At the same time, Swann, Sarah, and Emma suddenly turned pale.
Swann clutched his stomach, cold sweat beading on his forehead. Sarah gritted her teeth, forcing herself to endure the discomfort while her brow furrowed. Emma simply crouched down, her small face scrunched into a ball.
“We might have eaten something bad…” Sarah analyzed through the pain, her sharp gaze sweeping over the food they had just shared.
Hearing this, Emma didn’t care about her own discomfort. She struggled to stand, waving her wand as a soft green light enveloped herself, Swann, and Sarah in turn. **[Status Ailment Dispel]**.
Under the radiance of the healing magic, the churning sensation in their stomachs quickly subsided, and their complexions regained their healthy color.
Sarah breathed a sigh of relief, then looked toward Ize, who appeared perfectly fine. “Brother Ize, you… don’t feel uncomfortable?”
Ize’s heart skipped a beat. ‘This isn’t good. Does she suspect there’s something wrong with the walnut milk I made?’
It was clearly the fault of those candies from an unknown source!
As for why he felt nothing… that was naturally thanks to the beyond-common-sense **[Physique]** attribute bestowed by the system.
But he could not reveal that right now.
In a flash of inspiration, Ize’s face twisted in an instant. He clutched his stomach in agony, his voice trembling. “Ow! It hurts… my stomach… it suddenly hurts so much!” Fully committed to the act, he even doubled over convincingly.
Seeing this, Emma didn’t doubt him for a second. Overwhelmed with guilt, she immediately cast **[Status Ailment Dispel]** on Ize as well.
As the soft light washed over him, Ize finally straightened up and let out a long breath.
“Strange…” Ize acted as if he were deep in thought. Then, as if realizing something, he spoke hesitantly. “The milk and walnuts I used were provided by someone Lord Dior’s father sent. They should be fine… Could it be…?”
“Impossible.” Sarah shook her head decisively, dismissing any suspicion toward the Betty family.
Quick-witted as she was, she soon locked onto the only suspicious target. “The problem must be those candies Emma bought. They were probably… unsanitary.”
Emma found it hard to believe. To verify it, she summoned her courage and took out another piece of candy, carefully licking it.
Before long, her brow furrowed again, and a familiar dull pain emanated from her lower abdomen…
“It really… it really is the candy…” Emma’s face slumped instantly. Her eyes turned red, filled with self-reproach and frustration. “I’m sorry… it’s all my fault… if I hadn’t insisted on buying them…”
Only now did she understand why that old man had been so adamant about not letting his grandson touch those candies.
Sarah patted her shoulder and comforted her. “It’s okay, Emma. You had good intentions. It’s just that the world is a difficult place, and people’s hearts are hard to read. We just need to be more careful from now on.”
Just then, Ize pointed toward the bottom of the city wall, his tone carrying a hint of strange urgency. “Um, everyone, shouldn’t we check on Senior Dior first? He looks… like he’s about to die.”
Hearing this, everyone hurriedly leaned over the edge of the wall to look down.
They saw Dior clutching his abdomen in agony. His previously sharp movements had become sluggish and stiff. Under Ace of Spades’ torrential rain of attacks, he could barely manage to parry. Several new wounds had appeared on his body, and a trickle of blood even leaked from the corner of his mouth. He looked miserable.
He had grievances he couldn’t voice!
That familiar cramping and churning sensation hadn’t completely vanished; it was merely being forcibly suppressed by his powerful willpower. However, this severely distracted him. Out of his total strength, he could only exert thirty or forty percent at most.
More fatally, he had to divide his attention to “suppress” the internal “flood” that was about to go out of control. He was terrified that a single moment of relaxation would lead to a total “social death.”
“Big guy, weren’t you acting all impressive just now?” A cruel and excited smile played on Ace of Spades’ face. She had clearly discovered Dior’s weakness, and every one of her attacks targeted his abdomen or his lower body. “Why are you acting like a wet noodle now? Fight back! Let’s see what you’ve got!”
She enjoyed the thrill of toying with a powerful prey, especially when the target was such a robust man.
She kicked Dior’s aching abdomen again and again, her voice sounding frenzied. “Scream if it hurts! Go on, scream! I love hearing tough guys like you wail!”
Dior clenched his teeth so hard that his gums bled, but he refused to let out even a single cry of pain. He simply glared at Ace of Spades with eyes burning with fury and humiliation, focusing all his strength on defense and… keeping his lower half steady.
Watching from the wall, Emma’s heart jumped in her chest. Her guilt and shame nearly drowned her. “It’s all my fault…” Sobbing, she raised her wand without hesitation and cast spell after spell toward Dior below.
“**[Status Ailment Dispel]**! **[Heal]**!”
Soft white and green glows crossed the distance, enveloping Dior’s body. The cramping and churning in his abdomen receded like the tide, and his wounds began to heal rapidly.
Dior’s spirits surged as the long-lost feeling of strength returned to his body.
Sarah also seized the opportunity, waving her hand. “**[Wind-Rock Barrier]**!”
A sturdy wall of rock rose from the ground, temporarily separating Dior from Ace of Spades and buying him precious time to breathe and readjust.
Ace of Hearts watched coldly from a distance. Seeing this, she snorted. “We can’t let them recover one by one! Ace of Diamonds, Ace of Clubs, move! Finish this quickly!”
As she finished speaking, the three cadres moved simultaneously.
Ace of Diamonds, a lithe female member of the Blood Kin wielding dual blades, charged toward Sarah and Emma. Her goal was clear: interrupt the healing support.
Ace of Clubs wove through the edge of the battlefield like a ghost, the strange red threads in his hands flashing. His targets were the remaining knight captains of the Betty family, aiming to pin down their movements.
Meanwhile, Ace of Hearts herself wore a sinister grin as she locked her gaze onto Ize once more. With a flicker of her silhouette, she broke through the brief chaos and appeared in front of Ize and Swann.
“Little brother, we meet again.” Ace of Hearts licked her red lips. The humiliation of having her arm severed yesterday made her unable to forget Ize. “This time, let’s see who can help you.”
Ize looked around.
Dior had just recovered and was back in a heated battle with Ace of Spades, who had smashed through the rock barrier. Sarah and Emma were entangled by Ace of Diamonds and couldn’t break away. As for the Betty family knights, they were being played like toys by Ace of Clubs.
It seemed he couldn’t count on anyone else for the moment.
He sighed helplessly and spread his hands. “Ma’am, your arm was just cut off yesterday. It only just grew back, and yet you’re obsessed with me? Just how big is the grudge between us?”
“Ma’am — ?” Ace of Hearts’ voice suddenly spiked. The smile on her face froze. She pointed at her own curvaceous figure and glamorous face in disbelief. “Are you blind? Can’t you see how young and beautiful I am? You called me ma’am?!”
Ize defended himself with an “innocent” expression. “Don’t you Blood Kin live forever? Who knows how old you actually are? What if you’re some ancient hag?”
“You!” Ace of Hearts trembled with rage, the crimson energy around her roiling like boiling water. “Don’t men only care about looks? Isn’t it enough that I look young and beautiful?”
Ize looked her up and down with a critical eye. Eventually, he shook his head and delivered a crushing blow with a sincere tone. “But… you don’t even look that pretty. That makeup is too gaudy, and your vibe is a bit… cheap. You don’t even look as pleasant as the lady who cleans our academy.”
“Pfft — ” Beside him, Swann almost burst out laughing and quickly covered his mouth.
Ace of Hearts’ face twisted instantly. Her originally beautiful features became hideous and terrifying due to her extreme rage. The blood mist around her became so thick it was almost physical, and her voice became shrill and piercing.
“Fine! Fine! Fine! It seems I really misjudged you! Not only are you trash, but you’re also a sharp-tongued brat who’s about to die! I originally wanted to keep you around to play for a few more days, but now… I’ve changed my mind. I’m going to suck you dry right here!”
Feeling Ace of Hearts’ surging killing intent, Swann swallowed nervously and whispered to Ize, “Senior Ize… are… are you sure you can beat her?”
He began to doubt if Igneel had sensed incorrectly. This senior’s talent for seeking death was certainly profound.
Ize suddenly patted Swann’s shoulder, a “it’s all up to you” smile appearing on his face. He said as if it were the most natural thing in the world, “Fight? Of course I can’t beat her. But I have you, don’t I, Junior Swann?”
Swann: “???” ‘Senior, where did that momentum you had while insulting her go?’
Ize continued with a heavy, earnest tone, as if encouraging a subordinate. “Junior Swann, you won’t just stand by and watch your dear senior get bullied by this old, ugly monster, will you? Have you forgotten the blood feud of the Raymond family? This is a great opportunity for revenge! Go get ’em! I have high hopes for you!”
He remembered clearly that the system’s options regarding Swann were extremely difficult. If this guy didn’t have some secrets or trump cards up his sleeve, Ize would eat his own shoes!
Swann’s mouth twitched. “Senior Ize, you don’t actually think I can deal with her, do you?”
Although he might have the strength to deal with the Blood Kin by using Igneel’s power, he really didn’t want to use it unless it was absolutely necessary, considering the splitting headache that came as a side effect.
Seeing the two of them actually “pushing” the responsibility back and forth in front of her, Ace of Hearts flew into a total rage. “You two! You dare ignore me even when death is at your doorstep! Since you won’t look at me, I’ll make sure I’m the only thing you see!”
She threw her arms open, and dense crimson energy surged out like a tidal wave!
“**[Blood Mist Cage]**!”
In an instant, a thick, dark red mist smelling of blood completely enveloped Ize and Swann, isolating them entirely from the battlefield outside. The mist churned, obstructing their vision. They could only see Ace of Hearts’ blurry, hideous silhouette.
Ace of Hearts’ triumphant and cruel voice echoed within the cage. “Welcome to my domain! Here, you can only see me and feel me! And I have some good news for you — though it’s bad news for you, obviously. This cage will never disappear unless I release it or I die! Now, stay here quietly and become my blood meal!”
Hearing this, Ize didn’t look afraid. Instead, his eyes lit up slightly.
‘There’s such a good thing?’
This meant… he could do whatever he wanted behind closed doors.
He turned to look at the nervous and helpless Swann, flashing an even more “amiable” smile.
“Junior Swann, look at that. Now we can only rely on ourselves. To survive and for the sake of revenge… don’t you think it’s time to get serious?”