Not far from the Mandrake Pass, inside a military tent, the Third Princess was handling a pile of administrative matters after the destruction of the pass.
Suddenly, the tent flap was forcefully thrown open, and Brenda stormed in, furious.
"Aistherin! How dare you blow up Mandrake Pass without my permission! That's the territory of my Mandrake family!"
Clearly, the newly appointed Duchess had rushed over as soon as she heard the news, her hair disheveled into a wild mess.
"Ah~"
Seeing the newcomer, the Third Princess rubbed her temple in exasperation. Honestly, the last person she wanted to see right now was this Duchess.
Her succession to the throne was already secure. Once the late king was buried, it would be her official coronation.
As for Brenda, though still a powerful noble, the Mandrake territory had been completely devastated. With Mandrake Pass destroyed, the entire Mandrake Duchy was cut off.
Brenda's status no longer helped her; if anything, it might bring more trouble.
Yet the Third Princess couldn't simply ignore Brenda. After all, Brenda had been one of her earliest supporters among the great nobles. To discard her so quickly could demoralize her own subordinates.
"Listen, Brenda. I didn't want to blow up Mandrake Pass either, but this was an order from the Empire. I had no choice but to comply. Instead of complaining here, you'd better think about what to do once the beastmen in Mandrake Duchy are pacified."
"What else can I do? The entire Mandrake territory has been abandoned by you! What's left to consider…"
Brenda's voice grew softer as she watched the Third Princess' increasingly stern expression.
Finally, she glared back, unwilling to be completely submissive. She stared at the princess's dark eyes for a long moment before reluctantly saying,
"Once the beastmen are pacified, I will need the kingdom's assistance."
"That goes without saying."
Although the Third Princess agreed, Brenda knew the truth: she had been abandoned. Losing the Mandrake territory left her only the title of Duchess, with no private estates in the kingdom. Without Mandrake, she had nothing.
Brenda walked out of the princess's tent, feeling utterly powerless. She didn't even realize how she had returned to her own quarters. Looking at her few surviving attendants, she felt a deep sense of helplessness.
Then, a slightly mocking voice reached her ears.
"Looks like your duchess position won't last much longer."
"Who?!"
Brenda looked around and saw one of her attendants slowly removing her helmet, revealing a girl with fiery red hair.
"Wilma? No, you're not Wilma. Who are you?"
Wilma Mandrake was her distant cousin and one of the few she trusted, so Brenda knew her well. The timid cousin would never display such confidence in her presence.
"I'm not important."
The red-haired girl tossed her helmet aside, removed the gauntlet from her right hand, and lifted Brenda's chin with her fingers.
Yet Brenda didn't resist at all. She felt as if a terrifying lion were staring at her, her body trembling and unable to move.
Of course, this wasn't Wilma. Who was this ancient monster, picking on a minor noble like her?
"Oh? Scared already? The current Duchess of Mandrake really has some nerve. Quite disappointing."
Wilma withdrew her fingers and stepped back, keeping some distance.
"No wonder people in the capital want to depose you. I almost forgot to tell you—your fourth brother has done something incredible. A true angel has been born in his territory. If all goes well, the Church's reward decree will be issued when the angel reaches the Imperial Capital. Do you think the Church might replace you, a useless duchess, with him?"
"N-no, that's impossible."
Brenda gritted her teeth, trying to suppress her fear and shouted at her.
Wilma's lips curved slightly in satisfaction.
"Is it? Not necessarily. Even your master has abandoned you; you're already useless."
"You…"
"No need to deny it. You've known her for years and should understand her personality better than I do. But since Aistherin abandoned you, I can help you."
"What do you want from me?"
Brenda didn't blindly follow the red-haired girl's words. She wasn't a fool; otherwise, her older brother would have already eliminated her in the struggle for the duchy.
"That's simple. I need you to find someone—or perhaps two people—in Mandrake Duchy. Here's a portrait of one. I'll give you the other later."
"Just that?"
Brenda slowly unrolled the scroll Wilma handed her, revealing a silver-haired girl in a Gothic mini-skirt. She carefully memorized the face before rolling it back and storing it in her spatial ring.
"No, it's not simple. Even with my intelligence network, I couldn't locate them. So only you, the local authority, can handle it personally."
"Fine. I'll do it. Now, let's talk about how you plan to help me."
"That's even simpler. Since your brother is leveraging the Church's power, we just need to strip him of that support."
"You mean… you want to assassinate the angel?"
Brenda exclaimed, horrified. The red-haired girl, however, looked at her as if she were an idiot.
Without a word, she took a small cloth pouch from her waist, pulling out a transparent glass bottle containing blood-red liquid that swayed slightly as she moved.
"This is the pure blood of a witch. Make sure the woman by your brother's side consumes it. Within a month, she will carry the witch's aura, detectable by the Church. The accusation of colluding with a witch will be enough to send your brother to meet the Lord of Light."