Later, during another audience with the Empress, Lusian got straight to the point.
"No one is going to touch Elizabeth."
The Empress backed him without hesitation and formally granted him authority over the princess.
The heralds immediately objected.
"The princess must be handed over now," one of them insisted. "Her condition is unstable. We cannot leave her under the responsibility of a single person."
"The protocol of the Empire and the Church cannot simply be ignored," another added. "This is not a personal matter, Your Majesty."
Lusian remained still.
"You're not taking her."
One of his hands rested on the hilt of Dainslein.
"Not while I'm still standing."
The atmosphere in the room changed.
One of the heralds stepped forward.
"Then we'll have to remove you."
Lusian slowly raised his eyes.
"Try."
His fingers tightened around the hilt.
"And you'll have to kill me first."
The silence that followed was heavy.
The heralds exchanged glances and began preparing to intervene.
Lusian didn't back down.
Then the Empress, who had remained silent until that moment, raised a hand.
"Enough."
She didn't raise her voice.
She didn't need to.
The heralds immediately stopped.
The Empress allowed the silence to linger for a few seconds before fixing her gaze on Lusian.
"Elizabeth will remain under your responsibility."
"Your Majesty...!"
"I said she will remain under his responsibility."
This time, her voice was colder.
No one protested again.
The Empress turned her eyes back to Lusian.
"But this authority has a limit. If another incident occurs while she is under your care, the princess will be handed over to the heralds. No exceptions."
Lusian held her gaze.
He knew what that condition meant.
One mistake.
One loss of control.
And Elizabeth would no longer be under his protection.
"I understand."
The Empress nodded.
It wasn't a complete victory.
But for now, it was enough.
When Lusian left the audience chamber, the sky was beginning to turn red.
He reached the training ground and stopped dead.
Deidara was already waiting in the middle of the field, her arms crossed and her expression unreadable. However, there was an icy tension in her eyes.
Lusian didn't need to ask.
"Duke Lusian Douglas," she said.
"Deidara."
"I want a practice duel."
Lusian studied her for a few seconds.
He knew perfectly well what had happened with Elizabeth.
And he also knew the heroine wasn't there to train.
"A practice duel?"
"That's what I said."
Deidara uncrossed her arms and stepped forward.
"Without your magical beasts, this will be an easy victory for me."
Lusian clenched his jaw.
That wasn't a condition.
It was a provocation.
And it was aimed directly at the wound Umber had left behind.
"I accept."
His voice was icy.
Deidara gave a faint smile.
They moved apart.
The wind sweeping across the field suddenly died.
Then dark mana exploded around Deidara.
A suffocating pressure descended over the training ground.
Dozens of black spears appeared above her, formed from the mana of the Goddess of Darkness.
Deidara lowered her hand.
The spears fell.
Lusian moved.
The first passed within inches of his face.
The second grazed his shoulder.
The third struck the ground behind him.
BOOM!
The field began filling with explosions.
"Is that all?" Deidara taunted.
More spears appeared.
This time, there were hundreds.
The sky was covered in shadows, blocking out the last rays of the setting sun.
"You can't dodge forever!"
Lusian didn't answer.
He retreated.
One spear.
Two.
Five.
Ten.
His breathing began to quicken.
He wouldn't be able to keep this up for long.
Then a shadow appeared behind him.
He hadn't seen it.
But his body moved.
Lusian twisted just before the spear pierced the spot where he had been standing.
His eyes narrowed.
Another.
His foot shifted.
The shadow passed beside him.
Another.
He ducked his head.
The spear passed over him.
Lusian remained still for a fraction of a second.
He wasn't seeing the attacks.
He was feeling them.
Before they appeared.
A strange current ran through his body, reacting to danger before his mind could process it.
Umber.
The thought barely surfaced.
Lusian clenched his teeth.
He didn't have time to think about him.
He began advancing.
He was no longer retreating.
A spear fell.
Lusian spun.
Another appeared to his left.
One step.
Another to his right.
Another.
He didn't destroy a single one.
He didn't need to.
He simply moved through the gaps between them.
One.
Two.
Three steps.
Deidara frowned.
It was impossible.
She had closed every route.
Or so she thought.
Lusian kept advancing.
Closer and closer.
Deidara raised both hands.
Dark mana gathered around her.
"Stay back!"
The darkness exploded.
But Lusian was already inside her range.
He appeared directly in front of her.
His fist slammed into her stomach.
"Ghk...!"
The air was knocked from Deidara's lungs.
Her body doubled over.
Lusian grabbed her by the head before she could fall and slammed her into the ground.
BOOM!
The earth cracked beneath the impact.
When the dust cleared, Deidara was still lying on the ground.
A thin line of blood ran down from her forehead.
Lusian stood beside her.
He stared at her for several seconds.
"Next time you go near Elizabeth..."
His voice was quiet.
There was no anger in it.
That made it even more dangerous.
"You'll die."
Deidara looked up.
She couldn't believe it.
She had been defeated.
She hadn't even seen the final move coming.
Lusian sheathed Dainslein.
"Consider this a warning."
He turned around and began walking away.
Deidara remained on the ground, watching his back.
But it wasn't the defeat that unsettled her the most.
It was what she had felt during the fight.
Lusian's darkness.
It wasn't like hers.
Several days passed after the burst of demonic mana.
The palace was never the same again.
The corridors remained wrapped in an eerie silence, interrupted only by the hurried footsteps of servants.
Whenever Elizabeth appeared, conversations stopped.
People looked away.
Some even changed direction to avoid crossing paths with her.
"They say she was possessed..."
"I wouldn't go near her."
"What if it happens again?"
The rumors spread in hushed voices.
Even the heralds had changed their attitude.
They no longer tried to approach Elizabeth.
They watched her.
As if she could lose control again at any moment.
Elizabeth noticed.
It was impossible not to.
But she never lowered her head.
She walked with her back straight and her expression calm, pretending those stares didn't exist.
Her laughter, however, was gone.
Lusian stayed close to her.
Always.
He said nothing.
He simply walked beside her, making sure she never had to cross those corridors alone.
And that was precisely what irritated Lusian the most.
He understood the others' fear.
But understanding it didn't mean accepting it.
That night, he couldn't sleep.
Lusian sat against the wall, staring into the darkness of his room.
Memories of the "game" kept returning again and again.
Fragments.
Situations.
Decisions.
Problems that couldn't be solved simply with more strength.
He searched for a solution.
Something that could change Elizabeth's situation.
Then he remembered.
The fruit.
Deep within the forest, protected by the Mother Tree, there was a fruit capable of purifying any corruption.
In the game, it was practically impossible to obtain.
Reaching the heart of the forest had required countless attempts even from the most experienced players.
But here, there were no second chances.
Lusian opened his eyes.
If there was even a possibility...
He would take it.
No matter the risk.
Because if the world had decided to reject Elizabeth...
He wouldn't.
The camp was silent when Lusian entered the command tent.
Albert was waiting for him, standing with his arms crossed.
He wasn't wearing his cloak.
He didn't even need to ask.
"You're going to the forest."
"Yes."
Albert slowly exhaled.
"Going with a minimal detachment would be suicide. Let me go with you. I know your limits better than anyone."
Lusian shook his head.
"That's precisely why you can't come."
Albert frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"The forest detects human presence. The more people enter, the faster it will find us."
Albert opened his mouth to protest.
"I'm going with Elizabeth and Thunder," Lusian added.
The commander closed his eyes for a moment.
"My lord..."
"I need you to remain in command of the army while I'm gone."
"Please allow me to accompany you."
"No."
Lusian approached and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"I'll be fine."
Albert looked at him with concern.
"That's what you said before many of the things that nearly killed you."
Lusian gave a small smile.
"This time, I'll be more careful."
"That doesn't reassure me."
"I wasn't trying to."
Albert remained silent for a few seconds.
Finally, he lowered his head.
"As you wish, my lord."
Lusian removed his hand.
"Take care of the army."
"I will."
Albert raised his eyes, a heavy burden resting on his shoulders.
"But be careful."
Lusian nodded.
"I will."