After Emperor Forn told her what she had to do, she left the imperial hall with calm, measured steps—just as everyone was accustomed to seeing her.
Her expression was steady.
Her gaze straight.
The sound of her footsteps echoed rhythmically across the vast palace floor.
But the moment she entered her chamber and closed the door behind her…
That peaceful, serious expression vanished completely.
Her features slowly shifted—as if a mask had fallen away.
Longing surfaced… then resentment… and something ignited in her eyes as she whispered in a low voice filled with jealousy:
"Why… why does he have that spear? It should be in my hands."
The instant she said it, a hidden energy burst from her body without her realizing. It rippled through the room like a charged breeze. The curtains trembled slightly. Nearby ornaments quivered.
She felt it.
Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and quickly steadied herself.
"No… I must not get angry. All of this will belong to me eventually."
The moment she imagined inheriting the empire from her father and becoming Empress, arrogance and delight spread across her face. The corner of her lips lifted slightly, and a gleam of unmistakable ambition shone in her eyes.
"When I inherit the empire… I won't hide that spear. I will display it openly… and make it humanity's sacred weapon."
Forn did not despise the dwarves. But she believed they would never be able to reclaim the weapon if she declared it humanity's sacred armament. She knew well that dwarves were not masters of war or battle—they excelled only in crafting artifacts and weapons.
She muttered with faint disdain:
"They should be grateful… that I'll make their weapon our sacred one."
Pride filled her completely as she began seriously considering what she would do once she became Empress.
But suddenly…
She remembered the battle between her father and her uncles—the brutal struggle that determined who would become Emperor.
Her smile faded.
"Will one of my brothers challenge me for the throne?"
A faint unease crept into her chest. She knew her own strength well. In a direct confrontation, none of her brothers could defeat her.
But…
What if they used tricks?
What if the other nobles stood against her?
Memories resurfaced—of the day she completed her mission to kill her uncle. She had used all the nobles who participated in that mission as scapegoats to escape the punishment the Emperor would have imposed on her. She had lost every imperial knight who fought alongside her in that war.
Now the real anxiety began to form.
She could not repair her relationship with the other nobles.
But…
She could make them stand on her side.
She could make them fear her power—just as they feared the Emperor.
And then, suddenly, an idea surfaced.
The sacred spear.
The weapon hidden by the Emperor in the secret hall.
She murmured slowly:
"Sacred weapons… aren't they weapons one can form a contract with?"
Her eyes widened slightly.
She clenched her fist so tightly her knuckles turned white.
"Yes… I must form a contract with that spear. After that, I will become its master… I will stand equal to the Emperor. And then… no one will be able to question my right to the throne."
At that moment…
Forn was not thinking like a princess.
She was thinking like an uncrowned Empress.
But just as those thoughts settled, her expression darkened. The gleam of certainty faded from her eyes.
"But… would Father allow me to form a contract with the sacred spear while he still lives?"
Silence filled the room, as though even the walls awaited an answer.
She slowly shook her head, gloom overtaking her features.
"No… he certainly wouldn't. He would never allow anyone who could threaten his throne… or his claim to it."
And then she realized a bitter truth.
It was impossible for her to become stronger quickly—and safely—without that spear.
She sat at the edge of her bed, thinking deeply.
"I cannot ascend the throne… unless I surpass the Emperor."
She trusted her strength completely.
No one in the empire could face her head-on.
She was the strongest knight in the Human Empire.
The only one capable of defeating her… was the Emperor.
Not because of his physical power—
But because of the Flame of the Empire he carried.
Deep down, Forn knew that if her father were to relinquish the Human Flame… she could defeat him.
Her thoughts began to take clearer shape.
If she formed a contract with the sacred spear…
She would surpass him.
Even the Dwarf King was contracted with a sacred weapon—and his strength rivaled her father's.
And she—the strongest knight in the Human Empire, perhaps on the entire continent—how could she not surpass them if she wielded a sacred weapon?
She could not surpass the Emperor with her own strength alone.
But with the sacred spear…
Everything would change.
She secretly mocked the Dwarf King.
She had once infiltrated his chamber and stolen the necklace in his possession with ease—without anyone noticing. She knew well that he had never been a great knight.
He was powerful only because he had formed a contract with a sacred weapon.
That realization strengthened her conviction.
"If he reached that level… then what will I become?"
Ambition flared in her chest once more.
She rose abruptly, her eyes gleaming with dangerous resolve.
"I will form a contract with the sacred spear… I will rule in place of my weak father… and I will make the Human Empire the strongest race on the continent."
The moment she made her decision…
She began planning.
How would she reach the secret hall beneath the throne room…
Without the Emperor noticing?
Elsewhere in the palace…
The Emperor of Humanity sat upon his throne, a faint smile forming on his face.
"It was the right decision to tell Forn about the spear."
But then he exhaled slowly.
"Should I have told her about the small fleet our ancestors stole from the elves long ago?"
He shook his head.
"No… no. I must tell her everything gradually… so she doesn't do something foolish."
He did not know…
That telling Forn about the existence of the sacred spear…
Was already the first true mistake he had made.
A mistake that would make him—and Forn herself—regret it in the future.
For ambition…
When awakened too early…
Can become a fire that burns everyone.