Somewhere in Mavros Territory, there was a dark and gloomy cave.
However, rather than a cave, it was more like a wilderness nest originally built by monsters, located somewhere between mountain ranges that had been carved out by breaking through a cliffside. Its interior resembled a massive wasp nest, with chambers neatly arranged within the cliff, connected only by a single stone pathway.
What made it impressive was its scale, as anyone unfamiliar with it might have mistaken it for the secret base of some underground organization.
In fact, that was exactly what it had become.
Inside, instead of monsters or wild beasts roaming about, it was filled with people—some clad in black robes, standing guard or waiting on standby, while others lay unconscious, imprisoned in various chambers.
One glance was enough to tell that this was a place unfit for the light of day.
In this secluded base, a young man wearing a mask that covered only the upper half of his face, leaving the lower half exposed, strolled down a stone pathway.
"Hm~ Hm~ Hm~"
Humming a tune, the young man swayed his head from side to side as he walked, his carefree attitude practically inviting someone to punch him.
Still humming, he tapped his fingers to the beat, casually making his way toward the deepest part of the base.
Eventually, he stepped into a chamber where someone was waiting for him.
"You’re way too slow, Giga."
It was an enticing voice—sultry and teasing.
Such a voice belonged to a mature woman with a curvaceous and beautiful figure, exuding an air of irresistible allure, with a charm that hadn’t faded despite her years.
She wore an eye-catching red dress, and a flame-patterned mask covered only half of her face. However, the mask did nothing to conceal her beauty—if anything, it seemed unnecessary, as though it existed purely for decoration.
"Well, well, isn’t this Sister Fire Princess?"
Giga raised an eyebrow beneath his mask, a playful smirk forming on his lips.
"It’s you this time, huh? I thought Sister Ice Maiden would be the one showing up."
At his words, Fire Princess turned to face him, her lips curving into an almost amused smile.
"Hmm, are you disappointed it’s not Ice Maiden?" Fire Princess raised a hand to cover the corner of her mouth. "She was supposed to come, but the moment she heard you were in charge here, she refused to show up no matter what."
"My, that really breaks my heart~"
Giga clutched his chest in an exaggerated motion and let out a dramatic sigh.
"All I did was confess my love to her three times a day using a communication magic crystal, write her love letters three times a day, confess once every time we met, and when we didn’t meet, I’d make sure to secretly say her name and confess ten more times. Is that really enough to make her hate me? Isn’t she a bit too much?"
"Fufu, I think you’re the one being way too much here." Fire Princess covered her mouth as she giggled. "If you went all out like that, no wonder she doesn’t want to see you. She undoubtedly hates people who won’t stop pestering her."
"Well, she’s called Ice Maiden, after all. I mean, she’s gotta be getting pursued by guys all the time, right?" Giga grinned. "But it’s fine. True love will always win, so I believe she’ll fall for me someday."
"You?" Fire Princess smirked, giving him a teasing look. "Come back and talk when you become a Sword Saint. If not, that girl won’t even spare you a glance."
"Man, that’s a high bar..." Giga let out a dramatic sigh, though his tone remained as carefree as ever. "But I’m almost there. Just a little longer, and I’ll be set."
"Oh?" Fire Princess suddenly wiped the smile off her face and gave Giga a sharp once-over. "You’ve taken that step forward?"
"Not yet, but I’m close." Giga shrugged like it didn’t matter.
"Hmm... that’s seriously impressive." Fire Princess praised. "If I remember right, you’re younger than Albert Borley, the guy they call the best swordsman just below Sword Saint, right? And yet, you’re about to surpass him? If you revealed your strength, that claim would be yours in an instant."
"Nah, not really interested in that." Giga shrugged again. "Besides, there’s nothing to brag about. My beloved Ice Maiden is a year younger than me, and she took that step three years ago—it’s insane. No wonder the boss calls her the greatest genius in modern magic civilization, the kind that only appears once in several thousand years. Becoming a Sword Saint at twenty-two? Unheard of."
"I used to think the same thing..." Fire Princess murmured, her eyes glinting. "Until an even more insane kid showed up."
Upon hearing this, Giga instantly fell silent.
He knew exactly who Fire Princess was talking about.
"A super genius who became a Sword Saint at just seventeen, the youngest in history—Riezel Brynhart."
Fire Princess looked straight at Giga as she spoke these words.
"By the way, the leader said that in your last report, you mentioned the Lightning Sword Saint. Not only did you say he arrived in Mavros Territory, but there’s also a high chance he will meddle with our plans?"
At Fire Princess’s inquiry, Giga let out a big sigh.
"It’s not just a high chance—he already meddled." Giga said with a helpless tone. "I thought if he was gonna meddle, it wouldn’t happen this quickly, but who knew he’d directly bump into one of my business partners and get involved at lightning speed? It’s really mind-blowing."
When talking about this, Giga felt frustrated.
He had become cautious once he noticed that Riezel had entered Mavros Territory, suspecting that if Riezel found out about his presence and what he was doing there, Riezel might directly intervene and go against him.
Honestly, what could he do?
As soon as Riezel showed up in Mavros Territory, he immediately started playing the hero, constantly helping refugees.
If someone like Riezel knew that refugees were being used, how could he not get involved?
For this reason, Giga grew extra cautious, even reporting this to the leader, Heavenly Hunt, and asking for guidance.
However, while he was busy with all that, not only had Riezel already encountered the young master of the Hadyth family, but that young master had also set his sights on the little princess beside Riezel, which made things speed up far faster than expected.
At that time, Giga, because of Nibald’s arrival, had been consulting with his partner in the Mavros family about the situation, planning how to deal with this grandmaster in the magic world who was investigating the disappearance incident.
Giga didn’t even realize that Felix, in an effort to get Lizbeth, had employed his own magic dolls to intervene.
By the time Giga realized what was happening, it was too late.
Riezel had already been aware of the magic dolls’ existence, and they had inevitably become enemies, making things spiral toward the worst outcome.
"So, you just went ahead and teamed up with Count Hadyth to make a plan to assassinate Riezel Brynhart? What’s more, not only did you use the holy relics you worked so hard to create, but you even called in the Holy Beast?"
Fire Princess seemed to have figured out some of the details and was clearly unhappy with Giga’s series of actions.
"You were too hasty. Why didn’t you wait for me to come and decide?"
"Now, Riezel Brynhart and Raven Mavros have returned safely, and they’re cleaning up Mavros Territory without hesitation."
"In other words, making magic dolls in this territory isn’t a good idea anymore. You’ll have to relocate your base of operations."
Hearing Fire Princess go on and on, Giga felt a flash of irritation in his eyes, but he didn’t argue.
He knew he had to move his base, or else the Lightning Sword Saint and the Guardian Sword Saint would probably find him.
If that happened, things would get really messy.
"Tch, this feeling’s kinda awful..." Giga scratched his head in frustration. "If I’ve already taken that step, why should I be scared of two Sword Saints?"
"Even if you take that step, so what? Trying to take on two Sword Saints is just a pipe dream." Fire Princess shot back without holding back. "And those two aren’t just any Sword Saints."
One had been a Sword Saint for ten years, possessed two great ancient mystical treasures, ranked among the top three in all of Jinas, and was seen as a thorn in Reiburg’s eyes.
As for the other, though young and new, wasn’t just a Sword Saint—he was also a genius Tactical-Class Magician.
Facing opponents like that, even as a Sword Saint, would be tough to win.
"Unless you manage to tame that treasure, you might still have a shot."
Fire Princess’s words made Giga raise his hands in surrender.
"Hahh... that thing’s a real hassle... I still haven’t figured out its details, and making it useful in combat—yeah, I can’t deal with that anytime soon."
When he said this, Giga looked like he wanted to run away from it.
Based on his behavior, one could imagine that the treasure he was talking about was certainly not something easily used.
"Do what you want."
Fire Princess didn’t press the issue.
"I’m mainly here to tell you that the leader has decided to abandon Mavros Territory. From now on, find another place to gather materials for your magic dolls."
"Also, stop provoking Riezel Brynhart. You should know he’s no simple character. Not only did he easily escape from the Holy Beast, but it seems like he even managed to injure it afterward."
"Now, the leader has sent Tyrant and Bashe to investigate the Holy Beast. We should know soon what he did then."
"Before that, whether it’s your magic dolls or my Heretic Assassin, neither should come into contact with Riezel Brynhart."
"Got it?"
Fire Princess’s serious warning made Giga nod reluctantly.
Before long, only a few so-called ’magic doll materials’ remained, while the others had disappeared, their whereabouts unknown.