Become their wicked yet gentle lord.

It's alright, I still have the [Witch's Corruption] skill. Last time I defeated Hetia who was temporarily strengthened, so I should be able to put up a fight against the archmage this time.

Although there was no K18 potion this time, Ryuka's improvement over the past half month was still significant.

Faced with the approaching blizzard, Hetia was somewhat nervous, but after all, she had caused the trouble and had to take responsibility. To be honest, she had thought that Ryūka would leave her to stay behind and atone for her sins.

The black-haired boy beside her looked exhausted, but showed no fear. He was unusually calm, his silence before the battle terrifying. At this moment, Hetia couldn't help but ask the questions that were swirling in her mind.

Aren't you afraid?

"I'm afraid, but that's something for when I think back on it in the quiet of the night, not now. From the moment I chose to embark on this path with Kania, I was prepared to accept all the unexpected and difficulties."

"If you abandon the others, you can escape on your own. Even if you save the talent to build the territory, there's no need to take up a horse for those two slave girls and that corpse. Why? Are you a very good person?"

Hetia asked somewhat resentfully, seemingly unwilling to admit in her heart that Ryukyu's actions were out of good intentions.

She had always felt that this heretical boy who had turned her into a slave and threatened and humiliated her in various ways was no good, but the two battles during the day and at dusk today had made Ryuka's behavior a source of doubt in her mind.

“Having doubts or interest in men could be the beginning of your downfall.” Ryuga didn’t answer Hetia’s question directly, but instead teased her provocatively, seemingly trying to ease the tension and unease in the process.

"You're not a man! You're just a boy! A little devil! A pervert!"

Hetia blushed as she retorted, but was surprised to find that her soul did not feel any sting.

"I've relaxed my slave mark for now. I don't want you to be distracted in the battle and cause me to die from a mistake."

Ryusha's answer surprised Hetia, but the boy's mocking expression immediately made her angry.

“I know what you want to ask, ‘Aren’t you afraid I’ll stab you in the back?’ right? You and Melanie seem to be even more irreconcilable enemies, and she’s the Third Prince’s woman. Unless you’re really an idiot, you should be able to tell what’s important.”

"Moreover, it's just 'relaxation,' not cancellation, so don't get any bad ideas."

"You'd better not have canceled!" Hetia threatened, feeling a sense of dread that she'd been seen through and completely manipulated. But she knew Ryūka was right; they had to work together to defeat Melanie.

It would be better to be tortured to death by Ryūka than to fall into the hands of that bitch Melanie.

As a blizzard approached, the two adjusted their breathing and fighting spirit, but Hetia couldn't help but ask, "You haven't answered my question from before."

"How annoying." Ryuka sighed, but still answered.

"You said before that a qualified knight must always maintain his armor and weapons, otherwise they will betray you on the battlefield one day, right?"

"A ruler becomes a ruler because he has people who are willing to follow him: warriors, scholars, craftsmen, farmers... They provide everything that the territory needs to function."

“Even the serfs you look down on, without them growing food, nothing can exist. Slaves are just a division among you nobles. In my eyes, Evelyn is no different from you.”

"Therefore, the people who are willing to follow you are your sword and your armor. If you don't take good care of them, they will one day turn against you. If I want to continue on the path I have chosen, I must never forget this."

"If I don't protect those two serf girls today, how will I have the face to eat the grain grown by others in the future, right?"

Ryuka laughed, a wicked laugh, seemingly using a flippant tone to mask her inner seriousness, and at that moment, [Witch Invasion] was activated.

Intense desire and wicked thoughts seeped into the depths of her soul once again. Ryuka grabbed Hetia by the collar and forced her down to her knees. Then he grabbed her fiery red ponytail and pulled it down, forcing her to look up at him.

Although Hetia was in pain and the slave mark had loosened to the point where she could resist, she understood that this was how Ryūsha drew power, and she endured the pain with her beautiful face contorted in agony.

Without the constraints of the slave mark, the beautiful and powerful female knight remained kneeling before him, enduring the pain without resistance. This sadistic pleasure quickly transformed into magic within Ryuka's body, strengthening herself.

The air grew cold, snow began to dance, stars replaced the setting sun, and the standing boy was about to kiss the kneeling female knight's soft lips, to recklessly obtain the power that came from venting his desires.

The boy's hot breath drew closer, stimulating Hetia's skin in the cold air. Her lips and eyelashes trembled as humiliation, fear, and excitement rose within her.

However, the boy stopped at her unconsciously upturned lips, looking at the surprised and ashamed female knight with a mocking gaze.

“You… um…” Hetia’s jaw was pried open, and two fingers were roughly inserted into her mouth, playing with her soft tongue and cheeks, stirring the mucous membranes and saliva.

"I've changed my mind. It's too unlucky to have my first kiss with a filthy sow like you. Who cares if she loves me or not? I'll go back and kiss that little bitch Kania to my heart's content."

Ryusha played with Hetia until she gagged before pulling out her finger and smearing the liquid on it all over her delicate face.

"Cough cough cough!" Hetia coughed, tears streaming down her face as she felt both physically uncomfortable and psychologically humiliated. Her chest heaved violently with each breath, her beautiful yet broken appearance resembling a ravaged rose.

Ryuka reached her hand inside the Hetia armor from the side, wantonly kneading the proud softness encased beneath the armor, and scratching the increasingly hard tip with her fingernails.

"Of course, the punishment tonight will be more severe. After all, you caused this trouble, so be prepared to face the consequences tonight."

Hetia watched as the boy gently kissed her forehead before releasing her, drawing her longsword, and walking towards the oncoming blizzard...

Some things, some passions, can only be understood and felt when facing death. Under the influence of the "Witch's Influence," the boy smiled and decided that after it was over, he would love, fight, and live without reservation until death took him away from this world.

Testimonials

Thank you to editor Qiuye and the platform for this opportunity, and thank you to all the readers who have read this far.

It will be available for purchase after midnight. This is my first time signing a contract and also my first time going on sale. My feelings went from anticipation to nervousness, and finally to calmness.

From the anxiety of fluctuating single-digit collection numbers to the sleepless nights watching the readership figures, half a month has passed since that passionate Sunday when I started writing this book. My mindset has finally stabilized at 'finishing this book properly', and I'm working on weaving the story of 'him and them' according to the outline.

(Of course, please be kind if you think it's poorly written, otherwise the author's anxiety and depression levels will explode, *crying* *laughing*)

I will maintain a minimum of 4 updates per day, and I will add more if I am in a good mood (is this a self-contradictory mentality?). Of course, I will also add more if the readers are enthusiastic (enthusiastic readers naturally make me feel good). And after the book is published, there will be a lot of updates.

Also, I feel that the plot and pacing of chapters 12-16 in Volume 2 are not well written, and I apologize for that. Because most of my time and energy have been taken up by learning AI graphics recently, I haven't accumulated many drafts, which I feel is putting the cart before the horse (lol).

I recently started learning how to use stable-diffusn for local deployment to create character designs and illustrations for my novel. However, due to my computer's low configuration and AMD graphics card, I'm severely limited and there's a lot I don't understand, so my learning progress is very slow.

If there are any experts knowledgeable in this area, please feel free to share your insights.

Below are some illustrations I created while battling with AI over the past two days. They still have many flaws. Since I'm not familiar with LoRa and ControlNet, I can't guarantee that the character designs will be the same every time (especially the clothes). Please forgive me.

Other character illustrations will be created gradually; the author's goal is to add more illustrations to his novels.

Finally, of course, I'd like to ask for your first subscription tomorrow. Thank you so much.

May 27, 2025, 6:00 AM. From your lovingly crafted bad cake.

Use the Flame Spear on her in Chapter 21

"They're really brave, daring to stay behind and cover the retreat. Have they had enough of living?"

Surrounded by ice crystals, Melanie looked down at Ryusha, who stood in her way. On the distant horizon, only the dust raised by the cavalry remained.

There was something off about this boy; he had a strange, confident smile on his face, completely different from his previous icy calmness.

Behind him, Hetia, her face flushed, got up, wiped the sweat from her face—or perhaps tears—and raised her longsword.

"Aren't you afraid of your skirt being seen up so high? Or do you have an exhibitionist fetish?"

Ryusha responded to Melanie's arrogant development with an offensive taunt.

"Boring, go to hell."

Melanie remained unmoved by this level of provocation, waving her staff with a chant that unleashed a torrential downpour of ice crystals.

However, in her icy blue pupils, Ryuka vanished from the spot in an instant.

what?

A violent impact struck from the side, causing cracks to appear in the ice shield surrounding Melanie, and the cracks gradually spread.

This kid! When did this happen?!

Ryuka leaped high into the air and slashed at the ice shield with her sword. A cruel smile was reflected in the ice crystals.

The witch's [Charm] is really useful in battle. Although Ryuka can only create a momentary illusion on a single target each time, combined with her speed, she can instantly strike the enemy's face.

“I don’t dislike tall women, but I prefer looking down at them, so… go down!”

The ice shield was instantly shattered by the battle aura released by Ryusha, and the next second, Melanie saw the dark muzzle of the magic gun.

Boom!!! The full-power fire attack came head-on, slamming Melanie hard into the ground, while Ryuka also fell backward due to the recoil.

*Snap!* Before Melanie's icy high heels even touched the ground, the soft soil froze into ice, making a crisp sound against the stiletto heels.

The Frost Witch ripped off her half-burnt hat, and most of her mage robe was also burned away by the flames, revealing her rounded shoulders, beautiful collarbones, and the thin straps of her underwear.

"Is there still a layer of frost covering the skin?" Liu Xia rolled to the ground and quickly filled the next magic crystal.

Hiss—the flames on the edge of her clothes were extinguished by the frost, emitting a sharp, shrill sound. Melanie withdrew her contemptuous gaze, slammed her staff heavily on the ground, and began the next round of chanting.

"Don't think about it!"

A crimson figure appeared behind Melanie, and Hetia's longsword, wrapped in a scarlet storm, swung down fiercely, striking the staff Melanie was raising.

"Don't treat me like an ordinary fragile mage. My military combat skills score is still unbroken!"

Magic amplification: Although a mage's physical strength cannot compare to that of a knight who practices aura, there are special spells that can be used to transform into a body coating, thereby unleashing terrifying physical strength.

While such magic is generally very difficult, it was clearly not the case for Melanie. Her staff flew like a spear, forcefully knocking Hetia back, creating a beautiful spear flower around her, sending ice crystals flying.

The ability to master both magic and martial arts is something only a select few geniuses can achieve, which is why mages have a higher potential than knights and priests.

Before her breakthrough, Melanie was slightly weaker than Hetia, but now, even in close combat, Hetia can no longer gain the upper hand.

Melanie turned around, and the ice crystals she had just raised rained down on Ryusha as he charged forward, covering a full 180-degree fan shape to counter his unpredictable movements.

"You two are tough to deal with. No wonder you're rivals."

Ryuka shattered the ice crystals quickly, but she was still hit by several bullets. However, the more pain she felt, the more the [Witch's Corruption] would transform into pleasure, and then increase her power.

One is a genius knight with special fighting spirit, and the other is a genius mage who trains hard in physical skills as well. The two sides are on opposing sides, and both are very beautiful.

It would be strange if they didn't become mortal enemies.

The three fought fiercely, exchanging blows as the earth was covered in frost and cracks. In the end, all that remained of their battle was a contest of wills.

"Ha! Ha! What's wrong with this kid? He's completely different from before. Did he use one of those mysterious potions developed by the thirteenth princess? What a reckless idiot!"

Melanie's chest heaved violently, her breath turning into white mist, and beads of sweat appeared on her cold, dry skin, giving her fair complexion a blush.

Ryūka and Hetia's power was also nearly exhausted, but Ryūka's cruel will drove him to fight even more frantically, not to mention how alluring Melanie looked at that moment. (The rest of the text appears to be gibberish and unrelated to the preceding sentences.)

Unlike Kania's youthful softness and Hetia's energetic and healthy beauty, Melanie's slender and tall figure resembles that of a top model, and her icy demeanor turning into panting only fuels the imagination.

Even during battle, she couldn't control her wandering thoughts. The [Witch's Corruption] technique has both advantages and disadvantages. No wonder the witches and heretics in history are all madwomen; their mental states are too beautiful...

As Ryuka thought this, she sensed that the [Witch's Erosion] skill was about to expire, and decided to lock the outcome in the next round of the battle, with the magic gun that still had one energy left in her hand.

But Melanie had already decided to back down. The princess's men had already fled, and there was no need for her to fight these two to the death. Anyway, she knew it was Hetia's doing, so she could just go to Lake Forest to collect the debt another day.

When local wars escalate, the competition often boils down to the internal strength behind the scenes, namely, which faction, the thirteenth princess's faction or the third prince's faction, is more powerful.

Unfortunately, Earl Duke did not want to get involved. If Bran Duke's mother, the Countess, had not been the biological sister of the Third Prince's mother, the two brothers would not have been so easily won over.

With that thought in mind, Melanie mustered her remaining magic to prepare for her escape.

"Hetia! Attack together!"

Ryuga roared and gave the order, rushing forward with Hetia. Their figures darted through the blizzard, each raising their battle-wielding swords and swinging them down from either side.

"Drink it!!!"

"Annoying!"

Compared to Ryūka, Hetia seemed to be at her last gasp, Melanie judged in an instant. She split her magic into two ice shields, one stronger to defend against Ryūka, the other weaker to defend against Hetia, while simultaneously chanting her final trump card.

Boom! Unexpectedly, Hetia's ice shield shattered instantly, and among the scattered ice crystals, Hetia's figure gradually transformed into Ryukatsu.

What?! What's wrong with this weird kid?!

Ryuu had already used his fighting spirit as a clear disguise, so Melanie didn't suspect any heretical abilities. She simply assumed it was some kind of special combat technique, or that the kid, like herself, was a dual cultivator of magic and martial arts, albeit primarily martial arts with secondary magic, specifically mental illusion magic.

"No entry here!

Out of the corner of her eye, Melanie saw Ryusha pull out the magic gun from her waist. Although she hadn't finished chanting, she forcibly activated the final spell.

An astonishing chill erupted from beneath her feet, instantly freezing the ground within several meters around her, and Liuxia and Hetia's legs were also sealed by thick blocks of ice!

We have to escape! Melanie summoned her last bit of magic, whipping up a blizzard as she fled!

Don't even think about escaping! Although Ryuka's lower body was frozen, the crosshair of the magic gun was already locked onto Melanie's back, and she pulled the trigger hard!

*Sizzle—Puff puff puff!* The expected explosion didn't happen. Instead, small flames shot out from the muzzle like hiccups, followed by a burst of steam from the tail...

At this moment, Ryusha understood what Hetia meant when she said, "Anya, your invention has finally worked for once..."

As Ryūka watched Melanie's retreating figure, he angrily smashed the ice on his leg with the hilt of his sword, while an exhausted Hetia looked at the ice on her leg and gave him a pleading look...

"Help me, I have no strength left..."

Chapter 22 Punishing the Rose

The sky is clear and the stars are bright in this world.

The bright moonlight soothed the small campsite, and after the battle, Ryusha and Hetia finally caught up with the main force.

The day's fighting and fleeing had left everyone exhausted. After dinner, they fell into a deep sleep, and soon the camp was filled with the sound of snoring...