"We have arrived, sir"

They all halted at the forest’s edge, their opaque dark eyes fixated on a place miles away.

A grand mansion gleamed in the moonlight, its white marble reflecting the moon’s glow on the sea’s surface.

Perched on the cliff, adorned with small yellow mana lamps, the dim light added to the grandeur of the scene.

"Be cautious. Remember, do not harm the girl in his presence; First cut off his limbs and then Kill the girl"

The Knight, controlled by one of the beings, comprehended the link between the Nexus and an individual’s emotional state.

Despite being strong enough to confront Zeph, the challenge lay within the Nexus itself.

Nexus wasn’t generated from any external source but from the holder’s emotions.

The more intense these emotions, the greater the production of Nexus.

Even a single drop could initiate a chain reaction, amplifying mana density by tenfold. However...

This power came at a cost—one that couldn’t be undone.

When the body surpassed its mana capacity, the Nexus began devouring the holder’s life force until the vessel was depleted, resulting in the holder’s death.

In essence, the Nexus didn’t serve as a source itself, but as an amplifier of mana density, multiplying it by tenfold, regardless of the mana type.

Moreover, if the mana was depleted and the user’s emotions remained intense, the Nexus would rapidly consume their life force to compensate, accelerating the depletion of their life force.

The Obsidian Order was well aware of Zeph’s vast mana reserves; it would have been suspicious if they didn’t know, considering their omnipresent surveillance.

Zeph’s background, from the Black Forest battle to his status as the next heir of the Liander Duchy, provided ample evidence of his extraordinary mana.

However, the Order didn’t take drastic action due to him being, heir of an Orderian, Duchess Kassidy.

Otherwise, the moment the Order realized his possession of such an extraordinary power, he would have been eliminated, even before entering the academy.

Moreover, Zeph’s remarkable mana was of little significance to the Order.

They themselves possessed denser and more potent energies.

To them, his so-called enormous mana was akin to diluted acid—existing but posing no substantial threat.

With beings like Adriannel and Evangeline to concern themselves with, the Order didn’t bother much about individuals like Zeph.

At least, that was the perspective from the Order’s viewpoint.

Little did they know that just like in the past, this time too, their initial perspective would shatter so profoundly that its reverberation would tear through the fabric of space itself.

" Begin "

WHOOSH

In the shrouded night, they dissolved into darkness, the shadows blending seamlessly into the moonlit night.

.

.

.

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{ A/n : Maids Illustration in comments}

Inside the dimly lit mansion,

TAP. TAP. TAP.

Two maids glided through the hallway, their identical eyes and bodily features unmistakably revealing their identity as twins.

Their purpose in traversing the corridor was to approach their Lord and request something to eat.

However, upon spotting him engrossed in devouring someone, they realized their culinary offerings would pale in comparison.

"Hey, did you hear those sounds? It sounded painful," one of them whispered to the other regarding the groans they had heard an hour ago.

"Kyaaa~....on the very first night, Madam made him groan like that. Looks like we’ll need to curry favor with Madam and align ourselves with her," her sister exclaimed with enthusiasm, both determined to become Thalia Crimwell’s trusted companions, more like sidekicks.

"Hehe," chuckling softly, they made their way toward the kitchen.

SWISH

"W-what? Who’s there?!"

Suddenly startled, one of the maids spun around, feeling a presence. She scanned the surroundings, perplexed by the sensed presence, unable to spot anyone.

"Yue, did you feel someone there?"

Holding a mana lamp while scanning the area, one hand slowly tugged at her sister’s dress, her gaze fixed on the darkness ahead.

"Is this perhaps a ghost?"

As they exchanged these words that just intensified their turmoil, they turned to meet each other’s gaze.

Flick

"Ouch, Mei, why?"

Rubbing her head from the light punch, the white-haired girl looked at her sister with teary eyes.

"Y-you idiot! You know I fear ghosts, yet you—"

"Kyaaa~"

THUD

"Y-yue, b-behind you!"

Mei shouted, seeing two shining amethyst orbs behind her sister, stuttering before falling to the floor with widened eyes.

"M-Mei, I know you’re trying to get back at me, but please, I’m trembling. Okay, let’s do this another time"

Seeing her sister’s expression as she lay on the floor, it didn’t seem like an act.

Her brain struggled to accept her words, desperately seeking reassurance amid the gripping fear.

"N-no, hey, Mei, s-stop it, I confess! I ate your hidden pastries and even took leave to eat meat stew by dyeing my hair brown yesterday. I confessed everything. Now stop!"

"Y-you..."

Seeing her sister confess all her secrets in a situation where Mei couldn’t even beat her, trembling, Mei gritted her teeth.

At that moment, her mind snapped, realizing why the other servants warned her to eat less, lest she’d become like her lord—A Hippo.

On the Other Side, Slowly comprehending Mei’s words, trembling, Yue turned around, her body shaking, her eyes widening as they met two shiny floating purple flames.

"Kyaaaa~"

Thud

Both sisters fell to the floor, clutching each other’s hands, quivering as they faced the looming presence before them.

Drip

They noticed water droplets falling on the floor, realizing its thickness—it was saliva.

GASP

Realizing their fate and attempting to save themselves one last time, they pleaded while trying to throw each other under the bus.

"Ghost, she’s much tastier! She even ate the meat stew and stole my cake yesterday! I’ve been fasting for a week now!"

But seeing the orbs unmoving, Mei’s voice trembled, biting her lips.

Yue, hearing her sister’s words, snapped, ’Where is sisterhood, you backstabber!?’

Her mouth twitched, not wanting to be devoured alone.

"Devour us together. You’ll enjoy it,"

Hearing Yue’s voice, Mei turned to look at her.

Unsure if her dear sister comprehended the full implication behind those words.

Her fear began to dissipate, giving way to a vivid recollection of the past moments, particularly the sight of her Master devouring someone — The vividness of her Imagination combined with those words caused her face to flush crimson.

"Are you offering a buy one get one free deal, you dumbo... smack!"

"Ouch, y-you hit me again," Yue, with teary eyes, turned towards her sister while rubbing her head.

"Of course, I do! Now tak—"

"Cough... Ladies, you have passed. I accept both of you as my mother."