"Please, can you just let me go?" Ryan choked out, his voice thick with bitterness and despair.

  Seeing Evelyn slowly open those eyes that seemed capable of piercing one's soul, he immediately lowered his head, staring intently at the floor.

  He didn't dare meet her gaze even for a moment, afraid that any hint of truth in his eyes would be detected.

  "Tell me everything you know, or I will let you experience the Ice Sculpture spell." Evelyn spoke in the most calm, neutral tone, yet her words were utterly chilling, her surrounding magic radiating a sharp, icy coldness.

  To anyone unaware, this might have been genuinely terrifying. But Ryan knew her too well, treating it instead as an interesting game.

  "I really don't know who I am, or where this place is," Ryan curled up on the bed, his voice trembling with sobs.

  "I only know that when I opened my eyes, I saw you. You said this is the Shadow Demon Palace, and instinctively I felt it was a place of evil."

  "Please, just let me go. I really don't know anything." His eyes were red, filled with fear and helplessness, a perfect portrayal of someone who wanted to escape but lacked the courage, completely surrendering to the situation.

  Evelyn's brow arched slightly, suspicion deepening in her eyes. So this boy had even forgotten his own name?

  "You don't even remember your own name, yet you recognized that as poison?" Evelyn pointed out the critical detail.

  But Ryan's acting was second nature to him. Deception was trivial, a routine matter.

  "I don't know why, I just felt in my subconscious that touching that thing would harm me." His tone was frantic, and his feet shifted slightly, as if he wanted to get off the bed and escape.

  But the moment he moved, he immediately sensed Evelyn's aura grow icy, her expression visibly darkening.

  Ryan quickly retracted his feet, trembling violently, as if all the courage he had just mustered had drained away.

  "From today onward, I am your Mentor." Evelyn paused briefly, then spoke slowly.

  "Mentor?" Ryan blinked, his eyes filled with confusion, as if he didn't understand the word. Then, a hint of fear crept in as he asked,

  "You're not planning to make me your servant?"

  "Why would I treat you as a servant?" Evelyn's brows knitted tightly, clearly displeased with his remark."Remember what you just ate."

  At this, Ryan seemed to instantly recall the pitch-black pill, clutching his chest as he gagged violently, his face pale as if he might vomit.

  The exaggerated expression made Evelyn instinctively frown, worried he might actually throw up on her bed.

  "Why did you bring me here?" Ryan's eyes were red, two clear tears sliding down his cheeks as he choked out the words. Every movement and expression screamed helplessness and grievance.

  【This acting is flawless. I didn't even teach you this technique, yet it's perfect. I need to record it and study it carefully; it might be useful later.】

  Grimoire's voice echoed in Ryan's mind, filled with astonishment.

  "Grimoire, shut it. Don't interrupt my performance," Ryan muttered irritably in his thoughts.

  【You don't appreciate good intentions.】 Grimoire snorted haughtily and fell silent.

  "You tell me," Evelyn said, her red lips parting slightly. With a flick of her wrist, the ultimate ice sword reappeared in her hand.

  She held the ultimate ice sword and stepped toward Ryan, each movement deliberate and controlled, the surrounding magic radiating a cold, murderous intent. She looked every bit the dark queen consumed by an overwhelming desire for control.

  The sword spirit of the ultimate ice sword cooperated at the perfect moment, its voice young yet brimming with hostility:

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  "Kill him now! This boy is clearly up to no good, he is dangerous! Do not believe his lies!"

  Ryan visibly flinched at the sudden voice of the sword spirit, his whole body trembling as he backed toward the corner. He hugged himself tightly, eyes wide with fear.

  "Don't come any closer!" he shouted, his voice sharp with terror.

  But Evelyn seemed not to hear him. She advanced steadily, ultimate ice sword in hand, each step measured and unyielding.

  The sword spirit sensed something was off, muttering in confusion:

  "Why does he seem like a different person? He wasn't this timid around Master before. Why is he acting so scared now?"

  Yet despite its confusion, the sword spirit's desire to eliminate Ryan had not lessened in the slightest. This boy always made it uneasy; leaving him alive was a risk.

  Evelyn slowly raised the ultimate ice sword, its blade lightly resting against Ryan's neck. The icy metal sent a shiver through him instantly. Her cold voice warned,

  "From today onward, you will obey me without question. If you disobey even in the slightest, I will let you experience having your throat slit."

  Ryan felt exasperated in his heart. I'm just pretending to have amnesia, why do you have to expose this pathological need for control?

  She had always been decisive and ruthless, never wasting words before taking action. So why now did she act like one of those obsessive dark mages, needing to dominate him completely before feeling satisfied?

  He had never noticed this side of Evelyn before.

  "I'll obey, I will obey completely…" Ryan stammered, raising his hands shakily, daring not to move at all.

  Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the ultimate ice sword at his neck. Its blade was razor sharp, and even the slightest forward motion could easily sever his carotid artery.

  "Kill him now, Master! If you can't bring yourself to do it, then let me! Release your magical binding on me!"

  The ultimate ice sword trembled in Evelyn's hand, the sword spirit's voice urgent. But it was firmly restrained by Evelyn's magic, unable to act; otherwise, it would have already struck forward and ended Ryan's life.

  "Within three months, show me your performance. If you satisfy me, come to me for an antidote," she said. Ignoring the sword spirit's frantic cries, she rotated her wrist and sheathed the ultimate ice sword.

  Then she turned gracefully, her movements light and fluid, her robes flowing like a goddess descending into the mortal world.

  Yet this goddess now carried a hint of psychological obsession, a controlling streak that seemed reserved solely for Ryan.

  Ryan seemed to resign himself completely, his voice weak and dispirited. He did not even have the strength to raise his arms, the light in his eyes fading entirely. I might have gone a bit too far.

  Evelyn looked at him, seeing his desolate, lost expression. A flicker of hesitation passed through her, but she quickly reaffirmed her judgment. He truly seemed to have lost his memory.

  From the moment Ryan awoke until now, his expressions, movements, and every subtle emotion in his eyes were completely different from before.

  The confusion and fear in him were genuine, not an act. It was as if he had completely erased every memory of his past.

  "Do you know what my name is?"

  After a long pause, Ryan's emotions seemed to stabilize slightly. He lifted his head and looked at Evelyn sitting in the chair, asking.

  "Ryan," Evelyn said directly, stating his name.

  "Ryan?" Ryan's expression froze for a moment, his eyes full of confusion, as if hearing the name for the first time.

  "Then where exactly is this place?" Ryan bit his lower lip and couldn't help asking again.

  "Glacial Arcana Academy."

  "Not the Shadow Demon Palace?" Ryan suddenly frowned, his voice full of bewilderment.

  "That is not something you need to concern yourself with." Evelyn's beautiful eyes lifted slightly, her gaze resting on Ryan, carrying a faint but undeniable pressure.

  Instantly, Ryan shivered all over, the words he was about to speak died in his throat. He lowered his head shakily, not daring to ask another question.

  The whole night after that, Ryan just sat on the bed, his gaze fixed on Evelyn as she meditated, without closing his eyes even once.

  But that was nothing to him. Now that he was a Senior Mage, staying awake all night had no impact at all.

  In the morning, Evelyn slowly opened her eyes and immediately saw Ryan in a half-awake, half-asleep state, his gaze scattered as he looked at her, looking like he wanted to sleep but didn't dare.

  Has he even forgotten how to meditate at the most basic level? Evelyn couldn't help but feel puzzled.

  Previously, whether awake or asleep, Ryan could unconsciously circulate his magic to meditate, yet this time she could sense no magic flow at all from him.

  "Sleep if you want," Evelyn's voice suddenly rang out, breaking the silence in the room.

  Half-asleep, half-awake Ryan was startled by the sudden voice. He opened his eyes wide, his body trembling slightly, and his expression instantly filled with fear, as if afraid his actions might anger her.

  "I don't dare," Ryan said, his tone heavy with timidity.

  【Are you sure this act of pretending to be timid and amnesiac is working on her? Keep going like this, and don't end up actually making yourself look like an idiot.】

  Grimoire's voice sounded in Ryan's mind, tinged with teasing and doubt.

  Ryan retorted silently:"What choice do I have? Am I supposed to unleash the full power of a Senior Mage and go head-to-head with her? Without any preparation, I'd just end up being subdued."

  "Based on the past few days, she seems to feel something different toward me. And with the amnesia act, I've successfully avoided questions about the missing items in the storage ring. Isn't that killing two birds with one stone?"

  【Are you really only seeing her as a task, as someone to be dealt with or conquered?】

  Grimoire's tone suddenly became serious, losing its usual teasing edge.

  【You've spent so much time with her, really, have you never felt even a tiny bit of genuine affection for her?】

  The voice carried a subtle, almost indescribable emotion, sounding more like a real person seriously discussing the matter with Ryan.