Two weeks prior, before the start of the dungeon expedition, Elliot was seated on a bench by the wall of the academy’s arena. Then he received a strange message from his system that he had not seen before.

[Congrats! Elliot Reingard-kun. The Investment System has received a massive upgrade from yours truly, Yuki]

[The user will no longer have to clear quests to gain rewards]

[All quests have been discarded. But don’t worry, you have now gained access to Vassal Quests]

[Though they will only appear from time to time]

[The main aim of your system now is to protect Seria Ale Migalison, your beloved fiancée, make her happy, and watch over her]

[Congrats! You have unlocked the Villainess Fiancée Gauge]

[You may use the gauge to check the emotional status of Seria at all times. The higher the number on the gauge, the stronger and greater the rewards for every action of affection you make towards Seria]

[Likewise, if you make her unhappy, you will lose rewards tenfold]

[Congrats! The user has unlocked Bond Level]

[The greater your bond level with Seria, the stronger she becomes]

[Oh, I almost forgot.... Vassal Quests are the only way to increase your Vassal Affinity, which is currently: 1]

[Before you ask.... what Vassal Affinity actually is, let me drop the notification]

[Vassal Affinity allows the user to gain control over the primordial forces of creation]

[For now, I suggest you don’t depend on it since it’s just +1 currently]

[Vassal Quest: Survive the Dungeon Tragedy]

[Reward: Vassal Affinity +5]

[Penalty for failure: Death]

"Wha—What tragedy?" Elliot blurted out in a moment of panic, but he received no reply from Yuki.

’Tsk. That damn bastard.’ He grunted inwardly.

’He didn’t even bother to change the penalty. But what tragedy exactly? Is it what killed Deria and Edith before?’ He mused deeply.

Back to the present; adept silence claimed the cave for a fleeting second, then Seria’s very aggressive wail came with a burial of ice.

The entire ground of the cave was covered in jagged shards of frost. The temperature in the cave kept dropping with each passing second.

Geny was dragged out of her moment of relishment by the pain that seared throughout her body from the sharp ice pillars that had pierced various areas of her being.

"E–Ell–Elli-Elliot."

Jagged ice shards erupted all around Seria. She could barely believe her eyes. She fell onto her knees, crystal-blue eyes turned dark, devoid of any emotion, just absolute shock.

She clutched her hair in disbelief. The impaled Geny couldn’t help but stare at her—after all, it’s not like she could move at the moment. All of a sudden, Seria’s wailing ceased.

One would have thought that maybe she had worn herself out—her hands dropped from her head to both sides. The look on her face couldn’t even be defined nor explained.

Seria’s face looked as if she had been severed from the very plane of existence—she felt empty and hollow. Elliot was the missing piece that completed her, and now he had been taken away from her by the thing in front of her.

A gust of icy cold wind blew rapidly from behind her, causing the walls to crack and freeze over. She stood to her feet. The mana she released caused Geny’s jaw to drop wide open. She couldn’t believe her eyes.

"How can one who isn’t a god, demigod, deity, or even an Imperial at the very least possess such mana?"

Geny was completely flabbergasted, her tongue stuck between her jagged teeth. She knew her capabilities with mana; even Moohawk confirmed how amazing her grasp over environmental mana was earlier.

And yet here she was, overwhelmed by the presence of someone who wasn’t even a Dark Emissary disciple.

"The only viable plan now is to retreat."

She pulled her claws out of Elliot’s chest. Vines immediately strapped Elliot’s body from behind and pulled him towards Deria.

Deria grabbed onto him with a cradle of stone.

"Edith, is there anything you can do?" She carried him over to Edith.

"I—I don’t... know. His heart has been completely ruptured.... fuck, he’s not even breathing, and there’s also strong poison circulating in his system."

Edith gave Deria her critical analysis, and now they had to face their reality.

"If he dies, Seria is gonna bring this floor and ten others down, if not more."

They looked at each other with terrified expressions on their faces. They currently weren’t charged up enough to contain Seria’s wrath, and even Taumus and the student council members would hardly stand a chance.

Geny prepared to make her escape. Just as she took a step forward, before she could take the other step, she froze. Her body simply refused to listen to her.

"Geny. Are you planning on betraying me?" A shadowy mist with golden eyes appeared before her, and for some unknown reason only she could see it.

"N—No. I would never, mo—mother." Cold sweats of terror dripped rapidly down her face.

"Good.... Now turn back and finish what you started." The shadow hovered around her.

"But.... Mo—"

"Do not make me repeat myself. Sacrifice yourself if that’s the only way." The voice sounded absolute, owned by someone she couldn’t dare defy.

"Yes, Mother." Geny stuttered as the shadow vanished.

Futaba spun her hands rapidly and created a spinning white tornado around her, the other student council leaders, and Taumus.

"I know when a battle is lost, and I damn well know when a bomb is about to go off too!" she yelped.

"I think we should at least try," Rose said with the intention of saving Seria.

"Rose, it’s not worth it." August held her hand.

"It pains me to say this, but protecting the students is our priority." Leonard let out a defeated sigh.

"Fine." Rose took a step back.

"I never really depended on you guys or hoped you would be useful," Taumus hissed.

"Anyways, good job being self-righteous and doing your duty."

He waved a hand in the air as he walked out of the tornado barrier.

He walked up to Seria. With each step closer he got, it became more freezing.

"Seria, I think you should—"

He didn’t finish his statement before Geny cut in with her suicidal finishing act.

"Fuck all of you!" Her voice boomed.

"You fuckers are all going down with me."

A vortex of dark energy formed around her, emitting a great pulling force.

"20th-tier spell!"

The vortex became larger, and the invisible pulling force became stronger. Taumus could barely hold himself to the ground, likewise the student council leaders and other students within the bubble dome.

"Point-blank Ze—"

Geny didn’t finish her spell. The vortex simply vanished. Her body fidgeted as purple blood poured down from her head, which had suddenly been impaled by a sword.