Selicia knew that Annan was loved by her grandmother the most, unlike other Winter people.
You can hurt Annan, but you can never kill Annan.
It was Vladimir who told her this back then.
There's no way he doesn't know.
Even rotten men will pay the price for their stupid actions... not to mention extraordinary beings like them who are not even gods. They are just apprentices on the path to extraordinary.
Therefore, when they conflict with Annan, they will subconsciously not dare to use their full strength.
Throwing a weapon against a rat will most likely lead to defeat in the end.
The best way is to avoid head-on conflict.
Whether it is hurting Annan, suppressing his sphere of influence, or even sending assassins of the same level as Annan to assassinate him, this is a normal political conflict, and the old grandmother will not care about this level of interference.
And this is how they have always behaved.
It was impossible for the old grandmother to help Annan catch his enemies.
She is the goddess of tradition - and pampering her children and grandchildren is not a tradition worth encouraging. In this cold place, the tradition she prefers is to encourage her children and grandchildren to hunt independently and live independently.
"……Why?"
But at this time, Selicia suddenly noticed a detail.
Her pupils suddenly tightened.
Behind her teacher Vladimir, there was a solidified ice sculpture.
——That is the Hand of Winter patrolling the dungeon.
He still maintained the posture of leading the frost beasts on patrol. He didn't even realize that an enemy appeared, and this action was completely frozen.
The frost beast beside him had turned into ashes.
There was only a flat, round, palm-sized ice-blue gemstone, which was being played with by Vladimir's other hand.
That is the "heart" of the frost beasts, their energy center.
——While she was completely unaware, the patrolling Hands of Winter and Frost Beasts had already suffered poisonous attacks!
Although she has lost the power of the treasure ship "Silver", she still retains the power of the Silver-level curse in her body. It is impossible for her to be completely unaware of this...
No, that's not right!
That's not the point -
"Directly killed the Hand of Winter and the Frost Beast guarding the dungeon..."
Selicia murmured.
She actually wanted to say, "Do you really know what you are doing?", but realized that the person in front of her was her most respected teacher, so the words turned into: "Is it really okay for you to be like this...?
"
There is no doubt that this is a provocation to the Duke of Winter.
If the defection back then could be regarded as an exchange of interests, as the result of a transaction. Although his position was subtle, it was more biased towards the Principality of Winter...
But now that he has behaved like this, with such a clearly hostile attitude... he is undoubtedly preparing to become an enemy of the Duke of Winter!
She wasn't worried about Annan.
She is worried about her teacher, Vladimir.
"I don't want to do this either, Solonik."
Vladimir said slowly: "This is... your fault."
His words were like a sharp blade, piercing Selicia's heart.
Her pupils suddenly tightened, and fear, grievance and disbelief almost instantly turned into tears, welling up in her eyes.
"...Old teacher!"
Even if her arm is cut off with a sharp blade or her abdomen is pierced by a gun blade, she will never cry.
But when Vladimir said these words, she burst into tears instantly, sobbing and defending: "I definitely didn't tell the secret... I won't tell..."
"you will."
Vladimir stared at the girl with long pink and purple hair, who was as beautiful and noble as a princess, without any change in his tone: "Because you have changed."
"I won't! I won't! I'm already thinking of ways to deceive him! What I can do -"
Her pupils shook violently.
Selicia fell to her knees weakly and cried loudly: "I will never...will never betray you...I really won't..."
Just like facing her parents who accused her of stealing, or her respected teacher who was disappointed in her because of false accusations, she felt a sharp pain in her heart.
It was precisely because she completely believed and loved her teacher "Vladimir" that she was so deeply hurt by these words.
The next moment, her cry was frozen.
The fear, grievance and pain that flowed out along with the tears were simultaneously transformed into pure fear.
——Because behind Vladimir.
A tall, dark gray shadow emerged silently.
It only has the upper body - it is a human shape with blood-soaked bandages on its eyes, ears and tongue cut off, and disheveled hair like a madman. It seems to be roaring into the sky? The whole person raises many arms to look at the sky.
Its naked upper body is also covered with scars. The skin is pure dark gray, but the wounds are shockingly bright red.
Is its heart a horribly sunken wound? Inside a huge circular cavity is a dark red sphere like a heart, which is beating slowly.
It has eight arms, raised high up. But how many fingers are broken on each hand? Some of the arms are broken, thin, recurved... so deformed that it reminds people of a "dry tree".
And the dark gray realm, like the ominous air before a storm, covered Selicia's field of vision. Everything she saw in her eyes was stained with a layer of dark gray, only the wounds were as bright red as ever.
——Celicia was "Captain in the Stone"? Of course she knew what it was.
Sublime falsehood.
Having obtained the [Supreme Crown] and [The Perfect Essence of Elements], the "Soul Essence" was developed.
Its shape will express everyone's innermost essential desires and the true nature of the soul.
At this moment, Vladimir summoned the noble false body... His purpose was clearly revealed.
He didn't come to warn Selicia.
He wasn't here to take her away.
——He came to kill Selicia and silence her.
"...Do we really have to do this?"
Cecilia murmured.
Her face was full of despair. Her whole body was as dry as a puppet. It was as if she had lost all hope in an instant.
"You said so, Solonik."
Vladimir's low and cold voice sounded calmly: "You promised.
"For me, you can even risk your life...now? I'm here to take your life.
"Or... was that a lie to deceive me?"
"——No? No! That's not a lie!"
Selicia reached out and covered her heart, as if it wouldn't hurt anymore.
She sobbed and burst into tears: "That is indeed true! I can really die for the teacher, but -"
It's just...it shouldn't be such a cheap death.
Shouldn't he be executed as a traitor and silenced? Instead, he should die impassioned——
She suddenly choked up and couldn't speak anymore.
"There's no such difference."
Vladimir replied expressionlessly: "Death is death, other than that it is nothing.
"You have still changed. Solonik would not attach so many elements to 'death', and he would not try to find value in 'death'...
"Because Solonik is my dog, and you... are no longer."
"—You are right, Vladimir."
A steady voice sounded.
A middle-aged man with frosty hair and gray eyes, dressed in a butler's attire, walked slowly from the other end of the corridor: "Stop it...old friend."
"...Victor."
Vladimir turned his head, looked at the middle-aged man with a mere silver rank, and frowned: "It's you..."