“Tell me,” Alfred said, as Wilhelm silently inspected a small vial containing a golden, glowing liquid. “You seem like the type who wants to die for something. Will you die for the princess?”

  “No. She’s just a brat,” Wilhelm bluntly and coldly said. “She’ll probably end up dead in a ditch one day if she doesn't fix that arrogance of hers.”

  Alfred’s eyes narrowed.

  “What about the saintess? That Phoebe girl?”

  “No. She’s just a naive girl. Useful, but otherwise, she’s just a slave to fate.”

  “...Then would you die for the Empire?”

  “The Empire is a temporary arrangement. Why die for something as silly as that?”

  “What about your men?”

  “They chose to believe in the version of myself who fights to defend mankind. You should ask them instead if they’d die for me.”

  “Then I knew it. You’re a traitor. No, you’re worse than that, you have no allegiance to anything or anybody.”

  Alfred crossed his arms, as Wilhelm went for his seat, checking his notes about the upcoming ritual. He’d been quite particular about everything. Nothing could go wrong, not when he somehow managed to secure the most favorable conditions for his plans.

  “You see, I believe that I’ll be a sore loser should I lose to those demons," Wilhelm admitted as he silently read the paper at hand. “I can’t have that. I’ve never lost a battle in my life. Not since I killed my first demon. Not since the last of our family was brutally murdered while the rest abandoned us…”

  “Heh. So you’re a slave of the past and your ego. And you laugh at me for serving the princess and the Empire. You’re no better than any of us.”

  “I never claimed that I am. As I’ve said, I don’t like to lose. I may win all battles in my life, but I’m not chosen by fate to win a war. That horrifies me. What is the meaning of battles won if the war is lost in the end? It means all of my achievements and the men I sacrificed would be in vain, because I lost.”

  Wilhelm felt his hand trembling a bit, as he accidentally heightened the sensitivity of his ‘Azure Eyes’ skill. That hurt, a bit. But he managed to control it. Looking down at his hand, he continued.

  “I vowed to my mother’s and sister’s corpses that I’ll win,” Wilhelm said. “I want to win. Nothing more, nothing less. I have to win. Even if mankind is rotten, even if all of you are deplorable people who deserve to burn, none of it concerns me. I want to win, because I told them all that I’ll win. I told Erwin I’ll win. I told my men I’ll win. I told the last of the Eisen family that I’ll win.”

  Then, Wilhelm laughed a bit, as he looked up at Alfred.

  “I’ll win brother. I always win. If I lose, then I’m not me, and my name is not Eisen. You may even call me Damon instead to piss on my grave.”

  “You’re right. That’s all you will be. A ‘winner’. And if not, you’re nobody,” Alfred laughed. “You’ll do everything and sacrifice everyone including yourself for that. How deplorable. Do you want me to give you a medal for that?”

  “No…” Wilhelm smiled as he looked at the vial on his table. “None of that matters. What matters is that mankind wins—therefore, I win. Whatever comes after that doesn't concern me.”

  Like the princess, ultimately, I also just want to satisfy my ego. She may be shallow, but I just mask mine better.

  He laughed at himself. Maybe this was why he loved to laugh at everything if he wasn’t indifferent to it.

  It felt good.

  “...I’ll protect the princess till my last breath,” Alfred declared. “If your plans endanger her, I won’t hesitate to remove your head. I’ll watch over this ritual till it’s concluded and she’s safe and sound.”

  “I don’t oppose that. That’s the job you assigned to yourself. I do my job, and you do yours, capiche?”

  +++

  Alexa looked up at one of the towering ‘shieldguards’ in front of her. They wore thick, white steel armor that covered their whole body. Their heads and faces too were fully hidden by a visored steel helmet. The only thing she could actually see clearly was their glowing red eyes under those visors.

  What was more imposing however was the heavy, rectangular shield they held. There was a purple crystal on it, alongside glyph inscriptions that glowed slightly in front of their shields. She’d seen Imperial Army soldiers and Royal Guard knights before, but this was something else.

  The shield of mankind…

  Wilhelm explained to her earlier that these specific men in the Fuchs Brigade who were assigned to his shieldguard formations were veterans who had been on the battlefield longer than him. Some had been fighting for thirty, forty, and even fifty years.

  Their bodies had the most advanced forms of withering, so they hid it fully under their armor. Even their eyes had already turned red, indicating advanced demonic corruption, so that by now in exchange for their humanity and health, their strength and magic were heightened.

  Controlling them was difficult, but they were powerful. Unfortunately, these men had chosen the battlefield and had been very unlucky to survive its horrors for so long that they would have nothing to return to.

  They had no future. A shieldguard wasn’t just an occupation for your average Defense Forces trooper.

  They chose to become a living symbol of mankind’s shield itself—the valiant defenders who would hold the line until their last breath.

  “I’ve never seen royalty before,” one of the shieldguards grunted with his deep, sickly voice, as he looked at the fearful Alexa. Then he turned to Wilhelm. “Sir, if this is what the mission is about—”

  “The mission is about your platoon scouting the dungeon, Lieutenant,” Wilhelm bluntly replied, his hands curled behind his waist. “Refer to those maps. I expect your team to finish the scouting operation within a few hours. Is that clear?”

  The shieldguard didn’t hesitate. He saluted Wilhelm, fully.

  Then they were gone, leaving Wilhelm and a few of his men, alongside Alexa, Adele, Alfred, and surprisingly, Phoebe at the entrance of the dungeon. Wilhelm looked down at his pocket watch, before sighing and stowing it away in his coat’s internal pocket.

  “Alright,” Wilhelm started. “Here’s the deal. The mission of the day is simple. We’re going to go in and get the princess’s magic set up nicely, then we’re out. I presume all of you have some basic combat abilities, no? The dungeon is hazardous.”

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  His question remained unanswered for most, except for Alfred, who almost regarded it as an insult. Of course, Alfred didn't bother answering such a question.

  “I-I can do some light magic, sir,” Phoebe stammered. “I have three magic circles, so I can heal anyone if they get injured!”

  “And what about you?” Wilhelm turned to Adele. “How useful are you?”

  Adele calmly placed her hand on her chest, with the grace befitting that of a proper noblewoman even in the face of such insolence.

  “I have two circles set to water affinity, and two circles set to fire. I may not be as capable at defending Her Highness as Sir Albert does, but I am confident that I will be of great help,” she stared smugly at William.

  On the other hand, he was unfazed. Barely interested even. The way he acted today really started to worry Alexa.

  Is he really anticipating a demonic attack? Oh god…if it’s like that…

  “And you,” Wilhelm finally turned to Alexa. “Are you ready for this? Are you prepared to push yourself until you attain what you dreamed of?”

  Alexa gulped. He was holding the elixir. That vial, she didn't know of the cost just to attain it, but considering that not even the original Alexa Theresa managed to acquire it…

  To waste it was unacceptable.

  “Of course!” Alexa declared. “I’ll do my best. I won’t disappoint any of you. That, and thanks. To all of you! Without any of you, I would have never reached this.”

  Alexa teared up a bit, both excitement, fear, and gratefulness starting to get to her. Wilhelm’s dead eyes looked away, straight at the entrance.

  “Save the tears for later, once you finally finish it. I’m counting on you, alright. Make sure you’re a worthy investment.”

  +++

  They were now deep inside the Great Dungeon. In one of the dark rooms, the one that Wilhelm called ‘the finest mana condenser near the Imperial Capital’, they began conducting the ritual.

  There wasn’t much to be done. All that Wilhelm and Alfred did was to activate the glyph magic surrounding a ball that glowed with golden light at the center. They called it a ‘mana condenser’, and indeed, as it activated, Alexa felt the air around them feel thicker.

  Everyone around her stood and watched calmly. Phoebe held a white staff, eerily similar to the ones used by clerics and priests. Wilhelm looked down at his pocket watch, watching it with dead silence. Adele held a fancy wand as she stared at Alexa with an encouraging smile.

  Lastly, Alfred seemed to be suspiciously eyeing Wilhelm, his hand hovering close to the hilt of his sword.

  They’re all acting so weird…

  Gingerly, she drank the contents of the vial, the cool liquid rushing down her throat. When she was done, she wiped her lips, as she stared at the glowing mana condenser with a determined expression.

  So that’s what it does…

  She looked at the mana condenser with a more confident smile. Then she stepped forward.

  Here I go then.

  As she stepped inside the runic circle, she felt the air turning heavier again. She also felt her mind turning hazy.

  Then, she felt a tight knot forming inside her chest.

  Each step forward became harder and harder. Around her, glowing golden magic surrounded her. Her sense of wonder at it all was mostly negated by the sheer pain she felt in her body.

  Her previous confidence started to be replaced by growing anxiety.

  Oh no. Am I dying? Did his elixir fail—?

  But then, she remembered Wilhelm’s words: ‘Don’t hesitate, ever,’ he said.

  Right. He’s right. This is no time to hesitate. This is your time to prove to them that you're worthy of your titles, Alexa.

  After all, this was what she wanted. To change this timeline. To avoid death. How would she do all of that if she didn’t change and improve herself?

  No, she wouldn’t collapse here. She continued onward. The tightness in her heart continued to constrict. It was as if a ring of some sort was threatening to crush it.

  Blood. Blood began to pour out of her mouth.

  “Wait!” Alfred’s voice reached her ears. “That damned elixir, I knew it wouldn’t work without the third herb—”

  “Shut your trap for once, Alfred,” Wilhelm coldly said. “Let your precious princess stand up on her feet for once.”

  Alexa teared up. Was she going to fail and die?

  “I can’t,” she started to sob. “Please call it off.”

  What are you even saying, Alexa? Call it off? Are you insane?

  She was now talking to herself.

  You worked for this. They all worked for this. You have no right anymore to waste it all!

  She took the final step, and she almost felt like a sickening crunch would have crushed her heart then and there, but her hand touched the mana condenser. A burst of magic flowed out of it, and Alexa closed her eyes.

  When she was done…

  All of the pain was gone.

  Alexa already made her pick earlier. Of course, it was simple. She needed the most basic one. Fire. It was the most versatile and usable affinity out there. From combat to daily living, fire was useful. It was the bedrock of human civilization even.

  She shouted her desire clearly from the bottom of her heart.

  I choose fire!

  Finally, she collapsed on her knees, as the magical lights around her gave way. She did it. She truly did it.

  She had an internal magic circle now. She…

  Was a mage.

  Tears streamed down her cheeks.

  “...Heh, heh, hehe,” She suddenly looked up at the ceiling. “I finally did it! Did you peasants dare doubt me? See, I’m no slouch at this thing at all—!”

  As she shouted those words, for a second, her pink eyes glowed and flickered. A white crown made of light also briefly appeared above her head.

  But then it was gone again.

  “I see,” Wilhelm suddenly muttered, a small victorious smile appearing on his lips before it disappeared. Then, he closed his pocket watch as he raised his voice. “Everyone, we have to leave at once. The path ahead should be fully cleared. We have ten minutes. That’s all.”

  Alexa’s eyes widened. Everyone except Wilhelm seemed to be looking at Alexa with shock, as if they had heard something strange.

  “What? Why?”

  “You know why, ‘Lady Alexa’,” Wilhelm said. “I advise you all to flee from the academy until reinforcements arrive. I’ll just have a little rematch with someone to set the rest of the scene.”

  Wilhelm then walked to the doorway of the ritual room as the walls around them began to rumble. With a smile that truly embodied that of the laughing fox, he turned to them.

  “In any case, welcome to hell, people of the rear.”