Edmund climbed onto Sebastian’s mount, riding out of the forest alongside hundreds of cavalry from the Aschwin Family.

One of the female cavalry soldiers came over and asked Leonor to return to the village. The girl did not refuse.

"That’s the girl you were looking for. What made the demons from the Mughort Kingdom come all this way just to kidnap her?" Sebastian asked.

"I don’t know."

In Edmund’s mind, he actually did know. In the story, the power hidden inside Leonor’s body was no ordinary power.

A crimson red aura, powerful and uncontrollable.

Combined with the demons’ interest, he concluded that Leonor carried demonic power within her.

"It’s better to bring her to Archester. She can be monitored more easily," Edmund said quietly.

"I saw her face. She will definitely come," Sebastian said.

"You saw it?"

"Yes," Sebastian explained, "A face that showed interest... and gratitude, of course."

Edmund chose to stay silent while enduring the pain. He occasionally winced as he rode with Sebastian, and his butler noticed his injuries.

"You can’t go home in this condition. Let the army physician treat you," Sebastian said.

"Whatever you say," Edmund murmured.

Sebastian steered the horse toward Baron Nigel’s castle.

As a Viscount, Edmund could not be left injured for long.

If he died in Nigel’s territory, Count Julian’s anger would be directed straight at Nigel.

"Bring him inside. I’ll get the best physician," Nigel said.

Sebastian nodded, helping Edmund down from the horse and carrying him into the small castle.

They arrived in a spacious and luxurious room. Edmund immediately lay down, his face pale.

"Call the physician here, now!" Sebastian said firmly.

"Wait, Sir Sebastian. The physician... we don’t know where he went. It seems he evacuated with the others."

"You fool, Nigel. You’re letting Lord Edmund suffer."

With no other choice, the army physicians arrived and began a minor operation on Edmund’s back and thigh.

They had to remove the arrow from his body immediately.

Otherwise, he would bleed out, and infection from the arrowhead would cause a fever.

If not treated quickly, severe bleeding and infection would kill him.

Two female army physicians worked extra hard to save Edmund, while Sebastian and Nigel waited anxiously outside the room.

After three hours, the procedure was complete. They managed to remove the arrow.

"This is terrible."

"Call Sir Sebastian," one physician said.

She stepped outside and called Sebastian in. He saw blood still flowing heavily from the stab wounds on Edmund’s body.

"How is he?" Sebastian asked.

"The arrow has been removed. But there’s something more important."

"What is it?"

"Vyomir poison."

"Vyomir poison? Isn’t that a high-level poison?!" Sebastian asked in panic.

"That’s right. It seems those demons coated the arrow with it," the female physician replied.

"What should I do? We can’t let Lord Edmund die!"

"Go to Nather City and buy an antidote there. There’s a famous antidote shop."

"You only have one day. If you’re late, Lord Edmund will die," the physician said firmly.

Not wanting to waste any time, Sebastian left the castle and rode off at full speed.

The two physicians managed to bandage Edmund’s wounds, but they could do nothing about the Vyomir poison.

They left him to rest while waiting for Sebastian to return with the antidote.

Time passed, and no one was allowed into Edmund’s room except the physicians.

They took turns standing guard every two hours.

In the middle of the night, a mysterious rose fragrance and red mist spread throughout Baron Nigel’s castle.

Anyone who inhaled the rose pollen immediately fell unconscious, leaving the place unguarded.

The army physicians realized something was wrong, but they were affected as well and collapsed.

The bedroom door slowly opened. An sixteen-year-old girl stepped inside, her long black hair flowing down.

Her red eyes were fixed ahead, staring at a handsome man lying on the bed, shirtless, his body covered in bandages.

"Edmund..."

She walked closer, boldly climbing onto the bed and straddling Edmund, who was still unconscious.

"You’re just a human... while I am a messenger of the Lilith Goddesses."

Her hand rose, touching Edmund’s broad chest and brushing over the bandages on each wound. She was clearly impressed... and moved.

"Even without your help, I could have killed those disgusting monsters, Edmund."

"I’m curious," she said, looking at his handsome face again, "What do you actually want from me?"

The girl fell silent for a moment, her palm resting on Edmund’s chest, right above his heart.

A crimson red aura flowed from her hand, channeling into Edmund’s body and burning brightly like flames.

"I will save you from death," she said with a wide smile.

"But you have to help me," she whispered, leaning closer.

"Help me... control my power."

She gave half of her power to Edmund. A surge of energy burst through him, making him wince in pain even in his unconscious state.

"HAHAHAHA!" the girl laughed, satisfied that she had found the right person to share her power with.

Slowly, the crimson aura faded from her hand. On Edmund’s body, a flame-like tattoo pattern appeared on his chest.

"You said I should go to Archester, right?"

"I will go there."

"See you there, Edmund."

The girl quickly left the room, closing the door as the rose scent and red mist disappeared.

A few minutes after she left, Edmund opened his eyes and felt a wave of nausea.

He vomited beside the bed. It was not normal vomit. It was blood.

What happened?

Edmund turned his head and saw a female soldier in white armor sleeping on the floor. A strange way to sleep.

────[First Mission]────

[Objective: Find and save Leonor Reimard] [Status: Clear!]

[Reward: Restoration of the Host’s strength || Unlock the Host’s sword skill || +5 Conviction stats for the target]

A blue and red aura appeared around Edmund’s body, the reward from saving Leonor.

But the red aura felt strange.

From the original body’s memories, Edmund never had a crimson red aura.

That color was not typical of fire affinity either.

"Did something happen to me while I was unconscious?" Edmund asked.

[Bond Mark Activated]

[Immediately pair the host’s bond with the target to increase Conviction status]

Edmund grew curious. His body no longer felt in pain, enough for him to move again.

As he was about to stand up and put his clothes back on, the system panel appeared again with the second mission.

────[Second Mission]────

[Objective: Fund Leonor’s life] [Status: Ongoing!]

[Reward: +5 Conviction Stats || +100 Gold]

Fund Leonor’s life? Doesn’t she have parents?

Wait... could it be—

Edmund quickly got dressed, ran out of the room, and took a horse. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

He rode east toward Leonor’s burned house.

His horse came to a stop when he saw three female soldiers sitting there, trying to calm Leonor, who was asleep.

His arrival startled them, but Edmund told them to stay seated so they would not wake her.

"What happened?"

One of the women stood and walked toward him, then led him closer to Leonor’s collapsed wooden house, leaving behind burning embers.

"She cried loudly after seeing her parents’ bodies."

"Her parents are dead?" Edmund asked. The soldier nodded.

"According to the neighbors, they saw monsters kill her parents and throw their bodies into their burning house."

"When Leonor saw them, she broke down crying... then fell asleep from exhaustion," she said.

A tragic story. I never expected the Villainess’s story to be even more tragic than Lucas Twain’s.

Seeing Leonor become an orphan because of the monster attack made the female soldier sob, filled with pity and sympathy.

Edmund acted immediately without hesitation, "Take her to Archester. I will raise her."