The moment that familiar voice rang out, Ursula’s expression changed drastically. She immediately drew her sword and turned toward the top of the valley in full alert.

There, standing tall upon the cliff edge, was a burly man with a pronounced handlebar mustache. His entire frame radiated an aura of dominance and aggression.

“Thunder Knight Commander? What are you doing here? Weren’t you supposed to be stationed at the northern border?”

Indeed, the one who had arrived was none other than Empress Yevna’s elder brother—the Thunder Knight Commander, Yelude.

He was also currently their most dangerous adversary.

Although the Thunder Knight Commander’s personal strength didn’t match that of the Empress, and even his strongest subordinate couldn’t rival Eldritch, he had something else—widespread support from the noble families of the Empire. His influence was vast and deeply rooted. Even Empress Yevna did not dare to act recklessly against him.

If civil war were to break out, the Empire would suffer devastating losses. And in such a weakened state, how could they possibly defend against an invasion from neighboring nations?

“A mere bodyguard dares question this prince? I go where I please! Now step aside!”

Thunder Knight Commander Yelude scoffed, brushing off Ursula’s concern, and turned his mocking gaze to his sister.

“My dearest little sister, surprised to see your royal brother here, are you?”

“You made it so difficult to find you… And who would have thought that the long-vanished cripple Leonchi was hiding out in this remote backwater?”

Empress Yevna’s face turned to stone, her voice icy and unyielding. “How did you know we were here?”

Yelude’s eyes gleamed with amusement, like a cat toying with its prey. The smug certainty in his expression made the justice-bound Ursula grit her teeth in fury.

“You really thought you could hide? That cursed old man desperately searching for a cure was bound to draw attention!”

“Did you think your pathetic little tricks could conceal your trail from me?”

“Heh… You didn’t realize, did you? Every step you’ve taken was under my watchful eye. Today… you’ll find no escape!”

Yelude let out a loud, arrogant laugh that echoed through the valley.

Despite the dire situation, the Empress remained calm and composed. Even with Eldritch out of commission, they still had Leonchi. That should be enough to ensure their safety—for now.

Ursula trembled with fury, and on the stretcher, Eldritch was so enraged he nearly lost control. He coughed violently, spraying blood.

“P-Pah! You ungrateful traitor!”

Leonchi placed a steadying hand on Eldritch’s shoulder and offered a reassuring smile.

“Old friend, don’t worry! That Ogre King may be strong, but even with another two hundred years, he wouldn’t be my match!”

“As long as you’re my guests, I will protect you. If word got out that I let harm come to you while under my roof, where would that leave my reputation?”

With practiced calm, Leonchi adjusted his robes and turned his gaze toward the Ogre King—an opponent on equal footing with him in terms of raw magical tier—but in Leonchi’s eyes, utterly unworthy.

Yet, to everyone’s surprise, the Ogre King didn’t rise to the provocation. Instead, he burst out laughing and simply stepped aside.

“Haha! You’re right. I’m no match for you. But… I’m not the one fighting you this time!”

“I’m just here to finish off that cursed old man. As for you—someone else will deal with you!”

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a swarm of venomous insects came buzzing from the distance, darkening the skies.

The insects swirled together into a black storm cloud, which carried down a figure cloaked head to toe in a black robe, his aura cold and menacing.

“Long time no see… my dear senior brother, Leonchi.”

The moment Leonchi laid eyes on him, his expression turned grim.

Even Eldritch, lying on the stretcher, showed a flicker of despair.

“The Dark High Priest?! So, you really have aligned yourself with them…”

“Mind your words,” the Dark High Priest replied with a wicked smirk. “The Dark Altar works alone—we would never sully ourselves by aligning with others.”

“I don’t wish to fight you either, brother… but what they’ve offered me is simply too tempting.”

A sinister grin tugged at his lips as black mist coiled around his form like living tendrils.

Wherever the mist passed, grass and trees withered and died. Within dozens of meters, all life vanished.

Even Yelude and the Ogre King kept a healthy distance from him.

This master of curses was feared by all. He was known by a chilling title—Three Steps to Death, for those who faced him rarely made it past their third step.

Upon seeing the enemy lineup, dread settled over Yevna and her allies like a dark cloud.

Even Leonchi’s usual composure began to waver.

“No more talking!” the Dark High Priest roared. “Once I’ve dealt with this cripple, I’ll go raze his alchemy valley to the ground!”

“Anyone who dares oppose the Dark Altar—none shall live!”

With that, his power surged.

He transformed into a storm of black mist and lunged down from the cliff, aiming directly for Leonchi, who remained seated in his wheelchair.

A massive phantom serpent formed from dark magic snapped its fangs toward him.

But Leonchi’s eyes flashed with resolve—he would not back down.

He slammed his palms onto the arms of his wheelchair, and from his back sprouted a pair of brilliant white angel wings. He and his chair soared into the air.

Holy magic surged in his hands. Without hesitation, he met the Dark High Priest head-on.

Black and white magic collided. Heaven and earth seemed to tremble.

The two combatants fought with no restraint, their blows shaking the cliffs and sending boulders crashing down both sides of the valley.

A terrifying pressure spread across the gorge.

Understanding the danger to the others, the two mages wordlessly carried their battle into the skies, leaving the ground for the rest to fight.

Witnessing the battle, little Elena’s jaw dropped, her wide eyes sparkling with awe.

Whoa! They’re fighting so fiercely it’s like the world’s ending!

If they’re this powerful… how terrifying must Daddy be when he’s angry? No wonder he never gets mad!

These people are so violent… Elena might really die here!

Pretty sister and Grandpa look like they’re struggling… and Daddy’s not here to protect me…

Daddy always said a smart person avoids danger… Maybe I should sneak away?

But… Pretty Sister is so beautiful. I really want her to be my new mom!

And Ursula’s so nice too—she even took me horse-riding and promised to teach me swordsmanship!

What should I do? I don’t want them to get hurt…

While Elena wrestled with her thoughts, Empress Yevna, filled with guilt, gently brought her to Eldritch’s side.

“Elena… I’m sorry. It’s my fault you’re in this mess.”

“If I hadn’t brought you along, you wouldn’t be in danger. But don’t worry—I’ll get you out of here. Stay with Grandpa Eldritch and don’t wander, okay?”

With that, the Empress gave a wave of her hand.

Ursula and over twenty mid-rank mages erupted with magic and charged the enemy ranks.

Yevna herself rose into the air, her Hero Knight aura blazing.

In a heartbeat, she was clad in armor forged from eternal frost.

Transformed into a War Goddess of Ice, she gripped her sword of crystalline ice and dove toward the Ogre King and her brother, the Thunder Knight Commander.

A chill swept the battlefield—temperatures plummeted by ten degrees in an instant.

“Pretty Sister, be careful!” Elena shouted, but her voice was swallowed by the roar of battle.

The Empress, bolstered by her royal bloodline and natural talent, barely managed to hold her own against two mighty foes.

But Ursula and the others, outnumbered two to one, quickly found themselves overwhelmed.

The tide of battle shifted sharply against them.

Elena’s heart pounded—if Pretty Sister lost, she wouldn’t get her as a stepmother!

Just as she panicked, a familiar grumble from nearby caught her attention.

“Damn it! Look what happens when the tiger falls from the mountain!”

“If I wasn’t cursed, I’d wipe the floor with these fools!”

“Sigh… So this is how my legendary life ends? In a backwater valley?”

Eldritch watched the battle unfold with pain and fury in his eyes—yet all he could do was rant. His body had no strength left.

“Um… Grandpa, if Elena helps you lift the curse, can you protect Pretty Sister?”

“Of course!” Eldritch replied weakly. “My destruction magic is unmatched! They’re nothing but flies before me!”

Elena’s eyes lit up. She immediately rummaged through her pouch.

“Hmph… They didn’t believe in Daddy’s potion, but now they’ll see!”

“Once I lift the curse, they’ll all know how amazing Daddy really is! Then… Pretty Sister will become Pretty Stepmother!”

…

At that very moment, far away in his quiet little home, Owen was calmly tending to a patch of cabbages when a system notification suddenly pinged.

[Ding! Alert: Daughter Elena is in danger. A bottle of Universal Antidote is urgently required!]

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep