The heavy oak door of Hakon's study stood ajar, a sliver of warm, lamplit air escaping into the chill corridor.
Sofie, her heart a frantic drum against her ribs, hesitated for a breath, then pushed it open further and stepped inside.
The room, usually a sanctuary of quiet contemplation, felt charged with an unspoken tension.
Hakon sat by the grand, arched window, bathed in the fading afternoon light, a thick, leather-bound tome held open in his hands. His spectacles perched on the bridge of his nose, and his brow was furrowed in concentration.
He didn't look up, his presence a silent, imposing wall.
Sofie's carefully rehearsed words, the apology that had churned in her mind for hours, tangled and dissolved on her tongue.
Her throat tightened, and she found herself unable to utter a sound, the air thick with her unspoken pleas and anxieties.
She stood there, a statue of apprehension, watching the rhythmic turn of the pages.
Finally, with a soft sigh that seemed to ripple through the quiet room, Hakon lowered the book, placing it precisely on the polished mahogany table beside him.
He removed his spectacles, his gaze, sharp and piercing, settling on her. "What do you want, Sofie?" His voice was calm, almost devoid of emotion, yet it sent a fresh tremor through her.
"Father," she managed, her voice a fragile whisper, "I... I wish to apologize for my previous mistake. And I am here to deliver my mission report."
A faint, almost imperceptible smile touched Hakon's lips, a gesture that did little to soothe her unease.
"Your report," he began, his tone dry, "I have already reviewed it. While you fainted." His eyes held hers, unwavering.
"As for your previous mistakes, Sofie, rest assured, you will receive appropriate punishment."
A shiver, cold and involuntary, snaked down Sofie's spine. She swallowed hard, her gaze dropping to the intricate pattern of the rug.
"I will accept any punishment, Father," she murmured, her voice barely audible, laced with a resignation born of long experience.
Hakon's smile widened then, a genuine, if somewhat unsettling, warmth in his eyes. "Tell me, Sofie," he mused, leaning back in his chair, "do you hate me?"
Her head snapped up, her eyes wide with surprise, then quickly masked with a practiced deference.
"No, Father," she stated firmly, though a faint tremor in her voice betrayed her. "I do not hate you. Everything you do is for my own good. I know I am naive, even foolish at times, and I understand that all your actions are meant to guide me."
"Good," Hakon affirmed, a note of satisfaction in his voice.
"Then your punishment is clear. You are to absorb the destructive potion within you completely. Until that task is done, your life will consist solely of eating, sleeping, and rigorous practice to increase your power. Nothing else."
Sofie's eyes gleamed with a fierce resolve. This was a challenge she understood, a path to redemption she could walk.
"I will not disappoint you, Father," she vowed, her voice stronger now. "Next time we meet, I will be a peak Rank-2 Wizard."
She turned to leave, her hand already reaching for the doorknob, but a nagging thought, a persistent question, held her rooted.
She hesitated, then slowly turned back, her brow furrowed. "Father," she began, her voice softer, more tentative, "I... I have a question."
Hakon's eyebrows lifted slightly, a silent invitation. He regarded her with a curious, almost indulgent gaze. "What is it, child?" he asked, his tone surprisingly soft.
"Father," Sofie continued, gathering her courage, "we could have simply used a slave mark on Lucian's mother. She would have become your concubine, and there would have been no need to accept her deal. You always taught us to utterly destroy our enemies, and I believe that even if Lucian and his sister appear weak, we should never underestimate them."
A knowing smile played on Hakon's lips. "You seem to have forgotten the report you meticulously prepared when you journeyed to the southern kingdoms, Sofie?"
Sofie blinked, a flicker of confusion crossing her face. "Oh, the report?" she mused aloud, trying to recall the details.
"In that mission, you asked me to gather information about the Montargis family of Aurelia. The head of that family is a member of the Church Knights, and the secret intelligence I uncovered was that they possess numerous Grade-6 mana orbs, and possibly even higher grades. That was the bulk of the report, I believe. Oh, and yes, the Montargis family head also had a sister who died in an accident, but that wasn't particularly relevant information."
She looked at Hakon, a questioning gaze in her eyes, wondering why he brought this up.
Hakon merely shook his head, a faint sigh escaping him. Is her talent truly so diminished? he mused internally.
Has her thinking power decreased so drastically just because she consumed the Rank-2 Destructive Mana Potion? Or is it the intense, debilitating lust she feels for Lucian that amplified the mental side effects?
"You have seen Lucian's mother, have you not?" Hakon prompted, his voice calm. "Describe her appearance to me."
Sofie nodded, her mind already conjuring the image. "She has soft, remarkably white skin, unlike the usual women of Norlandia. She lacks muscular strength, and she possesses white hair and striking blue eyes. Wait..."
Her voice trailed off, a dawning horror creeping into her expression. "It... it can't be."
A sharp gasp escaped her lips, and her body began to tremble uncontrollably. If her terrifying guess was correct, that meant Lucian's mother was indeed from the Montargis family of Aurelia.
Not only that, but the head of that family was a Church Knight, and they commanded immense power, possessing Grade-6 mana orbs.
"Father, we are dead!" she shrieked, the words tearing from her throat, raw with fear. "If she truly has a connection to them, they will mercilessly slaughter us! We will all die, every last one of us!"
Hakon nodded slowly, his expression grim. "You don't have to guess, Sofie. She is indeed the younger sister of the head of the Montargis family, Lucian de Montargis."
Sofie was utterly stunned, her mind reeling. "N-No," she stammered, shaking her head vehemently.
"That's impossible! The sister of the family head died in an accident. Lucian's mother must just be the daughter of a concubine, or some lowly harlot!"
Hakon shook his head, a hint of weariness in his eyes. "Why would a daughter of a concubine, or any common whore, bear an anti-slavery mark upon their body? Not only that, but the mark itself is incredibly dangerous. I once attempted to break it, and if the Jarl of Stormhold had not been present, the mark would have instantly notified her brother."
Sofie gasped, her eyes wide with disbelief. "Not even the Jarl could break it?"
"Break it?" Hakon repeated, his voice serious, almost grave.
"He expended nearly all his power just to prevent the mark from sending a warning message to her brother." He paused,
Then added, "Not only that, but she also bears a purity mark on her body, one that protects her from any assault on her chastity. No one can even take her virginity against her will."
"Then how were Lucian and Leora born?" Sofie blurted out, utterly bewildered.
"She has learned to activate and deactivate that mark at will now," Hakon explained, "but she was a fool to try and control it so early. She removed the Montargis family protection mark on her body."
"The Montargis family is incredibly protective; they would never allow a young, foolish girl like her to control such a chastity-protecting mark. Only after marriage would they teach them how to manipulate it. But she ran away with Lucian's father. "
"And here in Norlandia, as a lady of a house, she is obligated to provide heirs to the family. That is the reason you were able to break her jaw and burn her. If I had not intervened and she had died, her brother would have known, and he would have reached here by now."
"How do you know all of this?" Sofie asked, a newfound respect dawning in her eyes.
"Mostly thanks to your report," Hakon replied, a faint smirk playing on his lips. "Some torturing done to members of the Frostbane family, and some information extracted from Solphie's mouth."
"Thank you, Father, for clearing my doubts," Sofie said, a genuine sense of relief washing over her.
Hakon, already turning his attention back to his book, merely waved a dismissive hand, indicating she was free to go.
As Sofie's footsteps faded down the corridor, Hakon let out a soft, amused chuckle.
"It truly is amusing to witness my daughter, who is usually so cautious and sharp-witted, make such elementary mistakes and fail to deduce something so obvious," he murmured to himself, a hint of pity in his tone.
"Alas, I cannot tell you about the full mental effects of the mana potion."
He picked up the leather-bound book once more, its cover worn smooth with age.
Something was written on it, partially obscured by time and wear. He tilted it slightly, and the faint, elegant script became visible: 'Waves of Life by Alone in this World.' He resumed his reading, the quiet study once again filled only with the soft rustle of pages.