"Attack! Save the Empress!" Logan’s voice thundered across the palace grounds.
Almost everyone present responded immediately.
After all, Logan was the prime minister, and from their perspective, the evidence seemed obvious. The palace was damaged.
The Empress was acting strangely. A powerful human was standing in the middle of the scene.
The conclusion seemed self-evident. Within moments, chaos erupted. Spell circles appeared throughout the sky. Weapons glowed with energy.
Powerful techniques were activated one after another.
"I said stop!" Selena’s furious shout echoed across the battlefield. Yet not a single person listened.
Her expression darkened. As the ruler of the Elven Empire, having her direct orders ignored in front of everyone was infuriating.
She clenched her fists. The consequences for them were going to be severe.
Very severe.
Meanwhile, William remained leaning casually against a damaged wall with his arms crossed. He watched the approaching cultivators for several seconds.
Then he finally pushed himself away from the wall.
His posture straightened. The relaxed smile remained on his face.
Without displaying any hostility, he simply raised one hand and snapped his fingers.
The result was immediate as hundreds of charging cultivators froze in place.
The entire sky fell silent; every movement ceased.
Every cultivator remained suspended in the air exactly where it had been moments before.
Logan froze as well while his sword remained pointed forward. His mouth remained slightly open, and his eyes turned red as he tried to remove the strange, invisible bind on him.
His expression remained locked in the middle of a command.
No one could move or speak; in fact, they couldn’t even control their own breathing.
William’s overwhelming spell had seized control of the surrounding space and completely locked every target within his range.
With the immense mana supply from the aether core, maintaining the spell required almost no effort from him. The hundreds of immobilized elves simply hung motionless in the sky like statues.
William did not even bother looking at them afterward. Instead, he casually walked toward Selena.
The Empress stood frozen in place, staring at the spectacle with disbelief.
William stopped in front of her. Then he reached into his storage space.
A small box appeared in his hand. It was wrapped in elegant royal velvet, the sort commonly used for valuable gifts among noble women.
William smiled and offered it to her.
"Mother sends her regards."
Selena blinked. The sudden shift in topic nearly gave her whiplash.
William continued speaking.
"She said she will be visiting soon."
Still slightly disoriented, Selena accepted the box.
Before she could ask any questions, William’s smile widened slightly.
"And while I was here, I thought I might help you deal with a small problem."
His gaze slowly shifted toward the motionless figures hanging in the sky. A faint amusement appeared in his eyes.
"It seems there is a rather troublesome rat hiding in your home and spreading filth."
The moment those words left William’s mouth, the atmosphere around them changed noticeably.
Logan’s expression, which had already been tense due to being completely immobilized, became visibly paler. Even though he could not move, the fear that flashed through his eyes was impossible to hide.
However, Logan was not the only one affected by William’s statement.
Seraphine, who had absolutely no idea what was really happening, was scared. Kara, Leila, and Katherine also exchanged shocked glances.
Even the surrounding elves, who were just maids and servants, were shocked and scared.
William’s words carried implications that immediately raised countless questions.
Selena was no different. A distressed expression appeared on her face as she looked between William and Logan. She rubbed her forehead and let out a tired sigh.
"William, can you please tell me what the hell is happening here?"
At this point, she felt as though she had somehow woken up in the middle of a story where everyone except her already knew the plot.
William nodded calmly. Instead of answering immediately, he asked a question of his own.
"What is the last thing you remember before waking up?"
Selena frowned at this question as it seemed simple enough, yet the moment she tried to answer it, a strange feeling surfaced in her mind.
She placed a hand against her temple and closed her eyes.
For several moments, she carefully searched through her memories.
"I remember waking up this morning." Her voice was slow as she started retracing the events.
"I had breakfast with the girls. After that, I spent most of the day carrying out inspections throughout the empire before eventually returning to the capital."
She paused briefly while organizing her thoughts. The room remained silent as everyone listened.
"Then I attended the Imperial Court and dealt with the matters that required my attention." Her expression remained thoughtful.
"After the court ended, I returned to my study."
"A servant brought me some spirit tea. I remember drinking it, and after that, I suddenly felt very tired and sleepy."
Her brows slowly furrowed.
"The feeling was strange. It was much stronger than ordinary exhaustion."
William listened quietly without interrupting.
Selena continued.
"The last thing I clearly remember is someone informing me that Logan had arrived to meet me."
Her eyes narrowed.
"I gave permission for him to enter."
Then she stopped.
The words caught in her throat; she did not remember anything after that at all. A realization dawned in her mind, making Selena’s eyes widen.
William leaned forward slightly as his smile remained calm.
"And then...?"
Her entire posture stiffened. A flood of anger and frustration struck her. Her gaze immediately shifted toward Logan.
The expression on her face transformed completely. The confusion disappeared and was replaced by absolute certainty that she had been betrayed.
She gulped as her anger started leaking, making her body shiver; she could attack and kill Logan at any moment.
"So it was you," she said with a heavy tone. Her voice carried enough hostility to make several nearby elves visibly nervous.
Her voice carried enough hostility to make several nearby elves visibly nervous.
She crossed her arms tightly. A dangerous smile appeared on her face.
"They are all going to be roasted alive."
The words left her mouth in a deathly tone. Then she turned her head slightly to the side making it sound casual.
"Literally."