Emily swiftly reined in her surprised expression, aware that all her subordinates were watching her reaction.
"I’ll handle this matter. All of you, return to your posts," she said in a steady tone.
The Overlords nodded. They recognized Isaac and understood there was no immediate danger, so they withdrew without asking further questions.
Soon, they were already moving among the citizens, calming the small commotion that had begun forming near the wall, and in the City.
"I’ll open a mirror dimension," Isaac said.
The air distorted like a ripple spreading across still water.
A thin reflective layer formed around them, and Isaac reached out, pulling himself, Alice, and Emily into the mirrored space.
The moment they crossed the boundary, the noise of the city vanished, leaving only quiet wind and the open plains beyond the walls.
Emily’s composed expression immediately softened. The moment they were no longer being observed, her eyes brightened and a warm smile appeared on her face.
She flew down toward the top of the border wall, landing lightly as she leaned forward to properly look at Alice, who was sitting just outside the walls in her new form.
"Congratulations on completing the Trial. And what is this?" Emily asked, her curiosity clear despite her calm tone.
[Thank you. As for this, it’s a skill I gained after my Physique upgrade and the bloodline boost from consuming the potion made from the Mana Heart of Crimson Sky Wyrm.]
Alice’s voice remained calm, but her body betrayed her excitement. Her tail swished continuously behind her, and her front claws tapped lightly against the ground as if she couldn’t stay still. The faint glow in her eyes made it even more obvious that she was eager to show what she could do.
"You look beautiful in that form," Emily replied, her smile widening slightly.
Alice nodded, then cleared her throat as if trying to act composed.
[Can you take out your Crimson Sky Wyrm? I want to try fighting it and see how much I’ve improved.]
Emily’s smile stiffened almost instantly. The Crimson Sky Wyrm was far too strong for a casual sparring partner.
Even though Alice had clearly grown stronger, the difference in size and raw power still made it dangerous.
She instinctively turned toward Isaac, hoping he would dissuade Alice.
However, Isaac’s expression was strange. He didn’t look worried.
Instead, he looked resigned, as if he had already known this would happen.
"...?"
Emily frowned slightly, confused by his reaction.
Isaac sighed and jumped down from Alice’s head, landing beside Emily on the wall.
"Just do it. She learned quite a few things in the Trial, and she also created her own combat style. It should allow her to have somewhat of a proper fight with Crimson Sky Wyrm."
"Uh... huh?" she replied, not really understanding what he meant.
Isaac shook his head. Explaining everything would take too long, and he knew that seeing it firsthand would be far more convincing.
"Do we need to go to the Ashfang Tribe for your beasts, or do you have them with you?"
"I have them in my Soul Space. The space is still small, but I can store Crim in it," Emily answered, still slightly confused.
"Crim?" Isaac repeated.
"Crimson Sky Wyrm. I gave it a name," she said, her smile returning.
Isaac nodded.
Emily raised her hand, and the space around her distorted.
A massive presence appeared overhead as the Crimson Sky Wyrm materialized in the sky above them.
Its enormous wings spread wide, casting a shadow over the plains, and its red scales glowed faintly as heat shimmered around its body.
Even in Alice’s new form, the difference in size was obvious. The Crimson Sky Wyrm still dwarfed her completely.
Crim flinched for a brief moment upon seeing Alice. Her black dragon-like appearance startled him, but after sensing her aura, he realized she was still an Infant Dragon.
His hesitation vanished, and confidence returned.
He huffed, red flames flickering in his mouth as he flapped his wings proudly and looked down at Alice.
Alice’s eyes shone with excitement. Her tail lifted slightly as she leaned forward, clearly eager to begin.
Both of them flapped their wings at nearly the same time, and they shot into the sky with explosive speed.
The air cracked behind them as their acceleration displaced the wind.
Isaac watched quietly.
Seeing their speed, he couldn’t help re-confirm how dangerous his Lord Trial had been. If the Crimson Sky Wyrm hadn’t been dragged down back then, it could have easily destroyed his city.
The battle began almost immediately. Crim attacked first, sweeping his massive tail across the air in a wide arc.
The strike carried tremendous force, enough to shatter several buildings, but Alice vanished before it could connect.
She reappeared above him, her ’smaller’ body moving far faster than expected.
She dove straight down.
Her body became a black blur as she slammed into his neck. The impact exploded with force, and both of them were thrown apart as scales and blood scattered through the air.
Crim roared in pain.
Before he could stabilize himself, Alice’s injuries were already healing. Soft white light spread across her body as the torn scales and cracked flesh regenerated rapidly.
She charged again without hesitation.
This time she rammed into his chest, tearing through his scales while her own body suffered heavy damage.
The collision forced both of them backward, but Alice twisted midair and accelerated again, repeating the same reckless method.
Emily’s eyes widened as she watched.
"She’s... fighting like that?"
Alice didn’t slow down. She kept using her speed, repeatedly ramming into Crim, trading injuries without hesitation.
Emily turned toward Isaac, her expression tense.
"Why is she fighting like that? Stop her."
"I’ve tried stopping her a thousand times already," Isaac replied with a tired sigh. "Trust me, she didn’t listen. When I got serious, she doubled down and refused to talk to me for a week. She said she wouldn’t speak again unless I stopped trying to change her combat style."
Emily looked back at the battle, still uneasy.
Logically, the method made sense. Alice’s Miracle of Grace skill allowed her to heal large amounts of damage, which meant she could afford to exchange damage. Still, watching her deliberately injure herself was worrying.
"Don’t worry too much. She was guided by quite a few masters in the Trial. Instead of just rushing recklessly, she’s using violence to gain an upper hand," Isaac explained.
"Upper hand?" Emily asked.
"It creates psychological pressure. Seeing your opponent get torn apart, ignore the pain, heal instantly, and attack again will shake anyone. It forces them to hesitate, and that hesitation becomes an opening," Isaac said. "And that’s not the only thing she learned."
As if on cue, mana began gathering around Alice’s claw in enormous quantities. The surrounding air trembled under the pressure.
Crim stiffened as he recognized the energy.
He tried to fly away, but Alice swung her claw.
The space in front of her split apart. A crescent slash cut through the air, slicing into Crim’s wings. Blood sprayed outward as he lost balance and began falling.
Emily’s eyes widened.
"That’s... that’s—"
"That’s the same Sword Art technique the Sword Empress used to cut Crimson Sky Wyrm’s wing. Alice was guided by her in the Trial, and the technique was modified so she could use it with her claws," Isaac explained.
Crim’s wings regenerated quickly, but his movements became noticeably cautious.
He circled Alice instead of charging, watching her carefully.
The once arrogant catastrophe now looked wary.
Alice’s mana flared, as she reveled in the battle. She vanished again. This time she didn’t ram directly.
Instead, she moved around him at high speed, building momentum while constantly changing direction. Crim tried to track her, but her speed forced him to turn repeatedly.
Suddenly she appeared above him and slashed downward. Crim blocked with his claws, and the impact shook both of them.
Before he could counterattack, Alice twisted and bit into his shoulder. Crim roared and released a burst of crimson flames, engulfing both of them.
When the flames cleared, Alice’s body was charred and bleeding, but her wounds were already closing.
Crim hesitated, and that hesitation allowed Alice to slam into him again, pushing him downward. Both of them crashed into the plains below, cracking the earth.
Emily expression was tight.
"Isaac, I think we should stop her."
"As much as I hate that fighting style, she is winning. Look closely," Isaac replied.
Emily looked more closely and realized he was right. Alice targeted joints, wings, and vulnerable points, deliberately using her injuries to create openings.
Crim rose again, now cautious and alert, while Alice hovered in front of him, her eyes shining with excitement.
Alice kept attacking without slowing down, alternating smoothly between Dragon Flames, Sword Arts, and Saintess abilities.
Her fighting style no longer relied on a single strength.
She combined physical power, healing, buffs, and overwhelming attack Arts and skill in a way that made her extremely difficult to deal with.
Whenever Crim tried to overpower her with raw strength, she responded with speed and sword—now altered into claw—techniques.
When he attempted to pressure her with flames, she healed through the damage and countered immediately.
The constant switching made her unpredictable, and despite being smaller and technically weaker, she steadily pushed him back.
Emily watched in amazement.
Even though Crim still held the advantage in size and raw power, he was being forced into a defensive position more often than not.
Alice’s relentless pace didn’t allow him to fully utilize his strength, and every hesitation created another opening.
"What exactly happened in the Trial?" Emily finally asked, unable to hold back her curiosity.
Isaac began explaining everything, just like he had done earlier with Celia. He talked about the masters Alice met, the techniques she learned, the combat philosophy she developed, and the changes both of them went through during the Trial.
As he spoke, Emily listened quietly, nodding from time to time. Her eyes widened repeatedly as she heard about the intensity of the training and the things they had experienced.
When he finished, Isaac exhaled lightly before continuing, "That’s why Alice and I are much stronger now. Even though our levels are the same as before, I think we can defeat five to seven versions of ourselves from before the Trial. So don’t worry too much, okay?"
"Even if you say that, I can’t not worry about Alice—"
"I’m talking about your Lord Quest, not Alice," Isaac cut in gently.
Emily blinked, surprised by the sudden shift.
A small smile appeared on Isaac’s face. "A Lord’s Tutorial Quest’s difficulty depends on their potential. Your potential is frighteningly high because of your bloodline and the number of powerful beasts you can tame. Your quest will probably be as difficult as mine, if not more. Still, we’re much stronger now, and we’ll complete it together. So don’t worry."
"...You knew I was worried?" Emily asked quietly.
"Of course. I know everything about my Emily. I can feel her emotions—"
He stopped mid-sentence as Emily lowered her head. From his angle, he couldn’t see her expression anymore. Then she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him tightly.
Isaac smiled wryly, understanding what she was feeling. He gently patted her back, letting her hold him without saying anything else.
Emily had been scared. The possibility of a powerful catastrophe appearing during her Lord Quest had been weighing on her mind.
Her fear came from the Blood Lord, the catastrophe that had killed her parents.
The thought of facing something similar alone made her uneasy, even if she didn’t show it openly.
As they stood there, Isaac spoke softly, "You don’t need to worry about anything with me here. I promise I will always protect you."
Emily nodded against his shoulder, remaining silent.
At that moment, a screen appeared before Isaac’s eyes.
[Your Wife, Emily Warren’s Affection has reached 150!]
[You have received Random Gift Box x1]