Intriguing, Seductive and Pragmatic
Sahara Isis Wolberg was born into the Wolberg family, a prominent lineage of Elf mages renowned for their exceptional mastery of telekinesis. Their power was so great that they were the only rivals capable of challenging the Dawnflare, the reigning royal family. So formidable were the Wolbergs that the Dawnflares began to fear them, convinced that the Wolbergs coveted the throne.
This fear was not unfounded: Sahara's grandfather, Ali O'Wolberg, indeed harbored political ambitions. To strengthen his influence, he forged an alliance with the Isis, a human lineage gifted with mysterious sword arts known as the Moon Crescent Arts. From this union was born Sahara's mother, a half-Elf who never awakened her human heritage but inherited the Elven sensitivity to mana.
The Dawnflares, seeing this alliance as an unforgivable threat, acted with brutality. Under the pretense that the Wolbergs were conspiring with witches—considered treason to the entire nation—they had them all arrested and sentenced to be burned at the stake. Only Sahara, then just a few months old, survived. Fragile and deemed harmless due to her frail constitution, she was spared—a mistake the Dawnflares would bitterly regret in different timelines.
Taken in by the Elf King himself, Sahara grew up within the royal palace alongside Princess Elisabeth Dawnflare. Despite the weight of her name, she became the princess's closest friend… and was betrothed to the king's younger brother, a man fifteen years her senior. For Elves, who lived long lives, age mattered far less.
But fate struck once more. During a royal hunt, when Sahara was only fourteen, she was abducted before the eyes of her fiancé, who was murdered in the attack. The culprits? The Hyls Sisters, the most powerful and feared trio of witches, who revealed the truth about her past:
"You are a Wolberg, and your blood carries the power of the Isis. The Dawnflares, fearing your family could threaten their position, stole everything from you."
Under their ruthless tutelage, Sahara finally unlocked her Isis lineage, inheriting sharpened abilities and the
By seventeen, she was already a 6-Star Magical Swordswoman, merging martial arts and magic in a way befitting the greatest genius of sword and sorcery.
When Sahara reappeared, her first target was Prince Liam Dawnflare. But against all odds, her influence failed: the young prince was already hopelessly in love with another. Rather than persist, she retreated into the shadows.
After studying thousands of student files, she realized the best way to achieve her goal was to infiltrate the Academy. That's where her true game would begin.
For the Dawnflares still didn't know one thing:
The last of the Wolbergs would leave them no chance to survive, and she was far from as weak as she pretended to be.
...
"It's more of an alliance. On solid grounds." He lowered his voice further. "I'll help you avenge yourself against the Dawnflares... and you'll find me a lineage extractor."
Sahara stopped abruptly.
For the first time, she narrowed her eyes, her smile widening even more.
"...Interesting. But I don't need anyone for my vengeance."
"I know you're very powerful. Let me rephrase: I'll help you resurrect the Wolberg family."
Daemon didn't give her time to refuse and continued:
"Today, I stopped you from making a mistake. You should thank me."
"I'm still amazed... How did you know what I was planning?" She asked.
"That's not the question. I was rather disappointed."
"Disappointed?"
"I've been observing you for quite some time. And I was disappointed to see the hatred... An emotion clouding your pragmatism."
"It wasn't emotion. Just a preview of the humiliation they'll have to endure."
In that first-year duel, Sahara intended to unveil her full power and Isis lineage, then torment Elisabeth while preventing her from surrendering. She would have made her suffer so much that the professors would have intervened—that's what had happened in several timelines.
"And then, what would you have done? Faced all the Elves?"
"..."
"When Liam accused you of colluding with witches? This time, the Dawnflares wouldn't even be wrong."
"..." She remained silent.
"As you suspect, it would be impossible to gain the trust of other Elves if you humiliate their princess in front of the other races. Especially with their pride."
"So what? You're suggesting I keep playing the cripple to amuse the crowd?"
"Vengeance is a dish best served cold, my dear. What do you think would happen if a legitimate Dawnflare appeared?"
"The same tension as between Prince Leonard and his cousin Leo."
"Exactly."
"That's why you asked for a lineage extractor? Forget it: if you kill a Dawnflare, there's no way you'll survive. Their vital signs are constantly monitored by the royal guard."
"No need. The extractor is for something else."
Sahara narrowed her eyes. She thought of the Indivar family... then of her mother, whose identity and face no one knew.
"You mean that—"
Daemon smiled: "I told you I had a way to fix this problem."
'Of course, She thought my mother had Elf royal blood.'
She adjusted her monocle: and Daemon's words were correct. The monocle also had the ability to detect lies. He had a way to fix the problem even if her mother wasn't actually an Elf. It wasn't as if he cared, or would contradict her.
Daemon didn't contradict her. It was simpler than explaining he had a system capable of copying lineages.
Sahara remained silent, weighing the pros and cons.
"And what tells me you're not doing all this to seize the throne?"
"Because I don't care." Another truth.
"But what do you want, in the end? You have nothing to gain by meddling in Elf affairs."
"On the contrary: I have everything to gain. More notoriety, a lineage extractor, and your expertise in strategy. It just so happens I need to kill Scarlett Moonshade... and I don't yet have a plan to slit her throat."
Sahara smiled: "Well, well... Good to know."
"So, what do you say?"
"I still need to gauge your strength. Can we have a fight?"
Daemon flinched slightly but kept his smile. With this woman, one was never safe from a stab in the back.
"Why do I feel like you're assessing my danger level? We're not even allies, and you're already planning to stab me?" He deftly dodged the question.
"Fufufu... It seems you really know me, Lord Daemon. I did record the part where you talked about assassinating Scarlett Moonshade."
'Damn! Trying to gain her trust, I let my guard down.'
"Don't make that face, Lord Daemon. As long as you don't force me to reveal my identity... I won't disclose the recording. It'll be our little secret."
"It seems I've underestimated your danger, Sahara the Enchantress."
"Fufufu, you flatter me, young Lord."
"You seem to like that title... Can you really make any man fall in love with a single glance?"
"You seem to have a target in mind... And what would you offer me in return?"
"Information to complete the final move of the Moon Crescent Arts."
She looked surprised.
"I don't even know if I should believe what I see through my monocle."
"Now, let's go see our depressed prince: Lucas von Arcadia."