When they found Otto, he was tied to a pillar in the basement, still unconscious.
They helped him to the bed in the room and used healing magic...
The capital had just held a funeral, and suddenly there was an Otto here, leaving everyone confused;
Only Diana, combining the words of the judicial officer, made some guesses.
A moment later, Otto slowly woke up...
Diana brought a cup of water, and Charles excitedly asked:
"Your Highness Otto! I didn't expect you were truly alive! What exactly happened?"
Otto opened his eyes, looked around, and seeing Diana and Charles, the Royal Knights' adjutant, he also breathed a sigh of relief.
After a weary sigh, he spoke:
"It was the Black Magician, Ibon!"
Everyone was astonished; this evil name was infamous.
Otto took the water cup, took a small sip, and continued:
"He used human alchemy to create an alchemical puppet exactly like me."
"An alchemical puppet? Could it be the corpse in the capital?"
Everyone exchanged glances. The string that had been tightly strung in Diana's heart finally loosened.
Otto nodded. Although he had been imprisoned during this time, he had heard some news from the guards nearby:
"Ibon originally intended to use my identity to achieve some unspeakable goals, but thankfully... Mil saw through him in time!"
Hearing this, everyone beamed with joy.
Only Diana's face was filled with disbelief, and she almost screamed:
"Mil?!"
Otto continued to explain:
"At that time, in the VIP room, Diana had fallen asleep, and I was tied up and put into a sack. It was Mil who, despite the danger, rushed in to save me!"
Hearing this, Diana suddenly felt a bit confused. Otto shook his head helplessly:
"Unfortunately, that Royal Knight escaped by jumping out the window with me, and Mil couldn't catch up..."
"That's not right! Since Mil knew you weren't dead, why didn't he say anything? Why didn't he say anything when I was framed?!"
Completely bewildered, Diana was almost going crazy, her hands trembling uncontrollably, and her mind was in chaos...
Otto's eyes were firm, and he said with a smile:
"Diana... don't blame him. Mil is far-sighted. If he had revealed this before finding me, those people would surely have killed me; by risking it to swap the alchemical puppet with my body, he made my death a certainty!"
"No! This isn't right... it doesn't make sense!"
Diana sat on the edge of the bed, one hand on her forehead, the other gripping the bed frame so tightly she was almost crushing it...
Otto sighed:
"If he didn't expose it, at least he could still use my life to threaten you. Mil was using their own schemes against them, completely thwarting their plots!"
Just as he finished speaking, footsteps were heard outside the door.
Everyone suddenly tensed up. The door was pushed open, revealing a familiar face:
"Oh? It seems... I'm a step late."
Diana looked over at the sound, her pupils suddenly contracting:
"Teacher? You're still alive?"
A sudden surge of joy rose in her heart, but the Holy Sword in her hand suddenly trembled—
"Buzz—!"
Diana vigilantly drew her Holy Sword, shielding everyone, and questioned:
"No, who are you?"
"The one and only, I am the Chief Royal Magician, Volk."
With that, Volk revealed a strange smile, and Diana gasped:
"You... also fell?"
"Hahaha! Diana... do you know? I'm already 88 and a half years old this year, but I'm still just an Eighth-Order Magician. If I don't place my hopes on the abyss, I'll never have the chance to refine the Philosopher's Stone in this life."
Volk let out a burst of wild laughter, his venomous eyes completely different from before.
Diana frowned in confusion, gritting her teeth:
"Just for this... to abandon a lifetime of faith?"
"Diana, not everyone is as lucky as you. The abyss... is the end for every Magician."
"No! Then why didn't the Holy Sword react to you before?"
"Because... I only made a pact with the abyss six hours ago."
As he spoke, a magic stone appeared in Volk's hand—
A Ninth-Order Dark-attributed magic stone!
"I made a deal with Ibon. As long as this plan is completed, he will help me advance. But before that, to deceive the Holy Sword, I had to hypnotize myself."
Seeing this magic stone, everyone drew their weapons.
Volk, however, completely disregarded them, continuing in self-indulgent tones:
"Whenever I had the thought of exploring the abyss, the hypnosis would fail, and I would have to re-hypnotize myself again and again..."
After speaking, he suddenly widened his eyes, glaring fiercely at Diana, his tone turning vicious:
"From the beginning of this year, when you obtained the Holy Sword, until now, mid-summer, I have hypnotized myself no less than six hundred times! Six hundred times!"
With a roar, everyone flinched back. Volk then let out a long breath:
"And now, I can finally embrace the abyss... Hmm, if I'm not mistaken, Diana, you've already been to White Acorn Castle, haven't you?"
At these words, Diana instantly realized something, her hands began to tremble, and her expression turned very ugly.
Volk let out a burst of wild laughter:
"Hahaha! Looking at your expression, Mil must have died by your sword, right?"
At these words, everyone looked at Diana with horror;
And Diana suddenly felt powerless all over...
Had she really wronged him?
But then she suddenly remembered and loudly retorted:
"No! Don't try to deceive me! I saw it with my own eyes... Mil is an Abyss Mage!"
"Him? An Abyss Mage? He certainly joined the abyss, but he is a traitor to the abyss!"
"A traitor to the abyss?"
This term was somewhat obscure, leaving everyone confused. Volk nodded:
"Frankly, I do admire him! To this day, no one has ever dared to betray the abyss! Because for those whose souls belong to the abyss, there is only one outcome for betrayal..."
As he spoke, he gently flicked his finger, and a circle of black-purple flames swirled around his hand.
"To be dragged to the lowest level of hell, burned by those deep purple flames, never to rise again until the end of time!"
Everyone listened with a shiver, while Volk turned to look at the sky nearby, a rare hint of admiration in his eyes:
"And Mil, he chose to protect the Holy City... Heh, what an incorrigible fool!"
Hearing this, Diana felt as if something had shattered in her chest. The Holy Sword in her hand felt heavier and heavier...
Volk shrugged and continued:
"However, he was indeed clever... Diana, before he was killed by you, the Demon God's Child still trusted him!"
"It was you... you deliberately misled me!"
Diana's eyes were filled with fury, but Volk was unconcerned, even mocking her:
"Heh... How desperate must it be to be wrongly accused by the person you love most, and to be personally sent to hell by them before you die?"
After hearing this, Diana's eyes became vacant, as if all strength had left her body. She could no longer hold the heavy Holy Sword in her hand and collapsed onto the ground.
"Haha! Ah, hahahaha! Yi ya hahahaha—! Cough cough..."
Volk finally let out a burst of arrogant laughter, then abruptly shook his cloak, transforming into a wisp of black smoke and disappearing...
...
"Achoo—!"
A carriage emblazoned with a golden apple, carrying a group of Holy Flame Knights, sped towards the snowy mountains. Mil muttered from inside the carriage:
"This damn Ice Lake Prison is really cold..."