"Woah! Woah! Woah!"

Drew clenched onto his shoulder. This isn't good. This is not good.

A wave of strings that are so thin that without having a strong eyesight, you wouldn't notice. The strings are floating and dive in a chance to stick onto the woman and twirl tightly onto her. She couldn't help but give a bloodshot smile, so wide it reached from ear to ear.

"You are quite skilled despite your age! That isn't quite right... Isn't this blasphemous though?"

She tilted her head curiously. Edwin stood there with a blank face as he stretched his arms towards her and clenched his hands making the strings tighten even more onto her. Linda stood right behind him with her necklace noticeably hanging.

Drew watched them in a daze. His left pauldron from his light plate armor was loosening due to an impact and his injured shoulder was bleeding.

"Amanda..."

Seeing a stone missing from the young lady's necklace, he could guess it was used but how are they there? One side effect that the stone has is that it takes people from 3 meters of the range of the person who breaks the stone. But that isn't the only thing he is doubting what he is seeing.

He stared at the strings that were controlled by the young master. Drew gritted his teeth in shock but also in horror at what the consequences would fall upon them if it was discovered that one of the great hero's children was awakened without having a ceremony in front of a sacristan from Sainlam.

It's common knowledge all around the continent. So if they were to find out about Edwin... He can't even imagine! He needs to mention this to Rebekah once he meets her after this! He couldn't bring himself to stand anymore. He stared at her in a daze.

The woman he thought died in war... His fiancée...

Her once gentle and beautiful face is now twisted and disfigured. If it weren't for her unusual hair which split colors of brunette and ash blonde, he wouldn't have recognized the person he was facing was his fiancée, Aries.

Linda clenched her hands together and stared silently at Edwin.

'Why is he like this?'

She's been wondering ever since they did a sneak attack against her after seeing an opening when she nearly gave another futile blow to Drew. At first, she was panicking after seeing Drew in such a sorry state but she was stopped by Edwin.

He was the one who made her calm down! She was supposed to be the one who was light-headed! She bit her lower lip in frustration, tears welling up. She hasn't been feeling herself ever since that woman attacked the mansion.

Her emotions suddenly felt like they were going to explode and wanted to dash into action while her brother became blank and collected.

'It was just like that time!'

She suddenly remembered the times with a similar situation when they first came to this world and possessed these children's bodies. During the time when they met Maverick in the garden when she met Charlotte after colliding with her brother, and the time when she gained memories that obviously didn't belong to her.

She watched her brother who was playing with the strings and finally had her trapped. Edwin turned his head and titled his head.

"She will be here soon."

"Huh?"

Linda stared at him in confusion. He pointed at the roof that had been busted by that woman's arrival. An enormous bloodshot aura was getting closer and closer. She couldn't help but feel her legs go weak. Edwin quickly went by her side and caught her.

"That was a bad idea~"

Aries grinned, moving her arms around along with her legs as she broke through the tight, then, sharp strings that held her down. Edwin let out a wince and screamed in pain, collapsing along with Linda onto the floor.

Blood gushed out of his mouth and nose. He choked while coughing onto his blood.

"Big bro!"

He blankly blinked before light shone onto his eyes. He groaned in confusion, looking up to see Linda crying out for him.

"Elisa..?"

Linda crumbled and held onto him tight into her arms. She pulled out her necklace and tried to go near Drew but couldn't move her brother's body who was the same weight as she was. She panicked and her already weak legs dropped again. She looked up to find Drew silently rising up onto his feet, he looked towards her and gave her a firm nod and a smile of reassurance.

She clenched onto her already unconscious brother. She hesitated but finally broke a stone. A wave of mana slowly formed around her and Edwin and seeped through them. Feeling the unfamiliar sensation that was going through her body, she felt drowsy and passed out.

———

"Young master! Young lady!"

Amanda panicked when she was transported into the safe zone that was created in case of emergency. She was surrounded by anxious and fearful citizens of the dukedom.

Tears started welling up in her eyes. She never felt this dreadful since the time her family had to join the war. She wasn't able to control herself when Linda gave her the stone. She felt her body out of control when she distanced herself from the twins who were silently gazing at her until she broke the stone.

"Miss!"

She quickly turns to see Juliet holding onto the sleepy girl that the duchess is planning to adopt into the family. Juliet cried in relief but then halted in her steps as she looked around in confusion.

"Wait, where..."

Amanda hurriedly embraced Juliet, who widened her eyes in surprise. Her body shook in shock at Amanda's action that wasn't normally bestowed.

"Oh! Juliet... I'm so glad you're alright! What about Mira? The rest of the workers? Have they all arrived safely here? Have the knights checked through the citizens?"

"Woah, woah! Please, I'm holding Lady Ramona! And don't worry, everything is still in progress so I can't confidently say whether the citizens are checked through or not. Mira and the others are gathered together though."

Juliet gently escaped from Amanda's embrace who hastily gave an apology.

Another mana flow appeared as it descended from particles into forms. She turned her head and inwardly prayed and hoped that it was the children. She wouldn't know how to face her uncle and the duchess if it weren't for them.

Forms turned into two small children. Their unusual blonde that fades to silver was immediately recognizable as she ran towards them. She quickly embraced the shocked girl and sleepy boy tightly.

"Oh... Oh, oh... I'm so glad..."

Amanda sobbed hard. She couldn't control her emotions as the proper butler anymore. Later she wouldn't be able to face Nadia if she were to see her in this state.

"Y-young lady, young m-master... I-I'm so glad you are alive... Agh..."

"A-amanda..."

"Ugh, you wouldn't know how scared I was to lose you both... I wouldn't know how to face my uncle!"

Linda was perplexed. She couldn't help but feel horrible to have Amanda in that state. She freed her hand and gently rubbed her arm in comfort. To prove to her that they are alive. Safe.

She looked up to find a sweaty Mira in front of her. She smiled and bowed her head in respect. She quickly turns to Amanda and gently has her calm down and let them go.

After Amanda calmed down and wiped her tears off. She apologized and helped Linda with Edwin who passed out. Surprisingly she didn't ask what happened as she wiped Edwin's blood. She found out the reason after a few seconds...

Nadia stood behind her with a scary expression...

AKS