“Wow… Amazing… I can’t believe those paladins were crushed so easily…”

“I just did what needed to be done.”

Freddy replied indifferently to the sincerely admiring Vicer.

Seeing her blunt attitude, Vicer suddenly felt that the woman before her was quite impressive.

‘To take down such a formidable foe and still look so cool… That’s pretty awesome, right?’

A character who possesses overwhelming power yet combines coolness and aloofness.

This was the kind of person Vicer personally admired.

‘Although I don’t know how this relationship will develop… it would be nice to get close to someone like that.’

With that thought, Vicer looked at Freddy with a hint of awe in her eyes.

Meanwhile, under the weight of her intimidating gaze, Freddy…

The Queen began to sweat a little.

‘What is that look…? Could she have figured out I’m the Queen from what just happened? No way… Even so, my magic was completely different, and my style of fighting was too…’

With anxiety creeping in, she nervously checked her previous actions to see if she had made a mistake.

However, her expression, while wearing a mask, appeared to others simply as the demeanor of a victor savoring her triumph.

*

Vicer was returning with captured paladins.

At this moment, she was feeling quite high from accomplishing her mission perfectly.

Although she didn’t know her sister’s whereabouts, she hadn’t thought it would be easy to find out anyway, so it wasn’t something she worried too much about.

‘I’ve done my task well. Father will surely be pleased, right?’

To be honest, Vicer had felt somewhat overlooked due to Santana’s brilliant performances recently.

Even though she was an older daughter, she had always harbored a desire to be acknowledged by her father.

Knowing she would likely receive praise for this achievement gave Vicer some excitement.

As she thought about wanting to return to Bohemia as soon as possible, Vicer and her group took a moment to rest.

Most of the soldiers had fallen asleep to relieve their fatigue from the long journey, and Freddy, who had shown great prowess, was no different.

The only ones awake were Vicer, organizing her thoughts, and a guard keeping watch.

And thus began a prolonged, heavy silence.

Then, a voice started to break that silence at Vicer’s ear.

“Um… Miss? Excuse me, but I have something to say…”

“Huh? What is it? Go ahead.”

Vicer responded with slight curiosity to her subordinate’s sudden interruption.

Seeing her attitude, the soldier hesitated for a moment before glancing at Freddy, still sleeping in the corner, and cautiously began to speak.

“I’m not sure if I should bring this up, but… I personally have some doubts about that Freddy person.”

“Doubts? What do you mean?”

Vicer found the soldier’s comments unexpectedly intriguing.

As soon as she gave her permission, the soldier carefully began to share what he knew after a moment of thought.

“Actually… I’ve seen the magic that witch used before… It was back when the Queen was captured.”

“W-What?”

The soldier’s unexpected revelation filled Vicer’s face with deep confusion and horror.

The soldier began to detail the events he remembered from that fateful incident.

In the past, during the attack, he had witnessed the magic that summoned countless ghost legions, just like the witch’s.

“Is that… true? So, on the day of the attack, someone using the exact same magic as that witch… took my sister?”

“Yes, it’s absolutely true. The magic was almost identical… translucent figures clad in armor. It matched perfectly.”

“Why are you bringing this crucial fact up only now? Everyone said they didn’t remember anything during the investigation.”

“Well… unlike the others, I was just watching from a distance at the time, too scared to jump in. Later, I learned that other soldiers couldn’t remember well, but I was too afraid of punishment to speak up… I’m really sorry.”

“Ha…”

Vicer sighed as she grasped the situation.

However, despite that, she was engulfed in unexpected chaos after hearing the soldier’s story.

She had taken this dangerous path precisely to gather information about her sister, so this revelation was too significant to dismiss as mere coincidence.

‘The one who abducted my sister used magic to manipulate ghosts… Of course, there are others who use similar magic, but this timing… Moreover, they’re even wearing a mask to hide their identity. Does that mean…?’

Her suspicions grew stronger the more she thought.

However, Vicer knew she couldn’t take urgent action against Freddy, who was sound asleep in front of her.

Regardless of anything, that woman was a guest who came to offer diplomatic assistance.

If she showed hostility based solely on suspicion, it might lead to all sorts of troublesome issues later on.

Moreover, Vicer had already seen Freddy’s power with her own eyes.

While her reasons were valid, if she misjudged and made Freddy an enemy, it could easily lead to her own annihilation.

‘For now… it would be wise to inform the family and take action. Especially Santana might have some good ideas.’

Unfortunately, she lacked substantial talents in this area, so she ultimately concluded that she would have no choice but to rely on her younger sister, feeling a growing wariness toward the suspicious woman before her.

‘If that person really is the one who captured my sister… and if my sister is suffering because of her, I won’t forgive her. She will have to pay the price for that…’

With that thought, Vicer wiped away the admiration she had just held.

She began to cast a cold gaze toward perhaps her future nemesis.

*

As Vicer’s group finally entered the territory of Bohemia, they could relax a bit.

Within that situation, Queen Andreas was experiencing an unsettling feeling that made her heart race day by day.

‘Damn it… It seems she’s somewhat suspicious now… given Vicer’s reaction, she’s definitely suspecting me.’

From that moment, when the two captured paladins were dragged in behind them, Vicer’s gaze had shifted.

The unusual emotions packed into it made Queen anxious about whether her identity might be uncovered, causing her to break out in cold sweat.

‘What should I do… Given the circumstances, should I just tell Vicer the truth? But that girl is surprisingly loose-lipped, and it might complicate things…’

Given her nature of being bad at lying, it was obvious that any plea for secrecy would quickly lead to exposure.

Taking that into account, the Queen remained deep in thought throughout the journey.

At that moment, both Vicer and the Queen were in their own dilemmas, grappling with their respective issues.

Finally, they caught sight of the place.

The very home of the two young women, and a location that symbolized deep despair for Nune and Tine.

The sight of Bohemia’s Lord’s Castle.