Harry, who was commanding his soldiers in battle, suddenly felt his vision blur and an inexplicable dizziness overwhelm his mind.
It was as if some irresistible voice was urging him to kill, to slaughter everything around him.
However, years of rigorous training allowed him to regain his senses quickly.
Just as he was about to raise his sword to pierce the guard in front of him, he broke free from the grip of that force and regained control of his body.
Before he could figure out what was happening, he heard the sound of a weapon slicing through the air behind him.
Startled, Harry threw himself off his warhorse without a second thought.
He narrowly avoided the fatal strike!
After rolling on the ground several times, he sprang to his feet.
Only then did he have the chance to look back!
And he immediately recognized that the person who had just attacked him was another general from the Yar Principality.
The general's eyes, usually filled with determination, were now completely consumed by madness, making it seem as if he had lost all reason.
After realizing his attack had failed, the general ignored Harry and let out a roar, swinging his sword at another comrade beside him. With a single strike, he shattered the other's arm armor and completely severed the arm!
The comrade, however, was not to be outdone. Without hesitation, he turned and swung his sword at the general's head...
Looking around, Harry realized that such scenes were far from isolated.
The entire army of the Yar Principality, numbering over a hundred thousand, had descended into madness. Except for a few hundred Grand Knights, everyone had lost their sanity and was mindlessly slaughtering their comrades, who had been friends just moments ago.
Witnessing this brutal scene, Harry was momentarily stunned, feeling utterly at a loss.
He had never imagined such a scenario could unfold!
After attempting, along with those who still retained their senses, to stop his own troops but failing, he recalled the origin of that red light and turned his gaze toward the city wall above!
There, Jem.Woz stood expressionless, observing them as if they were a pack of wild beasts.
A thought suddenly crystallized in his mind, and he roared:
"Jem.Woz! Your Maddon Duchy actually possesses such a powerful magical artifact!!"
Looking down at Harry, who seemed ready to tear him apart with his teeth, Jem.Woz was momentarily taken aback by his words.
With an unperturbed expression, he casually scratched his ear before lazily replying, "This magical artifact has been treasured by our duchy for over 700 years, meticulously preserved. If it weren't for the excessive actions of your Yar Principality this time, we wouldn't have wanted to use it. After all, it's such a waste."
Hearing Jem.Woz confirm his suspicions, Harry didn't doubt the truth of his words.
Based on his knowledge, no mage of such power had survived to this day. Only a few high-powered magical artifacts remained from that era.
And magical artifacts of this caliber, even during the peak of the world's magical tide centuries ago, could only be created by top-tier spellcasters at great cost!
After years of consumption, very few of them remained.
They were exceedingly rare in the world!
Moreover, due to the declining magical content in the world, the annual maintenance costs alone could make even the wealthiest nobles shudder. Only the royal families controlling the duchies had the capability to sustain them year after year.
However, even with such meticulous care, these powerful magical artifacts, regardless of whether they were originally intended for single use, would inevitably become disposable in this era of waning magic.
Use one, lose one.
Therefore, unless absolutely necessary, no one would consider using them. The last recorded use was several decades ago.
Harry had never imagined that the royal family of Maddon Duchy could hide something so deeply, holding onto such a potent magical artifact for centuries without a single leak.
Glancing at the soldiers still fighting beside him, Harry's expression shifted several times before he deflated like a punctured balloon and said to Jem.Woz:
"Stop your magical artifact. We, the Yar Principality, are willing to surrender..."
Upon hearing this, Jem on the city wall shook his head and replied, "Harry, once this thing is activated, it's beyond my control. Only when the time is up will they stop."
Then, he paid no further attention to the visibly distressed Harry below the wall.
Instead, he turned to his subordinates, who were still in shock from the sudden victory, and instructed, "When they stop, they'll likely be either dead or severely injured. Remember to capture them all. Pay special attention to the critically wounded—they still have uses and must not die here!"
"Yes!"
Several officers, who had recently thought they would die for their country, immediately responded with joy.
Watching Jem.Woz's departing figure, the oldest officer couldn't contain his pride and excitedly said to the others, "I told you the duchy has lasted this long for a reason. You didn't believe me!"
"Don't say that. I thought it was some hidden peerless expert. Who knew the royal family had such a treasure!"
"Actually, I think..."
Listening to his colleagues' wild exaggerations, Duke, the only one who knew the truth, felt a bit awkward.
He opened his mouth but ultimately said nothing, letting them spin their tales further—about ancient dragons hidden in the capital, super battleships buried along the coast...
It was all quite fantastical!
Even he, a noble of Maddon Duchy, felt a bit embarrassed...
The next morning, news of the great victory at the frontlines had spread.
The streets and alleys of the capital were bustling with excitement as countless people celebrated wildly.
Even the stingy merchants and nobles piled up various delicacies and fine wines on the streets for anyone to take, as if it were the grandest festival.
Even those who had been completely indifferent a few days ago now appeared extremely happy.
After all, regardless of the outcome, free food and drink were always welcome!
"Sir, aren't you going out for a stroll?"
"I heard the nobles are planning a grand celebration outside the palace. It's bound to be incredibly lively."
After handing Olthagia a cup of coffee, the female housekeeper spoke to him as he sat in a chair reading a book of mythological tales.
"I'm not really interested. Their idea of entertainment is quite different from mine."
With a slight shake of his head, Olthagia declined her suggestion.
In his eyes, those activities were not as useful as reading a book.
Hearing his words, the female housekeeper was not at all surprised and chuckled, "You're still as mysterious and indifferent as ever."
To her remark, Olthagia simply responded noncommittally, "Mysterious? Perhaps, though I never intended to hide anything."
The female housekeeper suddenly leaned closer to Olthagia, gently touching his cheek, turning his gaze away from the book and towards her. She whispered, "I really want to understand you better..."
"Understand?"
Looking into her eyes, Olthagia asked with interest, "How do you plan to understand me?"
Sensing that Olthagia didn't seem to mind, her heartbeat quickened slightly.
After a moment of hesitation, her face slightly flushed, she slowly moved her head closer to Olthagia's face.
Humans are visual creatures. Men are attracted to beautiful women, and women, in turn, are drawn to handsome men. Olthagia's human form, though possessing some unusual features, was undeniably nearly perfect in appearance.
As she drew closer, feeling the touch of her lips, Olthagia's expression remained calm. He tilted his head slightly, pondering for a moment, then warned, "Trina, I think you might regret this later."
Unconcerned with Olthagia's words, the female housekeeper, Trina, smiled beautifully, "My lord, this is the first time you've called me by my name. I thought you hadn't even remembered it."
"My memory is quite good; I couldn't possibly forget something like that. I just find the title 'housekeeper' simpler."
After a moment of thought, realizing that Olthagia truly was like this, Trina sighed, "You're really so casual, not caring at all about others' feelings..."
She gently rested her head on Olthagia's chest, listening to his strong heartbeat, and took a slight breath of his scent.
It was a faint floral aroma that she found quite pleasing.
Feeling Trina's warmth against him, Olthagia replied, "For people who don't matter, I don't care what they think."
Trina chuckled softly, "You're really selfish..."
He turned over, pinning Trina beneath him, and looked down at her face. Olthagia lowered his head.
Facing Olthagia's initiative, Trina slightly turned her head away, giggling, "I thought you weren't interested in such things. After all, you never seem to pay much attention to beautiful women. I didn't expect you to take the initiative."
Olthagia answered honestly, "I do have some interest, just not very strong. There are more important things to do."
Then he buried his head again, and this time Trina didn't pull away.
When Olthagia finally released her lips, Trina blinked and asked again, "So why did you take the initiative now?"
He replied without a hint of shame, "I suddenly felt the urge to give it a try."
Then he buried his head again, this time wanting to do more...
Much later, lying on the bed and watching Olthagia, who had already gotten up, Trina lazily hugged him and asked another question, "Since you've said that you don't care about the opinions of unimportant people, does that mean I'm important to you now?"
Turning his head to look into her eyes, Olthagia hesitated for a moment, which was rare for him, and then said with a slightly awkward expression, "Perhaps you will be in the future..."
Hearing this, Trina almost couldn't hold back her laughter.
It was the first time she had seen Olthagia show such an awkward expression on his face.
Seeing her trying hard to suppress her laughter, Olthagia also felt a bit embarrassed. Just as he was about to get up and leave, he seemed to remember something, turned back, and softly said to Trina, "Actually, I'm not human. I'm a Demon."
After saying that, he didn't wait for her stunned reaction and walked out of the room.
Standing in the courtyard outside the house, looking at the sun in the sky, Olthagia's face seemed to regain its usual calm.
However, no one knew what was on his mind.