Hestia encountered the unexpected presence before her in a completely unforeseen manner.

Seeing her here, not just anyone, but Santana’s direct servant, Hestia was seized by a deep sense of fear.

Of course, based on the circumstances up until now, Hestia had anticipated that she would eventually meet her.

The traces of that woman gradually revealing themselves while working as Valenshtein’s aide.

Feeling her presence, surely hiding somewhere and searching for her, Hestia had been preparing for her imminent attack in the dark room.

Even during her usual sleep, Hestia had wrapped herself in a circle of magical power that extended up to 10km to prepare for that woman’s ambush.

Although Hestia was a powerful witch, facing her within a certain distance left her without a means to counter due to the type advantage of their abilities.

On the flip side, it meant that as long as she didn’t give up that distance, Hestia could still aim for victory against that formidable foe.

However…

The troubling woman didn’t appear in the pitch-black darkness of the night, nor in the blood-soaked battlefield filled with shouts.

But in broad daylight.

In a position she could never touch.

Appearing in a status that allowed her to come right up to Hestia without any restrictions…

And that implied that, at this moment, Hestia had absolutely no way to take action against that woman.

Moreover, the place where they were now was not a battlefield, but a conference hall.

Naturally, if Hestia were to attack her, who was Santana’s aide, the fragile peace treaty they had so painstakingly set up would surely fall apart.

Especially considering Hestia’s nature, which inevitably made her stand out in battle, it was utterly impossible to conduct this secretly.

In contrast, that woman could easily kill Hestia right at this moment without anyone noticing if she set her mind to it.

With Hestia now within her effective range, the moment she attempted to strike, it would all end with a single blow.

Now trapped in a perfect deadlock, there was nothing Hestia could do.

All she could do was tremble and wait for that woman before her to make her move to finish her off.

In the midst of deep despair, Hestia felt as if she were a condemned prisoner awaiting execution, gazing in fear at the unsettling smile of that woman…

Senel Polena Dragona.

From the circumstances, it seemed Senel was planning to end her right away without dragging it out.

Recognizing that fact, Hestia began to look at the face of the man she truly loved…

Otto, with a sorrowful expression.

‘…I’m sorry… It seems I’ve reached my limit here…’

Senel’s magic aura began to spread faintly in the room, barely noticeable, but it was unmistakably enveloping Hestia.

With that, Hestia began to be devoured without even the strength to resist.

But then…

“…Huh?”

In the next moment, Senel’s magic aura suddenly vanished.

It disappeared as if the fog had lifted, and with that, Hestia could not help but sense a feeling of doubt.

‘What… what is this? Why did the magic…’

Senel, who was unyielding in her punishment of traitors, couldn’t possibly show mercy.

Still gripped by fear, Hestia cautiously began to assess her situation.

A moment later, she witnessed a scene beginning to unfold before her eyes.

Santana, her master, was calling Senel, who was about to attack her, and giving her some instructions.

Displaying a serious expression as if something major was unfolding, Santana was directing Senel about something.

In response, Senel appeared momentarily surprised, then lightly bowed her head to his instructions before exiting the conference room.

Of course, during her departure, she couldn’t help but flash a chilling expression for a brief moment.

Thus, right after the monster hunting her momentarily left the room, Hestia felt her legs go weak, and she collapsed into a chair in the conference hall.

“…Phew…”

“…Huh? Is something wrong? You don’t look well.”

Valenshtein, noticing her condition a little late, expressed concern.

In response, Hestia weakly smiled and replied to her master.

“Oh… It’s nothing. I’m just a bit worn out by the sheer number of people.”

Hestia was well aware that speaking the truth to him now would only complicate the situation further.

No matter how powerful Valenshtein was, he had no ability to resolve matters associated with the Dragona Empire’s royal family, which would only lead to the worst outcome of destroying the fragile possibility of peace.

Ultimately, the best option she had was to quietly suffer death at Senel’s hands right here.

Of course, this would cause some commotion, but it was clear that they wouldn’t even uncover the cause of death, so the conference itself wouldn’t likely be significantly affected.

Realizing that fact, Hestia couldn’t help but develop a bitter smile.

‘..Right… This must be the answer… The fitting end for a traitor… Even though it’s for my beliefs, I must bear the responsibility…’

It was a future that would inevitably have to be confronted someday.

In fact, being grateful that it was taking place now, as most of what she wanted to accomplish was coming to an end, seemed only right.

Thus, Hestia resolved to humbly accept the coming death with a mixture of resignation and relief.

*

“Tch… Of all times…”

Polena muttered discontentedly in her heart as she gathered people according to Santana’s orders.

Just moments ago, if even a few more seconds had passed, Polena could finally put an end to the mission that had lasted over ten years.

To deliver to the one who violated regulations and betrayed the country a fitting end.

To cut off their breath at the pinnacle of their life.

Polena tried to proceed boldly with her task, but just then, Santana gave her a directive that halted her actions.

It was an instruction to gather mages and security personnel since they couldn’t predict what might happen in the conference room.

In such circumstances, even Polena would risk getting caught during the process, forcing her to postpone the traitor’s execution for now.

Of course, that didn’t mean Polena was giving up on it altogether.

After all, the conference was set to continue, starting today, and could extend anywhere from a few months to several years.

During that period, there would be numerous opportunities to eliminate Hestia, so Polena decided to embrace the situation as calmly as possible without haste.

‘There’s nothing in the current situation that could hinder me. I’ve waited over ten years, so what’s a few more days…’

With that thought, Polena accidentally found herself pondering that she would retreat for now.

However…

“It seems like an assassin has infiltrated Westphalia. One targeting Valenshtein and his aides.”

“Y…Yes?”

That evening, Santana spoke in a voice filled with deep concern.

Upon hearing those words, Polena’s face instantly froze in shock.