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"Limit Break?" I looked at the stone in my hand for a few seconds before looking around to see if I could find more, but this seemed to be the only one.

"Faith that is?" Adel walked up to me. She always seemed to be first after me when it came to treasure. Maybe she had a shiny obsession too?

"It is a Limit Break Stone. There only seems to be one, so to be on the safe side, I will use it first. Then we can report to the others. I am not sure if this is a rare drop or not but we will see what happens." I was kinda being selfish, but with everything that happened, I needed as much strength as possible. While I had Diablo, this was only when he was around. What if something big happens like in my dreams? If war really does break out and it has something to do with that man. Then The enemy will definitely become very strong. I not only want to protect my family but everyone else around me.

"Don't worry, if anything happens, I will be here." Adel said as she once again got into battle mode. I chuckled and closed my eyes, and took a deep breath. I then hit the yes button.

[Limit Breaks Slots Available 3/3].

[By consuming this Limit Break Stone you will take up one Limit Break Slot.]

[Limit Break: Total Domination]

[Would you like to consume?]

As soon as I hit the yes button, another notification suddenly popped up in front of me.

[Limit Break Abilities are now available and can be seen in the status window.] 𝘪𝗻n𝑟e𝑎𝒅. 𝘤𝒐ｍ

Sure enough, as soon as I opened my status window, I had a new section above my skills. "Let's see…. Appraisal!"

"I see…." I pursed my lips while reading the description.

"So?" Adel spoke up while giving me a questioning gaze.

"I got a limit break called: Total Domination. Basically, it is an instant movement skill that raises my attack power by one thousand times its original value. For each strike I make on my opponent, it will build up the final attack, which is supposed to be an overhead strike. This strike is basically every attack I make on the target built up into a single attack that is infused with gravity. The only downside is that it puts a huge burden on the body, making it a skill you only want to use when you absolutely have to. I have no real way of testing it out unless I go and fight a strong monster someplace." I guess this was kind of a final trump card that should only be used when necessary. But I still wished to test it, not now, but at a later time. "Ah, also, It seems we can only have three of them at any given time. I am not sure what happens when you reach your max amount of limit breaks."

"Well, when we get back, we will try to test it out on a dummy or something that can withstand such attacks. We will need to make sure it is in a secure environment where you will not come under attack from outside sources in case something goes wrong." Adel's words made sense. It would be bad to just run out and fight some random monster to test the skill out without knowing its ins and outs.

"Alright, let's do that. For now, let's gather all the stones here. There seems to be plenty of system and skill stones. Save them and give them to your father. I am sure he will use them wisely." I already had enough for my family, so I was not worried about skill stones and such. And while I could get more skills, I would rather beef up the kingdom's forces first.

"Boss! This one is yours! We can't lift it." I turned to see a sword sticking in the ground. Steven was pulling it to the point that his face was turning red. It was not a big sword by any means. It was a normal sword like the one I was used to using. It had a black hilt with a black blade, only the guard was a dark shade of red. I walked over and looked it over. "Appraisal!"

[Athena's Promise]

[Rarity: Legendary]

[Sword Spirit Athena]

[Attack Power: 30000]

[Defense: 10000]

[Growth Item]

"Hmmm…" I reached out and gripped the handle. As I did, I felt a warmth coming from the sword that made it seem like I had wielded it forever. I pulled on it, and the sword pulled out of the ground effortlessly. [You have been deemed worthy. I accept you as my Master….] "Huh?"

I was confused when I heard the voice in my head. "Is this the sword spirit?" I pursed my lips and held the sword up. It reflected the dim lighting of the room well. But after a few swings and trying to say hello to it in my mind, I got no reply.

"How is it?" Sophie asked as she stared at the sword with a hint of jealousy in her eyes.

"It's a good sword." I replied. It truly is a good sword. It felt like an extension of my own body. I was not sure what a Growth Item was, but I guess I will figure it out in time. Other than that, this was a pretty amazing sword.

"You are so lucky. I tried picking it up too, but it wouldn't budge!" Sophie whined. During this trip, she has opened up a lot more. She was still quiet, but she let her true feelings out naturally now. It was a good sign for her.

"Hehe… There are a lot of good weapons here. Let's see if we can find you something suitable." With this, I helped begin dishing out items. The last boss dropped a lot of items, and when I say a lot, I mean it. There are a ton of items here. Complete sets of armor, weapons, potions, even I got a full set of leather armor. I did not like metal armor, so I went with something lighter as it was easier to move in. But the boys dived right into the plate armor. All leftovers were stashed in my inventory to give to the kingdom. The only thing left now was to destroy the dungeon core.

After getting changed in a makeshift dressing room, one for boys and one for the girls, I walked over to the dungeon core and looked at it. "Appraisal!"

[Dungeon Core]

[Goblin Dungeon Number: XRTDS72651]

[First Boss: Orc Bruiser]: Defeated

[Second Boss: Goblin Shaman]: Defeated

[Third Boss: Goblin Chief] Defeated.

[Final Boss: Goblin Ancient] Defeated

[Break core to clear dungeon….]

Seeing the instructions, I raised my hand that had transformed into a dragon's claw and thrust it down onto the core.

*Bang!*

*Crack!*

I watched as the core began to break into large and small shards. I was not going to just leave them around either. I quickly gathered them up. "Boss a magic circle!"

I turned to see Hailey pointing to the center of the room. I quickly stored away all the shards and walked over to the magic circle, and sighed in relief when I saw it was a normal teleport circle. "It will teleport us to the first floor. We can finally go home!"

"We are going home, everyone!!" Steven yelled out. This was followed by more cheers. I lost track of time a long time ago. I have forgotten how many days we have been down here, a month, maybe more. But I can say this. It was definitely worth it.

We all gathered into the magic circle, and after applying a bit of magic to it, our surroundings changed, and we found ourselves back at the main entrance and surrounded by knights. "Who goes there!?"

"Hold it!" A familiar voice rang out. "Adel! Faith! You are all safe!"

I watched as Lance pushed his way through the knights with tears in his eyes. "You are safe…."

"We have returned, Brother," Adel replied with a smile as she stepped forward and hugged Lance. They may bicker and fight every now and then, but they were still brother and sister and cared about each other.

"Spluurgie!" A small blue object suddenly slammed into my chest. I looked at the familiar blue blob and smiled while hugging it. "Good work Mr. Blobs. Go and have a rest with your companions." I recalled all my slimes, including Mr. Blobs, to allow him to have a rest.

"It is good you are all safe…." Instructor Telive made his way over. He was slightly skinnier than before. But he was alive and well.

"It's good that you are still safe. I hope I gave you all enough food." I said with a smile.

"Yes. The girls and boys you saved are also doing well. You have my thanks. It is only because of you sending food to us through Honorable Mr. Blobs did we have a chance of survival. The instructor you stopped time for has already been arrested along with the female instructor who hid." Telive reported. I nodded my head. I could understand. Neglecting your duties and hiding instead of trying to protect the examinees and making the right call during a crisis deserved some form of punishment. These things should have been done without an examinee stepping in to fill in their roles.

"As long as things are okay now." I replied with a smile. But then Lance cut in with a serious expression.

"The students you trapped in the barrier all died. They were all from higher nobles, and now their families are looking for an explanation. Father has held them off, but we do not know how long we can hold them off for." Lance explained.

"Huh? What does it matter if they died or not!? Those bastards were here to harass my friends and me, those I find important to me. They beat up Grace for no reason! Plus, it's not like I meant for them to die in there. I have no idea how long I have been down in that dungeon, but I originally only wanted them to fail the test. But since we got locked in, I couldn't release the barrier spell. Circumstances did not allow it. If they wish to cause trouble, let them try. I will destroy everything they hold dear!" I did feel bad for them dying. But at the same time, they were following in their parents' footsteps and becoming nobles who thought they could do whatever they wanted because of their status. I may be only a lowly Barron, but that did not matter to me. What mattered was the fact that I only cared about the people close to me and the kingdom itself. Not the people who sit upon their throne looking down on the lower class because of a so called title.

"I suddenly want to go get lost in a dungeon again," I said with a long sigh. I had forgotten about the stupid politics and the crap I was dealing with before I dove into the dungeon.

"Boss, we will go with you!" Steven held up his sword and shouted with confidence. I chuckled and shook my head. "More than anything right now, I wish to have a nice hot bath and sink into a soft bed." I turned my gaze back to Lance and said: "So for now, tell His Majesty that I will report to him tomorrow with Adel. Let us have a day's rest first…." I then yawned as my eyes became heavy. My body began to teeter left and right. I could feel myself about to fall over, but I soon found myself in a warm embrace. I looked up to see Diablo standing behind me, holding my shoulders.

"Master. Rest well. I will follow Lady Adel to your home while carrying you." Diablo's voice was soft and soothing. I nodded weakly and let the voice of slumber consume me.

When I opened my eyes next, I found myself in a hot, warm bath. And to be honest, I was a bit confused as to how I ended up here. I only remember falling asleep in Diablo's arms, and now I woke up in a hot bath. "Master, are you awake?" I turned to see Grace standing there in a maid outfit with a towel in her hand.

"Did you bring me here?" I asked in confusion.

"Yes. I washed and scrubbed you from head to toe before placing you in the bath. You are now squeaky clean, Master!"𝐢n𝑛rℯ𝒶𝚍. 𝑐o𝘮

I could feel my face heating up. I mean, who wouldn't? The last time someone else washed me was when I was small, and my mother washed me. But when I looked at the nonchalant face that Grace had on, I began to wonder if I was just overthinking things. But I can say that this was my first time waking up in a bath, and it felt kinda nice.

After washing up and drying off, I was subjected to Grace's forceful dressing. I kinda feel like I have gone through this before. Ah! That's right, in my dream, Grace also dressed me. I guess I should probably get used to this kind of thing from now on since It does not seem like she will relent anytime soon.

After getting dressed, I walked to my room with Grace slowly following behind me. Once I entered my room, Grace also followed behind. She prepared a glass of water and shut the curtains. Once she was done, she turned to me and bowed respectfully as she said: "Have a good night, Master. Oh right! Before I forget. The Dean at the academy has asked you to go see him tomorrow after you speak with the King. It seems everyone has passed the test and will be attending the academy from now on, starting the day after tomorrow. But tomorrow, he just wants a detailed account of our dungeon experiences."

"Mmm… I will be sure to go. Have a good night, Grace, and thank you…." While I had just slept for who knows how long, I was still quite tired. Not as tired as I was before but close to it. I reflected back on everything that happened and knew I would need to go to the academy tomorrow top get some answers. 𝒊n𝓃𝗿e𝚊𝒅. Co𝚖

"It was my pleasure to be of assistance to Master." Grace replied back before turning on her heel and leaving the room..

It felt strange in a way. The dreams that I have been having are starting to come true. The lives of those around me were slowly starting to fall into place. I have never had such dreams before. And they all started when I went to the fortune teller with Sophie. I wonder if that was some kind of trigger for an inborn power that I did not know I had. Whatever the case, from this moment on, I will need to be more careful. If Sophie truly dies or gets seriously hurt because of my ignorance, then I will have to be sure to make sure that that never happens.

But I wonder…. Does this kingdom fall? Is that why I built a kingdom of my own? And were the two wars the same? If I recall correctly, they seemed to be slightly different… Whatever the case, maybe I will need to try to make the best of it all and avoid any bad endings.

When I woke up next, I was greeted by Grace doing the same things she did in my dream. "Grace, you know you do not need to do all of this…."

"Master speaks strange things. As your servant, I must see to my Master's daily life. Now Master, please get up so I can wash your face and dress you. We need to get going to see the King." Grace set a bowl of water next to the bed and then sat on the edge next to me with a cloth in her hand. Seeing her determined face, I wondered if I should really just get used to this already. I sighed and just let her do her thing.

After I was ready, I went downstairs to eat breakfast to see Sophie digging into the food on the table and a sulking Adel, who was pouting for some reason. "Good morning. I hope everyone slept well."

"Goof mofuing." Sophie tried to talk through her stuffed cheeks, causing me to chuckle. Adel, on the other hand, seemed to still be sulking. I walked over to her and poked her cheek.

"What is wrong?" I asked.

"Ask her!" Adel said with a pout as she pointed to Grace. I turned and looked at Grace with a questioning gaze.

"Master, she is just mad because I refused to let her take advantage of you while you slept in the bath." Grace answered honestly, making me turn my head towards Adel with a raised eyebrow.

Adel quickly averted her eyes as she replied: "I had no such intentions. I just wanted to watch your sleeping face."

"I see…. Well… Anyway!" I will just pretend nothing happened. "Let's eat. We need to head to the castle and then to the academy afterward."

"Fine…." Adel pursed her lips and began eating.

I chuckled and looked at Sophie, whose cheeks were still puffed out. "Sophie, slow down…."

"Cough! Gulp! Ahh! Faith, I do not know why but I am really hungry this morning." Sophie replied with a wry smile.

"Hmmm? Sophie, I am going to use appraisal on you, okay?" I was not going to just use it without saying anything so let her know first. But I had to use it now because I felt something was off.

"It's fine." Sophie replied with a nod. "Appraisal."

"Let's see…. Hmmm? What is this?" I was confused because Sophie seemed to have a curse placed on her that was not there before. "Curse of the Seven Sins. Gluttony…."

"Yeah, I have no idea how it came to be. I woke up like this." Sophie replied. Her smile turning into a frown. "Since I woke up, I can't help but want to eat everything I see.."

"Follow us today. We will ask the King and the Dean to see if we can figure something out." I have never heard of curses being used before. So I was unsure of what exactly they were or how to get rid of them. I looked at Adel, who seemed to know a lot, but she only shrugged, which means we can only look and ask those with more knowledge. "Wait, where is Sei? I don't see her."

"Master Sei has yet to wake up," Grace replied, causing me to be a bit worried. By the time I finished my breakfast, Sei still had not come down from her room. Feeling even more worried, I decided to go check on her.

When I arrived at her room, I heard nothing from inside. I knocked softly only to hear a grunt in return. Puzzled as to what was going on, I knocked once more. "Stop knocking. Let me sleep!"

"Sei, we need to head to the castle," I replied while opening the door. When I walked in, the room was still pitch black. Only the faint light of the sun that found its way around the edges of the curtain illuminated the room. I walked over to the large bed that was in total disarray to see Sei sprawled out in her nightgown. Her eyes closed, and her breathing steady.

"Sei?" I softly called out, only for Sei's brow to furrow as she turned over and ignored me. Thinking about what has happened to Sophie, I decided to check Sei's status as well. "Sei, I am going to use appraisal on you. Appraisal!" I used it without waiting for her to answer. And sure enough, Sei also had a curse similar to Sophie's..

[Curse Of The Seven Sins: Sloth]

I frowned, seeing the status effect. That was when a thought came to mind. "Diablo?"

"You called Master?" In a puff of black smoke, Diablo appeared next to me with his hand on his chest, bowing slightly.

"Have you ever heard of curses before? Ummm, the Curse of the Seven Sins?" I asked. As Diablo was a demon, who was long lived, I figured if I was going to ask anyone about it, it would be Diablo.

"Curse, hmmm? Curses are pretty tricky to deal with and need a dispel magic that is tuned to the type of curse that the person has. As this is the curse of the seven sins, it would be even harder to get rid of as it would need a lot of mana to remove…. Haha. I guess I shouldn't worry about such a thing with Master here. Master, I can teach you how to dispel it, but as the name suggests, the curse of the seven sins means there are seven types of sin. Sloth, Wrath, Pride, Greed, Envy. Gluttony, and lastly Lust." Diablo explained before asking: "Is Lady Sei the only one with this curse?"

"No, Sophie has the sin of gluttony. These two are nothing compared to some of the others." I pondered for a moment before turning to Grace. "Grace, go out and gather the others from our dungeon team here. Even if they were in the middle of explicit things, drag them here. Hopefully, I am not too late."

Grace quickly left to do as I said. I went downstairs and had Annie send a message to the King that I would be late due to an incident and that I would explain it to him later. Now I am currently listening to Diablo's lecture on curse dispelling magic. It was unlike a normal dispel. It had to be written to target that specific curse. This means I would need seven different magic circles for each type of the seven sins.

It also costs an absurd amount of mana to cast just a single spell. It was definitely not something that one could cast easily. One cast cost almost two thousand mana. After spending an hour learning the ins and outs of targeted dispel magic, Diablo and I came up with a magic circle for each sin and were now about to test it out. Sophie sat in front of us with a pastry in her hand and stuffed cheeks.

"Here I go. Dispel Gluttony." I called out the activation word. Sophie's body glowed with a golden light before black smoke began to rise off her body and turn into balls of golden light. Seconds later, Sophie suddenly hunched over and held her stomach. "I will be right back!"

With these words, Sophie ran off towards the bathroom. I quickly cast appraisal on her to see that she was no longer cursed. I let out a sigh of relief before standing up and stretching. "Seems like it worked. Thank you, Diablo."

"It was a pleasure to teach a genius like Master." Diablo responded, making me scratch my nose in embarrassment. I headed upstairs and cast the dispel for Sloth on Sei, who still refused to get out of bed even though she was no longer cursed. So I had Annie do what she normally did to wake Sei up.

"Ahhh! Annie, stop pouring water on me every morning!" Sei yelled out. She now looked like a drenched cat. I chuckled and gave Annie a thumbs up. Annie gave me a wide smile. It seemed she enjoyed dumping water on Sei.

A few hours later, Grace came back with everyone in tow. Although a few were hog tied and flopping around on the floor. And Amanda seemed to be kept quiet with Leo's finger in her mouth. I quickly checked her first to see if she was the one who got stuck with lust. And sadly for her, she was. I didn't waste any time removing her curse.

Steven ended up with Wrath. Hailey had Pride. Blake was Envy, and lastly, Rick had Greed. After removing each of their curses, they all had embarrassed faces. But just getting rid of the curses was not enough. We still needed to figure out what caused all of this. "Everyone should stay here for today. I will be back after going to the castle and the academy. Try to think of how you all ended up with these curses."

"Umm… Boss I think I speak for all of us when I say this but thank you for acting so quickly." Steven spoke up first while everyone who was cursed bowed to me.

"It's nothing, I just figured it had something to do with the dungeon. We still do not know alot about the dungeons or what can happen while in the dungeon. So we need to be more careful from now on. I will be back soon. Make yourselves at home."

This chapter is a preview, if you want to see a faster and more up-to-date chapter, please visit . for more content.𝒊𝒏nr𝐞𝘢𝐝. 𝒄𝒐𝗺

Currently, I was standing in front of the king, King Gravos. He had a complicated look on his face as he stared at me. "I understand what happened and that there is also a danger to this kingdom that we do not know how to deal with yet, but I am still stuck in a rough spot. You have killed the heirs of quite a few noble clans, some of which rank as high as marquess. Whether it was by accident or not, it was still you who had trapped them within the barrier."

"And?" I asked. I could care less about this now. While I do feel bad for what happened, things at the time were out of my control. "You want me to apologize to people who were targeting not only me but my friends? While it is unfortunate that they have died, circumstances also have to be taken into account. If you wish to imprison me, then fine, I will do my time as I am the cause of their deaths, but once I leave the dungeon, I will leave this kingdom altogether. "

"No! I won't allow it!" Adel yelled out as she suddenly ran and stood in front of me. "Father, I owe Faith my life. She saved the lives of many more nobles than those who had died. If you plan to imprison her, then I will denounce my status and join her in prison.".

I watched as King Gravos held his head and raised his other hand. "Stop! Who said I was going to imprison anyone!? Stop jumping to conclusions! While what happened is truly unfortunate, it was, in the end, an accident that could not be avoided. Not to mention Faith saved many more lives than what was lost. Sometimes the situation needs some sacrifices in order to be able to save many. While they may not have been in harm's way, it is also the incompetence of those around who could not break Faith's barrier.

"But the fact still lies with Faith being the one who killed them, which makes this situation tricky. I called you here not only to get a report about what had happened but also to ask if you have any ideas to handle the nobles." King Gravos explained slowly.

"I see. I do apologize I overreacted." I had indeed overreacted. I thought he was planning to punish me for what had happened. While I do think I deserve some form of punishment, if I was imprisoned for a certain amount of time, I would have left the kingdom. Well, more of I would have hidden somewhere and watched over everyone from afar.

"It's fine. I did not explain it clearly at first. So do you have any ideas?" King Gravos asked. i𝘯𝓷𝚛𝐞𝓪𝐝. 𝓬𝐨𝚖

"Since it is not good to just wipe them all out without them doing anything wrong, why don't we hold a trial? You can place me under house arrest with only the ability to visit the academy during the trial. We have plenty of witnesses that can stand by my side. This might also be able to find out who was behind the instigation of attacking me and those close to me." Luckily this meeting today was just between Adel, myself, and the king. The Prime Minister was not here, at least I think…

"Hmmm… You do make a good point. And if you are proven innocent, then things will look better on your behalf while making the nobles who wish to make a fuss lose some credibility. This means I can even lower some of the higher status houses down a notch. " I could see that King Gravos's brain was turning.

After a few moments, he began to speak again. "If we do this, you will be confined to your estate and the academy only. You will be escorted by knights to make sure you do not run off."

"That is fine. As you now know, I do have a few people I can send out to handle my business affairs for me." I was speaking mainly about Annie. She knew Thurul well and also understood what I was trying to do.

"Speaking about people… Grace Dollen seems to be acting as your servant now?" King Gravos asked while raising an eyebrow. I have not yet explained this part to him since I did keep some things from him.

"That is something I can not talk about as it has to do with Grace's personal matters. If her parents would like to speak to me, please have them come to my house. But more importantly, Your Majesty, We need to talk about this man named Azengrade and the dungeons. Along with the person who okayed a bunch of kids to enter the one we entered." I tried to change the subject. There were more important things than digging into Grace and my relations at this time.

"Hmmm… The man you say is more powerful than anyone you have ever met?" At King Gravos's question, I nodded my head. "He is someone who seems to be able to alter dungeons. This was why we were locked in. He even said so himself."

"I am not sure about this Azengrade since I have never heard of him or a race with the markings you described. I will have my own people look into it. As for the person who reported to the academy that the dungeon was a safe enough for young kids to train, they seem to have disappeared. Myself and also the Dean have sent people to investigate. The Dean will speak about this matter when you meet him later on. Also…. I must tell you that the dungeon, even after you destroyed its core, has seemed to heal itself and has turned into a goblin dungeon again.

"Of course, we now have signs posted warning those who wish to enter that they should not be females. It gives a pretty graphic description of goblins outside of the entrance, so hopefully, it will stop unfortunate incidents from happening again. I have also decided to use it as a means to train the kingdom knights as it is the second closest dungeon to the capital." Hmmm, so destroying the core did not destroy the dungeon.

After thinking for a moment, I reached into my inventory and pulled out a shard from the dungeon core. "Your Majesty, can you have someone look into this shard for me? It is a shard of the core I destroyed."

"A shard from the dungeon core? Sure I can have people look into it." King Gravos replied while nodding his head. I was actually thankful for this help. While I did plan to give some to Thurul to see if he could craft it into something. Giving some to the kingdom would allow them to test it and see if it could be of any use in the future.

"Now then, Your Majesty, since the main topics have been discussed, may I approach you?" I asked. I now wished to give him a system stone. While I know he will not be able to level up due to his status, he could at least use the accumulated status points to extend his life and raise his health.

"Haha! I hate this stiff stuff!" King Gravos let out a loud laugh. Adel, on the other hand, looked back and forth between them. She seemed very confused.

"Adel, everything that was said earlier was for the ears that were listening in," I explained lightly as I went to walk over to King Gravos.

"What!? So earlier when you said all those things….." Adel cried out, unsure of what to make of the situation..

"If I was really imprisoned. I would have left the kingdom on the surface. But I would have just hidden myself to keep those I care about safe.." I replied with a smile as I turned to look at her.

"Adel, what Faith said is right. If she were to stick around after being imprisoned, it would have caused more of a mess. Her choice in saying all that and her thoughts are actually quite smart. While you might not get to talk with her much, she could still visit you ever so often." King Gravos added, but Adel began to sulk.

"No!" Adel suddenly shouted. "Even if it is all a ruse, I do not agree! Faith did nothing wrong. Those people were horrible and beat up Grace when she stood up for Sophie and Sei. Their actions were not right! Plus, it's not like Faith wanted them to die. She beat them up and locked them in the barrier because we all believed that we would be done soon."

"Adel…." King Gravos let out a sigh. He could see the tears welling up in his daughter's eyes.

I walked over and hugged her. "Adel, I know you care about me. You are my best friend and the first friend I have ever made outside my family. But you also have to put personal feelings aside for the kingdom with your status as a princess. You have people who rely on you. Plus, it was not like I was going to disappear, and I don't plan to either. What was said was said because of those who were listening in on our conversation." And I think it was a certain Prime Minister who was trying to listen in as well.

"But…." Adel looked up at me with teary eyes. I swear, with how pretty she is, it was a crime for her to look at me like that.

"No buts. Let's not talk about this anymore. For now, you need to be a witness in case your father turns into a monster after he takes the blue pill." I said jokingly. But I heard a dry cough from behind me. I turned to see the King looking at me with a suspicious gaze. I smiled and stuck my tongue out at him. With a faint nod from Adel, I walked over to King Gravos and presented him with a system stone.

"Your Majesty, this here is called a system stone. Adel and everyone else in my team who dived deep into the dungeon were able to gain a system. Systems allow people to level up and use their status points to raise their strength. While I know you will not be able to level up like others, I figure it would still be useful for you to have a system stone to gain the extra stats." I explained.

"A system…." King Gravos looked at the rock in my hand, then at Adel, who nodded her head before taking it. Just like the others, a menu popped up in front of him. "Oh! This…. Do I just hit the yes button?"

"Yes," I answered with a smile and nod.

I watched as he hit the yes button. As he did, his body glowed with a golden light that enveloped his body. "Oh ho! Now, this is quite interesting. Is this my current status?" 𝓲n𝗻𝗿𝙚𝘢𝘥.＆nbsp;𝓬𝚘𝒎

"Yes. Let's see…. You have 630 status points. As Your Majesty will not be able to go out and level much. May I suggest that you split your points between Vitality and Mind? Vitality will raise your health while Mind will increase your mana pool and lifespan." I wanted Adel's father to live as long as possible. He was a good man and loved his kingdom.

"Mm… This is a good idea. I will do that." King Gavos replied with a nod.

"Also." I sent out a team request to him.

"This is?" King Gravos cried out in surprise when a new menu popped up.

"This is a team request. I am not sure if it will work or not, but I do plan to level up more than I already am. If you are in my team, you may gain experience. But I am not sure about this yet. I would need to kill a monster to test it." I was unsure if this would work at all, but if it does, then that means King Gravos can level up possibly by being teamed with me. I can only hope that it will work.

"Hmmm… we can have a monster brought to the training grounds in an hour. We will test it then." King Gravos was quick to come up with a way of testing things. But then again, I was unsure if normal monsters would even work for dungeons systems.

"I am not sure if a monster outside the dungeon will work, but we can test it. If anything, I can just head back to the dungeon and kill a few goblins since you said it reset." We needed to test it either way so going to the first room to kill a goblin was not out of the question.

"Mm… We will do that before we announce your house arrest." King Gravos readily agreed.

With that settled, I finally presented him with another stone.

King Gravos looked at my hand with great interest. I couldn't help but want to tease him when I saw his expression. I quickly retracted my hand and held it to my chest as I said: "Your Majesty, I know I have beautiful hands, but if you look at me like that…. I am still so young…."

"What!? Father, are you hitting on my Faith!?" Adel suddenly screamed at the top of her lungs.

"Huh!? What!? What is going on!?" King Gravos was flustered. His cheeks turned red. I couldn't hold it anymore as I burst out laughing. "You! You naughty girl! Are you trying to get me killed!?"

"Hahaha! I am sorry, I just couldn't…. Hahaha!" I was laughing so hard I was even snorting, which caused everyone else to laugh along with me..

Wiping away the tears I just spilled, I finally presented the ability stone to King Gravos. This time Adel was standing at my side, hugging my arm while glaring at her father. I guess Adel will never change. As time goes on, she will probably grow out of this as she interacts with more and more people. But for now, I guess it is fine to indulge her once and a while as long as it does not cross the line too much.

The more I think about my last dream where I was alone in such a huge mansion with only a few servants going about their daily tasks, I wonder if I will truly lead such a lonely life. But I guess I should really not worry so much about such things as my life has only just started. I am still young, and I can only wait to see what the future holds. But still…. As my dreams seem to be coming true, I can't help but worry just a little.

"This is called an ability or skill stone. It will give you an ability outside the normal magic we use. It's kind of hard to explain, so it is best to just use it and find out for yourself." I said as I placed the stone in King Gravos's hand. Another menu popped up in front of him, and he quickly pressed the yes button. "Hmm? Aegis Return?"

My ears perked up. "Oh? What does it say?" I asked.

"Hmm, it says that it is a passive skill. It will activate anytime a hostile action is taken against me and reflect the damage back at the attacker." King Gravos explained. I couldn't help but purse my lips. That was better than my mana shield! "There doesn't seem to be a mana cost either…."

"Well, it seems Your Majesty will live a long, long life. But we should test it." I said with a bright smile. I wanted to see the magic circle as it forms!

"Test it? How are you goin…..! Ahhh! Faith, are you trying to rebel!?" King Gravos yelled out as he quickly dodged my fireball.

"Tch!" I clicked my tongue and shot a few more at him. Adel, who was next to me, was dying from laughter. She was actually rolling around on the ground, holding her stomach. But sure enough, one of the attacks really did hit King Gravos, and a magic circle with a sci fi looking barrier suddenly appeared instantly. I imprinted the magic circle into my mind. It was very complex, but I know I can recreate it. The fireball that came flying back at me, which I waved off with a water ball, canceling it out.

It was just that. I was currently being glared at by a certain king whose clothes were now in disarray. "Faith, do you know what you did is a crime against the crown?"

"No, I was testing your new defensive passive. I was helping the crown. Would you rather wait for an assassin to come to kill you and at that time only hope your passive will work? With myself or Adel here, we can at least rewind your damage from a simple fireball. So please do not put this and that into the same category. Also, tell your shadow guards to stop glaring at me." I could feel their eyes on me, but they did not dare make a move. They couldn't. After all, I have the best backing in the entire kingdom! My little and wonderfully amazing Bell! 𝒊𝐧𝑛r𝑒𝗮𝐝. 𝐜𝑜𝑚

King Gravos stood there staring at me in disbelief. What did he expect from a magic freak!? When a new spell was right in front of my eyes, I had to see it! Anyway…. "Aegis!"

A blue shield appeared around me that looked just like the one that formed around King Gravos seconds ago. "Oh? Quite a bit of mana needed to maintain such a barrier."

"Hah, Fireball!" King Gravos suddenly yelled out.

"Wait, don't!" Ah, it was already too late. I was unable to react in time, and his spell hit the barrier.

"Ahhh!" King Gravos yelled out once more. This time he was patting his robes which caught on fire. He turned and looked at me with an aggrieved expression. The King, who normally had an oppressive air about him, now looked like a vagabond. But I must say this was kind of a childish move on his part. Was he trying to get revenge against me?

"I copied the spell exactly so it, of course, would have the reflection portion of the runic equation as well…." I explained. Adel was currently hugging my leg dry heaving from laughing so hard. I really did not know what to make of this situation.

"You could have said something earlier!" King Gravos said while pouting as he sat back in his seat.

"You didn't even give me time! You just cast the fireball before I even had a chance to realize what was going on!" It was true. I was still studying my new spell when he suddenly cast a fireball at me. How was I supposed to react in time?

"Ahem… Anyway, do you have any more topics you wish to talk about?" King Gravos asked.

"I do, but may I stick a barrier up beforehand? Although the person who was listening in is now gone, I still wish to ask you about a few things. That should not be heard by others." I wanted to talk to him about the Prime Minister. The things that happened before diving deep into the dungeon were not something that could easily be instigated without pressure from the outside.

"You can." King Gravos replied while waving his hand. Five people in black suddenly appeared in a puff of smoke. "All of you wait outside."

"But your Majesty…." One of the shadow guards seemed reluctant to let him be alone with me and Adel..

"Are you not going to listen to my order? Adel is also here, so why are you worried about such nonsense? Faith is like my daughter as well. While she is naughty, she would never truly hurt me. Plus, if she wanted to, she could easily take over this kingdom. You all are underestimating this little girl." King Gravos's words made me purse my lips. I did have a lot of power, but to be honest, at this moment and time, I do not have any wish to rule some country. I just want to be me and do what I had planned from the start.

Politics are not my cup of tea, nor do I wish to get involved in what goes on in politics as well. While I know I am currently being dragged into it, I still do not wish for any of it either. But Adel, Lance, and even the silly King in front of me have become important people in my life. Not to mention this kingdom that has so many good people in it. I can not and will not allow this place to disappear.

"I understand, Your Majesty…." I could swear the shadow guard glared at me from under his mask. I do not understand why he is so hostile toward me. It makes me wonder. Is he truly loyal to the king?

Once the shadow guards left, I put up a three layered isolation barrier. It would even block detection from entering the room. "There…." I said while letting out a sigh.

"Was it wise?" King Gravos asked while looking at me. Adel was currently rewinding his clothes, so they were back to normal now.

"The information we gave should keep them busy for a while. The system stones and ability stones are not easy to come by. After all, they didn't drop until after the second boss, as for the plans with the trail. It works out better for us if they do cause more of a ruckus. I actually hope they do because it will only shine more light on the nobles who are not on the royal family's side. I hate to say it. But, this kingdom has become split between two factions." It was easy to see. It seemed that two sides were forming, and the more time that passed, the more the sides would split and eventually…

"A civil war will come if things continue as they are. I understand this." King Gravos said as if reading my mind. "My problem is that if I make a move against any of them, it will cause a stir, and it might set things in motion before we can even do anything about it. The people of the kingdom are innocent and should not be pulled into a war within the government. I have been working on trying to stop all of this, but it is not an easy task. It was thanks to you that I investigated deeper into things, and I now know the Prime Minister is the head of this faction. And because of your help, some of his plans have been ruined. But it is hard to keep track of his movements… He has his own guards that follow him everywhere, so my people can not get close to him."

"I may have a solution to this." After thinking for a moment. I couldn't help but wonder if many Diablo would have some kind of low level demons who could hide in the shadows to keep watch over him.

"Oh? Let's hear it. Anything that can give me solid evidence will allow me to finally make a move." King Gravos was looking at me like I was some kind of ray of hope for him. But sadly, it was all up to if Diablo was able to do what I was thinking.

"Diablo," I called out, and not even a second later, a puff of black smoke appeared behind me. A great pressure also fell over the hall. "Release your pressure. There are no enemies here."

"Yes, Master." The pressure suddenly lifted. I looked up at King Gravos, who was staring at Diablo with a hint of fear in his eyes.

"This is Diablo. He is a summoned demon and also someone who has made a vow to follow me. Diablo, this is the King Gravos of the Gravos Kingdom. Someone who has taken very good care of me as if I was his own daughter." I introduced the two.

Diablo smiled and bowed toward King Gravos. "It is a pleasure to meet the human king of the homeland of my master. I am glad to hear you treat her kindly." Oi! Diablo, did you just sneak in some kind of threat in there? Or am I just reading between the lines a little too much?

"It's a pleasure. A summoned demon, huh?" King Gravos's expression was a tad tense. I think he was still nervous.

"Yes, it was one of the skills I got from the dungeon. Anyway, to get on topic as to why I called you here, Diablo. Do you have the ability to send some kind of demon that is able to hide in the shadows to watch and report back what they see and hear about a certain individual?" I looked up at him with expectant eyes. I could only hope that he would.

"I can send a few shadow demons to watch over him. Can you give me an image of the person and his current location?" Diablo asked as he waved his hand. Three summon circles formed and from them, three shadowy figures suddenly appeared. 𝗶n𝐧𝘳ea𝙙. 𝘤𝑜𝚖

I used detection magic and illusion magic to give Diablo the details he needed. He then relayed that information to the shadow demons, who then disappeared into the shadows. "They are now hiding in his shadow," Diablo announced.

"Thank you, Diablo. Sorry for calling you out of the blue like this." I felt kind of bad. I hope one day I do not end up calling him while he is in the middle of a bath. While it might be good for eye candy, I am sure Diablo will not like it.

"It is my pleasure to be of assistance to Master. If there is nothing else, I will take my leave. I still have many things to finish at the estate. I am currently setting up new defenses to go with Master's current defense system." I smiled at Diablo and nodded. He then bowed and disappeared.

"That man…." King Gravos finally spoke after being silent all this time..

"He is a very powerful demon. And don't worry, he is bound to me by two different contracts. He will not hurt those I deem friendly." I answered without needing for him to fully ask his question.

"I see…" King Gravos tapped his chin before giving me a deep look. "Faith, do you want to take my position? I could really use a vacation. I am sure with all your abilities, not a single person would dare try anything funny."

I held my head. It was not just me, even Adel held her head. However, she didn't seem to mind her father trying to abdicate the throne to me. "Your Majesty, I just want to study magic and become a knight….."

"I see… That is too bad…. If you ever decide you want the throne, please let me know. I will be happy…."

"Stop!" I yelled out, interrupting him. "Your role as king is very safe for many more generations to come. So please do a good job."

"Tch!" Why did he click his tongue!? Shouldn't he be happy that I have no willingness to be the ruler of this kingdom!?

"Father, stop teasing Faith," Adel spoke up, causing King Gravos to shrug his shoulders as if what he had said never happened.

"Anyway. If we can get solid evidence that the Prime Minister is up to something, we can now use it against him to quell any kind of rebellion. And if there is still a rebellion. I will stand on the front lines to protect this kingdom because people like the Prime Minister should not rule. This kingdom would end up no different than the others, and people like me will be ousted or enslaved due to being a demi human." I did not want this to happen. While I was pretty sure no one could enslave me at this point, this did not mean I would want other demi humans to suffer.

"With you around, I can sleep soundly at night, knowing the kingdom will not fall. Faith before you arrived and showed just how powerful you truly are, this kingdom would have turned into a mess. I fear that even my son and Adel would have died during that assassination attempt. You have become this kingdom's guardian. I thank you for everything." King Gravos bowed his head to me.

"Please don't bow to me, you are the king, and I do the things I do because I want to. Adel and Lance are my friends. I will protect them no matter what. This kingdom has done a lot for me, so I will also make sure it does not fall. But do not treat me like some kind of guardian. I just want to be me. A young girl who is almost thirteen who still has a lot of years ahead of her." I do not want to be seen as some guardian. I just want to live my current life the way I want.

"Mmm… This sounds just like you." King Gravos nodded his head in approval. "I will work on the things we talked about. I think you should head to the academy and speak with the Dean."

"Then I will take my leave. Your Majesty, please do take care, especially around that one shadow guard just now." I wanted to give him a fair warning. That shadow guard's actions earlier seemed out of place.

"I know." King Gravos answered while waving me off. I turned and got rid of the barrier before leaving the throne room with Adel at my side. Whether or not the times to come will stay as peaceful as they have been or if war will break out, I can only hope that whatever happens in the end, that those I care about stay safe.

"Faith…." Adel's voice came from my side. Her eyes seemed to be filled with a tinge of worry. I turned and looked at her. "Hmmm? What's wrong, Adel?"

"Faith, if something happens to my father and my brother…. Can you take the throne?" Adel kept her voice low so no one could hear her but me, but her question caused me to look at her in surprise. I do not understand why she would ask me to take the throne when she was also an heir to the throne.

"Wouldn't the person to be taking the throne be you if that did happen? Although I do not think a single person can harm your father now. That skill he got was perfect." I replied after composing myself.

"But…. Just as a big if. If something does happen like that, would you please? I do not think I am really able to rule…." Adel lowered her head. But I see now, she is unsure of herself. She is unsure how good of a ruler she could actually be, which I can understand. She is still young. She has not really learned much about the ways of a ruler and I was really no different from her.

I guess she doesn't realize that she herself has what it takes to be a good ruler. She is compassionate and dedicated. She just needs to learn the ins and outs of everything else.𝒾𝙣𝚗𝐫𝑒аd. ᴄom

"Adel, if things really did turn out badly. And you were the only one able to inherit the throne. I will stand by your side and assist you in any way possible. You can then slowly learn the kind of ruler you wish to be and do the things you need to do to get the kingdom back on track." I said softly. Adel lowered her head and then hugged my arm. She seemed to be very emotional right now. I guess all this talk about civil war was getting to her.

"No…" After a few minutes, I heard Adel softly speak. "If things do go in a bad way and we somehow do push back the enemy. I want you to take my place. You can do this job much better than me."

Hearing Adel's words, I could only sigh. For now, I will just take it as her being over emotional. But I will also not give her a proper answer either. To be honest, I really hate all this political stuff. I hate it so much I just want to blow up all the nobles I think are taking part in this conspiracy, including the Prime Minister. I want to just clean house now instead of dealing with all the troubles. But I guess this also makes me more of a tyrant than anything..

Ruling with an iron fist is not a good thing. Especially if you suppress the people, but at the same time, ruling in a too lenient manner will also cause problems too. You need to find a mix of the two that will give citizens the freedom to do as they please but at the same time keep law and order strict so no one tries to stir up trouble.

I am not sure if there is any way such a thing is possible. Even back on Earth, no matter the country you lived in, there were always problems. People were never happy, and greed ran rampant. This world was no different. It seems to be ingrained in all living beings, whether they are beast or man.

The two of us walked in silence. I am sure Adel had a lot to think over. But her question bothered me a lot as I remember back to my fortune telling and the dreams I have been having. I myself couldn't help but feel a tad worried.

I do not know what exactly the Prime Minister is up to. I can only hope that with Diablo's help, I will be able to get the information needed to make plans for the future to prevent anything serious from happening.

An hour later, I was standing outside the gates of the academy. Two guards were standing in front of me. Both were students of the academy, upperclassmen, I guess. "What is a demi human doing here? The Royal Magic Academy does not accept demi humans. Turn around now and leave."

"Since when does the academy not let in demi humans!? From what I understand, my father and the Dean have long said that as long as they are qualified to enter, they can enter. Do you really wish to go against the royal family and the Dean? Faith is one hundred percent a student of this academy. If you want to stop her from entering, then I will make sure you and your family lose all your status." Adel was very angry. But these young men did not seem to care for a single word she said.

"Princess Adel, you may be the princess of this kingdom, but our Royal Magic Academy does not let dirty demi's into it. We have been told that no demi humans are allowed to enter at any time by our head instructor." One of the young men replied.

"Oh, so your instructor is now in a higher position than the Dean?" I asked in a mocking tone. I crossed my hands in front of my chest and tapped my foot off the ground as I continued. "You do know that I was called here by the Dean himself. I am sure you know that Faith Cyrilia is to be allowed in. And Adel is right, I am a member of this academy. I just finished my test the other day. But if you insist on not allowing me in, I do not mind showing you my qualifications."

I didn't wait for them to answer before my eyes lit up, and they found themselves stuffed in the ground up to their necks with only their heads above ground. I knelt down in front of them and gave them a sweet smile. "Who is the instructor that told you to block all demi's from entering?"

"You! Do you think you can get away with this!? Ouch!" One of the young men yelled out but ended up getting kicked in the face by Adel.

"She can get away with it. Even if she killed you now it would be no problem since I will say I did it. What can you do about it!? I mean, I am standing right here with her, and yet you want to go against the royal family. Since that is the case, you and your families will have to suffer the consequences," Adel sneered as she turned to me with a smile and asked: "Do you have any more of those pastries with the fillings in them?"

I looked at her a bit confused, but with that smile that did not seem to reach her eyes, I understood that whatever she was about to do, it was not going to be good for them. I took out a few pastries and watched as Adel squeezed out the filling on her hands before kneeling down and smearing it all over their two young men's faces. Once they were both coated well, she stood back up and held her handouts to me. I chuckled and used water magic to clean them. "Thank you!" i𝐧𝓃𝒓𝒆𝑎𝙙. 𝘤𝘰𝚖

Adel spun around and looked back at the two young men and, with a bright smile, said: "Enjoy having your face covered with red pepper ants. This area is filled with them, and they like to lay their eggs in human flesh. It is a strange thing if you ask me because they never do it to demi humans, only humans, and they really like sugar. That filling has a lot of sugar in it which makes your faces the perfect breeding ground."

Ah… Adel is a devil. It has been confirmed. Even I am not that evil! But I like it! Adel really knew how to dish out punishment.

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