Whoosh!

Theo increased his speed as the sounds of the battle intensified.

‘A slum? Here in the capital?’

He had not expected such a place to exist. The dimly lit alleys and crumbling structures painted a grim picture as Theo weaved through them.

When he reached his destination, the air itself seemed to vibrate with tension.

The swirling mana had grown denser, almost suffocating.

The clash of power had ceased, and silence followed.

‘It’s decided… the fight is over.’

Finally, the scene came into view, and Theo's expression darkened.

‘Dante.’

The Mad Dragon, Dante, stood towering over Felix, his massive hand gripping the knight commander’s neck.

Felix’s left shoulder was obliterated, blood pouring freely as his complexion turned deathly pale.

‘It’s too quiet.’

The destruction around them was obvious, and the noise had been deafening, yet not a single guard was present.

For the capital, even in its outskirts, such an absence was inexplicable.

Theo’s gaze sharpened as he assessed the situation.

Dante had betrayed Ragnar—there was no other explanation. He had attacked Felix, who had infiltrated the palace, without hesitation.

‘So he came to size me up.’

The realization grated on Theo, but he set his emotions aside and scanned his surroundings carefully.

With no guards present, there was little risk of being framed for interfering. Theo decided swiftly.

“Lodbrok, prepare yourself.”

The moment Theo’s resolve solidified, he acted.

Whoosh!

Within moments, Felix lay at Theo’s feet, gasping for breath, while Dante stood a few paces away, his expression unreadable.

“So, you’ve decided to make yourself my enemy?”

Theo’s voice was low and cold, each word a warning.

Dante hesitated for a moment, his thoughts racing. His side throbbed painfully, the wound Felix had inflicted still bleeding.

Even at full strength, Dante wasn’t sure he could defeat Theo, the head of the Ragnar clan.

But retreating now would mean admitting defeat.

‘Is this why that rat ran? He knew Theo would come.’@@novelbin@@

The timing was too perfect.

Felix must have fled, knowing Theo was on his way. Dante had thought Theo would hesitate to act in the capital, giving him time to finish Felix.

Yet Theo had arrived far sooner than expected, leaving Dante with little room to maneuver.

‘It’s been a long time since I’ve felt like this.’

Facing Theo, Dante felt like he was standing on the edge of a cliff.

Victory seemed impossible, and survival was uncertain.

But survival was necessary—he couldn’t afford to die here.

“I don’t understand your accusation, Lord Theo. Is dueling the knight commander now a betrayal of Ragnar?”

Dante forced a grin, his voice feigning innocence.

“Oh, my mistake. Let me rephrase,” Theo said, his tone cutting. “Have you decided to become a dog for the Grand Duke instead?”

Dante’s grin faltered for an instant.

It was clear that Theo now considered him a traitor.

“Heh, as expected, I can’t fool you,” Dante said, laughing bitterly.

He glanced at Felix, who lay unconscious nearby. Theo’s eyes narrowed.

『Something is coming,』 Lodbrok’s voice rang in Theo’s mind.

Theo shifted his focus briefly, sensing the approaching presence of several individuals.

Someone had alerted the guards, likely to create an opportunity for Dante to escape.

‘This fight can’t drag on.’

Killing Dante would be simple enough, but not without risk. If Dante fortified his defenses, it could take as long as three minutes to finish him.

With the approaching figures moving swiftly, time was not on Theo’s side.

‘Someone wants to save Dante… or rather, Dante Rolle.’

The gathering mana signatures resembled a small army. Theo couldn’t help but scoff at the timing.

“You may as well relinquish your title of Mad Dragon now,” Theo said, his gaze cold and unwavering.

Dante chuckled, his lips curling into a mocking smile.

“Still clinging to your Ragnar arrogance, huh?”

“Next time, you won’t get the chance to run,” Theo said flatly, lifting Felix onto his shoulder.

Dante’s smirk twisted into a snarl as he watched Theo turn and leave.

‘I’ll rip that smug face apart,’ Dante seethed.

He felt humiliated, knowing full well he couldn’t win against Theo in his current state.

If only he had received the power sooner, Theo would never have left here alive.

The frustration burned in his chest, but Dante resolved to bide his time.

“Are you Dante Rolle?”

A voice interrupted his thoughts.

Turning, Dante found himself facing a group dressed in black robes, their faces obscured by cloth.

The aura they exuded was both familiar and unsettling.

“The Holy Demon Church?”

“Our lord has sent us as reinforcements,” one of them replied.

“Reinforcements, you say?” Dante scoffed, amused by the absurdity of the situation.

If they were truly reinforcements, they should have ambushed Theo alongside him.

The fact that they hadn’t indicated ulterior motives, though Dante couldn’t quite discern what they were.

‘What is their game?’

He dismissed the thought quickly. Whatever their true intentions, their goal aligned with his: the death of Theo.

“Let’s go,” said the leader of the group, a dark elf with sharp features.

As they surrounded him protectively, Dante hesitated.

“Wait,” he said, his lips curling into a sly grin. “There’s something I need to do first.”

The dark elf nodded silently, the group withdrawing at Dante’s command.

Watching them leave, Dante’s expression soured.

‘They’re nothing but puppets.’

Their rigid movements and hollow eyes reminded him of lifeless dolls.

But Dante dismissed the unease.

If it took allying with devils to settle his grudges—both from the North and tonight—he was more than willing.

Turning away, Dante headed not toward his estate or the palace, but toward an entirely different destination.

***

As Theo gazed at Felix’s shredded shoulder, his expression hardened.

‘It looks like an explosion went off inside him.’

Blood flowed continuously, refusing to stop, and Felix's pallor grew more severe with each passing moment.

Having entered the secluded palace through a window without a sound, Theo carefully laid Felix down.

Without hesitation, he poured every last drop of the potion he carried onto the wound.

“Grrk... aaagh!”

Felix’s body convulsed violently, a guttural groan escaping his lips.

The potion began to work; the wound slowly started to close, and his complexion visibly improved.

Theo wrapped the injury with bandages and applied another dose of the potion on top, ensuring the wound was completely treated.

Felix's eyelashes twitched.

“Haa… haah!”

Felix suddenly jolted upright, gasping as if awakening from a nightmare. He wiped the cold sweat from his brow, his gaze landing on Theo.

For a long moment, he stared in silence, as though piecing together his scattered thoughts. Finally, his eyes dropped, uncharacteristically submissive.

“I owe you my life,” Felix muttered.

He had been sure his fight against Dante—the Mad Dragon—would be his last. The loss of blood and the agony had rendered him unconscious, and he’d thought death inevitable.

But Theo’s timely arrival had pulled him back from the brink.

“I have a general idea of what happened. Don’t worry about it,” Theo replied calmly. “But there’s something I need you to do.”

At this, Felix looked up, his expression serious.

He had already realized the imperial family was beyond salvation. The only path forward was to honor his vow to Theo.

“What is it?”

“I need you to grant me access to the Emperor’s secret vault.”

“...!”

Felix’s eyes widened in shock, utterly blindsided by Theo’s request.

Though the existence of the vault was widely rumored, its details were shrouded in secrecy. Even the imperial guards who protected it were chosen under the strictest conditions.

“How do you know about the vault? No—more importantly…”

Felix’s voice trailed off as he struggled to process the request. After a moment, he composed himself and spoke again.

“I can guide you to the vault, but the door cannot be opened. It’s locked with a password, one even the Grand Duke cannot bypass. And with the Emperor… already deceased, it may never be opened again.”

Felix’s words were heavy with resignation. Having seen the Emperor’s lifeless state with his own eyes, he was convinced the treasures within the vault were fated to remain sealed forever.

But then, Theo spoke with unnerving confidence.

“I already know the password.”

“...?”

Felix stared at Theo, utterly at a loss for words. What Theo had just said bordered on a breach of national security.

Theo, noticing Felix’s stunned silence, scratched his cheek awkwardly.

“When Cassandra was left in my care, there was a note tucked inside the bundle she was wrapped in. It had the password written on it.”

Though he said it with a straight face, Theo felt a twinge of guilt. Lying, even if necessary, to someone as honorable as Felix was a rare pang of conscience for him.