases, the restrictions will lift automatically.
Reach level ten. The reward is good—but I can't tell you yet."
Lucian sighed.
"I know… I know.
Fine. I'll rest now—because the days ahead are going to be very interesting."